Never A Dull Moment: Executive Hiring in Fresh Produce

Those outside of the world of fresh produce can’t begin to understand the challenges we face recruiting for this complex industry. Navigating international markets and multiple locations make continent spanning roles common, and ensuring technical innovation and sustainability must arguably be at top of the priority list in operations, despite tight margins.

Finding the people that will likely define the future of our business, all while not missing a beat in meeting the demands of global consumers is tough on employers. This kind of specialised knowledge is what sets us apart from most other search firms.

However, a name that is quickly becoming synonymous with leadership in the fresh produce sector is LCR International Ltd , a boutique executive search firm who specialises in filling positions in fresh produce around the world.

Founded by Lucy Robinson, LCR International has grown exponentially since its creation in 2019. Now with a team of 9 people, including several researchers and recruiters, they have placed roles across five continents (and counting).

Lucy is at the forefront of the company, following on from a successful recruiting career at several firms. Having worked across different industries and travelled extensively, Lucy recognised the gap in the market for someone who could offer executive search that was specifically tailored to the difficult fresh produce market.

“Fresh produce is in a world of its own due to complicated supply chains and the short delivery times of such a perishable product. Then there’s the ongoing challenges for farmers trying to meet legislative compliance and stay at the forefront of technology, all while everything is constantly changing at the whims of the weather and environment. And because there’s so little crossover to fresh produce from other industries, unlike in other sectors, there is a limited pool of available talent to fill those leadership roles. Hiring for this market is complex and challenging for all of us, but that’s one of the things I love about it,” says Lucy.

LCR International have helped fresh produce growers, breeders, and exporters all over the world place hard to fill executive vacancies for all job functions at senior level. Their global reach and extensive network are constantly growing, and this global understanding and their genuine connections with fresh produce professionals is what makes LCR stand out.

“Most of our clients have multiple locations around the world,” says Lucy. “And so does LCR International. So we understand what running a global operation looks like!” With team members as far apart as the UK and Venezuela and offering in house translation services, LCR delivers a global approach to recruitment that takes everything into consideration. This combination of the local requirements of a search with a global methodology is becoming highly sought after in fresh produce.

The key to successful search for such a niche industry is growing a network of genuine associations. And as a boutique search firm, connections and communication are at the heart of everything LCR does.

“Our focus is on building relationships that last. Many of our candidates go on to become clients,” says Lucy. “Most professionals in our industry start in this industry and stay here, so we are lucky enough to really get to know people and our client businesses so that we can offer a truly personalised search experience. This results in better retention and more successful placements.”

Lucy’s robust process has been field tested over five years and has enabled the team to fill diverse roles across all business functions from sales to finance. Specialising in senior-level placements such as CEOs, CFOs, and Technical Directors, LCR thrives on matching positions with people who would have otherwise been out of reach for fresh produce employers.

“Having such an understanding of the industry, and close relationships with our candidates and clients means that we really do embrace the challenge of those difficult roles!”

And they rise to it. In fact, an LCR executive search typically results in filling roles in half the time of general search, with a time to shortlist of just two weeks. An impressive 90% retention rate at 12 months further proves that the LCR process works. A recent placement for Chief Scientific Officer for a soft fruit breeding company in the Netherlands reached achieved accepted offer stage within 6 weeks.

LCR International is currently managing the search for a Plant Nursery Manager for a global leader in the agri-food sector who specialises in breeding, located in Spain. If you’d like to find out more about this or any other vacancy, or have a role you’re looking to fill, contact Lucy Robinson or [email protected].