Ray Gilmer to leave United Fresh this month
WASHINGTON — After 20 years with the food industry, Ray Gilmer, vice president of issues management and communications at the United Fresh Produce Association, is leaving at the end of the month to lead a Maryland college's public relations team.
Natural Blend, new vegetable dehydration plant, holds opening ceremony in Farmville, NC
A new life for an old textile plant and a new use for discarded but quality sweet potatoes were celebrated at the Sept. 30 grand opening of the Natural Blend vegetable dehydration facility in Farmville, NC.
PFK and Publix hold healthy family event with The Very Hungry Caterpillar
Central Florida families gathered Oct. 4 for a free event, hosted by Produce for Kids and Publix, at the Orlando Publix Aprons Cooking School to kick off the third annual Healthy Families, Helping Kids campaign.
Publix resident chef, Anthony LoGerfo, guided families in the assembly of their own "healthy caterpillars" made with fresh fruits and veggies. The Very Hungry Caterpillar was on hand for a meet and greet with families.
United Fresh staff changes to grow new foundation, enhance member service
Tom Stenzel, United Fresh Produce Association president and chief executive officer, announced several staff promotions that will create strong team alignment to enhance service to its members.
Kevin Doran named Houweling’s COO
Houweling’s Tomatoes has hired long-time produce industry executive Kevin Doran to the newly created role of chief operating officer. Doran brings over 20 years of strategic sales and marketing executive mangement experience.
PAIA promoting Peruvian asparagus at PMA
The Peruvian Asparagus Importers Association will participate at PMA Fresh Summit in Anaheim, CA, Oct. 17-19. Many of the PAIA importers will host booths at Fresh Summit to display a wide variety of new presentations, including value-added packaging.
Tyler Clear joins Deardorff Family Farms
Deardorff Family Farms, based in Oxnard, CA, recently hired Tyler Clear to work alongside Luke Patruno in organic sales.
“Our focus for the past two years was on building programs that ensure Deardorff Organics has the highest quality organic vegetables every day,” Patruno said in a press release. “With that now in place, we are scaling our programs to meet our customers’ demand for additional supplies of Deardorff Organics.”
Nickey Gregory Co. serves Southeastern states from headquarters on the Atlanta Market
The Atlanta State Farmers Market is perfectly positioned to serve Southeastern states from the center of the South. The Nickey Gregory Co. is headquartered there for that exact reason.
Mushroom Council celebrates Mushroom Month, blendability success
The Mushroom Council has seen tremendous success from what it calls the “blendability” technique of blending finely chopped mushrooms and ground meat together. This allows consumers to enjoy healthier versions of the recipes they love, like burgers, tacos, meatballs, and meatloaf and pasta sauces, without sacrificing taste.
“Blendability is served on menus from fine dining establishments to street festivals and Ivy League to elementary school cafeterias,” said Kathleen Preis, marketing coordinator for the council.
Sunkist launches Sesame Street-themed packaging as part of 'eat brighter!' movement
This season, Sunkist will showcase its premium, fresh citrus in new Sesame Street-themed packaging as part of the cooperative's participation in the Produce Marketing Association and Sesame Workshop's 'eat brighter!' initiative.