WEST CONCORD, MA - Divert, a sustainable solutions company on a mission to solve the wasted food crisis and advance a circular economy, announced the expansion of its executive leadership team with the appointment of four new strategic hires: Andrew Johnston as Vice President of Industrials, Derek Spillane as Vice President of IT, Frenchie Audette as Vice President of Food Service, and Lee DeVasier as Vice President of Transportation and Supply Chain.

“We’re deeply committed to hiring exceptional leaders with the expertise, knowledge, and agility needed to support us in this next stage of growth,” said Ryan Begin, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder. “With the additions of Andrew, Derek, Frenchie, and Lee, we’ve brought on valuable and diverse perspectives that will expand our food service and industrials business, strengthen IT operations, and optimize our transportation and logistics strategies.”

This momentum comes during a period of transformative growth for Divert, as the company continues scaling to 30 facilities by 2031 to meet increasing demand for its solutions to address the wasted food crisis. Divert has expanded its customer base significantly in the past year, explained a press release, now working with nearly 8,000 customer locations—including grocery retailers, food manufacturers, distributors, and food service.

Andrew Johnston, VP of Industrials

Johnston brings over 15 years of commercial and technical experience from companies in all stages of growth. In his most recent roles, Johnston served as a strategic advisor to venture-funded and privately held technology companies in starting commercial activities and scaling efficiently.

“Eliminating wasted food is among the most profound, tangible, and immediate things we can do to reduce emissions, while creating a multitude of other societal and economic benefits,” said Johnston. “Divert has already proven itself as a market leader in partnering across the food value chain at a remarkable scale and level of sophistication. I'm thrilled to join the team to expand our support of our industrial customers, creating novel solutions for a traditionally underserved group of stakeholders and ensuring no food goes to waste, even in the most complex environments.”

Derek Spillane, VP of IT

With over 26 years of IT industry leadership, Spillane has a proven track record in implementing solutions that optimize operations, foster collaboration, and drive transformational change. In his most recent role at Surgalign, Spillane led the global enterprise applications and IT operational teams, delivering innovative and scalable solutions.

“I am thrilled to join the Divert team and look forward to partnering across departments to drive the company’s continued growth and success,” said Spillane. “Leveraging my experience across a broad spectrum of IT roles, I’m eager to deliver meaningful business value for the company through enterprise IT systems and operational excellence.”

Frenchie Audette, VP of Food Service

Audette brings nearly two decades of food service industry expertise to build impactful partnerships and strategies that align with the evolving needs of national restaurant brands. Audette has held key leadership roles across the industry, including with Local Kitchens, Square, and as a former restaurant owner.

“I’m excited to join Divert because it uniquely combines my commitment to sustainability with my passion for supporting food service and restaurant operators,” said Audette. “At Divert, I have the opportunity to drive impactful solutions that not only address our wasted food crisis, but also enhance the operational efficiency and profitability of our partners in the food service industry.”

Lee DeVasier, VP of Transportation and Supply Chain

DeVasier brings nearly three decades of leadership in strategic engineering, steering large-scale operations, and optimizing processes to drive revenue and continuous improvement. In his most recent role at Pitney Bowes, DeVasier was responsible for all aspects of the parcel network, facility placement, transportation design and execution, as well as the relationship with the United States Postal Service.

“Divert is filling a big gap in addressing the national wasted food crisis and I’m proud to join this effort to more effectively manage and mitigate unsold food products,” said DeVasier. “I look forward to leveraging my expertise in strategic planning, optimization, and people leadership to help Divert scale.”

To read the entire press release, click here.

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SALINAS, CA - Naturipe Farms, one of the world’s top organic blueberry producers, is pleased to share that it is experiencing peak organic blueberry volumes from early December 2024 through February 2025. The volumes, originating from Naturipe’s South American growing operations in Peru and Chile, are among the highest quality in taste and appearance and will resonate well with retailers and customers alike.

While the berry industry historically sees a lull in organic blueberry supplies during the winter months, this year is an exception thanks to the excellent volumes emerging from Naturipe’s growers in Peru and Chile.

This supply fills a market gap for fresh, organic blueberries, allowing retailers to heavily promote the products while keeping dynamic and competitive pricing in place, a press release stated. Given this year’s volumes being significantly higher than prior years, retailers can also use this opportunity to boost sales statistics from 2024.

“We’re thrilled to see such huge—and hugely delicious!—volumes coming from Peru and Chile,” said Brian Vertrees, Director of Business Development at Naturipe Farms. “Growing in diverse regions throughout North and South America is a top priority for Naturipe Farms, as it enables us to provide consistently exceptional berries year-round. The quality and volumes of this season is going to be unlike any other, and we’re excited to bring great tasting berries to retailers and shoppers nationwide.”

Naturipe’s organic blueberries are grown on USDA certified organic farms, demonstrating their commitment to growing principles that prioritize biodiversity, ecological balance, sustainability, natural plant fertilization, natural pest management, and soil integrity. Each of Naturipe’s products, whether organic, conventional, premium products, or value-added are grown and packaged with Naturipe’s mission of Cultivate with Care in mind, which places an emphasis on bettering the communities in which Naturipe’s farms and facilities operate.

Given this year’s deviation from typical seasonal blueberry volumes, retailers should heavily promote organic blueberries to customers, as they may otherwise not be searching for them at the store. Retailers can market the delicious recipes, health and nutrition benefits, and unmatched quality of Naturipe’s organic blueberries.

Keep reading ANUK as we relay the latest fresh produce updates.