Dec 1, 2020
About the guest:
Tony Shurman is President and CEO of Jasper Wyman & Son (“Wyman’s”) the second-largest brand in the retail frozen fruit category in the U.S. with its most notable product being wild blueberries. Founded in 1874, Wyman’s is a family-owned business headquartered in Down East Maine with an ongoing commitment to environmental stewardship, corporate social responsibility, and product innovation.
Prior to joining Wyman’s in 2017, Tony ran the Post Foods breakfast cereal business which includes brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats, Grape Nuts, Pebbles, and Post Shredded Wheat. Earlier in his career, he worked in brand management roles in the gum/mints category as well as in consumer healthcare. He has experience working across geographies including Japan, Europe, and the U.S. Tony lives with his wife and two sons in Yarmouth, Maine.
For more on Tony and Wyman’s, please visit: https://wymans.com/category/news/
In the episode:
Tony Shurman didn’t follow a traditional path to his career. After working in marketing for pharmaceutical and food corporations, Tony wanted to make sure the next step in his career positively impacted people’s lives. He achieved this goal as he took on his role at Wyman’s where increased business means healthier choices for consumers. Listen as Tony describes his career path, why blueberries are so beneficial to our health and how Wyman’s is making it easier to incorporate fruit into our diets.
2:46 – Tony explains how he started his career in market research in Japan.
7:51 – Tony describes how he uses his international experience in his role at Wyman’s.
10:44 – Tony tells why Maine wild blueberries are so amazing.
15:52 – Tony shares how Wyman’s differentiates itself by making fruit easier for people to consume and helping preserve fruit by freezing it.
18:28 – On their mission to help people eat more fruit, Tony talks about Wyman’s new fruit cups.
23:57 – Tony explains how Wyman’s has been impacted by COVID-19.
33:14 – Tony describes how Wyman’s attracts employees for harvesting blueberries and processing fruit.
38:20 – Nancy and Tony talk about their passion for the Maine Seacoast Mission.
42:41 – Tony shares some resources that have helped him in his career.
Quote
“I looked forward and said, ‘Okay, what do I want to do for the hopefully final step of my career,’ and that was a critical component, was wanting to work in a business where the more successful we were, the better off I felt our consumers would be.”
Links:
Jasper Wyman & Son: https://wymans.com/
Post Consumer Brands: https://www.postconsumerbrands.com/
Colby College: https://www.colby.edu/
Dippin’ Dots: https://www.dippindots.com/home.html
Women's Health Resource Library: https://whrl.org/giving/donate/
Maine Seacoast Mission: https://www.seacoastmission.org/
How I Built This with Guy Raz: https://www.npr.org/podcasts/510313/how-i-built-this
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Looking to connect:
Email: tshurman@wymans.com