Farm Fresh Direct taps Walmart produce executive as next CEO

Farm Fresh Direct, a leading conventional and organic potato organization, has named Mike Hulett as the company’s new Chief Executive Officer. Hulett joins Farm Fresh Direct from Walmart where he was most recently Merchandising Director for Apples, Pears and Cherries.

“This is a terrific opportunity with a great organization,” said Hulett. “Farm Fresh is well established, a strong player in conventional potatoes and is widely recognized in the industry as a market leader in organic potatoes.”

Of his 22 years of experience in the produce industry, Hulett spent the last 11 years with Walmart. He worked in the Bentonville Headquarters since 2014. Prior to that Hulett was Director of Sourcing for Walmart US and International working from the field offices in Yakima, WA.

Hulett already knows the Farm Fresh Direct organization. From 2003-2010 Hulett previously worked for the company as Director of Sales and Business Development. “The board believes it is a big win for our growers and company to get Mike back after his stint at Walmart. We are excited to see Mike’s leadership style, integrity and insights influence our future growth,” says Virgil Valdez Chairman of the Board.

Hulett says he looks forward to applying the lessons he learned at Walmart in his new role. “Retail is detail. Managing multi-billion dollar produce categories down to the niche categories teaches you a tremendous amount about process, discipline, financials, supply chain and the importance of teamwork. Serving the customer is key to success in any industry, but especially in produce.”

Hulett says the opportunity to return to Farm Fresh Direct arrived at a perfect stage in his career when he was ready to expand his scope. “I see this as great timing to leverage my retail and supplier knowledge to enhance Farm Fresh’s customer service, business mix, and ultimately to improve grower and shareholder sustainability.”

“I am passionate about produce and ready to get started building on the solid Farm Fresh team to serve our customers. I have been fortunate to work for a number of exceptional leaders who taught me to stretch for goals and believe in a culture that supports its people to take risks and learn together.”

Hulett has been married for 23 years to wife Abbey. They have three children, Liam (18), Ashlyn (16), and Lily (14) Hulett will be based out of the Farm Fresh Direct headquarters in Monte Vista, Colorado. He replaces Jamey Higham who accepted a position as CEO of the Idaho Potato Commission late last year.