About Behind The Fruit - The Fresh Produce Podcast
The fresh produce industry is full of strong opinions and big decisions.
Behind the Fruit goes one step further and looks at the people behind them.
Through candid conversations with leaders from across the global produce sector, we explore careers, challenges, and the moments that shape how they lead. Expect thoughtful discussion, practical insight, and stories you won’t hear on a panel stage.
Eddy Kreukniet: Entrepreneurship, Leadership and Building EXSA Europe
What does it take to build a fresh produce business, develop a strong management team and attract new talent into the industry? In this episode of Behind the Fruit, Lucy Robinson is joined by Eddy Kreukniet, Managing Director / Partner at EXSA Europe B.V., to discuss his career in international fresh produce and the experiences that have shaped his approach to business and leadership. Eddy shares how a cancelled internship unexpectedly introduced him to the fruit industry, his experience esta...
1 Oct 2026
The Long Way Home: Leadership, Fresh Produce and Regenerative Agriculture with Viviane Bauters
Viviane Bauters' 35-year career has taken her from Lake Chad to senior roles across fresh produce, retail and agri-food. In this episode of Behind the Fruit, Viviane joins Lucy Robinson to look back at the experiences that shaped the way she leads and builds teams. She shares what she's learned from working across different countries and cultures, and from the people she's met along the way. They also explore where fresh produce could go next, including regenerative agriculture and nutrient d...
9 Sept 2026
From Alaska to Apple Marketing: Rochelle Bohm, CMI Orchards
What happens when a job you thought would be temporary becomes a 13-year career? In this episode of Behind the Fruit, Lucy Robinson is joined by Rochelle Bohm, Vice President of Marketing at CMI Orchards. Rochelle's route into fresh produce has been anything but conventional. Born in New Zealand, she studied in Australia, worked as an environmental scientist in Kuwait and spent almost a decade in Alaska working in commercial fisheries before eventually arriving in Washington State. When she j...
27 Aug 2026
From Fresh Produce to Supply Chain Tech: Miguel Jubal, Cargo Produce
Miguel Jubal spent almost 20 years working across international fresh produce supply chains before co-founding Cargo Produce, a supply chain software platform built specifically for exporters and importers. In this episode of Behind the Fruit, Lucy Robinson talks to Miguel about his career across Chile, Peru and the US, and how working on both the exporter and importer sides of the industry shaped the business he eventually built. Miguel explains the problems Cargo Produce was created to solv...
13 Aug 2026
From Marketing to CEO: David Baxter on Leadership, Hiring and Growing Natural Delights
David Baxter’s route to becoming CEO of Natural Delights began with an engineering degree and a facilities management job. It later took him through General Mills, food marketing and a move to the Arizona desert. In Episode 13 of Behind the Fruit, David joins Lucy Robinson to share how saying yes to work outside his formal remit helped prepare him to lead a business at 40. They discuss his first months as CEO, including the decisions he had to make when Natural Delights’ available volume chan...
22 Jul 2026
AI, Data and the Future of Fresh Produce with Todd Gibson | Behind the Fruit Ep. 12
Fresh produce businesses are generating huge amounts of information every day. Much of it still sits on paper forms, in spreadsheets and across systems that don’t communicate with each other. That creates a problem for companies hoping to make better use of AI. Todd Gibson joins Lucy Robinson to discuss what fresh produce businesses need in place before AI and automation can produce useful results. Todd is a strategic advisor at GoLive, where he works with food, beverage and fresh produce com...
26 Jun 2026
Building Apeel: Food Waste, Food Safety and Founder Resilience with Jenny Du | Behind the Fruit Ep. 11
Jenny Du never expected a postdoctoral chemistry project to lead to co-founding a company focused on reducing food waste. As employee number two at Apeel Sciences, she helped take an idea from a garage in California to a business working with citrus and avocado growers around the world. Along the way, she has moved between research, regulatory affairs, supply chain, communications and external affairs, often building new functions as the company grew. In this episode, Jenny joins Lucy Robinso...
6 May 2026
Building a Produce Brand from Scratch with Nuria Pizan | Behind the Fruit Ep. 10
Nuria Pizan spent years building SanLucar into one of the most recognisable brands in fresh produce. In this episode, she talks about what it actually takes to go from a name and an idea to a brand people trust and reach for. She covers why most produce companies focus on the wrong things, how putting growers at the centre of their campaigns changed everything, and what she learned leading a team of 25 people across two countries. You will hear about: Why branding and marketing are not the sa...
