LOS ANGELES, CA - Wonderful® Pistachios is becoming synonymous with snacking across all sorts of competitive series. The brand was recently named the “Official Snack” of Combo Breaker, a video game convention and tournament series in the United States.

“Combo Breaker is at the heart of the grassroots gaming community with a dynamic and diverse crowd, which is a perfect fit for our brand,” said Diana Salsa, Vice President of Marketing. “Just as each gamer brings their own unique style to the competition, our assortment of pistachios provides a perfect match for every taste preference and allows consumers to snack healthy without having to sacrifice flavors or fun.”

Approximately 7,000 people attend in-person, which offers Wonderful more eyes on their brand and its No Shells line, including a new flavor, Jalapeño Lime.

No matter the arena in which you're making connections with potential future customers, the more user impressions, the better—no matter how big or small your company is.

Stick around to see who Wonderful partners with next!

SAN FRANCISCO, CA & BERLIN - The food delivery arena is being shaken up thanks to an acquisition made by Uber Technologies. The company has reached an agreement for Uber to acquire Delivery Hero’s foodpanda delivery business in Taiwan for $950 million in cash. The acquisition is subject to regulatory approval and other customary closing conditions and is targeted to close in the first half of 2025.

Separately, the companies have also entered into an agreement for Uber to purchase $300 million in newly issued ordinary shares of Delivery Hero.

“Bringing together our distinct customer bases, merchant selections, and geographic footprints will allow us to deliver more choices and the best prices for consumers, stronger demand for restaurants, and more earnings opportunities for delivery partners,” Pierre-Dimitri Gore-Coty, Senior Vice President of Delivery at Uber, stated. “Taiwan is a fiercely competitive market, where online food delivery platforms today still represent just a small part of the food delivery landscape. We’re so excited about the opportunity to deliver even greater convenience and value that this transaction would unlock in the years ahead.”

Until closing, Delivery Hero is dedicated to operating foodpanda Taiwan as before, offering the best possible service for its customers and vendors, a press release stated. In the period following closing, foodpanda’s local consumers, merchants, and delivery partners will be transitioned to Uber Eats.

Due to its existing presence in Taiwan, Uber is best placed to build upon the significant local operations developed by Delivery Hero and foodpanda over the past years, and invest further into an improved experience for consumers, merchants, and delivery partners.

The deal will combine Uber’s global expertise in operating a high-efficiency marketplace with foodpanda’s extensive coverage across Taiwan and its relationships with beloved local brands. The deal will also give consumers greater choice across food types and price points by bringing the complementary groups of merchants on Uber Eats and foodpanda onto a combined platform.

Once completed, this deal would be one of the largest ever international acquisitions in Taiwan, outside of the semiconductor industry. Uber’s decision to commit to this considerable increase in its Taiwan investment is a concrete vote of confidence in the continued long-term attractiveness of Taiwan for international companies and investors.

For more from the press release, click here.

And keep reading ANUK to stay up to date on the industry’s latest.

WASHINGTON - May is Mental Health Awareness month and Equitable Food Initiative brings solutions to the supply-side to ensure that farmworkers are given the tools they need and to highlight the importance of supportive workplace environments.

“Farm work is demanding, both physically and mentally,” said LeAnne R. Ruzzamenti, EFI’s Director of Marketing and Communications. “The fresh produce industry employs many migrant workers who are far from their families and familiar experiences and can experience loneliness and grief. Creating a workplace that acknowledges these challenges is the first step toward offering real solutions.”

According to a study by the North Carolina Office of Rural Health, 30 percent of farmworkers experience elevated levels of anxiety, and 40 percent report depression—rates that are significantly higher than the general population.

As EFI explained in its release, employers who support farmworker mental health are seeing results.

“We believe it’s critical to look after the mental and spiritual health of our employees as much as their physical well-being,” said Vernon Peterson, Owner of Abundant Harvest Organics.

Abundant Harvest Organics, along with its marketer-shipper Homegrown Organic Farms, offers chaplain programs that provide on-site support and resources to employees.

“The benefits to our workers are profound,” said Janie Mann, Director of Human Resources for Homegrown Organic. “When facing personal challenges, employees might hesitate to share with peers or supervisors. Having an external source of support has proven invaluable. We’ve received constant positive feedback from employees on the chaplain programs.”

Although the month of May highlights mental health, supporting farmworkers in this way should be a year-round commitment.

Keep reading ANUK as we cover the latest in fresh produce.

MIAMI, FL - It was just a couple of weeks ago that we announced Fresh Del Monte Produce’s expanded partnership with the University of Granada. Further proving its commitment to innovation, the supplier has teamed up with Vellsam Materias Bioactivas to research how to maximize the use of its pineapple residues by way of biofertilizers. The partnership, operating under the name De l’Ora Bio, is announcing the inauguration of a biofertilizer plant in Kenya.

“Fresh Del Monte is committed to creating a circular economy and is taking active measures to repurpose and reuse its residues,” said Mohammad Abu-Ghazaleh, Fresh Del Monte’s Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We see this collaboration as a transformative turning point that has the potential to revolutionize how the agricultural industry farms. De l’Ora embodies our commitment to innovation, environmental stewardship, and pursuing boundaries of what is possible in agriculture.”

The new biofertilizer plant is situated close to Fresh Del Monte’s subsidiary in Kenya, Del Monte Kenya, and will use residues from the company’s pineapple cannery to create different types of biofertilizers for its use and the eventual sale to other growers in Kenya and East African countries.

A press release explained that biofertilizers are natural fertilizers that use microbes to help promote plant growth by increasing the supply of essential nutrients to the plants, improving the soil texture and yield of plants, and providing a more sustainable option to traditional fertilizers. Estimates show that the global biofertilizers market size will expand to around USD 9.14 billion by 2032, according to Precedence Research.

The new plant is currently running tests and will be fully operational in June. Del Monte Kenya is the single largest exporter in the country and already employs 6,500 Kenya workers directly. With the opening of this plant, the company can further support the local economy and work toward growing its footprint and impact in the region.

Fresh Del Monte and Vellsam aim to maximize the use of residue utilization, enhance soil fertility, and meet the rising demand from consumers seeking nutritious, sustainably grown produce.

Stick with ANUK as we learn more about this endeavor.