Nick Fitzpatrick joins Apeel Sciences as VP of supplier relations

Nick Fitzpatrick, former global commercial sales manager at T&G Global, has joined Apeel Sciences as vice president of supplier relations — the company’s first sales leadership team hire. Fitzpatrick will be the key liaison between Apeel and the grower-supplier community and he will also lead the development and implementation of joint go-to-market strategies for Apeel and supply partners. He has over two decades of experience in horticulture across a broad range of commodities and markets.

Apeel Sciences was founded in Santa Barbara, CA, in 2012 with a mission to fight global food waste by using nature’s own strategy for preservation. The company produces plant-derived coatings that keep moisture inside produce and oxygen out, dramatically extending shelf life.

“I see Apeel and its vision of a world that ‘Works with Nature’ as helping to solve many of the challenges facing the supply chain for fresh produce,” said Fitzpatrick. “I’m so excited that my journey in fresh produce has brought me to a company that has sustainable agriculture at its core, not only from an environmental point of view, but also economically. These are values that are very important for me and I look forward to working with suppliers to deliver the benefits of Apeel to their respective business.”

At T&G Global Fitzpatrick led commercial efforts for key produce categories, from investment to marketing and strategic alliances. T&G Global is a 120-year old company that works alongside a worldwide team of growers, marketers and distributors. Founded in New Zealand in 1897, it now has offices on every continent in the world.

Fitzpatrick also held various roles with Turners & Growers and its subsidiary Delica, including establishment and responsibility for the company’s South American Trading offices in both Peru and Chile. His addition to Apeel Science’s talent roster comes at a pivotal time as the company expands into new produce categories — from its start in avocados to citrus and now asparagus — and new countries.

“Nick’s truly global view of the fresh produce supply chain, from growing, packing and shipping through to importing and sales execution, makes him the perfect fit to help our supplier-partners unlock the value of Apeel’s technology,” said Gordon Robertson, chief revenue officer at Apeel. “Beyond his obvious skills, Nick brings a fierce passion and enthusiasm for the products and people that make up the fresh produce trade, which supports how Apeel hopes to sustainably shape the future of fresh produce.”