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Phillips Mushroom Farms showcasing vegan stuffed mushroom at NYPS

Phillips Mushroom Farms will return to the New York Produce Show & Conference, continuing a long-standing tradition of participation and relationship building at one of the produce industry’s most influential annual events.

AFE donor spotlight: Pete and Brenda S. Garcia

For more than half a century, Pete and Brenda S. Garcia have worked to strengthen and support the floral industry. Together, they grew the Pete Garcia Co., the Garcia Group and several other companies while consistently finding ways to give back. Pete and Brenda have been longtime supporters of the American Floral Endowment, participating in every AFE phone-a-thon and sharing their belief in the Endowment’s mission and its impact on the industry. Pete joined the AFE board when the organization was still known as the Society of American Florists Endowment. As public relations chairman, he

Building relationships key to Nash Produce’s mission at NYPS

The New York Produce Show provides Nash Produce a unique opportunity to connect with its northeastern customers and inform potential customers in the region about its reputation and service as a major supplier of sweet potatoes.

Lettuce point out this meth smuggler has the right to Romaine silent

In a salad unfit for this year’s Thanksgiving table, U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at the Pharr International Bridge cargo facility in Pharr, TX, intercepted $10.3 million in alleged methamphetamine concealed in a shipment of lettuce. “Within a shipment of salad greens, our frontline officers discovered contraband that does not belong on any holiday table,” said Port Director Carlos Rodriguez, Hidalgo/Pharr/Anzalduas Port of Entry. “As this seizure aptly illustrates, our officers’ use of tools and technology were instrumental in this massive takedown of hard narcotics.” On Nov

Moonland Produce reinforces industry presence with expanded storage, ripening and repacking services

Moonland Produce Inc., a longtime player in California’s produce industry, is making major strides to strengthen its position as a premier resource for temperature-controlled storage, ripening and repacking services. Based in Vernon, CA, the wholesale distributor has expanded its capabilities significantly in the past year, opening up new opportunities for foodservice customers, retailers and brokers seeking reliable, high-quality solutions for managing fresh product. Owner Julio Manshadi said the company’s vision for the future centers on providing best-in-class storage and ripening support

Hapco Farms hires Kevin Fix to lead carrot program

Hapco Farms , a leading East Coast grower-shipper based in Westhampton Beach, NY, has hired Kevin Fix as vice president of business development, with a primary focus on advancing the company’s carrot program across Florida and Canada. Fix brings more than 24 years of experience in fresh produce, CPG, distribution, logistics and transportation — most recently with Bolthouse Cos. In his new role, Fix will lead sales strategies and operational improvements across both carrot locations, collaborating closely with cross-functional teams. He joins the team as Hapco Farms continues to invest in its
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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 efficiency. The approach enables the team to bring high-quality, innovative strawberry varieties to market faster — with growers, consumers and sustainability in mind.

Heritable Agriculture’s predictive AI technology generalizes across species, environments and traits, making it adaptable to a wide range of agricultural systems. Combined with Red Sun Farms’ vertically integrated model and CIV’s global breeding expertise, the collaboration marks a new benchmark in indoor fruit innovation.

A distinguishing element of the project is the early involvement of eight retail partners representing more than 8,000 North American store locations. By including retailers in the breeding process from the outset, the initiative aligns real consumer insights and market needs with technology, ensuring that new varieties are optimized not only for performance but also for taste, texture and consumer appeal.

Last week, retail partners joined the research team at Vineland for a first look at more than 110 strawberry breeding lines currently in development. Through guided sensory evaluations, partners provided feedback that will inform the next phase of selection and testing.

“At Vineland, we’re proud to be at the forefront of horticultural innovation by combining world-class research, advanced technology and industry collaborations to deliver premium, sustainable strawberries to consumers,” said Ian Potter, president and CEO of Vineland Research. “It’s been incredible to see this research come to life and be validated directly through customer feedback.”

“We’re bringing AI solutions to indoor growers, beginning with greenhouse strawberries,” said Davide Sosso, chief science officer at Heritable Agriculture. “This work is setting a new standard for strawberry flavor and quality, which is exactly why retailers were here this week to learn more.”

“For CIV, this collaboration represents an important step in turning our genetic research into tangible value for the entire supply chain,” said Federico Stanzani, general manager of CIV. “Integrating our germplasm with Heritable’s predictive models, Red Sun Farms’ cultivation expertise and the research capabilities of Vineland Research allows us to accelerate indoor breeding, optimize key traits and develop varieties capable of excelling in greenhouses from the earliest stages.”

“We are entering a new era of produce development, where we no longer have to choose between yield and flavor,” said Paul J. Mastronardi, business development and account manager. “By aligning advanced genetics, predictive AI, precision growing and direct retail feedback from day one, we’re creating a feedback loop that has never existed before. We are effectively reverse-engineering the ideal strawberry based on consumer demand.”

As the project progresses, Red Sun Farms, Heritable Agriculture, CIV and Vineland remain committed to advancing sustainable, technology-enabled innovation that improves quality, productivity and flavor within the strawberry category.

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