Dr. Mark Zettler Joins Board of Directors at Cultiva®
Cultiva LLC (cultiva.com), a provider of food-grade biofilms used in agricultural markets, announces the appointment of agri-business start-up leader and consultant, Mark Zettler to the company’s Board of Directors.
Dr. Zettler is currently president of AgroAdvisors International, LLC and is a principal consultant with NGT BioPharma Consultants. He built a strong background in agriculture, horticulture and related technologies over his 22 years with Dow AgroSciences and AgroFresh, most recently serving as vice president of Research and Development (R&D), and Innovation at AgroFresh.
“Mark’s experience will be an excellent addition to our board,” said Cultiva CEO Luis Hernandez. “We’re a young organization with a lot of energy. His background and perspective with fast-growing start-ups will help us put the structure in place to scale demand and plan for the future.” Zettler joins other outside board members at Cultiva, including John Salmonson, former president at Monterey AgResources, and Greg Hulecki venture partner at Advantage Capital.
During his more than 30-year career in R&D and new business development at Dow Chemical, Dow AgroSciences and AgroFresh Solutions, Dr. Zettler has led the discovery, development and launch of new products across the global pre-harvest and post-harvest food and agriculture sectors, including agronomic and horticultural crops, and serving a wide range of customers, from grower to retailer.
“I look forward to working with Cultiva and sharing my experience in ag sciences,” Zettler said. “Breakthrough innovation in agriculture is an exciting field. Cultiva has a bright future in product development and I’m excited to be a part of that process.”
Dr. Zettler is active in a number of industry associations and holds a B.A. in chemistry from Wittenberg University and a PhD in organic chemistry from Case Western Reserve University.
About Cultiva®
Cultiva® produces a proprietary, food-grade biofilm technology, known as SureSeal™, which acts as a cuticle supplement on plants and has applications in agriculture for growers around the world. Cultiva products provide growers with solutions to suppress fruit cracking, enhance quality traits of harvested fruits and vegetables and extend the marketable shelf life of high-value crops. All current Cultiva products are exempt from U.S. EPA-approvals or registrations due to their safe, natural and soft nature and their classification as non-pesticide products.
In March 2020, Cultiva raised $2.94 million in funding through Advantage Capital, to support future growth. The investment came at a critical time for businesses around the country affected by the COVID-19 crisis, and shows the strength of the company’s future. Read more HERE.
