YUMA, AZ - Natural Delights® continues to cater to its loyal fan base while drawing more consumers to the date category through creative marketing, on-trend offerings, and a portfolio that delivers on quality and flavor. The date maven is accelerating this mission in the lead-up to the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show, bringing some exciting updates attendees won’t want to miss.

“Natural Delights is continuing to drive demand for the date category,” shares David Baxter, Chief Executive Officer. “As the number one date brand in the country, we take that leadership position seriously, and we continue to invest in the marketing, PR, and consumer programs that help increase awareness, consumption, and ultimately sales of dates.”

Attendees have some fun things to expect from the Natural Delights booth this year, including the debut of a revamped brand. The brand’s new look and feel builds on the family roots and quality that shoppers have trusted from day one, while positioning Natural Delights for the next generation of date consumers.

“Shoppers have more choices than ever, which makes earning their attention and trust increasingly important,” David shares. “For us, the answer isn’t chasing every new trend. It’s staying focused on what shoppers value most: quality, consistency, and a brand they recognize and trust.”

This brand refresh comes at a time when the date category is positioned for tremendous growth, David tells me.

“That’s why our programs are designed not only to support the Natural Delights brand, but to continue educating consumers, inspiring new usage occasions, and creating demand for the broader category,” he adds. “By pairing a strong product experience with merchandising and sustained marketing and PR support, we can help retailers build repeat purchase and long-term category growth.”

While dates are continuing to grow in popularity, the Natural Delights team recognizes that long-term category growth depends on delivering a consistently high-quality product every time a shopper picks up a package.

“Everything we do starts with the shopper. That commitment to quality and consistency has been at the heart of Natural Delights from the beginning, and it has also helped us build something incredibly valuable over the past decade: trust,” says David. “We’ve developed long-standing relationships with top media, influencers, and other consumer voices who consistently support the brand because they know the product delivers. That combination of best-in-class product and sustained consumer influence allows us to keep bringing new shoppers into the category while giving existing consumers more reasons to come back.”

At booth #1535, attendees will get an early look at the brand’s new look and feel, which is designed to connect with the same shoppers who have loved Natural Delights and its family roots from the very beginning.

Couple that with fun samples, swag, and a few more surprises along the way, and you have a booth you certainly won’t want to miss at this year’s Global Produce & Floral Show!

COCHISE, AZ - In a recent exclusive interview, Plant Grow Harvest’s David Yeager took a moment to highlight the many advantages sparked by the company’s Digs lineup. Now, the Digs portfolio is expanding even further with the addition of Sweet Digs.

Back with more exclusive insights, the grower’s Chief Sales Officer offered a closer look at this exciting launch.

What are some of the key highlights of Sweet Digs?

“Sweet Digs expands the Digs portfolio into sweet potatoes with two distinct varieties: Orange and Murasaki. Orange is available in conventional, while Murasaki is available in both conventional and organic.

Orange offers the familiar flavor, color, and versatility consumers already know and love, while Murasaki brings a premium, differentiated option to the lineup. Murasaki is a Japanese sweet potato with purple skin, creamy white flesh and a naturally sweet, slightly nutty flavor.

Together, the two varieties give consumers more choice within the sweet potato category, combining a familiar favorite with a distinctive variety that offers a different flavor and eating experience. It’s an exciting extension of the Digs portfolio and another opportunity for us to bring fresh energy to the category and reduce label pollution for the consumer.”

What current trends and consumer demands does this lineup cater to? What advantages does it create for retailers?

“Consumers continue to look for foods that deliver flavor, versatility, and nutrition while still fitting easily into everyday meals. Sweet potatoes naturally align with those needs, and Sweet Digs gives shoppers two distinct varieties to choose from.

Sweet Digs also extends the Digs brand across another part of the potato category, creating a cohesive portfolio that can help build recognition at shelf while giving retailers more ways to engage shoppers.”

How can retailers make the most of this new lineup?

“Sweet potatoes are incredibly versatile, which creates opportunities to merchandise them around the way consumers already cook and shop. They can be paired with proteins and vegetables for weeknight meals, seasonings and sauces for roasting or air frying, or incorporated into seasonal and entertaining displays.

Orange and Murasaki also create a strong story when merchandised together. The contrast between the two varieties adds visual interest to the set while giving shoppers an easy choice between a classic favorite and a premium variety with a distinctive flavor and appearance. Murasaki in particular gives retailers an opportunity to bring something different to the sweet potato set. Its purple skin, creamy white interior and unique flavor give it a natural point of differentiation that can stand out at shelf and inspire trial.”

