NEW ZEALAND - Zespri’s counter-seasonal Zespri Global Supply (ZGS) program is underway with around 33 million trays, or 118,800 tonnes, expected this year from orchards throughout France, Italy, Greece, Korea, and Japan.

That includes almost 26 million trays of Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit (or 93,600 tons), a 30 percent increase on last season, alongside 7 million trays of procured Zespri Green Kiwifruit from Greece and Italy (25,200 tons).

In a recent release, Zespri Executive Officer - Northern Hemisphere Supply, Nick Kirton says the increase in SunGold volumes reflects mostly favorable growing conditions, with Italy contributing a 35 percent increase in Zespri SunGold and Zespri Organic SunGold volumes compared to last season.

“Following the completion of sales of New Zealand-grown SunGold Kiwifruit in Europe, our ZGS SunGold sales programme has now been underway for the past few weeks. We’ll also be transitioning to ZGS-grown SunGold Kiwifruit in our Asia markets and in the US in December, with Zespri Green sales getting underway as soon as we’ve wrapped our New Zealand Green programme, with Europe now underway.“

Zespri’s Northern Hemisphere production plays a central role in supporting its objective of maintaining 12-month supply to customers and consumers in global markets to support its position as the category leader in kiwifruit, strengthening New Zealand and offshore grower returns.

Mr. Kirton says Zespri is looking forward to providing even more high-quality, great tasting kiwifruit from the Northern Hemisphere in the coming years.

Work has been underway since January to roll out the additional 420 hectares of Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit for Zespri’s Northern Hemisphere growing regions following the successful New Zealand Producer Vote at the end of 2024. This includes 300 hectares allocated to Italy, 70 to Greece, and 40 to France with the remaining area to be developed in South Korea. This expansion marks the first commercial production of SunGold Kiwifruit out of Greece. Zespri is also set to be able to provide customers and consumers in Europe with its red-fleshed Zespri Red variety, with the commercialization of 170 hectares of red approved in Italy over the next two years.

“The expansion of our Northern Hemisphere growing operations has sent a clear signal of our confidence in the long-term demand outlook for Zespri Kiwifruit and enables us to continue partnering with the best local growers.

“Each season, we work closely with our supply chain partners to improve productivity while maintaining the highest quality standards that define our brand, and we’re looking forward to a strong start to the Northern Hemisphere sales season,” says Mr Kirton.

IMMOKALEE, FL - Lipman Family Farms is spotlighting its expanding fresh-cut capabilities at New York Produce Show and Conference. Attendees can find its conveniently cut and packaged produce solutions at booth 416, December 2-4 at Javits Center.

Lipman is attending the three-day event to celebrate the depth of its fresh-cut lineup and connect with our northeast partners. From fajita and bruschetta mixes to salsa, bell peppers, onions and more, Lipman’s fresh-cut products are processed at the peak of flavor and innovatively packed to maximize food safety and shelf life.

Growing Strong Fresh-Cut Operations in the Region

Since its 2023 acquisition of Northeast Produce, Lipman has established itself as one of the region’s largest vertically integrated operators. Its New Jersey value-added facility combines repack and fresh-cut capability, along with seamless distribution that covers the densely populated Northeast United States. With its processing capacity and local-to-local distribution, Lipman brings fresh, fast and flexible solutions to retailers and foodservice customers in North America’s most densely populated corridor.

“Our Northeast operations allow us to serve the country’s largest buying region with top quality and excellent food safety, along with speed and consistency that are essential for staying competitive,” said Elyse Lipman, CEO of Lipman Family Farms, in the recent release. “Lipman’s fresh-cut operations give our customers big advantages, and the Big Apple is the right place to share them.”

Local Attention and National Reach

Lipman offers the homegrown care and responsiveness of a local family farm with the large-scale capability of a national operation. Aside from daily delivery to major retail and foodservice hubs, Lipman offers retail and foodservice customers tailored products and pack sizes. A close-knit family of people orchestrates it all with a focus on helping partners deliver the best eating experience available.

