GrubMarket Commits to Environmental Sustainability in California

Through its new Sustainable California initiative, food technology company GrubMarket is working toward preserving the sustainability of the state’s farming environment, empowering farmers and reinvigorating California's agricultural ecosystem. GrubMarket says it is uniquely positioned to pioneer this movement because of its strong relationships with California farmers and producers, as well as its mission to promote safer and healthier food practices and products.

The company will donate a portion of its net profits to the program, which will undertake projects such as planting trees and developing innovative technologies in areas such as farming and food procurement, sales, storage and logistics. Contributions will also go toward reforestation efforts throughout the state and helping local farmers obtain organic certifications.

[Read more: "GrubMarket Acquires Specialty Produce Company"]

According to GrubMarket, offering financial and resource support to farmers for obtaining organic certification will help them reach long-term agricultural sustainability. Farmers can eventually increase their revenue, improve product quality and promote the adoption of sustainable growing and harvesting practices.

"California farmers, especially farmers in the Central Valley, are challenged every day as farming becomes harder and harder, due to an increasingly hot climate, depleted water supply, and deteriorating soil conditions from over-farming,” said Mike Xu, CEO of San Francisco-based GrubMarket. “The farm-grown produce available today in California's local farmers' markets are much less in richness, variety, and diversity, compared to several years ago. Moreover, the past few years have seen economic uncertainty and supply chain disruptions that have presented a unique opportunity for long-term innovation in food production and environmental protection. We are excited to launch the Sustainable California initiative to protect, support, and uplift California's fragile agricultural ecosystem.”

Continued Xu: "It can be easy to take food for granted, yet sustainable food production is one of our society's most critical needs. The Sustainable California initiative is not only our way of giving back to the local agricultural community, but also reflects our commitment to supporting sustainable agriculture, protecting the environment, and ensuring that future generations can continue to benefit from the bountiful resources of California."

In November, GrubMarket completed the acquisition of Naperville, Ill.-based Fresh Software Solutions, an enterprise software provider that specializes in building solutions for fresh produce distributors, wholesalers, repackers and foodservice suppliers across North America.

GrubMarket also recently acquired both New York-based Frantoni Corp. and Kansas-based Granite State Software, enterprise software providers that specialize in building advanced food supply chain software solutions, with a focus on the Eastern and Midwest regions of the U.S.

Currently, GrubMarket operates in all 50 U.S. states, Canada's Ontario and British Columbia, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, India, Mexico, South Africa and Spain.