Produce suppliers in Minnesota’s Minneapolis-St. Paul region are gearing up for a strong fall season as summer fruits give way to heartier autumn offerings.
St. Paul-based Liberty Fresh, a sales division of Russ Davis Wholesale, Wadena, Minn., continues to expand its foodservice business in the Twin Cities area, said Pat Miller, chief marketing officer.
Formed after the company purchased Kansas City, Kan.-based Liberty Fruit Co. in December 2022, Liberty Fresh is the foodservice division of Russ Davis Wholesale and ships “any fresh produce commodity a restaurant or foodservice company would be likely to buy, including fresh herbs and varietal fruits and vegetables,” Miller said.
Sales volumes change during the fall, Miller said.
“It’s more of a change in what people are eating and where they are getting it,” he said.
“People get excited about back to school, where a significant amount of food is consumed, and parents try to plan meals or have to feed kids around activities rather than cook out like they do in summer.”
On the processing side, the company’s Crazy Fresh value-added operation will offer a line of fall side dishes and salsas like Honeycrisp apple salsa and pico processed with local vegetables.
“Fall is a really great launch time for some new SKUs in our Crazy Fresh fresh-cut program,” Miller said. “Consumers will be ready for fall comfort food.”
The company also stocks an average of 450 organic products at any given time, with local organic items available from July to December.
“We’re a primary organic supplier for many retail, wholesale and foodservice customers,” he said.
Wholesale Produce Supply LLC, Minneapolis, has acquired Minneapolis-based processor G.O. Fresh as it aims to expand its fresh-cut capabilities, said Jason Hendrickson, vice president of procurement and business development.
“It was a good company for us to buy because it fell right in line with our current business model, and it enhanced our current fresh-cut capabilities,” he said.
The facility is undergoing a multimillion-dollar renovation, and Hendrickson said he has high hopes for its future.
The company offers a full line of fresh-cut items for retail and foodservice customers.
“We’re strong in both areas,” Hendrickson said.
The acquisition will give Wholesale Produce Supply more storage capabilities as the fresh-cut industry continues to grow, he said.
More customers are requesting third parties to provide fresh-cut products, and Wholesale Produce Supply can deliver daily, which is a unique advantage, he said.
Foodservice business picks up in fall as kids return to school, and the company offers items like butternut squash as consumers make more meals at home, Hendrickson said.
Halloween is a big season for Bergin Fruit and Nut Co. Inc. in St. Paul, said Tom Bergin, chief operating officer.
The family-run manufacturer and distributor established in 1951 now deals primarily in commodities such as nuts, dried fruit, raw grains and natural food items displayed in supermarket produce departments.
“Fall is one of our big seasons,” Bergin said. “We’ll do a big push for private-label packaged candy and branded candy.”
Seasonal offerings include variations of Halloween gummy worms, mellow-cream pumpkins, sour jelly pumpkins, candy corn, gummy candy corn, gummy Dracula teeth and a sweet-and-salty harvest mix, which is essentially a seasonal trail mix, Bergin said.
Many of the company’s offerings are organic, such as organic pecans and almonds.
Bergin is optimistic as fall approaches.
“It’s a pretty good year for most items,” he said. “Pricing should be fair.”
Product lines for most companies are tweaked during the fall.
Liberty Fresh will offer items like fall squashes, local potatoes, local onions and “anything the fall harvest brings on,” Miller said.
“There are plenty of fall local items that we procure for foodservice for their seasonal menu changes,” he said.
On the organic side, apples, citrus, value-added salads and berries are some of the most popular items.
Until now, Wholesale Produce Supply has been heavy into summer items like berries, but with the onset of fall, sales of hard squash, apples, cabbage and other hearty commodities will pick up, Hendrickson said. The company also offers local green peppers, cabbage, potatoes, and in October, local onions and local bagged onions.
Bergin Fruit and Nut Co. sources many fall items locally, including sunflowers, cranberries, grains and many of its 15 kinds of beans, including lima, garbanzo and kidney beans.
The company receives many new crop items during the fall as the baking season takes off, he said. “People’s appetites switch away from salads and summer fruits.”
