Miles Reiter

Joseph Miles Reiter (born circa 1950) is an American farmer and entrepreneur, and the former CEO of Driscoll's, Inc., the world's largest berry company. ^{[1] [2] [3]}

Biography

Miles Reiter is the grandson of Joseph "Ed" Reiter, co-founder along with R.O. Driscoll of the Driscoll's berry company, with a networth of 28 Billion dollars . ^{[4] [5]} The Reiter family owns around 70 percent of the company, which (aside from berry production) develops and licenses the fruits’ proprietary breeds. ^[6] Following the family tradition, after graduation from Princeton University, he became a strawberry farmer in around 1970 in the Pajaro Valley, and became the chairman of Driscoll's in 1998, becoming CEO in 2000. ^[7] Reiter works at Driscoll's corporate office in Watsonville, California at the mouth of the Pajaro Valley. His daughter, Brie Reiter Smith, is following family tradition, farming blueberries in Chile, and his son is farming strawberries in Santa Maria, California. ^[8]

Under Reiter's stewardship, Driscoll's has become the largest berry supplier in the United States. ^{[9] [10] [11] [12]} He has served as chairman of the board of the California Strawberry Commission and of the Community Foundation of Santa Cruz County. He serves on the boards of the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) and has been a director of the Western Growers Association since November 2006. He served as a director of Produce Marketing Association from October 2008 to October 2011. ^[13]

In April 2015, Reiter announced that Kevin Murphy, the company's then president and COO, would assume the CEO role. ^[14] J. Miles Reiter continues as chairman of the board. ^[15] In November 2018, Reiter reassumed the position of CEO. ^[16] In October 2023, Driscolls Board of Directors announced Soren Bjorn would elevate to the CEO position and succeed Reiter who is set to retire in January 2024. ^[17]

Innovations and awards

Reiter worked to improve strawberry varieties, expanding on the original Sweet Briar strawberries variety. ^{[18] [19] [20]} Additional innovations in the industry have resulted in year-round production of fruit, making a steady presence of fruit in the supermarkets. ^[21] In 2007, Reiter put a conservation easement on 103 acres of farmland to help save the Pajaro Valley from citification. ^[22]

Contributions

Reiter has spoken publicly about the need for groundwater reform in California agriculture. He has written an editorial statement published in 2015. ^[23] In addition, Reiter plays an active role in support of CERES. ^[24]

References

1. Staff Report (2023-10-12). "Driscoll's gets new CEO as Reiter steps down". The Pajaronian | Watsonville, CA. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
2. Siampani, Anna (2023-10-11). "Soren Bjorn will be Driscoll's new CEO following Miles Reiter's Retirement". CEOWORLD magazine. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
3. Cohen, Ben. "Why America's Berries Have Never Tasted So Good". The Wall Street Journal.
4. "Roy Fuentes: Fuentes Berry Farms - University Library". library.ucsc.edu.
5. "The Webb Schools: Garland Reiter '72 - Bringing Berries to Your Table". Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
6. Goodyear, Dana (2017-08-14). "How Driscoll's Reinvented the Strawberry". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X . Retrieved 2023-06-14.
7. "Our Heritage". Driscoll's.
8. "Brie Reiter Smith named GM of Driscoll's Chile". www.fruitnet.com.
9. "Driscoll's Interview, Pt. I: Video - Bloomberg". Archived from the original on November 14, 2014.
10. "Driscoll's Interview, Pt. II: Video - Bloomberg". Archived from the original on February 22, 2014.
11. "Driscoll's Interview, Pt. III: Video - Bloomberg". Archived from the original on February 22, 2014.
12. "Driscoll's Interview, Pt. IV: Video - Bloomberg". Bloomberg News . Archived from the original on 2014-02-22. Retrieved 2017-09-05.
13. "Stocks".
14. Clark, Samantha (2015-04-08). "Driscoll's announces Kevin Murphy as new CEO". Santa Cruz Sentinel. Retrieved 2023-06-14.
15. Leon, Melissa De (31 March 2015). "Current Driscoll's President Kevin Murphy is the Company's New CEO".
16. "J. Miles Reiter Returns as Driscoll's Chief Executive Officer".
17. "Soren Bjorn Named CEO of Driscoll's" (Press release). 10 October 2023.
18. "Strawberry Fields Forever". Princeton Alumni Weekly. 2024-02-25. Retrieved 2024-07-12.
19. ""It's Essential to Make Room for New Leadership"". VIsion Magazine.
20. "Soren Bjorn succeeds J. Miles Reiter as Driscoll's CEO". The Produce Reporter.
21. Karp, David (7 July 2004). "For Raspberries, Ubiquity (at a Price)". The New York Times.
22. "Land Trust of Santa Cruz County : The Time to do Something is Now... An interview with Miles Reiter". Archived from the original on 2013-07-17. Retrieved 2013-02-10.
23. "Miles Reiter: California agriculture needs groundwater reform". 24 August 2014.
24. "Driscoll's Berries on the Front Lines of Climate Change". 19 May 2015.

Further reading

• "Driscoll's Raises The Bar On Food Safety & Security" (Press release).
• "Driscoll's Safety Training For Field Workers" (PDF).^{[ permanent dead link ‍]}
• "Driscoll's Clamshell Traceability Program".
• "Berry giant Driscoll's joins effort to conserve water in California's Central Coast".