Fyffes has announced the appointment of Frank Burkhardt as Chief Commercial Officer to oversee an ambitious growth strategy, which includes the promotion of a new brand proposition, Trudi's.
Fyffes exports to more than 500 retailers in 22 countries across Europe and North America. Fyffes also considers itself the largest importer of bananas in Europe and the number one importer of offshore melons in North America.
After undergoing a significant transformation program over the last three years, and the appointment of a new CEO and executive leadership team, Fyffes has developed a growth strategy that aims to diversify its portfolio. Diversification will support in better meeting the needs of both retailers and consumers, while driving positive social and environmental impact across its supply chain and among the communities where its fruit is produced.
The company has recently launched a new consumer fruit brand, Trudi's, in continental Europe. Currently, discussions with select retailers across Europe are taking place to trial the brand this year. With an investment over EUR 1 million in market intelligence, testing, and creative support for Trudi's, Fyffes is eager to activate the brand in partnership with European retailers over the coming years and has plans for location-based marketing campaigns that include targeted digital content, billboard/out-of-home, and in-store promotions.
Frank Burkhardt.
This most recent appointment of Burkhardt as Chief Commercial Officer is critical to the rollout and success of the commercial strategy for Fyffes as well as its new brand proposition. With more than 20 years' experience in sales and marketing across various industries, categories and regions, Frank is well placed to grow Fyffes business in strategic markets.
"With his knowledge, experience, and keen insights into commercial strategy across a range of sectors, Frank will play a key role in helping us deliver on an ambitious, go-to-market commercial strategy across key markets within the EU, the UK, and the US. For the last three years, we have been focused on leveraging the years of knowledge and brand reputation within Fyffes, while evolving rapidly to reflect the needs of our customers, our employees, our consumers, and our communities into the future," says CEO Helge Sparsoe.
"I am delighted to join Fyffes at such a pivotal moment for the business as it seeks to capitalise on its excellent reputation and 130-year history while transforming to become a more sustainable, future-focused organisation," says Frank Burkhardt. "The launch of Trudi's offers a truly sustainable proposition that we firmly believe will bring an exciting new choice and opportunity for both retailers and their consumers – something that hasn't been seen in this space for a long time. I look forward to working closely with our retail partners across the many markets in which we operate and building on a number of exciting prospects and partnership opportunities in our pipeline."
Contact :
Michaela Schneider
Fyffes
[email protected]