Church Bros. is expanding its team with the hire of Kyle Narciso as its product manager to support its growing value-added product lines for foodservice and retail.

Narciso has seven years of experience in the fresh produce industry having worked for companies such as Mann Packing and Ippolito in product management and sales roles.

Wakefern Food Corp. is now accepting the Electronic Benefits Transfer Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payment method for orders placed via Instacart from its ShopRite, Fairway Market, Gourmet Garage and The Fresh Grocer locations in New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware and Maryland. The cooperative’s online shopping service, available directly on the banner brands’ websites, also accepts EBT SNAP payments.

Western Growers held its 96th Annual Meeting Nov. 2-5 at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas. Attended by key decision-makers from Western Growers member companies, the Annual Meeting brings growers, shippers and processors together with allies and suppliers in the fresh produce industry.

The 2022 date season experienced something of a curveball according to Albert Keck, chairman of the California Date Commission.

“Tropical Storm Kay came up the coast of California and made a beeline right into southeastern California, so it effected things,” he said. “It was a strange year. We had a lot of storms throughout the season, all the way through Yuma and the Coachella Valley, so we’ve had to deal with the effects of that.” 

Tozer, an innovator in the vegetable-breeding industry, pioneered the development of parsnip varieties with the release of Gladiator. Since the development of this innovative variety, Tozer has continued to utilize the company's extensive knowledge of genetics and horticulture to introduce exceptional new varieties, such as Sabre, to meet market demands.

Sunkist is one of the longest-standing agricultural cooperatives in the nation, as its roots date back to 1893. Today, Sunkist grows nearly 40 different varieties of fresh, premium citrus, including oranges, lemons, mandarins, grapefruit, tangerines and tangelos.