Brookshire Brothers President and CEO Jerry Johnson talked to fourth- and fifth-grade students on March 23 about the grocery business. He did it in an “appealing” way, by taking a box of bananas and some swag (Chiquita sunglasses and string backpacks) to the children and explaining how the top-selling item in America’s grocery stores gets […]
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.
Posted in, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, National, Perishables, Produce News, Suppliers
Whole Foods Expands Coalition Of Immokalee Workers Partnership
Whole Foods Market will be the first food retailer to offer strawberries certified by the Fair Food Program, a partnership that brings together workers, consumers, growers and retailers in support of humane labor standards and fairer wages in U.S. agriculture. Whole Foods Market began supporting the Fair Food Program in 2008, four years before any […]
Posted in, Home Page Latest News, Produce News, Suppliers, West, Women In The News
Frieda’s Karen Caplan Will Receive 2016 Agricultural Achievement Award
Karen Caplan, president and CEO of specialty produce company Frieda’s Inc., will receive the Cal Poly Pomona College of Agriculture’s 2016 Jim Hicks Agricultural Achievement Award. Karen heads the wholesale company in Los Alamitos, California, that was founded by her mother, Frieda Rapoport Caplan. Frieda Caplan is a pioneer who blazed the trail for women […]
Posted in, Home Page Latest News, Marketing News, National, Produce News
Hass Avocado Board Report Highlights Retail Trends For The Year
The Hass Avocado Board (HAB) recently published a Top 10 Retail Trends report that offers insight into the challenges and changes facing retail. The report also provides suggested actions for shippers/handlers and/or retailers to help build the Hass avocado category. “The industry is still witnessing dynamic changes in the retail landscape with traditional grocery retailers […]
Posted in, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Produce News, Store News, West
World’s Largest Idaho Potato Display Unveiled At Northgate González Market
The team at Northgate González Market in Southern California recently made final preparations for the culmination of the grocer’s six-month mission to build the world’s largest Idaho potato display. Pallets? Check. Spuddy Buddies? Check. 100,000-plus pounds of Idaho potatoes? Check. But the real hopes of Northgate, the Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) and Melissa’s Produce lay […]
Posted in, Marketing News, Produce News, West, Women In The News
California Avocado Commission Hires One, Promotes Another
The California Avocado Commission (CAC) has appointed Carolyn Becker to retail marketing director for the northwest region and promoted Zac Benedict to online marketing director. Becker is a produce veteran with 20 years of experience representing growers and marketing associations of the retail produce trade. She has managed marketing programs for a variety of commodity […]
Posted in, Produce News, Southeast
Early Outlook Is Bright For South Carolina Peach Crop
South Carolina’s peach farmers are looking forward to an excellent peach crop in 2016 in spite of the challenges they faced last year. Favorable growing conditions have given growers a positive outlook for a fruitful crop. After delays from heavy rains in the fall, growers immediately began working on the upcoming season. Planting new trees, […]
Posted in, Coborn's, Independent Store News, Merchandising News, Midwest, Produce News, Store News
Williams Named Director Of Produce, Floral Merchandising At Coborn’s
Coborn’s has hired Tom Williams as director of produce and floral merchandising, reporting to VP of Fresh Merchandising Emily Coborn. As director of produce and floral, Williams will develop and lead the implementation of produce and floral merchandising strategies for the company’s various retail divisions, including Coborn’s, Cash Wise, Marketplace Foods and CobornsDelivers. He will […]
Posted in, Grocery Store Equipment, Independent Store News, Organic Natural, Produce News, Southwest
Brookshire Brothers Celebrates Canyon Lake, Texas, Opening
Brookshire Brothers says the Canyon Lake, Texas, community showed up in big numbers on Feb. 3 for its new store’s soft opening there. The ribbon was officially cut today (Feb. 10) during a ceremony that featured the local high school band, prizes and sampling. The grocer said the event kicked off of a month of grand […]
Posted in, Industry News, Marketing News, National, Produce News
PMA Fresh Connections 2016 World Tour Announced
Fresh produce and floral professionals from across the supply chain and around the world will gather during the 2016 Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fresh Connections World Tour. The tour will kick off in Shanghai, China, in March and end in Santiago, Chile, in November. Overall, the tour includes stops in five of the seven continents […]
