Rick Eastes has joined Fruit Patch Sales LLC in a role as vice-president of sales and marketing, the group has revealed, following an extensive career in the fresh produce industry.
Mr Eastes, who joined the company in December, was responsible for bringing the first table grapes imported directly from Chile to the US west coast in 1977, and helped expand Chilean fruit distribution in North America throughout a long association with The Oppenheimer Group.
He recently worked at Sunkist Global LLC promoting the Sunkist citrus brand, and at Ballantine Produce in California.
'I have seen the dramatic growth and the evolution of how stonefruit and grapes have been marketed during my career,' Mr Eastes said. 'However, some of what has been successful in the past no longer seems to apply, or has been re-adapted to the reality of the dramatic increase in choices that are exhibited at both the retail and the wholesale level in both domestic and world markets.
'At fruit patch we look forward to enhancing those elements that promote stonefruit consumption to the benefit of all stakeholders, be they buyers, growers or our employees who work so hard to produce a truly fine eating stonefruit experience,' he continued. 'We are setting lofty goals, but believe Fruit Patch is in a unique position to meet the ever increasing specific requirements of the marketplace while providing a fair economic return to our growers.'
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