Little Leaf Farms has arranged $18 million in financing from Bank of America, to be followed by another $20 million, to fund the company’s growth. Little Leaf Farms is producing more than one million boxes of fresh greenhouse-grown baby green lettuce a month in Devens, Massachusetts, delivered to every major supermarket chain in New England […]
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.
Tommy’s Superfoods Debuts Two Whole-Plant-Based Frozen Products
Tommy’s Superfoods, has introduced two new plant-based products: Asian Fusion and Cauliflower & Purple Sweet Potatoes. All of Tommy’s veggie blends begin with whole vegetables, minimally processed and seasoned with all-natural, hand-crafted seasoning blends and fresh herbs. All of the company’s products are certified vegan, non-GMO and low sodium (by FDA standards). Asian Fusion is […]
Kalera Is On The Cutting Edge Of Vertical Farming
Kalera, a technology-driven vertical farming company, is using high-yield hydroponic production systems to grow lettuce faster, cleaner, at a lower cost and with less environmental impact. Kalera’s new CEO, Daniel Malechuk, sat down recently with Tom Bachmann, VP-Southeast for The Shelby Report, to talk about the company and its future. Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, Kalera […]
Sunions Tearless Onions Have Returned To Stores
Sunions, America’s first tearless and sweet onion, are shipping to retailers this week. Using a certification process unique to the onion category, a sensory panel determines the ship date of Sunions by following a tightly-controlled protocol including three separate tests for both flavor and tearlessness. “We don’t release the Sunions until fully approved by the sensory […]
H-E-B Harper’s Trace Is Latest Houston-Area Store For Grocer
H-E-B expanded its footprint in the Houston area on Dec. 4 with its 102,000-s.f. Harper’s Trace location at 10200 Highway 242 in Conroe. Jamie Lee, an 18-year H-E-B Partner (employee) who started as a bagger while attending Sam Houston State University in Huntsville, is the store leader. After graduation, she served at several H-E-B stores, […]
GreenWise Market Opens In Lexington, South Carolina
On Dec. 4, GreenWise Market opened a new store in Lexington, South Carolina, at 5336 Sunset Boulevard, in the Lexington Marketplace shopping center. This is the fourth GreenWise Market to open and the second in South Carolina. “Our GreenWise Market team is very excited to bring this new shopping experience to Lexington and the greater […]
Dole Food Co.’s Goldfield Named New Chairman Of PBH Board
The Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) appointed Bil Goldfield of Dole Food Co. as the new chairman of the board. On April 23, a vote by the PBH board of trustees activated this leadership transition, which became effective on Nov.22. The 2020 PBH Officers and At-Large Executive Committee members are as follows: PBH […]
Kroger’s Kelley: We Have Work To Do In Competitive Houston Market
Expect to see The Kroger Co. Houston Division team members take on more leadership roles outside the company. Other changes are coming, too, including more emphasis on diversified marketing and community engagement in the Houston area. Joe Kelley, who is president of the division, laid out some of the adjustments Kroger will make as he […]
Brookshire’s Curbside Ordering, Pickup Introduced In Four Texas Stores
Tyler, Texas-based Brookshire Grocery Co. has introduced Brookshire’s Curbside online ordering with curbside pickup at four Texas locations of Brookshire’s Food Stores: 925 Clarksville Street in Paris 2228 Island Bayou Road in Bonham 1603 Culver Street in Commerce 306 Highway 37 South in Mount Vernon Through Brookshire’s Curbside, customers may order, pay and schedule pick-up […]
Publix Set To Open New Store In Northport, Alabama
Lakeland, Florida-based Publix Super Markets will open a new store Wednesday, Dec. 4, at 7 a.m. at the Shops at Bristol Park in Northport, Alabama. “We look forward to offering the Publix shopping experience to more customers in Northport,” said Brenda Reid, Publix media and community relations manager for the Atlanta division. It will be […]
Wonderful Halos Launches ‘Camp Halohead’ Animated Series
