BEFORE KEURIG

Mine was an unusual business apprenticeship. As a young loan officer at BankBoston, I traveled to Paraguay, Brazil and Bolivia, meeting with colleagues and clients, often charged with the collection of nonperforming loans.

When the possibility of an overseas posting diminished in tandem with the number of the bank’s Latin American offices, I jumped to Chiquita Brands International, where the Lindner family had just taken control.  I spent a thoroughly enjoyable six-plus years there, in financial, operating and strategic planning roles.

From reorganizing and selling numerous Polymer United (plastics) factories, acquiring US produce distribution businesses, purchasing banana farms in Costa Rica, and overseeing the budgets of Chiquita operations in Honduras, Costa Rica and Panama, it was a heady time with a great group of co-workers.

After a brief detour as the Director of Operations at the partially Chiquita-owned, Pascual Hermanos SA in Valencia, Spain, however, it was time to consider other options. Small business beckoned.