Divine Flavor begins its 16th season, spotlights original team member

Nogales, Ariz.-based Divine Flavor is entering its 16th season, celebrating its growth from a few hundred thousand boxes of grapes in 2006 to more than 10 million boxes of fruits and vegetables now.

Besides grapes, the company markets bell peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and melons, according to a news release.

As the end of 2022 approaches, Divine Flavor will be gearing up not only for the West Mexico season with its staple vegetable items, but also a South American grape import deal starting with Peru, according to the company.

Besides celebrating the diversity of Divine Flavor’s offerings, the release recognized the contributions of the company’s 15-year sales veteran, Dennis Hay.

Divine Flavor was founded by Alan Aguirre, Carlos Bon and Pedro Batiz, a trio who had a vision of supplying customers with fresh and flavorful organic produce. Initially based in a small office in Otay Mesa, Calif., Bon and Batiz would set up shop to start coordinating its first shipments to U.S. chain stores from their premier grower, Grupo Alta, in Mexico where Aguirre resided, the release said. The management team soon hired Hay to help with sales.

“Back then, we were a very small company, but I believed in what the owners stood for and the type of company they were creating,” Hay said in the release. “In 15 years, you see a lot, but I feel like I’ve always been valued here and have been part of the Divine Flavor family.” 

Hay’s work history in the industry started in 1991 when he began working in produce, starting off stocking shelves at a local Costco store in Seattle, the release said. Hay was promoted to work in the head offices of Costco located in Kirkland, Wash., where he would then oversee inventory control. He eventually became an assistant buyer, and then concluded his time at Costco as a buyer for all produce items, with a focus on melons, the release said.

In 2007, Hay began his career with Divine Flavor where he worked alongside two other original members of the sales team: Luis Batiz, who is currently conventional hothouse category manager, and Carlos Bon, who at the time was Grupo Alta’s main sales manager but is now vice president of sales, the release said.

“My relationship with Dennis is very personal,” Bon said in the release. “We are not only friends at work but also outside the office, and that is due to our respect for one another. He has supported me throughout my career at the company and he has taught me valuable lessons about relationship building with customers and how to better communicate with them.” 

Bon praised Hay’s unique abilities and experience.

“Dennis is a person who comes from a family of high moral standards,” Bon said in the release. “His professionalism, ability to communicate and hard work over the past 15 years have been a significant part of our company’s success and we are extremely grateful to have him as part of the Divine Flavor family.”   

In his first years within the company, Hay’s primary focus was helping build the foundation of Divine Flavor’s product line with key growers throughout Mexico. He would sell every commodity for the company, including vegetable items such as cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, and grapes and melons from Grupo Alta, the release said.

During the past few seasons, Hay fully transitioned to the grape team, focusing on the company’s strategic expansion into South American imports and its latest grape project in Jalisco, Mexico, at Grupo Alta’s Don Mario, which focuses mainly on premium grape varieties, according to the release.

“Divine Flavor is a very diverse company and we all come from different backgrounds, different previous careers and different cultures, but that’s what makes it special,” Hay said in the release. “The company truly shows respect for one another, and I’m privileged to be a part of it each day.” 

President and CEO Alan Aguirre said in the release that Hay “sets a precedent of what we look for with all our workforce and we are extremely honored and proud of his accomplishments throughout the years.”