CEOs, Heads of Exports, Heads of Fresh Produce, Heads of Procurement and Heads of Quality for grape, banana, mango, pomegranate, vegetable, spice, basmati and specialty-crop export houses in India.
Horticulture & Fresh-Produce Exports
Executive Search
24+ Horticulture / Exports Placements — with an average 92 Days time-to-placement and a 12-month candidate guarantee.
24+
Horticulture / Exports Placements
92 Days
Avg. Time-to-Placement
90%
Offer Acceptance Rate
12 Months
Candidate Guarantee
Specialisation withinAgriculture & AgriTech·Feeding the Future
India's horticulture and fresh-produce export ecosystem — Freshtrop Fruits, Suminter India Organics, Mahindra Agri Exports, LT Foods (Daawat Basmati), KRBL (India Gate), Kohinoor Foods, Adani Agri Logistics (cold chain), Desai Fruits & Vegetables, Kay Bee Exports, INI Farms (Kimaye bananas), Mango Peoples, Jain Farm Fresh Foods, Suminter Organics, Olam Spices & Vegetable Ingredients India, Synthite Industries, Plant Lipids, Kancor Ingredients, Indian Organics, Radha Krishnan Export, Akshayakalpa (organic dairy-adjacent), Vegrow, Crofarm (Otipy), Waycool Fresh Meat & Produce, Ninjacart Agri Exports, Zomato Hyperpure exports, 24 Mantra Organic; spice majors (MDH, Everest, Catch, Aachi, Eastern Condiments, Suhana, Ramdev); tea (Tata Global Beverages, Wagh Bakri, Goodricke, McLeod Russel, Dharampal Satyapal); coffee (Tata Coffee, CCL Products, Continental Coffee, NS Krishnappa Estates); basmati rice, Surat diamond-polishing-adjacent fresh-produce packhouses, and APEDA-registered exporters — supplies the world's largest banana exports, among the largest mango / pomegranate / grape / spice / tea / coffee export flows, and anchors a US$50+ Bn agri-export economy.
Is This Your Situation?
If any of these sound familiar, you're speaking to the right practice.
→A fresh-fruit exporter needs a CEO to scale from ₹600 Cr to ₹1,800 Cr and win European-retail-chain listings
→A basmati major requires a Head of Exports to deepen Gulf / US / UK volumes and lead GI-traceability compliance
→A spice major seeks a Head of Exports to recapture EU MRL-compliant volumes after residue-rejection episodes
→A tea / coffee estate house needs a CEO to integrate plantations, processing and premium-D2C for Europe / US / Japan
Our Horticulture & Exports Track Record
Situation:
A fresh-fruit exporter sought a CEO to scale from ₹600 Cr to ₹1,800 Cr and win European-retail-chain listings.
Outcome:
Placed a candidate with APEDA / GlobalGAP and European-retail pedigree in 98 days; EU retail listings grew from 4 to 14 in 20 months; revenue crossed ₹1,450 Cr.
Situation:
A spice major needed a Head of Exports to recapture EU MRL-compliant volumes after residue-rejection episodes.
Outcome:
Placed a candidate with Synthite / Olam / Plant Lipids pedigree in 88 days; rejection rate dropped 92%; EU volumes recovered in 11 months.
All client details anonymised. Specific mandates available for reference under NDA upon request.
Our Horticulture & Exports Practice
India's horticulture and fresh-produce export ecosystem — Freshtrop Fruits, Suminter India Organics, Mahindra Agri Exports, LT Foods (Daawat Basmati), KRBL (India Gate), Kohinoor Foods, Adani Agri Logistics (cold chain), Desai Fruits & Vegetables, Kay Bee Exports, INI Farms (Kimaye bananas), Mango Peoples, Jain Farm Fresh Foods, Suminter Organics, Olam Spices & Vegetable Ingredients India, Synthite Industries, Plant Lipids, Kancor Ingredients, Indian Organics, Radha Krishnan Export, Akshayakalpa (organic dairy-adjacent), Vegrow, Crofarm (Otipy), Waycool Fresh Meat & Produce, Ninjacart Agri Exports, Zomato Hyperpure exports, 24 Mantra Organic; spice majors (MDH, Everest, Catch, Aachi, Eastern Condiments, Suhana, Ramdev); tea (Tata Global Beverages, Wagh Bakri, Goodricke, McLeod Russel, Dharampal Satyapal); coffee (Tata Coffee, CCL Products, Continental Coffee, NS Krishnappa Estates); basmati rice, Surat diamond-polishing-adjacent fresh-produce packhouses, and APEDA-registered exporters — supplies the world's largest banana exports, among the largest mango / pomegranate / grape / spice / tea / coffee export flows, and anchors a US$50+ Bn agri-export economy.
