Rice Fruit Co. has been in business since 1913 and has quite a long history with apples. In the last few decades, the company has seen an enormous evolution in varietal mix and packaging. In addition, as consumers make lasting changes to eat nutritious and enjoyable diets, apple sales have benefitted.  

Certified Group and Food Safety Net Services, a Certified Group Company, announced the appointment of John R. Nelson as chief operating officer where he will lead and support Certified Group’s management of its various business holdings that address the food, food safety, nutraceuticals and other industries.

Pete Pappas & Sons Inc. named Mark Pitts as its new general manager. In this role he will oversee daily operations with his forward-thinking approach to continue the substantial progression of the business in recent years.

Pitts brings decades of experience in the food industry and built extensive knowledge in operations and distribution at C&S Wholesale Grocers.

The general potato market is mostly steady with a moderate demand. The quality of Russets, reds and yellows is good to very good. Each growing region and shipping point may vary so confer with your specific supplier for more details.

“We enjoyed ideal temperatures during harvest in September and October, and are seeing really nice color, flavor and quality,” said Catherine Gipe-Stewart, communications manager at Superfresh Growers.  The central Washington grower, based out of Yakima, is excited about its winter apples and expects to last all the way through storage season.

Howard Nager has left Los Angeles-based Progressive Produce to pursue other business opportunities.  Nager joined Progressive Produce as its vice president of business development and marketing in August of 2019. 

During his tenure at Progressive Nager had also handled the responsibility of the citrus commodity manager.