WATSONVILLE, CA - If you caught one of our most recent updates with California Giant Berry Farms, then you know the berry supplier is unleashing an abundance of organic blueberries from the Pacific Northwest, complemented by its harvest of organic berries here in California. As the company looks to maximize opportunities across the full berry patch, California Giant will be showcasing its year-round supply of organic strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries at the upcoming Organic Produce Show.

“California Giant Berry Farms is at the forefront of the organic movement and is committed to providing the highest quality, freshest organic berries available,” Nick Chappell, Director of Sales, shared ahead of the show. “Our year-round supply of strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries set the standard for quality and consistency and provide retailers, foodservice, and consumers with the best berry experience.”

With current consumer interest in organic produce remaining strong, the supplier is leveraging its current abundance of high-quality berries, showcasing its offering amid the peak Pacific Northwest blueberry season.

At booth #503, attendees are invited to visit California Giant Berry Farms and learn more about the company’s vision to provide high-quality berries in the most sustainable way. Visitors to the California Giant booth will also learn about its organic and conventional offerings, promotable volume marketing opportunities, and more.

“OPS is always a fantastic opportunity to connect with industry decision-makers and showcase our organic offerings,” Nick added. “We see the event as a chance to mingle with industry leaders to celebrate partnerships and forge new relationships. We enjoy connecting with buyers and love to showcase our commitment to high-quality organic berries.”

As Nick shares with me, California Giant’s goal is to be the most resilient fresh berry company in the world. An element of that includes the provider’s dedication to sustainability. In fact, the brand expects to publish its first Sustainability Impact Report soon as it continues to strive for improvement in this area.

“California Giant Berry Farms is proud to be the first commercial strawberry operation in the U.S. to achieve Fair Trade USA™ certified strawberries,” Nick goes on to note. “This initiative reinforces our commitment to sustainability and ethical business practices and underscores our mission to deliver the best quality berries and nourish our communities. This builds upon our existing sustainability certifications that include SCS Global Services Sustainably Grown Certified strawberries, as well as Bee Better certified blueberries by Xerces Society.”

If you’re eager to learn more about this formidable berry supplier, be sure to stop by booth #503 at the show!

PHILADELPHIA, PA - Our daily lives involve a lot of data. We take in and share information at a rapid pace, and so do businesses. But thanks to digital platforms like FreshCloud™ Inspection, suppliers and retailers can stay organized and tapped into their supply chain needs. Bagú and AgroFresh Solutions’ expanded collaboration demonstrates this well. Bagú provides clementines to a growing number of locales around the world, with clients in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the Middle East.

“FreshCloud Inspection provides end-to-end visibility to real-time data and insights to empower decision-making and help improve quality, profitability potential, and sustainability,” said Cesar Balguerias, EMEA Data and Digital Product Lead, AgroFresh. “It allows users to capture, analyze, and make decisions based on each piece of produce, from harvest to storage.”

According to a press release, Bagú integrated the FreshCloud Inspection digital platform in 2023, allowing them to easily visualize real-time data, resulting in optimized product quality management.

Now, before the fruit even leaves the packaging house, Bagú is able to deliver quality reports to its customers, with the information having been synthesized and reported in FreshCloud. Balaguer agrees that having quality recorded for the entire product benefits everyone, including retailers.

“The FreshCloud platform from AgroFresh has brought us simplicity, speed, and significant data visualization,” said Isaac Balaguer, Technical Director of Operations for Bagú. “This makes it much easier to share important information with everyone on the entire team, which helps us and our customers.”

The release continued that AgroFresh puts more power, control, and transparency into the hands of its customers with FreshCloud Inspection, bringing together solutions to help maximize profit potential and minimize losses. From communication and labor costs to providing produce quality across the supply chain, FreshCloud Inspection is bringing solutions to today’s doorstep.

With the future of data upon us, keep reading AndNowUKnow for more industry developments.

