Building Apeel: Food Waste, Food Safety and Founder Resilience with Jenny Du | Behind the Fruit Ep. 11

Building Apeel: Food Waste, Food Safety and Founder Resilience with Jenny Du | Behind the Fruit Ep. 11

Jenny Du never expected a postdoctoral chemistry project to lead to co-founding a company focused on reducing food waste. As employee number two at Apeel Sciences, she helped take an idea from a garage in California to a business working with citrus and avocado growers around the world. Along the way, she has moved between research, regulatory affairs, supply chain, communications and external affairs, often building new functions as the company grew. In this episode, Jenny joins Lucy Robinson to talk about the problem that first drew her into Apeel, how the technology works, and what she has learned from helping scale a business in a highly scrutinised industry. You will hear about: • Why losing a third of the world's food before it is eaten became a problem worth solving • How Apeel's plant-based coating helps fresh produce stay fresher for longer • What consumers often don't realise about the post-harvest industry • Why food safety regulation deserves more appreciation • How coordinated misinformation affected Apeel, its customers and its team • The leadership lessons Jenny learned through restructures, delegation and letting others take ownership This is an honest conversation about science, food, leadership and what it feels like when your work becomes deeply personal. About LCR International LCR International supports senior hiring across the global fresh produce sector. We work with businesses where roles require a mix of technical, commercial, and leadership experience, often across regions. Typical support includes:  • Retained executive search  • Talent mapping and competitor insight  • Org structure and succession planning If you're hiring and want a clearer view of the market before you start, you can get in touch here: 👉 https://www.lcrint.com/ [https://www.lcrint.com/]

Building a Produce Brand from Scratch with Nuria Pizan | Behind the Fruit Ep. 10

Nuria Pizan spent years building SanLucar into one of the most recognisable brands in fresh produce. In this episode, she talks about what it actually takes to go from a name and an idea to a brand people trust and reach for. She covers why most produce companies focus on the wrong things, how putting growers at the centre of their campaigns changed everything, and what she learned leading a team of 25 people across two countries. You will hear about: * Why branding and marketing are not the same thing * How colour psychology shaped SanLucar's identity * Why 70% of buying decisions happen at the point of sale * What Nuria looks for when hiring a brand team * The leadership lessons she learned the hard way If you are building a produce brand, or thinking about it, this one is worth your time. About LCR International LCR International supports senior hiring across the global fresh produce sector. We work with businesses where roles require a mix of technical, commercial, and leadership experience, often across regions. Typical support includes:  • Retained executive search  • Talent mapping and competitor insight  • Org structure and succession planning If you're hiring and want a clearer view of the market before you start, you can get in touch here: 👉 https://www.lcrint.com/ [https://www.lcrint.com/]

From Desert Farms to Global Shelves | Arturo Hoffmann, Talsa Group

From Peru's Desert Farms to European Shelves: Building a Global Fruit Business | Arturo Hoffmann Harrison, Talsa Group What does it take to build a multi-country fruit operation from the ground up - and lead teams across continents while doing it? In this episode, Lucy is joined by Arturo Hoffmann Harrison, Chief Commercial Officer of Talsa Group, a Peruvian family-owned agribusiness producing avocados, table grapes, early cherries and cherry plums across Peru and Chile. Arturo also leads Onesta, the group's vertical integration project, bringing their farms closer to retail customers in Europe, the US and beyond. Arturo takes us through his journey from agricultural engineering student in Chile to import manager in the Netherlands, before making the move to Peru — and eventually helping reshape Talsa's commercial strategy for the next decade. In this conversation they cover: * How Talsa evolved from blueberries to a multi-product, multi-country operation * The thinking behind Onesta and shortening the supply chain * How the role of the commercial leader in produce has changed * What European retailers are demanding today, and who's leading the way * Why attitude will always matter more than technical skills when hiring * The leadership lessons Arturo has learned managing teams across very different cultures * His advice for anyone stepping into their first leadership role An honest, grounded and inspiring conversation for anyone working in or building a business in fresh produce. About LCR International LCR International supports senior hiring across the global fresh produce sector. We work with businesses where roles require a mix of technical, commercial, and leadership experience, often across regions. Typical support includes:  • Retained executive search  • Talent mapping and competitor insight  • Org structure and succession planning If you're hiring and want a clearer view of the market before you start, you can get in touch here: 👉 https://www.lcrint.com/ [https://www.lcrint.com/]

Behind the Fruit Introduction

Welcome to Behind the Fruit! About LCR International LCR International supports senior hiring across the global fresh produce sector. We work with businesses where roles require a mix of technical, commercial, and leadership experience, often across regions. Typical support includes:  • Retained executive search  • Talent mapping and competitor insight  • Org structure and succession planning If you're hiring and want a clearer view of the market before you start, you can get in touch here: 👉 https://www.lcrint.com/ [https://www.lcrint.com/]

Building, losing, and rebuilding. A CEO’s honest story - Lennart van den Heuvel

What would you do if your business lost €100 million almost overnight? In this episode of Behind the Fruit, Lennart van den Heuvel, CEO of Fruitful Ventures, shares the reality behind leadership in the fresh produce industry. From growing up in a fruit family to stepping into leadership at 29, Lennart’s journey looks like a typical success story on the surface. It wasn’t. He talks openly about losing €100M in turnover, rebuilding the business from scratch, and what that period taught him about resilience, leadership, and decision-making. This is a conversation about what happens when things don’t go to plan. And what it really takes to keep going. We also get into hiring, developing young talent, and why character matters more than experience in building strong teams. If you’re leading a business, growing a team, or navigating uncertainty, this one will stay with you. About LCR International LCR International supports senior hiring across the global fresh produce sector. We work with businesses where roles require a mix of technical, commercial, and leadership experience, often across regions. Typical support includes:  • Retained executive search  • Talent mapping and competitor insight  • Org structure and succession planning If you're hiring and want a clearer view of the market before you start, you can get in touch here: 👉 https://www.lcrint.com/ [https://www.lcrint.com/]