Chris Keller Rejoins BAP Market Development Team
Chris Keller is back with the Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) market development team, the Global Aquaculture Alliance announced in late February.
Keller joined the organization in 2015 as BAP market development manager-retail for North America and was promoted to director of BAP market development for the Americas in 2016. After a stint with Sunnyvale Seafood, Keller rejoins BAP, where he will report to Chris Trosin, VP of BAP business development, and work with Molly Jacques and Tim Hogan to expand adoption of the BAP third-party certification program amongst retail and foodservice companies in North America.
“We’re excited to have Chris back. He’s a valuable member of the BAP market development team,” said Trosin. “Chris has a wealth of experience in retail, seafood and sustainability, which enhances our outreach in the North American marketplace.”
“I am beyond thrilled to be back,” said Keller. “While I enjoyed my brief stint with Sunnyvale, I felt there was too much that I still wanted to accomplish with GAA and the BAP certification program. That is where my mind and my heart kept returning. I look forward to continuing to grow the BAP program and to serving our many endorsers and partners within the aquaculture community.”
Keller came to BAP with more than 20 years of retail experience, most notably with Walmart Stores. While at Walmart for 15 years, Keller held numerous positions, eventually acting as senior buyer. He won the Sam M. Walton Entrepreneur of the Year award in 2007 for leading Walmart’s seafood sustainability team. Subsequently, he worked for Quirch Foods and also launched his own consulting company.
The BAP program continues to grow. Through January, there were 1,898 BAP-certified farms, processing plants, hatcheries and feed mills, which was an 18.7 percent jump from the same time a year ago.
About BAP
A division of the Global Aquaculture Alliance, BAP is an international certification program based on achievable, science-based and continuously-improved standards. BAP standards cover the entire aquaculture supply chain and assure healthful foods produced through environmentally and socially responsible means. BAP certification is based on independent audits that evaluate compliance with the BAP standards developed by the Global Aquaculture Alliance.
