MEET THE SPEAKERS

Adriano Di Dia

Fyffes (Ireland)

Adriano Di Dia is chief marketing officer at Fyffes International. He is a seasoned CMO with 20+ years’ strategic marketing and consumer experience, steering cross-functional teams in a multinational environment. He is passionate about identifying human-centric growth opportunities to shape brands into the future and is driven by purpose and people.
Alessandro Fornari

Jingold (Italy)

Alessandro Fornari is the CEO of Jingold, and a key figure in the development of the premium kiwifruit segment at an international level. With a background in food science and technology and solid experience across the fruit and vegetable supply chain, he has led the company since its early stages, transforming it into a global player. Since 2008, under his leadership, Jingold has grown from a startup into a company with a turnover of around €100mn, establishing itself as a benchmark for varietal innovation, quality, and brand positioning. His contribution has been instrumental in the development and promotion of yellow and red-fleshed kiwifruit, anticipating consumer trends and redefining the role of kiwi in the international market.
Andrew Dominy

Tropic (UK)

Andrew Dominy is vice president product management at Tropic, one of the world’s leading pioneers of gene‑edited tropical crops. By fast-forwarding classical breeding techniques, the company develops improved varieties of tropical crops such as banana and rice, that are easier to cultivate and healthier for people and the planet. With over 27 years in the crop and product development arena, Andrew is driven by bringing innovation and technology into agriculture and seeing farmers successful across the world.
Cindy van Rijswick

Rabobank Research Food & Agribusiness (Netherlands)

Cindy van Rijswick is global strategist for fresh produce at Rabobank. She is responsible for setting and executing the research agenda for the fruit, vegetable, and floriculture sectors within the global RaboResearch Food & Agribusiness team. She and her colleagues publish research that is relevant to fresh produce companies worldwide, both in the corporate and rural domains.
Dan Bentley

Tesco (UK)

Dan Bentley has been working at Tesco for 28 years and is currently the buying manager for bananas and tropical fruit at Tesco. He has three years’ experience working in fruit, working within prepared and frozen foods prior to fresh.
Drew Zabrocki

Totem (US)

Drew Zabrocki is founder and managing partner of Totem, where he facilitates global collaboration on cutting-edge digital utilities. He is a co-founder and board member of the Collaboratory for Open Software & Systems in Ag & Food (COSSAF) where he advises a portfolio of open frameworks and utilities for collective impact at global scale. Bridging the gap between tradition and technology, Zabrocki empowers producers and supply chains to thrive in a secure, sustainable, and sovereign future. He champions transparency, data-driven decision-making, and ethical practices to ensure a healthy planet and equitable value exchange.
Duncan Jones

Sinclair (UK)

Duncan Jones is senior marketing manager at Sinclair. He is passionate about the role of certified compostable fruit labels in the fresh produce marketing mix as a minimal packaging solution. He leads global efforts to turn labelling and automation innovation into real‑world value, with expertise in certification, compliance, and the trends shaping the future of fresh produce.
Ebenezer Laryea

Aston University (US)

Dr Ebenezer Laryea is a Reader (Associate Professor) at Aston University in the UK. His research is centred on Sustainability and Sustainable Development Law, including human rights, climate justice, social impact, net zero transitions, and decarbonisation. He has made significant contributions to research and knowledge exchange on the legal and policy dimensions of sustainable development, with particular emphasis on sustainability governance, responsible business practices, equitable global value chains, and the pursuit of just and inclusive transitions in developing-country settings. Ebenezer has also contributed to major international collaborative research initiatives such as the Fairmiles project, which seeks to advance a just and equitable pathway to Net Zero in global fresh produce supply chains.
Franka Rodriguez

Aldi Süd (Austria)

Franka Rodriguez is director global sourcing at Aldi Süd. She leads the international fruit procurement team for the Aldi South Group, responsible for eight European markets and selected categories in the US, Australia, and China. Her work focuses on driving responsible purchasing by balancing commercial objectives with sustainability ambitions. With 12 years of experience in produce buying and leadership at Aldi, Franka holds an MSc in Food Economics and a BSc in Nutritional Sciences.
Jacopo Sica

Fresh Del Monte Europe & Africa

Jacopo Sica is senior director sales and operations Europe & Africa and general manager of Del Monte Switzerland. With more than 15 years of experience in the fresh produce industry, He has developed strong expertise in market diversification, premium product launches, and managing business across transnational markets. Throughout his career, he has led key account management and retail-focused project development, building strategic relationships with major partners while driving commercial performance.
Jai Thakrar

Jalaram Fruit (Costa Rica)

Jai Thakrar is the CEO of Jalaram Fruit, a Costa Rica-based pineapple exporter specialising in crownless pineapples for the fresh-cut processing sector. A second-generation fresh produce professional with over 15 years of experience, Jai is committed to driving innovation and sustainability across the tropical supply chain, from farm practices to final product. He also serves as chairman of the Global Development Committee at the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA), is a Freeman of the Worshipful Company of Fruiterers, and recently completed his Executive MBA at the University of Cambridge.
Joel Pascual

Cartama Europe (Spain)

Joel Pascual is general manager of Cartama Europe. He has been at Cartama Europe since its inception in 2020 in The Netherlands. Today, it has become the biggest importer of Colombian avocados in Europe. Prior to joining Cartama, Joel worked at Reyes Gutierrez and Avomix.
John Hopkins

Fyffes (UK)

