Michael McDowall

CEO

Michael joined Primor Produce in 1992 and was appointed a Director in 2010. Taking on the role of CEO in 2024, Michael is responsible for the overall governance and future planning of Primor’s business. His key strengths lie in organisation and planning, and he enjoys working to maintain the company’s credibility and the confidence of both customers and suppliers. He has seen the company thrive and grow into a two-time award-winning supply partner for Foodstuffs North Island. Relationships based on integrity and performance have been the building blocks of this success. Michael gained a Science degree from Auckland University and for the last 30 years he and his wife Donna have lived in Huapai where they raised their two, now adult, sons. He enjoys time with his family, socialising, travel, and all sports, particularly football which he has played all his life.

John Carroll

General Manager – Avocados

John is one of Primor’s original founders, having spotted an opportunity to set up a specialist marketing business linking growers and supermarkets back in 1988. Until mid 2024, John held the position of CEO at Primor and made the decision to stand aside from that role as he recently reached retirement age and it was time for new talent to flourish. John however has remained at Primor in a new executive role, General Manager – Avocados until his retirement in July, 2026. He also remains Chairman of the Primor Board. He holds an Agricultural Economics Degree from Massey University and has worked closely with both growers and packhouses throughout his career. John has loved the challenge of dealing with perishable products and retaining the confidence of key customers. He believes staff stability and excellence have been central to Primor’s success, and that strength will make the Company a respected, long-term player in the NZ produce scene. He has also been a director of AVOCO and AVANZA and is proud of the reputation each company has built. John’s been married to Kaye for 44 years and enjoys spending time with his four children and nine grandchildren. He maintains a healthy interest in all things Sport.

Emmett Farrell

General Manager – Domestic Vegetable Sales

Born and raised in Pukekohe, Emmett left high school on a Friday and started work at Primor’s local warehouse the following Monday, dispatching orders for fresh vegetables. That was in 1989 and he is now a Director of the company. He was appointed to the position in 2010 and is proud to have watched Primor grow substantially during his career. Emmett likes spending time with his fellow Directors and staff while carrying out his governance duties. He is married with four children and is a typical Kiwi bloke who enjoys reeling in snapper and watching rugby in his spare time.

Tim Carroll

Tim joined the Primor export team in August 2021. He started out managing our Australian retail avocado business and the Japanese market, but his role has since grown to include our work in China, Taiwan, the USA, and Canada. Within the export kiwifruit business, Tim manages the Australian independent retail customers.

Before joining Primor, Tim got his start in the produce industry working with berries, cherries, and apples at RD8 Fresh Produce. He also brings eight years of experience from the FMCG sector, where he worked in sales and category management across New Zealand, the United Kingdom and Australia.

For Tim, the best part of the job is the people. He really enjoys the relationship-building side of the business, whether he’s working with customers and agencies overseas or with our key supply chain partners here in New Zealand. The variety of the work is what keeps things interesting for him.

When he’s not in the office, Tim spends most of his time chasing after his two toddlers, Benson and Lola. He’s a big sports fan and stays active playing golf and tennis. He also enjoys reading and is currently learning Spanish.

Martin Napper

Martin works in the export marketing team and is also Primor’s key liaison with Bay packhouses, ensuring timely completion of orders. He is involved in Primor’s kiwifruit exports to Australia and enjoys working with AVOCO’s customised information systems and analysing industry data.

Martin has wide experience in the marketing of perishable export sales (including chilled fish and live lobster exports) and worked for a global trading company before joining Primor in 2008. He enjoys the diversity of his role and the challenge of discovering what marketing approach works best for different countries and cultures.

Ella Stowers

Ella has served as Primor’s Market Support Executive since 2014 and brings extensive experience in refrigerated transport and export logistics. Prior to joining Primor, she coordinated frozen and chilled commodity imports and exports between New Zealand, Australia, and the Pacific Islands for Cooltainer NZ, where she developed strong expertise in supply chain coordination and international freight logistics.

