Gotham Greens, a pioneer in indoor agriculture operating high-tech greenhouses across the U.S., has announced its latest greenhouse in California near the University of California-Davis, one of the world’s leading agriculture research and teaching centers. Located in Solano County, California, the first phase of Gotham Greens’ 10-acre greenhouse facility is expected to open in 2021 and will enable the company […]
Category: Produce News
The Shelby Report covers the produce industry for grocery retailers nationwide, from fresh fruit and vegetable trends and supplier announcements to merchandising strategies and regional market news. Updated regularly across our five regional editions.
Find all our fresh coverage in Focus on Fresh.
Avocados From Mexico Brings Back Taco Tip-Off Program
Avocados From Mexico is teaming up with Mission Foods, a tortilla brand in the U.S., for the second consecutive year for the return of “Taco Tip Off.” The promotional program celebrates the college basketball season and championship and offers a full court advantage to boost avocado sales and increase basket size with Mission brand pitas, […]
Fresh Del Monte Partners With Queensland University Of Technology
Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., based in Coral Gables, Florida, has partnered with Queensland University of Technology (QUT), located in Brisbane, Australia, to lead innovation toward the development of disease-resistant bananas. The partnership will help to identify new ways of growing bananas that are less susceptible to Tropical Race 4 (TR4), also known as Fusarium […]
Ocean Mist Farms Kicks Off 2021 Coachella Artichoke Season
Ocean Mist Farms, a grower and marketer of fresh artichokes in the U.S., has launched the Coachella artichoke production season with the third annual Peace, Love & Artichokes winter promotion. This multifaceted campaign, lasting through March 15, includes email marketing to artichoke shoppers and produce buyers, social media advertising and sweepstakes prizes – all to drive sales […]
Market Profile: Fresh Value Focused On Product Selection, ‘Great Customer Service’
Company has stores throughout state; the ninth opened on Feb. 1 by Mary Margaret Stewart, staff writer Gerry D’Alessandro officially started working for his family’s grocery business at age 14. At the time, his father and uncle – Jerry and Frank D’Alessandro – owned a single store called Fourth Avenue Supermarket in Bessemer, Alabama. When he […]
Pure Flavor Receives International Taste Award for New Cloud 9 Tomato
Greenhouse vegetable grower Pure Flavor is launching its Cloud 9 Bite-Sized Fruity Tomatoes. After extensive product trials and consumer taste testing, many are heralding the new tomato variety as an everyday snack game changer. “We taste hundreds of tomatoes every year searching for something special – unique colors, shapes, sizes, but most importantly flavor. From […]
Homestyle Guacamole Is Latest Addition To Del Monte Fresh Lineup
Del Monte Fresh Produce has relaunched its Homestyle Guacamole in a variety of new flavors, combining its high-quality ingredients with the fresh taste and texture of a homemade guacamole without the hassle. Fresh Del Monte’s Homestyle Guacamole has been revamped to bring fresher taste and flavor to consumers. A non-GMO product, the guacamole is made […]
Looking At Local Produce And Nutrition Incentive Programs
By Ted Mason and Jimmy Wright / NGAF TA Center As buying agents for the grocery shoppers they serve, grocers never lose track of their obligation to provide shoppers with the products they want and need. Just as home gardeners know fruits and vegetables grown in their backyard are the freshest one can get, grocers […]
C.H. Robinson Launches Consumer Brand As Robinson Fresh
Robinson Fresh, a division of global logistics company C.H. Robinson, is now offering fresh produce under its own name for the first time in its 115-year history of providing and transporting fresh produce. Retailers can continue to offer the best produce on the market, which they have depended on Robinson Fresh to consistently provide since […]
Remembering Tim Corkill, FirstFruits Regional Marketing Manager
FirstFruits Marketing remembers Tim Corkill, a long-time FirstFruits Marketing’s regional marketing manager, who died on Saturday, Jan. 9. “Tim Corkill had such a killer work ethic and a mind for the details, those qualities coupled with his enthusiasm for our business made him someone we could always trust,” said Chuck Zeutenhorst, president at FirstFruits Marketing. […]
