Newly established Customer Development Team to identify new growth opportunities for customers and growers
Westfalia Fruit has set up a specialised team to champion category growth and drive market expansion. The Customer Development Team will combine market insights, commercial strategy and category management expertise to identify new growth opportunities for both customers and growers. It will be led by newly appointed Dani Busseni as global head of customer marketing and development.
“I am very excited to be joining Westfalia at this point of its history,” Busseni said. “The new team represents Westfalia’s investment in long-term market development by bringing together specialist knowledge to transform data into actionable growth strategies.
“The team will be working closely with leading retailers and foodservice operators to uncover and develop new opportunities in both fresh and fresh convenience segments.”
The group comprises insight manager Elena Ozeritskaya, who leads market intelligence and data-driven analysis; Ryan Brits as category manager responsible for end-to-end strategy development and Aurélie Lamotte as customer development manager, focusing on strategic execution and local market implementation.
“Dani and the wider team were appointed to drive long-term, sustainable category growth and market development,” said Wim Destoop, chief customer officer at Westfalia Fruit.
“Its goal is to unlock latent demand for avocados and avocado-based products by better understanding consumers, shoppers, customers, and supply dynamics. It’s about building the future collaboratively, not just satisfying today’s demand.”
Rather than anticipating organic growth, Westfalia said it is now actively creating market opportunities through insight-led action and collaborative customer planning. The Customer Development Team will act as a bridge between commercial insight and execution, linking supply-side realities with demand-side opportunities across markets.
“We analyse customer data but also develop thought leadership and insights that help retailers understand growth opportunities they might be missing,” Ozeritskaya explained.
“We’re seeing strong appetite for plant-based nutrition, and functional foods, as well as a growing interest in fresh convenience avocado products. Another interesting area is extending product development across different size fruit, supporting growers total harvest. We’re targeting that white space through data-driven strategies tailored to each market’s unique characteristics.”
The team’s work involves robust category modelling, trend tracking and joint business planning with customers. Recent initiatives include developing global market demand models for guacamole, avocado oil, and frozen avocado that are already shaping internal pipeline planning, supported by growers and customer conversations. This analytical foundation enables more strategic discussions with retailers about category growth potential and optimal product positioning.
Working collaboratively with Westfalia’s sales teams, the Customer Development Team will co-develop retailer plans, support marketing messaging and align innovation projects with supply capabilities. The company said this integrated approach will ensure that new product development meets real consumer needs while supporting Westfalia’s total crop utilisation strategy.
“Building on previous successes our role is to maximise demand and ensure the full crop finds a high-value, sustainable home,” Brits said, adding that by embedding market demand insights into the innovation process, as the wider Westfalia team, new product developments will address genuine consumer needs while advancing sustainability goals.
Gem avocados elevated into a strategic consumer brand
Westfalia also announced that it is to scale up its premium Gem avocado variety following its successful launch in select markets, with the aim of creating a flagship brand in the avocado category, much like Pink Lady in apples or Zespri in kiwifruit.
“We see Gem not just as a superior product, but as a long-term brand asset,” said Aurélie Lamotte, customer development manager Europe, Westfalia Fruit. “We’re proud of what Gem has achieved so far, and now it’s time to let it shine as a recognised name in premium avocados.”
The company said strengthened year-round availability would be key to achieving Gem’s potential. It is leveraging its integrated global sourcing network, new origin development and advanced post-harvest technologies to deliver the premium variety through 365 days a year.
“Supported by a distinctive and consistent brand identity across markets and bought to life with tailored retail activations and marketing plans. we are confident that Gem will provide consumers with a premium choice driving value, loyalty and frequency,” it said.
Building strategic partnerships for sustainable growth
According to Westfalia, the decision to set up the Customer Development Team recognises that different markets require different strategies, with each country having unique avocado penetration levels, shopper habits and retailer dynamics.
“By grounding strategies in local data while applying cross-market learnings, we can deliver more relevant and effective growth plans,” the company said.
