Ironically, Dick Peixoto, who owns Lakeside Organic Gardens, spent part of his childhood dragging spray hoses through apple orchards with his father, who worked for a fertilizer and pest control company.
Raina Nelson wanted to become a doctor until she found a shortcut that enabled her to accomplish her goal of saving lives without spending years in medical school.
If you’re familiar with Aidan Mouat and someone asks you who is the smartest person you know who is affiliated with the produce industry, he’s probably the one who comes to mind.
When Landec Corp. acquired Guadalupe, Calif.-based Apio Inc. 20 years ago, Apio needed someone with experience in reverse mergers to help with the process.
Nick Dulcich got his start working on the family farm in McFarland, Calif. He still works there, but his job description and his perspective on the produce industry have evolved over the years.
When Tom Brugato was about 9 years old, he and his dad would stop off at Pacific Coast Fruit Co. in Portland, Ore., to pick up a supply of produce for the Thriftmart grocery store his father managed.
Lauren M. Scott’s third anniversary as chief marketing officer of the Produce Marketing Association has arrived; it is easy to remember because her first day on the job was at Fresh Summit in 2016.
Kathryn Grandy knew she would be part of something big when she signed on three years ago as the director of marketing for Yakima, Wash.-based Proprietary Variety Management.
Growing up in the Queens borough New York City, Andrew Marshall was little aware of the workings of the produce industry, such as the nearby sprawling Hunts Point Terminal Market in the Bronx.
Helping companies measure and expand their sustainability efforts is the career hyper-focus of Nikki Rodoni, founder and CEO of Measure to Improve LLC.
At 38, Viraj Puri is aware he is a young, first-time CEO of an agriculture business type that the global, commercial-scale world of fresh produce has only begun to take seriously the past several years.
Paul Coronella shows up to buy and sell vegetables at 1:30 a.m. six days a week at Peter Condakes Co., nestled in the Chelsea, Mass.-based New England Produce Center.
Dan Bourgault, recently with Instacart and now headed to a new grocery tech startup in the Northwest U.S., is a man seeking to stay one step ahead of rapidly evolving technology in online grocery sales.
Since Jesus Gonzalez grew up in Nogales, Ariz., perhaps it is not surprising that he found his start in the produce industry. The fact that he stayed in it, he says, is because the business lit a fire in him.
The intersection between fresh produce and food safety has been a busy one, and Jennifer McEntire has witnessed major collisions as vice president of food safety and technology at United Fresh.
Peter Leifermann remembers working in the foodservice sector in Atlanta in the 1990s when importers were flying in hass avocados from Chile and mangoes in South Florida were priced at $15 per carton.
After Heather Hammack graduated from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, she decided to follow her brother’s advice and go through a practice interview before trying for a job she really wanted.
He may be president and CEO of a major table grape grower-shipper, but it’s not unusual to see Merrill Dibble walking the vineyards conversing with workers.
Vice president of marketing Adam Cooper has been involved in major initiatives at The Wonderful Co., from the development of its Halos brand to the company’s transition from its identity as Paramount Citrus.
Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak has always been a fan of the Produce for Better Health Foundation. Now, she is responsible for helping to steer the foundation forward into a new era.
Staff writer Ashley Nickle recaps how produce industry leaders David Garcia, Jerry Baker, Tom Riggan and Chris Veillon are taking action to prepare their companies for years to come.
Staff writer Ashley Nickle recaps how produce industry leaders David Garcia, Rick Alcocer, John Halverson and Mike Roberts have gotten involved in the broader industry. Read more about them in their Packer 25 profiles.
Staff writer Ashley Nickle recaps how produce industry leaders Tony Sarsam, David Lake, Rick Alcocer and Kaari Stannard invest in employees. Read more about them in their Packer 25 profiles.
Staff writer Ashley Nickle recaps how produce industry leaders David Garcia, Bonnie Spencer Swayze and Danny Dumas embrace ideas as part of leadership. Read more about them in their Packer 25 profiles.
With about three years of experience in the produce industry and as an executive for Ontario-based Highline Mushrooms, CEO Aaron Hamer knows well the value of a company’s culture in its past and future success.
If “old school” is defined as being a good story-teller, a problem solver, an industry veteran with a deep reservoir of integrity and a pinch of fun, Dave Haun is as old school as they come.
Chalmers Carr may be a first generation farmer, but he has accomplished quite a bit since the time he began growing vegetables and peaches in Florida in 1990.
Wholesum Family Farms in Nogales, Ariz., has been a 100% organic fresh vegetable supplier for several years, but that’s not the main factor in the company’s growth.
Paul Lightfoot and his 110 “true believers” are on a mission: to grow local greenhouse produce on a commercial scale for major supermarkets across the country.
Mike Roberts, the director of produce operations for Harps , started in the business years ago as a part-time clerk. So did Josh Rector, produce category manager, who was a teen when he began there nearly a decade ago.
Michael Castagnetto grew up in Salinas, Calif., part of a family with strong ties to the produce industry, so it’s no surprise to him to find himself in a produce career.
Jeff Oberman has tackled some major projects in his produce career, from working on the image of fresh-cut in the wake of the spinach crisis to researching how to get more produce in convenience stores.
When Jackie Caplan Wiggins was young, her trail-blazing mother Frieda, who introduced kiwifruit to the U.S. and built her own specialty produce company, was just Mom.
Diamond Fruit president and CEO David Garcia, the newest chairman of Pear Bureau Northwest, started his career in the produce industry as a 25-year-old with an accounting degree.
Bonnie Spencer Swayze politely sidesteps individual accolades when it comes to the growth of the company over which she presides, Hot Springs, Ark.-based Alliance Rubber Co.
As the chief operating officer for Black Gold Farms, which has growing operations in nearly a dozen states, John Halverson certainly has firsthand knowledge of what’s going on in different growing regions.