21 Apr 2026
From Desert Farms to Global Shelves | Arturo Hoffmann, Talsa Group
From Peru's Desert Farms to European Shelves: Building a Global Fruit Business | Arturo Hoffmann Harrison, Talsa Group What does it take to build a multi-country fruit operation from the ground up - and lead teams across continents while doing it? In this episode, Lucy is joined by Arturo Hoffmann Harrison, Chief Commercial Officer of Talsa Group, a Peruvian family-owned agribusiness producing avocados, table grapes, early cherries and cherry plums across Peru and Chile. Arturo also leads One...
16 Apr 2026
Behind the Fruit Introduction
Welcome to Behind the Fruit! About LCR International LCR International supports senior hiring across the global fresh produce sector. We work with businesses where roles require a mix of technical, commercial, and leadership experience, often across regions. Typical support includes: • Retained executive search • Talent mapping and competitor insight • Org structure and succession planning If you're hiring and want a clearer view of the market before you start, you can get i...
9 Apr 2026
Building, losing, and rebuilding. A CEO’s honest story - Lennart van den Heuvel
What would you do if your business lost €100 million almost overnight? In this episode of Behind the Fruit, Lennart van den Heuvel, CEO of Fruitful Ventures, shares the reality behind leadership in the fresh produce industry. From growing up in a fruit family to stepping into leadership at 29, Lennart’s journey looks like a typical success story on the surface. It wasn’t. He talks openly about losing €100M in turnover, rebuilding the business from scratch, and what that period taught him abou...
20 Mar 2026
How Equifruit Is Changing the Banana Industry, with Kim Chackal
In this episode of Behind the Fruit, Lucy Robinson speaks with Kim Chackal, VP of Sales and Marketing and co-owner of Equifruit. Kim shares how she moved from event planning into fresh produce, and why she chose to channel her career into something with real impact. They talk about building a Fair Trade banana brand in a category dominated by global players, what it takes to shift retailer behaviour, and how Equifruit’s rebrand changed the trajectory of the business. The conversation also exp...
5 Mar 2026
Leadership Across Cultures: From Private Equity to Avocados with Patrick Hook
In this episode of Behind the Fruit, Lucy Robinson speaks with Patrick Hook, former CEO of AVO America, about leadership across cultures, private equity in agriculture, and why mindset matters more than technical expertise. Patrick’s career spans forestry, timber private equity, Harvard’s natural resources portfolio, and operational leadership across Chile and Peru. He shares how a solo walk across Italy shaped his career direction, what he learned moving from investment into operating leader...
19 Feb 2026
Executive Hiring in FMCG & Fresh Produce: 30 Years of Insight with John Elliott
In this episode of Behind the Fruit, Lucy Robinson speaks with John Elliott, Founder of ELR Executive in Sydney, Australia. With nearly 30 years in executive search across FMCG, fresh produce and food & beverage manufacturing, John shares: 🍏 How executive hiring has evolved over three decades 📦 Why supply chain leadership is now mission-critical in fresh 📊 The commercial shift in founder-led produce businesses 🤝 What separates strong leaders from struggling ones 🧠 ...
5 Feb 2026
Behind the Fruit Podcast Episode 4 - Mark Brooks
The conversation delves into Mark's journey to leadership, his non-traditional route, the role of values, the evolution of his management style, hiring for growth and diversity, traits for senior roles, assessing curiosity in interviews, and deliberate growth of leaders. Key takeaways include the importance of empowering others and the critical role of curiosity and a love of learning in leadership. The conversation delves into the impact of leadership experience, emphasizing the value of peo...
2 Feb 2026
Behind the Fruit Podcast Episode 3 - Ele Gower
The conversation covers Ele Gower's journey in the fresh produce industry, her experience in Ethiopia, and her role at One Acre Fund. It delves into the challenges of career progression, understanding good growth, hiring challenges, culture fit, and remote hiring. Ele shares advice for the next generation of leaders in the fresh produce industry, emphasising the importance of passion, leadership, and overcoming challenges. Takeaways * Passion for Fresh Produce * Leadership and Management ...
2 Feb 2026
Behind The Fruit Podcast Episode 1 - CarrieAnn Arias
In this episode of Behind the Fruit, Lucy is joined by CarrieAnn Arias for an honest conversation about stepping into leadership at the very top. CarrieAnn shares her journey from VP to CEO, what that shift really changes day to day, and how her view of leadership has evolved along the way. They talk openly about leading remote teams, building trust and culture when people aren’t in the same room, and what CEOs are actually responsible for once the title changes. The conversation also explo...
2 Feb 2026
Behind the Fruit Podcast Episode 2 - Jorge Reig
The conversation covers Jorge Reig's career transition from finance to the fresh produce industry, his experience as a managing director, strategic and transformational work, managing teams through change, achieving growth in fresh produce, and his desired legacy and advice for future leaders in the industry. Key takeaways include insights into career transitions and leadership skills. Takeaways * Career Transition * Leadership Skills Chapters * 00:00 Career Transition and Fresh Produ...
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