United Natural Foods Subsidiary Acquires Organic CompanyUnited Natural Foods Subsidiary Acquires Organic Company

DAYVILLE, Conn.--On Nov. 7, after approximately six months of discussions, Albert's Organics, a wholly owned subsidiary of United Natural Foods, acquired the assets of Boulder Fruit Express (BFX), a privately held company based in Louisville, Colo. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

"We've been very interested in growing Albert's Organics for some time, and consequently have expanded into various parts of the country," said Thomas Simone, chairman of the board at United Natural Foods. "We expanded into the Denver area about a year ago, as it's our desire to build that business to cover a significant area of the United States. It just made sense for us to talk to [BFX] and put together a deal."

Albert's Organics (www.albertsorganics.com) expects to combine BFX and its own Denver operations within the next year and operate the merged organization as Boulder Fruit Express, a member of the Albert's Organics Family of Companies. Chris Webster, found of BFX, will remain with the company during the transition.

"I've always focused not so much as a chief executive officer, but on the purchasing end, produce specifically," Webster said. "And that's where I will be focusing to bring the two companies together."

BFX provides organic produce and perishables to markets in Colorado, New Mexico, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. Albert's Organics is a leading distributor of organic produce and perishables, with warehouses in Los Angeles; Bridgeport, N.J.; Winterhaven, Fla.; and Denver.