The sector demands leaders who can navigate APEDA norms, GlobalGAP / Rainforest Alliance / Fair Trade / USDA Organic / EU Organic certifications, plant-quarantine clearances, containerised reefer logistics across JNPT / Mundra / Kattupalli / Krishnapatnam, phyto-sanitary compliance for EU / Gulf / US / Russia / South-East Asia markets, and GI-tag / traceability workflows (Alphonso, Nagpur orange, Banganapalli mango, Nashik grapes, Solapur pomegranate, Darjeeling tea, Coorg coffee, Guntur chilli). Gladwin places CEOs, Heads of Exports, Heads of Procurement, Heads of Packhouse Operations, Heads of Quality, Heads of Cold Chain, Heads of Modern Trade (Middle East / EU / US / SE Asia) and Chief Financial Officers for fresh-produce, basmati / non-basmati rice, spice, tea and coffee export majors.
As a specialist CEO mandates in export majors, our practice also covers CFO placements in export businesses, our practice also covers Agriculture & Agritech practice overview, and as a source for Chemicals & Materials — specialty chemicals.
The Horticulture & Exports Landscape Today
India's agri-exports exceed US$50 Bn (FY24), led by marine products (US$7.3 Bn), basmati rice (US$5.8 Bn), non-basmati rice (US$4.6 Bn), spices (US$4.2 Bn), fresh fruit / vegetables (US$3.2 Bn including mangoes, bananas, grapes, pomegranate), tea (US$820 Mn), coffee (US$1.4 Bn) and organic / specialty segments (US$800 Mn). INI Farms (Kimaye), Freshtrop, Desai, Kay Bee, Mahindra Agri Exports and the basmati / spice / tea / coffee majors lead the exporter ecosystem.
Key Leadership Challenges in Horticulture & Exports
Navigating APEDA / Spice Board / Tea Board / Coffee Board certifications, GlobalGAP / Rainforest / Fair Trade / USDA / EU Organic and GI-tag discipline
Managing pest-risk-analysis (PRA) and phyto-sanitary clearances across EU / US / Japan / Russia / Gulf / SE Asia markets, with recurring MRL / residue-rejection risk
Scaling packhouse / ripening-chamber / cold-chain infrastructure at Vasai, Nashik, Solapur, Jalgaon, Belgaum, Krishnagiri and port-hinterland
Executing contract-farming / FPO-sourcing for traceability (ripe-Alphonso, Nagpur orange, Banganapalli mango, Nashik grape, Solapur pomegranate, Guntur chilli)
Building Modern-Trade partnerships with EU / Gulf / UK / US retail chains (Tesco, Sainsbury's, Carrefour, Lulu, Albertsons, Kroger, Costco, Whole Foods) and premium channels
Attracting Heads of Exports with APEDA-and-international-buyer credibility and Heads of Quality with GlobalGAP / residue-lab fluency
What We Look For in Horticulture & Exports Leaders
Across mandates, horticulture & exports leadership tends to cluster into a small set of archetypes. We calibrate each search against the profile your board actually needs — not the one most commonly available.
The Horticulture-Export CEO
A fresh-produce-export CEO with APEDA / GlobalGAP / phyto-sanitary fluency, international-retail-partnership depth and contract-farming / FPO-sourcing credibility.
The Head of Exports
An exports leader with EU / Gulf / UK / US / SE Asia / Russia market-access depth, phyto-sanitary and MRL compliance and GI / organic-certification discipline.
The Head of Procurement
A procurement / contract-farming leader with grape / mango / pomegranate / banana / basmati aggregation and FPO partnership depth.
The Head of Packhouse / Quality
A packhouse / ripening / quality leader with GlobalGAP / residue-lab / ISO-22000 / BRC / IFS / HACCP and FSMA credibility.
The Head of Cold Chain
A cold-chain / reefer-logistics leader with JNPT / Mundra / Kattupalli / Krishnapatnam export-hinterland operations and MEIS / RoDTEP-advocacy fluency.
The Head of Modern Trade — EU / Gulf / UK / US
A modern-trade leader with Tesco / Sainsbury's / Carrefour / Lulu / Kroger / Costco / Whole Foods partnership-depth and import-licencing and distributor-management discipline.
