Meet Our Blog Writer

Sam Duda

Sam Duda, our Corporate Vice President and Vice President of Western Vegetable Operations, comes from a long lineup of produce industry veterans. Growing up in the industry, he had a natural interest in the many different aspects of the business, and was fortunate to gain exposure to the industry’s inner workings as a young man.

A gifted high school athlete, Sam discovered his love of baseball ran as deep as his love of agriculture. When it came time to enter college, he decided to pursue both interests. It wasn’t long before a baseball scout recruited him away from his Florida college to play for Mississippi State University, an institution well known for both its athletics and agricultural departments. Sam decided to swing for the fences and transfer to the University, where he earned a B.S. in Agricultural Economics.

Following his passions ended up being one of the best decisions he ever made. He met his future wife, Amy, on the MSU campus, and they’ve now been married for over 28 years and have raised three children together. Looking back, Sam realizes that playing college baseball taught him several valuable lessons that easily translated to his career in produce, such as the importance of staying on your toes and constantly looking ahead to make sure that each play sets the team up for both current and future success. Utilizing these strategies has helped Duda Fresh both differentiate itself from the competition and grow into new product areas.

Other than baseball, the single most important contributing factor to Sam’s career development was his father's guidance. A patient man with a deep passion for produce, Edward Duda instilled in his son the value of being able to deal with the industry’s many curveballs with a sense of humor, as well as the importance of taking pride in their company and their work. By his own example, Sam’s father showed him that grandstanding has no place in the produce industry and how important it is to take a humble approach to a humbling business. As in baseball, Sam knows that success is not the result of any one player’s accomplishments, but the result of the entire team’s efforts. He considers himself fortunate to have been able to work alongside hundreds of highly motivated people over the past 29 years and is looking forward to helping lead and shape Duda Fresh’s future.

After a long week of handling consumers’ needs and monitoring the company’s performance, Sam enjoys taking a much-deserved break from the produce world to fish, golf, work out, and spend quality time with his family.