Schiller Park, IL – International berry and specialty marketer and distributor Sun Belle Inc. (http://www.sun-belle.com), has added Jan McDaniels (jmcdaniels@sun-belle.com) and Bob Hylka (bhylka@sun-belle.com) to its growing produce sales and marketing team.
Jan McDaniels is in Los Angeles overseeing Sun Belle’s distribution facility near Los Angeles International Airport and handling West Coast and national sales. Bob Hylka works out of Sun Belle’s Schiller Park, IL distribution center to handle national and Midwest retailers.
New Zealand native Jan McDaniels has been involved in fresh produce sales and logistics for 20 years, starting with Gourmet Trading in Auckland, New Zealand and moving stateside in 1997. Jan handled retail, club and food service sales in the US and Canada at Gourmet, with a focus on logistics and quality details to ensure successful sales of asparagus, blueberries, blackberries and cherries. In 2011, Jan founded Fresh Girl Trading, which specialized in asparagus and blueberries. Jan received a degree in agricultural economics from New Zealand’s Massey University.
“Jan brings Sun Belle 20 years of sales, marketing and supply expertise in the berry and asparagus industry,” Janice Honigberg, founder and president of Sun Belle said. “We are very pleased Jan has joined us, and know that her entrepreneurial experience and hands-on skills provide Sun Belle a very solid presence in West Coast markets, furthers Sun Belle’s product offerings and strengthens Sun Belle’s commitment to quality, value and service.”
Bob Hylka began his produce career part-time at Jewel Food Stores while in high school. He joined Jewel full-time in 1998 and has worked in every aspect of produce at retail, including produce department manager and produce operations specialist as well as store management and sales and merchandising management. In 2011 Bob became a produce buyer at Jewel, and in 2013 he joined Aldi as a corporate produce manager. After graduation from University of St. Francis and prior to joining Jewel full-time, Bob fit in a five year sports radio broadcasting career in Chicagoland.
Janice Honigberg, Sun Belle’s founder and president, said, “We welcome Bob’s breadth of retail produce experience, both at the corporate and store level. Bob brings to Sun Belle a deep understanding of the retail buyer’s viewpoint and needs which will help customers drive their produce sales.”
About Sun Belle Inc.
Woman-owned Sun Belle Inc. (www.sun-belle.com), is a leading global marketer and distributor of fresh berries. Founded in 1986 by Janice Honigberg, Sun Belle immediately became one of the first importers of fresh berries from Chile. Sun Belle was soon equally focused on marketing greenhouse and specialty produce, bringing to market the first tomatoes on the vine from Holland in 1992 – the same year Janice made Inc. 500’s list of the fastest growing private companies in the United States. In 2002, Honigberg joined forces with Chilean berry pioneer Julio Giddings to create the Sun Belle family of companies. Sun Belle is currently one of the largest blackberry shippers in the world with growers in Mexico and the U.S., and is a leading shipper of South American and North American blueberries, raspberries, red currants and cranberries with customers in Europe, Asia and North America.
Sun Belle’s emphasis is on quality, value, service and innovation. Its hands-on approach to logistics and quality control is exemplified by its four company-run distribution centers in the United States – in Jessup, Maryland, Schiller Park, IL, Miami and Los Angeles – and its staff of seasoned sales, food safety, logistics and warehouse professionals.
Source: Sun Belle Inc.
