Robert Schueller, Melissa’s/World Variety Produce, Inc.

Melissa’s/World Variety Produce, Inc. BB #:111686 in Los Angeles, CA is a treasure trove of fruits, vegetables, and more, with exotics from nearly every corner of the planet. Robert Schueller’s role, as director of public relations, is to ensure suppliers and buyers are aware of these sumptuous, amazing offerings so they make their way to grocery stores, restaurants, and consumers.

We asked Robert about the scope of his role—from releases and presentations to cookbooks—and what’s next in 2026.

Q: Tell us about your background, education, and early career aspirations.  

I’m the third generation of my family to be born and raised in Southern California. I graduated from Cal State University, Long Beach, with a bachelor’s degree in marketing. My aspiration was to work in the food industry, and I landed at Melissa’s/World Variety Produce about six months after graduation!

Q: How did you find your way to Melissa’s?

I found an ad in the Cal State Long Beach’s Career JobTracker with a produce company seeking a assistant market director. Since I was focused on marketing, this position allowed me to explore numerous marketing aspects over the years as I grew with the company.

As of 2026, I’m going into my 30th year with the company. This was my first real career job and I haven’t looked back.

As of 2026, I’m going into my 30th year with the company. This was my first real career job and I haven’t looked back.

Q: In the early days, what fruit or vegetable really blew your mind?

What blows my mind is how the industry is made up of thousands of produce and related companies, and Melissa’s just so happens to be the largest supplier of variety produce in the United States, and has been for some time now.

Q: What items are the most difficult to work with? Which ones were the best or most memorable?

The Asian category of vegetables was the most difficult to learn as Melissa’s offers over 40 varieties of Asian-related produce items. First, the names are often hard to pronounce; second, most are green and look very similar; and third, just being able to distinguish between the many flavors of these vegetables.

For example: gai lan, gai choy, yu choy sum, choy sum, baby bok choy, bok choy, and napa, etc.

Q: Is there a fruit or vegetable you’ve heard about but not been able to source or taste?

A few, like fresh breadfruit, fresh snakefruit (also called salak, from Indonesia), and fresh açai due to their admissibility into the USA.

Q: What fruits and vegetables are currently on the cusp of awareness?

I would choose these three fruits: mangosteens, our K-Grapes (green and red from South Korea), and cherimoya.

I have literally eaten every produce item admissible into the United States; however, beets are not a favorite. And durian, which just downright stinks.

Q: Is there a fruit or vegetable you personally will not eat?

I have literally eaten every produce item admissible into the United States; however, beets are not a favorite. And durian, which just downright stinks.

Q: Tell us about Melissa’s cookbooks?

Over the last 20 years I’ve coauthored all seven of Melissa’s cookbooks, beginning with Melissa’s Great Book of Produce (2006); Melissa’s Everyday Cooking with Organic Produce (2010); Melissa’s 50 Best Plants on the Planet (2013); and Melissa’s Hatch Chile Cookbook (2013, 150-plus recipes).

Next came Melissa’s Great Pepper Cookbook (2014, for the 36 pepper varieties available commercially in the USA); Melissa’s DYPs: The Perfect Everyday Potato Cookbook (2014); and Melissa’s Hatch Chile Cookbook, Second Edition (2021), with over 100 more recipes using Hatch peppers. All are available in hardcover, a few in PDF format, and can be found here.   

Q: Do you love to cook? Do you consider yourself a skilled chef?

Yes—I love to cook and am the chef for our family. I have no formal training, but have been a family observer, cookbook reader, and social media recipe searcher.

Q: Walk us through an average day or week, does seasonality affect what you do on a routine basis?

On an average day, I have a company sales or marketing meeting or other type of business meeting like with a retailer, foodservice, vendor or grower customer. There are also various media-themed phone calls and emails daily (trade or consumer) along with setting up our kitchen media events.

I also make plans for upcoming food conferences, events, or other offsite meeting activities, such as scheduling product samplings.

Q: How much do you travel? Do you visit growers or suppliers?

I attend about five food or produce trade shows and about a dozen or so offsite foodie and or media events every year too. I rarely visit growers or suppliers these days; typically, I’ll meet with them if they’re visiting Melissa’s offices.

Overall food trends revolve around increasing produce consumption, along with protein- and fiber-rich foods, “luxury” items, and more interest in global or multicultural fruits and vegetables.

Q: What are your predictions for the Top 5 trending fruits and vegetables of 2026 – any surprises?

Overall food trends revolve around increasing produce consumption, along with protein- and fiber-rich foods, “luxury” items, and more interest in global or multicultural fruits and vegetables.

For vegetables, I see trending items including Dutch potatoes (yellow, red, blue), Marzano tomatoes, immunity booster packs (ginger and turmeric), Japanese sweet potatoes, Hatch peppers, steamed chestnuts, and peeled tomatillos—this last one is a surprise in the value-added segment.

For fruit, we have dragon fruit (yellow, white, red), Asian pears (Butterscotch & Sand), pineapples (Pinkglow, Precious, Colada Royal from Dole), mangos (Suparano or tree-ripened), and coconut (easy-open and slices—the latter is another surprise in value-added products).

In the luxury category, specialty mangos, grapes, pineapples, berries, watermelon, tangerines, and cherries are all hot import items.

Q: What’s your top goal professionally for 2026?

To make the Melissa’s brand a household name.

Q: Where do you see yourself in five years? Is there an elusive goal you would like to achieve?

In five years, I’ll still be promoting Melissa’s—to me, there’s not a more exciting produce company in the United States or anywhere in the world.  

Q: What else would you like our readers to know?

About me: I’ve been married to the love of my life, Yvonne, for over 26 years now. We have three adult kids: Tannis, 35; Nathan, 24; and Joan, 23; a son-in-law, Renzo; a grandchild, Westly, and another on the way in July 2026!

I love talking about produce and food, but my out-of-the-office hobby is fishing!