"We constantly strive to develop new products based on current trends."

Please introduce yourself!

My name is Gloria Alicia Solis Ramirez. I am working as Innovation and Marketing Manager at AGRANA Fruit in Mexico. As my job title indicates, I am responsible for the development and implementation of new ideas and innovations, and my job also includes marketing-specific tasks.

What projects are you currently working on?

Currently I am working on innovations for dried fruit as well as on other snacks that are ready to eat. In addition, we tackle the challenge to find new products for the snack market. Overall, there are specific trends that we identify and which we try to follow. We constantly strive to develop new products based on these trends – which is very exciting.

Where do you head first when you get to work?

Usually, my first activity is to greet my colleagues and head to my office.

What do like most about your job? What do you appreciate about your team?

The thing I like most about my job is the fact that I participate in the development of food products which will later be consumed in our everyday life, for example by my family, my friends and the population in general. What I really appreciate about my team is that everybody is so passionate about their work. We complement each other very well and we are definitely able to apply collective intelligence to achieve our objectives.

What tasks do you manage during a typical day?

Every day, I complete activities planned for different projects in execution. Most of the activities are complementary to those carried out by the marketing and innovation team, as well as by other colleagues who are working on processes that are fundamental to carrying out the projects.

How do you spend your lunch break?

Lunchtime is really valuable for me because I can spend it at home with my family, as long as my schedule allows. It is always just a few minutes, but they are very valuable and important to me.

Are there any special traditions in your team or at your site?

Well, actually yes. We have a special tradition in our team when somebody celebrates their birthday. Of course, we congratulate them, but we also have coffee and cake in the canteen together to celebrate the occasion. It was before covid-19 now we all congratulate each other through WhatsApp.

What has been the best day in your job so far?

Believe it or not – I have a lot of "best day in my job" moments. A really special moment here in Mexico was the first-ever shipment of a new product and the inauguration of new product lines. It also made me proud I was part of the first AGRANA Fruit Argentina team that some years ago, when I was able to participate in the inauguration of the factory. Another excellent experience was my participation at the first meeting and survey before we decided to build up AGRANA Fruit in Brazil.