Sun World International has appointed Bruce C. Burton as ceo. He will take up his post on July 18 and brings with him 13 years experience at Dole including eight years as the group vice president of the North American Deciduous Group. Prior to that he served for three years as director/vp of strategic planning & business development.

Additionally, Burton has significant experience sourcing foreign produce from countries such as Mexico, Chile and South Africa. He has also been a successful entrepreneur having built California Fruit Processors into the largest processor of California-grown cherries in the industry, and having developed a consulting and certification business serving the Chilean stone-fruit industry, which manages the preconditioning process for many of the largest stone fruit packers in Chile.

Christopher Kipley, a partner at Black Diamond Capital Management, the privately-held asset management firm that recently acquired Sun World, said: We are delighted that Bruce Burton has accepted our offer to become Sun World's ceo. His senior-level experience at Dole, along with his impressive track record as an owner and operator of agribusiness enterprises, make him uniquely qualified to help develop Sun World to its fullest potential."

Burton said: "Sun World is an outstanding company with great products, a talented workforce and tremendous potential. I look forward to working with the entire management team so that we can continue to serve the needs of our customers, while building upon our leadership position in the marketplace."

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