Flavor 1st Growers & Packers, with more than eight generations of history behind it, knows what it takes to be successful in the produce industry. The company grows and packs more than 30 different varieties of produce — all tracked from field-to-fork using state-of-the-art distribution programs, labeling and procedures.

And 2023 has seen the company’s successes continue.

As the harvest season begins in the Coachella region, Live Oak Farms, a fourth-generation farming company, hired pepper industry veteran Pete Aiello as vice president of pepper programs and Prescott Leyba as the vice president of pepper sales to support and enhance the sales and marketing of the newly expanded program to include longer availability and additional organic production.

Live Oak Farms will expand its organic pepper production from LeGrand and Coachella into the Central Coast region to extend the California growing season.

Divine Flavor, a Nogales, AZ-based produce distributor and grower, announced that produce industry veteran Patrick Cortes has been named to a key role in the company’s development and strategic team.

Cortes joins the produce brand as the director of business development and strategic planning, where his principal duties will center on sustainable growth among the Divine Flavor customer base and its grower alliance.

United Natural Foods Inc. launched its Climate Action Partnership to encourage suppliers to make credible climate commitments. The program builds on UNFI’s Climate Action Hub, which was developed in partnership with the Climate Collaborative, a nonprofit organization with a mission to catalyze bold climate action within the grocery industry, and offers UNFI suppliers a variety of tools and resources to innovate and scale climate solutions across the food system.

Church Brothers Farms has hired Mishalin Modena as director of sustainability and corporate engagement. Modena has more than 16 years of experience in the produce industry, acting in both business development and marketing roles. She most recently served as senior business development manager at Bunzl USA/Destiny Packaging, where she worked closely with customers and her supply chain to source and develop innovative and sustainable packaging solutions.

Shuman Farms’ roots are in Georgia, as the family-owned company has been farming in Southeast Georgia through two generations.

In the late 1990s, John Shuman restarted the family farm and has grown the organization into one of the largest growers and shippers of sweet onions in the world. Despite its growth and success, Shuman Farms remains a family-owned business at heart focusing on its four foundational pillars — serve, sustain, innovate and give back.