Kapi Kapi Growers announced Jan. 5 that it has appointed Jake Kamysz as business development manager. Based in South Florida, Kamysz will support the grower-shipper’s sustainably grown pineapple, banana and plantain programs.
Kamysz has more than a decade of produce industry experience, including an extensive background in pineapple sales and program management. He officially joined Kapi Kapi on Oct. 27 and immediately began supporting key customer initiatives and business development efforts, the company says.
“I’m happy to jump back into the pineapple business,” Kamysz says. “Seeing the investment that Kapi is making to create a better quality and more sustainable product out of Costa Rica makes me want to be a part of building the Kapi program and supporting the brand.”
Kamysz began his produce career working directly with pineapple imports and spent about seven years focused on the category before expanding into broader tropical and fruit programs. Most recently, he served as sales executive at one of the largest North American fruit importers, where he was responsible for planning, sales and execution of full-basket citrus, grape and stone fruit programs while targeting new retail and wholesale customers, according to Kapi Kapi.
Prior to that, Kamysz held senior sales and category leadership roles at other notable growers and importers, where he managed high-volume programs, negotiated long-term retail contracts, led sales teams and coordinated promotions aligned with production volumes. His experience spans retail, wholesale and foodservice channels, with a strong emphasis on forecasting, pricing strategy and customer collaboration, the company says.
“We recognize that with our growth over the last year, we need to build out our talent base with experienced people that really know the banana, pineapple and plantain business,” says Sofia Acon, president of Kapi Kapi Growers. “Jake offers the depth of experience required to meet today’s growth demands while helping drive the company forward. He has already made a tremendous impact, seamlessly stepping into the role.”
