Reinhart Foodservice, LLC, Rosemont, Ill., entered into an agreement with Earth Brothers Ltd., North Springfield, Vt., to purchase substantially all of the assets of the Black River Produce distribution business. Black River Produce is a multi-regional distributor serving more than 2,000 accounts across Vermont, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Rhode Island and New York.

The acquisition further marks Reinhart’s commitment to the Vermont market following the opening of a new distribution center in Essex, Vt., in 2014, and strengthens Reinhart’s position in the New England distribution area.

“Black River Produce is a great company with strong management focused on delivering the highest-quality local products and service to its customers. The Black River culture, product strategy as well as the proximity of its territory to key Reinhart markets, makes this acquisition a strong fit for both companies. We look forward to working with the team at Black River Produce to grow the business in the New England area and beyond,” says Jeff King, president and COO of Reinhart.

“Since we founded Black River Produce in 1978, we’ve prided ourselves on being the fresh connection for our customers across the markets we serve,” says Mark Curran and Steve Birge, co-founders of Black River Produce. “We are fully committed to our customers’ needs and providing them with the best locally-sourced products they can find. We are proud to join our operations with Reinhart, so that we can combine their national leverage, supply chain expertise and operator solutions with our passion and focus on local solutions for our growing customer base.”

The transaction is expected to close later this month.