The Hass Avocado Board announced the appointment of Parisa Salehi as senior director of industry engagement, a role that underscores HAB’s commitment to its 2026–30 Strategic Plan and to strengthen collaboration across the U.S. avocado industry to advance strategic priorities.

NCC Automated Systems, a trusted provider of custom conveyor and material handling solutions, recently delivered a high-capacity Z-Incline Conveyor engineered for fresh mushroom production, capable of moving up to 42,000 pounds of product per hour while maintaining gentle handling and sanitary design standards.

The new year brings with it a fresh era for Blue Banner Co., as its recent launch of Goody builds an inspired wave of service and supply for the citrus industry. The company is taking action to counteract issues facing the industry: reduced consumption of citrus, particularly grapefruit; increased pressure from imports, which are shrinking California’s window of sales; and the lack of retail promotional support to drive more sales of citrus. 

Imported grapes are arriving and are ready for promotion in weekly produce ads. New crop Peruvian grapes are showing outstanding color, sizing and are full of flavorful eating quality. The Chilean grapes will also be arriving regularly as well, opening the market for some great ad promotions.

CalFlowers announced the appointment of Gustavo Gilchrist, president of Kennicott Bros. Co., to its Board of Directors. Gilchrist joins the CalFlowers Board alongside Julie Ortiz and John Louie, whose appointments were announced previously.

Sunkist Growers is celebrating the upcoming Lunar New Year with the introduction of its Year of the Horse limited-edition packaging program, part of Sunkist’s annual Lunar New Year initiative, which evolves each year to reflect the zodiac animal and cultural traditions observed around the world. The global program is designed to help retailers bring seasonal relevance and cultural storytelling to the citrus category during the Lunar New Year period.