CALIFORNIA - Our industry continues to fight the good fight, focusing on resilience while building on both lessons and successes. Here are a few that, as we looked back on a year of Produce “Wrapped,” contributed professional and personal achievements propelling them toward a better 2025.

Ella Peterson, Marketing Director, Famous Software

“This year I was so excited to join the amazing team at Famous Software as Marketing Director. And now, we have a full team with our new Marketing Coordinator, Julianna Foglio Oldfield. Together, we helped increase our social following 7–12 percent, with our impressions/posting frequency up 200 to 300 percent. We achieved above-industry average open and click-through rates on our email campaigns and brought back our Famous Forum virtual conference for our customer users.

Among my personal accomplishments, I was thrilled to spend two weeks in Portugal with my husband and a group of friends, and now we are almost finished with a bathroom addition in our house!”

Rachelle Schulken, Marketing and Sustainability Manager, F&S Fresh Foods

“Professionally, I am so happy and proud to have joined the F&S Fresh Foods team with the sale of the former RFG business back in August. We were able to debut a brand new trade show booth at the IFPA show in Atlanta, Georgia, where we also introduced the company as a nationwide fresh-cut solutions provider!

Personally, I ran my 18^th marathon on December 8, and it was my 11^th consecutive running of this particular race (the California International Marathon). More than anything, I am excited at the outset of marathon training to see the process through to the literal finish—creating a goal, training to meet the goal, and getting out there on race day to achieve it! I think it speaks to well to how we operate as produce professionals on a daily basis. Happy holidays!”

Anneka Jenkins, Marketing Manager, EarthFresh

“2024 has been a beautiful blend of personal growth and professional achievements. On a personal level, I’ve found more balance between work and play—whether it was spending intentional time with friends and family, learning how to curate music, attending memorable concerts, exploring newfound passions or exploring new countries, it all has kept me grounded in what truly matters.

Professionally, it’s been exciting to strengthen my skills, see the expansion of EarthFresh’s marketing department, and witness the growth of the company by acquiring MountainKing. It serves as a constant reminder of the power of collaboration and pursuing and achieving the vision. The progress we’ve made as a collective has been rewarding and motivates me to continue building on this momentum into the new year.

Looking back, I’m grateful for the opportunities, challenges, and memories this year has brought, and I’m excited to see what 2025 holds!”

Beth Keeton, Owner and President, Elephant House PR

“This year, the Elephant House PR team secured over 2,000 consumer media placements for fresh produce brands in some of the biggest publications like Good Housekeeping, Martha Stewart, TODAY, Southern Living, Women's Health, Eating Well, and more. I'm incredibly proud of our team for driving greater awareness of our industry and the brands within it, helping shoppers feel more informed and excited to choose fresh produce.”

Tyler Weinbender, Director of Sustainability, and the Superfresh® Team

“We recycled 5,958,005 pounds of cardboard this year! This gets reused into new boxes and trays. PCR for the win. That’s 150 percent more than the 3,922,761 lb in 2023!”

These tangible results of hard work and personal growth propel forward the individual, the business, and then the industry. With a common thread of the potential for overcoming challenges, seizing opportunities, and reaching new heights, I can’t think of a better way to sum up the people of produce as another year gets underway.