Editor’s note: The following profile is from the 2023 Packer 25, our annual tribute to 25 leaders, innovators and agents of change across the fresh produce supply chain. (You can view all honorees here.) This feature has been edited for length and clarity.
Aaron Sumption — Senior vice president, Local Bounti
How do you navigate the fast-paced controlled environment agriculture part of the produce industry, as it keeps changing so much?
It’s critical to be nimble in such a fast-moving space. As products and technologies evolve, the produce industry will accommodate only a handful of scaled CEA players. Ultimately, the most adaptable companies will survive.
What drives you in this career? Why do you care?
I feel that fresh produce is one of the most challenging food segments to work in. I find my passion through solving the robust challenges that will lead all of us to a more sustainable food system, which generates far less waste than we see today. Our industry has come so far, but there are many milestones left to achieve. I am passionate about contributing this industry’s already sterling profile within the broader food segment.
More about Aaron Sumption
Aaron Sumption has been in the fresh produce industry for the entirety of career, starting off as a produce buyer at C.H. Robinson in 2007. By 2012, he had found a deeper passion for the greenhouse and CEA segment through his time at Bushel Boy Farms, eventually becoming vice president of sales and marketing.
In early 2021, Sumption joined Local Bounti, a fledging CEA company with innovate technology. Since joining, the company has become publicly traded, made a key acquisition and continues to build new facilities at a rapid pace.
