Officials with Walmart visited the Farmersville headquarters of Ugly Co. last month to celebrate the expansion into 180 stores. Ugly Co. photo

A Central Valley company with a mission to reduce food waste continues to expand its presence across the U.S.

The Ugly Co., a Farmersville-based dried fruit snack company, announced last month that it has launched its products in 180 Walmart stores throughout the nation.

To celebrate the launch, the Ugly Co. hosted a tour of its two-year-old facility for Walmart representatives and Farmersville Mayor Tina Hernandez to highlight its growth, sustainability mission and local impact.

The Ugly Co. has 94 workers and is Farmersville’s largest employer, turning cosmetically imperfect, edible fruit into healthy, shelf-stable snacks.

The company was founded by Army veteran and fourth-generation farmer Ben Moore in 2018 with a goal to reduce food being discarded just because of its cosmetic appearance.

“This isn’t just a product launch – it’s proof that small businesses with a mission can scale, hire locally, and make a national impact,” said Moore. “We’re on a mission to save 100 million pounds of fruit and 40 billion gallons of water – and Walmart’s support helps bring our sustainability-focused snacks to more people than ever. We’re proud of our roots, proud of our team, and proud to see Farmersville on the map in this way.”

The launch includes Ugly Company products now available in select stores including dried peaches — a Walmart exclusive, dried plums, dried cherries and dried nectarines.

The company operates out of a state-of-the-art facility that includes custom-built sticker-removal systems and imported Italian pit extractors that make large-scale upcycling viable and efficient.

The company has saved over 13 million pounds of fruit since 2018, with a long-term goal of diverting 100 million pounds annually by 2035.

The Ugly Co. also has partnerships with Sam’s Club and Sprouts.

The launch with Walmart comes from the Ugly Company’s participation in its Open Call, an annual event that connects suppliers of products made, grown, or assembled in the United Sates with Walmart buyers.

“We’re proud to partner with the Ugly Company and Ben, who has an incredible story as a military veteran and entrepreneur,” said Phil Serghini with Walmart. “Working with a company that recovers healthy food, that would otherwise go to waste, perfectly mirrors Walmart’s priorities as we serve customers.”