Page 26 - Roduce Editorials News Today

Endless rain on the West Coast set back crops and harvests as excessive water hit fields. A considerable amount of California strawberry volume became very light. Mexico and Florida experienced cooler weather, lowering production. The Arizona desert crop escaped freezing and just had light rain.

South Mill Champs announced the grand opening of its new state-of-the-art farm in Oxford, PA. The new facility will be one of North America's largest single-site mushroom farms and one of the largest phase three composting operations. The grand opening marks the completion of the first phase of the multi-year, multi-phase farm and compost operation buildout.

Kegel’s Produce is in its 75th year of providing fresh fruit and produce to customers across Pennsylvania and surrounding states. As a Women’s Business Enterprise National Council Certified and family-owned business, COO Kenny Myers attributes its success to the family work ethic of Kegel’s Produce President Suzanne Myers, along with the tremendous efforts of the buying staff, the sales staff and specialties purchasing.

Vision Global Group LLC has been added to the William H. Kopke Jr. Inc. family of companies and is now in full operation. Vision Global Group is an industry leader in the lime, lemon and mango import-export business, and is headquartered in New Jersey, and complemented by teams in Arizona, Texas, Pennsylvania and Florida.

Westfalia Fruit is ringing in the new year with a strong supply of quality avocados sourced from multiple growing regions to meet shopper’s healthy eating demands as diets recalibrate after a season of holiday indulgences. Westfalia is wholly dedicated to providing sustainably grown, premium-quality fruit to the marketplace. Its extensive avocado growing regions and vertical integration enable them to provide retailers with consistent supply to meet year-round demand and quarter one being the ...

Mann Packing Co. Inc., a subsidiary of Fresh Del Monte N.A. Inc., launched of its brand-new Mann Air Fryer Veggie Kits — ready-to-use veggie kits created for air fryers. Officially launched during the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show in October 2022, Mann Air Fryer Veggie Kits feature the company's new logo and exemplify innovation specifically developed for air fryer cooking. This convenient, in-home meal option comes at a time when Americans are becoming more cost-conscious.

Big Y’s annual Sack Hunger campaign provides funds for the four food banks within its two-state marketing area. In turn, these food banks support local soup kitchens, food pantries, senior food programs, day care centers and many others of the 2,100 member agencies that they help every day. The goal is to maximize access to nutritious food and other resources that support food security for those at risk of hunger.

Legacy Farms LLC, based in Anaheim, CA, has acquired the assets of Frieda’s Inc. after more than a year of discussions. The company will now be known as Frieda’s LLC and its new CEO is Dan Madsen, who has been leading Legacy Farms since 2019.

The Texas International Produce Association general registration for the 2023 Viva Fresh Expo will open Jan. 25. The highly anticipated event will return to the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, TX, March 30–April 1. Attendee registration for the event will be open online at www.vivafreshexpo.com/attendees.

The Chilean Grape Committee’s latest estimate for the season came out on Jan. 9, and export volume on table grapes is expected to stabilize at approximately 68 million boxes this season. The ASOEX Table Grape Committee’s projection highlights an increase of 1.2 percent compared to the third forecast delivered by the sector last December, with fresh Chilean grapes reaching 67,741,801 boxes and 555,483 tons, according to Karen Brux. managing director of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association.