An Illinois-based brokerage firm in the crop genetics industry has enlisted South American produce sector expert Gustavo Yentzen as an advisor.

Gustavo Yentzen

The new position with Verdant Partners adds to the entrepreneur's roles in the produce media, event management, consultancy and his representation of the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) in Chile and Peru.

Verdant Partners was founded in 1998 with an exclusive focus on the global crop agribusiness industry, including mergers and acquisition services in the vegetable seed and fresh produce sector.

In a release, the company said Yentzen would bring additional expertise and commitment to the fresh produce piece of the business, along with his extensive knowledge of South America.

"We are delighted to add Gustavo to our team of agribusiness experts," said Verdant Partners managing partner Dean Cavey.

"Yentzen rounds out the produce knowledge and expertise that Don Goodwin and Dawn Gray have already added to the firm, which complements our business service capabilities in Latin America and other facets of the crop genetics industry."

Prior to founding his company Yentzen Consulting, the executive held marketing roles with leading companies where he stood out for his strong performance, the release said.

In 2008, he launched Portalfruticola.com, a trade industry news site about the global produce industry that serves as an indispensable tool for Spanish-speaking growers and exporters. Following the success of this project, he then launched Freshfruitportal.com in 2010, followed by Mandarin-language site Chinafruitportal.com in 2013.

"In Yentzen Consulting we work hard in finding solutions that add value to our industry; we believe Verdant provides a real answer to the different participants of the distribution chain in Latin America," Yentzen said.

Yentzen can be reached at: gustavoyentzen@verdantpartners.com.

www.freshfruitportal.com