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Ralph Hackett and Derrick Jenkins honored at Friend of Chile Luncheon

The Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce bestowed the 18th annual Friend of Chile Award on Derrick Jenkins and the Lifetime Achievement Award on Ralph Hackett during an award luncheon Dec. 3 in downtown Philadelphia. Jenkins is vice president of produce and floral with New Jersey-based Wakefern Food Corp. and Hackett is managing member of Dayka & Hackett LLC.Friend-of-ChileAt the Dec. 3 Friend of Chile Luncheon in Philadelphia were Francisco del Campo Lagos, Consul General of Chile in New York; Christina Lista, director of the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia; Derrick Jenkins, vice president of produce and floral for Wakefern Food Corp.; Ralph Hackett, managing member of Dayka & Hackett LLC; Robert W. Palaima of Delaware River Stevedores Inc. and president and chairman of the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce; and Benjamin Leavenworth, Honorary Consul of Chile, who is also on the board of directors for the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce. Photo courtesy of the CFFA.

A non-profit organization, the Chilean & American Chamber is an affiliate of the Greater Philadelphia Chamber of Commerce. Every year, the chamber presents the Friend of Chile and Lifetime Achievement awards to two individuals who have contributed significantly to the expansion of commercial and trade relationships between Chile and the greater Philadelphia region.

The majority of trade between the region and Chile comes from the agricultural industry, with more than half a million metric tons of Chilean fruit entering ports along the Delaware River annually. The Delaware Valley brings in about 70 percent of all Chilean fruit, with the remaining 30 percent split primarily between ports in Los Angeles, Long Beach and Miami. The strong partnership between Chile and Philadelphia has resulted in over 100,000 Chilean jobs and some 12,000 jobs in the Delaware Valley.

Jenkins joined Wakefern in 1982 and worked in numerous roles before being named to his current position. He has also served on the board of the Produce Marketing Association for several years and has been a strong advocate of the eat brighter! campaign.

Hackett’s career has spanned 40 years, 30 of which have been focused on the fresh produce industry. After having established and managed such distinguished companies as Suma Fruit International and Pacific Trellis Fruit, Hackett went on to start Dayka & Hackett LLC with his business partner, Tim Dayka. They are one of the principal importers of Chilean grapes, stone fruit and citrus. Dayka & Hackett LLC supports over 20 charities annually, and Ralph and his wife Lisa, are active fundraisers for the Fresno Boys & Girls Club.

The main Chilean fruit season is now under way, with the first vessel arriving on the East Coast during the week of Dec. 14.

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