She is Head of Studies and Market Intelligence at Decofrut and, since this year, President of the Table Grapes Group of IFPA.
She holds a degree in Agricultural Engineering from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and has coordinated and managed projects at the Fruit Development Foundation and other private institutions.
Commercial Director at TerraSur Imports US
He’s Brazilian and has loads of experience in customer relations, commercial strategy and marketing. He’s also an investment analyst and area advisor.
In 2012 he started in the world of table grapes, starting his career in the fields of El Pedregal in Piura. In 2017 he became Commercial Manager at Pedregal, and from 2019 he’s been Commercial Director at TerraSur Imports.
TerraSur Imports is a company that specialises in selling top-quality table grapes in the US. Its main supplier is El Pedregal
Commercial Manager at Exportadora Subsole
Andro Vidal Gallardo Agronomist Engineer from the University of Chile, has worked in different areas of the company for the last 20 years, and nowadays he is the Commercial Manager of the table grape programme at Exportadora Subsole S.A.
Executive Vice President, Perimeter Practice Leader
Chris DuBois is a widely respected sales and marketing leader who delivers breakthrough growth for clients and builds-high performance teams. A frequent presenter on industry-changing trends, his expertise is sought by executive leaders of retailers as well as food and packaged goods companies. He also partners with CPG industry trade associations and serves on several councils and boards.
For Circana, DuBois leads a portfolio of larger fresh-food clients and heads the company’s engagement with the Food Marketing Institute and other industry associations. He speaks regularly at industry events such as FMI Connect, FMI Midwinter, the NAMI/FMI Annual Meat Conference, IPPE, the National Chicken Marketing Summit, the Urner-Barry Global Protein Summit, and the Global Seafood Marketing Conference. DuBois is a frequently quoted expert in CPG industry and national media such as CNN, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Progressive Grocer, National Provisioner, and Supermarket News.
Founding partner of South Port Shipping Spa
Francisco Labarca is a commercial engineer with considerable experience in the fresh fruit and vegetable export sector. He has held a number of roles in export companies within the Chilean fruit industry, as well as in shipping companies with a connection to this sector.
Commercial Manager, Agricola Don Ricardo
Country Manager, Food Engineer with a Master’s in Business Administration, with over 14 years of experience leading commercial teams in the agro-export sector. From 2022, has been part of Agricola Don Ricardo, leading the commercial area.
Demonstrates professional competence with a high level of commitment, high potential and analytical skills. Identifies and pursues solutions across functional areas, with a focus on achieving strategic objectives.
Partner and Director – Vecs
Gerd holds an MBA from the University of Piura, and for 10 years he headed the commercial area of Ecosac, a leading Peruvian company in the fresh fruit business as well as in the canned, dried fruit and shrimp business, and before that he held senior executive positions at Avianca Taca, Supermercados Peruanos and Alicorp among others.
In August 2022 he joined Peru-based Inversiones Vecs as a partner and director of the company.
During his 26+ year career, he has developed expertise across the agribusiness value chain with extensive knowledge of the Peruvian fresh fruit industry, global markets and variety innovations that are of great value to the global network of customers and growers.
Vecs markets cherries, blueberries, apples, pears, avocados, grapes, citrus, plums, nectarines, kiwis and mangoes from Chile, Peru and Argentina, from more than 30 exporters and to different destinations such as USA, Canada, Portugal, Netherlands, Malta, Cyprus, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Korea, Thailand, Singapore and Vietnam.
Executive Director of the Grape Committee
Ignacio Caballero is the Marketing Director of Frutas de Chile A.G. and also the Executive Director of the Grape Committee of the same institution.
He is a Commercial Engineer from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, bilingual, with extensive experience in Marketing and Sales in multinational companies and trade associations for over 18 years, leading multidimensional teams. He is currently the leader of the marketing area of Frutas de Chile, defining the strategy, coordinating and implementing promotional campaigns for Chilean fruit around the world and also in Chile, where the Association has won important international awards for its marketing implementation in different markets.
President of Frutas de Chile – ASOEX
He is a lawyer from Diego Portales University who joined the fruit industry in 2000 as an executive of Dole Chile S.A. He subsequently assumed leadership roles in the legal departments of the company in Chile, Latin America and South Africa. His responsibilities included matters related to sustainability and the export of fresh fruit from different countries.
Since 2014, he has served on the ASOEX Board of Directors, assuming the role of president in 2022. Additionally, he is a member of the Board of Directors of the Fundación de Imagen de Chile.
Founder, The Solution
Jerry Clode is recognized as a leading expert in China’s consumer and digital culture. In a 20+ year career, he has helped iconic brands such as Disney, Budweiser, and Unilever establish footholds in China. Jerry is one of the few, if not the only Chinese language consumer interviewer of foreign origin, speaking to over 200 local consumers each year.
More recently, Jerry has created Chinese brand names and strategies for many leading nutrition brands, including Synlait, Rockit Apples, NZ Avocado, and the World Macadamia Organisation. His viewpoint is widely sought after by leading publications, including the SCMP, Washington Post, WARC, and Ad Age. He has also been a regular keynote speaker at Asiafruit Logistica.
Jerry has held senior roles in China, London, and Singapore. In London, he led WPP’s global Cultural Insight division, with a focus on brand strategy in emerging markets – China, Brazil, and India. He is the consecutive recipient of China’s Digital A-List award in both 2017 and 2018 and was recognized by the Business of Fashion as a global pioneering thinker in business, technology, and creative leadership.
