RIO RICO, AZ – SunFed® announced it has hired Gretchen Kreidler Austin as its new Director of Marketing and Business Development, effective June 11th. She will expand the company’s portfolio of products and pioneer new business, among many other tasks, as well as orchestrate business development and oversee resource planning, reporting, and communications.
“I’ve known Gretchen for several years, back to her days at Rio Queen Citrus. She has always had a very positive spirt, with a can-do attitude. We are excited to have her join the SunFed team. Her experience, energy, and vision will be a key addition towards the company’s expansion,” says Craig Slate, President and CEO.
In addition to expanding SunFed's portfolio of products currently existing with retail accounts, Kreidler Austin will be responsible for pioneering new business with retailers, foodservice accounts, processors and more; creating new items; participating at trade shows, industry events, and boards; coordinating the oversight for all trade shows and marketing-related events; being the trade contact for press releases and advertisement planning; creating packaging design, vendor alignment, and new item generation; and overseeing all materials inventory, price negotiations, and cost controls. Kreidler Austin will also develop new packaging designs and new business, which will then transfer onto the sales team to fully establish for long-term growth.
“SunFed’s innovation and growth is set to ‘full speed ahead,’ and I am honored and excited to be an integral part of the team that is going to grow this company” says Gretchen. “The vision, innovation, quality standards, and food safety strategy alone set SunFed apart as an industry leader, but you will see even greater things come from us in the future!”
Kreidler Austin previously served as Grow Farms’ Director of Business Development since 2015. Before that, she worked at IFCO Systems from 2011 to 2015, where she was Director of Retail Sales for Central U.S. With over 20 years of professional experience, we are sure Kreidler Austin will implement business strategies that will establish our company’s long-term growth plans and meet the growing demand for SunFed Perfect Produce®.
Matt Mandel, the company’s VP of Operations says, “SunFed has been barreling forward on a trajectory of growth, born of a retooled market approach and a closer integration with our production base. Gretchen is exactly the person we need promoting our differentiators and finding creative ways to marry the needs of our customers with our world-class growing operations. We couldn’t be more excited to have her joining the team and I know she’ll be an instant hit.”
Kreidler Austin’s Texas-based position will be responsible for nationwide growth, ensuring the company is being orchestrated to maximize our message.
About SunFed
Headquartered in the high desert of southern Arizona near Nogales, we are a fresh produce company with a passion for providing the highest quality fruits and vegetables, produced by the world’s finest growers. This passion and our commitment to developing FRESH INNOVATIONS have earned us a reputation for providing fruits and vegetables with extended freshness and consistent flavors, textures and colors. We are proud to be an industry leader in food safety, which is a culture ingrained throughout our company and backed up by technology, packaging and processes. We employ a team of food safety specialists who have set the highest standards in the fresh produce industry and then administer internal audits to ensure that we’re meeting or exceeding them.
Source: SunFed