Solum Partners, a specialist investment firm known for backing vertically integrated food, agriculture, and natural capital businesses, announced that it has officially completed its majority investment in Greenyard NV (“Greenyard”). The deal, executed in close partnership with Greenyard’s founding Deprez Family, marks a major milestone not only for the company but also for the broader European fresh produce sector.
The investment follows Greenyard’s delisting from Euronext Brussels in September and represents one of the most substantial private capital moves in the European fruits and vegetables industry in recent years. Solum Partners’ successful takeover bid—priced at €7.40 per share—values Greenyard at an equity worth approximately €380 million. With this transition into private ownership, both companies are positioning the business for long-term transformation, scale, and sustainability in a rapidly changing global food system.
A European Success Story Rooted in Belgian Entrepreneurship
Founded in 1983 by entrepreneur Hein Deprez in Flanders, Belgium, Greenyard has spent four decades evolving into one of Europe’s most significant and diversified produce companies. What began as a local mushroom-growing enterprise has transformed into a globally connected platform operating across fresh, frozen, and prepared fruits and vegetables.
Today, Greenyard generates more than €5 billion in annual revenue and has built an extensive, fully integrated supply-chain model. Its capabilities span grower sourcing, logistics, ripening, packing, quality management, and advanced category management services for retailers. Its sophisticated infrastructure and close grower relationships allow the company to supply many of Europe’s largest retail chains, ensuring consistency of quality, speed, and reliability—elements that are vital in the highly perishable fresh produce segment.
With operations in 25 countries, Greenyard engages with more than 10,000 growers across Europe, Latin America, Africa, and Asia. This global network plays a vital role in ensuring year-round availability of fruits and vegetables for millions of households. The company’s broad footprint is also essential for mitigating seasonal risks, improving resilience, and ensuring continuity in an industry increasingly affected by climate variability and shifting consumer expectations.
Why Solum Partners Invested: The Case for Vertically Integrated Food Systems
Solum Partners has built a reputation for investing in businesses that prioritize sustainability, operational efficiency, responsible resource management, and long-term value creation. The firm sees vertically integrated supply chains as a core solution to today’s most pressing food-system challenges.
“This investment reflects our conviction that vertically integrated, technology-enabled food supply chains are essential to serve increasingly complex global food markets,” said Daniel Sachs, Head of Investments at Solum Partners. He emphasized that moving Greenyard into private ownership allows the company to pursue strategic investments—particularly capital-intensive projects that support logistics modernization, digitization, and sustainability goals—that can be more challenging under the pressures and short-term expectations of public markets.
Sachs noted that the future of the global produce industry requires deeper collaboration between growers, distributors, and retailers; more robust supply-chain automation; and accelerated efforts to reduce waste and environmental impact. Greenyard, he said, is uniquely positioned to drive these changes due to its size, integrated model, and decades-long expertise in sourcing and distribution.
Shared Vision Between Solum Partners and the Deprez Family
For Founder and Executive Chairman Hein Deprez, this moment represents both a continuation of his lifelong mission and the beginning of a new chapter. Deprez expressed confidence that Solum Partners is the ideal long-term partner to help elevate Greenyard’s market leadership.
“We were looking for a partner who shares both our long-term philosophy and our conviction in the structural growth of our sector,” Deprez said. “Solum Partners brings not only capital, but deep operational experience and a strategic understanding of global food systems. Together, we believe Greenyard is uniquely positioned to benefit from rising demand for fresh food, healthier diets, and more resilient supply chains.”
Deprez reiterated that the company’s purpose—helping people live healthier lives through plant-based food—remains unchanged. The alignment between Greenyard’s mission and Solum’s investment strategy was a central driver behind the partnership.
Continuity, Stability, and a Roadmap for Accelerated Growth
Despite the ownership transition, Greenyard will continue operating its business without disruption. Its existing management team remains in place, and the company will maintain continuity in all grower and customer relationships. This stability is crucial given the company’s scale and its reliance on strong partnerships with both farmers and retailers.
Solum’s investment is expected to accelerate Greenyard’s strategic roadmap, with targeted initiatives in:
- Logistics infrastructure modernization, including advanced ripening facilities, optimized distribution centers, and automated warehousing technologies.
- Strengthening grower partnerships, particularly through long-term sourcing programs and shared sustainability commitments.
- Digital innovation, including supply-chain analytics, predictive forecasting tools, and traceability platforms that improve transparency from farm to shelf.
- Sustainability and climate resilience programs, focused on reducing food waste, optimizing water and energy use, and lowering carbon footprints across the network.
By supporting these areas, Solum aims to enhance Greenyard’s competitiveness while reinforcing the company’s commitment to environmental stewardship and value-added retail solutions.
Strengthening Global Supply Through Integrated Farming Assets
A key development accompanying the investment is Greenyard’s integration of strategic multinational farming operations across the Northern and Southern hemispheres. These upstream assets give Greenyard more direct access to production regions that are critical for supplying Europe’s retail markets year-round.
With integrated farming capabilities, Greenyard can secure higher consistency in quality, improve cost efficiency, and better safeguard supply in the face of climate challenges. The addition of these farming assets also helps diversify sourcing regions, reducing reliance on single geographies and supporting long-term supply stability.
A New Phase for a European Produce Leader
As Solum Partners and the Deprez Family move forward with this partnership, both organizations are aligned on a shared vision: building one of Europe’s most advanced, resilient, and consumer-centric produce companies. With private ownership, enhanced upstream integration, long-term investment capacity, and a renewed commitment to innovation, Greenyard is poised to redefine how fresh and plant-based food reaches consumers across Europe.
The investment marks a significant turning point—not just for Greenyard, but for the broader European food sector—as supply-chain modernization and sustainability become increasingly essential to the future of global food systems.
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