How does this portfolio expansion reflect PGH’s commitment to innovation in the potato category?

“Sweet Digs is a great example of the consumer-first approach to innovation we’ve been building across the Digs portfolio. We’re looking at the category beyond the traditional definitions of potato innovation and considering how variety, flavor, packaging, merchandising, and branding can work together to create more interest for consumers and more opportunity for our customers.

Because of our expertise across seed, growing, operations, sales, and marketing, we can look at these opportunities holistically and develop programs around both the product itself and how it ultimately shows up for the consumer.”

As demonstrated by its latest launch, PGH continues to build on its potato expertise with new varieties, formats, and experiences that give consumers more reasons to engage with the category.

IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show attendees can see and taste the lineup for themselves at booth #325. Don’t miss out on Sweet Digs while you’re in Orlando!

BAKERSFIELD, CA - From a fresh line of delicious grapes to enticing new seasonal packaging, Vista Vineyards is bringing a boost of excitement to Orlando, Florida, this year for the Global Produce & Floral Show.

“We will be looking to highlight our 2027 Peru operation, as well as our new line of Candy Grapes, Neon Harvest,” Jeff Cowan, Sales, tells me ahead of the event. “We will also be showcasing our new Halloween packaging, The Grapeyard Bunch, which we began offering this season starting in mid-September.”

Alongside these standout offerings, Vista Vineyards will also be highlighting its strengths as a controlled platform, designed to deliver consistency at scale and surety of supply.

“Vista was built to replace a fragmented platform with a coordinated platform,” Jeff says. “Vista Vineyards owns the ground and vineyards in California and Peru, giving us 100 percent control over that crop. In addition, Vista Vineyards has sponsored five growers in Mexico with our Sun World marketing license, giving us first access to premium grapes out of Mexico.”

This strategic approach gives the grower’s partners an advantage in offering the highest quality grapes year-round.

“Our model aligns three regions into a single, continuous supply. As a vertically integrated grower, packer, and shipper, we manage how grapes are produced, handled, and delivered. We deliver under one relationship, backed by a management team that also has ownership; Vista puts its name behind every commitment,” Jeff explains. “Most programs run across multiple vendors. Every handoff introduces variability in timing, quality, and execution. When supply is split across vendors, so is accountability. Problems surface without a clear owner to resolve them.”

Attendees can learn more about the company’s advantageous model at IFPA booth #4043, where Jeff will be joined by Vista Vineyards’ Kevin Andrew (CEO), Oliver Sill (VP of Sales), Dave Clyde (Director of Export), Shawn Cladwell (Director of Domestic Sales), and Shelby Herron (Sales Support).

For more exclusive previews as we approach the 2026 Global Produce & Floral Show, keep reading AndNowUKnow.

IMMOKALEE, FL - As Ark Foods prepares for the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show in Orlando, the company is also gearing up for its return to Immokalee, Florida, where its winter growing season will begin in early November. The timing gives customers and industry partners a look at what’s next from Ark Foods just as several products move from greenhouse trials into larger-scale production.

Ark Foods’ farms follow the seasons up and down the East Coast, supporting year-round supply across core crops while creating opportunities to test, evaluate, and expand new varieties. This winter, several image products previously trialed in the company’s R&D greenhouse will take the next step in Florida.

“Innovation for us starts with being willing to try something new in the field,” said Noah Robbins, founder and CEO of Ark Foods, in the recent release. “With both greenhouse and field trials, these both give us a place to test and learn, and when we see something with real potential, the next step is figuring out how to grow it at scale. That’s what makes this upcoming Florida season so exciting.”

The transition from the trial stage to commercialization is an important part of Ark Foods’ approach to product development. Promising varieties can be evaluated on a smaller scale before moving into broader growing programs, where the team can continue assessing performance and commercial potential.

Recent work in baby eggplant offers one example of how that process can translate in-market. Following extensive variety trials, Ark Foods recently introduced its Eggplant Medley Tote Bag, expanding the company’s offerings within a category that has traditionally seen limited new product activity.

With additional trial products now moving into expanded Florida production, the upcoming season will allow Ark Foods to continue building on what it has learned while identifying new opportunities for retail and foodservice partners.

For those attending IFPA, Booth 932 will offer an opportunity to talk directly with the Ark Foods team about those programs, recent launches, and what the company has in the pipeline for the season ahead.

Attendees at the IFPA Global Produce & Floral Show are invited to visit Ark Foods at Booth 932 to connect with the team and see what’s next.