August 25, 2026 | Source: SANTA CRUZ LOCAL | by Nik Altenberg

WATSONVILLE >> The CEO of Watsonville-based Driscoll’s Inc., the largest berry company in the world, has stepped down after less than three years in the role.

The company announced Tuesday that Soren Bjorn will be replaced by Brie Reiter Smith, effective immediately. Smith is the great-granddaughter of one of Driscoll’s co-founders and the daughter of former CEO J. Miles Reiter.

“While I may not have followed the traditional path to this role, no one believes in our company’s mission more than me,” Smith said in a press release. Smith assumed the role of vice chair of the company’s board of directors in January, and has worked in various roles across the company for more than a decade.

Bjorn could not immediately be reached for comment and Driscoll’s did not answer follow-up questions.

The change comes as the company has faced lawsuits and heightened scrutiny of their pesticide practices, led by local activists who oppose the use of pesticides near schools, and are calling for more fields to be converted to organic. State law limits pesticide use within a quarter-mile of schools, but gaseous fumigants can drift on the wind for miles if there is a leak from the tarps meant to trap the fumes.