Executive Search Success Story: Building the Commercial and Farming Leadership for a Private-Equity-Backed Fresh Produce Grower-Shipper

How JRG Partners executed a confidential, multi-role North American executive search strategy that equipped a private-equity-backed fresh produce grower, packer, and shipper with the commercial, farming operations, food safety, and supply chain leadership required to expand year-round supply, win national retail programs, and deliver on the sponsor’s growth plan.

The Challenge

A vertically integrated fresh produce grower-shipper, recently acquired by a food-and-agriculture-focused private equity sponsor, had built a strong regional business but depended on a single growing season and a concentrated customer base. The sponsor’s value-creation plan required year-round supply through new growing regions and expansion into national retail programs. Executive leadership identified several critical vulnerabilities threatening the growth plan:

• Seasonal supply gaps preventing participation in year-round national retail programs
• Customer concentration with a small number of regional retailers and wholesalers
• Farming operations leadership built for a single region rather than multi-region production
• Food safety and traceability systems not yet at the standard required by national retailers
• Cold chain and logistics capacity insufficient for cross-country distribution
• A founder-era commercial team without national account or category management experience

Recognizing that the growth plan required both commercial and operational transformation, the CEO and sponsor engaged JRG Partners to lead a confidential multi-role search for a Chief Commercial Officer, VP Farming Operations, VP Food Safety & Quality, VP Supply Chain & Logistics, and Director of Retail Programs. The company required an executive search partner with deep fresh produce expertise and access to leaders who had scaled grower-shippers into national suppliers.

Why They Chose JRG Partners

Fresh Produce and Specialty Crop Expertise

JRG Partners possesses deep recruiting expertise across produce growers and shippers, fresh-cut processors, and consumer fresh food companies, including farming, packing, food safety, and commercial leadership. This domain knowledge ensured an immediate understanding of seasonal economics, retail program requirements, and perishable supply chain constraints.

Commercial Transformation Experience

Our team specializes in identifying commercial leaders who have moved regional agricultural businesses into national retail and foodservice programs, bringing category management, pricing, and account relationships that accelerate growth.

Private Equity Value-Creation Alignment

JRG Partners has extensive experience serving food and agriculture private equity sponsors and portfolio companies, with a clear understanding of growth targets, operational milestones, and the urgency of leadership placements tied to fund timelines.

Our Executive Search Strategy

Phase 1 — Growth Plan Review

Our consultants partnered directly with the CEO, sponsor operating partners, and founding leadership to evaluate the year-round supply strategy, target retail programs, farming expansion plans, and food safety and logistics gaps. This review aligned the search with the sponsor’s revenue and diversification targets.

Phase 2 — Industry Talent Mapping

Our research team performed an extensive talent mapping initiative targeting commercial, farming, food safety, and supply chain executives at national produce companies, grower-shippers, fresh-cut processors, and consumer fresh food organizations. Over 350 executives were systematically assessed across these sectors.

Phase 3 — Candidate Engagement

Priority during outreach was given to leaders with a documented history of winning national retail programs, establishing multi-region farming operations, achieving retailer-required food safety certifications, and building perishable cold chain networks. Only candidates meeting these strict performance baselines advanced.

Phase 4 — Final Selection

Finalists presented commercial and operational growth plans to the CEO and sponsor, completed structured leadership assessments, and underwent reference verification focused on quantified revenue, customer diversification, and operational outcomes.

Key Outcomes

• 350+ fresh produce, specialty crop, and fresh food executive profiles mapped across North America.
• Successfully placed a synchronized leadership tier spanning chief commercial, farming operations, food safety and quality, supply chain and logistics, and retail programs.
• Secured year-round programs with two national grocery retailers within the first year.
• Reduced top-three customer concentration from over 60% to below 40% of revenue.
• Achieved national-retailer food safety certification and passed all audits.
• De-risked the sponsor’s growth plan through visible commercial and operational leadership upgrades.