Posted in, Industry News, Midwest, Perishables, Produce News, Suppliers
NatureFresh Farms Breaks Ground For Phase II In Ohio
With the first crop of OhioRed tomatoes to be picked in late February, NatureFresh Farms says it has broken ground on Phase II of its Delta, Ohio, greenhouse facility. Like Phase I that was completed in late November 2015, Phase II will be 15.30 acres in size. It will be completed this summer. “The support […]
Posted in, Market Profile, Produce News, Shelby Content, Shelby Signature Content, Southwest
NMSU Researchers Work To Increase Produce Sales In Grocery Stores
by Terrie Ellerbee/associate editor New Mexico State University College of Business marketing professors Collin Payne and Mihai Niculescu have been looking for ways to encourage shoppers to spend more of their food dollars on fresh produce. They are co-directors of NMSU’s Consumer Behavior Laboratory, which is equipped with eye-tracking software, a virtual grocery store and […]
Posted in, Equipment & Technology, Marketing News, Online Grocery Technology, Produce News, Suppliers, West
Pear Bureau Northwest Launches Redesigned Trade Website
On behalf of nearly 1,600 growers of Northwest pears, Pear Bureau Northwest has introduced a redesigned trade website focused on “the business of pears.” Providing pear category resources from crop information to training and marketing support, this mobile- and tablet-ready website provides a localized tool kit for growing pear category sales. “We have conducted a […]
Posted in, Marketing News, National, Produce News, Suppliers
Report: Q3 Sales Of ‘eat brighter!’-Branded Products Up Among 78% Of Suppliers
Results from a recent survey administered by Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) Research Center show eat brighter! growing in presence, with 78 percent of suppliers reporting an increase in sales of products branded with eat brighter! during the third quarter of 2015. The study also finds increased activity over this period among grower-shippers and promotional boards […]
Posted in, Marketing News, National, Produce News, Shelby Content, Shelby Signature Content
Disney Is Using ‘The Force’ For Good
by Terrie Ellerbee/associate editor Since 2006, the goodies in Walt Disney Co. parks haven’t been as fatty, sweet or salty as they once were. That’s when the company updated its nutritional standards. The better-for-you change became no less than a guiding force for the organization, said John King, VP of licensing, consumables and Disney consumer […]
Posted in, Center Store, Midwest, Perishables, Produce News, Suppliers
Meijer, Masterpiece Flower Co. Enjoy 50-Year Partnership In Michigan
Thanks to its longstanding partnership with a Michigan grower, Meijer is continuing its tradition of supplying each of its 223 stores across the Midwest with locally-grown poinsettias this holiday season—enough to fill about eight football fields. But the partnership with Masterpiece Flower Co. has also allowed the Byron Center, Mich.-based grower to expand its own […]
Posted in, Marketing News, Produce News, West
December Marks National Pear Month And Peak Season
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has officially declared December as National Pear Month, a time to celebrate the abundance and variety of USA Pears, now at their peak and available nationwide. Pears can star in festive appetizers and holiday feasts, gifted fresh, preserved as jam or chutney, and as portable, healthy snacks throughout this active […]
Posted in, Association News, Produce News
PMA Produce Pavilion Will Return To 2016 NGA Show
The PMA Produce Pavilion will return for the 2016 NGA Show, to be held Feb. 28- March 2 at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. For the fifth year, the Produce Marketing Association will feature 32 exhibitors from the fresh produce industry within its 3,200-s.f. pavilion at the National Grocers Association’s annual convention. […]
Posted in, Executive News, National, Produce News, Women In The News
PMA’s Silbermann Announces Plans To Retire, Burns Will Take Over
Bryan Silbermann, the longtime leader of the Produce Marketing Association (PMA), plans to retire as CEO on Jan. 31, 2017. Current PMA President Cathy Burns will succeed Silbermann, a move that was approved in late 2013 by PMA’s executive committee. In an emailed letter to PMA members Tuesday, Silbermann said that, starting Jan. 1, 2016, […]
Posted in, Midwest, Produce News
Freshway Foods Receives Cornerstone Partner Award
Freshway Foods, a fresh fruit and vegetable processor, repacker, distributor and logistics provider, has been recognized with the Cornerstone Partner Award by Gordon Food Service. The award, which is the highest that Gordon Food Service bestows, was announced at the 2015 North American Vendor Involvement Process (VIP) Award Dinner. The Cornerstone Award recognizes suppliers who […]