Innovation on display at SEPC Southern Innovations
The Southeast Produce Council enacted changes to its Southern Innovations event, which took place Sept. 10-13 at the Charlotte Convention Center. The updates made the entire experience more valuable and enjoyable than ever before. Changes included moving the start date back by one day, offering the social networking events earlier in the week, eliminating the traditional closing party and giving more time for buyers and sellers to walk the expo.
In the Trenches: Is your produce operation winning or losing?
In life there are winners and losers. It’s about those who take home the championship prize and the money that matters. There are no celebration parades for a losing team.
New equipment, facility upgrades give Eagle Eye an edge with Idaho potatoes
Eagle Eye Produce is seeing a smooth start to the Idaho potato harvest, with progress running ahead of schedule compared to last year. The company credits the improvement to new field equipment and ongoing investments in its Idaho Falls warehouse.
Sunny Valley gearing up for Peruvian blueberry season
Fall is a busy time for Sunny Valley International as berries are front-and-center.
“We are under way with our imported blueberry program now and are getting regular arrivals of organic and conventional fruit from Peru,” said Tom Beaver, director of sales and marketing for the Glassboro, NJ-based company. “So far, the quality and condition has been excellent. Fruit is arriving with the exceptional size, crunchiness, bloom and taste that retailers and their final consumers have come to expect from Peru.”
IFPA celebrates award winners revolutionizing retail
Top execs driving retail innovation — the winners of International Fresh Produce Association’s Retail Merchant Innovation Award — will be recognized at the Retail Awards Reception Oct. 17 at the Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim, CA.
Industry Viewpoint: What today’s shoppers actually want
It may just be September, but the winter holidays will be here before you know it. Of course, the holiday season is full of magic — but for many families, it’s also full of chaos. Between office deadlines, school concerts and never-ending to-do lists, the modern consumer isn’t browsing content for inspiration; they’re searching for survival.
Date industry eyes smaller crop, excellent quality
California date growers are entering the 2025 harvest season with optimism, even as this year’s crop looks to be slightly lighter than last year.
Red River Valley sees wetter and better growing season
Red River Valley potato growers in North Dakota and Minnesota are seeing a contrast in growing seasons, with rain helping this season’s red and yellow potatoes, a departure from the dry summer last year in the valley.
Carissa Olsen, president and CEO of Buxton, ND-based NoKota Packers, said the hot and dry harvest last year didn’t seem to affect yields or size, but there were some quality issues.
Trendspotting: Online grocery sales set record, $11.2 billion in August
It was another record month for online grocery sales, which totaled $11.2 billion in August. This is a nearly 14 percent year-over-year increase according to the latest Brick Meets Click Grocery Shopper Survey, sponsored by Mercatus. The strong growth was driven by YOY gains in household penetration, order frequency and average order values.
Wilcox Fresh has sights set on promising year
Wilcox Fresh is optimistic about the upcoming Idaho potato season, with favorable weather conditions during the growing season this past summer setting the stage for a promising year.