OXNARD, CA - Mission Produce, Inc. a world leader in sourcing, producing, and distributing fresh Hass avocados, announced it will debut the World’s Finest Glow-Up of its avocado bags at the International Fresh Produce Association’s (IFPA) Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim, Calif., from October 16–18, 2025. Mission will also highlight its position as the mango category leader with a full portfolio of consumer-friendly products designed to drive growth at retail.

“The World’s Finest Avocados™ deserve packaging that resonates with today’s shopper– and that’s why we’re giving them the World’s Finest Glow-Up,” said Diana McClean, Director of Marketing & Communications at Mission Produce. “Our new bag design elevates shelf appeal with bold graphics, clear labeling, and recipe inspiration—all while keeping the premium fruit inside consistent with the quality Mission is known for. This rebrand brings confidence and clarity to the avocado category while aligning with the modern retail environment.”

Mission’s avocado bag redesign—coming in 2026— puts shoppers first with a clean, modern look that’s easier to spot and easier to love. The Company’s new look underscores Mission’s commitment to innovation and category leadership by connecting with evolving consumer expectations.

Alongside its avocado innovation, Mission will spotlight its mango portfolio, which continues to outperform the category with custom ripe programs and versatile consumer packaging. Mangos are gaining momentum across the U.S., now appearing on 44% of menus and ranking as the ninth most-sold fruit at retail.

Mission’s retail-ready mango bag has delivered proven success in boosting volume and dollar sales without cannibalizing bulk purchases, further positioning the Company as the leader in mango merchandising.

NEWPORT BEACH, CA - Fresh Solutions Network, LLC® (FSN) will exhibit again this year at the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) Global Produce and Floral Show at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California October 16-18, 2025, at Booth #1632.

FSN will exhibit the full Side Delights® portfolio of inspired potato and onion products from FSN exhibiting partners, including Basin Gold Cooperative (WA & OR), NoKota Packers (ND), Michael Family Farms (OH), Masser Family of Companies (PA), and Mack Farms (FL). FSN farmers are independent, family-owned farms that grow, pack, sell and deliver fresh potatoes and onions to customers across the US and Canada. The farms “grow where it matters,” spanning more than 65,000 acres in the US and Canada across all major growing regions, seasons, and varieties.

The annual IFPA event is the world’s largest fresh produce and floral expo, which includes educational sessions, networking, and two days of exhibits in the expo hall highlighting the industry’s newest products and innovations. According to recent market trends from the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), innovative, produce-based convenience products are capturing consumers’ attention.

"IFPA Global offers Fresh Solutions Network unparalleled opportunities to highlight our regional relevance alongside our national distribution scope, and showcase our product innovation from convenience to sustainability," noted Kathleen Triou, President and CEO of Fresh Solutions Network, in the recent release. “Our consumer, category, industry, and trend insights help us identify and introduce innovations designed to increase consumer satisfaction, stimulate incremental purchases, drive supply chain efficiencies, and improve overall category vitality and performance.”

The popularity of potatoes continues with U.S. retail sales volume increasing (+2.6% July 2024-June 2025), including all sizes of fresh potatoes sold in bags (87% of fresh potato volume sales)2. Side Delights® offers Russet, Idaho Russet, Red, Yellow, and White potatoes in five-pound, eight-pound and ten-pound clear poly, light-blocker, combo mesh bags. FSN’s complete potato portfolio includes Potato Kits, Popular Potatoes, Convenience Potatoes, Foodservice, Organic Potatoes, Fresh-Cut Potatoes and Petite Potatoes. SPUDS less-than-perfect potatoes were added to the potato portfolio in 2023 as part of FSN’s commitment to improving sustainable food management practices and reducing food waste.

FSN exhibiting partners will also showcase a robust product assortment of onions, the third-largest fresh vegetable industry in the U.S.

For more information on Fresh Solutions Network and its network of farms, visit FreshSolutionsNet.com, SideDelights.com and GrownWhereItMatters.com.

MURRIETA, CA - With the Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim, California, right around the corner, industry professionals, including foodservice and retail buyers, are ready to hit the show floor to check out what's new in the world of produce.

As an exhibitor, West Pak Avocado is excited to unveil Amplifying AVO360. This campaign represents a strategic evolution of the company's 2024 AVO360 program launch, which introduced the produce industry to a full-circle approach focused on sourcing, service, ripening, and retail support. This next phase delves deeper—documenting results, sharing real-world outcomes, and providing data-backed strategies to help retail and foodservice partners enhance their avocado programs.

According to West Pak Avocado Senior Marketing Manager George Henderson, the focus of this year's Amplifying AVO360 effort has shifted toward several key areas, building upon the foundation laid by the 2024 campaign.