Director of special projects for Pandol Brothers Inc.,
John observes the grape business from all points along the supply chain, the closer to the consumer the better.
As the “physical and digital presence” , John travels 120 days per year and comments frequently and freely in the press, online forums, industry conferences and government meetings.
John Pandol has 4 decades of experience in sourcing and sales of grapes.
John holds a BS in international business from the University of Southern California with additional studies at the Universidad Catolica de Chile.
President ProVid
He is CEO of Vanguard International Group and has been CEO, director and founder of several agricultural companies in Peru and Europe, such as Agro Pucalá and FruitOne Europe. He was also an advisor on agricultural issues for the financial sector in Peru. He started in agriculture in early 1992 participating in the evolution of the Peruvian agribusiness to date, his experience and performance covers the management of the entire agricultural chain, from market detection, material selection, to the cold and commercial chain, with human vision, sustainability and leadership in sustainable water management.
President of Decofrut
Manuel Alcaino is an Agronomist Engineer specialised in fruit growing. He is the founder and President of Decofrut, a service company for the fruit industry. The company has 15 offices in 3 continents and its main service is the reception of fruit and quality certification.
With over 40 years of experience in the industry, Alcaino has held senior management positions in both national and international companies. He has served as a director of the International Advisory Council of IFPA and an active member of its Council in Chile. Additionally, he has been a permanent collaborator of Chilean trade associations. He has also participated as a speaker at seminars and fruit congresses in Chile and abroad. Since 2017, he has been lecturing on “”International Marketing of Fresh Fruit”” at the Faculty of Agronomy of the University of Chile. Decofrut has the longest-established research department in the Southern Hemisphere.
The Southern Hemisphere develops studies and publishes reports on the movements and trends of fruit markets worldwide.
It is the main source of information and market analysis for the fruit export industry in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the United States.
Vice President Procurement and Operations – Pacific Trellis Fruit
He heads the procurement, operations and quality control departments of the fruit division, which covers grapes, cherries, stone fruit and citrus. His work focuses on importing and reflects the organisation’s strategy of delivering customer value, volume growth and a reputation as a market leader.
“Marcial has been an integral part of growing the import business over the past eight years, forging strong relationships with growers around the world and engaging in all aspects of the business in order to understand and address supply and demand, while providing solutions to our growers and customers,” said Josh Leichter, CEO. “With 20 years of experience in senior positions within the fruit industry, Marcial will provide a solid foundation to support our vision and growth.”
Senior Manager for Apples, Pears and Cherries at Walmart for both the US and International Markets. With a strong background in fresh produce management, Maria Eugenia has implemented effective market strategies that strengthen Walmart’s offering and enhance the customer experience, ensuring the availability of high quality fresh fruit globally.
President of UvaNova
Chilean, Agricultural Engineer from the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile and Diploma in Project Development and Evaluation UAI.
He has held the roles of Technical and Production Manager in fresh fruit exporters (1988-2019) and Agricultural Manager (2003-2019).
He is currently working as an advisor to fruit producers, agro-input companies and investment funds.
Commercial Director of COANA and President of Nova Forma Consulting
Geologist, expert in Marketing and Administration
The table grape growers’ cooperative COANA has approximately 400 hectares of grapes in production, mainly for export. The farms are located in the municipalities of Petrolina (PE) and Curaçá (BA), in northeastern Brazil. It currently has 13 varieties planted on the estates, consisting of a blend of the latest white, red and green seedless grapes from most of the major breeders, and exports to more than 10 countries around the world.
General Manager, Exportadora Rio Blanco
He served as Commercial Manager of Exportadora Rio Blanco Ltd for a decade. Subsequently, he relocated to the United States, where he held the position of General Manager of Safco of America, a receiving and marketing company, for three years. Upon his return, he resumed his role as Production Manager of Exportadora Rio Blanco for almost seven years.
Since 2014, he has held the position of General Manager of Rio Blanco Spa, which encompasses the exporter, the cooling facilities and the orchards (approximately 700 hectares).
General Director of Mexico Table Grapes, of the Association of Table Grape Producers of Sonora, Mexico.
Technical Secretary of the State Agricultural Council of Sonora, formerly Project Director of the Association of Agricultural Organizations of Northern Sonora (AOANS).
Law Degree with specialization in Corporate-Business Law.
M.B.A., specialising in Human Resources Management.
Diplomas: Agricultural Policies, Business Law, International Cooperation.
Corporate Lawyer for several companies and governmental entities.
Institutional Liaison and Technical Secretary of the Arizona-Mexico Commission and the Sonora-New Mexico Commission in their agribusiness roundtables.
University Professor of Public Policy, Customs Law and Corporate Law.
Areas of expertise: Business Consulting, Strategic Planning, Management and International Cooperation, Agricultural Policies, AGRO Mexicano, Executive Management, Administrative Coordination, among others.
In 2005, Tim Dayka co-founded Dayka & Hackett LLC where he and his partners successfully built a fresh fruit company servicing a wide range of products and services to major US retailers and club stores as well as numerous international receivers in more than 20 different countries. In 2021, Dayka & Hackett sold a majority interest to private equity start-up Frutura LLC where Tim sits on that Company’s Board of Directors. Tim still serves as the CEO of Dayka & Hackett where he will remain through the end of this year. In early 2025 Tim will be stepping down as CEO while staying on with the company in significant role.