Calavo Growers, Inc. has announced that Danny Dumas will take on the role of Senior Vice President & General Manager Calavo Grown on July 11, replacing Robert Wedin who is retiring after 49 years with Calavo. 

Mr. Dumas is a veteran of the produce industry with more than 30 years of experience, primarily with Del Monte Fresh Produce, where he worked in a variety of different roles and most recently, serving as president of Courchesne Larose USA. 

“We are fortunate to have someone with Danny’s experience and capabilities join the team,” said Brian W. Kocher, President and Chief Executive Officer of Calavo Growers, Inc. 

“His knowledge of fresh produce sales, marketing and operations will be an asset to the company as we move forward under our new segment structure that aligns product fulfillment responsibilities with P&L management,” he continued.

Likewise, Mr. Dumas expressed his excitement “about assuming this new role at a time when I can have a real impact on Calavo’s long-term growth”, adding that he is “looking forward to working with our customers to provide consumers with the on-trend, healthy foods they seek.”

In his statement, Kocher also took the opportunity “to thank Rob Wedin for his nearly 50 years of service to Calavo” and described how “he has not only continued working until we filled his role, he also agreed to stay on through the end of the year as an adviser through the transition.”

Mr. Wedin has been instrumental in expanding Calavo’s line of high-growth avocado and related commodity foods and is a widely respected expert in the industry. 

Currently, he is serving as the current Chairman of the Hass Avocado Board Global Data Committee and is a former Executive Committee member at producesupply.org, as well as a past Director of the California Avocado Commission and past Chairman of the Avocado Inspection Committee.

Mr. Wedin said: “I’m truly fortunate that I’ve had such a long and successful career at one company”, expressing that “the people at Calavo are like a family to me, and while I will miss seeing everyone every day, I’m looking forward to this next chapter.”

In April, Calavo announced it would reorganize its business into two segments, Grown and Prepared, with a senior vice president and general manager responsible for each. Mr. Dumas will lead the Grown segment, which consists of fresh avocados, tomatoes and papayas.