The California Date Commission is a non-profit organization funded by growers and packers, which supports the industry through marketing, research and government affairs.

We’re still feeling the squeeze on small citrus, but carrots have become the next challenge out west. In a market where jumbos matter, harvest conditions have made it difficult to get the size and volume the market expects.

Bard Valley Natural Delights, which offers whole dates for the traditionalists, pitted dates for convenience seekers and Mini Medjool Date Rolls and Medjool Date Strips for those looking for innovative, flavor-packed snacks, continues to make dates accessible to a broad audience. 

Salix Fruits has become a year-round citrus supplier, connecting growers from both hemispheres with retail, foodservice and wholesale customers. 

“Our role is to ensure continuity and reliability, sourcing from diverse regions so that citrus is available 52 weeks a year,” said Alejandro Moralejo, CEO of Salix Fruits. “This diversification has been key to navigating market volatility and climate challenges.”

For nearly 70 years, Kurt Zuhlke & Associates has been a trusted name in produce packaging, known for its innovation in PET clamshells, liners and thermoformed solutions that keep fruits and vegetables protected, visible and retail-ready. 

Even as economic pressures, shifting customer needs and supply-chain complexities continue to reshape the industry, company President Kurt Zuhlke sees steady demand, a healthy year ahead and new opportunities to bring sustainable packaging options to growers, packers and retailers.

For more than 75 years, Bland Farms has done one thing exceptionally well: grow sweet onions that taste like home. Long before “farm‑to‑table” became a buzzword, the Bland family was already living it—three generations deep in the sandy soils of southeast Georgia, raising Vidalia sweet onions with the same values they raised their kids on. Real food. Real work. Real family.