CORONA, CA - As Veg-Fresh Farms bolsters its berry operations, the company brought on two new additions to its National Berry Sales team. Both Christian Cardenas and Jay Carreon will manage blueberries and strawberries under the Crystal Cove Berry Farms brand.

“I was excited to get back to a family-run business and, although Veg-Fresh is a large company, they’ve managed to maintain a great family business mentality. Being able to react quickly to market changes and dynamics is one of the many strengths at Veg-Fresh,” commented Cardenas on his new role.

Previously, Cardenas worked at The Oppenheimer Group, but his love for produce goes back much further. From a family of long-time strawberry growers in Santa Maria, California, Cardenas seemed destined to have a career in fresh.

The other team addition, Jay Carreon, brings 27 years of berry experience to Veg-Fresh Farms. According to a press release, he has been dedicated to selling berries since the start of his career both as a broker and inside sales.

“I’m excited to continue growing the great blueberry program that exists at Veg-Fresh and see a lot of opportunity to expand the organic segment. Raspberries and blackberries will also be a focus of mine. These two categories will be a great addition to the Crystal Cove portfolio,” stated Carreon.

As the team grows to encompass this vision, Veg-Fresh recognized a member that helped build the Crystal Cove brand in the first place: Ray Iwamoto.

Iwamoto recently announced his retirement, effective this summer, so that he can enjoy traveling with his wife and family.

“We are thankful for the years of hard work and dedication that Ray gave to this company,” added Mark Widder, General Partner. “He was absolutely instrumental in the success of the berry program, but most of all he will be sorely missed by his Veg-Fresh family.”

Congratulations to Christian and Jay on their new roles, and we wish Ray a happy retirement.

Veg-Fresh Farms