California-based GrubMarket, a venture-backed e-commerce company serving both business customers and end-consumers in the U.S and Canadian food supply chains, is expanding overseas to the U.K.
The company on Tuesday said it had completed the acquisition of U.K.-based JR Holland, a fresh produce and foodservice distributor servicing North East England and Scotland.
The deal marks GrubMarket’s latest move to grow by takeover, following its acquisition in July of Canadian online grocery company SPUD (Sustainable Produce Urban Delivery), and in April of Houston-based Texas and Gulf Coast food distributor Schoenmann Produce. And in 2025, GrubMarket bought Procurant, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform that streamlines fresh procurement, order management, and regulatory compliance for the perishable goods industry. Additional acquisitions in 2025 included the San Diego–based importer and shipper Coast Citrus Distributors; Mexican-grown produce provider Delta Fresh Produce; San Leandro, California-based Bay Cities Produce; and West Coast specialty produce provider Sally Produce.
The firm’s fast expansion is fueled by venture capital backing, including the company’s latest fund injection of $50 million in a “series H” round in February and another $50 million from a “series G” round in 2025.
Looking at the latest example, JR Holland was founded in 1983 by John Holland and has supplied fresh produce, dairy, meat, bakery, and pantry items to customers across the hospitality, education, healthcare, and public sectors for more than four decades. Based in Gateshead, the company operates two locations in the Newcastle area totaling 65,000 square feet and employs a team of over 120 employees. Today, JR Holland completes more than 3,000 deliveries each week with a fleet of 32 modern, temperature-controlled vehicles, serving customers six days a week through its robust distribution network.
As part of GrubMarket’s portfolio, JR Holland will now gain access to GrubMarket’s technology solutions, including:
- WholesaleWare, a software-as-a-service (SaaS) ERP platform that provides food industry wholesalers, distributors, and shippers with financial management, sales support, inventory management, lot traceability, grower accounting, and automated routing and logistics;
- GrubAssist AI, GrubMarket’s suite of agentic enterprise AI assistants that empower food supply chain businesses with deep insights, intelligent analyses, and workflow automation;
- Orders IO, GrubMarket’s custom-branded mobile and online ordering e-commerce solution; and
- GrubPay, the company’s digital payments platform specifically designed for the needs of the food supply chain industry.
