“The post-harvest infrastructure sector is long overdue for improvement; right now, globally, over a trillion dollars of food goes to waste each year,” says Jim White, founder and CEO of PHT Investment Group LLC, the general partner of PHT Growth Fund. “Our new fund will dramatically reduce that wastage through the changes we are making in the industry. Investing in a carefully selected portfolio of cold storage infrastructure assets and mission-critical logistics will increase productivity, increase shelf life, increase the nutritional value of fresh produce and reduce waste. All of this will result in savings at the retail level, as well as profits to growers and investors.”

PHT Growth Fund was founded on White’s vision of building an investment firm focusing on the post-harvest infrastructure sector.

“Right now, one-third of all food produced for human consumption is lost due to spoilage, mainly because of outdated infrastructure and improper handling after harvest,” White says. “We aim to change that. Our mission is to combine diversified investments in pre-cooling, cold storage, infrastructure, logistics and technology to revolutionize the ag industry and eliminate food waste – to the immense benefit of growers, consumers and investors.”

The post-harvest infrastructure sector is the nexus of the global food supply chain, sitting at the intersection of next-generation technology, mission-critical logistics and environmentally sustainable infrastructure in a sector of the agricultural space dating back almost a century. When fresh produce is pre-cooled immediately after harvest and before being placed into cold storage, the nutritional value and shelf life of the commodities are maximized. 

“Private equity investors, family offices, institutions and corporate investors who are interested in our capabilities for the future should also know our history,” White says. “We trace our operational roots to 1936 when Growers Ice Company was established in Salinas, Calif. Back then, Growers Ice coined the term ‘iceberg lettuce’ when train cars full of lettuce were cooled by block ice produced at our original campus facility. That campus still operates today and remains a major fixture in the Salinas Valley agriculture industry. Over these 88 years, we’ve developed deep sector expertise in fresh produce pre-cooling, cold storage, infrastructure, logistics and industrial equipment design, engineering and manufacturing.”