Mexican grapes are one of the strongest production areas for Grapeco Farms, a Delano, CA-based company that was founded by industry veterans Jared Lane and Robert Cadena.

“We have a large amount of grapes from start to finish, and it’s one of the better varietal makeups,” said Lane, who serves as CEO of the company. “We’ve been redeveloping and planting new vineyards in a huge abundance over the last 4-6 years.”

Grapeco is one of the first farms to get started with the early sheet, and also one of the last to finish.

This year, 25 million households plan to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, and most plan to do so by going out, according to Numerator’s 2024 U.S. Annual Holiday Preview. Between restaurant dining and ordering delivery, the foodservice industry is expecting to serve at least 49 percent of Cinco celebrators.

With Cinco de Mayo falling on a Sunday this year, restaurants can incorporate Cinco-themed dishes into their Sunday brunch.

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association announced that Murray Driediger, president and CEO of BC Fresh Vegetables Inc., has been selected as its 2024 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient.

The Chilean Citrus Committee estimates that global citrus exports from Chile will reach 383,000 tons this season, a 4 percent decline from 2023. According to the figures provided by the committee, clementine and mandarin volumes will decline by 35 percent and 9 percent respectively. Oranges will decrease by 2 percent, with lemons increasing by 33 percent.

Retailers can expect shipments of Zespri kiwifruit soon as the first two shipping vessels left New Zealand. The vessels are expected to arrive at the port of Philadelphia and Los Angeles at the end of April. Retailers can track the shipments here to start preparing for another successful Zespri kiwifruit season.

Kaliroy Fresh LLC is launching a new, exclusive peel-back shaker snacking tomato clamshell made from recycled PET at the Viva Fresh Expo in Houston.