Highline Mushrooms, with facilities in Leamington and Kingsville, has been purchased by a global company.
Fyffes, a worldwide produce brand, announced the acquisition Friday.
Founded in 1961, Highline Mushrooms employs about 1,150 people in Essex County, Wellington and Montreal. The company markets about 58-million pounds of mushrooms each year.
Highline CEO Glenn Martin says it will continue to be business as usual. All five of Highline's Canadian locations will remain in operation, he says.
"We couldn't be more excited about this transaction and joining Fyffes, given its long history and successful track record of growth. We already operate some of the most state-of-the-art mushroom facilities in North America, and this arrangement will give us access to a global market leader in fresh produce," he says. "Our values are strongly aligned, and we look forward to working with Fyffes management as we continue to grow our business together into the future."
Fyffes has been in the fresh produce business for more than 125 years and currently deals with bananas, melons and pineapples.