At Primor, Ella plays an important role in supporting the company’s export operations by maintaining accurate and up-to-date avocado and kiwifruit market data. Her strong organisational skills help local packhouses and the export sales team plan weekly shipments and ensure export orders to Australia are fulfilled efficiently.

Ella enjoys working with practical, down-to-earth people and values being part of a family-friendly company culture. Outside of work, she is deeply involved in community and grassroots sport, contributing to organisations such as Otara Rugby League, Samoa and Counties Tag. She is also actively involved in her son’s sporting activities, supporting his rugby at Sacred Heart College and American football at Manurewa Eagles, and often helping manage his tag teams. In addition, Ella is a committed member of the Samoan community parent group at Sacred Heart College, where she supports school and community initiatives.

Clayton Marriner

Clayton’s entire career has focused on produce sales and since 2006 he’s managed Primor’s export programme to the Pacific Islands. He’s based in Pukekohe and works with New Zealand fruit and vegetable growers to fill orders for Pacific Island nations including Fiji, Cook Islands, Samoa, Papua New Guinea, Vanuatu, Tahiti and New Caledonia, among others. He enjoys other cultures and dealing with the challenges that different languages can present. The fast-paced turnaround of receiving and filling orders at short notice is also an exciting and rewarding part of his job.

Kelly Maxwell

Kelly works at Primor’s Pukekohe depot as a Quality Inspector. She grew up in a family of market gardeners and has worked for various growers the local area in the past. She joined Primor in 2015 and inspects all of our fruit and vegetables before clearing them for export. In addition to checking for quality, Kelly also has to ensure the produce meets export market regulations which differ from country to country. She loves to operate a tidy and orderly workspace, and has a great eye for detail. She also enjoys having a laugh with the people and growers she works alongside each day.

Louis Corkill

In this role, Louis supports Clayton with export operations, with a primary focus on servicing the Cook Islands customer while also assisting across the wider order management process. He works closely with Emmett to help coordinate and fulfil Foodstuffs orders, ensuring product is delivered accurately and on time. He thrives in the fast-paced nature of the produce industry and enjoys the variety each day brings. A key part of his work is building strong, lasting relationships with both growers and commercial partners to ensure seamless supply from source to market. Alongside export coordination, he works locally to promote and sell key product lines directly to stores and helps organise reliable supply to meet demand.

Outside of work, Louis enjoys playing football and spending quality time with friends and family.

Michael McDowall

After returning home from his OE in 1992, Michael landed a job as a sales assistant for Primor. He has since risen through the company’s ranks and is now General Manager of Domestic Sales for the fruit side of Primor’s business. He oversees the fruit import programme and sources citrus, grapes and other seasonal produce to help meet customer demand here in New Zealand. He particularly enjoys the strategic planning involved each season and dealing with ever-changing seasonal factors and market supply & demand challenges to satisfy both his offshore suppliers and his local customers’ needs. In addition to managing imports, Michael also helps guide Primor’s wider domestic sales team.

Emmett Farrell

Emmett’s parents were commercial vegetable growers and dairy farmers, and he was put to work digging up potatoes and onions from a young age. As General Manager of Domestic Sales for Primor’s vegetable business, he’s now responsible for procuring orders for green vegetables from Foodstuffs and liaising with local growers face-to-face. His industry knowledge and experience means he understands the vegetable sector from all angles, and he loves getting his boots and ute dirty out in the paddocks around Pukekohe six days a week.

Regan Booth

Regan joined Primor in 2003 and now leads the domestic avocado division, managing sales, ripening operations, and marketing strategy. He oversees procurement, packing programmes, retail partnerships, and promotional planning to deliver strong returns for growers and reliable supply for customers.

His role centres on aligning supply, market demand, and retail strategy to maximise value across the season. Regan thrives on the fast-paced nature of fresh produce and the relationships built across the industry.
Away from work, he prefers to stay active, work on practical projects, and spend quality time with family and friends.

