Where PASSION becomes action
February 5, 2025 | 1 min to read
Ernst van Eeghen, Vice President of Business Development at Church Brothers Farms, recounts how his career in the produce industry began with a transformative encounter with Joe Nucci, the inspiring CEO of Mann Packing. Nucci’s passion for the industry captivated van Eeghen during a tour in the Salinas Valley, leading him to join Mann Packing in 2004. He emphasizes the enduring relationships in produce, contrasting it with other grocery sectors and expressing his commitment to the field.
Ernst van Eeghen: Passion Begets Passion
Vice President, Business Development
Church Brothers Farms
My produce tale starts with Joe Nucci, president and chief executive of Mann Packing. Nucci was the third generation of his family to work in the industry and was a beloved produce industry leader who died unexpectedly at age 40 in 2005. Nucci inspired me —a native of Holland who was then working in prepared foods and for a large pasta company — during a tour one day in the Salinas Valley.
I had no desire to move into the produce industry, but one day he gave me a tour and I was sold. He was a fantastic human being. That’s speaking about passion. I joined Mann Packing in 2004 as a marketing manager and have stayed in the industry ever since.
Grocery and dry goods are a numbers thing. The relationships you make in produce last a lifetime. I can’t imagine doing anything else.
4 of 16 article in Produce Business January 2025
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