Harry & David acquires Cushman Fruit Co.

Multichannel premium fruit and gourmet food marketer Harry & David Holdings Inc. has acquired Cushman Fruit Co. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Cushman's was founded in 1945 and is a privately held company. The multichannel direct marketer of specialty foods is best known for its Cushman HoneyBells, a rare natural hybrid of Dancy Tangerine and Duncan Grapefruit. In fiscal 2007, Cushman's generated sales of approximately $19 million.

“Cushman HoneyBells join Harry & David's Royal Riviera Pears and Wolferman's English Muffins in our family of nationally recognized brands," said Bill Williams, president and CEO of Harry & David Holdings, in a statement. "Like Harry & David, Cushman's sells only the finest products and has cultivated an extraordinarily loyal customer base."

"Our brands are very complementary," added Allen Cushman, president of Cushman's, in the statement. “The entire Cushman's team and I look forward to working with everyone at Harry & David to significantly expand Cushman's strong direct marketing, Internet and wholesale businesses.”

Harry & David completed the acquisition of Wolferman's, a leading multichannel marketer of premium gift breakfast products, in January.