Kurt Zuhlke has been a leader in the produce packaging industry for generations, but even with all his experience, he never saw a month as busy as December of 2021. He said it was the best month his firm, Kurt Zuhlke & Associates, has ever had in its history.

“It’s usually a good month, but not outstanding,” said Zuhlke, whose firm is headquartered in Easton, PA. “It beat all records — it just blew my mind.”

He attributed that record-breaking month to an increased demand for packaging.

Yes! Apples, a consumer-first brand started by New York Apple Sales three years ago, has become a popular name in the industry and it continues to expand business year after year.

As one of the largest garlic and specialty produce distributors in the Northeast, the third-generation family-owned Maurice Auerbach Inc., offers a product line of produce items sourced from around the world.

Packing its products under the AuerPak brand name, the company specializes in garlic, shallots and other specialty items, including tropical and Asian produce. It also handles organic garlic, shallots and tofu.

With eight generations of history behind it, Flavor 1st Growers & Packers has long been a big player in the produce industry. The Mills River, NC company grows and packs more than 30 different varieties of produce, all of which are tracked from field-to-fork using state-of-the-art distribution programs, labeling and procedures.

The company is looking forward to attending the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure expo this year, a show that its attended since the start in 1999.

The New York Apple Association is becoming more digitally-centered around the customer connection — one person, one apple, one market at a time. In doing so, the association is actively considering how digital touchpoints can create and enhance the shopping experience of today’s shoppers — all the way from ecoupons, social media and making available information about apple varieties and new recipes. 

When Crunch Time Apple Growers was formed 10 years ago, the New York growers that formed the company did so in order to bring new flavorful varieties to the marketplace — and not just any varieties, but high-flavor, premium, Cornell-developed apples, specifically SnapDragon and RubyFrost.