Milton, N.Y.-based Hudson River Fruit Distributors, an East Coast apple supplier, has added a fourth-generation family member, Marcus Albinder, to its staff.
The Albinder family has run and operated Hudson River Fruit Distributors for almost 60 years, according to a news release.
This newest on-staff Albinder will be the operations manager. He has been cycling through each department to better learn the full scope of the business and to implement operational changes.
Albinder recently completed his time in the quality control and packing house departments, and he is now focusing on grower relations, order fulfillment and sales.
“Hudson River Fruit Distributors is our family’s bloodline, and I am honored to be a part of it and uphold its legacy,” Albinder said in the release.
Throughout his rotational program, Albinder has been leading Hudson River Fruit’s marketing efforts by running the company’s social platforms and rebuilding company website, which will launch soon.
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Albinder will leverage his 10 years of marketing experience working at Vice and top ad agencies in New York City, to build out a consumer-based communication program to better connect with customers and apple consumers.
“It’s extremely important to create a fluid line of communication between our customers and ourselves,” Albinder said in the release. “Consumers love to hear the backstory of where the apples came from, updates on new varieties and the health benefits to them. My overall goal is to further educate shoppers on the many benefits of apples to make the fruit a pivotal part of their daily lives.”
To further educate himself on the apple industry, Albinder applied and was accepted into the USApples 2022 NextGen Fellowship, a yearlong mentorship program for young leaders in the apple industry. This fellowship included USApple’s annual trip to Washington D.C. to meet with senators to talk about active and proposed laws that affect all U.S. apple growers.
“It was such an eye-opening experience to be teamed up with apple growers from all around the country,” he said in the release. “We came together as a team to advocate for all U.S. apple farmers in hopes to protect ourselves from any policy changes that would have an adverse effect on our ability to grow and market apples.”
