Sammy Duda, Duda Farm Fresh Foods: WG Insider for May
Posted on May 11, 2017 14:33 PM by WGCIT
Sammy Duda, Vice President of Duda Farm Fresh Foods, and Chairman of the Board for Western Growers, led May’s WG Insider with the residents of the Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology. Duda Farm Fresh Foods is the newest sponsor of the Western Growers CIT. Duda has become one of the country’s most reputable family-owned enterprises. Currently under its fifth generation of family ownership, Duda Farm Fresh Foods’ mission is to grow healthy food products. Duda Farm Fresh Foods’ vision is “to be the preferred and profitable solution provider through innovation to our selected customers, supported by a steady stream of products, processes, packaging, and technology.”
This invite-only discussion detailed the challenges that both the local ag industry and agtech startups are facing. Sammy’s talk centered around the statistical theme in the book Moneyball: you want runs that turn into wins, you do not always want the flashiest players.
When asked what innovation means to him, Sammy said that innovation at Duda means that they will stay in business and that they will stay relevant. As part of a farming operation that has been in business for over 90 years, Duda Farm Fresh Foods has had to innovate continuously to stay productive and profitable.
Sammy also told the CIT residents a little about what the Western Growers board is actively involved in at the state and national levels. The CIT shows government officials that the ag industry is “putting their money where their mouth is,” and investing in the future of agtech. Finally, Sammy spoke about the Future Volunteer Leaders program within Western Growers. He suggested that the startups get to know some of the participants in the Future Volunteer Leaders program, and find out more about what they are looking for in their operations.