Dec 3, 2009

Sonny Heeren, Heeren Brothers Produce, Dies at Age 80

John “Sonny” Heeren, who with his cousin Bob ran Heeren Brothers Produce for many years, died Nov. 23 at the age of 80.

The company, located in Grand Rapids, Mich., has been a distributor of fruits and vegetables since its formation in 1933.

According to the company’s Web site, Heeren Brothers opened in 1933 when brothers John Sr. and Elmer Heeren started a produce trucking business bringing fruits and vegetables north from production areas in the Southeast. The pair expanded their operations to include cross-country hauling and then built an apple packing and storage facility.

In 1962, Sonny and Bob joined their fathers’ business, focusing on fruit distribution. In the 1980s, they expanded to sell a full line of fruits and vegetables. By the time Bob and Sonny retired in the late 1990s, the business had grown from two employees to more than 80.

In 2006, Heeren Brothers bought the J.A. Besteman company, extending the product offerings and service levels and creating the largest family owned, full-line distributor in Michigan and providing distribution throughout Michigan, northern Indiana and Ohio. It operated from 160,000 square feet of warehouse space, employed 150, operated 45 trucks and offered products to the retail and foodservice industries.

Today, four of Bob’s sons and three of Sonny’s sons make up the third generation of the Heeren family to operate the business, along with a growing number of the fourth generation. Sonny’s son Jim is company president. Part of the business operates under the name Ridgeking Apple Packing and Storage.

Contributions can be made to Van Andel Institute for Cancer Research.