History

Sonny and Bob Heeren, October 2005

Heeren Brothers opened in 1933 when John Sr. and Elmer Heeren started a produce trucking business in Grand Rapids, Michigan. One brother would drive a truck to the Southern states to purchase strawberries, citrus, cabbage and a variety of other fruits and vegetables. He would then be met by the other brother at the mid-way point between Grand Rapids and the southern growing area just visited. There, they would exchange trucks, one returning to Grand Rapids to sell the fresh produce and the other returning South to purchase another load of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Six years later, the pair expanded their operations to include cross-country hauling. Other drivers would bring fresh produce to the Heerens, which they sold at their stall in the largest of the city's wholesale produce markets on Market Street. They also purchased 10 acres of land and built an apple packing and storage facility on Alpine Avenue, just north of the city and in the fruit-growing heart of West Michigan.

John and Elmer Heeren incorporated the business in 1962 with their sons, John (Sonny) and Bob. Like their fathers, John and Bob Heeren split the duties of hauling and then selling produce, both at their stall at the produce market on Market street and to the restaurants nearby. When Grand Rapids decided to close its downtown produce markets and relocate all vendors to a newly annexed tract of land, the Heerens purchased a lot within the tract and built a 3,800 square foot warehouse. This facility, located at 1330 East Service Dr. SW was shared with L & L Packaged Produce for nearly 30 years. During these years, Heerens sold mostly fruits while L & L sold mostly vegetables.

As independent truck drivers began to disappear in the 1970s, the Heerens began building a fleet of their own trucks and drivers. They also began expanding their produce line to include plums, peaches, nectarines and other fruits. In 1975, they enclosed the dock areas and added a new storage room. The added room was called the "tomato" room because it had the ability to be heated or cooled and was designed with the purpose of improving tomato quality. 1978 brought yet another addition, two coolers and several new loading doors. This would bring the facility up to its current size of 11,000 square feet.

In the early 1980's, L & L Packaged Produce moved to a new location. It was then that Heerens began selling a full line of fruits and vegetables. A decade later, Heerens would move to their current location. By 1995, it was necessary to double the size of the warehouse, this would bring the facility to its current size of 42,000 square feet.

By the time Bob and Sonny Heeren were ready to retire in the late 1990s, the business had grown from two employees to more than 80.

December 04, 2006, Heeren Bros. Inc., acquired the assets of the J.A. Besteman company. This event brought together two organizations, each with over 70 years of produce business experience. The merging of the two companies would extend the product offerings, service levels and create the largest, family-owned, full line distributor in the state of Michigan.

The merged entities provide distribution throughout Michigan, Northern Indiana and Ohio. Operating from 160,000 square feet of warehouse space, employing 150 associates, operating 45 trucks and offering products to the retail industry and the food service industry.

Today, four of Bob's sons and three of Sonny's sons make up the third generation of the Heeren family that operate the business, which now has operations in Grand Rapids, Comstock Park and Belding. The Comstock Park and Belding facilities operate under the name Ridgeking Apple Packing and Storage.

November 23, 2009 we mourn the loss of John Jr. "SONNY" Heeren

Sonny, along with his cousin, owned and operated Heeren Brothers Produce for many years. He proudly served his country in the US Army during the Korean War. Sonny was an avid sports fan and was a dedicated husband, father, step father, grandfather, great grandfather and a friend to all who knew him. He will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered. The service to celebrate Sonny's life will be held on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. at Heritage Life Story Funeral Home - Alt & Shawmut Hills Chapel, 2120 Lake Michigan Dr. NW. Relatives and friends may meet his family at the funeral home on Friday from 1 to 4 and 6 to 9 p.m. and again on Saturday from 10 a.m. until the service begins. Burial in Rosedale Cemetery. Contributions in his memory may be made to Van Andel Institute for Cancer Research. To read more about Sonny's life, to leave your own memory of him and to sign his guest book, visit his web page at www.lifestorynet.com Heritage Life Story Funeral Homes