Art Munoz has returned to Church Brothers Farms to serve as vice president of raw product procurement for the U.S. and Mexico.

Munoz has more than 20 years of raw material sourcing experience, both domestically and internationally. He was previously with Taylor Farms as a director of ag ops, and prior to that had been part of the Church Brothers team for nearly 12 years. Munoz graduated from the University of California-Davis with a degree in agricultural and managerial economics.

In his new role, Munoz will be responsible for leading all raw product procurement activities throughout the

Preferred Sales & Marketing, a leading provider of sales and marketing services in fresh produce and food brands based in San Juan Capistrano, CA, announced the addition of Paulina Villarreal as its new national sales manager. With a strong track record of driving growth and extensive experience in the industry, Villarreal will spearhead the company's strategic initiatives and nationwide expansion.

As the national sales manager, Villarreal will oversee all sales and marketing activities across the nation, working closely with industry partners and the PSM team to develop and execute

Stemilt has hired Sarah Burns as its new West Coast merchandising manager. Burns came to Stemilt following her four-year tenure at FreshSource and 13 years working in sales at Earthbound Farm. In her role, she will be building relationships with customers, planning and executing promotions for Stemilt, analyzing retail data and trends to develop strategies to grow fruit sales for the organization and representing Stemilt at industry events.

“We’re thrilled to grow our field merchandising team and welcome Sarah to the Stemilter family,” said Brianna Shales, Stemilt marketing director. “Her

Pacific Trellis Fruit, the owner of the Dulcinea brand, continues adding strength to build the fundamentals to support the needs of its customers and suppliers in this ever-changing environment that the industry has been experiencing the last few years. Marcial Hernandez Manzano has been promoted to vice president of supply and operations and will lead the sourcing, operations and quality control departments of the Fruit Division, encompassing grapes, cherries, stone fruit and citrus. His initial focus will be on the import side of the business and reflects the organization’s strategy of

TOMRA Food has appointed Peter Lamb as vice president, head of sales for TOMRA Fresh Food, a provider of integrated turnkey solutions for fresh fruit and vegetables. 

Lamb joins TOMRA Food with wide-ranging international experience as a senior executive in the manufacturing and commercial sectors. Most recently he was CEO for the Packaging Products Co., which serves the food, beverage and dairy industries in the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Prior to that, he was managing director in the Asia Pacific region for DS Smith, a British multinational packaging business with an industry-leading

Tops Friendly Markets, a leading full-service grocery retailer in New York, northern Pennsylvania and Vermont, promoted Cole Bickal to produce and floral specialist in the East Region for the company.

Bickal will be responsible for the Syracuse Northeast and Hudson Midstate districts. He will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of operations and merchandising for the produce and floral departments within those districts.

Bickal started with Tops Markets in 2001, and over his 22-year career has held various positions, including produce clerk, produce manager and most recently operations