OUR TEAM

PRESIDENT

I am very proud to lead this talented group. They each add something important and unique to what we do—and I truly enjoy watching the process and results from this fine team. People often ask me what is the best thing we grow here… That’s like asking me who my favorite kid is. The truth is most everything we do is pretty amazing at the right moment, and it’s about finding that window of time, or as we say, “the sweet spot.”

COO

I am honored and grateful to be a part of this amazing team and organization. Born and raised in the Central Valley of California, I’ve stayed true to my roots personally and professionally. My career experience includes consumer purchased goods manufacturing, contract energy services, produce commodities and agricultural-based private equity investment management. The special group of individuals that make up the team here at Country Sweet Produce is a great source of motivation, not to mention our great products! I’m excited to learn from the team and grow each day while leveraging my experience to help lead them into the future!

CFO

Since January 2023, I have been working as the Chief Financial Officer at Country Sweet Produce. With a background deeply rooted in agriculture, including eight years of experience in both row crops and permanent crops. Joining Country Sweet Produce, I am thrilled to contribute to the company's promising future and be an integral part of its success.

VP FARMING OPERATIONS

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS

I was born and raised here in Bakersfield, CA, and I am proud to have the experience of working at CSP for over a decade. Since 2005, I have worked in the fields at CSP, in the Shipping, Receiving, and Sales departments, and I continue to gain new insights in my new role. I truly enjoy the work I do every day, and I look forward to being a part of the continued growth and evolution of Country Sweet Produce. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and watching all types of sporting events. I especially love USC football! Fight on!

VP SALES & MARKETING

I am thrilled to be apart of the dynamic team at Bako Sweet. The opportunity to contribute to the growth of this brand and sweet potato category is truly exciting! I am eager to collaborate with our sales and marketing team to seize existing and new business opportunities.

DIRECTOR OF SUPPLY CHAIN AND FACILITIES

Born in Bakersfield and a proud graduate from California State University Bakersfield, I am excited to be a part of the Country Sweet Produce team! CSP is growing, and my goal is to build relationships with vendors, support our internal customers, and plan for future growth. Supply chain management plays a critical role more and more in today’s agricultural industry, and I am passionate about solving the challenges. I look forward to seeing Country Sweet Produce in stores because I know my position played a role in delivering an exceptional product.

MANAGER OF SAFETY AND QUALITY ASSURANCE

I have worked in the produce and food processing industries since I was 19 years old. I have over 30 years in Food Safety, Quality Assurance, Employee Safety and Environmental Management. In my role with the company, I use all I have learned to help produce safe foods and safe employees. I come from a background of integrity, respect, gratitude and passion and apply all of those in what I do each day. It is truly a pleasure to work with such a talented team here.

HUMAN RESOURCE GENERALIST

As of January 2018, I have been working for the company, and I enjoy being a part of a company that strives to achieve greater success for its employees. The Bako Sweet team is always happy to lend a hand to employees and gives all employees the opportunity to grow within the company. It is exciting to see our produce displayed at local markets.

GROWER & COST MANAGER

I started my role with Country Sweet Produce in May 2023 and quickly discovered the great team dynamic that exists here. Though I was born in Los Angeles, CA I have lived in the Central Valley since 2002. I started working in agriculture in 2010 and graduated from CSUB in 2013. I’m looking forward to contributing and being a part of CSP’s bright future. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my wife and kids, going to the movies, and barbecuing.

SALES ACCOUNT MANAGER

I was born and raised in Bakersfield and am so excited to be back and working with the Country Sweet Produce team here in “the sweet spot” of California. After studying Agricultural Business at Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo, my passion for agriculture grew immensely. I love working with people and am looking forward to developing and maintaining CSP relationships to broaden our consumer base. Outside of work, you can find me outside! I love exercising, hiking, and being on the lake or in the ocean, under the sun!

REPLENISHMENT ANALYST

Born in Tulare, I’ve always been surrounded by the bustle of Agriculture. After getting my degree in Agriculture Business at California State University of Fresno, I quickly found that the produce industry was where I wanted to be. I am thrilled to be working with such a progressive company who cares so deeply about it’s products and consumers. I look forward to growing with the awesome team here at Bako Sweet. Outside of work I pursue a multitude of art projects and attend as many live music events as I can!

FIELD OPERATIONS MANAGER

What I like about my job is that I stay busy, I work comfortably, and the day goes by quickly. Another thing I like is that I do multiple jobs and learn new things every day. One thing that consumers or customers can learn about me is that I’ve been working with this company for 17 years and that I’m always doing the best I can for the product to arrive in high quality at the stores.

STAFF ACCOUNTANT

I was born in Los Angeles, CA and raised in Bakersfield, CA. I graduated from California State University, Bakersfield in 2018 with a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. I enjoy working around a family-oriented environment and working for Country Sweet Produce has given me that opportunity. I look forward to continuing to grow in this role and see the many opportunities that are yet to come. Outside of work I love spending time with my family and friends. I love traveling to new places, especially Europe and going to Dodger games.

ACCOUNTS PAYABLE COORDINATOR

I was born in Cebu City, Philippines and grew up in Bakersfield. I have lived in Bakersfield for most of my life and grew fond of the lifestyle here. I graduated from California State University Bakersfield in 2018 with a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. I enjoy the kind and friendly work environment here at Country Sweet Produce and look forward to growing with this company. Aside from work, I enjoy spending time with family and friends, listening to music – mainly R&B and Indie, and physical activity such as hiking and walking my dogs. I love experiencing new things and discovering new music.

