Nabaco promotes Field to VP

Nabaco Inc. has promoted Brenton Field from director of technical sales to vice president of operations.

Field has vast experience in the produce industry and the U.S. Air Force. He came to Nabaco with more than 30 years of experience working in produce, most recently with Chiquita and AgroFresh, and prior roles in the citrus and tomato categories.

He served in the U.S. Air Force for 30 years, where he was director of Joint Air Component Command Element Team 1. His expertise in strategic planning and logistics management makes him an excellent fit to lead Nabaco’s operations, according to a news release.

In his former role as director of technical sales, Field was instrumental in the development of trial protocols for use of Nabaco’s flagship edible coating NatuWrap on various produce commodities for growers and packers. He led his team to conduct various successful trials with grapes, apples, pears, Florida citrus, California citrus and melons, demonstrating the product’s flexible application either pre-harvest or post-harvest. With NatuWrap, produce maintained freshness and hydration, proving to be a preferred alternative to wax, whether the application was in the field, for use in global transport or in storage.

Field joined Nabaco in 2021.

“As I met with (Nabaco CEO) Gary Beall and he explained what his vision is, I got excited about returning to the produce industry while providing the opportunity to help reduce food waste, increase growers’ and packers’ product output, and enhance return on their crops,” Field said in the release.

Field said he is thrilled at the positive industry response, level of grower and packer interest in the product, and the company’s trajectory for growth.

“Customers are so excited about NatuWrap’s edible character and its ability to be applied in a number of different stages of the supply chain, from the field through the packing houses, to even possibly the store level,” he said in the release. “There is very little to almost no restriction as to how or when we apply the coating.”

Kevin Frye, vice president of sales, considers Field an integral part of the Nabaco team.

“Brenton has broad produce knowledge across many commodities and from multiple perspectives, including produce ripening, packing house operations, produce quality, and global transportation,” Frye said in the release. “As we commercialize, this experience and knowledge is critical so NatuWrap can be implemented with minimal change to customers’ current operations.”

Field’s new role includes commercialization protocols for growers and packers, so they can apply the coating properly using their own equipment. He will also be part of the integration of U.S. Department of Agriculture and regulatory compliance, product labeling, and exports.