Year: 2019

John Stanton, undoubtedly in my book, is one of the best, if not the best authority on consumer behavior when it comes to purchasing foods and produce. …

When he heard Jacqui Green left her position as CEO of Berry Gardens, we wanted to grab her up quickly. With sales of close to half a billion US dollars, this company is a berry giant in the UK. Berry Gardens also has an exclusive arrangement with Driscoll’s, tying them into a large breeding and marketing program. …

Terminal markets stand at a unique nexus in the produce industry. On the one hand, terminal markets are crucial to the prosperity of the growing community. A retail chain may decide it only wants a certain size, a certain grade, a certain variety – but the Good Lord has not seen fit to allow a grower to only produce that. Farmers need outlets for ALL the crop. ALL the sizes. ALL the grades. ALL the varieties. …

John Bovay is one of those up-and-coming young academics. Now he is at Virginia Tech and brought along Virginia Tech as the newest member of our University Interchange Program where professors share their latest research– thus helping to disseminate knowledge– and students get a chance to be mentored, get access to educational activities, start to build industry relationships, seek out internships and jobs. He also brought some new research on the interrelationship between organic and conventional produce sales. …

Jim Jefcoate did a great job moderating our “Fast Forward to 2029” panel at the Global Grape Summit earlier this year in London. So, we asked him to come to the New York Produce Show and bring his crystal ball with him to discuss one of the most crucial issues in the produce industry — the rise of discount retailing. …