Page 54 - Roduce Editorials News Today

Tomatoes, lettuce and strawberries are three major tonnage categories that have been on the extreme shortage and escalated cost list. Prices have been at an all time high on these items, especially on lettuce.

In a year that has been a strong one for Four Seasons Produce, the company will soon be headed to the New York Produce Show & Conference where it will exhibit at booth No. 320.

Calavo Growers entered into a brand licensing partnership with General Mills as the exclusive manufacturer of the Old El Paso brand of refrigerated, fresh guacamole and salsas in the U.S. market. This new line of products launched in fall 2022, features proprietary recipes and is currently available to grocery, mass and convenience channels nationwide.

Pear Bureau Northwest will celebrate its annual World Pear Day on Dec. 3. Kicking off the 18th annual Celebrate Pears Month, this year’s World Pear Day offers consumers around the world the opportunity to celebrate with pears through a variety of new fun and exciting activities.

The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas will celebrate its 54th annual Fresh Produce Convention & Golf Tournament under a new name and a new location.

Brighter Bites, a national nonprofit organization that delivers fresh fruits and vegetables directly into families’ hands, is further expanding within the Washington, DC, area. Brighter Bites has served families in Prince George’s County, MD, since 2017, and is now expanding its reach to hundreds of more families in the D.C. Public Schools District. This year, the organization is serving 16 schools in Prince George's County and two in Washington, DC.

Church Brothers promoted Vicente Alvarez to senior harvest manager, and it also hired Frank Goldner as its director of grower operations based out of the Baja Coast and San Luis Rio Colorado areas.

To-Jo Mushrooms always looks forward to participating in the New York Produce Show & Conference. “Our sales team will not only be on the trade show floor, but plan attending the opening reception and education sessions,” said Kevin M. Delaney, vice president of sales and marketing for the Avondale, PA-based company. “We get a lot of value out of this conference as it is the closest trade show to home.”

Earlier this year BC Tree Fruit Cooperative announced the closure of the organization’s Lake Country and Kelowna packing facilities. As a result a group of growers requisitioned for a special general meeting of the cooperative to deal with a number of important matters ranging from the composition of the board of directors, facility investments and the potential sale of properties. The meeting was held Nov. 22 at the Peachland Community Centre.

Full Harvest, a business-to-business produce marketplace specializing in surplus and imperfect produce, acquired FarmersWeb, a farm sales and inventory management SaaS provider. Full Harvest now has the ability to speed the delivery of advanced features for its produce suppliers and buyers — driving a more efficient, sustainable produce supply chain.