Monterey Holdings, the umbrella brand for Monterey Mushrooms, Amycel/Spawn Mate, and Monterey Nutra, announced changes to its leadership team Jan. 27. These include George Haggar returning as CEO of Monterey Holdings, Chris Abbott being appointed chief financial officer and president of Monterey Mushrooms and Harry Beukelman being named president of biotech.
As a current board member and former president of Monterey Mushrooms since November 2023, Haggar possesses a deep, decades-long connection to Monterey dating back to his days as chief operating officer of Costa Group in Australia, the company says, adding that his experience in fresh produce supply chains and operational excellence makes him the ideal leader to build upon the legacy of Monterey’s founder, Shah Kazemi.
Abbott joined the company in November 2024, bringing a background in food and agricultural operations and having held executive roles at Organic Valley Fresh, Revolution Foods and Dairy Farmers of America. He will oversee the fresh division while managing the financial health of the overall enterprise.
Beukelman’s position encompasses Amycel/Spawn Mate and Monterey Nutra divisions. With more than 25 years of experience in agriculture and biotechnology, he joined the company last month following a successful tenure at US Agriseeds and nearly a decade at Monsanto. The company says his expertise in proprietary IP and global commercial strategy will be instrumental in scaling its genetics and nutraceutical divisions.
The company describes the new leadership team as representing over half a century of combined experience in the food and agriculture sectors.
