Rainier Fruit Expands Business Development Team Hires Brand Manager

Selah, WA – During the past year, Rainier Fruit has initiated a robust marketing plan that includes expanded consumer and trade campaigns. To facilitate the growing team needs, Cristy Warnock has been hired in the new role of Brand Manager.

Warnock joined the Rainier team on October 1 and she will be working with the business development team to monitor key marketing trends and advance go-to-market strategies for the full suite of Rainier Fruit brands and products.

No stranger to the apple industry, Warnock has worked in operations for both Pink Lady® America and Proprietary Variety Management (PVM), a company that commercializes new fruit varieties. During her time in these previous roles, Warnock has been part of the commercialization process that included licensing strategies, brand and logo development, coordination of industry stakeholders, brand protection and early promotion.

Andy Tudor, Director of Business Development for Rainier Fruit remarked, “Not only is our marketing program growing, but our proprietary variety programs are growing as well. Cristy’s previous experience in variety management will be a major asset to us in coordinating and implementing new protocols for our Zirkle Fruit Variety Program that is anchored by our proprietary variety Lady Alice®.”

Warnock’s experience runs deep in the field of agriculture and intellectual property. She has received degrees in business and Ag Economics from the University of Washington and Yakima Valley Community College and worked as a paralegal for 11 years where she specialized in plant patents, trademarks and global licensing strategies.

When asked what made her make the leap to Rainier Fruit, Warnock said, “Rainier has always had a reputation for being not just a leader in the industry, but being one of the best fruit companies in the state.” Warnock continued, “The connections I’ve made at Zirkle & Rainier over the years confirmed to me that not only was this a top notch professional company, they were visionary; and their new mission to reach consumers through their ‘Wholesome to the Core’ program proves it.”

Apples might be her day job, but Warnock finds plenty of time to indulge her hobbies including photography, fantasy football, running, camping and backpacking and international travel. To date her passport contains multiple stamps from Italy, France, Belize, Mexico, Jamaica, England, Ireland, Australia, Thailand, Guatemala, Philippines, Morocco and an upcoming safari in Kenya.

Warnock concluded, “In previous positions, I’ve always been behind the scenes strategizing and this is an exciting opportunity to get closer to the end consumer and help take products and brands to market with a mission that I believe in. You can bet I’m already on board as I #RunWithRainier and look forward to exciting opportunities ahead.”

Rainier Fruit is a multi-generation, vertically integrated fruit company based in Selah, WA. For more than 100 years, Rainier Fruit has cultivated a culture of stewardship that extends from their orchards to their communities that has made them an industry leader in the production of apples, pears, cherries and blueberries.

Source: Rainier Fruit