ORANGE COUNTY, CA - Zespri is increasing its sales team might as it recently promoted Susan Noritake to Head of Sales North America. As the kiwifruit brand continues its expansion plans in the North American market, Noritake will be bringing extensive experience and market knowledge to this crucial role.

“I am excited to assume this new role and to continue the strong sales growth of our amazing kiwifruit. Consumers love the taste of our kiwifruit varieties, especially SunGold, and helping our retail partners develop custom programs designed for their shoppers is rewarding. It is important for shoppers to find our highly nutritional kiwifruit at the store level. We have new packaging and displays to support this effort in addition to our exciting consumer promotion to help drive shoppers to stores,” explained Noritake.

Prior to joining Zespri, Noritake held various sales and marketing leadership roles with Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Inc. and Mann Packing Company. As a team member since 2016, Noritake helped drive the growth in major retail accounts including Costco, Walmart, Whole Foods, and Albertsons.

In addition to building outstanding customer relationships, noted the release, Noritake has worked with cross-functional partners in operations, developed winning strategies at retail with Zespri’s shopper and consumer marketing teams, and helped drive key account focus with Zespri’s distributor partners.

“We are very pleased to announce Susan’s much-deserved promotion,” stated Dan Riley, Market Manager for North America. “She’s had a very successful track record in her position as a market development manager where she built incredibly strong account penetration and delivered exceptional growth for Zespri Kiwifruit varieties. She has been instrumental in our sales growth.”

Noritake holds a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Business Marketing from California Polytechnic State University and an MBA with a focus in strategic planning from Pepperdine University.

Zespri looks forward to the success of Noritake in her new position and to the new season as Zespri Kiwifruit reaches retail shelves this month. Retailers are encouraged to contact Noritake or Zespri’s sales reps to develop customized promotional and merchandising programs to drive sales.

Congratulations to Susan Noritake as she takes her next step in her new role!

Zespri