Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/283151
www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER APRIL 1, 2014 39 He picked a few boxes and sold them to local fruit stands. At one location, he met a woman visiting from Seattle who asked if he could get more of the cherries and deliver them to her. That led to more orders in Seattle. When the cherries ran out, he bought fruit from other growers. He did the same every summer to pay his way through college, which is how his business got started. After graduating with his bachelor's degree, he went to Mexico and later Chile to look at being involved in the produce import/ export business. He concluded it was too risky and went to Seat- tle University to study for a master's degree, while still operating his summer cherry business. Since leaving graduate school, he's able to go to California each spring to get an early start on sourcing and marketing cherries and then move back to Washington for the Northwest season. Networking His experience as an orchard worker helped prepare him for the horticultural aspects of his job, but equally important are his networking skills. He's leveraging his contacts to add value to the grower's crop. "I'm not just buying and selling," he said. "I'm a database, basically. I know all the people in these different areas in Cali- fornia and the Northwest. There's a lot of information required to do this. You've got to talk to farmers, fieldmen, owners of packing houses, people who work at the wholesale markets, and more than anything you have to have intuition and see trends that have taken place in previous years." Through that network, he gains a clear picture of overall mar- ket conditions so he knows what buyers are looking for and what the pricing should be. When he has the opportunity to buy cher- ries from growers, he runs an analysis in his head to see if it's plausible. "Sometimes, people are a little bit leery, but then they see, 'this guy's here to sell cherries, not to rip me off,'" he said. "If everybody lives up to their commitment, I can live up to my com- mitment. If I'm going to work with someone, I'm going to do the best job I can. If I can't, I'll say, 'I'm sorry' and be straightforward with you." There are times when it doesn't make sense to harvest and sell the fruit. He might not be able to match it up to a buyer or the grower might have unrealistic price expectations. "I do find people who want to hit the jackpot," he said. "This can be a growing relationship where we can both benefit—but work with me! "I feel good about what I do," he added. "I feel I'm doing something right in my life and that's all I wanted to do." • PHOTO BY GERALDINE WARNER Jesus Aguilar, owner of Chuy's Cherries, is not interested in big business. He's found a niche supplying fruit stands and small specialty retailers.