Four Seasons Produce celebrates series of promotions

Four Seasons Produce, a wholesale produce distribution company based in Lancaster, PA, knows it takes good people to be successful, so the company is making sure its team knows their worth.

“Talented people and dynamic leadership are vital to our mission of helping others succeed in fresh,” said Jonathan K. Steffy, vice president and general manager of Four Seasons Produce.

So, the company recently enacted a series of promotions.

“We added a layer of leadership to our procurement team and some additional talent to non-produce areas of our business,” Steffy said. “As the business grows, we’re looking for those opportunities to find new ways for up-and-coming team members to contribute on a higher level. Plus, it helps support our customer base as we continue to grow.”

Ben O’Brien has been promoted to procurement manager and will support both the key account sourcing and sales team as well the fruit category buying team. With a strong background in produce retail, O’Brien has served the Four Seasons sales and buying teams in various roles for almost a decade.

James Camera was promoted to vegetable category manager. In his new role, Camera will lead the vegetable buying team after seven years of progressing in various sales and buying roles within in the company.

Dustin Manento was named value-added category manager and will lead the buying team responsible for salads, cut produce, dips, dressings and other non-commodity produce department items. Manento worked at a large retailer for almost two decades before he joined Sunrise Logistics in 2020 then Four Seasons the next year.

Brian Arena, who has been with Four Seasons the last five years on the buying team, was promoted to berry program manager; and Samantha Reichert, who has worked her way up through several roles in the organization over the past decade, was named fresh category lead, responsible for the sourcing and buying of growing organic and natural-focused meat, dairy, deli and prepared food offerings.

“A good team starts with good leadership and support, and we really do want to serve our associates who work here well,” Steffy said. “The produce business can be challenging so we want to create a culture where people feel they are appreciated and enjoy working with one another. We have a lot of focus on our culture.”

Another area Four Seasons Produce is concentrating on is sustainability. Last year, 1.36 million kWh were produced by its solar array on its newest warehouse, and this spring, a new 1.7 million kWh solar array was commissioned, providing 35 percent of all facility needs.

“Our sustainability philosophy starts with the need to make business sense; we want to do things that help us be better as a wholesale distributor and be good stewards of the resources we have, including natural resources,” Steffy said. “Many of our customers really care about sustainability, so that’s another reason we are focused on it. We really want to make an impact on the environment.”

The company continues to do its part to help the community as well.   

“The Four Seasons Family of Cos. donated more than 4 million pounds of surplus fresh food to Blessings of Hope in 2023,” Steffy said. “There, the food is sorted and redistributed to food pantries and non-profits or put into community food boxes.”

In 2024, the company has seen an increase in both conventional and organic produce in year-over-year volume.

“We’re very pleased with that,” Steffy said. “As we approach the summer, we’re continuing to reinvent how we bring local produce to the marketplace.”