MILPITAS, CA - Thirty-year produce industry veteran, Jeff Sacchini, has joined the rapidly evolving wholesale distributor of fresh produce and specialty food, Daylight Foods, as the company’s new President. Jeff brings a proven track record to Daylight, from his own time in wholesale produce distribution, as well as retail and restaurant ownership and service.   

“I am very excited to have Jeff join Daylight Foods as our new President. He operates with the utmost integrity and will add much in terms of experience and knowledge to our team,” Chris Vlahopouliotis, CEO of the company shares with me. “Jeff will be taking over the management of day-to-day operations, allowing me to focus on the future growth of our company and the strategic plans that we have. As our CEO I am looking forward to working closely with Jeff and continuing our rapid growth.”

From farm to kitchen, Daylight distributes a range of food items including conventional and organic fresh produce, pastas, dairy items, poultry, as well as imported and gourmet goods.  With the diverse demands of today’s consumer, Jeff will help execute the Daylight vision.

“I’m delighted to join the Daylight Foods team. Daylight has built an extraordinary reputation, as evidenced by its growth and diverse customer mix, and I hope to expand on that and pursue strategic opportunities as they arise,” Jeff tells me, reflecting on the company’s progressive vision and strong forward momentum.

Daylight Foods has grown in leaps and bounds in recent years, with an energetic, sales and relationship-driven culture that strives to expand and inspire change at the forefront of technology and innovation.

From Piranha Produce and Freshpoint, to Co-Founder of Kauai, Hawaii-based Living Foods and The Lanai restaurant, Jeff Sacchini has traversed the produce landscape, building a repertoire of experience that will help enrich and drive Daylight’s go-to-market strategy.

“We are delighted to welcome an industry stalwart in Jeff to usher in a new chapter in the evolution of Daylight Foods,” Vice President Paul Jennings says. “We find ourselves in exciting times in the world of food distribution and to have a leader of Jeff’s caliber and diverse background will allow Daylight to maintain its position as the premier distributor in the Nor-Cal region.”

With an operation encompassing a large warehouse with state-of-the-art coolers, repack areas, and a loading dock - the company is primed for growth. Add in Daylight’s own in-house produce processing plant to create custom products, internal quality control measures and standards, as well as consistent pricing, and reduced labor costs, and the advantages and benefits become endless.

As local programs ramp up, the company has brought Daylight 150 into the fold, which offers a strategy focused on sourcing food within a 150 mile radius of Daylight Foods. With the highest freshness and premium quality top of mind, Daylight 150 concentrates only on organic and seasonal produce, and on farms using sustainable growing and harvesting methods.

And to think that Daylight Foods started as a small San Jose, California, farmers market in 1976.  More than 40 years later, Daylight is not only helping to raise the bar in the wholesale distribution industry, the company is helping to redefine it. 

Congratulations, Jeff, on your new position, and to the team at Daylight on a company positioned for incredible growth!

Daylight Foods