Michael Cavallero, retired president of North American Tropical Fresh Fruit for Dole Fresh Fruit Co., will be the 2015 honoree at the Produce Legends Dinner during the United Fresh Midwinter Leadership Forum, to be held Jan. 13-15 at the La Quinta Resort & Club in La Quinta, CA.

“We’re doing about the same things that we’ve always done and have built our reputation on, but we’re doing them even better,” Shawn Grant, owner of Grant Stanton Produce Co. Inc., located at the New England Produce Center in Chelsea, MA, told The Produce News. “We had a good summer with basically the same items we’ve been handling, but we moved more product and sales were stronger. I attribute the increases to people loosening up on their spending a little, and we’re seeing more tourism here in the Boston area.”

Whole Foods Market has launched its first national brand campaign to highlight its quality standards, healthy offerings and key milestones as a pioneer in the natural and organic food industry.

Nature Fresh Farms, a greenhouse vegetable grower located in Leamington, ON, announced that Chris Veillon will lead the company's brand marketing efforts. With more than 17 years of senior marketing communications experience across a variety of industries, Veillon is a seasoned marketer with a proven track record of success.

On the day that the Produce Marketing Association’s 2014 Fresh Summit opened, Bryan Silbermann, PMA chief executive officer, promised it would be the most well-attended event in the history of the organization. His educated guess proved accurate, as the association announced that a new record of more than 22,400 people attended the three-day event.

Ready Pac Foods Inc. has hired Phil Yamamoto as its vice president of procurement. In his role, Yamamoto will be responsible for establishing a consistent, dependable and cost-effective supply of materials and agricultural goods to ensure the most efficient delivery of high-quality products to the consumer.