The driest California drought in a century has made a significant turnaround this winter from all the atmospheric river rain and mountain snowpack. The ground is beyond saturation to a point where it is actually surging back up from the earth.

The Little Potato Company unveiled a new brand look and feel, reflecting its commitment to providing busy families with quick and easy meal solutions so they have more time for what matters most. The new visual identity features modern, vibrant, fresh colors and a new logo. The rebrand also includes new family-friendly packaging with updated product names, new brand characters, a refreshed website and social channels and a new digital ad campaign.

Every year, the United States generates more than 100 million tons of wasted food — the majority of it being fresh fruits and vegetables — with over 50 percent going to landfills or incinerators. What if there was a company using advanced technologies and sustainable infrastructure to prevent wasted food and close the loop to protect the value of food?

Wholesum, a Fair Trade-certified grower-shipper of organic farm-fresh vegetables, has introduced a new line of Italian sweet peppers marketed under the Dolci Belles name.

This new offering is part of Wholesum’s strategy to focus on innovative organic greenhouse-grown varieties that bring an upgraded, flavorful experience to the consumer.  

“A Whole New World'' was bursting at the seams with excitement, design talent and attendees. The conference brought in 411 attendees this year, representing 20 different states as well as The Virgin Islands and Canada. With a full agenda including business seminars, design classes, main stage shows, the trade show floor as well as networking with fellow industry professionals, visitors stayed extremely busy. 

Hy-Vee Inc. will host a quarterly Best of Local Brands Summit in May to expand and enhance the product offerings at its more than 285 retail stores in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Since the Best of Local Brands summits began in early 2021, more than 125 new brands have been selected and are available to Hy-Vee customers.

This year, Hy-Vee continues to elevate its efforts of identifying suppliers with diverse backgrounds and encourages minority- and women-owned businesses to apply for the quarterly summits.