Retail View: Research indicates drought will cause retail price increases
A business school professor at Arizona State University has finalized some research about price elasticity in the produce department that indicates specific commodities could see a significant retail price increase this year because of the drought.
Cold delays Ohio vegetable plantings
Old Man Winter aged to be ancient this winter through much of North America. Ohio produce growers continued to feel the wrath going into mid-April.
On April 15, three large growers around Willard, OH, told very similar tales.
Ana Maria Campos joins K&M Marketing
K&M Marketing, based in San Diego, recently hired Ana Maria Campos as a produce buyer and sales specialist.
In her new position, Campos will handle sales for the company, with a focus on potatoes and citrus.
Prior to joining K&M Marketing, Campos worked for Los Angeles-based produce market company, Rainforest, as well as Excell Produce, also based in Los Angeles, and Miami-based JC Tropical. She has been working in the produce industry for a total of 16 years.
General Produce Inc. expanding its line of value-added products
General Produce prides itself on its customer service as it is constantly looking for new ways to improve what it can do for retailers and other clients.
Procacci Bros. ‘Taste Like Summer’ winter program a huge success
People in the north needed a taste of summer during the past brutal winter, and Procacci Bros. in Philadelphia gave them just that with its “Taste Like Summer” campaign, which promoted “UglyRipe” heirloom tomatoes and “SantaSweets” grape tomatoes.
California figs more than two weeks early
Figs from the California desert region have been in the marketplace since late April, which was much earlier than normal because of warm winter weather.
Kurt Cappelluti, sales manager for Stellar Distributing in Madera, CA, said last year's start date of May 8 was the earliest he had ever seen in more than 20 years in the deal.
"And this year we beat that by two weeks," he said. "We shipped our first carton on April 23. Unbelievable."
Stone fruit crop starts early with near-normal volume
The season is getting off to an early start for California stone fruit, with beginning harvest dates for many early varieties as much as one to two weeks ahead of normal.
What impact will millennials have on produce sales?
A lot has been written about millennials, a term used to describe those born between 1981 and 2000. Also known as Generation Y, Boomerang Generation and Echo Boomers, this segment of the U.S. population is estimated to be 76 million to 80 million strong, or roughly one in four people.
NatureSweet Cherriots tomatoes launch as ready-to-eat snack
NatureSweet, a leading grower of premium, branded fresh tomatoes, has introduced a new line of ready-to-eat snacking tomatoes called Cherriots.
These bite-sized tomatoes meet the growing demand for snacks that support a healthy lifestyle. Cherriots will be sold in a convenient pull-apart three-pack.
Produce Monkey announces launch
ProduceMonkey.com is bringing a new swing on social media marketing to the produce industry with its official May 1 launch.