The Southeast Produce Council in conjunction with 210 Analytics released What’s New: The Consumer Take on Produce Innovation and Technology 2021 in one of two educational sessions at its fall show, Southern Innovations.

SAVANNAH, GA — The Southeast Produce Council kicked off Southern Innovations 2021 with the STEP-UPP and board of directors dinner Wednesday evening, Sept. 8, at Vic's on the River, here. Rania Nelson of Westfalia Fruit, who is the incoming chairman of the SEPC board of directors, recognized the graduating members of the STEP-UPP class of 2020.

The dinner was held one day prior to the official opening of Southern Innovations, taking place Sept. 9-11.

As a third-generation, family-owned business, Christopher Ranch is one of the largest suppliers of domestically-grown garlic in the U.S. Last year, it saw numbers like never before.

“Due to the global pandemic, we saw an unprecedented surge in demand for all organic garlic line items,” said Ken Christopher, executive vice president of the Gilroy, CA-based company. “Peeled, fresh, and even jarred organic California garlic saw performance far beyond historical averages.”

In 2020, Mother Earth Organic Mushrooms was planning on attending its first Organic Produce Summit. Of course, COVID-19 put a stop to that, and that is making this year’s summit even more special for the team at Mother Earth.

Leona Neill, director of marketing and packaging for Red Sun Farms, shared that the team looks forward to Southeast Produce Council’s annual Southern Innovations conference each year, welcoming the opportunity to connect with the industry, participate in industry leading education sessions, and showcase its vertically integrated greenhouse-grown produce. 

Nash Produce has been a strong presence at the Southeast Produce Council’s annual Southern Innovations conference since the very beginning and is excited to be headed back for 2021.