GREENSBORO, NC - Expanding its presence in The Sunshine State, The Fresh Market recently announced the grand opening of its newest store in Seminole, Florida. The retailer hopes that the new features in this store will make The Fresh Market the shopping destination for Floridians.

“Florida is an important part of our growth at The Fresh Market, and we're thrilled to become a member of the Seminole community,” said Jason Potter, Chief Executive Officer. “Our recent recognition by USA Today readers is a testament to our shoppers' commitment to our brand. They choose us and trust us with their everyday and special occasion meals, and we’re excited for our guests in Seminole to discover their favorites.”

According to a press release, the retailer was recently recognized by USA Today 10Best Readers’ Choice Awards 2024 for best bakery, best deli, and best-prepared food.

The store spans 24,597 square feet and offers guests an extensive range of fresh produce, premium meats, seafood, bakery items, and local Florida products.

This newest store also boasts time-saving solutions for busy consumers with ready-to-eat meals and a coffee bar.

For more information regarding this newest store, click here.

We'll continue to report on the latest happening in retail, so keep turning back to AndNowUKnow.

ORANGE, CA - As we all start to feel the fall season weather, many of us are also preparing for the start of football season. MegaMex Foods, the maker behind the WHOLLY® GUACAMOLE brand, recently conducted a survey in honor of National Guacamole Day and the start of the football season.

“Rituals are a huge part of the football fan experience, and America's obsession with avocados makes guacamole the standout in any starting lineup,” said Chris Monahan, Brand Manager, WHOLLY. “Made with 100 percent Hass avocados with no preservatives added, WHOLLY GUACAMOLE is the convenient, high-quality, refrigerated guacamole that's always ready to be put in the game.”

Toluna, a market research company, which acted on behalf of the maker of WHOLLY GUACAMOLE, found that pre-made guac is the go-to snack on game day for 50 percent of the football fans surveyed, which included more than 2,200 football fans.

Additional results specific to game-day snacking include:

• Eating the same food (31 percent)
• All guests surveyed were more likely to watch a football game with friends if they like the snacks being served (40 percent), second only to the team playing (74 percent)
• Americans ages 18–34 from the survey confirmed they are more likely to watch a football game if they like the snacks (62 percent) versus ages 55 and up (19 percent) who place more emphasis on the teams playing

Fans can find WHOLLY guacamole in two sizes, Minis and Bowls, to cater to both individual fans and a rowdy crowd, a press release shared. These sizes work for any sports gathering and can be found on grocery shelves now.

Click back to ANUK for more stories like this.

BAKERSFIELD, CA - Bako Sweet® recently announced a promising start to its 2024 sweet potato crop, despite challenges posed by extreme summer heat earlier this year. In fact, the crop has only benefited from favorable growing conditions, and with the harvest now underway, sweet potatoes are readily available in orange, red, white, and purple.

“Our 2024 crop has shown impressive growth, thanks to ideal transplanting conditions earlier this year,” remarked Matt McCort, Chief Operating Officer. “The cooler spring allowed for strong initial growth with a great size profile that supports both value-added and bulk retail packs. Although we experienced over 20 days of extreme heat in July and August, our crop has continued to perform well.”

According to a press release, the combination of a cool spring and successive days of 105-degree heat did slow the timing of harvest slightly. However, Bako Sweet’s dynamic approach to harvest management allowed the company to mitigate potential negative impacts.

Leveraging additional harvesting capacity by closely monitoring water, shredding, and harvest schedules, the team ensured product quality and sizing consistency.

“By shifting our harvest focus based on size profiles, we are able to optimize the quality of our crop and meet the specific needs of our retail partners,” McCort added. “This season, we’re especially excited about the increased acreage of our white and purple sweet potatoes, which will enhance our year-round offerings and help us better bridge the transition to peak seasonal demand in Q4 2024.”

The company went on to note that as the harvest progresses, Bako Sweet remains committed to delivering the high-quality sweet potatoes that consumers have come to expect from the brand.

Increased planted acres and dynamic harvesting strategies are at the ready so the company is well-positioned to support its retail partners as they prepare for the upcoming holiday seasons.

AndNowUKnow will be your source for all things produce in the coming months, so stay tuned!

BAKERSFIELD, CA - Patience may be a virtue, but in maintaining something as dynamic as the California grape business, it is also a necessity. As we reflect not only on a new chapter for the California Table Grape Commission (CTGC) but on the latest in realizing the accumulating success of its Agriculture Scholarship program, incoming President Ian LeMay shares that this scholarship is really about encouraging and supporting students with a passion for California agriculture.

“Innovation in the California table grape industry almost always requires investing in the long-term. Sometimes that means developing new technologies or practices to aid future harvests, sometimes it means fostering the next generation of industry members and innovators. Such is the program offered to students by California table grape growers,” Ian says, expanding on our earlier conversation with current commission leader Kathleen Nave. “Supporting these students is a way to help ensure they have the financial ability to pursue their educational goals, grow their innovative ideas, and bring their newly acquired skills and education to the future of the California table grape industry.”

Perfect examples can be found in the latest to join the 40-plus years of students lifted up by the group investment, like Madison Jackson, who graduated from Liberty High School with a 4.1 GPA and will attend California State University, Chico to study agriculture education and environmental science.

Jackson is among those to receive the $25,000 Agriculture Scholarship, a variation of several offered to students who wish to attend a California university and plan to pursue a field of study pertinent to the California table grape industry.

Creating innovation in the agriculture industry is what excites students like Brenda Monje, a 2024 Agriculture Scholarship recipient who graduated from Tulare Western High School with a 4.1 GPA and is attending California State University, Fresno this fall to study food technology. After college, the horizon is open and broad for Monje as she looks forward to using her education to meet challenges and opportunities in developing new technologies for the agriculture industry.

Innovation in the future of the industry requires those that are passionate about advocacy and policy as well, such as 2024 Agriculture Scholarship recipient Olivia Machado.

Machado graduated from Tulare Western High School with a 4.3 GPA and will attend California Polytechnic State University, San Louis Obispo in the fall to study agriculture business. After college, Olivia plans to attend law school to become an agriculture lawyer to advocate for farmers, ranchers, and the agriculture industry.

“Choosing Grapes from California not only positively affects the California table grape community, but helps ensure that fresh minds eager to contribute to the betterment of its future are supported from within,” Ian reflected.

To learn more about the importance of impacts made by such programs, click here. And as we continue to report on all strategies helping to support the critical points of each fresh category, keep following AndNowUKnow.