L&M Cos. executes a 52-week green Bell pepper program.

“We are proud of our offerings in that we farm in a lot of the windows our competition does not,” said Jon Shriver, sales and operations manager for the Raleigh, NC-based company. “This makes fresh and new crops more available to our retail, wholesale and foodservice partners. We also overlap in multiple regions so that when Mother Nature comes into play, we don’t have all of our eggs in one basket.”

Marking its 16th year recognizing exceptional retail produce managers, United Fresh Produce Association honored its 2020 Retail Produce Manager Awards Program winners during the Retail-Foodservice LIVE! General Session. The group of 25 produce managers represents supermarket banners, commissaries and independent retail stores from 16 different states and Canada.

Though it was acknowledged that the USDA’s Farmers to Families Food Box Program had some initial challenges, the program is apparently delivering hundreds of thousands of produce boxes to needy recipients every week and is working much better than many expected.

That was the overarching view of many participants who tuned in to a live, informal discussion on the topic on Wednesday morning, June 17, during United Fresh 2020 LIVE. 

A year-round distributor since 1990, and a grower-packer since 1925, Henry Avocado has established many important partnerships, yet none more important nor timely than those involved in strengthening its product purity from sourcing to distribution from a number of sources.

Luke Varvel, food safety manager, and Jorge Tostado, sanitation manager, have linked their responsibilities to give Henry an around-the-clock regimen that is among the finest in the fresh produce industry.

Jealous Fruits, a unique, family-owned-and-operated cherry farm located in Canada’s Okanagan Valley, announced the addition of the Carlson family to its team.

The Carlson family has been growing export-quality cherries in Summerland, BC, for 30 years. Keith and Jan Carlson began growing cherries with a few acres of Lapins in 1991. Throughout the years, they have continued to invest in new plantings, varieties and technologies.

Total organic fresh produce sales and volume continue their double-digit growth over last year, with May sales and volume increasing 16 percent from the same period in 2019, according to the May 2020 Organic Produce Performance Report released exclusively by the Organic Produce Network and Category Partners.