Farm Fresh set for strong spring veg deal
The North Carolina bell pepper deal for Farm Fresh Produce, Inc. looked good May 6. Speaking by phone from Amsterdam, where he was checking a sweet potato export arrival, Steven Ceccarelli, company owner, said his pepper harvest would begin in the range of June 20-24.
Farm Fresh’s expanding napa cabbage deal was to begin around May 9 and would run through June 10, Ceccarelli said. This is a late start because of cool early spring weather.
Oceanside Pole to double Romas and increase rounds
With twice as many Romas as last year in the plans, as well as new acreage planted in grower Harry Singh Jr.'s signature vine-ripe seed, West Coast Tomato Growers and The Oppenheimer Group are entering the third year of their marketing partnership with optimism.
Ready Pac expands beyond single-serve salads to meet growing demand
Coming off the success of its current Bistro Salad Bowl line, Ready Pac Foods Inc. is taking the fresh single-serve segment to the next level with even more produce-based, pantry load, complete meal solutions.
Weis names new senior VP of operations
Weis Markets announced David W. Gose has joined the company as senior vice president of operations.
In his new position, Gose will oversee the day-to-day operation and management of the company’s stores. He will report to Chief Operating Officer Kurt Schertle.
CMI report details keys to boosting cherry retail sales
Top-performing cherry retailers utilize significantly different sales and merchandising approaches than low-performing retailers, according to a new analysis released by Columbia Marketing International. The report identifies key differences between top and bottom performing retailers in U.S.
In the Trenches: Why don’t customers make produce purchases?
Now and then, I notice some shoppers enter produce departments, look around, pick up an item, place it back on the display, and leave without buying anything. Why is that? I don’t think those customers came into the store just to browse. The supermarket isn’t a gift shop. People browse in gift shops but buy food in supermarkets.
Early start for California new potatoes collides with late storage
“The market is slow to come to California,” but all signs indicate customers “will be buying here” shortly, Dennis Johnston, a partner in Johnston Farms in Edison, CA, said May 13 as the shipping season for California red, yellow and white new potatoes got under way.
The russet harvest in California had not yet started.
JemD Farms and Agricola El Rosal transition to Red Sun Farms
JemD Farms and Agricola El Rosal have begun the final phases of their brand transition strategy, which will result in the group becoming Red Sun Farms.
The change has been ongoing for the past three years and has been designed to take advantage of the three company's synergies including logos, corporate cultures and places emphasis on the well-known consumer brand.
Farm Fresh doubles Napa deal
Farm Fresh Produce Inc. is doubling its Napa cabbage production this spring, said company owner Steven Ceccarelli.
Ceccarelli “doubled up” his Napa acreage this year to 60 acres. It will be the second consecutive year that the firm has doubled this production.
Like the entire East Coast, Ceccarelli’s operation, based in Faison, NC, suffered a long, cold winter, which somewhat delayed spring planting. His normal harvest date is around May 6-7.
Limes through Texas big part of Brooks Tropicals’ offerings
For 85 years, Brooks Tropicals has grown and sold tropical fruits from its South Florida headquarters. Charlie Brooks took the foray into agriculture when the real estate market was difficult in the 1920s, and the company has been on an upward swing ever since.