Potential hires looking at the produce industry often think first of the grower-shipper part of the equation, with back-breaking harvests and packing, or of drivers, buyers, or workers in the produce department of their local grocery stores.
Of course, there’s so much more—on the farm and off—with many opportunities mirroring other business sectors, which may be more attractive to recent college graduates or others simply looking for a change.
These include business analysts, process managers, food scientists, IT specialists, contract and grant writers, sustainability specialists, traditional marketers, and movers and shakers in social media and other online marketing platforms.
“We need analysts, just like car manufacturers and banks,” mentions Rex Lawrence, president of Sacramento, CA-based Joe Produce, LLC, BB #:364007 an online job search and placement firm.
“When we speak to students or other professionals outside the industry,” says Megan Nash, director of education and talent at the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) BB #:378962 in Newark, DE, “many of them only see career opportunities in the field, in the retail store, or in the restaurant.
“They don’t always understand all the opportunities within those spaces and between them,” Nash continues. “We see a great diversity of talent needs, from sales and marketing positions to food safety to data analytics and everything in between.”
Candidates may focus on a narrow range of companies as well.
“When people think about the produce industry, they often think about retail, foodservice, growers, and distributors,” notes Kristen Reid, executive vice president at MIXTEC Group BB #:152072, an executive search and recruiter located in La Crescenta, CA.
“I think the real off-radar opportunities are with different types of companies in the industry,” she continues.
“There are so many other types of companies to create a career in: there have always been equipment and packaging manufacturers; seed, irrigation, and fertilizer companies; as well as service providers like banks, insurance, marketing, attorneys, and CPAs that serve the industry.”
Exploring the niches
Each niche of the industry also has its own distinct possibilities.
In the transportation industry, for example, Tracey Lewin, vice president of sales and operations at the Allen Lund Company, LLC BB #:107465 in La Canada, CA, mentions onsite transportation management, pricing analyst, and carrier compliance and risk management as roles potential hires may not think of.
In some ways, the diversity of the industry could be seen as a barrier to attracting new employees.
“It’s not like other industries built around a single commodity,” comments Ron Lemaire, president of the Canadian Produce Marketing Association BB #:153602 in Ottawa, ON. “There are so many segments—that’s one of the biggest challenges in marketing to young professionals.”
Kevin Brooks, chief revenue and marketing officer at Procurant BB #:355257 in Watsonville, CA, agrees and adds his own spin: “The industry is a niche industry with little pockets of success that stay in a niche—the carrot people are different from the artichoke people, who are different from the cherry people, who are different from the celery people.”
He notes that this can impact young people who are ambitious, as the pace of growth and progression may be slower. “You go deep and wide as opposed to up fast.”
This is an excerpt from the cover story in the September/October 2023 issue of Produce Blueprints Magazine. Click here to read the whole issue.
