What is the single most urgent shift the produce industry must make today to ensure it remains sustainable and profitable in 2030 and beyond?
“The most important shift I believe our industry needs to make by 2030 is becoming better connected not just technologically, but across the entire supply chain. Agriculture generates an enormous amount of information. Farming, production, sales, inventory, food safety, transportation and accounting all generate valuable information, but historically much of that data has lived in separate places. The opportunity is to connect those pieces and turn information into something people can actually use.”
Blake Branen serves as the director of sales and marketing at J.C. Watson Packing Co., where his role extends beyond traditional sales into customer strategy, business development, operations, and technology and the continued modernization of the company’s commercial organization.
With more than a decade in the produce industry, Branen has built experience across foodservice, restaurant, broadline distribution and retail programs.
His work has increasingly centered on developing long-term customer partnerships, expanding year-round supply strategies and connecting information across the business to improve decision-making.
