Industry veteran gives Hapco a strong West Coast presence

Hapco Farms, a leading East Coast vegetable shipper, is expanding its operations to include a new West Coast office under the direction of industry veteran Scott Norman.

Norman joined the Westhampton, NY-based company on Sept. 5 as a procurement and sales associate, and will operate from an office in the Salinas, CA, area where he lives. In his new role, he will be responsible for procuring fruits and vegetables from the West Coast and Mexico, and he will also handle sales west of the Rocky Mountains.

“Hapco was very interested in expanding its business with West Coast vegetables and they also wanted to get into berries,” said Norman. “I have a lot of experience with both, so I checked all the boxes.”

Norman, a native of the Salinas Valley, grew up in an agriculture family and has had a passion for the business for as long as he can remember.

“My dad began as a produce broker in 1969, and I started working in ag in high school and loved it. It’s all I ever wanted to do,” said Norman. “In fact, my dad tried to steer me away from it, but when I joined one of his competitors, he got angry and decided to hire me.”

Norman eventually went to work as a produce inspector, and then joined Benchmark Distributing in Salinas in 1992, working as a broker until 1999, when he left for a position at D’Arrigo Bros. of California. In 2003, he joined Dole Fresh Vegetables and worked there for seven years before moving over to Naturipe in Watsonville, CA, working in berries from 2010 until 2022.

“I’ve seen all aspects of the business, and I am really excited to join Hapco and get back on the sales desk,” he said. “Sales was always fun for me, and I like forecasting volumes and making a difference for my customers.”

Norman added that product management is also among his strengths, which he looks forward to bringing to Hapco.

“Having Scott represent us on the West Coast gives us a direct, in-person advantage with growers in this important region,” said Eric Scannelli, senior vice president of Hapco Farms. “These real-time updates from Scott ensure our customers have a full picture of the market. Our goal is to continue to give our customers updated information and quality produce, and Scott will help us continue to do that.”