Behind The Fruit - The Fresh Produce Podcast

The fresh produce industry is full of strong opinions and big decisions. Behind the Fruit goes one step further and looks at the people behind them. Through candid conversations with leaders from across the global produce sector, we explore careers, challenges, and the moments that shape how they lead. Expect thoughtful discussion, practical insight, and stories you won’t hear on a panel stage.

Behind The Fruit - The Fresh Produce Podcast is a business podcast hosted by Lucy Robinson, with 14 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Lucy Robinson hosts Behind The Fruit - The Fresh Produce Podcast, a business show with 14 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #13

  From Marketing to CEO: David Baxter on Leadership, Hiring and Growing Natural Delights

  Aug 13, 202653 minS1

  David Baxter’s route to becoming CEO of Natural Delights began with an engineering degree and a facilities management job. It later took him through General Mills, food marketing and a move to the Arizona desert. In Episode 13 of Behind the Fruit, David joins Lucy Robinson to share how saying yes to work outside his formal remit helped prepare him to lead a business at 40. They discuss his first months as CEO, including the decisions he had to make when Natural Delights’ available volume changed. David also explains what he looks for when hiring, why experience from outside fresh produce can strengthen a team, and how Natural Delights helped make Medjool dates more familiar to US consumers. You’ll also hear David’s advice for professionals who want greater exposure to senior leadership and need to make their contribution visible. 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/

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  Episode #12

  AI, Data and the Future of Fresh Produce with Todd Gibson | Behind the Fruit Ep. 12

  Jul 22, 20261h 1mS1

  Fresh produce businesses are generating huge amounts of information every day. Much of it still sits on paper forms, in spreadsheets and across systems that don’t communicate with each other. That creates a problem for companies hoping to make better use of AI. Todd Gibson joins Lucy Robinson to discuss what fresh produce businesses need in place before AI and automation can produce useful results. Todd is a strategic advisor at GoLive, where he works with food, beverage and fresh produce companies on finance, process automation and operational improvement. They discuss the “shadow system of record” that exists outside many ERP systems, why valuable growing and operational information is often lost, and how businesses can begin connecting that information without trying to change everything at once. Todd also explains where AI is already working in agriculture, from computer vision and laser weeders to predictive modelling, and where generative AI may help reduce repetitive administrative work. The conversation covers: Why good data needs to come before AI The hidden manual processes inside fresh produce businesses How AI can help move information between systems Whether AI projects genuinely save time and money Human review, judgement and fact-checking Employee concerns about automation AI policies and company information Preparing for future labour and climate challenges Todd also shares his advice for leaders who want to become more confident using AI: begin with a repetitive task in your own working day and learn what the tools can and can’t do. Connect with Todd Gibson LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/toddsgibson/ Email: todd.gibson@onegolive.com GoLive: https://onegolive.com Behind the Fruit is brought to you by LCR International, the executive search firm for the global fresh produce industry. 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/

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  Episode #11

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

  Jun 26, 20261h 8mS1

  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/

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  Episode #10

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

  May 6, 202628 minS1

  <p>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.</p><p>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.</p><p>You will hear about:</p>Why branding and marketing are not the same thingHow colour psychology shaped SanLucar's identityWhy 70...

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  Behind The Fruit - The Fresh Produce Podcast

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

  Apr 21, 202658 minS0

  <p><b>From Peru's Desert Farms to European Shelves: Building a Global Fruit Business | Arturo Hoffmann Harrison, Talsa Group</b></p><p>What does it take to build a multi-country fruit operation from the ground up - and lead teams across continents while doing it?</p><p>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...

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