'Queen of Kiwifruit' to be honored at womens business conference
'Queen of Kiwifruit' to be honored at womens business conference
Frieda Caplan, founder and chairman of the board of Frieda's Specialty Produce, will receive a Compass Award Aug. 12 at the Women's Leadership Exchange West Coast Business Summit at the Long Beach Convention Center in Long Beach, CA.
WLE's Compass Awards honor women who have made significant contributions in their professional fields. Ms. Caplan is one of four successful executives being honored at the event.
Founded in 1962, Frieda's Inc. was the first wholesale produce business in the United States owned and operated by a woman. Ms. Caplan gained international recognition for her role in opening the male-dominated produce industry to women, including for her efforts in naming, introducing and promoting kiwifruit in the United States, which earned her the title "Queen of Kiwifruit." She is also credited with introducing many other new and unusual fruits and vegetables such as jicama, sugar snap peas and spaghetti squash to produce departments and consumers nationwide.
Celebrating its 46th anniversary this year, Los Alamitos, CA-based Frieda's Inc. is still a family-run business today, now owned and operated by Ms. Caplan's daughters. President and Chief Executive Officer Karen Caplan and Vice President and Business Development Manager Jackie Caplan Wiggins lead the firm. The company is among the nation's premiere marketers and distributors of specialty produce, offering more than 600 specialty items to grocery stores and foodservice distributors throughout the United States and Canada.
The Women's Leadership Exchange, a social entrepreneurship founded by and for successful businesswomen, holds conferences around the United States annually. The Aug. 12 conference marks the first West Coast summit and is designed to address the specific needs of Southern California business owners. The all-day event features programs for business owners and executives of small to mid-size companies.
