Nogales-based vegetable shipper iDeal HarBest is no longer the new kid on the block, now in its seventh year in business and showing impressive year-over-year growth.

In fact the company had a record year in 2022, and 2023 started off strong, with sales in January alone eclipsing total sales of its inaugural year.

But maintaining that growth trajectory is no easy feat, according to Manny Fajardo, a principle at iDeal along with business partner Hermy Torres.

Much has changed at D’Arrigo New York over its 75-year history of serving the New York City area’s produce needs.

Back at its founding, the company could get by offering a basic assortment of fruits and vegetables to fulfill the needs of its customers. Today, D’Arrigo New York, a privately-held company that operates out of the Hunts Point Market in The Bronx, needs to focus on the demands of more than 1,500 retail and foodservice customers and dozens and dozens of different ethnic groups in order to stay ahead of the curve in the diverse and vibrant metro New York marketplace.

With the West Mexico vegetable season in the rearview mirror and the Sonoran table grape crop wrapping up later this month, Nogales, AZ-based grower-distributor Divine Flavor will shift its focus to the summer programs starting in Central Mexico and Baja California to complement its year-round portfolio.

State Garden Inc. produces everything from organic salad mixes to baby kale to cooking greens under the Olivia’s Organics brand.

“We are the largest distributor of organic packaged salads on the Eastern Seaboard,” said Mark Pins, director of marketing for the Chelsea, MA-based company. “We wash and pack over a million pounds of baby lettuce and spinach every week, and with that comes an oversupply.”

As inflation and rising costs have impacted organic sales over the past year, producers and retailers are seeking new ways and opportunities to grow sales. The Shifting Organic Assortment at Retail will be the subject of the fifth-announced educational session at Organic Produce Summit 2023, featuring an exclusive analysis of organic fresh produce sales through the first half of this year, an examination of how consumer purchasing behavior is changing, and an exploration of opportunities to drive sales in an inflationary environment.

As changes to the grocery business come fast and furious, and their impact on fresh produce is more pronounced, leaders from three of the nation’s most progressive grocery operations will discuss the future of supermarket retailing and the role of fresh produce during the Retailer Roundtable keynote presentation at Organic Produce Summit 2023 this July in Monterey, CA.