LEAMINGTON, ON - Although Women’s History Month recently came to an end, that doesn’t mean that women in fresh produce are not remaining at the forefront of the industry. Most recently, Nature Fresh Farms’ Product Development Specialist Luci Faas was honored as part of the Women in Produce initiative, designed to recognize the achievements of outstanding women in the produce industry.
“I have always been passionate about sustainable packaging and I am very honored by the nomination. However, I want to acknowledge the various others who worked on this film and their patience making this innovative idea into a reality for us,” shared Faas. “I believe this will pave the way for more sustainable packaging options to grace the shelves of grocery stores across the continent.”
Faas, along with nine other women, were nominated by their industry peers for their incredible contributions to helping promote fresh produce across the industry. According to a press release, the ten honorees will receive recognition during The Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s (CPMA) Fresh Summit virtual event on April 13.
Nature Fresh Farms launched its compostable cucumber wrap in 2020, with Faas leading its development through two years of trial and development, seeing as it was a relatively new concept in the industry. This contribution is just one aspect of her career that inspired her nomination.
Having joined Nature Fresh three years ago as Purchasing and Product Development, Faas has worked her way up to holding her current role of Product Development Specialist. While at Nature Fresh, she has been on top of the latest industry developments while also sourcing innovation packaging and understanding its market viability through shelf-life testing.
Faas has also played an important role in sustainable packaging, making sure all new packaging meets recognized criteria, while also maintaining strong relationships with industry associations such as Sustainable Packaging Coalition and How2Recycle. Her dedication to research, development, and implementation of industry sustainable packaging solutions has been a great service for both fresh produce and the environment.
“We are extremely fortunate to have Luci’s passion, knowledge, and expertise behind our packaging development, which is why when the call for nominations came out for the Women in Produce initiative, we knew she deserved the recognition,” said Vice President John Ketler. “We have a lot of strong women working at Nature Fresh Farms, and we feel that it is important to increase the profiles of women in this industry to engage and create awareness.”
The Women in Produce initiative was developed and created by the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) in partnership with Grocery Business Magazine.
Congratulations to Luci Faas and all of the other women who were honored in this year’s Women in Produce initiative.
