Whether one fancies a sweet strawberry, a ravishing raspberry, or a blissful selection of blackberries and blueberries, berry lovers can be found in every corner of the world. Few berry enthusiasts are unfamiliar with the famed Driscoll’s brand, which has stood as a symbol of high-quality fruit and limitless category innovation for over 150 years.
Laying the groundwork for its next century of success, the beloved brand is ushering in a new suite of executives and industry aces to guide its next era of growth.
As this newer generation of leaders settles into their roles at the long-standing berry operation, I had a chance to talk all things growth and development with Garland Reiter, Jr., newly appointed Chief Commercial Officer for North America. The result was an in-depth exploration of a constantly blossoming produce brand.
“One of Driscoll’s core strengths is our ability to develop and cultivate great talent,” Garland tells me as we take a break from a busy week in April to discuss his latest role within the company. “We aim to promote roughly 50 percent of our staff internally for senior positions. As my uncle, Miles Reiter, and the older guard started to consider expanding their careers outside of Driscoll’s, the company has intentionally brought up the next generation. There’s been a lot of effort to ensure these transitions happen seamlessly.”
The son of Garland Reiter, Sr. (retired CEO and President of Reiter Affiliated Companies (RAC), one of many dedicated independent growers for Driscoll’s berries), Garland himself has worked under the Driscoll’s roof for 14 years. He formally served as Vice President of Global Blueberry Leadership, overseeing a multi-year project focused on elevating the producer’s market position as a trailblazer in the global blueberry space.
Alongside Garland is a vibrant wave of talent, a group of family leaders who have heavily contributed to continuously advancing the operation. As these leaders step up to the plate, Driscoll’s customers can rest assured knowing the company’s values remain steadfast.
“We always view our business through the prism of our mission, which is to continually delight consumers through alignment with our customers and our growers,” Garland explains. “We have a wide network of independent growers out there who reinvest in us on an annual basis, and we seek to make sure there’s sufficient value going back to our growers as Driscoll’s continues to expand. Delighting our consumers is also front and center, as we can’t do what we do every day if we’re not achieving that.”
The pillars upholding Driscoll’s global industry presence include humility, passion, and trustworthiness.
“As we take on increased responsibility in these roles, we don’t intend it to change the company values at all,” Garland assures. “It’s more about the interpretation of those values. As the next generation, we’ve understood what those foundations mean to Miles and my dad. They live and breathe them every day, and we will put the same effort into upholding them through our actions.”
Driscoll’s has business units in the Americas, Europe, Australia, and China, supported by 1,000 independent growers globally who produce Driscoll’s proprietary berry varieties. This expansive footprint is the result of a well-laid groundwork established back in the 19th century, one that has served as a catapult for the grower’s success over the past 159 years.
"More exciting than anything else is the consumer’s desire and willingness to pay for an elevated product. We want to stay ahead of a lot of these consumer trends we’re seeing at retail, whether it’s local for local, premium offerings, or diversified products."
Garland Reiter, Jr., Chief Commercial Officer for North America, Driscoll’s
With roots dating back to 1865, the Driscoll’s brand took off in the early 1900s as a Northern California-based strawberry company. In 1904, Joseph “Ed” Reiter and Richard “Dick” Driscoll began production of their “Sweet Briar” strawberries in the Pajaro Valley. The company continued to evolve for decades, adding raspberries to its repertoire in 1937 before later expanding into the blueberry and blackberry segments.
As we reflect over a century and a half of category innovation, Garland points to a pivotal moment in the late 1980s, when the company set its sights on becoming a year-round, multi-berry supplier in North America.
“Driscoll’s understood there would be year-round demand for berries if retailers could get the best quality and eating experience on the shelf, and that the berry space could be a prime destination when shoppers walk into a store,” he explains. “At that time, they recognized the power of a total berry patch as opposed to focusing on a singular variety.”
Backed by this revolutionary idea, Driscoll’s saw extreme expansion and growth through the 1990s and early 2000s, remaining focused on turning the berry patch into a premium destination in the produce department.
“With humble origins of a production-based operation, Driscoll’s shifted into a more market-led enterprise, transitioning from a grower cooperative to a marketing-focused company,” Garland continues, further detailing a history of impressive growth. “That has been vital to our success and expansion into other geographies over time, as well as our global diversification strategy.”
To continue this upward momentum, Driscoll’s has several formidable strategies in place. The company remains focused on staying ahead of industry trends and working with its retail partners to expand and enhance the in-store footprint of berries. These elements include investments in new varieties and the fortification of its value chain.
“There is a lot of hype around genetics and premium products. Genetics provide the potential to elevate the eating experience, but challenges in fertilizing, supply chain, packaging, and other areas of investment from the grower’s perspective are much harder to execute,” Garland divulges. “We hope to continue investing not only in genetics but also best practices throughout the value chain that can improve the eating experience.”
"Driscoll’s remains dedicated to getting an excellent supply on the shelf, but more importantly, exploring how we merchandise the berry category as a whole to improve success at retail."
Beyond research and development, the provider seeks to uphold its prowess in product innovation and portfolio advancement.
Take, for example, the brand’s Sweetest Batch™ berries, which allowed the provider to establish another tier within the berry segment.
“Sweetest Batch has gained a ton of traction and is a premium category for us,” notes Garland. “More exciting than anything else is the consumer’s desire and willingness to pay for an elevated product. We want to stay ahead of a lot of these consumer trends we’re seeing at retail, whether it’s local for local, premium offerings, or diversified products.”
To continue satisfying consumers with a top-notch berry portfolio, Driscoll’s has highly seasonal plantings throughout the East Coast. The supplier has also set its focus on packaging, establishing several efforts to adopt packaging with a lighter impact on the environment.
Last but not least, the supplier reaps the benefit of establishing a singular, unified brand representation at the retail level.
“As the marketplace gets more competitive, our desire to market the brand and create this destination for consumers from a branded perspective is something we will continue to invest in and elevate in the coming years,” Garland emphasizes. “We are putting a lot of resources toward aligning ourselves with retailers who seek to grow value within the category. Anyone can negotiate price and try to maximize value for themselves, but what we’re seeing is retailers asking themselves, ‘How can I generate more sales through better shelf placement and product diversification?’”
In true Snack fashion, I take this opportunity to ask Garland about the berry behemoth’s plans for the next few years.
“We’re excited about some of the snacking concepts we’re looking at,” he teases. “Driscoll’s remains dedicated to getting an excellent supply on the shelf, but more importantly, exploring how we merchandise the berry category as a whole to improve success at retail.”
"Whenever decisions arise—whether it’s a new product line or a new growing region—we always view them through the lens of delighting consumers."
As we await the announcement of Driscoll’s latest game-changing innovations, the grower continues to drive the industry forward, guided by a central focus.
“Whenever decisions arise—whether it’s a new product line or a new growing region—we always view them through the lens of delighting consumers,” Garland concludes. “The ideology is alive and breathing within Driscoll’s. I feel extremely excited in my new role to intimately understand what our customers and consumers need, and what we can do to continue delighting them for years to come.”
While novelty can be found in each segment of the operation—from new products to new Chiefs and even newer category opportunities—Driscoll’s ensures its foundation remains the same. In short, a dynamic team of industry experts is paving a path around the globe, guaranteeing consumers from California to China are delighted by a collection of delicious berries long into the future.
And the future—as Driscoll’s already knows well—starts with right now. 
