Church Bros. supplying bok choy, napa cabbage for Garden Fresh Restaurant’s April Asian menu
Growing and delivering farm-to-table freshness is nothing new for brothers Tom and Steve Church of Salinas, CA, whose fresh bok choy and napa cabbage is being spotlighted in special salads this month at Sweet Tomatoes and Souplantation restaurants across the nation.
Village Farms’ showcasing ‘Love Handles’ grab ‘n go snack bag series at CPMA expo
Heathrow, FL-based Village Farms International Inc. will have a full team of company executives and representatives at its booth, No. 655, at this year’s Canadian Produce Marketing Association’s Annual Convention & Trade Show, being held in Calgary on April 12-14.
Helen L. Aquino, director of brand marketing and communications for the leading greenhouse producer, said in addition to herself, staff at the expo will be Steve Poklemba, regional sales manager; Rob Jackson, regional director of retail Sales; and Aman Chatha, Northwest district sales manager.
Plethora of citrus varieties to be promoted by Sunkist
With spring upon us and the weather warming up, Sunkist Growers is going to highlight the many different varieties available to retailers this time of year by serving them to convention-goers at the Canadian Produce Marketing Association trade show in some unique ways.
Homegrown Organic Farms partners with Thomas Creek Farms to bring organic value-added fruit to market
Homegrown Organic Farms, a leading marketer of fresh organic fruit, has teamed up with sister company Thomas Creek Farms to launch a line of freeze-dried organic fruit products branded under the Homegrown Organic Farms name.
Early Sonoran green grapes will be very light according to Divine Flavor
January damage to early-developing green grapes is much more severe than realized at the time, according to Carlos Bon, fruit category manager for Divine Flavor LLC.
Divine Flavor’s vineyards in Guaymas and Hermosillo will both be down in production of the green varieties, Perlette and Superior, which is otherwise known as Sugraone. Bon said that this production decrease was common with other Sonora growers as well.
The future is here for Divine Flavor
“For the last four or five years, I’ve been saying, ‘I look forward to 2016!’ ” said Carlos Bon, fruit category manager for Divine Flavor LLC. “This year there is a lot of stuff happening that is exciting and up and coming. What we’ve been talking about is becoming a reality — for real! We have new varieties and new, amazing grapes. We are way past going from limited volumes to supply our most important customers. We can now supply the amount of Cotton Candy they’ve wanted. We are seeing the full potential for what we’ve been working on for the last few years.”
Fresh Farms set for 2016 Mexican deal
SAN ANTONIO, TX — As Mexico is generally expanding with new varieties, Fresh Farms is working very much in that direction, notes Jerry Havel, the director of sales and marketing for Fresh Farms, which is based in Rio Rico, AZ.
Havel spoke April 2 with The Produce News from his booth at the Viva Fresh Expo in San Antonio.
“On our farms we grow existing and new varieties to help with overall production. We have four very large farms and all of them are as modern and up to date and innovative as any grape vineyard in the world,” Havel noted.
Second annual Viva Fresh Expo
For the second year in a row, the Viva Fresh Expo, presented by the Texas International Produce Association, sold out the exhibit hall. This year's expo, held March 30 to April 2 at the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort & Spa in San Antonio, TX, saw increased retail and foodservice attendance.
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Weis-Buy Farms aims to provide customers with the best produce at reasonable prices
There are many exciting things happening at Weis-Buy Farms this year, according to a company press release. Florida fresh produce will be available from the company through the winter and into the spring. Mature green tomatoes, vine-ripe tomatoes, grape tomatoes, squash, eggplant, cabbage, corn and green Bell peppers are the main items handled. A strong start to the watermelon season is also anticipated although the company expects its mango deal to be late.
Kroger & Lucky's Market announce strategic partnership
The Kroger Co. announced a strategic partnership with Lucky's Market, a specialty grocery store chain focused on natural, organic and locally grown products. Kroger made an investment in Lucky's, which it said will significantly accelerate Lucky's Market's growth in new and existing markets. The financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed.