FRESNO, CA - A social media expert has joined the ranks at Trinity Fruit Company as the fresh powerhouse welcomes Anna O'Brien to the newly created role of Social Media and PR Specialist.

“With the constant shift in the landscape of social media, it is of the utmost importance to stay on top of trends and the ever-evolving space that encompasses social media marketing,” Anna said. “I am eager to bring new insight and ideas to Trinity Fruit Company and continue to help grow the brand’s online presence.”

In her new role, Anna oversees all aspects of Social Media and Public Relations, wielding nearly five years of experience within the social media marketing space. Prior to working at Trinity, Anna worked in influencer marketing, where she spent time in the brand operations side of the industry, as well as the influencer and affiliate marketing space. During this time, she built direct relationships with brands such as Walmart, Target, and Nordstrom to help negotiate collaborations with influencers. She also gained invaluable experience as an Account Manager, where she managed a variety of influencers in different social niches, providing them with strategies to help bolster their online presence, foster relationships with brands, and build a community with their social audience.

“I’m looking forward to expanding my knowledge of the produce industry and building a deeper connection with our agricultural community here in the Central Valley,” Anna said of her venture into the produce world. “The produce industry has always been close to my heart, as many of my family members work directly with produce in some capacity. I look forward to continuing to grow all of the different brands that fall under the umbrella of Trinity Fruit Company, and I’m eager to expand their social media presence across every social platform.”

“As Trinity Fruit Company continues to grow, so have our marketing efforts. We were thrilled to expand our marketing department by creating this new position,” shared Angela Hernandez, Trinity’s Vice President of Marketing. “With the ever-evolving nature of social media, it’s invaluable to have someone with her expertise who can navigate and adapt to changing algorithms effectively. When building our team, I focus on both skills and cultural fit, always aiming to think outside the box. Hiring someone from outside the industry has been a great asset, as it brings fresh perspectives and allows us to learn from other sectors. Anna’s diverse background has already proven to be a tremendous benefit to our team. We’re incredibly excited to welcome Anna to the Trinity Family!”

When asked about what drew her to her new role with Trinity Fruit Company, Anna had this to share: “I was drawn to Trinity Fruit through their ability to cultivate a healthy and positive work environment across every department. After my first meeting with Angela, I was overwhelmed by the sense of motivation, passion, loyalty, and genuine care exhibited toward Trinity Fruit. David and Lisa White truly care so deeply for each of their employees and treat everyone as family. I feel honored and blessed to have the opportunity to join the marketing team and work alongside and learn from such a brilliant group of women.”

Cheers to Anna O'Brien on her newest role and the beginning of her journey in fresh!

WATSONVILLE, CA - With 2025 officially upon us, now is the time to develop an understanding of the rising trends impacting consumers’ shopping habits. Wondering how to truly maximize success in these 11 remaining months? Look no further, as Driscoll’s Vice President of Marketing Frances Dillard recently uncovered three crucial consumer shifts taking place this year.

"2025 will be defined by a shift toward consumer-centric innovation, where brands that prioritize enhanced experiences and align with consumer expectations will lead the way in trust and satisfaction,” Frances shared exclusively with ANUK. “Millennial parents will continue to dominate purchasing decisions, however, recognizing and responding to the Next Gen and preparing for the unique preferences will be crucial in 2025.”

The three trends singled out in Frances’ predictions include:

• Consumer-Centric Innovation Will Be a Key Driver in 2025: Brands dedicated to enhancing the consumer experience will win in 2025. Aligning product marketing with consumer expectations will be imperative to building trust and satisfying customers
• Women Will Continue to Dominate Purchasing Decisions in 2025: According to Bloomberg, women are the primary decision-makers in most households and will remain the driving force behind the vast majority of product purchasing choices, influencing trends and shaping the marketplace across industries.
• The Fusion of Food, Beauty, and Fashion Will Shape Consumer Behavior in 2025: Trends like the "Strawberry Girl" aesthetic and "Blueberry Milk" nails are driving the integration of food, beauty, and fashion, captivating Gen Alpha and Gen Z. As this fusion gains momentum, brands will increasingly launch bold collaborations to engage younger audiences, transforming the future of brand marketing and consumer engagement.

