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The marriage on paper looked destined for success. Two of the Twin Cities longest-running fruit and vegetable distributors were to be acquired and merged under one new brand: New Harvest Foods.
The longtime competitors had their own strengths and weaknesses one was better at bagged and bulk produce while the other excelled in packaging organic, precut fruits and veggies. Together, it seemed, they could fulfill nearly any grocery store or restaurant order.
But less than two years after a private-equity firm took over the family-run businesses, one closed and the other is imperiled by legal battles and unpaid debts.