Produce News Facebook  Produce News Twitter  Produce News LinkedIn  Produce News Instagram

California ag marketing company expands into China

Culinary Competitions International, a Fresno-based company that assists agricultural commodity boards and private brand food products with their international promotions, is expanding overseas. In order to meet the growing demands of its clients, CCI has opened four new offices in Shanghai, Beijing, Guangzhou, and Hong Kong.DSC 1128CCI President Peter DeYoung (right) with Max Baucus, U.S. ambassador to China.

CCI began as a division of Alliance Advertising & PR, an advertising and public relations firm in Central California. After only one year on its own, CCI is expanding its offices internationally. The company executes an array of unique marketing strategies customized specifically to fit clients' goals to increase exports, imports or both. While culinary competitions comprise only one area of expertise, marketing strategies include foodservice promotions, coordinating trade relations, recipe contests, culinary and baking competitions, and the planning and execution of high-profile marketing and PR events.

“We are very excited about our international expansion," Peter DeYoung, chief executive officer of CCI, said in a press release. "Having offices in these specific regions will allow us to have our feet on the ground and a home base for our clients marketing throughout Asia. We now have a greater presence in these target export markets, which opens doors often closed to U.S. exporters. Our team in China is comprised of agriculture marketing experts and highly trained PR specialists.”

CCI focuses on efficiently increasing overall exports and working in partnership with its clients. The company saw an increase in needs in China, a lead export market for U.S. agriculture.

“Expanding internationally has made a big difference in helping us to grow with our clients," Marilyn Cowley, vice president of marketing, said in the release. "We are very excited for the future. We plan on opening more offices around the world to meet similar client needs.”

Print
Read more

Pure Flavor expands service with new Michigan distribution center

Today Pure Flavor marked the official opening of its new, state-of-the-art distribution center in Romulus, MI. The nearly 200,000-square-foot facility serves as a central hub for the distribution of the company’s fresh, greenhouse-grown produce and is designed to reduce food miles, improve shipping efficiency and strengthen service for retail and foodservice customers across the region.

Trucco forms joint venture with Orsero to to drive growth in the North American fresh produce market

Trucco Group, one of the foremost distributors of fresh produce in the United States, and Orsero Group, a European leader in the import and distribution of fresh fruit and vegetables formed a strategic partnership that will position the businesses for growth in key markets and create significant operational efficiencies.

Orsero and Trucco have formalized the joint venture with Orsero investing into the share capital of Trucco, bringing together complementary strengths and a shared vision for long-term development in the North American fresh produce market.

Consumer demand for organic specialty mushrooms grows at Phillips Mushroom Farms

By
Chris Koger

Phillips Mushroom Farms has plenty of organic packs to meet consumers’ interests as they move up the value chain, searching for premium quality specialty mushrooms on store shelves.

The Kennett Square, PA-based grower-shipper will be featuring new organic items at the Organic Produce Summit, with an emphasis on specialty mushrooms.

FullTilt Marketing expands team with three strategic hires

FullTilt Marketing has hired Anna Martinez, Billie Lentz and Lizzy Voth as the agency continues to expand its team to meet growing client demand.

The three professionals bring complementary expertise spanning agricultural leadership, public relations, brand strategy, digital marketing and consumer engagement further strengthening FullTilt's ability to serve clients across agriculture, produce, food, nonprofits and allied industries.

Kroger expands rewards program

The Kroger Co. rewards program members now have more flexibility in how they use their rewards. Members can now redeem their Points for dollars off groceries in-store and online, in addition to fuel discounts at the pump. 

Taylor Farms celebrates annual scholarship program

Taylor Farms has awarded scholarships to 32 new recipients through its 2026 annual scholarship program. As a leading global producer of ready-to-eat salads and healthy fresh foods, Taylor Farms awarded $575,000 to students this year, bringing the total scholarship funds awarded to date, to nearly $5.3 million since the program’s founding. 

Copyright © 2025 The Produce News • Covering Fresh Produce Around the Globe Since 1897