In Their Words: Veritable Vegetable's Qiana Cameron

Qiana Cameron is a buyer for Veritable Vegetable, a women-owned and led organic produce distributor based in San Francisco. OPN recently caught up with Qiana to learn about her role at Veritable, how she cultivates relationships with growers, organic produce trends, and more.

Can you tell us about your background in the produce industry?

I started at Veritable Vegetable (VV) in 2005 working in the warehouse as an order puller. I did that for about three years. Then I moved into inventory control and worked there for a few years. Eventually, I was approached and offered a position in the sales department. I started in the purchasing department as a buyer in 2014.

Qiana Cameron, Buyer, Veritable Vegetable

What led you to start working at Veritable, and how has your experience there shaped you?

My best friend was already working at VV in the warehouse and recommended me for the job. I was working at another warehouse before, but it was a different industry altogether—it was plastics! It didn’t share any of the same values or attributes.

My experience at VV has matured me. It’s made me focus on what it means to work at a women-owned business, how our values—integrity, sustainability, women in leadership, excellence, and innovation—are at play in my role as purchaser. I look for those things now when I’m buying—and even in my own life.

As a buyer at VV, what commodities do you focus on, and how many growers do you work with?

When I started buying I was focused on stable product like carrots, potatoes, etc. Over time, my product line has changed, depending on staffing and need. Now my product line has evolved to include all the dry veg, including soft squash, tomatoes, cucumbers, asparagus, ginger, hot peppers, and sweet peppers.

I work with a lot of growers—it’s hard to calculate how many because it shifts so much throughout the seasons. Right now, in late spring, I’m working with 20-30 different growers.

In the summer when we have a lot of local product, and I have access to our smaller growers, I support them as much as I can. In the wintertime when dry veg comes out of the desert or from brokers who sell imports, I buy from fewer small growers.

My experience at VV has matured me. It’s made me focus on what it means to work at a women-owned business, how our values—integrity, sustainability, women in leadership, excellence, and innovation—are at play in my role as purchaser. -Qiana Cameron

How do you cultivate relationships with the growers you buy from?

I form friendships with my growers the same way I make friends in my personal life—I try to get to know them, their selling style, etc. I have a long list of people I love in this business and who have helped me get to where I am. I’ve met a lot of good people, and a lot of people have looked out for me and taught me things.

Someway, somehow, I was able to build relationships with so many leaders of the organic movement, and that has been a blessing in so many ways. It has taught me how to be in the business— how to be strong, direct, how to hang with the boys. And then I’m also lucky enough to be under the same roof with three of the industry’s leaders—Mary Jane Evans, Bu Nygrens, and Karen Salinger. They really are forces to be reckoned with!

Right now, in late spring, I’m working with 20-30 different growers. In the summer when we have a lot of local product, and I have access to our smaller growers, I support them as much as I can. -Qiana Cameron

What kinds of trends have you noticed in organic produce over the last year or several years?

This is a hard question because COVID shifted any trends we were seeing in 2019 a full 180 degrees. Lately, for example, we’ve been asked for a lot of packaged products, and I’ve been noticing a lot of vendors offering a lot more packaged produce too.

How has COVID affected your work at VV?

For the past year, I’ve been working from home, only going into the office one to two times per week to see my product line and coworkers. It’s been hard to get used to being remote. Since I require a lot of time looking at product, being offsite away from the warehouse is not ideal. Luckily, we have an inventory control department onsite that is able to fill in and keep me in the loop about my product lines.

I am looking forward to setting up visits with growers again like I normally would. I love going on farm tours. They really help me understand the grower’s practices from harvesting to cooling and packing. I also like meeting the farmer’s staff—it’s nice to know and build relationship with the employees too. This deepens my relationship with the farm.

Someway, somehow, I was able to build relationships with so many leaders of the organic movement, and that has been a blessing in so many ways. It has taught me how to be in the business— how to be strong, direct, how to hang with the boys. -Qiana Cameron

Can you tell us about a farm you really enjoy visiting?

One of my favorite small family farms is Veliz Organic Farm out of Hollister, California. They are a mom, dad, daughter, and son operation. They only have 13 acres, but they do all of the harvesting and packing themselves. Seeing them work so hard to build something for their family is so moving. It makes me want to support them and get their product on the market and have customers support them, so they can succeed and thrive. 

What is your favorite part of your job?

I love chatting with growers and hearing their stories—I hear a lot of stories. I look forward to talking with people, especially when seasons are changing and things are starting up. At times, I may go six months without connecting with someone, so it’s always fun to catch up with them. The relationships I’ve built go beyond work and buying; I’ve made a few lifelong friendships.