Lipman’s vertically integrated model allows for an unmatched degree of control over its entire network of operations. With a seamless path from the farm to the shelf, buyers can count on just-in-time deliveries at any time of the year and build a business based on reliability.

If you’re looking for fresher, more flavorful products that keep customers coming back, get all the details – and taste the difference – at booth 416, during the New York Produce Show and Conference. For more information, visit lipmanfamilyfarms.com.

ASHEVILLE, NC - Ingles Markets, Incorporated reported results for the quarter and year ended September 27, 2025.

Robert P. Ingle II, Chairman of the Board, stated in the release, “We continue to make improvements in the company to strengthen the customer experience. We want to thank our associates for their hard work and dedication during this past challenging year.”

Fourth Quarter Results

• Net sales totaled $1.37 billion for the quarter ended September 27, 2025, compared with $1.40 billion for the quarter ended September 28, 2024. Fourth quarter results for fiscal 2025 and 2024 each consisted of 13 weeks of operations.
• Gross profit for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 totaled $334.7 million, or 24.5% of sales. Gross profit for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024 was $299.4 million, or 21.4% of sales.
• Operating and administrative expenses for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 totaled $299.0 million compared with $301.0 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024.
• Interest expense totaled $5.0 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 compared with $5.2 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024. Total debt at the end of fiscal 2025 was $514.8 million compared with $532.6 million at the end of fiscal 2024.
• Net income totaled $25.7 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2025 compared with a net loss of $1.5 million for the fourth quarter of fiscal 2024. For the quarter and year ended September 28, 2024, the Company recognized an impairment loss of $30.4 million related to inventory damaged or destroyed by Hurricane Helene. Additionally, the Company recognized a property and equipment impairment loss of $4.5 million for the quarter and year ended September 28, 2024. Basic and diluted earnings per share for Class A Common Stock were $1.38 and $1.35, respectively, for the quarter ended September 27, 2025, as compared with basic and diluted loss per share of $0.08 for the quarter ended September 28, 2024. Basic and diluted earnings per share for Class B Common Stock were each $1.26 for the quarter ended September 27, 2025, as compared with basic and diluted losses per share of $0.07 for the quarter ended September 28, 2024.

Annual Results

• Net sales totaled $5.33 billion for the fiscal year ended September 27, 2025, compared with $5.64 billion for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2024. The fiscal years ended September 27, 2025, and September 28, 2024, each consisted of 52 weeks of operations.
• Gross profit for the fiscal year ended September 27, 2025, totaled $1.27 billion, or 23.9% of sales. Gross profit for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2024, totaled $1.30 billion, or 23.0% of sales.
• Operating and administrative expenses totaled $1.159 billion for the fiscal year ended September 27, 2025, and $1.162 billion for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2024.
• Interest expense was $19.7 million for the fiscal year ended September 27, 2025, compared with $21.9 million for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2024.
• Net income totaled $83.6 million for the fiscal year ended September 27, 2025, compared with $105.5 million for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2024. Basic and diluted earnings per share for Class A Common Stock were $4.50 and $4.40, respectively, for the fiscal year ended September 27, 2025, as compared with $5.68 and $5.56, respectively, for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2024. Basic and diluted earnings per share for Class B Common Stock were each $4.09 for the fiscal year ended September 27, 2025, as compared with basic and diluted earnings per share of $5.16 for the fiscal year ended September 28, 2024.
• Capital expenditures for the 2025 fiscal year totaled $114.5 million compared with $210.9 million for the 2024 fiscal year.

As of September 27, 2025, the Company had only a single letter of credit in the amount of $500,000 outstanding under its $150.0 million line of credit and otherwise had no borrowings outstanding thereunder. The Company believes its financial resources, including the line of credit and other internal and anticipated external sources of funds, will be sufficient to meet planned capital expenditures, debt service and working capital requirements for the foreseeable future.