Shaun Ricks leaves PIM to start new firm
Shaun Ricks leaves PIM to start new firm
Shaun Ricks, who for the last six years has been manager of the grape division of Salinas, CA-based Pacific International Marketing, announced Wednesday, April 30, that he has started his own company, The Grape Guys.
The new company "is made up of three active partners" and a silent equity partner, he said. Mr. Ricks is president, and the other active partners are Greg Irby, who is chief financial officer, and Mark Kalafut, who is sales manager. Mr. Irby and Mr. Kalafut were also previously with PIM.
The Grape Guys will operate from the same offices and cooling facility in Cutler, CA, that previously housed the PIM grape division, Mr. Ricks said. "Everything is going to be done right here in our office," including grower accounting. "We feel like we will be able to serve our growers and our customers very well."
The company will focus on the California grape deal," Mr. Ricks said. "We do anticipate working with some growers that we have worked with in the past," although that is "not a done deal yet," and "we will be working with other growers as well."
Mr. Ricks said that he "notified PIM on Thursday [April 24] that we were leaving ... and we will be proceeding to contract growers that we feel we have an opportunity with. If that should all unfold the way we hope," he expects The Grape Guys to be representing about 2,500 acres of California grapes from vineyards ranging geographically from Arvin to Madera.
"It will be a range of varieties with a pretty even balance of green and red seedless" as well as some seeded varieties for export, he said. "The mainstream varieties are going to be Thompsons and Princess for the greens, and Flames and Crimsons for the reds." Seeded export varieties will be principally Red Globe and Christmas Rose.
"We expect to pack between 2 million and 2.2 million boxes" of grapes this year, he said.
"We are going to use 'The Grape Guys' as our primary label," Mr. Ricks continued. The artwork for the label and company logo were still in the design process when The Produce News spoke with Mr. Ricks. "We hope to have that back [from the artist] this morning," he said.
"I have been really lucky because I have been associated with a lot of really good companies and a lot of really good people, and I feel like I have learned something from everybody that I have ever worked with," said Mr. Ricks, who has been in the produce industry since 1976. He worked summers with a cantaloupe deal in Parker, AZ, while attending the University of California- Davis.
"Then I had a five-year stint with Sun World in Coachella [CA]." He also worked for Fresh Western in Salinas and Richland Produce Sales in Reedley, CA, before becoming a founding partner of New Leaf Grape Co. 12 years ago.
After six years with New Leaf, Mr. Ricks said, he left New Leaf and "brought my grape deal to PIM" in 2002. The six-year relationship with PIM "has been, we think, mutually beneficial. It has been a really good relationship. They are a fine company with a bunch of fine people. I consider PIM to be ... the best in its class." For the size and type of company it is, "there is none better, and the people that are there are the reason why."
Messrs. Irby and Kalafut both worked with Mr. Ricks at Richland and at New Leaf before coming with him to PIM, he said.
The new company "is made up of three active partners" and a silent equity partner, he said. Mr. Ricks is president, and the other active partners are Greg Irby, who is chief financial officer, and Mark Kalafut, who is sales manager. Mr. Irby and Mr. Kalafut were also previously with PIM.
The Grape Guys will operate from the same offices and cooling facility in Cutler, CA, that previously housed the PIM grape division, Mr. Ricks said. "Everything is going to be done right here in our office," including grower accounting. "We feel like we will be able to serve our growers and our customers very well."
The company will focus on the California grape deal," Mr. Ricks said. "We do anticipate working with some growers that we have worked with in the past," although that is "not a done deal yet," and "we will be working with other growers as well."
Mr. Ricks said that he "notified PIM on Thursday [April 24] that we were leaving ... and we will be proceeding to contract growers that we feel we have an opportunity with. If that should all unfold the way we hope," he expects The Grape Guys to be representing about 2,500 acres of California grapes from vineyards ranging geographically from Arvin to Madera.
"It will be a range of varieties with a pretty even balance of green and red seedless" as well as some seeded varieties for export, he said. "The mainstream varieties are going to be Thompsons and Princess for the greens, and Flames and Crimsons for the reds." Seeded export varieties will be principally Red Globe and Christmas Rose.
"We expect to pack between 2 million and 2.2 million boxes" of grapes this year, he said.
"We are going to use 'The Grape Guys' as our primary label," Mr. Ricks continued. The artwork for the label and company logo were still in the design process when The Produce News spoke with Mr. Ricks. "We hope to have that back [from the artist] this morning," he said.
"I have been really lucky because I have been associated with a lot of really good companies and a lot of really good people, and I feel like I have learned something from everybody that I have ever worked with," said Mr. Ricks, who has been in the produce industry since 1976. He worked summers with a cantaloupe deal in Parker, AZ, while attending the University of California- Davis.
"Then I had a five-year stint with Sun World in Coachella [CA]." He also worked for Fresh Western in Salinas and Richland Produce Sales in Reedley, CA, before becoming a founding partner of New Leaf Grape Co. 12 years ago.
After six years with New Leaf, Mr. Ricks said, he left New Leaf and "brought my grape deal to PIM" in 2002. The six-year relationship with PIM "has been, we think, mutually beneficial. It has been a really good relationship. They are a fine company with a bunch of fine people. I consider PIM to be ... the best in its class." For the size and type of company it is, "there is none better, and the people that are there are the reason why."
Messrs. Irby and Kalafut both worked with Mr. Ricks at Richland and at New Leaf before coming with him to PIM, he said.
