Rayne Thompson Named Vice President of Government Relations and Public Policy for Sunkist Growers and Fruit Growers Supply Company

November 7, 2017, Valencia, CA As part of the recently announced shared management structure of Sunkist Growers and Fruit Growers Supply Company (FGS), Rayne Thompson has been promoted to Vice President of Government Relations and Public Policy. In this role, Thompson will oversee both Sunkist and Fruit Growers Supply interests relative to state, federal and trade policies.

“Rayne has been pivotal in helping Sunkist navigate the ever-changing statutory and regulatory requirements that our industry faces,” said Sunkist and FGS President and CEO Russell Hanlin. “In this expanded role, Sunkist and now FGS will further leverage her extensive background and experience in this important area to best serve our membership.”

Prior to joining Sunkist in January 2015 as Director of Government Relations and Public Policy, Thompson oversaw the Agricultural Marketing Service at USDA, served as Deputy Secretary at CDFA, handled government affairs at Ag Council of California and the California Farm Bureau. In these roles, she has advocated for agriculture at federal and state levels.

The Sunkist cooperative of family farms offers more than 40 fresh citrus varieties. With thousands of grower members in California and Arizona, the Sunkist cooperative reflects the values and legacy of its nearly 125-year history: family-owned farms where traditional growing practices, stewardship of natural resources and a dedication to innovation are proudly passed through the generations. Founded under the principle that more can be accomplished by working together, Sunkist continues to promote a culture of family and collaboration with growers and customers to drive positive results for all.

Fruit Growers Supply Company (FGS) was established in 1907 by the same growers who formed the Sunkist marketing cooperative to supply wood for their crates. In addition to supplying Sunkist’s needs, FGS delivers vertically integrated services throughout the industry. Services include manufacturing shipping pallets, corrugated cardboard cartons, coatings as well as providing equipment designs, irrigation services along with parts and materials, and also offering a wide array of agricultural supplies in our walk-in stores. In addition, FGS operates a sawmill that produces the lumber used in making our pallets, made from the timber harvested from the organization’s sustainably managed forests. This broad scope of services allows FGS to provide efficient business solutions for a wide array of customers within the agricultural industry.

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Sunkist Growers is a citrus marketing cooperative, founded in 1893, which is owned by and operated for thousands of family farmers growing citrus in California and Arizona.  For more information, visit www.sunkist.com.   

Founded in 1907, Fruit Growers Supply Company is the oldest non-profit supply cooperative in the nation, serving the agricultural industry with products and services for growing, harvesting, packaging and shipping. For more information visit https://fruitgrowers.com

SUNKIST is a registered trademark of Sunkist Growers, Inc., USA. ©2017

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