As neighbors in the first-year dorms at the University of Michigan, Annie Slabotsky and Morgan Lerner bonded over banana bread.

“We both loved to bake, a favorite being banana bread, and we felt like there were no good options on campus for tasty and healthy baked goods,” Slabotsky said. She and Lerner are co-founders and chief banana bread officers of GoNanas. The women-owned, vegan, gluten-free, and allergen-friendly banana bread company is at the forefront of the health-conscious comfort trend, with an aim at re-imagining fresh produce departments.

After a slow start because of lingering volume from Mexico, California’s summer grape deal is currently operating on all cylinders heading toward its peak in September and expected solid volume through November and into December.

The Modi apple — a natural cross between Gala and Liberty apple varieties, was developed in the Po Valley of northern Italy, named after the famous painter Modigliani, who was known for bright red colors in his paintings.

JJB Family Farms, which is owned by first-generation immigrants from Holland Jack and Jane Brouwer, grows the Modi only on its Grand Island ranch, an island surrounded by the Sacramento River and Steamboat Slough.

Pandol Bros. Inc. President and CEO Cheri Diebel will retire at the end of 2023. Mitch Millwee will be joining the company later in 2023 as the new president and CEO.

Diebel has worked for PBI since 1981 in varying capacities, including her current role, which she's held since January of 2012. Diebel has overseen a period of planned growth, innovation and value creation, putting into practice the shareholders’ vision to improve asset efficiency and overall company performance and profitability.

Hudson River Fruit Distributors, based in Milton, NY, is expecting an outstanding year for its prized apple crop.

Alisha Albinder-Camac, vice president of sales and marketing and a fourth-generation member of the family-owned company, said abundant rain early in the growing season gave way to drier conditions at the right time, setting the stage for a large, high-quality crop.