Tom Hall, sales manager for Freska Produce International LLC, Oxnard, Calif., said the firm's mango supply was transitioning from Peru to Mexico. Yellow ataulfo mangoes were arriving from Mexico, with Mexican round mango volume expected to ramp up starting by mid-March. Besides fresh mangoes, the firm is finding strong demand for organic, dehydrated, sliced mangoes from Mexico, a product with no additives or sugar added.
Eric Bolesta, sales representative for Grower Network, Lake Park, Ga., said the company offers vegetables from north Florida and south Georgia, along with expanding supplies of seedless mandarins, branded as Besties. Besties begin in November and will go through January, Bolesta said. In addition, the company is offering juice oranges and grapefruit from its farms, he said.
Howard Nager, director of marketing and business development for Pacific Trellis Fruit, Los Angeles, Calif., said that the company is expanding its Dulcinea brand beyond melons to other fruit, including grapes and cherries.
Mindy VanVleck, sales representative, and Jessica Peri, retail sales manager for Peri & Sons Farms, Yerrington, Nev., display the company's all-paper "earth" bag. The pack features a bamboo mesh screen, and is enjoying good retailer and consumer response, Peri said.
Brian Josephs, vice president of retail sales for The Little Potato Company, DeForest, Wis., said the company's purple potatoes, displayed in a 1.5-pound pack in the picture, retain their color after they are cooked. The company has a limited volume of the variety now, and is marketing the variety with only a couple of retail chains, Josephs said.
Lonnie Gillespie, chief organic officer for Farm Fresh Direct of America, Monte Vista, Colo., displays the company's Ugly Duckling pack, which features No. 2 organic potatoes. The pack has a lower price point that is very similar to conventional potatoes, Gillespie said.
Michael Kominsky, regional sales manager for CPG Brands in the Northeast at Ventura Foods, said the company's Marie's brand has introduced a new line of plant-based dressings. The line was introduced in August last year and has been receiving good reviews, he said.
Christina Ward, senior director of global marketing at Sunkist Growers, said the company has new packaging and merchandising tools. Sunkist has bins that include QR codes directing consumers to peelgoodcitrus.com. The website is full of games, activities, photo filters, recipes and more. Sunkist's "lollipop" logo, first introduced decades ago, has been revived for California conventional and organic fruit, Ward said.
