Two fourth generation produce companies, Pete Pappas & Sons and Sunripe Certified Brands, are announcing their partnership in Smoky Mountain Family Farms of Newport, Tennessee.
Smoky Mountain Family Farms was owned by Pete Pappas &Sons, a re-packer and wholesale distributor in the Washington, DC area. Now, Pete Pappas and Sunripe, a North America tomato grower, jointly own Smoky Mountain Family Farms (SMFF).
“This partnership in SMFF combines the Pappas’s strengths as a premier distribution organization and Sunripe Certified Brand’s strengths as a leading farming organization. It will advance the outdoor American-grown tomato industry through innovation and shared core values,” says Jon Esformes, CEO of Sunripe Certified Brands.
“On behalf of the Esformes and Heller Families I’m honored to announce this partnership. For nearly seventy years our families have done business together. In an increasingly complicated landscape, the opportunity to combine our shared values and differing skill sets is very exciting. It’s a partnership that we all believe will create a truly unique experience for our combined customers, Esformes said.
The families have 70 years of history in doing business together, with multiple generations both buying and selling premium produce to one another.
Of the partnership, Aris Pappas COO of Pete Pappas & Sons says: “The Pappas family is ecstatic about uniting with Sunripe Certified Brands, who we know is one of the leading tomato growers in North America. We look forward to the growth and advancement that this partnership will bring to Smoky Mountain Family Farms”.
For more information about Smoky Mountain Family Farms contact Aris or Jon directly.
Aris Pappas
COO
Pete Pappas and Sons Inc.
7805 Rappahannock Ave. Unit 1
Jessup, MD 20794
Office: (443) 296-7880
Cell: (301) 502-8802
Aris.Pappas@petepappasinc.com
Jon Esformes
CEO/Operating Partner
Sunripe Certified Brands
503 10th St W
Palmetto, FL 34220
Cell: (310) 714-8853
Office: (941) 722-3291
jon@sunripecertified.com