GrubMarket has completed the acquisition of Houston, TX-based Schoenmann Produce, a major produce distributor that has served customers across the foodservice, retail, wholesale, healthcare, education and maritime industries throughout the Gulf Coast region for more than 100 years.

With multiple offerings of organic sweet potato packaging options, Vick Family Farms is seeing strong interest in the sector from retail partners.

Vick Family Farms, Wilson, NC, grows, packs and distributes the Covington variety through its organic program, and the company is exploring opportunities to add other varieties in the future, said Charlotte Vick, partner/sales and marketing manager for the company.

Gotham Greens announced a new leadership structure designed to ensure continuity and position the company for its next phase of growth. Viraj Puri, who co-founded Gotham Greens and has served as CEO since 2008, will assume the role of executive chairman. In this new capacity, Puri will continue to guide and advise the company’s board of directors and leadership team on long-term strategy and growth.

The Fresh Produce & Floral Council is preparing to host its annual golf tournament on April 23 at Tustin Ranch Golf Club, with the event spanning the majority of the morning and afternoon. The tournament will be a scramble-format contest hosting 144 players with online registration  closing  the morning of April 23. The event will foster countless opportunities to interact with other produce and floral professionals during and after the competition.

The Association of Avocado Producers and Exporting Packers of Mexico (APEAM) announced the formalization of a Zero Deforestation Agreement with Mexico's Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT) and the Federal Attorney for Environmental Protection (PROFEPA), establishing a framework to ensure export-bound avocados meet environmental standards increasingly required in global markets.

Over the years I have read numerous reports and surveys on fresh fruit and vegetable consumption. In nearly all of them, in one form or another, respondents say they want to eat more fresh fruits and veggies. Want and do, of course, are two totally different animals. Some of the biggest deterrents usually include concerns over “getting a bad piece of fruit and not eating it.” When you buy a potato chips or pretzels you know what you are getting.