At Ruiz Sales, looking out for families is part of corporate culture
PHARR, TX — At Ruiz Sales, families are at the forefront of the company’s mission to provide healthy and safe food.
Richard Ruiz, president of the Edinburg, TX-based distributor of tropical items from Mexico, believes that it is incumbent on the industry to provide fresh, safe and traceable produce to consumers at all times. And proper protocols must be followed at all levels of the supply chain in order to accomplish that goal.
Humanitarian efforts play key role at Continental Fresh
“We are excited about many things; one being our revamped website which was launched just one week ago,” Albert Perez, managing member of Continental Fresh, headquartered in Miami, FL, told The Produce News March 7. “The site, www.continentalfresh.com, describes our product line and our services. It also shares information about our growers, and it tells the story of our ongoing humanitarian efforts.”
Ag Leadership Council receives Hero Award for donations to medical foundation
The Agricultural Leadership Council in Salinas, CA, whose members include many high-profile produce company executives, received the 2013 Hero Award from the Natividad Medical Foundation in recognition of more than $800,000 in donations made by members over several years, including more than $200,000 during January and February of this year, to purchase needed medical equipment for Navidad Hospital in Salinas.
Supervalu completes sale of five grocery banners
Supervalu Inc. completed the sale of its Albertsons, Acme, Jewel-Osco, Shaw's and Star Market stores and related Osco and Sav-on in-store pharmacies March 21 to AB Acquisition LLC, an affiliate of a Cerberus Capital Management L.P.-led investor consortium. The stock deal was valued at $3.3 billion, including $100 million in cash and $3.2 billion in debt assumption.
New DRC website aims to prevent disputes
The Fruit & Vegetable Dispute Resolution Corp. launched a new website, FVDRC.com, as part of its renewed focus on Keeping Trade on Track through dispute prevention education.
The new site is designed to better align with recent rebranding and marketing efforts, and offers better access to information to help prevent disputes from happening in the first place. FVDRC.com will enable visitors to quickly call up reference tools such as the active DRC members list, standards, guidelines and form templates.
George A. Heimos Produce century-old reputation is well-earned, deserved
One hundred years and four generations later, George A. Heimos Produce is well aware of the formula for its success. “Over the years, we’ve always prided ourselves in selling service first and produce second,” President James Heimos Sr. told The Produce News March 8. “To this day we maintain George’s belief that ‘Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.’ ”
New Miami facility a game-changer for Next-Port Inc.
After opening its doors to the world of export produce in 1999, Next-Port Inc., headquartered in Miami, has moved on to its next level of growth following the company’s relocation to a new facility late last year.
Stephen Meyers brings fresh look to sweet potato research
On Jan. 1, 2012, Stephen Meyers began his first job following graduation from college, and it was his entry into the produce industry as a career.
PMA buoyed by positive response to upcoming Women’s Fresh Perspectives Conference
The Produce Marketing Association Foundation for Industry Talent’s Women’s Fresh Perspectives brand has evolved over time from a leadership breakfast at PMA’s Fresh Summit to a reception at PMA’s Foodservice Conference to a special three-day conference to be held next month in Scottsdale, AZ.
St. Louis Produce Market turns 60 years old in 2013
The St. Louis Produce Market, known lovingly as Produce Row, is gearing up for quite a celebration. “We are very excited about celebrating our 60th anniversary on Produce Row, Market Manager Pat Kelley told The Produce News on March 15. “We are proud to serve our customers and community the freshest produce in St. Louis.”