Los Angeles, California-based Wonderful Halos, America’s No. 1 mandarin brand, debuted its new family-friendly animated entertainment series called “Camp Halohead,” which is now available to watch on the “Camp Halohead” YouTube channel. Created by Wonderful Pictures, an original-content studio and division of The Wonderful Co., in collaboration with Six Point Harness Animation, “Camp Halohead” is a […]
On Site: Northgate González Expands Into Riverside, Calif., With New Store
The Shelby Report’s VP-West Bob Reeves attended the VIP reception the evening before the new Northgate González Market opened Nov. 20 in Riverside, California. Guests were treated to a private tour of the store and the opportunity to mingle with members of the Riverside community, members of the González family and store associates. Homemade tortillas, […]
Georgia Citrus Brand Besties Hits Stores In Time For Holiday Season
Just in time for the holidays, shoppers can now add the Georgia citrus brand, Besties to their grocery lists. This month, more than 1 million lbs. of Georgia Grown satsuma mandarin oranges are going to market in major retailers including, Publix, Kroger, Walmart and Whole Foods. “Georgia has a great history of branding agricultural commodities […]
Stater Bros. Markets Holds Grand Reopenings At Three Locations
San Bernardino, California-based Stater Bros. Markets will celebrate grand reopenings for its stores located at 4059 Phelan Road in Phelan; 1040 East Bastanchury Road in Fullerton; and 2841 Mary Street in Riverside. In addition to updated exterior signage featuring the company’s new, refreshed logo, each of these locations also will showcase enhanced interior upgrades and […]
BJ’s Wholesale Club Opening In Madison Heights And Taylor, Michigan
Westborough, Massachusetts-based BJ’s Wholesale Club, a warehouse club operator in the Eastern United States, will host a grand opening at its new clubs in Madison Heights and Taylor, Michigan, Thursday, Nov. 21 through Sunday, Nov. 24. “BJ’s helps families save on everything they need, from their weekly groceries and gas to the latest TVs and […]
ShopRite Opens At Stroud Mall In Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania
CBL Properties and ShopRite held the grand opening of its newest state-of-the-art full-service supermarket in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania, on Nov. 1 with a ribbon cutting ceremony. ShopRite, which is located in the former Bon-Ton store at Stroud Mall, features its own restaurant, Bin37, a wine and beer shop and the area’s first and only food hall […]
World Pear Day Scheduled In December, Kicking Off National Pear Month
Pear Bureau Northwest (PBNW) will observe World Pear Day for the fourth year in a row. The event kicks off National Pear Month, proclaimed as December each year by U.S. Department of Agriculture. Taking place on December 8, World Pear Day will mark peak pear season with festivities around the world where consumers will get […]
Hispanic Grocer Finds Success Across Different Cultures
by Treva Bennett/staff writer Born and raised in the grocery business, Omar Jorge has followed in his family’s footsteps and now is a partner in Compare Foods and chairman of Aurora Grocery Group. Compare Foods is a subsidiary of Aurora, which is an umbrella holding company. Each supermarket in the group is individually owned by […]
SpartanNash Opens Produce Distribution Center In Fargo, North Dakota
Grand Rapids, Michigan-based SpartanNash held the grand opening of its Fargo produce distribution center. The 80,000-s.f. facility has the capacity for 1,600 items—including 300 organic items—and is solely dedicated to produce and floral distribution. To bring the Fargo produce DC to life, SpartanNash invested nearly $10 million and created 30 jobs, including specialized warehouse teams, […]
Cardenas Markets Opening New Store In Whittier, California
Cardenas Markets will open its doors to serve the city of Whittier, California, and its surrounding communities in 2020. This new location marks its first store opening west of Pomona, as part of the retailer’s future expansion plans toward Los Angeles and Orange counties, which the company says include the best growth opportunities in the […]