“The fusion of food, beauty, and fashion—fueled by aesthetics like 'Strawberry Girl' and 'Blueberry Milk'—will redefine consumer behavior, inspiring bold collaborations that captivate Gen Alpha and Gen Z,” Frances added. “The future belongs to brands that embrace these dynamics with creativity and purpose."

Frances’ predictions are backed by over 20 years of experience as a high-impact leader in fresh. In her pivotal role, she spearheads Driscoll’s brand and category growth through brand management, performance marketing, omnichannel, corporate communications, and thought leadership.

Be sure to click back to AndNowUKnow to keep up with the latest trends shaping the fresh industry.

EMERYVILLE, CA - Grocery Outlet announced the appointment of Jason Potter as the company’s President and Chief Executive Officer, effective February 3, 2025. Mr. Potter will also join the company’s Board of Directors.

Mr. Potter is a seasoned CEO, bringing more than 30 years of grocery retail experience and a track record of driving earnings growth and shareholder value. He joins Grocery Outlet from The Fresh Market, a specialty grocery retailer of fresh, gourmet food and prepared meals, where he has served as CEO and a board member since March 2020.

According to a press release, during his tenure, Mr. Potter led the successful transformation of that business, driving an award-winning customer experience and strong earnings growth. Prior to this, Mr. Potter spent 26 years with Sobeys, a national grocery retailer in Canada, where he oversaw a store base of over 1,500 stores under several banners with more than $12 billion in revenues. During his tenure with Sobeys, he served in a variety of operational and leadership roles, including Executive Vice President of Operations, President of Sobeys West, President of Sobeys Atlantic, and President of Multi-Format Operations. A merchant at heart, Mr. Potter brings a passion and energy to Grocery Outlet as the company prepares for its next phase of growth.

“I could not be more excited to join Grocery Outlet,” Mr. Potter said. “With a clear mission of saving people money and a unique model that combines national buying power with local independent operators for the ultimate treasure hunt shopping experience, Grocery Outlet is a differentiated concept with a tremendous growth opportunity. I understand what it takes to lead and scale this business and look forward to working with the team and our local independent operators to reach Grocery Outlet’s full potential.”

Mr. Potter will succeed Eric J. Lindberg, Jr., who has served as Interim President and Chief Executive Officer since October 2024.

As the release noted, Mr. Lindberg also serves as Chairman of the Board and will continue in that capacity after Mr. Potter joins the Company. Mr. Lindberg will work closely with Mr. Potter over a transition period, including meeting independent operators and key suppliers and integrating him into the unique culture of the business.

“On behalf of the Board, we are thrilled to have Jason lead Grocery Outlet’s next chapter of continued growth and success,” said Mr. Lindberg. “In addition to his deep experience in growing and scaling successful grocery models, Jason’s vision, values, and hands-on leadership style align well with our goals and culture. His passion and drive will prove to be an excellent fit here at Grocery Outlet. I am confident Jason is going to be a fantastic leader with our team and independent operators, and I welcome him warmly to the Grocery Outlet family.”

Congratulations to Jason Potter on this new role!

WEST CONCORD, MA - Divert, Inc., a circular economy company on a mission to prevent food from being wasted, announced significant growth across the business in 2024.

“Divert has made important strides this year in our mission to transform unsold food into a renewable resource and demonstrate to the world that keeping waste out of landfills is an imperative—not only for our environment, but for sustainable business,” said Ryan Begin, CEO and Co-Founder, Divert. “Looking ahead, this year promises to be a transformative one for Divert as we continue to deliver our best-in-class solutions to our customers and accelerate our facilities development roadmap to further deliver on our goals.”

Over 630 Million Pounds of Unsold Food Processed, New Facilities Announced

Divert processed more than 630 million pounds of unsold and non-donatable food in 2024, a 52% increase year-over-year. Divert also celebrated the opening of its Integrated Diversion & Energy Facility in Turlock, California, the first of its kind for the state in accelerating progress against the wasted food crisis. The facility marks a significant milestone in the company’s expansion plans to scale to 30 facilities to be within 100 miles of 80% of the U.S. population. Divert also announced the locations for future Integrated Diversion & Energy Facilities including Lexington, North Carolina, and Harrison, Ohio, in addition to its previously announced Longview, Washington, facility in development.

