CHARLOTTE, NC — A huge number of people from all over the country came here in mid-September to participate in Southern Innovations 2023, the Southeast Produce Council's annual trade show and conference that focuses on the latest innovations in the fresh produce industry.

This year's event was held Sept. 14-16 in a new location, Charlotte, NC, known as the Queen City. And according to SEPC executives, exhibitors and attendees alike, the new venue was extremely popular and well received.

The Southeast Produce Council's Southern Innovations was held Sept. 14-16 at the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, NC. This year’s conference continued to build upon SEPC’s “What’s New?” platform in the home city of the NASCAR Hall of Fame, as SEPC members raced to discover the latest innovations within the fresh produce industry.

David Frank Sobey, chair emeritus of Sobeys Inc. and an instrumental figure in the retailer's growth, died Sept. 18. He was 92 years old.

Who knows what you’re going to find in the back of grandma’s refrigerator.

For the people who run Sunrise Fresh Dried Foods, it turned out to be the key to the success of the Stockton, CA-based family-owned farm and vertically integrated dried fruit manufacturer.

The story goes that in 1996 Jim Samuel and Ernie Podesta were operating their family’s farm and fresh cherry packer and maraschino cherries facility. Ernie wanted to find new uses for cherries deemed not high-enough grade for the fresh market.

In a landmark move for sustainable agriculture, BrightFarms is teaming up with Element Farms to set a new standard for indoor-grown produce in the Northeast. Both trailblazers in sustainable, controlled environment agriculture, this mutually beneficial partnership allows BrightFarms to distribute Element Farms' indoor-grown spinach throughout the Northeast under the BrightFarms brand, further satisfying the strong consumer demand for high-quality, locally grown spinach.

Thomas Jefferson tried to start a wine company, a banana empire owned the world's largest private navy and a 19th century food spy smuggled citrons from Italy into the U.S. These are not fictional stories but real historical events that you can expect to hear about when you tune into The History of Fresh Produce podcast series hosted by Patrick Kelly and John Paap.