Vega Produce adds national retail BDM
Vega Produce adds national retail BDM
Vega Produce LLC, headquartered in Doral, FL, has hired Don Hood, a 20-year veteran of the food industry, as its new retail business development manager.
“Don was most recently the lead account manager for the DSD program with J&J Family of Farms,” said Vanessa Lagares, sales and marketing executive at Vega. “Prior to that, he spent more than 20 years in multiple sales and marketing roles with Sysco Corporation, US Foodservice and Inland Seafood. He is an accomplished sales and marketing leader with an extensive background in retail, food service, trade marketing and category management.”
“Joining Vega Produce provides me with the opportunity to work with a well-respected company” Hood said. “I’m excited about being a part of the team and helping to grow the retail business”
Joseph Gunter, sales manager for Vega Produce, added, “Don brings a new energy to the sales team.”
“He is a key addition to our sales team,” Vega President Alejandro Toro said.
The company specializes in a wide range of gourmet items, tropical fruits, oriental produce, roots and squashes, peppers and tomatoes, which are marketed under the “Vega Produce” brand. But Lagares said that the company’s strength is in its gourmet line, and especially snow peas and sugar snap peas.
“We offer a very wide range of culturally diverse products, but we’re among the top importers of snow peas and sugar snap peas,” she said. “Our oriental line includes Chinese eggplant and bittermelon. These items are becoming more well-known all the time. People often try something in a restaurant first, rather than stocking up when they aren’t sure how to prepare it. Once they try them they’re more prone to have them in their own homes on a regular basis.”
Excluding uncontrollable weather issues that may cause a slight gap, Vega Produce’s line is available year round from the Americas and the Caribbean.
She also emphasized that the company is currently working diligently to build its retail client base.