STAFF ACCOUNTANT

Description I was born in Santa Ana, CA and raised in Jalisco, Mexico. I have lived in Bakersfield for a decade now. I graduated from California State University, Bakersfield in 2019 with a degree in Business Administration with a concentration in Accounting. I joined Country Sweet Produce in April 2023. I enjoy working with my team, and I look forward to continually grow and learn more about the Agriculture industry. goes here

ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE COORDINATOR

Have lived in Bakersfield since I was 6 years old, and love to see how this once small town has grown and developed over time. Graduated from Cal State Bakersfield in 2021 with a Bachelor’s in Business Administration with a concentration in Finance. Country Sweet gave a recent college graduate with little experience an opportunity to learn and grow with their company since July 2022. From starting in our Payroll department and helping out our other departments when necessary I have grown my agricultural and business knowledge exponentially, I am excited to see how the company will continue to expand and refine our plans and processes to provide delicious Sweet Potatoes to the surrounding region.

SERVICE MANAGER

I’m glad to be a part of the Country Sweet Produce team since 2022. I, along with the Maintenance Team, work to assist our team members by ensuring our facilities and equipment are operating efficiently to meet the customer's needs every day. One potato, two potato, sweet potato!!

ARVIN OPERATIONS MANAGER

Employees are treated with respect, and the company is good at putting employees in positions to maximize their strengths. Each day I am presented with new challenges and situations, which really helps me to stay focused and interested.

PRODUCTION MANAGER, ARVIN

I began working at Country Sweet Produce in 2019. I came in as a sorter and then promoted to becoming a computer tagger in the production line. I have been able to grow my skills in leadership and team building. Applying those strengths helped me get the job done successfully. I am grateful to be given the opportunity to become the Production Manager at the Arvin facility. I am excited to help our company succeed and have worked hard. I am ready to put my skills and strengths to the test and I am willing to take on new opportunities and missions for not only the success of myself and my team but also for our company.

TEJON OPERATIONS MANAGER

I started working at Country Sweet Produce in 2011 as a forklift driver and have worked my way up to facility supervisor. Hard work and dedication have given me the opportunity of moving up in this company, and of course the Valpredo and Martinez families. I enjoy very much what I do for a living, and moving forward I hope to continue working for Country Sweet Produce.

TEJON PRODUCTION MANAGER

Hello! I oversee the orders being packed, I assure the quality is good, and at the end of the day, I send an e-mail explaining the plan for packing for the following day. One thing I like about my job is that my superiors recognize when my job is well done!

LOGISTICS MANAGER

I started as the Shipping Coordinator for CSP. Through the years CSP has given me the opportunity to expand my roles and responsibilities into different areas of the company. My new responsibilities allow me to apply my knowledge and experience to purchasing, inventory management for packaging and materials, and sales support. I enjoy coordinating with sales and production to complete detailed packout reports and help determine accurate inventory levels at the end of each day. During my spare time I enjoy watching movies, spending time with the family and BBQing.

PROCUREMENT & INVENTORY MANAGER

I have been with Country Sweet Produce since 2010. I started in transportation bringing product from our fields to the facility and making deliveries to our local customers. I did night shipping for a couple of years. Now I am in charge of receiving and tracking our bulk inventory. I have enjoyed the many challenges and opportunities that our company has provided.

FORKLIFT DRIVER

My name is Jose De La Cruz, and I work in production and drive the forklift. Country Sweet Produce (CSP) gave me the opportunity of becoming part of the great CSP Team in 2017. I’m very happy to be part of the production team, and I see myself at CSP for many years to come.

FORKLIFT DRIVER

I started working at County Sweet Produce in 2021. I began working at the Shipping Department through a labor contractor. Our CSP supervisor noticed my hard work and dedication, so he gave me the opportunity to become company and a full time Forklift Driver in the Production Line. I am very grateful for this team!

FORKLIFT DRIVER

My name is Juan Cisneros. I am originally from Mexico, currently living in Arvin California. For the last two years, I have been part of the production team at CSP. For the future, I hope to continue to be part of CSP.

PRODUCTION ASSISTANT

I’m originally from Mexico but I was raised in Omaha, Nebraska until 2011. I moved to Bakersfield, CA and graduated from Golden Valley in 2015. I started working here at CSP with the contractor as a stacker in the 2014 onion season. In 2015 I was given the opportunity to be a tagger for the onion season. Since 2015 I was a tagger for both onion and sweet potato lines. In 2021 I got hired on at CSP as a Production Assistant. In my spare time I enjoy BBQing (Smoked ribs and sometimes Briskets) but more importantly I love spending time with my family!

TAGGER

I have been with Country Sweet Produce since 2020. I have been the computer tagger since I joined the company and I have enjoyed helping the production team. I am very thankful for the many opportunities that our company has provided me and I am ready to take on exciting new projects that come my way.

IRRIGATION FOREMAN

I started with the company 25 years ago as a tractor driver and assisted in the almond fields. My current role is Irrigation foremen. My goal is to continue to grow with company for years to come and provide my best. I use my free time with my family and friends.

IRRIGATION FOREMAN

I have been working for CSP for 14 years, I currently take care of the sweet potato fields and assist with other fields as well. One thing about myself is that I like to challenge myself to be better at my job. On my spare time I love to spend time with my family and travel.

ALMOND DEPT. FOREMAN

I started with CSP In 2005, I currently take care of the Almond fields and irrigation. On my spare I like to spend time at the gym, one thing that I love the most is waking up early in the mornings and going for a good exercise run with my children.