LEAMINGTON, ON - Pure Flavor® is proud to announce that Rocco Reds® was awarded Chef’s Choice recognition at the Annual Greenhouse Competition held at the Leamington Fair on Friday, May 22, 2026, further cementing its title as “The Chef’s Tomato®.” Greenhouse growers from across the region gathered to showcase the quality, consistency, and innovation behind locally grown produce.

Recognized as one of the region’s longstanding greenhouse industry events, the competition celebrates excellence across multiple produce categories, including tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, and specialty items. Nearly 200 entries were evaluated by an independent panel of judges based on appearance, flavor, texture, uniformity, and overall quality.

Pure Flavor® is pleased to share that the following products were recognized this year:

• Coolest Cucumber — Cocktail Cucumber Category — Poco Bites®
• Perfect Pepper — Orange Bell Pepper Category – Orange Sweet Bell
• Chef’s Choice Award — Tomato — Rocco Reds® Tomato
• Overall Best in Competition — Pepper Category — Orange Sweet Bell

“This award for Rocco Reds reflects our passion for discovering and developing new varieties that deliver exceptional flavor, freshness, and quality,” said Jamie Moracci, CEO of Pure Flavor®, in the recent release. “Innovation drives everything we do, and we are honored to be recognized by our peers and community for this commitment.”

The Annual Greenhouse Competition is hosted by R.E.A.C.H. International, a charitable organization dedicated to supporting global community development initiatives, including education, healthcare, and access to clean water in Uganda. The event continues to unite growers, industry partners, and community members while supporting meaningful initiatives beyond the greenhouse industry.

Pure Flavor® remains committed to advancing greenhouse-grown produce through innovation, sustainability, and premium products consumers can count on throughout the year.

For more information about Pure Flavor® and its fresh produce offerings, visit Pure Flavor®.

FULLERTON, CA - In June, the California Avocado Commission (CAC) celebrates the fourteenth year of its California Avocado Month program. While California avocado season generally runs from spring through summer, the start and end dates vary each year. June is predictably part of the heart of peak availability of the crop, so more than a decade ago CAC established it as California Avocado Month.

This initiative strengthens demand for locally grown, high-quality avocados through targeted incremental marketing activities leading directly up to June and throughout the month. California Avocado Month marketing support includes trade programs, consumer advertising and public relations.

“We expect the June harvest of fresh, locally grown California avocados to have excellent sizing and quality,” said Ken Melban, CAC president, in the recent release. “Distribution at retail and foodservice is in full stride, and so are our customer and consumer marketing support programs.”

As part of the California Avocado Month efforts, there will be retail activations throughout June for customers who merchandise California avocados. Customer-specific in-store marketing support during the month will feature sales contests that include enhanced in-store displays of sustainably farmed California avocados in bins that complement the consumer advertising campaign, signs highlighting California avocado growers, and ad flyers that promote locally grown California avocados.

Shopper marketing campaigns with national retailers will showcase elevated recipes to online shoppers, and digital coupons will provide extra value to online and mobile shoppers when purchasing bagged California avocados. Trade partners’ customers will also be targeted with storytelling ads, customer-specific social media series, enewsletters, custom recipes, and influencer content that encourages traffic to CaliforniaAvocado.com and its online store locator to find California avocados, as well as directly to retail locations.

The Commission is participating in two retail-based co-promotions in June. In-store demos will be conducted in conjunction with CA Grown around soccer watch party-themed recipes. Also, CAC is partnering in a co-promotion with a California-based retail partner and Avocado Green, a Southern California company that shares the Commission’s commitment to sustainability, to develop content that promotes all three brands to targeted consumers.

“The annual California avocado crop estimate remains around 330 million pounds, and as of the end of May, it is expected to be about 45% harvested,” said Melban. “Our California Avocado Month program is built to support growers and continue strong peak season sales.”

CAC will also be activating various consumer-targeting efforts as part of the program. The Commission’s media spokespeople will be integrating California Avocado Month messaging into their local market broadcast segments, and a consumer media press release highlighting the fruit’s peak availability will be distributed. Additionally, CAC will be inspiring consumers’ California avocado purchases through fresh, seasonal recipe content distributed through various channels, including seven influencer partners with a reach of nearly four million followers and subscribers, along with content on CAC’s social channels, in its June enewsletter, and through its blog.