GARLAND, TX - H-E-B has plans for two new projects in the City of Garland, according to a recent release on the company's site.

First, the company will revitalize a vacant shopping center located on the northeast corner of Centerville Road and LBJ Freeway. The approximately seven-acre site will soon be home to North Texas’ fourth Joe V’s Smart Shop, an innovative price format that focuses on offering fresh, high-quality products at the lowest prices in the marketplace. Construction is expected to begin in the coming months.

Part of H-E-B’s family of brands, Joe V’s Smart Shop operates 14 stores in North Texas and Houston.

The second project involves H-E-B’s intent to develop an H-E-B store on a 21-acre site located between Crist Road and Firewheel Parkway off President George Bush Turnpike. The purchase of that property is not yet final.

Additional details will be shared as these projects develop.

As a multiformat retailer, H-E-B operates Joe V’s Smart Shop, Central Market, and Mi Tienda stores. Additionally, H-E-B operates Favor Delivery, an on-demand delivery service that serves hundreds of communities throughout the state.

LOS ANGELES, CA - Wonderful® Pistachios has announced a collaboration with award-winning chef, TV personality, and author Eitan Bernath in celebration of World Pistachio Day on February 26. This partnership combines the brand’s No Shells Unsalted variety with Eitan’s culinary expertise to create an elevated, approachable pasta dish for home cooks: Lemon Butter Spaghetti with Whipped Pistachio Ricotta.

The collaboration kicked-off on Instagram and TikTok featuring a mouthwatering recipe video Reel of how to cook the original pasta recipe featuring Wonderful Pistachios. The partnership also included an intimate World Pistachio Day dinner party where Eitan showcased additional courses using Wonderful Pistachios No Shells Unsalted, including a pistachio baked feta and a deconstructed raspberry pistachio tart.

For more information visit WonderfulPistachios.com, or find Eitan’s pasta recipe on Instagram by following @wonderfulpistachios and @eitan.

ROSEMONT, IL - US Foods Holding Corp., one of America’s largest food distributors and leader in digital foodservice solutions, announced the launch of Menu IQ, an AI-powered profitability solution designed to help operators better manage food costs. Menu IQ transforms menu management from intuition into a data-driven strategy for optimizing menu profitability—at no additional cost to US Foods customers.

Aligned with US Foods’ commitment to deliver more tools to help operators run their business with ease, Menu IQ is integrated into MOXē, the company’s all-in-one industry-leading business application, where customers can browse products, manage inventory and track orders.

“Every day we hear about our operators’ biggest challenges, and menu profitability sits at the top of their concerns,” said James Jones, senior vice president of digital commerce, in the recent release. "Our customers are demanding easier, more intuitive solutions to help improve menu profitability, and Menu IQ enables us to meet this need. Menu IQ delivers real-time visibility into which dishes are driving margins so our operators can adjust instantly to make smarter decisions about which changes will drive increased profitability. This is a great example of how we continue to help our customers Make It."

Menu IQ is built the way operators work—bringing together essential capabilities that make menu management intuitive and actionable:

• AI Recipe Management: Upload recipes and automatically calculate food costs.
• Real-Time Profitability Tracking: Monitor which menu items drive margins—anytime, anywhere.
• Actionable Insights: Identify underperforming dishes and optimization opportunities at a glance.
• Integrated Data: Pull actual food costs from MOXē Inventory for accuracy using the US Foods food cost calculator.

To learn more or request a demo, please visit: usfoods.com/how-we-help-you/easy-ordering.

DUNDEE, FL - Dundee, FL, February 24, 2026 – Florida Classic Growers, Inc. invites SEPC Southern Exposure attendees to visit Booth #207 for fresh sampling of its premium Rubies® red grapefruit, including hand-sliced samples and freshly juiced grapefruit.

Rubies® grapefruit are known for their deep red color, exceptional interior quality, and balanced sweet flavor. Backed by generations of Florida growing expertise, the brand represents the company’s commitment to delivering consistent, high-quality citrus to retail partners and consumers nationwide.

