OWATONNA, Minn.- Bushel Boy Farms, a leading producer of fresh, local, greenhouse-grown produce year-round in the upper Midwest, has named Chuck Tryon president of its operations in Owatonna, Minnesota and Mason City, Iowa. Tryon will bring Bushel Boy’s significant growth initiatives to fruition – pun intended – including product innovation, sustainability and community involvement.
Tryon’s breadth and depth of experience in food and agriculture includes leadership positions with Pillsbury, General Mills and Ecolab, where he led initiatives related to business strategy, commercial operations, market expansion, customer acquisition, food safety and sustainable agriculture. He joined the Bushel Boy team in late 2020 during a period of explosive growth for the company.
Overcoming challenges resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic, Bushel Boy successfully launched locally grown strawberries and expanded its tomato assortment with several new tomato varieties in 2020. The brand’s appetite for innovation continues to grow under Tryon’s leadership, with additional innovations in the pipeline this year spanning new product categories and new technologies.
These innovations will be supported by newly expanded, high-tech growing facilities – including a 16.5-acre greenhouse in Mason City which opened in December of 2020 and a 4.5-acre research and development greenhouse in Bushel Boy’s flagship operation in Owatonna which opened last winter. Together, the two expansions created 50 new jobs.
“We’ve put together a leadership team with the experience and skills required to drive business growth coming out of a very challenging pandemic year,” said Tryon. “I look forward to working with a team who are just as driven by their passion for innovation and commitment to sustainable practices as I am.”
To learn more about Chuck Tryon and Bushel Boy, visit www.bushelboy.com.
About Chuck Tryon
Bushel Boy President Chuck Tryon’s roots in the food and agriculture industry run deep. Inspired by his father’s career in the grocery business and his overall love of food, Chuck earned a bachelor’s degree in international relations with a focus on international commerce and agriculture trade, followed by an MBA in marketing from the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Business. He spent two decades at food giants Pillsbury and General Mills, where he harnessed his passion for sustainability and premium-branded specialty vegetables. Chuck has also held leadership positions with Ecolab, Blencor and WEPA, where he led numerous initiatives related to business strategy, commercial operations, market expansion, global supply chain, customer acquisition, sustainable agriculture and food safety. Chuck joined the Bushel Boy team in 2020, applying his 30 years of experience in branded premium vegetables, agriculture and food safety to help the brand meet its significant growth initiatives and navigate an increasingly competitive industry. In his role, Chuck will also spearhead initiatives related to company culture, community involvement and product innovation.
About Bushel Boy Farms
Bushel Boy Farms was founded in Owatonna, Minnesota in 1990 with a simple desire to grow fresh, vine-ripened tomatoes year-round, even in the depth of a Minnesota winter. Known for their red, ripe color and fresh garden flavor, Bushel Boy has been supplying the upper Midwest with tomatoes year-round—long before locally grown was an important consumer buying consideration. Bushel Boy’s expert agriculture team has created the perfect growing environment in its Owatonna and Mason City, IA facilities, combining the latest in greenhouse design and technology with the hands-on TLC it takes to produce the sweetest, juiciest tomatoes. Bushel Boy tomatoes are always picked ripe on the vine, carefully packed and rapidly shipped for maximum freshness and flavor. To learn more, visit www.bushelboy.com.
