Increasing consumption is at the core of NWPB’s mission
The National Watermelon Promotion Board’s mission centers on a single, industry-wide objective: increasing consumer demand for watermelon. As the watermelon industry gets set to gather for its annual convention Feb. 19-22 in St. Pete Beach, FL, NWPB continues its year-round work to support this industry by strengthening watermelon’s relevance, visibility and value in an increasingly competitive marketplace.
In the Trenches: Don’t slam the door on progress
A sales representative placed a call to the produce buyer of a large supermarket chain. “Hi, I’d like to set up an appointment to show you some new fresh-cut salad mixes of organically grown baby lettuce varieties that include organic salad dressings. The bags are biodegradable and very consumer-friendly.”Without hesitation, the buyer replied, “No thanks, we don’t need another salad mix. We’re out of shelf space now on packaged salads. Besides, we’ve been doing business with the same supplier for five years and don’t want to change. Sorry, I’m in a hurry, good-bye.”
North Bay Produce sees strong winter apple season
North Bay Produce is a cooperative of approximately 30 grower-owners from North, Central and South America with apples being one of its main commodities. “The winter market has been strong, with significant movement in both domestic and export markets,” said Ken Korson, apple category manager for the Traverse City, MI-based company. “The season is shaping up to remain robust for both processed and fresh apples.”
Wada Farms has great regional story to tell in Colorado
Wada Farms has been part of the potato industry since 1943, and over the decades it has grown into a national grower-shipper and marketer.
Capespan North America makes two significant appointments
Craig Messmer and Ashley Berlinger have joined Capespan North America as sales executives. Messmer has over 23 years’ experience in the produce industry, most recently as key account manager for a major fresh fruit importer and distributor where he managed numerous national programs over a range of product lines. He lives in Portland, OR.
Trendspotting: Breaking the routine — for retailers and consumers
In an upcoming In the Trenches column, featured in The Produce News' Feb. 9 issue, Ron Pelger writes about produce managers keeping an open mind when it comes to new products and ideas. Breaking routine is hard — for retailers as well as consumers.
Splendid anxiously awaits mango supply to pick up
Splendid by Porvenir, a leading importer and distributor of mangos, is anxious for fruit volume to ramp up to meet demand that has been on the rise in recent weeks.According to a mango crop report released by the National Mango Board, at the conclusion of Week 4 fruit volume from Peru and Mexico combined was just under 1.9 million boxes, with Peru accounting for 1.7 million of those boxes. For the season to date, Peru has shipped just under 12.5 million boxes.
Family Tree Farms names VP of sales and marketing
Family Tree Farms has promoted Doug LaCroix to vice president of sales and marketing. LaCroix has been a foundational member of the Family Tree Farms leadership team for more than 20 years, guiding sales and marketing strategy that has supported the company’s growth across domestic and international markets. In his expanded role, LaCroix will continue to lead sales strategy and help shape the company’s brand direction as Family Tree Farms builds on its reputation for quality and innovation.
Giant Eagle launches food as medicine program
Giant Eagle has partnered with NationsBenefits, a leader in healthcare fintech and integrated benefit solutions. Eligible health-plan members can pay for fresh produce, pantry staples and over-the-counter wellness items at more than 200 Giant Eagle supermarkets, where item-level eligibility is validated at checkout in just milliseconds. The collaboration also further connects food as medicine benefits directly to where families shop, while giving health plans privacy-safe insights to refine program design and member outreach.
Nash Produce relies on diversified grower base for its sweet potato program
Nash Produce has built a nationally recognized sweet potato program by focusing on consistency, planning and long-term relationships across the supply chain. Operating as a packer-shipper, the Nashville, NC–based company works with a broad network of growers to ensure reliable, year-round supply while maintaining the quality standards customers expect.