Executive Team
-
Chris Mittelstaedt
Founder, CEO, and Chief Banana of The FruitGuys, responsible for the company's vision and growth since its founding in his 1-bedroom apartment in San Francisco in 1998. He has a B.S. in business from American University, where he was captain of the rugby team. Chris lives in San Francisco with his wife, three children, two dogs, and one cat. He loves wearing the Banana Suit—anywhere. His favorite fruit is cherries.
-
Erik Muller
President, responsible for managing strategic, growth, and financial planning, as well as business development. Erik brings an accomplished track record to The FruitGuys, with more than 20 years of growing businesses—25 years if you count the five he was a newspaper boy in Southern California. Erik earned an economics and business degree from Colorado College. In his free time, Erik enjoys staying active with his wife and their two children. He is an avid cyclist and loves coaching his kids’ sports teams.
-
Erin Mittelstaedt
Chief Operating Officer, responsible for all strategic and operational aspects of The FruitGuys operations, as well as creation of new facilities. Previously, Erin worked as a Trader Joe’s manager in Philadelphia and a case worker in New York City. Erin has a BA in Music from the University of Pennsylvania and lives in San Francisco with her wife and their dog Madigan. She sings, tap dances, loves making jams and jellies, and recently fell in love with swimming in the Bay.
-
Pia Hinckle
The FruitGuys Publisher, in charge of content strategy and storytelling. Pia has 20 years' experience in the newspaper and publishing business. She has a BA from Sarah Lawrence College and an MS in Journalism from Columbia Journalism School where she was a Knight Bagehot Fellow in Business and Economics Journalism. She enjoys cooking with her husband and three children and swimming in the San Francisco Bay. Nectarines are her favorite fruit.