SACRAMENTO, CA - The California Pear Advisory Board released insights into the current domestic pear harvest. California pear growers are expected to begin harvest on July 15, with Bartlett and Red Bartlett being the first varieties to harvest this year.

“Demand for California pears is extremely strong this year for both fresh and cannery markets,” said Chris Zanobini, Executive Director of the California Pear Advisory Board. “With great growing conditions, we’re expecting overall high quality with good sizing and flavor.”

Harvest in the River District will be followed in early August, with the Mendocino District starting harvest on August 5, and the Lake County District starting on August 12.

According to a press release, the California Pear Advisory Board met last week in Courtland, California, to set its annual pre-season crop estimate. There will be a slight reduction in this year’s crop due to weather conditions during the bloom period.

“In comparison to last year’s crop, Bartletts are expected to see an 18 percent decrease in production, while other pear varieties are projected to be down by 16 percent,” said Zanobini. “The total anticipated production for all varieties is estimated at 2,004,350 boxes. This volume includes organic Bartlett pears and red pear varieties that are growing in popularity, as well as over 510,000 boxes of Golden Russet Bosc pears.”

To read more, click here.

ANUK will continue to cover the latest in fresh produce, so keep a tab open for us.

WASHINGTON, DC - Members of the specialty crop industry are rejoicing this week as a certification program is being expanded. The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is expanding the Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops (FSCSC) program to now include medium-sized businesses in addition to small businesses. The program has been expanded to include assistance for 2024 and 2025 expenses.

“The Food Safety Certification for Specialty Crops program helps producers cover costs of on-farm food safety certification in order to meet regulatory requirements and access additional markets,” said Farm Service Agency (FSA) Administrator Zach Ducheneaux. “We recognize the value in supporting specialty crop producers incurring these expenses, so we’re not only continuing the program but also improving access by expanding program reach to include medium-sized operations.”

FSCSC assists specialty crop operations that incur eligible on-farm food safety certification and expenses related to obtaining or renewing a food safety, a press release stated. FSCSC covers a percentage of the specialty crop operation’s cost of obtaining or renewing its certification, as well as a portion of related expenses.

Eligible FSCSC applicants must be a specialty crop operation, meet the definition of a small- or medium-sized business, and have paid eligible expenses related to certification:

• A small business has an average annual monetary value of specialty crops sold by the applicant during the three-year period preceding the program year of no more than $500,000
• A medium-sized business has an average annual monetary value of specialty crops the applicant sold during the three-year period preceding the program year of at least $500,001 but no more than $1,000,000

Specialty crop operations can receive the following cost assistance:

• Developing a food safety plan for first-time food safety certification
• Maintaining or updating an existing food safety plan
• Food safety certification
• Certification upload fees
• Microbiological testing for products, soil amendments and water
• Training

FSCSC payments are calculated separately for each eligible cost category. Details about payment rates and limitations are available here. Interested applicants have until January 31, 2025, to apply for assistance for 2024 eligible expenses.

ANUK will continue to report as we learn more about the program.

MONTEREY, CA - The role of e-commerce in organics will be explored at the upcoming Organic Produce Summit. The trade show announced a new education session titled “State of E-Commerce Produce Sales.”

The panel will be moderated by Ryan Mulvany, an E-Commerce Advisor and Investor, who will interview speakers Andrew McGregor, Senior Director of Produce, Misfits Market; and Roger Brady, Purchasing and Category Manager for Produce and Floral, Good Eggs.

According to a press release, the panel will delve into e-commerce opportunities for the produce industry, covering current successes and areas for improvement, including recent trends in direct-to-consumer retail.

It will go on to discuss the future of e-commerce and how organic producers can cater to this demand through e-commerce. It will then address challenges in selling perishable items directly to consumers.

If you haven’t yet registered for the event, click here.

We’ll continue to report on the show in the lead-up to the event, so stay tuned!