Mann Packing Co. Adds Fifth Facility To Lineup Of West Coast Operations
Mann Packing Co. Inc., a subsidiary of Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A. and one of the largest suppliers of packaged vegetables in North America, is opening its new facility in Gonzales, California. Joining a lineup of facilities in Salinas, California; Chualar, California; Delhi, California; and Yuma, Arizona, the new facility will allow Mann Packing to […]
Leonardo’s Produce Joins FreshEdge Family Of Companies
Leonardo’s Produce, a distributor of fresh produce and specialty products, has joined FreshEdge, a family of produce and specialty food companies backed by Rotunda Capital Partners. This action further diversifies the group’s combined customer base and increases its breadth and depth of service offerings in Michigan and Ohio. Leonardo’s joins a growing family that includes Piazza […]
Winter Sweetz To Host ‘Sweeter in Texas’ Sweepstakes Through Jan. 15
Mission, Texas-based Winter Sweetz, a grapefruit brand owned by Lone Star Citrus, is launching “Sweeter in Texas,” a sweepstakes to celebrate Texas’ red grapefruit season during the holidays and through the New Year. “This season’s harvest is one of our very best yet, and we are thrilled to share our excitement to ignite demand this year by way […]
United Fresh’s BrandStorm Marketing Conference Goes Virtual
United Fresh’s sixth annual BrandStorm event will take place online from March 9-11. The signature marketing conference will gather produce marketers for strategic and tactical education, idea-sharing and innovative dialogue with peers and colleagues across the globe. BrandStorm, a project of United Fresh’s Produce Marketing and Merchandising Council, has been developed to engage all levels […]
PMA Caps Off 2020 Virtual Town Hall With Insights From Industry Leaders
Produce Marketing Association will cap off this year’s Virtual Town Hall Series with a candid conversation featuring Bruce Taylor of Taylor Farms and John Anderson of The Oppenheimer Group. PMA CEO Cathy Burns will host this fireside chat, providing a forum for all three leaders to share their insights and perspectives on 2020 and how […]
Mastronardi Produce To Open New Omnichannel DC In Laredo, Texas
Mastronardi Produce, a greenhouse pioneer that sells and markets fresh fruits and vegetables under the Sunset brand, has announced the opening of a new 185,000-square-foot facility in Laredo, Texas, near its current distribution center. Customized to the company’s needs, the warehouse was designed to efficiently provide pick-and-pack operations in support of the ever-increasing demand for Sunset-branded fruits and […]
Del Monte Fresh Produce Expands Sales Of Pink Pineapple, Pinkglow
Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A., a North American marketers and distributor of high-quality fresh and fresh-cut fruit and vegetables, will expand its exclusive Pinkglow Pineapple to select retailers in limited markets throughout the U.S. The Pinkglow Pineapple is a novel pineapple with a pink interior, uniquely grown by Coral Gables, Florida-based Fresh Del Monte and now available in new […]
Consumer Demand Leads Zespri To Plan Year-Round Supply Of Kiwifruit
Since the launch of Zespri’s SunGold Kiwifruit into the American market six years ago, demand has made it one of the fastest growing fruits in the fruit bowl. A combination of creative sampling, a new vertically designed package and an effective consumer campaign has contributed to a sales increase of more than 31 percent in […]
America’s Love Of Avocados Drives Economic Growth
According to a new economic contribution analysis from Texas A&M University, the imports of Mexican Hass avocados have made substantial contributions to the U.S. economy during the 2019-2020 growing season. In this timeframe, more than 2.1 billion pounds of avocados were imported into the U.S. from the Mexican state of Michoacán – fueling consumers’ love of […]
United Fresh Releases Fall 2020 Fresh Insights For Foodservice
The fall 2020 issue of United Fresh’s Fresh Insights for Foodservice is now available. Sponsored by Produce Alliance, this quarterly report highlights on-trend foodservice applications for fresh produce in restaurants, at retail, in meal kits and more. “The ongoing pandemic continues to create challenges for foodservice operators and supplier partners and pivoting to meet the […]
