Alex Berkley, on deciding whether or not to stay in the family business

Why Food?

English - January 23, 2020 19:55 - 46 minutes - 42.7 MB - ★★★★★ - 30 ratings
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This episode was pre-recorded. Vallery Lomas sat down with Alex Berkley, Frieda Caplan's granddaughter and Head of Sales for Frieda's Produce. Frieda's Produce is a unicorn of sorts-- a business started by Frieda Caplan when she introduced the "Chinese Gooseberry" (which she later renamed the "kiwifruit") to the United States produce market in 1962. During the beginning of Alex's career, she faced the decision that so many children and grandchildren of small businesses face: "Do I go into the family business, or do I do something else?"

Alex grew up around produce--attending trade shows and doing just about everything to help her mom run the business. In this episode, she shares how she used her college experience and internships with other companies in her decision to remain in the food business and carry the torch that her grandmother started nearly 6 decades before.

Frieda Caplan, founder of Frieda's Specialty Produce, passed away on January 18, 2020 at age 96.

Image courtesy of Alex Berkley