Takeover Westende Fruitteelt by Staay Food Group

Staay Food Group will expand its own growing capacity substantially with the takeover of Westende Fruitteelt B.V. in Fijnaart. With production ranging over 135 hectares, Westende Fruitteelt is one of the largest pear growers in the Netherlands. The company was founded almost 50 years ago by J. van ’t Westende and was later passed on to his three children.

Two out of three of Staay’s exclusive club varieties, the Dazzling Gold and Red Conference, are grown alongside traditional varieties like the Conference and Comice pears. Westende has around 25 permanent employees, with around 400 seasonal workers joining for the harvest.

This takeover will consolidate Staay Food Group’s leading position in top fruit in the Netherlands. It will also reinforce the company’s vision to shorten supply chains by cultivating more of its own products. The focus here is on top fruit, stone fruit, melons/pineapples and greenhouse and leafy vegetables. Staay Food Group cultivates its own produce in The Netherlands, Spain, Costa Rica and Brazil.