John Hopkins is UK managing director at Fyffes He has worked for the company for 31 years – initially as a graduate management trainee spending three years in the UK ripening centres learning all the operations roles. He then moved into a UK Head Office role overseeing the UK supply chain and demand planning. That role slowly expanded to eventually cover the entire banana business where he worked in the global supply chain for 20 years. Today he is responsible for all activities within the UK market.
José Antonio Alconchel

Alcoaxarquía (Spain)

José Antonio Alconchel is CEO of Alcoaxarquía,the Málaga-based global leader in the production and export of organic tropical fruits, particularly avocados, mangoes, and citrus. He embodies a life deeply connected to the land since childhood, having grown up learning the value of the soil, hard work, and perseverance. He has transformed a family business into a leader in the sector, always maintaining the core values with which he began: a love for the land, a commitment to people, and a passion for nurturing every project.
Juan Antonio Reyes

Reyes Gutiérrez (Spain)

Juan Antonio Reyes is manager of Reyes Gutierrez, a leading Spanish producer, ripener, and exporter specialising in tropical fruits, primarily avocados and mangoes. Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Vélez-Málaga, the company distributes globally with a strong emphasis on sustainability, quality, and advanced fruit-ripening technology.
Maria Wieloch

ICA Gruppen (Sweden)

Maria Wieloch is head of the category management team for fruit and vegetables at ICA Sweden. With around 1,300 independent stores and a market share of around 36 per cent, ICA is the leading grocery retailer in Sweden. Maria has been in the produce industry for 15 years and has extensive experience in driving sales and a strong passion for working to increase consumption of fruit and vegetables..
Nicolas Coste

Dole (Netherlands)

Nicolas Coste is the senior sourcing manager for avocados (EMEA) at Dole. With over 12 years of experience in the fresh produce industry, he has developed deep expertise in the avocado sector over the past seven years. Throughout his career, Nicolas has held positions with international companies including Eosta in the Netherlands and GreenSuperFood in Colombia, before joining Dole two years ago.
Nuria Pizan

NurBrands (Germany)

With over 20 years of experience in brand building, creative leadership, and marketing strategy, Nuria Pizan has helped transform the way fruits and vegetables are positioned in international markets. She was part of the founding team that built SanLucar into a globally recognised premium fruit brand, shaping its positioning, storytelling, and retail presence from the ground up. Recognised as a leading voice in the European produce industry, Nuria specialises in premium fruit branding and category transformation. She combines consumer insight, creative positioning, and retail execution to ensure tropical and exotic fruits remain desirable, differentiated, and commercially successful in modern markets.
Olga Dubey

AgroSustain (Switzerland)

Olga Dubey is CEO and co-founder of AgroSustain, a company founded in 2018 to reduce food waste and support sustainable food production by developing farm to fork solutions, like natural fungicides and coatings. All the designed products of AgroSustain are patent protected.
René Clerc

OneThird (Netherlands)

René Clerc is the business unit manager for the Avocado Scanner at OneThird, a Dutch food tech startup dedicated to reducing the global loss of one-third of all food produced. After several years of successfully managing projects with tomato, berry and avocado producers, René went on to head the newly created Retail Business Line within OneThird. He is responsible for the product development and sales of the Avocado Scanner, which is used in retail stores to check the ripeness of avocados. René works with suppliers, distributors and retailers to increase customer satisfaction and fight food waste.
Shelly Vorster

World Avocado Organisation (Spain)

Shelly Vorster is marketing director, UK & Europe, at the World Avocado Organisation, a multinational non-profit organisation set up to promote the consumption of avocados based on their nutritional value and recognised health benefits. Prior to that she was head of global brands (EMEA) at SV Food Group and head of global brands at UK-based Hain Daniels Group.
Siebe van Wijk

The Fruit Republic (Vietnam)

Siebe van Wijk is managing director and founder of two Vietnam-based companies: The Fruit Republic and Fresh Studio. The Fruit Republic is one of Vietnam’s premier fruit companies, with unique year-round exotic fruit production programmes, backed by GlobalGAP, Grasp, Smeta, BRC and organic certification. Over the past 16 years, Fresh Studio has developed into a leading consulting and R&D firm for the sourcing and marketing of sustainable food in South-East Asia.
Simon Derrick

Blue Skies (UK)

Simon Derrick is global head of sustainability at Blue Skies Holdings, the UK’s leading manufacturer of fresh-cut fruit, and founder of the Sustainable Business Alliance (SBA). With over 20 years’ experience in the food industry, Simon has worked with retailers, governments, universities, NGOs and international organisations across global fresh produce supply chains. He also plays a leading role in the Fairmiles initiative, a global collaboration facilitated by Colead that brings together businesses, researchers and development organisations to support a fair transition for producers and workers in the Global South.
Thierry Athimon

Montosa (Spain)

Thierry Athimon is corporate commercial director of Frutas Montosa, where he is responsible for driving new development projects. He has developed his expertise in sales and marketing at companies such as D’Aucy, Conserves France, Juver, JTI and, most recently, Bollo Natural Fruit.
Victor Luque

Trops (Spain)

Victor Luque is CEO of Trops, Spain’s biggest grower and marketer of avocados and mangoes. Prior to joining the cooperative in 2024, he spent the previous 18 years at PwC, holding various positions both in Spain and internationally. Luque has extensive experience in the agri-food sector, audits and financial and sustainability advice (ESG), as well as in risk management projects, internal control, review of procedures and systems and compliance.