Sunny Valley International views the relationship with its growers, retail partners and consumers as a partnership — one that will ensure they not only get the best quality fruits on the market, but also guarantees a continuity of product to make it easier to do business.

Strategic Sourcing International, parent company to PRO*ACT and PRO*FRESH, named Robert Rossi as the new managing director of PRO*FRESH Sourcing. He will lead the efforts to expand PRO*FRESH into warehouse consolidation, product merchandising and product sourcing solutions.

Fruit World has embraced a delayed start to stone fruit season to ensure ideal ripening and fruit quality, now shipping the ripest early cherry varieties — Hazel and Royal Lynn — with the Coral variety soon to follow.

I was shopping at the grocery store and wanted some grapes. Not seeing any, I remembered the decreased supplies. So I asked my friendly produce manager if he had any. He told me there were none available and that I probably already knew that. He was correct, but I just wanted to confirm that the stores were unable to get supplies. I checked three other stores and there were no grapes in those produce departments either.

FreshEdge acquired Panama Banana, a wholesaler and distributor of fine produce in the Chicago International Produce Market. For nearly a century, Panama has built a solid reputation as one of Chicago’s leading distributors of produce.

Panama is housed in a state-of-the-art facility that offers ripening rooms, cold coolers, climate-controlled docks, produce packaging and repacking, and logistical support.

Following its annual strategic planning meeting in January 2023, which featured industry leaders, government officials, and retail influencers, Measure to Improve identified several initiatives for the company to achieve in 2023. To date, MTI has achieved B Corporation Certification, completed an industrywide pilot program and is now rolling out a suite of services developed to help companies achieve their sustainability goals.