The New England Produce Council’s 23rd Annual Produce, Floral & Foodservice Expo will be held Aug. 21-22 at Encore Boston Harbor, and as always, will include an incomparable line up of speakers and more than 100 produce and floral exhibitors showcasing their products.

This is the first time the event will be at this venue, which is part of the Wynn Casino Group, so there’s some added entertainment for those who come out.

The tradition of apple growing in Michigan is rich, as the state has 775 family-run farms, some dating back five or six generations. This makes Michigan apples available virtually year-round — and they are sold in 32 states and 18 countries. Plus, more than 12,000 retail grocery stores in the United States sell Michigan apples.

Hundreds of apple varieties are grown in Michigan. Some of the most popular varieties are Gala, Fuji, Honeycrisp and Red Delicious. Additionally, there are many managed varieties grown in the state, such as EverCrisp, SweeTango, Smitten and Kiku.

Shuman Farms began its farming operations in Peru more than a quarter of a century ago, developing a vertically integrated program that allows the grower/shipper to supply  the same consumer-recognized and preferred sweet onion from September to March. The organization is heavily invested in the region with a full-time staff and infrastructure to support the program. This allows Shuman Farms to be a reliable and consistent year-round supplier, taking the guess work out of the sweet onion category.

For more than 100 years, Courchesne Larose Ltd. has been a major player on the Canadian fresh fruit and vegetable market, driven by a strong commitment to its customers.

Continuing a tradition that has gone on for more than 75 years, the Quebec Produce Marketing Association (AQDFL/QPMA) will present its annual convention, Aug. 17-19 at the Fairmont Le Château Frontenac.

The organizing committee, led by Chris Sarantis, Pota Bountounis, Christian Riopel and Nancy Potvin are excited for all the AQDFL convention has to offer.

For many years, Louis Caputo has joked that Caputo and Guest has been the “little brother” of the mushroom industry. Because when big retail companies ordered mushrooms, the mostly ordered common varieties from large suppliers.

“And they’d have this little portion of the order that was specialty mushrooms,” said Caputo, chief operating officer for Caputo and Guest, headquartered in in Kennett Square, PA. “The big mushroom growers would just call us and buy their specialty mushrooms from us. And that really created a barrier for us.”