As the Michigan asparagus season comes to a close, retail promotions, a new website, social promotions and a giveaway collaboration mark key highlights of the 2023 season.

Preferred Sales & Marketing, a leading provider of sales and marketing services in fresh produce and food brands based in San Juan Capistrano, CA, announced the addition of Paulina Villarreal as its new national sales manager. With a strong track record of driving growth and extensive experience in the industry, Villarreal will spearhead the company's strategic initiatives and nationwide expansion.

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck three years ago, it threw normal business operations at ports for a loop.

Some goods, such as discretionary items, lagged in demand, while others that were deemed necessities saw a spike. Additionally, many ports experienced unprecedented backlogs and delays.

As a result, port operators such as Holt Logistics were forced to adapt to meet consumer preferences and keep goods flowing through as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Stemilt has hired Sarah Burns as its new West Coast merchandising manager. Burns came to Stemilt following her four-year tenure at FreshSource and 13 years working in sales at Earthbound Farm. In her role, she will be building relationships with customers, planning and executing promotions for Stemilt, analyzing retail data and trends to develop strategies to grow fruit sales for the organization and representing Stemilt at industry events.

A social entrepreneurship project and collaboration between Deardorff Family Farms and Food Share has launched to fight hunger in Ventura County, CA.