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 […]
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, 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 […]
Posted in, National, Produce News
United Fresh Accepting 2016 Retail Produce Managers Award Nominations
The United Fresh Produce Association is now accepting nominations for its annual Retail Produce Manager Awards Program. The program will honor 25 outstanding retail produce managers at the United Fresh 2016 Convention June 20-22 in Chicago, Illinois. The Retail Produce Manager Awards Program, sponsored by Dole Food Co. and now in its 12th year, pays […]
Posted in, National, Produce News, Store News, Suppliers
FSMA’s Produce Rule Among Latest Finalized By FDA
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Friday said it took major steps to prevent foodborne illness by finalizing rules implementing the bipartisan Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) that, for the first time, establish enforceable safety standards for produce farms and make importers accountable for verifying that imported food meets U.S. safety standards. The agency […]
Posted in, Corporate Store News, National, Produce News, Store News
Pear Bureau Northwest Honors Wegmans As Pear Retailer Of The Year
On behalf of the 1,600 fresh pear growers of Washington and Oregon, Pear Bureau Northwest has named Wegmans Food Markets the 2015 Pear Retailer of the Year for its merchandising performance and sales increase in the pear category. The award was presented at the Pear Bureau’s booth at PMA Fresh Summit in Atlanta over the […]
Posted in, National, Produce News
PMA Fresh Summit Sets Attendance Record, Marks Other Milestones
Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) Fresh Summit Convention and Expo, the annual homecoming of the fresh produce and floral industry, drew record-breaking attendance from the global supply chain attracting 19,332 attendees from 63 countries, Oct. 23-25 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta. In its 66th year, the event surpassed the previous East Coast attendance […]
Posted in, Produce News, Southeast
Largest Donation Of Fresh Produce Expected On Sunday For Atlanta Community
Local food bank volunteers will work through the night on Sunday, Oct. 25, to “harvest” thousands of pounds of fresh fruit, vegetables and even flowers from the Georgia World Congress Center after the fresh produce industry’s largest U.S. convention and expo comes to a close. The fresh produce will be donated by exhibitors at Produce […]
Posted in, Marketing News, National, Produce News
PMA Teams With Group To Get Fresh Produce On Screen
In support of the produce industry’s efforts to drive demand for more fresh produce, the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) on Friday during its Fresh Summit conference in Atlanta announced a strategic alliance with the Entertainment Resource & Marketing Association (ERMA)—the association of entertainment marketing professionals—to bring fresh produce center stage through television shows, movies and […]
Posted in, Produce News, Shelby Content, Shelby Signature Content, West
When Size Matters: Calif. Drought Raises Questions About How We Buy, Grow Food
by Karen Caplan/Special to The Shelby Report It always bugs me when I go into a produce department and all the fruits are so large. You know what I mean—strawberries the size of billiard balls, apples and oranges (or even bananas) so big that you could split the fruit with a friend! And these big […]