Fairtrasa Group, an Organic and Fairtrade fruit producer and distributor, has appointed Ben Huyghe, a Panama City-based fresh fruit supply chain expert, as its new Chief Operating Officer for Latin America (COO LATAM). Ben Huyghe assumed the post on October 15, 2017.
Ben brings 20 years' experience in the tropical fruit sector to the job, including sixteen years as a banana sourcing expert for AgroFair. During his last eight years at AgroFair, he served additionally as Program Manager for AgroFair South. In the latter role, he focused on Fairtrade and Organic banana sourcing in Latin America, ensuring quality, traceability, sustainability, and organizational strength throughout the supply chain.
Fairtrasa Group founder and CEO Patrick Struebi says Ben Huyghe will play a vital role in ensuring Fairtrasa's operational excellence and supply chain efficiency across Fairtrasa's Latin American offices—which include supply and export operations in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Peru, and Chile.
"Ben will help us ensure quality and achieve our ambitious goals as our company continues to grow. He has outstanding experience on both sides of the Atlantic, and is very well regarded and connected in the industry. Most importantly, he is completely committed to our mission of empowering small-scale farmers and delivering healthy, responsibly sourced fruit to customers around the world."
Ben says that he is eager to apply his operational expertise to the company saying:
"I've worked extensively in the Latin American banana sector, focusing especially on Organic and Fairtrade production, commercialization and quality management. I see Fairtrasa as an innovative and inspiring leader in this space with high potential and I am looking forward to sharing my 20 years’ experience with the Fairtrasa’s gowers base. I'm a big believer in Fairtrasa's project and mission, and I'm glad to strengthen this outstanding global team."
For more information:
Ben Huyghe
Fairtrasa
Tel: +507 6747 6455