With more than 33,000 acres that are certified organic, carrot giant Grimmway Farms, based in Bakersfield, CA, is a significant player in the production of organic carrots and other fresh vegetables.

Bob Borda, vice president of marketing for the firm, said the firms Cal-Organic Farms division sells about 65 different vegetables under the Cal-Organics banner including all the leafy greens, cauliflower, leeks, broccoli, bok choy and, of course, carrots.

Chris Smotherman, sales manager for Arvin, CA-based Kern Ridge Growers, said the juicing craze continues to take hold, which is a great boon for the carrot industry.

While you can juice just about any produce item, there aren’t too many sold in volume and at a price point that actually makes juicing economical. But carrots are such an item.

“Many retailers carry bulk carrots (in 25 or 50 pound sacks) just for that reason,” Smotherman said.

Gourmet Trading Co. announced that Peter Lineen, current executive director of Gourmet International Holdings, has been named interim president of Gourmet Trading.

Lineen has vast experience in business advice and planning, and he is an experienced company director and board member, having been a CPA with his own firm for over 30 years. 

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced plans to invest $150 million to revitalize the Hunts Point Terminal Market in the Bronx, NY, over 12 years, "fortifying a vital aspect of our infrastructure: our food supply,” he said Thursday, March 5, at an Association for a Better New York event.

Even as a fast-moving front created the very rare sight of sleet on Southern California beaches, the March snowpack measurements in the high Sierras revealed a water content that was as low as the driest years in California’s recorded history.

A very wet December throughout the state has kept season-wide (July 1-June 30) precipitation totals at near-normal levels.

The Fresh Market Inc., a growing specialty grocery retailer, will be exiting the California market. The stores will be closed to customers by March 31. The company also announced it will focus on growth opportunities in the eastern half of the United States, expecting to add nearly 20 stores this fiscal year.