The New York Apple Association is ready to celebrate the holiday season with The Big Flavor of New York apples.

This year, NYAA is sponsoring an Apple Pie Baking Kit consumer sweepstakes on social media and launching holiday videos featuring Bob for Apples from New York, in addition to reminding retailers to cross merchandise.

Cross merchandising ideas include gift-giving, charcuterie and pairing ideas and apple pie baking ingredients with and all the trimmings for family and friend gatherings.  

Consumers in the United States can look forward this coming year to SUNRAYS mandarins independently certified as Sustainably Grown by SCS Global Services.

Alexis Taylor, the under secretary for trade and foreign agricultural affairs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture, toured Rice Fruit Co. Dec.

Calavo Growers Inc. announced the addition of Kurt Kistler as vice president of sales, tomatoes and papaya, and the retirement of industry veteran Brian Bernauer.

Kistler brings over 25 years of fresh produce industry experience after having spent the last seven years at Charlie’s Produce. He also previously held positions at Taylor Farms and UNFI. During his tenure at those respective companies, he became proficient in managing a national sales department, brokerage, purchasing, grower relations, marketing and quality control.

Sales across 25 U.S. grocery banners dropped 13.5 percent during a 12-week period ending Sept. 20, 2023, versus the same period last year, according to a report from Brick Meets Click and sponsored by Mercatus. The year-over-year sales decline was driven by a higher rate of lapsed customers who either shifted back to in-store only or switched to a rival’s online service.

CJ Buxman, a third-generation San Joaquin Valley grower-shipper and former president of Fruit World Co., has started Sunny Cal Farms.

Sunny Cal Farms is offering organic and conventional California-grown specialty and traditional citrus, along with heirloom and novel grapes.