Behind Every Safe Onion: Meet Zully
Zully Arrieta didn’t expect her first job at Gills Onions to turn into a 12-year (and counting) career. She originally joined for seasonal work, encouraged by her mother who also worked in production. Today, she is a food safety specialist, a role that keeps her at the heart of quality, compliance, and customer trust.
We recently sat down with Zully to learn about her journey from the slice lines to the front lines of food safety and how her love of science, reading, and rescue cats reflects the curiosity and care she brings to everything she does.
A Career That Grew from Opportunity
Zully began on the slice lines in production at 21, just planning to stay for the summer. But her bilingual skills opened a new path when the quality assurance (QA) department needed help translating documents. That foot in the door led her to roles in document control, quality assurance, and ultimately food safety.
Today, Zully leads the preparation and support for both customer and third-party audits, including the intense three-day Safe Quality Food (SQF) certification. “It’s stressful,” she admits, “but it feels rewarding when we pass and get that score.”
Her HACCP (Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points) certification and years of hands-on learning prepared her for the role when the previous food safety specialist left. “I’d worked alongside her and learned a lot from that experience,” she said. “It made the transition easier when I stepped into the role.”
Zully starts her day at 8 a.m. reviewing QA documentation, checking emails, and responding to customer requests. She often sends certificates of analysis to key customers. Overall, her work is both highly technical and highly collaborative. She has the skill set to succeed at both types of projects with ease.
Some days she’s in the lab or on the floor checking box weights, monitoring metal detectors, or helping QA fill in on the lines. On others, you might find her frying onion rings to test quality. She’s currently leading a study to improve frying consistency and identify variables that impact product performance. These variables include things like batter thickness, onion temperature, and how long ingredients sit before cooking. “I like experimenting,” she said. “It makes the job more interesting.” At home, she prefers to take a break from cooking when she can.
Where Teamwork, Tenacity, and Temperature Checks Meet
Zully lights up when talking about science, history, and books. “Reading is my passion,” she shared. “I’ve already read 38 books this year.” Her favorite genres include fantasy, romance, and historical fiction. She finds joy in getting lost in new worlds and characters.
Outside work, she enjoys the simple things: beach walks, park strolls, and weekend hangouts with her best friend. She’s also a devoted cat mom to five rescues, each with their own story. “They all kind of found me,” she said. One kitten was saved from a soccer net at 5 a.m., another showed up for help when it was time to give birth. “Now I have her and the two kittens she had. I couldn’t give them away.”
Even though her job carries a lot of responsibility, Zully says what she values most about Gills is the people. “It really feels like a team. Everyone helps each other. You’re never alone.”
That team-first mindset has shaped her career and her outlook. “If someone is thinking about working here, I’d tell them it’s a great place,” she said. “There are opportunities, and it’s a good environment.”
Interested in becoming part of the Gills Onions team? Learn more about our career opportunities today.
Ready to experience the taste of onions grown “The Gills Way”? Contact our sales department to find out more.