Phillips Mushroom Farms sees demand for organic mushroom items continuing despite economic challenges
Demand for organic mushrooms is growing, according to Kevin Donovan, national sales manager for Phillips Mushroom Farms in Kennett Square, PA.
Mr. Donovan noted that new customers for organic mushrooms are emerging, and most of them are in the retail sector. He said that mainstream organic retailers as well as mainstream conventional retail customers have started to push more organic products in their stores.
Spice World expands ‘Squeeze Garlic’ line with organic version of product
Spice World Inc.’s organic version of its popular “Squeeze Garlic” product was a natural move for the Orlando, FL-based company.
Louis Hymel, director of purchasing and marketing for Spice World, said that the company has handled organic products for nearly a decade.
Always innovative, Plant City’s Wish Farms stays on top of the Florida berry deal
Plant City, FL-based Wish Farms has been known as an innovator for decades, even when it was Wishnatzki Farms, which was before a major rebranding effort created the more user-friendly label. Third-generation owner Gary Wishnatzki led that charge via a focus on marketing, but he also keeps an eye on the products that have increasingly made the label a consumer favorite.
Edinburg Citrus hires Jeffrey Arnold
JEFFREY ARNOLD joined Edinburg Citrus Association, based in Edinburg, TX, as an intern from Texas A&M in August, and he was recently promoted to a sales position.
In his new role at Edinburg Citrus, Mr. Arnold handles grapefruit and orange sales.
C&D Fruit & Vegetable has an excellent crop of Florida strawberries timed to promote
Just like last year, C&D Fruit and Vegetable Co. of Bradenton, FL, has high-quality Florida strawberries in abundance. Unlike last year, the company also has solid markets for that fruit.
Last year’s crop created bargain basement prices for consumers but did little for grower-shippers.
In 2011-12, Mexico “crashed the party” and some Florida growers “just went stupid” and planted “more acreage than they can market,” said C&D’s Tom O’Brien.
Typical winter situation prevails in transportation industry
With the holiday season in the rearview mirror, truck supplies are currently sufficient to handle demand for refrigerated commodities, and that should remain the case until produce supplies pick up over the next several months.
"The freight situation is a little quiet right now," Lance Dichter, president of LD Logistics in the Bronx, NY, said in mid-January. "The weather has been cold in California, which has cut down on production. Right now trucks are plentiful and cheap."
Frieda's partnership with wholesalers brings produce to schools
School kids across the United States are getting a chance to try unique fruits and vegetables and Frieda's Specialty Produce is playing a role, thanks to two produce wholesalers.
California grape industry looks to capitalize on popularity of fruit as top snack
According to a recent snacking study, fresh fruit is not only the top snack food consumed in America, it is also one of the fastest growing.
The study results, conducted by The NPD Group, are not surprising to California's table grape farmers, who have been promoting Grapes from California as the "Original Super Snack" all season and are expected to announce record-breaking shipping numbers at the end of January.
Detroit looking to have a strong rebound after recent difficulties
Detroit has always been a “bootstraps” town, and despite some tough times in recent years the city is prepared to move forward with success.
On Jan. 4, 2013, Andrew Mach, a staff writer for NBC News, reported that the homicide rate in the city of Detroit continued a grim upward trend in 2012, hitting its highest peak in nearly two decades, according to city officials.
Michael Hively named CFO and COO at Curry & Co.
Curry & Co., a year-round supplier of sweet onions, onions and blueberries, announced that Michael Hively has been named chief financial officer and chief operations officer of the Brooks, OR-based company.