Stemilt Growers hires West Coast merchandising manager

Stemilt Growers has hired Sarah Burns as its new West Coast merchandising manager.

Burns comes to Stemilt following a four-year tenure at FreshSource and 13 years working in sales at Earthbound Farm, according to a news release.

In her new role, she will be building relationships with customers, planning and executing promotions for Stemilt, analyzing retail data and trends to develop strategies to grow fruit sales for the organization, and representing Stemilt at industry events, the release said.

“We’re thrilled to grow our field merchandising team and welcome Sarah to the Stemilter family,” Brianna Shales, Stemilt marketing director, said in the release. “Her produce experience and people skills will be great strengths for Stemilt as we grow our footprint of organics, club varieties, and more in the future.”

Burns grew up in the Bay Area of Northern California and moved to the Sacramento, Calif., area four years ago, the release said. She has a bachelor of arts degree in communication studies from Azusa Pacific University, with an emphasis in marketing.

“I am passionate about building relationships,” Burns said in the release. “It’s one of my favorite things about working in the produce industry; relationships are important for growth.”

Burns had the opportunity to work alongside more than 30 brands including Taylor Farms, T. Marzetti, Sumo Citrus, Ocean Mist, Humm Kombucha and more, the release said. Outside of work, Burns enjoys spending time with family, taking her dog for walks, trying new restaurants and baking cookies and her own sourdough bread.

“I’m excited to represent a company that grows and ships fruit that I as a consumer enjoy,” Burns said in the release. “I look forward to growing my knowledge of the fruit industry and working for a company that is continuing to grow the organic category, which I’m passionate about.”