KIWIFRUIT
Who Doesn ’ t Like A Kiwifruit ?
JACK DALY INTERVIEWING KAREN CAPLAN
EACH issue , I plan on interviewing a high-performance CEO with the intent of “ Modeling the Masters .” Meet my long-time client and friend Karen Caplan , CEO and President of Frieda ’ s Specialty Produce based in southern California . The company is a true trailblazer , started by Karen ’ s mom , Frieda Rapoport Caplan , in 1962 when she was the first woman owner of a wholesale produce company in the United States .
While Frieda ’ s can lay claim to many noteworthy breakthroughs with over 200 new fruits and veggies introduced to America , it was their introduction of the kiwifruit which was the first new fruit introduced in America since the banana . Frieda ’ s has gone on since then to be the first company ( besides Chiquita for bananas and Sunkist for oranges ) in the produce area with a brand , which they launched in 1972 . Quite an act to follow — and that ’ s where Karen comes in , taking over as CEO / President in 1986 . 1 . My First Question Had To Do With The Transitioning Of The CEO Role From Mom To Daughter .
Karen remembers that time as going pretty smoothly . With her degree in Agriculture Economics and Business Management , and having worked in the business since she was a young girl , Karen felt ready as the daughter to take over . Mom Frieda was a natural promoter but
not fond of the day-to-day operations , and she recognized that “ times change ” and the company would benefit from a new and different leader . As such , the expectation of mother and daughter was that things would be changing in the company , and that was a good thing . Mom Frieda decided , after announcing that Karen was President , to take her first ever two-week vacation . Thinking back to 1986 ( pre-internet / precell-phones ), Karen found herself in the CEO seat and Frieda unavailable . Ready or not , the transition was on ! 2 . This Is Truly A Family Business , Currently With Three Generations Hard At It .
I was curious as to how it was working with several family members involved in the business and Karen being in the role of CEO .
HAVING WORKED PERSONALLY WITH KAREN OVER THE YEARS , I CAN ATTEST TO HER BEING DEMANDING AND A CEO WITH HIGH EXPECTATIONS OF HERSELF AND ALL AROUND HER .
While Karen agreed that it can be challenging at times , she had some advice on keeping peace in the business and family : ( a ) when on the job , treat family as “ employees ” and not “ family ;” and b ) have a policy of next-generation family members not reporting to a family member . 3 . I Also Wondered About Any “ Surprises ” When Karen Took The Helm . Here Are Three : a ) Mom Frieda , having grown up in the Great Depression , would consciously save and reuse paper clips and mindfully use both sides of paper . It wasn ’ t until day one in the seat of the CEO that Karen “ got it ” ( now “ my ” paper clips ). Karen called this Pride of Ownership and now took on the challenge of getting all employees to think similarly . The key here is always be mindful , talk regularly about it , act on it , walk the talk , and tell stories as examples for all to learn and follow . b ) The title of “ President ” has real power . Karen was viewed and treated differently immediately by others , both inside and outside the company . She observed that she hadn ’ t changed , but the title dictated a change which was a total surprise and not something Karen anticipated . c ) Karen also quickly realized she needed new skills and someone to hold her accountable , above and beyond herself . As a lifelong learner , acquiring new skills was natural and something she viewed as both necessary and fun . And here she is , 30 years later and still at it . We estimated she invests about two full days per month on structured outside learning , she has been
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