Tom Murray was 16 years old when his professional life started to take shape. He began with Roche Bros. as a part-time employee at the Natick, MA, location with no intention of working in the produce department.

“I was picked out of a lineup with three other guys. They threw us into the produce department,” said Murray, who 48 years later is now director of produce for Mansfield, MA-based Roche Bros.

The American Floral Endowment (AFE) announces a new memorial tribute in memory of John M. Hodapp. This memorial tribute is established by long-time clients and friends, the Tawaga Family and Ken Young AAF.

Calavo Growers Inc., a global leader in the avocado and value-added fresh food industries, announced the promotion of Gordon Breschini to director of national sales for the Calavo Fresh team, and the retirement of industry veteran Bob Collier.

The U.S. online grocery market generated $8.5 billion in sales and accounted for nearly 12 percent of total grocery spending during January, according to the Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey fielded Jan. 29-30.

Strategically bolstering its international presence in recent years, Oppy is among the first to offer South African plums to the North American marketplace following an eight-year hiatus.

As U.S. authorities tightened import regulations for Chilean plums following pest detection in early 2021, Sila Louw, who joined the leading grower, marketer and distributor in the interim to head its South African operations, proposed complementing Oppy’s plum offerings with fruit grown on his home soil — first arriving on the East Coast in late January.

Women in CEA, a new organization that looks to bring together female thought leaders in controlled environment agriculture, will hold its first virtual networking event later this month with plans for future events that will enable participants to learn from other women in this industry.