PASADENA, CA — The Fresh Produce & Floral Council held the Heist, Casino Night on Saturday Feb. 4 at the Langham Huntington Hotel, here.

Among the attendees were retailers from Albertsons, Grocery Outlet, Gaju Markets, Ralphs, Smart & Final and Stater Bros. Markets.

The first avocado promotion connected with the Super Bowl game was in the 1990s when Mexico became the big supplier. This year Americans will consume nearly 80 million pounds of avocados the weeks leading up to and for the popular football game. Avocados are a game favorite for its famous guacamole.

Prophet, a leading Enterprise Resource Planning software provider for the fresh produce and horticulture industries, is proud to partner with Lone Star Citrus Growers. This partnership provides an example of how adopting Prophet’s ERP system can help create a scalable, dynamic solution that will evolve and adapt with a business during times of need.

Okanagan Specialty Fruits, developers of Arctic apples, acquired 42.5 acres of land in Moses Lake, WA. OSF’s parent parent company, Third Security LLC is developing the property, located within the Moses Lake Commerce Center. The new plot will be home the future home to OSF’s state-of-the-art processing facility, centralizing the company’s operational footprint for receiving, storage, processing, packing and shipping Arctic apple products.  

The International Fresh Produce Association released the State of the Industry Report to showcase the data, insights and outlooks that will help the industry as it prepares and plans for the challenges and opportunities coming this year.  

The Southeast Produce Council announced the inaugural class of the Next Generation Leadership Academy, a unique leadership development program designed for up-and-coming leaders.