International fresh fruit producer-packer-importer Don Limón has launched a recruitment campaign to find “creative and ambitious professionals who wish to become the next ‘Don traders’ working within the company’s innovative, global platform.”
Don Limón, which has grown by 20% year over year since 2007 (except for 2018/19), is seeking dynamic individuals who can develop small, commercial fruit sourcing and distribution offices worldwide. More specifically, the company is searching for local produce industry experts or successful traders who thrive off the spirit of cooperation.
“Our business model is to create business models, and we wish to evolve the Don Limón platform,” says Andreas Schindler, the original ‘Don’, CEO and Co-Founder of Don Limón. “We are looking for exciting new talent with whom we can build a relationship of trust and respect to establish more business units worldwide. We can provide a platform for financing, administration and risk management, plus we are able to pass on valuable knowledge and experience to our employees.
“The fruit business is a people business. We want to meet interesting, passionate, intelligent, and committed people with an entrepreneurial spirit from all areas of the produce industry who are intrigued by our business model, and can bring a different perspective to the table.”
Don Limón’s motto is to ‘Think Global, Act Local’ and the group operates multiple
business units worldwide, each run by three to four professionals. By having autonomous local offices, the business can react quickly to changing circumstances, and, ultimately, survive.
“The more a company is able to think small, the more likely it will survive,” says Schindler. “Simply operating a traditional, stand-alone global company makes your business too fragile. To be successful, the management system must be decentralised, including the decision making, and reformed into a ‘bottom-up’ structure. The result is strong, small business units that have the commercial freedom to develop organically as they see fit.
“Business is like the climate; the system is always changing. It’s important to adopt new management strategies to strengthen your corporate ecosystem where employees can grow. Managing complexity and unpredicted shocks is crucial for success.”
Over the past 13 years Don Limón has created a truly international sourcing and distribution platform … developing from strictly an international lime importer to being specialised in citrus, table grapes and sweet potatoes.
Already, Don Limón has established several independent sourcing and distribution offices worldwide including the United States, Guatemala, India, and South Africa. The next unit will open in Egypt, and China is on the radar.
So what’s next?
“Our next office could be in the UK, France, Poland, Lithuania or even Brazil – we are wide open to suggestions,” Schindler says.
