LACEY, Wash. — Harbor Wholesale, a major family-owned convenience distribution company in the Pacific Northwest, has completed the acquisition of Rich & Rhine Wholesale. Rich & Rhine will continue to operate independently from its Portland, Ore.-based distribution center under the leadership of its current president, Ron Squires.
“We'd like to welcome Rich & Rhine's talented team into the Harbor family,” said Justin Erickson, fourth-generation owner and CEO of Harbor Foods Group. “We're fortunate to carry on the legacy of a successful family company with mutual values of teamwork and customer success.”
Harbor Wholesale currently operates distribution centers in Lacey, Wash., Roseburg, Ore., and now Portland, Ore., as Rich & Rhine Wholesale, a Harbor Wholesale Co. The partnership with Rich & Rhine provides Harbor with an opportunity to establish a Portland hub to service the more densely populated markets in northwestern Oregon and southwestern Washington.
“As we continued down the path of successfully growing our business, we realized that substantial capital investment would be necessary to support our customers' expansion into foodservice, fresh foods, branded programs and new technologies. Our partnership with Harbor allows us to accomplish these goals by leveraging Harbor's existing infrastructure in a number of these areas,” Robert Krupp, former chairman of Rich & Rhine, said.
Rich & Rhine and Harbor will conduct business as usual while the combined leadership teams evaluate opportunities.
“We're fortunate to bring our experienced and knowledgeable teams together along with years of strong customer relationships. We continue to build the most talented team in the Pacific Northwest,” said Erickson. “The acquisition of Rich & Rhine advances our goal of being the premier food distributor in the Pacific Northwest.”
The combined companies will service more than 4,500 independent retailers throughout the Northwest.
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