Regulatory & Compensation Context
Regulatory Backdrop
Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) Act 1985 and APEDA norms; Spices Board of India Act 1986; Tea Act 1953 and Tea Board of India; Coffee Act 1942 and Coffee Board of India; Plant Quarantine Order 2003 and Destructive Insects and Pests Act 1914; phyto-sanitary clearances and International Plant Protection Convention (IPPC); Food Safety and Standards Act 2006 and FSSAI export norms; Bureau of Indian Standards; Legal Metrology Act 2009; Foreign Trade (Development & Regulation) Act 1992 and DGFT notifications; Customs Act 1962; Rice Milling Industry (Regulation) Act 1958; Basmati rice GI registration and PGI / USPTO enforcement; Geographical Indications of Goods Act 1999 (Alphonso, Nagpur orange, Banganapalli mango, Nashik grape, Solapur pomegranate, Darjeeling tea, Coorg coffee, Guntur chilli); APEDA RoDTEP / MEIS / SEIS / TMA schemes; RBI FEMA for export receivables and realisation; CBIC for duty drawback; Consumer Protection Act 2019; GlobalGAP / Rainforest Alliance / Fair Trade / USDA Organic / EU Organic certifications; MRL (Maximum Residue Limit) compliance; Companies Act 2013; SEBI LODR; Competition Act 2002; DPDP Act 2023.
Compensation Architecture
Horticulture / Fresh-Produce Export CEOs: ₹4–10 Cr fixed + STI + ESOP; Basmati / Rice / Spice / Tea / Coffee CEOs: ₹4–12 Cr + STI; Heads of Exports: ₹3–7 Cr + volume-linked STI; Heads of Procurement: ₹2.5–6 Cr; Heads of Packhouse / Quality: ₹2.5–5 Cr; Heads of Cold Chain: ₹3–6 Cr; Heads of Modern Trade (EU / Gulf / UK / US): ₹3–6.5 Cr; CFOs: ₹4–8 Cr.
Roles We Typically Place
Why Gladwin International Leadership Advisors for Horticulture & Exports
Placed CEOs, Heads of Exports and Heads of Procurement at INI Farms (Kimaye), Freshtrop Fruits, Desai Fruits & Vegetables, Kay Bee Exports, Mahindra Agri Exports, Jain Farm Fresh Foods, Suminter Organics
Deep coverage of Heads of Exports at LT Foods (Daawat), KRBL (India Gate), Kohinoor Foods, Amira Foods and other basmati / non-basmati majors
Executive-search expertise for Heads of Spice Exports at Olam India, Synthite, Plant Lipids, Kancor, Everest, MDH, Eastern Condiments
Strong track record placing Heads of Tea / Coffee Exports at Tata Global Beverages, Wagh Bakri, Goodricke, McLeod Russel, Tata Coffee, CCL Products, Continental Coffee
Leadership talent for Heads of Packhouse Operations, Heads of Quality, Heads of Cold Chain and Heads of Modern Trade (EU / Gulf / UK / US / SE Asia)
Confidential mandates at APEDA-registered fresh-fruit-export majors, organic-specialty exporters (Suminter, 24 Mantra, Sresta Natural Bioproducts) and GI-tag-tea / coffee plantation companies
Board and advisory-director searches for listed spice / tea / coffee / basmati players (LT Foods, KRBL, Kohinoor, Tata Global, Tata Coffee, CCL Products) and PE-backed fresh-produce platforms
Organisations We Serve
Fresh fruit / vegetable: INI Farms (Kimaye), Freshtrop, Desai, Kay Bee, Jain Farm Fresh, Mahindra Agri Exports, Vegrow, Crofarm (Otipy), WayCool Fresh
Basmati / rice: LT Foods (Daawat), KRBL (India Gate), Kohinoor, Amira, Tilda
Spice: Olam Spices & Vegetable Ingredients India, Synthite, Plant Lipids, Kancor, Everest, MDH, Eastern, Catch, Aachi, Suhana, Ramdev
Tea: Tata Global Beverages, Wagh Bakri, Goodricke, McLeod Russel, Dharampal Satyapal, Harrison Malayalam
Coffee: Tata Coffee, CCL Products, Continental Coffee, NS Krishnappa Estates, Allana Coffee
Organic specialty: 24 Mantra Organic, Sresta Natural Bioproducts, Suminter Organics, Morarka Organic
Processed / value-added exports: Allanasons, Al Kabeer, Yes Processors
Cold chain / logistics: Adani Agri Logistics, Snowman Logistics, Coldrush, Kool-Ex Cold Chain
Horticulture & Exports leaders assessed on the Agriculture “HARVEST” framework
Seven dimensions calibrated for agriculture and agritech leadership. Dimensions are calibrated for horticulture & exports mandates where relevant.
Parent Practice
Return to Agriculture & AgriTech
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