Plantable pencils turn into peppers, cherry tomatoes
Sprout, which specializes in sustainable, germinating products, sells a pencil that grows into vegetables, herbs or flowers, including cherry tomatoes and peppers. Today, the company sells more than 450,000 pencils a month, and they are available at a variety of locations, including retailers like Whole Foods.
RLB rebrands as Fresh Pro Food Distributors
RLB Food Distributors, a 30-year distributor of perishable foods along the East Coast, based in West Caldwell, NJ, has unveiled a new name, a new look and greater focus on serving retail and foodservice customers.
PermaTherm parked an F-150 where?!?
ATLANTA — PermaTherm Industries, a maker of premium insulated metal refrigeration panels headquartered here, has long claimed to have the strongest product in the industry.
Organic Produce Summit to feature educational sessions in partnership with OTA
The Organic Produce Summit will feature a series of timely educational sessions to be presented at its inaugural trade show designed for organic fresh produce producers and handlers.
Vision Produce completes solar project in Phoenix
Vision Produce had a ceremonial ribbon cutting Nov. 2 for the installation of the solar power generation system at its produce distribution center in Phoenix. The system includes 1,930 solar panels and is expected to supply 59 percent of the electricity Vision Produce consumes in Phoenix every year.
Braga Fresh Family Farms celebrates 45 years with David Cardenas
Braga Fresh Family Farms and the Braga family are celebrating 45 years working with Gavino (David) Cardenas, a respected employee. Cardenas began working at the Braga Fresh home ranch in August of 1970 — just one month before Chris Braga was born.
Duda Farm Fresh Foods’ California citrus season now in full swing
Savvy companies, especially those that have built strong brand names over the years, such as Duda Farm Fresh Foods’ “Dandy” brand vegetables, and “Citrines” brand citrus, are among the most highly recognized and sought-after brands in the market today.
The Oviedo, FL-based company is known for staying ahead of trends and providing new and exciting products that quickly draw consumer attention. And it offers its products in attractive high-graphic packs in user-friendly sizes.
Produce industry urges Congress to pass weight limit amendment to highway bill
WASHINGTON — A critical highway bill heads to the House floor this week, and the produce industry, which overwhelmingly relies on trucks to move fresh products, is pushing for amendments that would modernize U.S. truck weight limits.
With infrastructure funding expiring Nov. 30, the House is considering the six-year, Surface Transportation Reauthorization & Reform Act of 2015 this week.
Texas retailer H‑E‑B announces new ownership plan
H‑E‑B, which operates more than 370 stores in Texas and Mexico, announced that 55,000 employees would be eligible to receive a portion of stock in the company under a new employee ownership plan.
Maggie G wraps up business on the PMA trade show floor
ATLANTA — Almost 20,000 attendees from 63 countries packed the Georgia World Congress Center here Oct. 21-25 for PMA Fresh Summit 2015. The number of attendees set a record for an East Coast Fresh Summit, and the 3,380 buyers were the most since 2011 in Orlando, FL.