Alistair Holt

Alistair joined Primor in 2002 but has been involved in the industry for three decades. Alistair is in charge of domestic sales, particularly for imported melons throughout the year (rockmelon, honeydew and watermelon). He also sources courgettes, capsicums, cucumbers and tomatoes from North Queensland to fill the gaps during New Zealand’s off season. Alistair enjoys liaising with retail customers and Australian suppliers to build relationships and secure good quality crops, and brings extensive product knowledge to his role. He was Southern born, but brought up in Auckland. Alistair is very passionate about his family and together they enjoy most outdoor pursuits.

Seb Langridge

With six ripening rooms to oversee in our Mt Wellington warehouse (capable of holding hundreds of thousands of avocados), Seb has a great eye for detail, an awful lot of patience and endures a few sleepless nights. He joined Primor in mid-2015, having previously worked on Hawkes Bay apple and citrus orchards and at an Auckland fruit and vegetable store. As well as ripening Primor’s avocados, Seb is also in charge of domestic sales and marketing for all fruit categories. He enjoys the early 6am starts so he can knock off mid-afternoon to hang out and go fishing with his two young boys.

Scott Carroll

Scott has an extensive background in imports and helps bring in a range of fresh produce, so local retailers can fill gaps in New Zealand’s growing season. He also manages the domestic Kiwifruit and Stonefruit businesses. Scott enjoys working across the entire supply chain to nail the timing and planning involved, and interacting with customers and suppliers to build strong business relationships. The teamwork required at Primor, and the flexibility to move between roles, is another satisfying aspect of his job. In his spare time, Scott loves to spend time with his young family and squeezes in some football and golf when he can. Rugby league is his favourite sport to watch, and he is a tragic St George Illawarra Dragons fan.

Dan McDowall

Dan grew up in Kumeū, West Auckland and began his career with Primor in the Mt Wellington warehouse while still at high school. He joined Primor full-time in 2019, and his role now spans both daily domestic sales and supporting Scott with Primor’s import programmes.

Dan liaises with produce managers across the North Island to ensure consistent supply of key fruit lines such as avocados, grapes and citrus to the supermarkets. He also plays a key role in coordinating multiple import programmes, maintaining strong relationships with growers and exporters across Australia, the USA and other international markets to help deliver high-quality produce to customers.

He enjoys working across both the local and global produce markets and thrives on the fast-paced nature of the industry. Outside of work, Dan enjoys playing football, golf, and socialising with friends and family.

Amie Broad

Amie is the newest member of Primor’s sales team, joining the business in 2025. Originally from Gisborne, she grew up on a citrus and kiwifruit orchard, giving her a hands-on understanding of horticulture from a young age. After spending four years studying in Dunedin, Amie completed a Bachelor of Commerce and Science, shaping her interest in both the commercial and production sides of the industry. With this background, she enjoys learning the sales side of the business and building strong relationships with produce managers.

Outside of work, Amie likes to stay active, go for walks, and make the most of any opportunity to catch up and socialise with friends and family.

Ross Mutton

Ross is a full time avocado grower in Houhora in the Far North. He works part-time for both Primor and AVOCO to support local growers throughout the season and procure supply. He enjoys being at the forefront of what’s happening in our export markets and the variety of his daily role. Ross has been involved in post-harvest, marketing and distribution of both avocados and kiwifruit for over 30 years and decided to plant his own orchard in 2002. Because of this, he understands growers’ needs and viewpoints. Every April he looks forward to escaping into the central North Island bush to hunt roaring stags, relax and unwind.

Greg Stansfield

Greg Joined Primor in 2021 and is based in Whangarei. As a representative for AVOCO, he supports growers in the Mid North region, particularly through the often challenging harvesting season. Greg comes originally from the Wool industry where he did a cadetship with Wrightson Dalgety. He later moved to the New Zealand Wool board as a buyer and exporter. Greg’s horticultural experience came from growing Macadamia nuts on a block in Pukekohe where he was an active member of the Franklin Tree Croppers assn.

Fresh to the avocado industry, Greg enjoys working alongside growers and understanding the different approaches they all take to maximise their crop. Greg says “it’s contagious the passion growers have managing their orchards”.
In his free time Greg enjoys sailing and fishing with his partner Anya. They have 3 grown children and a border collie cross called Ash (otherwise known as the favourite child).