Christina Marcos

Director of Business Development & Operations @ Grapery

About

Innovation and New Business Development in Agriculture should always be a force of good and catapult business forward... period. The global fruit industry faces a complex landscape defined by escalating production costs, shifting water management mandates, and evolving global market dynamics making many leaders feel frustrated, trapped, confused, robbed... After all, new agricultural technologies, i.e. new varieties should never cost more revenue than it produces. I have learnt It's not about having all the answers. It is about testing small, learning fast, then going all in when you find what works. Strategic thinking isn't about being smarter. It's about having a better process. I like to use the following structure to answer these 20 simple high-impact questions: 🧭 Purpose & Direction 1. Why do we exist? Who actually needs us? 2. What’s our mission in one clear sentence? 3. What do we believe that drives how we operate? 4. Where do we want to be in 3 years? 5. What would success look like if nothing held us back? 📊 Market & Advantage 6. Who is our highest-value customer? 7. What pain are they feeling every day? 8. What’s changing in our industry? How do we stay ahead? 9. Why do people choose us—or not? 10. What can we offer that’s hard to copy? 📈 Goals & Metrics 11. What are our top 3 priorities right now? 12. What does success look like this quarter? 13. What’s the one number that matters most today? 14. How do we review progress each week? 15. What milestone will tell us we’re winning? ⚙️ Actions & Tactics 16. What must we deliver in the next 90 days? 17. Who owns each outcome? By when? 18. What’s currently blocked? How do we fix it fast? 19. What quick wins will build momentum now? 20. When and how will we check in and adjust? Smart leaders don’t guess. They model their way forward. Strategy isn't a pyramid you climb. It is one you build from the top down. And this is how I ensure that new technology debt in agriculture does not skyrocket, market share does not plummet and consumer engagement continues to soar. I love speaking to executives about how we can continue to build and expand new innovation in agriculture. Feel free to connect with me for a virtual coffee @cmarcos@grapery.biz

Country

United States

City

Bakersfield

Industry

Farming

Skill

Investment Management, Integrated Marketing, Strategic Partnerships, International Business, Fruit, Agribusiness, Agriculture, Sales Management, Vegetables, Negotiation, New Business Development, Agronomy, Business Strategy, Team Leadership, Project Management, Strategic Planning, Management, Business Planning, Supply Chain

Experience

Director of Business Development & Operations

Grapery

2023-2 - Present · 3 yrs 7 mos

Bakersfield, California, United States

● Launched and scaled a global import operation delivering +40% YoY revenue. ● Selected 2-3 strategic grower partners per region to deliver 52-week availability and +22% YoY volume growth. ● Introduced a digital QA platform, boosting efficiency 40%+ while delivering consistent quality and higher consumer satisfaction. ● Established grower profitability as the primary KPI within a quarterly scorecard, driving a 25%+ increase in average grower returns. ● Converted R&D into a revenue engine, delivering 30%+ in returns and cutting time-to-market by 50%. Areas of Oversight: Import / Export Quality Assurance Research & Development Legal Organizational Development Leadership Development Negotiation

International Business Development Manager

IFG

2013-4 - 2023-2 · 9 yrs 11 mos

Bakersfield, California Area

● Led a decade-long scale-up in table-grape breeding, increasing 68,000 acres and $70m revenue. ● Led a scale-up in cherry breeding, adding 700 acres globally and $1m+ revenue. ● Led global IP enforcement, securing court-ordered removal of illegal vines and $1.5M+ in damages/recoveries. ● Built and scaled 40+ in-country team across 17 countries, sustaining 95%+ retention and pulling launches forward by 24+ months. Areas of Oversight: International Commercial Team International Technical Team International Quality Assurance Team Legal Team Organizational Development Globally Talent Aquisition

General Manager

SITCO Leading Inspections

2012-2 - 2013-3 · 1 yr 2 mos

Cape Town

● Built a global third-party inspection & certification platform, scaling 2 to 50+ clients in 12 months, across fresh produce, ag commodities, and metals.

Managing Director

Farmsecure North Africa

2011-7 - 2012-1 · 7 mos

Cairo

● Launched Egypt grain import operation, securing $200M bank facilities.

Director Marketing and Sales

Farmsecure Holdings (Pty) Ltd

2010-1 - 2011-7 · 1 yr 7 mos

City of Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

● Delivered integrated ag services, boosting farmer yields 50%+, and cutting post-harvest loss by 20%+.

Director

Colors Group

2001 - 2009 · 8 yrs

Paarl, Western Cape, South Africa

● Drove a decad- long post-regulation scale-up at board level, elevating the company to No. 2 regional exporter. ● Led launch of new stone-fruit varieties at M&S (UK), driving +400% winter-season sales. ● Secured 20+ global exclusive contracts to evaluate, grow and market new fruit varieties, adding $10m revenue. ● Established a R&D team across all fruit commodities, pulling launches forward by 36+ months. ● Established and launched an innovative olive range at Woolworths adding $0.5m revenue. Areas of Oversight: Research & Development New Business Development