In support of the company’s continued momentum, Divert increased its employee headcount by 23% year-over-year, including critical executive-level hires across environment, health and safety (EH&S), IT, industrials, and transportation and supply chain.

22% Growth in Customer Locations, Entry into New Verticals

Divert expanded its customer locations by 22% in 2024 and introduced its solutions to new verticals, including warehouses, distribution centers, and manufacturing locations. Notably on the industrials side, Divert announced a partnership with Blue Diamond Growers, a farmer-owned cooperative and the world’s leading almond company. Through this partnership, almond processing byproducts are transformed into two beneficial products to advance a circular economy—renewable energy to supply local homes and businesses, and soil amendment that allows for the nutrients to return to farmland supporting further food growth.

2.1 Million Pounds of Food Donated to Feed People in Need

With the backdrop of 44 million people in the U.S. facing hunger, including one in five children, Divert has accelerated its efforts to address food insecurity. Together with its retail partners, the company facilitated the donation of more than 2.1 million pounds of food in 2024, equivalent to more than 1.7 million meals. Since 2018, Divert has facilitated the donation of 15.7 million pounds of food.

This growth is the direct result of ongoing collaborations with food retail customers and donation partners across the U.S., including Feeding America. Last year, Divert announced a partnership with the largest hunger relief organization in the U.S. to bring more streamlined and actionable insights to food retailers to enable increased donations to feed people in need.

New Policy Tool Drives Industry-Wide Education, Collaboration

Divert released a first-of-its-kind Food Waste Legislative Tracker to provide insight into in-progress and existing wasted food policy issues across the U.S. Created in partnership with the Zero Food Waste Coalition and the Harvard Law School Food Law and Policy Clinic, the tool facilitates industry-wide collaboration and engagement around state-level food waste prevention, recovery, and recycling policies.

For more information on Divert, please visit www.divertinc.com.

LOS ANGELES, CA - The Giumarra Companies is pleased to announce the launch of its California-grown kiwifruit co-branded with Thx!, an award-winning social impact program. Now available in Nature’s Partner®-branded consumer pack clamshells, this collaboration offers shoppers the opportunity to enjoy fresh, vitamin-packed green kiwifruit while directly supporting farmworker dreams.

“Giumarra is committed to helping our grocery retail partners engage their customers with high-quality products that connect shoppers with the people who grow, harvest, and pack their produce,” said Jason Bushong, General Manager, Wenatchee for Giumarra. “We’re excited to introduce this new offering and to continue exploring meaningful initiatives with the Thx! team.”

For the initial launch, each package features a Thx! sticker highlighting Nicolás, a farmworker whose dream of buying a computer to help his grandchildren with their homework is made possible through consumer purchases of the kiwifruit.

According to a press release, by scanning the sticker’s QR code, shoppers can learn more about Nicolás’s dream and see the tangible impact of their support.

“We are eager to roll out Thx! programs to even more retailers in 2025 and greatly value this new partnership with Giumarra in helping us achieve our goal of fulfilling more farmworker dreams,” said Martin Casanova, Thx! Chief Dream Maker and Co-Founder. “I make a habit of speaking with shoppers in store as they pick up a product, and it never stops moving me to see their reactions when they realize the real impact they’re making just by choosing Thx! co-branded products. I’m excited to start doing this with Giumarra’s kiwifruit!”

The kiwifruit is currently available at select club stores and grocery retailers in the Western United States, with plans to expand into new markets and feature additional farmworker dreams in the future.

“Our team is impressed by the personalized farmworker stories and exceptional engagement achieved by Thx! co-branded products, with over 15,000 scans per month,” said Megan Gorgisheli, Vice President, Marketing Administration and Brand for Giumarra. “To support the program’s success, we have developed a comprehensive marketing toolkit for our retail partners featuring customizable signage and digital content to drive shopper interest.”

AndNowUKnow will cover the latest, so stay tuned.