Fresh Fruit Cuts appoints Melissa Blake as director of sales and marketing
Fresh Fruit Cuts appoints Melissa Blake as director of sales and marketing
Fresh Fruit Cuts, processors of stone fruit, pears and grapes under the Woot Froot label, has named Melissa Blake as director of sales and marketing. Blake will be responsible for marketing, external communications and for driving sales of Woot Froot by adding diversity and variety into the value-added segment.
Blake previously served as the value-added buyer for Fresno, CA-based wholesale distributor OK Produce. 
Melissa Blake
“I have witnessed incredible growth in the value-added segment over the past few years; last year alone reports show an industry increase of over 10 percent,” Blake said in a press release. “I have no doubt that consumer spending habits will continue to move in this direction and I am excited to be a part of a company that is embracing these trends and spearheading new products that cater to this demand.”
Fresh Fruit Cuts, a specialty processor and woman-owned business located in California’s Central Valley, is entering its third year of production and will launch new pack styles in 2016 that are popular with consumers.
“Melissa has great energy and excitement for the category and is a perfect fit to manage our aggressive growth strategy of Woot Froot’s unique offerings," Kim Gaarde, chief executive officer, said in the release. "She has a compressive understanding of the produce industry, and as a consumer herself she truly understands the expectations of today’s shopper for convenient, healthy options for herself and for her family.”
