Black River Produce
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Food processing and distribution |
| Founded | 1978 in Ludlow, Vermont, United States |
| Founder | Mark Curran, Steve Birge |
| Headquarters | Springfield, Vermont , United States |
Area served | Vermont and regional areas |
| Products | Produce, dairy, meat, flowers, seafood |
Number of employees | 180 (2014) |
| Parent | Reinhart Foodservice, LLC (since 2016) |
Black River Produce is a Vermont-based company specializing in food processing and distribution, headquartered in Springfield, Vermont.
Established in 1978 in Ludlow, Vermont by founders Mark Curran and Steve Birge, the business initially focused on transporting fresh produce from Boston to Vermont. It later relocated to Proctorsville before settling in 2004 at its present main distribution hub and headquarters located in North Springfield. The company primarily obtains its produce, dairy, and meat from local Vermont producers, complemented by regional offerings such as flowers and seafood.
Black River runs two significant facilities in Springfield: a 63,000-square-foot combined headquarters, warehouse, and distribution center, alongside a 50,000-square-foot meat processing plant. While the company originally concentrated on produce with meat processing handled externally, supply chain difficulties in the mid-2000s prompted the development of internal meat processing capabilities. In 2012, Black River acquired a former Ben & Jerry's factory for $125,000 and invested $5 million to transform it into a unified meat processing facility handling beef, lamb, pork, and seafood. By 2014, following an additional $4 million investment, the site included both a slaughterhouse and smoking operations.
By 2014, Black River Produce catered to roughly 3,000 clients, generated nearly $70 million in annual revenue, and employed around 180 staff members.
In October 2016, the company announced its acquisition by Reinhart Foodservice, LLC, a firm based in Chicago.