_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Oppy
Based in the vibrant seaport of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, fresh produce company Oppy operates as an independent subsidiary of a publicly traded powerhouse whilst maintaining agility and entrepreneurial spirit. Initially formed in 1858 by the Oppenheimer Brothers, today it distributes over 50 million boxes of fresh fruit and vegetables every year and, in 2021, merged with industry giant Dole to form Dole plc – the world’ s largest fresh produce company traded on the New York Stock Exchange.
Remarkably, CEO John Anderson has completed 50 years of service with Oppy and he was recently inducted into the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame. Food Chain sits down with him to find out more about the group’ s operations, spanning 30 countries and 19 global offices.“ What began more than 165 years ago as a vision to connect people with the world’ s finest harvest has evolved into one of North America’ s most respected fresh produce companies,” John opens.“ We grow, market, and distribute fruits and vegetables sourced from every continent. We’ ve introduced North American consumers to iconic produce items including Granny Smith, JAZZ, and Envy apples, as well as green and gold kiwifruit. More than 130 years ago, we were even the first to import Japanese mandarins, so we’ ve continued this approach.”
John explains that introducing such a wide variety of fruits helped elevate taste, quality and health benefits as key purchase drivers, ultimately shifting customer expectations.“ Consumers became more adventurous and more discerning,” he continues.“ That shift raised the fresh produce assortment at retail establishments and encouraged healthier eating habits. Innovation has permanently reshaped the market, and we are proud to have been at the forefront, which is now extending past apple and kiwifruit and into berries, stone fruit, and most notably, grapes.”
▲ Oppy CEO John Anderson foodchainmagazine. com 47