Red Sun Farms, Heritable Agriculture and CIV partner to accelerate indoor strawberry innovation
Red Sun Farms, Heritable Agriculture and Consorzio Italiano Vivaisti announced significant progress in their collaborative effort to develop leading indoor-grown strawberries at the Vineland Research Station facility. The partnership combines CIV’s expertise in strawberry genetics and germplasm, Heritable Agriculture’s AI-driven breeding models and Red Sun Farms’ indoor growing capabilities to advance how premium strawberries are bred and produced. By using AI simulations to predict crop performance, the partnership is streamlining breeding timelines and optimizing key traits for greenhouse
Get ahead in 2026: Natural Grocers shares key trends for living well
Natural Grocers has released its Top Trends for 2026. Now in its 10th year, the forecast outlines emerging practices and products expected to influence four core categories: health and wellness, body care and beauty, food and beverage and ecologically thoughtful living. Guided by insights from the company’s Nutrition Education team — including registered dietitians, nutrition therapists and certified natural foods chefs — along with Natural Grocers’ marketing and analytics professionals, the 2026 predictions combine research, consumer behavior and hands-on expertise. The result is a practical
Schnucks expands farmer’s market concept, building on local produce partnership
Schnuck Markets Inc., in partnership with Foodshed.io, is expanding its farm-direct-to-store program, increasing the number and variety of farms supplying its locations to boost freshness and flavor for customers. The pilot program launched in fall 2024 with one farm supplying multiple Schnucks stores across the St. Louis region. After its success, Schnucks expanded the initiative in 2025 to include more farmers and additional store locations. “This program is a natural next step in our mission to strengthen our local food economy and provide our customers with the freshest possible products,”
Salix Fruits builds on citrus leadership and logistics agility to drive growth in 2026
Salix Fruits, a leading global importer and exporter of fresh fruit, has released its annual review highlighting its strongest-performing categories in 2025, key logistics developments and strategic priorities for 2026. The company said citrus—particularly lemons and easy peelers—along with apples and pears led performance across core markets in 2025. Growth was supported by an increase in program business with retailers and foodservice operators, a more efficient mix of Southern and Northern Hemisphere supply, standardized quality specifications with growers and packers and a disciplined
Bimi Baby Broccoli celebrates street food culture at Museum of Food & Drink’s Street Food City exhibition
Bimi Baby Broccoli, a global sponsor of the World Food Photography Awards, will be featured at the Museum of Food and Drink’s upcoming exhibition Street Food City, opening to the public Dec. 6 at MOFAD’s DUMBO location at 55 Water St. The exhibition will be open Thursday through Sunday from noon to 6 p.m. Tickets are available here. Street Food City highlights the entrepreneurs, recipes and cultural traditions that shape New York’s diverse street food scene. As part of the exhibition, MOFAD will present a curated selection of images from the World Food Photography Awards, showcasing street
Mission Produce appoints Douglas Stone to board of directors
Mission Produce Inc. has appointed Douglas M. Stone to its board of directors as an independent Class I director, with a term set to expire at the company’s 2027 annual meeting of stockholders. With the appointment, the board has expanded from 10 to 11 members. Stone also has been named to the compensation committee, effective Nov. 26, 2025. As part of the change, Bruce C. Taylor will step down from the committee. Stone brings decades of leadership experience in the agribusiness sector. He most recently served as president of AgriBusiness at J.R. Simplot Co. from June 2018 through December
Oppy has opened a new, significantly expanded office and warehouse facility in south Calgary, bolstering its service capabilities across the Prairies and strengthening its long-term commitment to western Canada.
The new location, which is 50 percent bigger than Oppy’s previous Calgary facility, was developed in response to the company’s continued business growth and increasing demand for value-added logistics solutions. With its lease expiring at the former site and no option to expand, the company seized the opportunity to move to a space tailored for efficiency, flexibility and innovation.
John Anderson and Stewart Lapage
“Our growing core business, combined with the rise in third-party logistics, meant we needed more room,” said Stewart Lapage, vice president of supply chain and logistics. “This new space allows us to offer enhanced services like packing, bagging, grading and ripening, while improving how we move and store produce.”
The new facility features state-of-the-art packinglines, bagging equipment and specialized ripening and grading technologies that support a wide range of produce. Thoughtfully designed coolers, racking and floor plans contribute to greater operational efficiency, enabling the team to optimize produce flow as volume grows.
As a cold storage and value-added service hub, this Calgary location is uniquely positioned to serve not only Alberta, but all of western Canada with increased agility.
“Oppy is committed to evolving with our customers’ needs and finding new ways to deliver excellence across the supply chain,” said Chairman, CEO and Managing Partner John Anderson, who attended the facility’s grand opening. “This space is a physical expression of our promise to grow in step with the Prairies and invest in long-term partnerships across the region.”
Oppy has already hired nearly half a dozen new team members in Calgary and plans to add six more roles in the near future as its logistics and third-party service offerings continue to scale. The site also supports the growth of Oppy Transport, which is expanding to meet increased demand for storage and distribution solutions.
With LED lighting installed for energy efficiency, EV chargers in parking lots, motion controlled lighting and the capacity to invest in future automation technologies, the new space also supports Oppy’s broader sustainability and innovation goals.
“Our team built this facility with the future in mind,” said Lapage. “It gives us the flexibility to right-size our workforce, improve how we serve existing customers and welcome new business with confidence.”
