The organic salad company Earthbound Farm is officially returning to the region it began in in 1984, after being owned by an international conglomerate based in Paris called Danone.
Bringing Earthbound home is Salinas-based company Taylor Farms, which will now become the largest producer of organic salads in the U.S. with its purchase of Earthbound from Danone, both companies announced April 11.
The purchase price has not been disclosed. A Danone press release said selling off Earthbound Farm is part of the global food and beverage company’s “portfolio management and capital allocation optimization strategy.”
Earthbound Farm, which started on a rented 2.5-acre raspberry farm by Drew and Myra Goodman and is currently based in San Juan Bautista, was purchased by Denver-based WhiteWave Foods in 2013. Danone acquired WhiteWave in 2017.
The move by Taylor Farms should cement its place in the world of organic produce. Danone reported that Earthbound Farm’s 2018 sales were worth $400 million. Taylor already has its own line of organic produce in addition to conventional produce. The company plans to transition its organic offerings to the Earthbound Farm brand over time.
“Earthbound Farm will return to its local Salinas Valley roots and family ownership, and will join the Taylor Farms Retail group leading growth in the dynamic organic fresh produce category,” according to Taylor Farms press release.
Taylor Farms is itself a family-owned company. Bruce Taylor, the third generation of Salinas Valley farmers, founded Taylor Fresh Foods in 1995 with several partners. It reports having 10,000 employees, including 2,000 based in Salinas on its retail team.
“We were motivated by the thought of bringing the heritage of another company back to the local community,” according to Taylor Farms' announcement.
Taylor Farms promised in a press release to build on Earthbound Farm’s tradition of organic products and new variety development with a focus on expanded regional organic growing and processing capability.