In a strategic move to strengthen its U.S. presence, Frutas de Chile has named Ignacio Caballero Torretti managing director for the Americas. The executive assumed the role in July, leading a new phase for the trade association’s California-based commercial office focused on advancing institutional relations and promotional work for Chilean fruit.
“The U.S. market is very important to us. It’s our No. 1 market in volume,” Caballero told The Packer.
And it’s a key market that increasingly demands integrated management, he says, particularly in light of the current tariff landscape.
In this context, Caballero will expand the office’s scope and strategic focus into institutional relations, logistics coordination and engagement with Chilean and U.S. authorities, while also coordinating strategies to strengthen the positioning and consumption of fresh Chilean fruit in the country.
During his first month in the managing director for the Americas role, Caballero attended hearings on tariffs in Washington, D.C.
“That is a very important subject that will be part of the responsibilities of this office to support all we are doing from Chile, and all we’re doing here,” he says. “We’re very close to the new ambassador of Chile with all the commercial representatives here and USTR. We will do everything that we can to get these tariffs as best as possible for Chile.”
Caballero says Frutas de Chile is now in bilateral negotiation with the USTR, and is preparing an economic footprint study that evaluates the impact of Chilean fruit in the U.S.
“The key message for this economic footprint report is that Chile generates almost 20,000 jobs in the U.S. and nearly $4 billion of economic value in the U.S. across the full logistics chain,” he says. “With this $4 billion each season, is about $2 billion additional to the GDP of the U.S.”
Caballero’s primary responsibilities will be leading the institutional work tied to the current tariff environment, with the goal of positioning Frutas de Chile as a strategic partner for this market — one that supplies fresh fruit during the counter-season, complements U.S. domestic production, and gives American consumers access to quality fresh fruit for much of the year.
“We want all the trade channels to see us as a partner, that they can trust,” he says. “We want to increase the consumption of fresh fruit in the U.S. from multiple origins. Obviously we like our origin — we think that Chile does a great job in in quality and consistency. But we want to grow the category as a whole, and then obviously see Chile gain market share.”
Caballero says his new role also encompasses responsibility of the Americas, including Mexico, Canada and Brazil.
With more than 10 years at Frutas de Chile leading the international promotion of Chilean fruit, Caballero takes on this new challenge to build on the work carried out by Karen Brux, who led the association’s representation in the U.S. for nearly 15 years.
“We really appreciate all the work that Karen Brux did for almost 15 years,” says Caballero. “It was an important part of the organization and is appreciated.”
Looking ahead, Caballero says his mission will be to continue strengthening Chile’s position in the market, reinforcing the trade association’s institutional presence, and creating new opportunities for the export sector.
“There’s a lot of more fruit from Chile that can come to the U.S. and a lot more fruit that the consumer in the U.S. can can eat,” says Caballero. “We have the dual intent to engage with the trade to identify the opportunities to increase consumption of fruit and to engage with our growers to show them the opportunities in this market.”
