Lipman expands with Sam’s Produce acquisition
Lipman, one of the larger North American field tomato growers, has acquired Denver-based Sam’s Produce.
Village Farms names national field marketing manager
Village Farms recently appointed Michael Carr as the company’s national field marketing manager. In this new role for the company Carr will be responsible for driving the tactical execution of strategic marketing initiatives. He will report directly to Doug Kling, the company’s senior vice president and chief marketing officer.
GR Produce launches new brand to enhance U.S. presence
GR Produce Inc., a grower with more than 6,000 acres in six different regions throughout Mexico, has launched a new brand — GRFresh — to help focus efforts on raising its visibility in the United States.
The company's staple items are Roma, round and grape tomatoes, cucumbers, Bell peppers, hot peppers, pecans and pomegranates.
Citrus continues as growth category for Homegrown Organic Farms
For Homegrown Organic Farms, a California grower-shipper specializing in representing other growers since 1998, citrus is the firm’s largest category and also an area where it is continuing to see sustained growth.
Craig Morris, citrus category manager for the Porterville, CA-based firm, said the shippers expects to have about 25 percent more volume of navels oranges this year, which is its top citrus crop. “The crop looks like it is going to be about 10 percent larger than last year and, in addition, we have gained additional acreage from other growers.”
Good harvest completed for SunDate
A problem-free harvest resulting in good sizing and increased volume should lead to an excellent date season for Coachella, CA-based SunDate LLC.
Reached in late October as the Medjool date harvest was coming to its conclusion, salesman D.J. Ryan said, “We had no weather struggles this year. We dodged a bullet a bit as when we did get rain last week [Oct. 15-17,] all the fields had already been picked at least once.”
Growers Express introduces new organic line
Growers Express LLC, based in Salinas, CA, has launched a line of premium organic vegetables that will be marketed under its legacy “Farm Day Organic” brand.
The variety of products are fresh from the fields and grown by the Growers Express family of farmers, whose passion for organic farming is evident in every product they grow, harvest and pack.
Fresh & Easy bankruptcy, liquidation
Fresh & Easy filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection Friday, Oct. 30. The West Coast retailer is currently liquidating its stock and will be closing all of its nearly 100 stores.
The company said it owes 16,695 creditors between $100 million and $500 million, while its assets are between $10 million and $50 million.
Sobeys to purchase Pete's Fine Foods
Sobeys Capital Inc. has entered into an agreement to purchase the Pete’s Fine Foods grocery retail and wholesale business. Pete Luckett, founder, had been building up market-style shops for more than 40 years and will remain in a consulting capacity.
More from the PMA trade show floor in Atlanta
ATLANTA — Avocado ice cream, a kohlrabi jack-o'-lantern and a sort-of disturbing giant peach — that's part of what we found on the trade show floor at PMA Fresh Summit here Oct. 21-25.
United Fresh, Silicon Valley leaders provide salad bars to 120 schools
Children in schools throughout Silicon Valley have access to new salad bars with a wide variety of fresh fruit and vegetable choices, thanks to a coalition of partners from the renowned high-tech business sector in San Jose.