Top management change has FDI going in a new direction
Top management change has FDI going in a new direction
Mike Browne, president, CEO and founding partner of Fresh Directions International in Ventura, CA, is no longer part of the company?s management, but he retains his 25 percent interest in the business, according to Manuel Castillo Jr., the son of the majority partner who is "helping out through the transition? until a replacement is named.
Fresh Directions is an importer and marketer of avocados and tropical fruit. Seventy-five percent of the business is owned by Mr. Castillo?s father, who owns Agroforestal MACAPI S.A., a large farming operation in the Dominican Republic that includes substantial avocado acreage.
Mr. Castillo did not comment on the reasons for Mr. Browne?s departure, and Mr. Browne, who was said to be on vacation with his family, was not immediately available for comment.
Mr. Castillo, who works for MACAPI and had come up from the Dominican Republic to provide interim leadership at Fresh Directions, told The Produce News Feb. 8 that a specific candidate was being considered to fill the management vacancy, but he declined to name that individual.
?We are obviously going through a transition now, and we are getting prepared to place someone as president of the company. We do have the candidate. We just have to formalize it," he said.
Mr. Castillo said that an announcement of a new president would be made within two weeks.
Commenting on the future of Fresh Directions, which was formed in 1997, Mr. Castillo said that the company?s "direction is going to be focusing on what we have in Mexico, which is currently a packing and procurement operation, and also focusing on our farming in the Dominican Republic and marketing that product."
Currently on sales at Fresh Directions are Dan McGrath and Claudia Hobbs.
Jan Garrett, formerly director of marketing for Fresh Directions, left the company last September to accept a position as senior merchandising manager for the California Strawberry Commission.
Prior to joining Fresh Directions, Mr. Browne had been president of Index Fresh, an avocado packing, importing and marketing organization in Bloomington, CA.
Fresh Directions is an importer and marketer of avocados and tropical fruit. Seventy-five percent of the business is owned by Mr. Castillo?s father, who owns Agroforestal MACAPI S.A., a large farming operation in the Dominican Republic that includes substantial avocado acreage.
Mr. Castillo did not comment on the reasons for Mr. Browne?s departure, and Mr. Browne, who was said to be on vacation with his family, was not immediately available for comment.
Mr. Castillo, who works for MACAPI and had come up from the Dominican Republic to provide interim leadership at Fresh Directions, told The Produce News Feb. 8 that a specific candidate was being considered to fill the management vacancy, but he declined to name that individual.
?We are obviously going through a transition now, and we are getting prepared to place someone as president of the company. We do have the candidate. We just have to formalize it," he said.
Mr. Castillo said that an announcement of a new president would be made within two weeks.
Commenting on the future of Fresh Directions, which was formed in 1997, Mr. Castillo said that the company?s "direction is going to be focusing on what we have in Mexico, which is currently a packing and procurement operation, and also focusing on our farming in the Dominican Republic and marketing that product."
Currently on sales at Fresh Directions are Dan McGrath and Claudia Hobbs.
Jan Garrett, formerly director of marketing for Fresh Directions, left the company last September to accept a position as senior merchandising manager for the California Strawberry Commission.
Prior to joining Fresh Directions, Mr. Browne had been president of Index Fresh, an avocado packing, importing and marketing organization in Bloomington, CA.
