Field Staff

Avocados are not only our business, they are part of who we are.

Del Rey Avocado owns acreage in San Diego County and intimately understands the concerns of the California Grower. Given our deep roots in this industry, Del Rey Avocado has a personal stake in every piece of advice we give to growers.

Meet Our California Field Personnel

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Jessica Hunter

CEO

Jessica Hunter

760-535-0122

Jessica was born and raised on a 120-acre Avocado ranch in Bonsall, California. She went to college at the University of San Diego and earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration with an emphasis on marketing and finance. In 2002, Jessica became the first of the third generation to work in the family business when she started at Del Rey Avocado with her father, Bob.

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Since then, she has developed an understanding of the business from the ground up. She jumped in with a very “hands on” approach, helping to manage over 100 acres of Del Rey Groves.

In 2004, Jessica successfully converted 15 acres of avocados to organic and she now enjoys helping other growers successfully do the same. Jessica currently runs the organic field-side of Del Rey Avocado. She enjoys having one-on-one conversations with growers to assist in their fruit development and production. She routinely sends out quotes to farmers, so they can stay on top of current market trends and statuses.

Jessica is married and has two beautiful young children, Logan and Sarah. Both kids’ first food was an avocado – their grandpa made sure of it!

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Justin Warren

CFO

Justin Warren

760-728-8325

Justin Warren came to Del Rey Avocado with significant financial executive experience in the fresh produce industry. He served as the Director of Finance from 2011 until 2020 for Mission Produce, in Oxnard, California, and prior to that, he worked as a consultant. During his time as a consultant, he was engaged in projects at Fortune 500 companies including Disney and Bank of America. He has over 20 total years in the field of finance.

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Mr. Warren is a native of California and received his undergraduate degree Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of California, Los Angeles, and a Master’s in Business Administration from the prestigious Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.

“It is extremely exciting to be part of a company that has not only been phenomenally successful but also has the potential for significant growth for many years to come. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to serve Del Rey Avocado’s growers, customers, teammates, community, and stakeholders,” said Mr. Warren.

Warren relocated from Ventura County with his wife Kerri of 20 years, and his three daughters to San Diego County. When not working, he enjoys spending time with his family and traveling. He is also a huge fan of all UCLA Bruins athletics.

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Gerardo Huerta

Grower Manager

Gerardo Huerta

760-801-2797

Avocados have always been a part of Gerardo’s life. He was born in Escondido and raised in Fallbrook, California where he spent the better part of his days working alongside his father visiting and managing avocado groves.

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Gerardo loved to play soccer and earned a soccer scholarship while playing at Palomar College in San Marcos to continue playing at Dominican College in San Rafael, California. While there, he studied business management and marketing, preparing himself to move back home and continue working in the avocado industry.

Gerardo spent 12 years gaining experience in field management working at his family’s business: A&G Grove Service. While there, he was responsible for coordinating field activities, including harvesting crews and daily operations.

His transition to Del Rey Avocado couldn’t have been easier- his experience maintaining strong personal relationships with growers, experience working in the field and managing groves was a

perfect fit with the way that Del Rey’s field personnel works with their growers. He enjoys the time he gets to spend with each of his growers, helping them to make sound decisions about their fruit and harvesting. His passion is food safety, specifically helping increase the safety of moving fruit from groves to consumers. He works hand-in-hand with growers during the auditing process and has been trained in the GAP certification process and knows what it takes to help growers complete the process.

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Wayne Brydon

Grower Manager

Wayne Brydon

760-468-7944

Wayne was born and raised in the farming industry. His father was a farm manager and raised Wayne on an Avocado and Citrus orchard in Goleta, California. After Wayne earned his degree in Economics from the University of California in Davis, he served four years in the United States Coast Guard.

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After that time, he worked for a number of major packers ranging from San Luis Obispo to San Diego. He then served as the Field Services Manager for the California Avocado Commission. Wayne’s expertise is in grower interaction through marketing, packing, and shipping which is where his self-described “comfort zone” and his true passion lay.

Currently, Wayne lives in beautiful and scenic Fallbrook, California where he has raised two kids and earned his most prestigious title: that of a grandfather. Both of his children are happily married and he is a grandfather to a handsome grandson.

Wayne enjoys supporting the California Avocado Commission, and he has served on the Board of Directors for the Avocado Society, including a two-year term as President.

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Mario Martinez

Grove Manager

Mario Martinez

805-368-6288

Mario grew up around avocados with his uncles in Mexico. When he came to California, his first job was working in an avocado ranch. In 1980 he started working at a large avocado ranch and at a young age became a grove manager.

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A decade later, he became a partner of this 100-acre ranch which offered him a different perspective from the grower’s point of view. A few years later, he began working as a field representative in his area. It was a chance to put his ability and experience to the test by talking to growers and learning more about the issues that affect farmers and the industry, again from a grower’s perspective.

He specializes in pruning avocado trees to maximize production and longevity. Growers in Ventura County and north are adapting pruning techniques that he developed in the late 90s and have fine-tuned since. With good results and continuous production, he sees a strong future in the avocado industry.

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Frank Alegria

Grower Manager

Frank Alegria

805-448-1741

Frank was born on the family ranch where he continues the family tradition and farms 33 acres of avocados in Refugio Canyon, in the Goleta area. Along with his wife and children’s families, it is truly a family operation.

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After attending college at USC in Los Angeles, Frank returned to the Santa Barbara area and took over operating the “ranch” in 1978. He began working in the industry as a Field Manager in 1992, covering Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo Counties. He continues with his commitment to California Growers striving to assist growers in bringing their avocados to market. Joining Del Rey Avocado in 2017, Frank is happily maintaining his presence in the Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo areas.

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Hillary DeCarl

Grower Manager / GAP Representative

Hillary DeCarl

760-728-8325

Hillary was born and raised in Temecula, California and has two older sisters who are twins. Hillary is blessed to have a long term boyfriend of seven years. The DeCarl family is very close and loves to travel together, enjoying each others company.

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Hillary was recruited to play volleyball at George Washington University in Washington, D.C. where she also completed her Bachelors of Science Degree in Exercise Science. She graduated in 2014 and after that came back home and worked in Fallbrook at All Star Physical Therapy for a time before accepting her position at Del Rey. Hillary is excited to be learning something new and working with as she stated, “some amazing people.” When not working she loves to be active and get outdoors. Hiking, spin, beach volleyball, playing fetch with her dog, and chasing her nephews around are all things that she loves to do.

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International Field Staff

Gerardo Huerta
Grower Manager
Phone: 760-801-2797