November 10/Selah, Wash./Prepared Foodsmagazine -– Tree Top Inc. has completed an agreement to acquire Sabroso Co., headquartered in Medford, Ore.  Sabroso is a processor and seller of single-strength and concentrated fruit purees, as well as a leading provider of dried fruit flakes and fruit preparations for the ingredient and foodservice channels. It has manufacturing facilities in Medford and Woodburn, Ore., and Oxnard, Calif.

Tree Top Inc. is a grower-owner cooperative known for its Tree Top brand of premium juices, applesauce and other fruit products. In addition, Tree Top owns and operates Northwest Naturals, LLC of Bothell, Wash., which specializes in juice formulation and juice concentrate sales to the beverage industry. These companies operate four production facilities in Washington, and one in Rialto, Calif. While the overall goal is to leverage all three product portfolios and provide the most extensive product support possible to all customers, each company will continue to operate their day-to-day businesses as usual.

“The combination of Sabroso, Tree Top and Northwest Naturals creates a world leader in providing processed fruit solutions for food manufacturers in the food, beverage and foodservice industries,” says Tom Hurson, senior vice president, Tree Top Ingredient and Foodservice Sales. “This agreement is great news for all three companies. It provides an expanded product portfolio, increased research and development capacity, industry leading fruit processing knowledge and technology and decades of successful grower relationships.”

Financial details of the sale were not disclosed.

From the November 10, 2008, Prepared Foods e-Flash