A key driver behind the Rubies® program is Florida Classic Growers’ CUPS (Citrus Under Protective Screen) production system. CUPS is a controlled environment growing method that protects trees from citrus greening. The result is premium exterior and interior fruit quality, consistent supply, and environmentally responsible production using less land, water, and fertilizer.

“Our CUPS program is producing some of the finest grapefruit we have ever grown,” said Derek Rodgers, Director of Sales & Marketing for Florida Classic Growers, in the recent release. “When customers taste Rubies®, they immediately recognize the difference in flavor, color, and quality.”

CUPS also supports long-term varietal innovation in Florida, unlocking opportunities for additional high-value citrus programs while strengthening supply reliability for East Coast retailers.

“The innovation behind CUPS allows us to deliver a dependable, sustainable Florida-grown product,” said Steven Callaham, CEO at Dundee Citrus Growers Association. “Rubies® grapefruit showcase what’s possible when you combine tradition with forward-thinking agriculture.”

TEHACHAPI, CA - Millennium Pacific Greenhouses is proud to announce the launch of its new California Grown (CA GROWN) Cucumber Program, delivering premium greenhouse-grown Long English, Mini, and Coastal Cukie-Bites™ Snack-Sized cucumbers to retailers and consumers across the West Coast year-round.

Rooted in the strength of its advanced greenhouse facility in Tehachapi, California, the program reinforces Millennium’s commitment to surety of supply, consistent quality, and regionally grown freshness. The strategic expansion enhances the greenhouse grower’s ability to serve retail and foodservice partners throughout California and neighboring western markets with reduced transit times, improved shelf life, and dependable volume planning.

The CA GROWN designation carries powerful equity at retail — signaling local pride, premium quality, and responsible growing practices. For consumers increasingly focused on where their food is grown, Millennium’s West Coast greenhouse production offers transparency, freshness, and year-round availability.

“Our new California Grown Cucumber Program builds on the strength of our already robust tomato portfolio and represents a significant step forward in reinforcing our West Coast supply network,” said Brandon Gruenberger, Vice-President of Sales at Millennium Pacific Greenhouses, in the recent release. “By leveraging our recent 62-acre acquisition in Tehachapi, we’re able to provide retailers with consistent, premium greenhouse cucumbers while reducing supply gaps and transportation risk. This program enhances our ability to plan collaboratively with customers and deliver the freshness consumers expect — every day of the year.” As a vertically integrated, family-owned greenhouse company operating in both the USA and Canada, Millennium Pacific ensures reliable, year-round supply of tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers with seamless cross-border continuity.

Millennium’s greenhouse growing model utilizes controlled environment agriculture (CEA) to optimize light, climate, and water efficiency — producing cucumbers that are crisp, refreshing, and consistently high in quality. The California Grown program complements Millennium’s broader North American greenhouse footprint, creating a balanced supply strategy designed for resilience and continuity.

For retail partners, the benefits are clear:

• Strong regional marketing support through California Grown
• Reduced freight exposure and faster replenishment cycles
• Category consistency across Long English, Mini, and Snack formats
• Dependable year-round programs backed by vertical integration

As consumer demand for fresh, local, and greenhouse-grown produce continues to rise, Millennium Pacific Greenhouses remains committed to delivering on its brand promise through innovation, quality, and trusted partnerships.

To learn more about Millennium Pacific, visit www.millenniumpacific.com.

WATSONVILLE, CA - Field Fresh Farms reveals a bold new website to reflect four generations of family heritage, land stewardship, and exceptional customer service. The updates were made to better showcase the Dobler family’s innovative approach to growing, processing, packing, and shipping vibrant, flavorful greens to their foodservice and retail customers.

For more than 75 years, the Dobler family has been growing superior-quality produce on California’s Central Coast. The family’s farming legacy first started as a small strawberry patch before eventually emerging as the vertically integrated grower-shipper it is today. Field Fresh Farms was formed in 2005 to focus on the company’s greens, and more than 20 years later, it offers an array of conventional and organic products, including arugula, romaine hearts, spinach, and more.

“Our new site honors our family’s history of trailblazing farming practices by authentically aligning with our forward-looking operations and our excitement about the future of farming,” says Claire Cagnacci, Field Fresh Farms’ marketing coordinator and a member of the Dobler family’s fourth generation, in the recent release. “My grandfather and his brother had a passion for farming from a young age, and their devotion to the land, the people working it, and the community supporting it has always served as an undercurrent for our dedication to excellence.”

