Sweet potato grower and shipper Vick Family Farms is a North Carolina-based company with most customers based on the East Coast or Midwest.

The company, however, will be on the West Coast for the International Fresh Produce Association Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim, CA. Charlotte Vick, partner/sales and marketing manager for Wilson-based Vick Family Farms, said she doesn’t like to miss a show, which draws attendees from across the country and beyond.

Freshness is everything in the produce department. It’s the driver of consumer choice, the anchor of category loyalty and one of the biggest drivers of shrink on the income statement.

The IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show is a launching pad for new products, and this year Fresh Innovations LLC will be featuring the newest additions to its popular ¡Yo Quiero! line.

At first glance, the fresh produce industry and retail dietitians may seem to be operating in separate worlds. One operates at the scale of global supply chains, logistics and category sales. The other connects directly with consumers in the aisles, guiding them toward healthier choices.

When the world shut down in 2020, supply chains everywhere buckled under pressure. Ports backed up. Truckers disappeared. Container prices soared. Yet walk into any grocery store during those chaotic months and one thing remained constant: fresh produce filled the shelves.

Oppy announced the return of produce industry veteran David Nelley as vice president of South American operations, bringing more than 30 years of global fresh produce experience back to the company.