Californian fresh produce giant Sun World International has appointed three seasoned sales professionals in a move set to strengthen its category management.
Gene Coughlin will now act as the company’s category director of citrus, watermelon and peppers, having previously been responsible for tree fruit and citrus before this.
Rick Paul will also assume a new category director role, focusing on table grapes and stonefruit. Paul has 20 years of experience in produce sales, 16 of those having been dedicated to the individual category management of grapes and stonefruit for Sun World.
While the category roles are not new to Coughlin or Paul, they will assume a new focus in order to concentrate on assisting the firm's customers with long-term, strategic growth plans for the respective categories they oversee.
Coughlin, Paul and the Sun World sales team will work closely with Denise Smith, who has been promoted to the position of sales planning manager. Smith is set to help Sun World identify growth opportunities through extensive research.
Gordon Robertson, vice-president of sales and marketing, said: “In addition to making us more focused and efficient, these changes will allow us to get to know our customers’ needs, so that we are not only providing them with high-quality produce, but with innovative solutions that help them move more volume and drive category growth.”
With one of the world’s largest fruit breeding programmes, Sun World has developed an extensive line of fruit varieties, including the Scarlotta Seedless and Midnight Beauty grapes, along with the Black Diamond plum.
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