Thomas Jefferson tried to start a wine company, a banana empire owned the world's largest private navy and a 19th century food spy smuggled citrons from Italy into the U.S. These are not fictional stories but real historical events that you can expect to hear about when you tune into The History of Fresh Produce podcast series hosted by Patrick Kelly and John Paap.

Kylie Mount, manager of sales and business development at FloraCraft, was named to the 2023 Future Five class by the Chamber Alliance of Mason County.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions on three produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. These sanctions include suspending the businesses’ PACA licenses and barring the principal operators of the businesses from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without approval from USDA.

The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry:

It’s peak season for Naturipe Farms’ proprietary raspberry varieties out of the central Mexico growing region. This fall, Naturipe Farms, one of the world’s largest producers of fresh berries, is projected to have the strongest season on record for promotional volumes of their raspberries.

NatureSweet has been acquired by Blue Road Capital, an independent investment firm focused on vertically integrated food and agricultural business.

NatureSweet, founded in 1990, has been committed to being a groundbreaking leader within the fresh produce industry by unleashing the power of people. The company not only created branded snacking tomatoes but is also a top selling brand in North America and a growing force in greenhouse-grown peppers and cucumbers.

One of the highlights of any Southeast Produce Council show is the Southern Roots luncheon. At Southern Innovations 2023, Shannon Spake of FOX Sports, was the keynote speaker, and she didn’t disappoint. 

Spake discussed her life — the good times as well as bad — her accomplishments in a male-dominated industry and the value of hard work. “Hard work is genderless,” she said, making it clear that hard work is the best pathway for men or women to achieve their dreams. She also said that “it is OK for women to be sad, happy, tired or guilty — just feel."