Village Farms’ first salesman ‘watched baby grow into adulthood’
Village Farms’ first salesman ‘watched baby grow into adulthood’
ATLANTA — Alan Kleinman was working in the mushroom business in the early 1990s when he got a call from a friend in the Netherlands, who said a Canadian greenhouse company was looking for a salesman and that he might be a good fit.
That company was Village Farms, and when Kleinman joined, the greenhouse category was in its infancy. In fact, Village had just 10 acres under glass and he was its first salesman. The number of SKUs in the Village Farms product roster was exactly one: a 15-pound flat of beefsteak tomatoes.
Michael DeGiglio, chief executive officer of Village Farms, with Alan Kleinman, who is retiring from his sales position after 25 years with the company.
“The category took off with the advent of the tomato-on-the-vine, which became a consumer hit,” he said during the Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit, here. “After that, competition in the category exploded and people in the tomato business got on board with the greenhouse category.”
Today, the greenhouse category boasts a number of major suppliers and scores of SKUs.
“And millennials will make the greenhouse category blow up even more,” said Kleinman. “They want to know where their food comes from, and they want good flavor and nutrition, and greenhouse product offers all of that.”
Kleinman, who announced that he was retiring from Village Farms after 25 years in the company’s sales department, said he has enjoyed his time with the company, calling it a “great chapter in my book. I’ve watched a baby grow into adulthood and I’ve met hundreds of wonderful people in the industry. It was a great opportunity to be part of this family.”
Regarding future plans, Kleinman, who is based in Avondale, PA, said he will spend his time working on special projects in the mushroom and greens business, and will keep an eye out for unique opportunities for Village Farms.
“Alan was a great member of our team for many years and we wish him the best,” said Michael DeGiglio, chief executive officer of the company.