The Dobler family’s primary intention for the new website was to help their customers succeed by providing them with simple, straightforward access to the farm’s conventional and organic product line-up, detailed product specs, and the sales team that oversees each order with care. This redesign was also implemented to highlight the consistency, reliability, and precision that Field Fresh Farms brings to every crop. The new site achieves this by featuring eye-catching photography, unique graphics, playful colors, and stylish scrolling animation.

The redesign marks the first changes to the company’s website since 2018. This online refresh is a visual representation of the grower-shipper’s commitment to continual improvement for their customers, their community, and the environment. It was designed by Moxxy, an award-winning marketing and branding agency focused on serving agriculture and fresh food/beverage companies.

“We were inspired by the Dobler family’s four generations of farming innovation and tenacity,” says Molly Briseño, president of Moxxy Marketing. “The Dobler family has never been afraid to stand out and always looks for the next innovation in sustainable farming. We’re honored to help them show that visually with a modern, vibrant new website.”

Field Fresh Farms is Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) and World Quality Service certified, and its organic products are certified through Organic Certifiers and distributed under the Beach Road Organics brand. The state-of-the-art operation allows for start-to-finish control over its produce. Field Fresh Farms offers year-round availability of its greens and vegetables to customers across North America.

For more information or to place an order, visit fieldfreshproduce.com, call 831-722-1422, or visit them at booth 541 at Southern Exposure, February 26 – March 1 in Orlando, FL.

WINSTON-SALEM, NC - Westfalia Fruit, a global leader in avocado production, ripening, and distribution, announced the opening of its newest Fresh Distribution and Ripening Center (FDC) in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The strategic expansion, developed in partnership with Foster USA, strengthens Westfalia Fruit’s presence along the Eastern Seaboard while enhancing access to ripe-and-ready avocado programs across the Mid-Atlantic region.

The new Winston-Salem FDC features Westfalia Fruit’s state-of-art avocado ripening rooms equipped with advanced, digitally controlled technology to deliver consistent, customer-specific ripeness. The facility also includes sophisticated storage and packing capabilities, designed to reinforce Westfalia Fruit’s forward-distribution model and ensure faster, fresher deliveries to retail and foodservice customers.

Meeting Rising Demand with Localized Ripening Expertise

With avocado consumption continuing to grow across the Mid-Atlantic, Westfalia Fruit’s expansion directly addresses evolving customer needs for speed to market, quality fruit, and supply chain efficiency. Strategically located near major Mid-Atlantic transport corridors, the Winston-Salem facility enables shorter transit times, reduced carbon footprint, and improved freshness for customers throughout the region.

“Our partnership with Foster USA allows us to meet customers where they are,” said Raina Nelson, President of Westfalia Fruit North America, in the recent release. “The Mid-Atlantic is one of the fastest growing produce markets in the U.S., and this new facility positions our avocado expertise closer to customers — enhancing consistency, service levels, and overall performance.”

A Partnership Built on Fresh Food Excellence

Based in Winston Salem, North Carolina, Foster USA is a fresh-food full-service logistics company proudly serving the Mid-Atlantic for over 120 years. The company recently expanded into Winston Salem with a 170,000-square-foot facility on Lowery Street, which includes advanced cold storage, ripening, packaging, and fresh-cut capabilities — supported by its vertically integrated Foster360 supply chain system.

“We are proud to partner with Westfalia Fruit on this exciting expansion,” said Scott Bland, CEO and Owner of Foster USA. “Together, we’re improving access to ripe-and-ready avocados for Mid Atlantic customers while setting a new standard for produce distribution and supply chain innovation in the region.”

Driving Growth and Education Across the Supply Chain

Beyond distribution, the Winston-Salem facility will also serve as a hub for ripening education and customer collaboration, hosting programs that promote category growth, tailored retailer promotions, and best-in-class ripening practices. These initiatives reflect Westfalia Fruit’s commitment to industry leadership, sustainability, and long-term category development.