California Table Grape Growers Offer Scholarships
Three categories of scholarships, offered by California table grape growers, are available to graduating high school seniors from the table grape growing regions of California.
Of the three categories of scholarships, two are available to field workers and their families.
The first category is a Bridge Scholarship for $14,500 and is available to graduating seniors who will attend two years of a community college and transfer to a four-year university.
The second category is a $25,000 scholarship for graduating seniors who will attend a four-year university.
The third category of scholarship is a $25,000 Agricultural Scholarship available to students residing in the Coachella or San Joaquin valleys who will attend a four-year university and are interested in a field of study applicable to the table grape industry.
Three scholarships from each category are available. Applicants for all scholarships must plan to attend a California college or university. The deadline to apply for all scholarships is Friday, Feb. 9, 2024 at 5 p.m.
Since 1985, California table grape growers have aided nearly 200 students in attending college.
To hear recent scholarship recipients in their own words, please visit: https://www.grapesfromcalifornia.com/community-outreach/scholarship-recipients/
For more information on the scholarship program, please visit: https://www.grapesfromcalifornia.com/community-outreach/ or email: Scholarships@grapesfromcalifornia.com.
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Darigold CEO Coote Steps Down, Huttema Named Interim CEO
Darigold, Inc., one of the nation’s largest dairy producers, announced that Chief Executive Officer Joe Coote is leaving the company and that Board Chairman Allan Huttema has been named interim CEO. The change comes as Coote, who was named to the CEO role in January 2022, plans to return to his native Australia.
“I take over as Interim CEO with the benefit of having an extremely capable leadership team in place, including a number of Darigold veterans and newer leaders with proven track records across the dairy and consumer packaged goods sectors,” said Huttema. “Our business is structured to run around two divisions – business to business and business to consumer – each with experienced, proven leaders running them.
“I have full confidence that the team and the structure we have in place will help ensure that we continue serving our customers in the way they have come to expect from us.”
One of the nation’s largest dairy producers, Darigold is deep into a multi-year transformational journey that has the company modernizing and globalizing its business. Its transformation is focused on expanding production capacity with a new facility currently under construction in Pasco, Wash., modernizing systems, reinvesting in its iconic, 100-year-old brand, and refocusing its culture on excellence in execution.
Coote joined Darigold three years ago as president of its International Ingredients division before being promoted to CEO in 2022. He’d spent 12 years prior working globally in the dairy sector.
“Joe took over as CEO at a time when we were early into a transformation to grow and modernize our business,” said Huttema. “Under his leadership, we took significant steps forward on that effort, beginning construction of our new facility in Pasco, launching a migration of our business management systems, and beginning to develop a culture rooted in excellence in operations.
“We are grateful for Joe’s time with Darigold and appreciate all of his contributions. On behalf of our full Board, I wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Huttema is one of Darigold’s 300 farmer-owners and has served on its board of directors for nine years. He has held the role of chairman of the board for the last three years. His experience on Darigold’s board, coupled with his work as an active dairyman in Idaho, give Huttema well-rounded experience with Darigold and a deep understanding of its complex operations.
Darigold has taken recent steps to strengthen its already capable leadership team, naming presidents for its Business to Consumer and Business to Business divisions, hiring consumer packaged goods leader Dan Hofmeister and dairy sector veteran Chris Rowe to fill those roles, respectively. The company also named a new senior vice president of sales, Dan Bukowski, to support its growth efforts.
“Serving as CEO of Darigold the last two years was a great privilege,” said Coote. “I have enormous respect and admiration for our farmer-owners and the teams across our business that work so hard to keep our customers stocked with great, high-quality dairy products. Having been away from my home country for many years now, my family and I are ready to return to Australia to begin new adventures back home.”
Huttema assumes the role of interim CEO effective immediately.
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Sprinkles Promotes Murakami to Chief Operating Officer
Sprinkles Bakeries and Picnik Restaurants has promoted Justin Murakami to chief operating officer, recognizing his exemplary contributions and leadership in steering operational growth and innovation. His promotion signals a pivotal phase in executing Sprinkles’ growth strategies domestically and internationally.
Dan Mesches, president and CEO, lauded Justin’s appointment, affirming, “Justin’s strategic foresight and operational expertise have been instrumental in our company’s success, especially in expanding Sprinkles’ global footprint and Picnik’s domestic expansion. We’re confident that under Justin’s leadership, we’ll continue to exceed expectations, scale efficiently and solidify our position as industry leaders.”
Since joining Sprinkles in 2017, Justin swiftly became an integral part of the company’s evolution. His instrumental role in developing and implementing foundational systems and processes laid the groundwork in expanding the brand’s physical footprint with both company-owned and franchised locations, domestically and internationally.
Notably, under his stewardship, Justin took the brand’s iconic cupcake ATMs beyond their brick and mortar locales and launched the non-traditional Cupcake ATM business. With over 50 ATMs and counting, Sprinkles ATMs can be found in airports, malls and lifestyle centers across the country. Justin was also instrumental in the successful launch of Sprinkles’ National Shipping Program, creating another channel for significant growth.
With an impressive career spanning 25 years in the hospitality sector, Justin has navigated through the ranks starting as a host, then becoming a GM at the Cheesecake Factory to an Area Director overseeing multiple brands with Lettuce Entertain You and Hopdoddy Burger Bar. His vast experience has honed his abilities and insights, propelling him to craft and fortify infrastructures conducive to sustained business growth.
As COO, Murakami will lead operations, training, supply chain, culinary, franchise operations and new bakery and restaurant openings. His responsibilities include partnering with cross-functional departments, identifying opportunities and gaps, formulating and implementing robust processes and systems to ensure scalability and ease for the team.
Murakami expressed his enthusiasm about the promotion, stating, “Assuming the role of chief operating officer at Sprinkles and Picnik is a tremendous honor. I am devoted to leveraging our team’s strengths, harnessing operational excellence, and charting a growth trajectory that maintains our commitment to exceptional guest experiences. I am excited about the opportunity to not only drive innovation and sustainable expansion for our business, but to continue nurturing and developing the people I work with every day.”
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