Index Fresh announced the appointments of Santiago Pacheco, Manrique Palacios and Juan Valdez in new roles to lead teams across California and Texas.
Over the last six months, to further improve operations and efficiency, the California-based company hired Pacheco as vice president of operations, while Palacios transitioned to his new role as plant manager in Bloomington, CA, and Valdez to distribution center manager in Pharr, TX.
Pacheco oversees Index Fresh facilities in Bloomington and Pharr, logistics and transportation, as well as all third-party warehouses and ripening centers across the country. With over 30 years of experience in the food and beverage industry, Pacheco joins Index Fresh with a clear understanding of operations from planning, production, procurement, transportation, warehouse operations, customer service, human resources, to maintenance and engineering, from his previous roles at Earthbound Farm / Whitewave Foods, Ready Pac Foods, and Juice Harvest / Evolution Juices. He joined Index Fresh in June of 2018.
“I enjoy that people go out of their way to teach you the avocado business at Index Fresh. I love eating avocados, and I am very happy to be a part of a team that sells and distributes healthy food while building meaningful partnerships,” said Pacheco.
Palacios joined Index Fresh in June, 2017 as the distribution center manager of the then newly opened Pharr facility. Palacios helped start up the state-of-the-art Index Fresh facility in Pharr, TX, building a high-performance team to create a successful distribution and packing operation for the company. In his new role, he is responsible for overall plant operation in Bloomington, including packing, ripening, warehouse management, procurement, demand planning, and shipping and receiving. Palacios brings over 15 years of supply chain, logistics, project management, and operations experience in consumer packaging goods, fresh produce, import/export, and transportation from his previous roles at PepsiCo, Verenium Corp. and Wonderful Citrus.
“Running the Texas facility helped me learn about the avocado industry. I’ve gained a strong understanding of operations at Index Fresh as I continue learning about the business. Now, I’m looking forward to working even more closely with our great team in California to run a safe and efficient operation,” said Palacios.
Valdez joined the Index Fresh Pharr team as warehouse manager in September 2017, working closely with his predecessor, Palacios. His familiarity with the operations at Index Fresh, especially the Pharr facility, strengthens his transition into overseeing overall plant operations in Texas. This Texas native brings with him years of experience in produce and distribution, specializing in warehouse management.
“I’m looking forward to grow as a leader at a company that continually demands excellence, while still promoting a healthy and positive work environment. And, a big plus is that I love avocados,” said Valdez.
