Behind The Fruit - The Fresh Produce Podcast

Lucy Robinson
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  • Entrepreneurship

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.

  1. 6d ago

    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 changed. David also explains what he looks for when hiring, why experience from outside fresh produce can strengthen a team, and how Natural Delights helped make Medjool dates more familiar to US consumers. You’ll also hear David’s advice for professionals who want greater exposure to senior leadership and need to make their contribution visible. 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 in touch here: 👉 https://www.lcrint.com/

  2. Jul 22

    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 companies on finance, process automation and operational improvement. They discuss the “shadow system of record” that exists outside many ERP systems, why valuable growing and operational information is often lost, and how businesses can begin connecting that information without trying to change everything at once. Todd also explains where AI is already working in agriculture, from computer vision and laser weeders to predictive modelling, and where generative AI may help reduce repetitive administrative work. The conversation covers:  Why good data needs to come before AI  The hidden manual processes inside fresh produce businesses  How AI can help move information between systems  Whether AI projects genuinely save time and money  Human review, judgement and fact-checking  Employee concerns about automation  AI policies and company information  Preparing for future labour and climate challenges Todd also shares his advice for leaders who want to become more confident using AI: begin with a repetitive task in your own working day and learn what the tools can and can’t do. Connect with Todd Gibson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddsgibson/ Email: todd.gibson@onegolive.com GoLive: https://onegolive.com Behind the Fruit is brought to you by LCR International, the executive search firm for the global fresh produce industry. 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 in touch here: 👉 https://www.lcrint.com/

  3. Jun 26

    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 Robinson to talk about the problem that first drew her into Apeel, how the technology works, and what she has learned from helping scale a business in a highly scrutinised industry. You will hear about: • Why losing a third of the world's food before it is eaten became a problem worth solving • How Apeel's plant-based coating helps fresh produce stay fresher for longer • What consumers often don't realise about the post-harvest industry • Why food safety regulation deserves more appreciation • How coordinated misinformation affected Apeel, its customers and its team • The leadership lessons Jenny learned through restructures, delegation and letting others take ownership This is an honest conversation about science, food, leadership and what it feels like when your work becomes deeply personal. 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 in touch here: 👉 https://www.lcrint.com/

  4. May 6

    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 same thingHow colour psychology shaped SanLucar's identityWhy 70% of buying decisions happen at the point of saleWhat Nuria looks for when hiring a brand teamThe leadership lessons she learned the hard wayIf you are building a produce brand, or thinking about it, this one is worth your time. 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 in touch here: 👉 https://www.lcrint.com/

  5. Apr 21

    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 Onesta, the group's vertical integration project, bringing their farms closer to retail customers in Europe, the US and beyond. Arturo takes us through his journey from agricultural engineering student in Chile to import manager in the Netherlands, before making the move to Peru — and eventually helping reshape Talsa's commercial strategy for the next decade. In this conversation they cover: How Talsa evolved from blueberries to a multi-product, multi-country operationThe thinking behind Onesta and shortening the supply chainHow the role of the commercial leader in produce has changedWhat European retailers are demanding today, and who's leading the wayWhy attitude will always matter more than technical skills when hiringThe leadership lessons Arturo has learned managing teams across very different culturesHis advice for anyone stepping into their first leadership roleAn honest, grounded and inspiring conversation for anyone working in or building a business in fresh produce. 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 in touch here: 👉 https://www.lcrint.com/

  6. Apr 16

    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 in touch here: 👉 https://www.lcrint.com/

  7. Apr 9

    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 about resilience, leadership, and decision-making. This is a conversation about what happens when things don’t go to plan. And what it really takes to keep going. We also get into hiring, developing young talent, and why character matters more than experience in building strong teams. If you’re leading a business, growing a team, or navigating uncertainty, this one will stay with you. 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 in touch here: 👉 https://www.lcrint.com/

  8. Mar 20

    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 explores hiring, emotional intelligence, leadership, and why working long hours is not a measure of success. A thoughtful, honest discussion about purpose, growth, and building a business differently. 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 in touch here: 👉 https://www.lcrint.com/

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About

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.

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