Martin Sotelo has joined Church Brothers Farms as senior director of raw product procurement (U.S. and Mexico).

Sotelo has more than 13 years of experience in the produce industry. Most recently, he served as ag ops manager for Taylor Farms Retail, where he was responsible for procurement and ag ops in both Mexico and the United States. He also served as harvest manager at Campos Borquez in Mexico and as assistant greenhouse grower for Grimmway Farms in Arvin, CA. Sotelo has a degree in Ag Economics from the University of Arizona.

Naturipe Farms has promotable volumes of its fresh, firm and flavorful jumbo blueberries, aptly named “Mighty Blues.” Supplies will double and even triple over the coming weeks, which is great news for retailers who want to promote them and consumers who have quickly become devoted fans of these delicious blueberries. 

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions on two produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act.

The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry:

Sprouts Farmers Market will launch FoodStorm, Instacart’s order management system, across all of the retailer’s 400-plus locations. The new partnership will help streamline Sprouts’ existing catering operations and modernize its holiday inventory management, ensuring a seamless holiday season experience for its customers and store team members.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the California Department of Food and Agriculture recently established an Oriental Fruit Fly quarantine in California's San Bernardino and Riverside counties. The quarantine area includes avocado production regions and listed Hass avocados as a host, which was inconsistent with USDA’s Mediterranean Fruit Fly and Mexican Fruit Fly host lists that do not include Hass avocados.

The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas was pleased with the success of its inaugural expo, a recent enhancement to the FPAA Convention, which just concluded its 54th consecutive year. Now known as the Southwest International Produce Expo, or SWIPE, the event, held at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort last week, attracted more than 500 attendees, buyers and exhibitors to Tucson, AZ.