Dragonberry celebrates 10 years of excellence
Dragonberry celebrates 10 years of excellence
Dragonberry Produce celebrated its 10th anniversary with style and elegance at the River Place Hotel in Portland, OR, Dec. 6. “The intimate event was a small gathering of favorite friends, family, growers, customers and vendors,” Founder Amy Nguyen told The Produce News. “I took this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation for the successful partnerships we have built in the last 10 years. These people believed in Dragonberry and invested in us. They have supported us and allowed us to market products and blossom at our own rate.”
Dragonberry Produce founder Amy Nguyen (right) with Jackie Caplan Wiggins, COO of Frieda's Specialty Produce, and Frieda Caplan, founder of Frieda's. (Photo courtesy of Dragonberry Produce)
Frieda Caplan, founder of Frieda's Specialty Produce, was the guest of honor at the event. “She was such an inspiration to me when I first entered the produce industry,” Nguyen said. “Her success story and achievements inspired me and infused my admiration for her from the first time meeting her 10 years ago. Her passions, love and excitement for what she does is so contigious that I can feel her energy even at her age of 91. Everyone was so excited to come and meet her, as she was the first lady of the produce industry.”
The boutique-style specialty produce distributor first opened its doors in Clackamas, OR, eventually moving to its state-of-the-art facility in Canby, OR, in 2013.
The Canby facility is LEED-certified Silver by the U.S. Green Building Council, the first of its kind for produce distribution in Oregon. “We have built a strong company branding that is unique,” Nguyen said. “We became a knowledgeable company that exports, imports and distributes through our family of partnerships. We learned how to work with different government agencies to establish tolerances laws. We learned a lot in the last 10 years and will continue to become a better learner. I believe when you are a good learner, you become a strong achiever.”
As to the future, Ngyuen said, “I believe success is not a destination, but a continuous journey we travel together with all our partnerships. Dragonberry's motto is to always have continuous improvement. I want to lead my company to become more refined and establish a culture of premium first-class quality that surpasses the ordinary.”