The Michigan asparagus season is almost here, with harvest preparation under way and growers working diligently to deliver fresh asparagus from the field to retail shelves. This year’s crop promises thick, tender and firm asparagus — all signs of a nutritious and flavorful harvest.

Wholesum, Fair Trade Certified grower and shipper of organic farm-fresh vegetables, is treading the path to becoming a more fully integrated farm by building in-house capabilities to produce organic seeds.

Delta Fresh Sales LLC in Nogales, AZ, added Frank Camera as vice president of sales, marketing and business development. Camera will be based in the company’s headquarters office in Nogales.

“We’re excited to see Frank come on board in this new position here at Delta,” said Atanacio Panousopoulos, CEO and owner of Delta Fresh. “His expertise and vision will be an added plus as we continue our expansion of programs we offer to our customers.”

Procacci Bros., with four units at the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, is one of the leading wholesalers in the Northeast. The company also runs a warehouse in South Philadelphia and a farming operation in South Jersey.

The company provides a full line of produce, including back-of-the-line items like salads and dressings, as well as floral, organic and specialty items.

Business is off to a great start in 2023 with Rick Feighery, vice president of Procacci Bros., noting the company can always take on more.

Natural Grocers plans to close two stores in the Dallas-Fort Worth area on June 27. The two north Texas stores will begin store-wide closing sales on May 15, with discounts of 25 percent off everything.

The company said it is working closely with each of its employees impacted by these closures to identify transfer opportunities to other stores. All other impacted staff will be offered a transition package, including severance and benefits.

Produce in Philadelphia is big business.

So big, in fact, that the City of Brotherly Love is home to the world’s largest fully-enclosed, fully-refrigerated wholesale produce terminal — the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market.

At 686,000 square feet, the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market offers cold-chain protection for fruits and vegetables, and its merchants carry a full line of produce in support of the local foodservice industry and grocery business.