Pilot Flying J, the largest operator of travel centers and travel plazas in North America, marked a big anniversary this week. The Knoxville, Tenn.-based company recognized its 55th year in business on Wednesday. The Pilot journey began in 1958 when James A. “Jim” Haslam II opened the first Pilot in Gate City, Va.—Pilot Store No. […]
Category: National
Posted in, National, Suppliers
Specialty Food Association Accepts 152 New Members
The Specialty Food Association has accepted 152 companies for new membership, including makers of ghost chili sea salt, bacon brittle, burrata and lavender martini mocktails. Among the new members are Blis Caviar of Grand Rapids, Mich., maker of flavor-infused wild domestic caviar; Califia Farms of Pasadena, Calif., producer of cold brewed coffee, almond milk and […]
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Blue Diamond Posts Record Sales And Revenue
Blue Diamond Growers’ global almond sales soared to $1.2 billion, up $189 million in fiscal year 2012-13. Value-added sales volume increased by 14 percent, even with a crop that was 7 percent smaller, according to President and CEO Mark Jansen, who addressed the cooperative’s grower owners at the company’s annual meeting. Value-added sales now represent more […]
Posted in, Grocery Industry, National
Women’s Study: Eating Tree Nuts Reduces Pancreatic Cancer Risk
According to a long-term women’s health study recently published, women in the study who ate a 1-oz. serving of tree nuts two or more times a week had a reduced risk of pancreatic cancer compared to those studied who did not include nuts in their diet. This is the first study to measure the association […]
Posted in, National, New Products
MountainKing’s Steakhouse Roasters Provide Healthier Alternative To Frozen Fries
MountainKing has introduced its new Steakhouse Roasters, a slender, thin skin, tubular-shaped fresh potato variety filled with flavor that doesn’t require peeling and cooks fast to create steakhouse-quality, oven-baked wedge fries. Known within the produce industry as “fingerlings,” MountainKing says it has reinvented this specialty potato with a new name and new packaging to attract […]
Posted in, National
Progressive/Mission Asparagus Deal Creates Year-Round Program
Progressive Produce’s recent acquisition of Mission Asparagus has propelled the grower into the elite of asparagus suppliers, according to the company. Already growing thousands of acres in Mexico, Peru, California and Washington State, some in partnership with Keystone Fruit Marketing, Greencastle, Pa., Progressive’s increased Mexico and California acreage has solidified its year-round availability. “This year-round […]
Posted in, National, Store News
C&K Market Files Chapter 11 Bankruptcy, Will Keep About 40 Stores
To address legacy costs, sell or close underperforming stores and resolve debt issues, C&K Market Inc. has filed a voluntary petition for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Oregon, Eugene. C&K’s operations are expected to continue as normal throughout the bankruptcy process as it develops a reorganization plan. The […]
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Food Packaging Choices: Sustainability Trumps Novelty
An independent research study conducted by MindClick Global on behalf of the Steel Market Development Institute (SMDI), a business unit of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), found that when asked about sustainability in food packaging choices, two-thirds of consumers preferred steel cans. The results support findings that consumers consider sustainability to be a […]