CASHMERE, WA - This year’s Global Produce & Floral Show (GPFS) attendees are in for a treat! As the industry flocks to one of fresh produce’s most anticipated events, Crunch Pak is gearing up for the official reveal of its refreshed brand. The newly revamped branding will take the spotlight alongside several new products at the show.

“On the Crunch Pak licensing side, we’ll be highlighting upcoming movie releases tied to our product lineup, as well as partnerships and collaborations with other IFPA members and suppliers,” shares Danelle Huber, Marketing Director, ahead of the show. “The Global Produce & Floral Show is a great place to share all of this because so many of our customers, partners, and industry peers are together in one place.”

An Elevated Show Experience

Global Produce & Floral Show attendees will be welcomed to a brand-new booth that brings the Crunch Pak rebrand to life.

“This year’s show feels like an exciting new chapter for Crunch Pak,” Danelle says. “Between the rebrand, our new booth, new products, upcoming licensed movie releases and collaborations across the industry, there will be a lot to share. Through it all, our focus remains the same: making fresh produce more convenient, engaging, and enjoyable while continuing our mission to deliver snacking that feels good!”

Understanding Today’s Consumer

One of Crunch Pak’s biggest strengths is the company’s ability to combine fresh produce expertise with products that fit the way shoppers prefer to snack today.

“We know how to take an idea, develop it, and bring it to market with the right operational support and industry relationships behind it,” Danelle notes. “We keep moving forward by investing in new products, growing our licensing portfolio, and working with produce partners who bring complementary products and capabilities to the table.”

Industry Collaboration

As reflected by recent partnerships with Alpine Fresh and Bolthouse Fresh Foods™, Crunch Pak recognizes the importance of industry collaboration and the retail advantages it helps create.

“Collaboration across the produce industry is becoming increasingly important,” Danelle tells me. “When suppliers bring complementary products, expertise, and capabilities together, retailers can offer stronger, more differentiated programs with greater variety and broader consumer appeal.”

A Platform for Connection

At this year’s GPFS, the Crunch Pak team is looking forward to connecting with its current and potential partners face-to-face and uncovering new opportunities to collaborate

“There’s really no substitute for being together in person,” Danelle concludes. “The show gives us a chance to connect with customers, strengthen relationships, and start conversations that can lead to new retail programs, product ideas, and collaborations. It’s also a great opportunity to hear firsthand what customers are looking for and where Crunch Pak can help.”

Get a closer look at Crunch Pak’s refreshed brand, new offerings, and more at booth #1953 during the show!

For more updates in the lead-up to GPFS, leave a tab open to ANUK.

EAGLE, ID - The Idaho Potato Commission (IPC) has named produce industry veteran Tom Hanyzewski as its new Foodservice Promotion Director – Northeast/Midwest.

Hanyzewski brings more than 44 years of experience in the produce industry, with a career spanning sales, procurement, and business development. He has built a reputation for strong industry relationships and a commitment to service and results.

In his new role, Hanyzewski will work primarily with foodservice distributors throughout the Northeast and Midwest, while also supporting operators and other industry partners across the region. He will focus on strengthening relationships, growing the Idaho® potato business, and serving as a resource for the foodservice industry.

“We’re excited to have Tom join our team,” said Jamey Higham, CEO, Idaho Potato Commission, in the recent release. “His decades of experience and strong relationships throughout the produce industry will be a tremendous asset to IPC and our foodservice partners.”

Hanyzewski and his wife have been married for 29 years and have two grown daughters. Outside of work, he enjoys traveling and seeking out great local restaurants. A lifelong classic car and motorcycle enthusiast, he also enjoys home improvement projects, exploring real estate, and spending time with family, friends, and his dogs.

SUNBURY, PA - Weis Markets announced the promotion of James Godfrey to Vice President of Operational Efficiency.

