DENVER (KDVR) — The multi-billion dollar merger planned between Kroger and Albertsons-Safeway could be affecting more than just those companies and consumers.

Local farmers like those at Rossi Dairy and Produce say they’re uneasy because they work directly with distributors. So if the merger is approved, they don’t know what will happen.

Producers went through a recent Safeway merger

It’s one of the busiest times of year for Rossi because they mostly grow squash and pumpkins for Safeway. Anita Rossi broke down their pumpkin numbers.

“I think were at over a thousand, 1,200 bins, maybe 1,600 bins. I didn’t do the numbers this year. It’s crazy,” Rossi said.

They’ve been through this before, during Safeway’s original $9 billion merger in 2015 with their now-parent company, Albertsons.

“We went through the Albertsons-Safeway merger a few years ago, and you always worry about your produce buyers. We’ve never shipped to King Soopers, so we hope they like us and keep us,” Rossi said.

Rossi said certain relationships are mended with distributors, which takes time. Those are relationships they don’t have with Kroger.

“You develop relationships between your produce buyer and you work for the produce buyer — a specific guy, really, and he knows your product and knows how reliable you are or unreliable you are,” Rossi said.

Kroger-Albertsons merger pending approval

For them, it’s now the waiting game once the merger is complete: What will happen to the stores they fill and what will they keep on stocking for the remaining ones?

“I don’t know whether they can just go with one farmer, I don’t imagine that will happen. Hopefully, they will keep the farmers they have now and be one big happy family. It’s concerning, we won’t know though, we’ll find out,” Rossi said.

Kroger doesn’t anticipate the merger to close until 2024, so it will be some time before suppliers can work out a deal with the new combined company.