UNCASVILLE, CT — Bozzuto’s Inc.’s Merchanding Marketplace 2024 saw more produce booths than ever before, according to Greg Veneziano, the company’s vice president of perishables.

“This is a record year of produce booths for us — well over 60 booths,” he said during the event, held Aug. 6-7 at Mohegan Sun, here. “This is a great venue. The customers love it, as do the vendors. The plan is to be back here in March.”

ALDI and Instacart will expand their partnership globally. The partnership includes the rollout of Instacart’s Connected Stores technologies across ALDI stores in the U.S., including In-Store mode and Carrot Tags, as well as Instacart’s fulfillment technology to power e-commerce orders. In addition, ALDI is testing Caper Carts in Austria. Caper Carts are Instacart’s AI-powered smart carts designed to ease the checkout process and personalize the shopping experience for customers.

The New England Produce Council will host its 24th Annual Produce, Floral & Food Service Expo Aug. 19-20 at Encore Boston Harbor, and it is once again much anticipated among produce players around the country.

U.S. Customs & Border Protection officers at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility seized 378 pounds of methamphetamine worth an estimated $453,600 hidden in a shipment of fresh tomatillos last week. 

CBP officers working at the Otay Mesa Commercial Facility encountered a 35-year-old man driving a commercial tractor-trailer with a shipment manifested for fresh tomatillos, applying for admission into the United States from Mexico. The driver, a valid border crossing card holder, was referred for further examination along with the tractor-trailer and shipment.

Baloian Farms received the Family Legacy Award at the Business Journal's annual Family-Owned Business Awards celebration July 30 at Pardini's banquet facilities. Over 160 family and friends were on hand to celebrate all honorees and winners at the fourth annual awards ceremony.

After one of the strongest-ever starts to the 2024 season, Zespri is now in the midst of the summer fruit season where it traditionally sees more competition.

Around 75 percent of this season’s largest-ever crop of more than 190 million trays of kiwifruit from New Zealand have now been shipped to Zespri’s customers around the world.