Lipman Family Farms CEO Kent Shoemaker intends to retire in 2023 after 13 years at the helm of the company. Shoemaker will remain in his role until a successor has been confirmed and fully transitioned.

As the 2022 New Jersey spring produce season was getting started, Sonny Boy Produce added a familiar name to the company.

“We’ve teamed up with my uncle Bob Consalo,” Thomas Consalo, president of Sonny Boy Produce, told The Produce News at the end of April. “He’s come aboard for this spring. He started in late March, and he’s a vice president, doing sales and marketing for the most part.”

Bob Consalo, 58, “brings at least 40 years experience in the business,” said Thomas Consalo.

The transition from winter to spring and summer crops has begun, and the product quality and markets are looking very good. The summer, with its warmer weather, is salad time. Plan to spruce up and expand your lettuce, cucumber, celery and tomato sections now.

After a busy week, cooking dinner can be the last thing on your mind and most likely you’ve got your favorite go-to restaurants that you call for takeout. Try this super easy-to-make Thai Coconut Curry Chicken recipe that tastes JUST as good as ordering out but is full of fresh ingredients and vegetables. 

Over a quarter century, Krichmar Produce, operating out of Vineland, NJ, has prided itself on providing businesses from Florida to Maine with the finest quality fruits and vegetables, thanks in part to a trucking operation it added to the company 15 years ago.

That part of the business continues to increase, even though challenges such as driver shortages, freight costs and lack of trucks plagues many in the industry.

In recent seasons, Divine Flavor and its growing locations at Grupo ALTA have been converting all their operations into centralized packing facilities. As the company has grown into one of the largest suppliers of Mexican table grapes, these additions to its infrastructure have immediately contributed to its ability to pack multiple presentations for various clients at the same time.