In this role, Godfrey will continue to oversee the development and implementation of store-level programs focused on financial performance, labor productivity, shrink reduction and the customer experience. He continues to report to David Gose, Senior Vice President, Operations.

Godfrey most recently served as Director of Operational Efficiency. Earlier in his Weis Markets career, he worked in a variety of store and field leadership positions, including Store Manager, Regional Operations Specialist, Center Store Field Merchandiser and District Manager.

GLENNVILLE, GA - Timing is everything in fresh produce, and for a Vidalia Sweet Onion, that clock starts ticking the second it leaves the ground. Bland Farms is taking a serious swing at that ticking clock with refrigeration technology designed to give the grower greater control over quality, consistency, and shelf life.

The company is investing in its refrigeration and storage infrastructure, including a Vidalia facility that will bring its total annual storage capacity to approximately 1.5 million boxes.

And the real magic is in what happens once those onions come through the door. “The biggest change is that we can now dry and cool an onion in the same room without moving it," said Troy Bland, CEO of Bland Farms.

The system uses secondary cooling with glycol running through hot and cold loops at approximately 120 and 28 degrees, respectively, providing a broad temperature range alongside greater control over humidity.

During the process, onions are held at approximately 90 degrees for 24 hours to control Botrytis pathogens before the race begins to bring them down to 34 degrees for storage.

That race used to involve a lot more legwork. Traditionally, onions would move from a drying room into a separate cold room, creating another round of handling, and another chance for the crop to get jostled or damaged. Bland Farms’ hybrid rooms can handle both processes in one place.

The Race to Cool

Even more impressive is how much time that change cuts from the equation. “What once took roughly four weeks can now happen in seven to 10 days.”

For a crop that doesn’t exactly wait around for perfect conditions, shaving weeks off that process can make quite the difference. “Once you plow an onion up, the clock starts.”

That clock doesn’t stop for southeast Georgia weather, either.

“Our goal is to take as many variables out of the equation as possible between harvest and delivery. The sooner we can harvest an onion, properly cure it and get it into controlled storage, the more we can protect its quality and shelf life,” shared Troy.

The additional drying and cooling capacity gives Bland Farms more flexibility to shorten its harvest window, moving onions out of the field when conditions are right instead of asking Mother Nature for a favor.

And if anyone needed an example of just how quickly she can change her mind, the 2025 season delivered one. Bland Farms finished harvest by Mother’s Day weekend, and southeast Georgia received 11 inches of rain that weekend.

“That's a pretty good illustration of why timing matters," Troy said.

Cutting Weeks From the Clock

By increasing capacity, Bland Farms can move more onions out of the field at the right point, with the company pointing to better pack-out, greater consistency, and a more shelf-stable onion as the payoff for retail and foodservice partners.

But speed and storage aren’t the only pieces of the investment.

Bland Farms has also made a substantial shift in the efficiency of its refrigeration infrastructure. At the farm, 77 compressors have been replaced with three, while the Vidalia facility is moving from 30 compressors to four.

The system uses ammonia rather than older refrigerants being phased out, which the company reports runs approximately 30 percent more efficiently than a comparable Freon system. Bland Farms has also doubled its drying capacity while using less natural gas per room than before.

Those are some big changes happening in southeast Georgia, and Bland Farms sees the investment as proof that cutting-edge agricultural technology doesn’t have to come from somewhere else.

“It’s the most advanced refrigeration system in the industry, and it’s sitting in Georgia.” Troy's point is particularly important to the grower.

“That matters for how people think about Southeast agriculture. There's a perception that innovation happens somewhere else. We put millions into this facility because we believe the opposite. The work happening in this part of Georgia is as sophisticated as anything in the industry.”

For Troy, the investment ultimately comes back to controlling more of what happens between field and shelf. But its implications stretch beyond a faster trip into cold storage. “The bigger contribution is that it raises the bar for what's possible here.”

How’s that for raising the bar? ANUK will be watching as Bland Farms puts its investment to work and keeps those Vidalias racing against the clock.