Frutura, the California-based global fruit sales and marketing company, says it has launched a new berry division to be led by JC Clincard as CEO. The company has also rebranded all of its Frutura berry assets to SunBelle, including the company’s operations in Mexico.
Clinard brings extensive experience to his role, having spent nearly two decades at Wish Farms.
Futura CEO David Krause told The Packer that the berry category shows no sign of slowing down, with berries penetrating 83% of households in North America.
“Berries are the top-selling fresh fruit category,” he said. “Sales were up 7.2% over last year. These stats are unbelievable. I think there is this huge opportunity.”
Krause told The Packer that integrating the SunBelle brand in the berry category and SunBelle Mexico was a natural fit.
“These two companies have been working together as producers and marketers for over 15 years,” he said. “The brand is well known in the trade and at the consumer level, so it only made sense that we would align our production-based division around the same name.”
He said following the acquisition of SunBelle and Giddings, Frutura wanted to create a vertically integrated business that includes breeding and genetics. Krause said he is also eyeing future expansion, including adding a midsized strawberry operation and introducing new varieties under Futura’s research and development business, Black Venture Farms.
“We have new genetics, new varieties that are going to improve on that consumer experience and give our customers varieties that will satisfy their customers even better, and this will drive further growth in consumption,” he said. “That’s the real breakthrough in the varietal selection, and these new genetics are all around the eating experience.”
