2018 has been a tough year for the sweet potato industry in North Carolina. First, Hurricane Florence dumped record breaking rain on North Carolina’s Farmers and decreased supply. Just as farmers were assessing the damage; hurricane Michael threatened the industry in the southern part of the US. Then to add insult to injury, the state of Louisiana has banned NC sweet potatoes because of potential Guava Root Knot Nematode issues.
“The industry has felt the effects of the hurricane season, but our company is positioned to continue operations as usual and expand upon our financial restructure to better serve our farmers and our customers alike. Our restructure has allowed us to evolve and innovate on current industry best practices and future needs as well as hire key personnel to ensure we maintain the highest level of quality and customer care.” Said Randy Swartz.
Left to right: Ashley Jach, Matt Dula, Brooke Crumpler
Southern Produce recently promoted Brooke Crumpler as Director of Domestic Sales and Marketing. Brooke has been with Southern Produce for a year and half immersing in the industry where she has provided a blend of customer service and marketing experience. In addition Ashley Jach has been promoted to the Director of International Sales and Processing. Ashley has been with the company for several years and has worked closely with the sales organization in the past in handling customers and ensuring our “customer first mentality”. Ashley will continue her role as well as Manager of Logistics.
Matt Dula has also recently joined the company in the capacity of Business Analyst. He brings business experience in the Ag sector and will also assist the sales team.
For more information:
Brooke Crumpler
Southern Produce Distributors
Tel: +1 (800) 688-YAMS
brooke@southern-produce.com
www.southern-produce.com