Fresh produce distributor Nutrano Produce Group is looking to float its company on a stock exchange following its purchase of more than 1000 hectares of plantations from the Seven Fields and Abbotsleigh Group last month.
Nutrano Produce's managing director Tony Mahoney said the company had been building scale and was fielding interest from potential investors.
"We do have a vision to IPO," Mr Mahoney said, "We have seen the success of Costas and they are a good tier one operator. We would be a good tier two."
Nutrano have already been in discussions with Shaw & Partners and Gleneagles as advisers for a potential float.
Part of the strategy could be to split the company up with investors owning the land and Nutrano leasing it back off them.
Mr Mahoney declined to give details but said there had been increased interest in listed agriculture and food production companies.
Last month Nutrano purchased 1000 hectares of mango, citrus and berry plantations at Katherine in the Northern Territory, Gin Gin in Queensland and the Sunraysia district in Victoria from Seven Fields and Abbotsleigh. Included in that deal was another 450 hectares of arable land as well as three new packing sheds capable of 3 million cartons a year.
Earlier this year Nutrano, a wholly owned Australian company, snapped up a division of the vertically integrated Australian fresh food group Oakville. Oakville, formerly known as Moraitis, sold its banana division to Nutrano.
Nutrano has several wholesale market operations in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.
