Douglas Bakker, director of business development at Kapi Kapi Growers and a respected leader in the fresh produce industry, passed away unexpectedly.

Kapi Kapi Growers released a statement saying Bakker brought more than 40 years of experience to the produce business, beginning his career at his family’s Chicago-area wholesale company, Bakker Produce, and joining Kapi Kapi in 2020.

“Doug’s passion for the business was evident from our first meeting with him,” said Sofia Acon, president of Kapi Kapi Growers. “It was clear that his experience in nurturing long-term partnerships and relationships made him the right choice when we began building our business development team. Over time, Doug played an integral role in developing the type of people-first culture that defines us today. His commitment to strong leadership and cultivating lasting relationships earned him a promotion to director of business development in 2023. Doug’s passion, commitment, and integrity were outstanding. He will be deeply missed.”

Colleagues credit Bakker with helping establish a service-first sales culture at Kapi Kapi and growing awareness of the brand across the industry.

“I will miss working alongside Doug and will always fondly remember our time together. We only worked together for five years, but to me he was a lifelong friend and colleague,” said Mark Doiron, senior advisor. “Doug had that kind of impact on those around him. Many of his colleagues will remember how he would call them just to say, ‘I appreciate you.’ That’s the kind of team player Doug was.”