VISION MAGAZINE December 2022

Foreword The

The End of an Era

W e are coming to the end of possible cancer cures, the return to the moon, a Malaria vaccine, and increasingly sophis- ticated artificial intelligence. But this year has also seen the return of many old things - challenges that we thought we had left behind in the past, such as runaway inflation, pos - sible wars on a global scale, and widespread social unrest. In September, Queen Elizabeth II, Head of State of the United Kingdom and Common- wealth countries, passed away. She ascend - 2022, a year that has brought us many new things including innovation, new technologies,

year from Chile. His solution: partnerships. He met with the Michigan blueberry and Cali- fornia strawberry growers and told them that they would be stronger working together. This alliance allowed them to create a platform that would supply berries in North America 52 weeks a year and establish a common brand for the end consumer. Naturipe was born, and the rest is history. In this second issue of Vision Magazine, which is themed around imports, we feature an article illuminating the history of how Mr. Moller transformed the berry industry. We also have an exclusive interview with Steve Magami, chairman and co-founder of Agrovi -

by GUSTAVO YENTZEN Publisher of Vision Magazine

ed the throne at the age of 25 in 1952, when Winston Churchill was prime minister, India had just gained its independence and the U.K. still ruled over parts of Asia and Africa. Over the years, her vision, dedication and hard work led to her becoming a symbol of stability that helped the country weather the disintegration of the empire and the Cold War, and in her later years, face Britain’s complicated exit from the European Union. Her death marked the end of an era. In October of this year, Mr. Victor Moller Schiavet - ti, founder of Hortifrut, and, undoubtedly, a monarch of the berry industry, also passed away. His contribution to the sector is incalculable. He pioneered berry exports from Chile to the U.S., Europe and Asia, offering consum - ers counterseasonal fruit. But his genius was not just in opening markets - it was in solving the challenge of how to maintain a commercial office year-round, knowing that he could only supply customers for a few months of the

sion, one of the fastest-growing companies in the blueber- ry sector. I am sure many people will find value in reading his perspective on the future of the industry. We also have feature reports on the outlook of produce imports into the United States over the coming years, and on prospects for the Mexican avocado industry. There is also analysis on one of the biggest topics in the American grocery sector to come along in years: The proposed merger between Kroger and Albertsons, two of the country’s largest supermarket chains. In addition, we have articles on the potential of the U.S. market for Chilean cherries, perspectives on fresh produce from next-gener - ation marketers, the fascinating story about the origins of the shopping cart, opinion on the FDA’s long-awaited Food Safety Modernization Act’s final rule, and advice on how leaders should navigate the new workforce. I wish you an excellent end to the year, and a prosper - ous 2023.

Vision Magazine 9

December 2022

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