Bruce Peterson, the man who until recently was the most powerful fresh produce buyer in the world, has accepted a position as president and chief executive officer of Naturipe Farms LLC.
Peterson was responsible for building the US giant’s produce department from scratch, before leaving in February this year, to spark the inevitable discussion on where he would pitch his tent next.
The answer is at Naturipe, a partnership of U.S. co-operatives Michigan Blueberry Growers Association and Naturipe Berry Growers with the Chilean-owned Hortifrut.
Peterson replaces John Shelford, who served as president of Naturipe since its foundation in 2000.
Jim Prevor, America’s Perishable Pundit, commented: “We confess that Jeff Garguilo’s difficulty in moving another co-op, Sunkist, to realise its full potential leaves us wondering if Bruce’s experience with this unusual company will be different.
“It is always difficult to get the owners in this type of organisation to let the ceo run the company and that is, without a doubt, the key to making this work,” said Prevor.
“Yet Bruce is in many ways the perfect man for this job. The popular image of such a powerful Wal-Mart executive is someone always giving orders, but it is important to remember that produce, even the whole perishables category, were just a small piece of Wal-Mart. When Bruce started, they were almost nothing.
“While Bruce had to lead his produce and perishables team, he actually spent an awful lot of his time convincing other people, in other departments at Wal-Mart, that they ought to do what Bruce thought they should do. If he had not been successful at building this kind of consensus and support, Wal-Mart’s produce and perishables operation would not have had even a fraction of the success they have enjoyed.
“It can be humbling for a retailer to become a vendor. Somehow one’s jokes aren’t as funny and one’s phone calls are not returned as quickly.
“Bruce, however, has a secret weapon in his background. He wasn’t always a retailer. He once owned his own wholesale produce company in Detroit. That is a background that prepares one for whatever life brings.
“It is said that one reaps what one sows, and Bruce has spent a lifetime planting seeds of goodwill throughout the produce trade. We hope he harvests a bit, and we know he will plant more.”
