Nov 14, 2023

Western Growers appoints Stuart Woolf to chair

Stuart Woolf, president and CEO of Woolf Farming & Processing, is the new chair of the Western Growers board of directors.

Woolf was first elected to the Western Growers board in 2015; his new role is for a two-year term.

“Western Growers is set up to meet the needs of the fresh produce industry in the Western U.S. by focusing on issues like immigration, labor and water rights,” Woolf said. “We need a good, strong, trusted voice. As chair, I know that Western Growers will continue to be that voice for issues that impact all of agriculture.”

Woolf Farming & Processing is a family-owned operation whose primary business is the production and processing of agricultural commodities. Woolf was involved with the establishment of two related entities, Harris Woolf California Almonds and Los Gatos Tomato Products.

“Resilience and adaptability are among the many attributes that define our industry. Stuart Woolf perfectly embodies those characteristics, bolstered by a knack for pragmatic collaboration in even the toughest situations,” Western Growers president and CEO Dave Puglia said in a news release. “I am excited to work with him even more closely as he takes the chair’s gavel.”

Woolf has a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from the University of California at Berkeley and an MBA at Boston College. He was chairman of the California League of Food Processors, the Almond Board of California and the University of California’s President’s Commission of Agriculture and Natural Resources. Woolf is on the board of the California Chamber of Commerce and the newly formed California Agave Council. Woolf and his wife, Lisa, have been married since 1984 and have five children.

Outgoing Western Growers Chair Albert Keck passed the gavel to Woolf during the Western Growers 2023 Annual Meeting on Nov. 13 in Kauai, Hawaii.

“My team and I are profoundly grateful to Albert Keck for going all-in during his two-year term as chair,” Puglia said in the release. “We are better today for Albert’s thoughtful approach to protecting and strengthening America’s fresh produce growers in the face of daunting economic and regulatory pressures.”

Other officers of the association are: Vice Chair Rob Yraceburu, president of Wonderful Orchards; Treasurer Neill Callis, general manager of Turlock Fruit Co.; Executive Secretary Don Cameron, vice president and general manager of Terranova Ranch; and Puglia. Rounding out the Western Growers executive committee are Past Chair Keck and members at large Ryan Talley of Talley Farms and Catherine Fanucchi of Tri-Fanucchi Farms.