NOGALES, AZ — Alberto (Beto) Maldonado Guerra, general manager of Apache Imports LLC, here, and a longtime veteran of the produce industry, died Jan. 17. He was 81.

Mr. Maldonado, who was born in 1933 in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico, started his long career in the produce industry in 1957 with CAB Produce Co. Soon after he went to GAC Produce and Apollo Produce Distributors before joining Apache.Beto Maldonado and Alejandro Canelos at the Apache Produce offices shortly before Christmas.

At Apache Produce on Jan. 15, Mr. Maldonado, wearing an oxygen tube to help his breathing, greeted The Produce News with his characteristic warmth. When asked to have his photo taken, he graciously declined. “I don’t feel too good. Let’s do that next time.” He noted that he had been sitting at his desk for 50 years.

Alejandro Canelos, the director of Apache Produce, said that Mr. Maldonado was again at work on Jan. 16, the day before he died.

Gonzalo Avila, vice president and general manager of Malena Produce Inc., who is the chairman-elect of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, told The Produce News Jan. 19, “Beto was one of the best representatives our industry ever could have had. He was an example for how people should lead their lives. He was such a hard worker. Twenty-five years of his life were dedicated to our association. He was truly a great representative of our industry.”

According to a Jan. 20 notice released by the FPAA, “Beto was a devoted friend and mentor to so many people in the Nogales community and in the produce industry, and he was a loving husband, father and grandfather.

“Beto’s knowledge, guidance and experience helped lead the Mexican produce industry through vast changes and advancements during his tenure,” the FPAA statement continued. “Beto devoted 25 years as a volunteer on the board of directors of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas where he served as chairman of the board from 1990-92. He also served on the board of directors for the United Fresh Produce Association. In 2012, Beto was honored with the Pillars of the FPAA Award, a lifetime recognition award that acknowledges an individual’s commitment and service to the FPAA and the produce industry.”

In an interview with the FPAA, Mr. Maldonado once said, “When I started in produce, there were only a handful of experts: Mr. Benvenutti, Carlos Bennen from Ta De, Shorty Martinez, Rudy Fleischer, Harry Wolf — those were the experts.

“Throughout his career, Beto joined that list of experts, and he became one of the people that others always looked to for advice and guidance, according to the FPAA statement. “All that knew him would say he was indeed an expert, an expert in the produce industry and an expert in a life well-lived.”

Mr. Maldonado is survived by his daughters, Carmen Leonor and Alicia; his sons, Martin Alberto, Jorge and Miguel Angel; and his 19 grandchildren.

Services were held Tuesday Jan. 20 and a mass was scheduled for 10 a.m. on Wednesday Jan. 21 at Sacred Heart Church. In lieu of flowers, donations can be sent to the Beto Maldonado Foundation:
Beto Maldonado Foundation
Wells Fargo Bank
Acct # 8302523074
Routing in USA # 122105278
Routing International # WFBIUS6S