Sun Belle Inc., an international berry and specialty marketer and distributor, has added Jan McDaniels and Bob Hylka to its growing produce sales and marketing team.

McDaniels is in Los Angeles overseeing Sun Belle’s distribution facility near Los Angeles International Airport and handling West Coast and national sales. Hylka works out of Sun Belle’s Schiller Park, IL, distribution center to handle national and Midwest retailers.  Jan McDaniels

A New Zealand native, McDaniels has been involved in fresh produce sales and logistics for 20 years, starting with Gourmet Trading in Auckland, New Zealand, and moving to the United States in 1997. She handled retail, club and foodservice sales in the United States and Canada at Gourmet Trading, with a focus on logistics and quality details to ensure successful sales of asparagus, blueberries, blackberries and cherries.Bob Hylka In 2011, she founded Fresh Girl Trading, which specialized in asparagus and blueberries. McDaniels received a degree in agricultural economics from New Zealand’s Massey University.

“Jan brings Sun Belle 20 years of sales, marketing and supply expertise in the berry and asparagus industry,” Janice Honigberg, founder and president of Sun Belle, said in a press release. “We are very pleased Jan has joined us, and know that her entrepreneurial experience and hands-on skills provide Sun Belle a very solid presence in West Coast markets, furthers Sun Belle’s product offerings and strengthens Sun Belle’s commitment to quality, value and service.”

Hylka began his produce career on a part-time basis at Jewel Food Stores while in high school. He joined Jewel full-time in 1998 and has worked in various aspects of produce at retail, including  produce department manager and produce operations specialist as well as store management and sales and merchandising management. In 2011 he became a produce buyer at Jewel, and in 2013 he joined Aldi as a corporate produce manager. After graduation from the University of St. Francis and prior to joining Jewel full-time, Hylka fit in a five year sports radio broadcasting career in Chicagoland.

“We welcome Bob’s breadth of retail produce experience, both at the corporate and store level," Honigberg said in the release. "Bob brings to Sun Belle a deep understanding of the retail buyer’s viewpoint and needs, which will help customers drive their produce sales.”