By Staff Report Tuesday, June 14th, 2022

Jesus “Chuy” Loza has resigned from the board of Limoneira to focus on leading the company he co-founded, Freska Produce, Limoneira announced June 14.

Loza grew up in company housing at Santa Paula-based Limoneira and started his career with the company while he was a teenager.

In 2004, he co-founded Freska Produce, which is now one of the biggest mango distributors in the United States. He joined the Limoneira board in 2020 and served on the risk management and marketing committees.

In April, Loza was the 2022 inductee into the Pacific Coast Business Times Hall of Fame. He told the Business Times that being appointed to the Limoneira board was one of his proudest accomplishments.

“It was like going home,” he said in April. “I would never have dreamt of being on the board, especially when I was 16 or 17, seeing those board members leave every month. They were out of my league.”

In a Limoneira company statement released June 14, Loza said his duties as Freska CEO “now require my full attention.”