Though times have been tough this past year, Maine Farmers continues to push ahead, dealing in fresh potatoes for seed, table stock and processing. “Between the pandemic and the weather it’s been a challenging year,” said Bob Davis, president of Maine Farmers Exchange, based in Presque Isle, ME. “But the USDA box program and a steady market for staples like potatoes has kept us going.”

This year, the importance of relationships was front-and-center more than ever before at Cambridge Farms as the company built on its reputation and partnering. Ken Gad, president of the South Easton, MA-based company, emphasized the importance of relationships to success. “If we can’t make it a win-win-win it’s not worth doing,” he said. “I don’t want growers and I don’t want customers, I want partners — everybody can win that way.”

Representatives from Feeding America and food banks across the country say they have never seen anything like this in America, even during the Great Recession. As a result of this year’s pandemic, millions of people are facing empty refrigerators and barren cupboards. Some parents are skipping meals so their children can eat. Other elderly Americans are facing difficult decisions about what to prioritize first — medicine or food. Many are resorting to inexpensive food items that lack nutrition to stretch out their meals. 

To honor Mexican brands that strengthen the country’s image abroad, The Ambassador Brands held its first edition, awarding brands that positively reflect Mexico’s image to the world. Avocados From Mexico (AFM) was recognized as one of the top Mexican Ambassador Brands in 2020. 

As operations and business continue to grow, Del Rey Avocado added a new sales representative to its team. Though 2020 has been an interesting and challenging year, to say the least, the team at Del Rey Avocado welcomes Victoria Cao to its sales team to continue to grow its reach.

Spice World, the Orlando, FL-based specialty brand known for its fresh flavorings, convenient and always-in-season garlic, ginger and shallots, is unveiling a transformative new line of global inspired cooking and seasoning blends that adds international flair to any home cooked dish called Global Flavors. These five new flavors, which deliver on Spice World’s promise to provide Flavor Without Boundaries, follow on the heels of Spice World being named to Nielsen’s Top 100 Fastest Growing Emerging Brands.