Retailers can capture significant California cherry sales by promoting “pedal to the metal” to the end of the season, says Brianna Shales, marketing director for Stemilt Growers.
Salinas, Calif.-based Church Brothers Farms has “worked tirelessly” to expand its retail line of Green Giant Fresh products, said Rick Russo, senior vice president of sales and marketing.
Mostly favorable growing conditions for leaf and lettuce items have helped produce some good-quality crops from California this summer, grower-shippers say.
California is looking to build on the success of the Grower Shipper Association of Central California’s quarantined housing program with an expanded statewide effort.
Monterey County’s top four most valuable crops remained unchanged from 2018 to 2019, led by leaf lettuce, which saw an increase of almost 15%, boosted by better pricing for romaine.
California is forecast to have another record almond crop this year, with the U.S. Department of Agriculture estimating an increase of almost 18% over last season’s crop.
The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement has a new subcommittee that focuses on how land adjacent to leafy greens fields might contribute to foodborne illness outbreaks from romaine lettuce.
California’s onion season got underway in mid-April in the desert region around Brawley, and production in other regions of the state will get underway on-time around June 1, grower-shippers say.
California’s Farm to Family Program, a state agriculture program that boosts donations to food banks, has received a boost of $3.64 million as charities see unprecedented demand during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on produce sales is playing out at terminal markets across the country, including the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market.
Scott Horsfall, who has been the CEO of the of the California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement since it was established in 2007, plans to retire next March.
Bing, brooks and coral champagne are a few of the most popular cherry varieties grown in California, and some growers toss in a few of their own favorites.
California cherry growers expect to harvest slightly more fruit this season than last year, assuming they don’t see a repeat of the heavy rainfall that devastated much of their fruit last May.
Demand for fresh produce has skyrocketed at food banks from coast to coast since the COVID-19 pandemic forced non-essential businesses to close, leaving many workers without pay.
California strawberry season has kicked off, with berries in the Salinas/Watsonville area starting at the end of March to meet increased demand of berries spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The volume of bagged avocados continues to increase every year as consumers seek convenience and/or value options, and retailers discover another way to merchandise avocados and drive sales of multiple pieces of fruit.
Several California growers offer the new GEM avocado, but credit for bringing the variety to the forefront should go to Index Fresh Inc., Riverside, Calif.
An air of uncertainty was hanging over California’s avocado industry in early March as news reports described the spread of the new coronavirus, COVID-19.
California’s avocado crop is expected to rebound in 2020, with the state’s growers shipping 369 million pounds — about a 70% increase over last year — according to the Irvine-based California Avocado Commission.
Inspections of California and Arizona leafy greens, as outlined in the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreements for those crops, continue despite the spread of COVID-19.
The West Coast Produce Expo and the Sustainable Produce Summit, presented by The Packer and Farm Journal, are being postponed until August due to concerns about the coronavirus COVID-19.
The California Avocado Commission, Irvine, has a new advertising campaign, transforming the letters “C” and “A” in avocados to iconic representation of what the state has to offer.
The Western Association of Food Chains is launching Fresh Focus Exchange at its convention to provide more opportunities for business development and gain greater participation of perishable food suppliers.