Nature Fresh Farms, one of North America’s leading growers of sustainable greenhouse produce, announced Patrick Criteser is joining its executive team as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) to lead its rapid expansion.
Over the last 25 years, Nature Fresh Farms has grown from a single, 18-acre greenhouse into an international produce leader known for sustainability, innovation and premium quality. The family-owned company delivers flavorful tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and berries year-round from farm to table. It uses the most advanced, vertically integrated greenhouse technology to produce high-flavor, exclusive varieties – such as its award-winning, vine-ripened Hiiros tomatoes – that are better for people and the planet.
Criteser, former president and CEO of Tillamook County Creamery Association, will guide Nature Fresh Farms as it expands its team, products and distribution to meet the fast-growing demand for its fresh, Greenhouse Clean™ fruit and vegetables.
“We initiated a search for a new CEO because we saw the need to bring in a top-notch executive with extensive experience growing billion-dollar companies to lead our growth,” said John Ketler, president. “Patrick is the ideal person to take on this role, and I’m excited to work with him to cultivate our business, our people and our vision for doing good with good food.”
Patrick has more than 30 years of leadership experience with a track record of leading growth and positive transformation at companies large and small. In his 12 years at Tillamook, he increased revenue by over 250% and established Tillamook as one of the leading food brands in the U.S. Prior to joining Tillamook, he spent eight years as president and CEO at Coffee Bean International and one year as co-CEO of Farmer Brothers (Nasdaq: FARM). Criteser also held management and strategic development roles at some of the world’s most respected brands, including Nike, The Walt Disney Company and Procter & Gamble.
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Starting Dec. 2, he will take on the CEO role from Nature Fresh Farms’ founder and owner, Peter Quiring, who will become executive chairman of the board. Ketler will remain president and continue to play a critical leadership role in charting the path of the company.
“Patrick is exactly who we need right now to navigate this period of tremendous growth,” Quiring said. “He shares our entrepreneurial drive to develop new varieties that are more nutritious and more delicious, while investing in the people who make it possible. His strategic thinking and deep business experience will help inspire a new generation of sustainability and innovation.”
Quiring, a mechanical engineer, started Nature Fresh Farms in 1999 with a vision to pack as much flavor and nutrition as possible into each tomato – and grow it as sustainably as possible. He designed and built his first state-of-the-art greenhouse farm, intending to sell it. But farmers didn’t buy into the new technology right away, so he decided to keep it and run it himself. The company now operates and markets 2,500 acres of greenhouses with sustainable technology across Canada, the U.S. and Mexico.
Its sustainable growing practices include growing plants in coconut husks, recirculating water in a 100% closed loop system, burning clean waste wood for heat, growing plants vertically to yield more fruit in a smaller space, pollinating plants with bumblebees and using good bugs to manage bad bugs. Nature Fresh Farms’ Discovery Center, a 2.5-acre trial greenhouse, develops new varieties that maximize nutrition and flavor.
SOURCE: Businesswire