Kroger chairman to retire, successor named
David B. Dillon, who led The Kroger Co. leadership team's development of the company's successful Customer 1st Strategy, will retire as chairman of the board Dec. 31, after 38 years of service. Rodney McMullen, Kroger's chief executive officer, will take on the additional post of chairman commencing Jan. 1, 2015. McMullen has served on the board of directors since 2003. Additionally, Nora A. Aufreiter has been elected to the company's board of directors.
L&M Cos. adds mature green tomatoes to Nogales product lineup
L&M Cos., which is based in Raleigh, NC, and has branch operations in Nogales, AZ, and several other locations around the country, will be adding mature green tomatoes to its lineup of offerings out of West Mexico for the winter season this year, according to John McDaniel, sales and operations director for the Nogales office.
The mature greens will be coming from Sinaloa and were expected to start about mid-December, continuing throughout the winter and wrapping up around late March or mid-April, he said.
Wholesum succeeding in third year with FairTrade affiliation
NOGALES, AZ — The Crisantes family, which owns Wholesum Family Farms Inc., based here, has always expressed its social conscience and cared for and invested in the well-being of its employees.
But as the FairTrade movement became more established, there were increasingly reasons for Wholesum to move toward formal FairTrade certification.
Ricardo Crisantes Sr. tells the story of his board members’ approval process prior to the FairTrade commitment three years ago.
Opal Apple lets New Yorkers taste the difference, make a difference
Opal, known as the apple with a purpose, donates a percentage of sales from every case of Opal apples to youth-led non-profits each year. In keeping with the spirit of giving, Opal hit the Big Apple Dec. 2 for Giving Tuesday — a global day dedicated to giving back — and gave away over 6,000 Opal apples.
Listeria risk prompts Del Monte recall in the Northeast
Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A. Inc. has announced a voluntary recall of fresh cut fruit containing Gala red apples grown in Pennsylvania. The affected product was distributed to a limited number of customers in the Northeast and is being recalled because these apples have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.
Castellini increases presence in Southeast
The Castellini Group of Cos., a leading distributor of fresh produce based in Cincinnati, announced plans to construct a vegetable processing and distribution center in Conley, GA.
The location in Georgia strengthens Castellini's presence in the Southeast, enabling it to reach 80 percent of the U.S. market within a single day by truck.
WPVGA appoints executive director
The board of directors of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association named Tamas Houlihan as its executive director. Houlihan has been serving as interim executive director since August of 2014.
Southern Specialties heading into a strong holiday season with high-quality specialty fruits and vegetables
“We had a very strong Thanksgiving pull and we’re looking forward to a strong remaining holiday season,” Charlie Eagle, vice president of business development for Southern Specialties, a leading grower, importer and distributor of specialty produce, told The Produce News.
“We continue to receive asparagus from Peru and will open our Mexican deal in early January,” he continued. “We offer asparagus in a wide variety of value-added options, with sizes that are ideal for every consumer.”
Agricola Gutiérrez thrives in Yaqui Valley
OBREGÓN, SONORA, Mexico — Strong and growing within Sonora’s thriving Yaqui Valley is Agricola Gutiérrez. The 20-year old company is owned by brothers Octavio and Ernesto Gutiérrez.
In recent years, the very close brothers have somewhat separated their entrepreneurial activities. But together they own produce packinghouses around Obregón as well as the produce marketing company, GreenPoint Distributing LLC, located in Rio Rico, AZ. GreenPoint was founded in November 2000 after an unprofitable season selling product through an independent distributor.
Lipman challenges Eva Longoria’s film claiming abysmal working conditions for farm labor
A new documentary film co-produced and hosted by actress Eva Longoria and “Fast Food Nation” author Eric Schlosser claims to expose the underbelly of the farm labor system in the United States and says pressure from retailers and fast food restaurants contributes substantially to “subhuman” working conditions.