In part because of that struggle, Escobar and two of her colleagues in the industry launched the first worldwide networking event for women in fresh produce at Fruit Logistica in February 2019.
About 150 people attended—about 50% men and 50% women. “The goal was to give a taste to the world of our reality,” Escobar says. In the six months since, the group’s strategy as the nonprofit Global Women Fresh Network is not just to inspire and connect female colleagues, but to find tangible ways to support women in agriculture.
For instance, there’s an opportunity for women to grow avocados in Kenya, Escobar says. “How do we help them develop a business model that works?” she says. “We are … trying to connect the dots and find funding for women who don’t have the financial means.”
In the past few months, Escobar has been working to partner with the United Nation’s She Trades event that aims to “empower more than 3 million women in underdeveloped places like Africa to grow the ag business.”
As 2020 approaches, it’s clear there’s an industrywide movement to support women in produce. For the past seven years, PMA has helped sponsor the Women’s Fresh Perspective Conference. The conference aims to help women develop and hone skills in leadership, collaboration, communication, and negotiation as well as to provide networking opportunities.
Honing Specific Skill Sets
Women in the fresh produce business say it’s also important to note that employing women brings a certain depth of character and specific traits that might otherwise be missed.
“In general, I’d say that passion and enthusiasm seem easier for women to convey,” Karen Caplan says.
“Enthusiasm and passion—that verve—is something that may be considered a more natural trait in women.”
Women tend to think beyond just a single client or a single situation, Berkley says. “I find that most women have smaller egos and I think we naturally think of other people and how a decision will impact the greater good, the bigger picture,” she says.
In sales, women buyers add a different layer to the buy-sell equation.
Antle recognized the power she had being a primary shopper and a marketer when she was first selling fruits and vegetables. “I’d talk about walking into stores, seeing what was on the endcap … I put on my shopper hat. That was unique back then,” she notes.
“[Women] have a good understanding of the shopper; women are still doing the bulk of shopping,” Gardner says. “A woman buyer has an understanding of what’s convenient and what serves the need for a busy family; they have a different perspective.”
Involving Women More
The future will undoubtedly see even more women in produce.
At California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, the Agriculture Business Department now has over 60% females in that major, says Antle, who was an adjunct professor until two years ago.
“When I started teaching in 2010 at Cal-Poly, it was mostly kids of farming organizations knowing they would go back [to the family farm]. When I left, it was people from all over the U.S. wanting to change the way America eats,” she says.
Berkely says everyone in the produce industry should be working to help women get jobs. “If we as women can speak to younger people and get more into the industry, that will be one of our biggest impacts,” she says. “If you’re asked ‘who would be good in that role for committee?’ recommend other women, whether volunteer or for employment,” she says.
“Overall, I think women have to step up and set an example for other people about women,” Berkley says. “If I see that all women in produce are all confident, powerful women, then I will trust that the next woman I meet will be like that. What a woman does [now] represents what other women in produce will do.”
In the business world, leaders need to take into account business practices that will appeal to women moving forward, Berkley says.
“We need to establish a strong company culture where people feel like they’re being taking care of – I think women naturally think of that,” she says.
In the end, achieving a successful produce career is really not about gender at all. It is, as it has always been, about relationships.
“I spent the first 30 years of my career being Frieda’s daughter. And now I’ve become Alex’s mom,” Caplan laughs.
When Berkley started as a young woman in sales, Caplan would help her brainstorm what to say. “About five years ago I realized that the tables had turned,” Caplan says, as she found herself seeking out her daughter for strategic advice. “It’s not about me. I’m so proud of my daughter and reputation she’s established on her o
