The World Processing Tomato Council (WPTC) announced the election of its new leadership team during the closing ceremony of the Monterey congress. Nick Kastle has been named the new President of the WPTC, succeeding Manuel Vazquez, while Antonio Casana has been elected to serve as the organization’s new Vice President. Both industry veterans will lead the council during their upcoming term, driving global collaboration and expansion within the processing tomato sector.
Nick Kastle brings over 20 years of experience in the food and agriculture industry to the presidency. After beginning his career in grocery and food service procurement, he earned his MBA at Saint Mary’s College, where his graduate project introduced him to the processed tomato sector. Kastle subsequently spent ten years with The Morning Star Packing Company, working across industrial paste, food service pouches, and sun-dried tomatoes. In 2017, he joined the J.G. Boswell Company as Vice President of Marketing, where he currently oversees processing tomatoes, pima cotton, and oilseeds.
“I am honored to step into the role of President,” said Nick Kastle upon his election. “Over the years I consider myself blessed to have met such admirable colleagues in this industry. I am looking forward to a productive term and excited to champion the engagement and introduction of the tomato processors in India to the WPTC.“
Joining Kastle in leadership is newly elected Vice President Antonio Casana who graduated in Agricultural Science from the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Piacenza in 1991, completing his dissertation on tomato genetics. He began his career in Quality Assurance management for tomato and vegetable processing companies before becoming an administrator at Suncan in 1999. Since 2003, Casana has been with Solana SpA, a leading tomato processing firm in Italy, serving initially as General Manager and taking over as CEO in 2013. A widely respected global figure, Casana has also served as a contract professor on Food Technology, is President of AMITOM, President of the vegetable product sector at UIF (Unione Italiana Food), a member of the Board of Directors for ANICAV, and is a past President and current Sustainability Committee President of TomatoEurope.
Kastle and Casana, together with continuing Vice President Manuel Gonçalves are poised to guide the WPTC for the next two years, strengthening ties between established processing regions and emerging global markets.
