Two of Australia’s best-know suppliers of fresh fruit and vegetables, LaManna Group and Premier Fruits Group, will be merging from July 2016.

Newly appointed Chairman of the combined business, Brian Gargiulo, said the merger was a natural extension of a ten year joint venture the companies have had.

“LaManna Group and Premier Fruits Group have been very successful joint venture partners for over a decade in Western Australia and the decision to merge our Australian operations reflects the deep mutual trust and effective working relationship between the two parties,” he said.

All existing brands to stay

Gargiulo said the new company will keep all existing brands and plans to further invest in them.

Chief Executive Officer of the new group, Anthony Di Pietro, said the merger will result in a stronger, more sustainable company capable of significant growth.

“We will have a diverse production capacity across all States and look to support and invest with our growers to achieve more resilient production capacity, productivity initiatives and new varieties,” he said.

Premier Fruits Group was established in Melbourne in 1998. It maintains the largest central market trading floor space in Australia with markets in Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide Sydney and Perth.

La Manna was established in Melbourne in 1972 and sells a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to retailers.

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