Perishable News: Oppy’s John Anderson Honored With BCPMA Lifetime Achievement Award
The British Columbia Produce Marketing Association recently recognized Oppy’s Chairman, CEO and Managing Partner John Anderson with its Lifetime Achievement award, celebrating his 45 years of dedication to the fresh produce industry.
Anderson has led the premier grower, marketer and distributor of fresh produce from around the world through numerous transformations during his tenure, focusing on innovation, technology and building strategic international partnerships. Key highlights of his storied career include spearheading Oppy’s in-house ERP software, which remains a cornerstone of the grower’s expansive operations, as well as strengthening Oppy from $7 million in sales when he joined it in 1975 to a billion-dollar company with increasing international operations.
Other achievements include a focus on strategic investments that are aligned with Oppy’s vertical integration strategies, including the California strawberry joint venture that secured Oppy’s position in the high-value berry category under the Ocean Spray brand a few years ago. More recently, Oppy acquired stakes in one of the premier produce suppliers in Peru, Agroretail, and leading avocado grower-importer Eco Farms in California. Anderson also played an instrumental role in developing Oppy’s joint shareholding with T&G, which strengthened its export capabilities and apple category offerings, among numerous other strategic partnerships with businesses around the world. Prior to this, Anderson completed a strategic partnership with Total Produce in 2013, one of the world’s largest produce companies…
