Onions 52 teams up with PGA golfer Patrick Fishburn
Onions 52 Inc. announced a partnership with PGA golfer and Utah native Patrick Fishburn for the upcoming season. This collaboration celebrates shared values of dedication, excellence and local pride by pairing the exceptional quality of Utah-grown Smileys onions with Fishburn’s passion and drive on the golf course.
Amazon Fresh closures include Whole Foods conversions
Amazon plans on closing 14 stores under the Amazon Fresh brand and converting five to the Whole Foods Market brand. The company said the plans will enable it to provide customers with expanded options for shopping by expanding online grocery delivery options with more selection at faster speeds.
Today, millions of customers already shop with Amazon for affordable household essentials and groceries, including a wide and varied selection of more than 2 million grocery and household essentials items — from cleaning and beauty products to fresh produce, dairy and meat.
Prime Time to unveil updated brand identity
The name Prime Time has been synonymous with Bell peppers since its founding in 1994, but over the last 30-plus years the company has evolved into so much more. Now, the Coachella, CA-based grower-packer-shipper will unveil its updated brand identity at the IFPA 2025 Global Produce & Floral Show, taking place Oct. 16-18 in Anaheim, CA.
Blue Banner Co. set to debut new brand
Blue Banner Co. has positioned its new brand reveal at the intersection of opportunity and possibility, also known as The Global Produce and Floral Show, in Anaheim, CA, Oct. 16-18.
A trusted citrus grower, packer and shipper led by four generations of the Mazzetti family and the seasoned Blue Banner team, the company operates from the same family-owned location since inception in Riverside, CA. Delivering the highest quality products and service, Blue Banner is ready for the next generation of evolution to unfold.
Equifruit earns spot on Canada’s Top Growing Companies List for fourth consecutive year
Equifruit, North America’s market leader in Fairtrade-certified bananas, has been named one of Canada’s top growing companies by The Globe and Mail for a fourth year running. Ranked No. 174 with a growth rate of 195 percent, this is the company’s highest position on the list yet.
Loblaw inks five-year deal to scale AI-powered autonomous trucking
Retail giant Loblaw Cos. Ltd. has expanded its commercial partnership with autonomous freight leader Gatik. Marking a milestone for the autonomous trucking industry, the companies have signed a first-of-its-kind, multi-year growth agreement to deploy Gatik’s autonomous fleet across Loblaw’s distribution network in the Greater Toronto Area.
USDA restricts PACA violators in five states
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has imposed sanctions on five produce businesses for failing to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and for failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act. These sanctions include suspending the businesses’ PACA licenses and barring the businesses’ principal operators from engaging in PACA-licensed business or other activities without USDA approval.
The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry:
Heather Mulholland talks citrus roots and future fruit
As a fourth-generation citrus grower, Heather Mulholland’s earliest memories are steeped in the scent of oranges and time spent picking fruit with her grandfather.
“In the beginning, it was just for fun,” she said. “I’d go out and pick oranges just to eat them.” But even as a child, she understood that this wasn’t just a backyard orchard — it was a full-fledged farming operation that she watched grow and evolve over the years.
Homegrown Organic expands import berry program
Homegrown Organic Farms has expanded its import berry program, now offering a wider selection of organic and conventional berries sourced from Mexico, Peru and Chile. With the addition of Peruvian blueberries and Mexican blackberries, Homegrown is strengthening its ability to deliver the flavor, quality and consistency to partners and consumers, regardless of the time of the year.
Fall Creek spotlights advances in blueberry genetics
At Fruit Attraction 2025 in Madrid, Spain, Fall Creek Farm & Nursery Inc. will spotlight advances for growers, including SEKOYA’s achievement of year-round availability across major markets through its worldwide network of members. The company will also highlight Arabella Blue (FCM12-205) and FCM14-057, varieties now being adopted at commercial scale in leading regions. Incoming CEO Marc de Beer will attend the show to meet with growers and industry leaders.