The 2025 campaign features case studies that highlight successful initiatives in the field, offering valuable insights into effective strategies. Additionally, West Pak's Amplifying AVO360 campaign emphasizes collaboration stories from retail and foodservice across various markets, showcasing successful partnerships and strategies.

"Our new campaign offers support focused on seasonal planning and performance growth, ensuring that teams are well-equipped to meet the year's demands," mentioned Henderson. "A significant aspect is enhancing visibility around flexible tools, including regional sourcing, a variety of bagged offerings, and custom ripening options, to better address market needs."

A critical focus of the campaign is on leveraging data and resources from the AVO360 Resource Center. These insights can shape effective sales and marketing strategies, facilitate point-of-sale and educational campaigns that connect with consumers, and help West Pak customers plan with greater clarity and confidence for upcoming trends in 2026.

"We invite show attendees to explore our Avo-Destination, a merchandising lab on the show floor that features best-in-class methods for merchandising and maximizing avocado spaces," Henderson noted. "A key focus will be on new market opportunities, including regional bags, the value of local fruit, and health-conscious products."

West Pak's Avo-Destination will serve as the backdrop to discuss packaging and shopper strategies, featuring regional country-of-origin bags alongside new California GEMs and Nutritional bags, with an emphasis on sourcing transparency.

"West Pak offers tactical strategies for aligning pricing and sizing with market opportunities, effectively managing peak and gap periods, and understanding how Colombia's offerings can ensure speed and flexibility for East Coast customers," he added.

Discussions around West Pak's Ripe NOW and Ripe Later programs help ensure that shoppers receive the level of ripeness they expect, supported by a Ready to Enjoy chart that helps identify the current ripeness stages of the retailer's conventional and organic fruit offerings.

Located at booth #3963, show attendees can explore the Amplifying AVO360 campaign by previewing packaging, tools, and campaign materials, and engage with West Pak's team of avocado experts from both the retail and foodservice sectors. 

These experts offer valuable insights, ranging from Avo Audits to comprehensive category reviews, helping buyers and produce managers develop practical strategies for their own in-store Avo-Destinations.

WASHINGTON STATE - We are in a field in constant transformation. Come the good, bad, and the ugly, two of our many strengths are the ability to weather the headwinds together and celebrate our collaborative successes as a community. The Annual SugarBee® Grower Meeting achieves both.

“This meeting is a time of fellowship, reflection, celebration, and strategic planning. Each year, we invite stakeholders to join together to discuss the state of the fresh apple field and SugarBee’s role in it,” Julie DeJarnatt, Vice President of Marketing and Brand Strategy, Chelan Fresh, shares with me. “We talk openly about those headwinds—both from a grower and retail perspective. It is not easy to be an apple grower today. Too many multi-generational farming families are having to make the hard decision to reduce their acreage or, in some cases, even stop growing altogether. But, when growers look at their returns each season, SugarBee is a bright spot. This is not by accident.”

Julie adds this truth, one that is not surprising considering the minds behind the SugarBee apple.

“From the very beginning, SugarBee has been managed differently,” she elaborates. “It is grown with tight controls, packed with the highest standards, and marketed like a consumer brand versus just another produce SKU line extension. These family-run farming operations entrust our team with a portion of their return each season to invest in the long-term future of the variety. We review how that money was invested, what worked and what didn’t, and what is on the horizon to not only maintain our premium position in the market, but to push even further into becoming a household name.”

The SugarBee variety continues to deliver value to both growers and retailers by not being overproduced.

“We have kept supply in line with demand while building consumer brand interest and purchase intent,” she states. “Coupled with a premium apple that stores year-round, this balance delivers strong grower returns and drives retailer sales.”

Each year brings together a host of different sectors from across the SugarBee universe. In 2025, the annual event welcomed 78 SugarBee growers who joined the leadership teams from Sales, Marketing, and Warehouse Operations, plus a well-known keynote speaker from the retail field.

“This year, we did a role reversal and offered the attendees an opportunity to view SugarBee through the lenses of consumers and retail buyers,” Julie describes.

The meeting opened with an influencer-partner developed lunch menu highlighting the strongest-performing recipes and showing the creative ways SugarBee educates consumers on the unique benefits and versatility of the variety.

“They were introduced to our target customers, Kathy and Katy, and saw how we tailor outreach to drive awareness and purchase intent,” Julie says. “We invited a keynote speaker from one of our largest retail partners to share their view of the fresh apple field, headwinds and tailwinds affecting their business today, shopper buying trends, and how they have partnered to make SugarBee apples a preferred variety for their store operators and shoppers.”

In addition, the Warehouse Operations teams reviewed the 2024/25 crop results and provided guidance on how to harvest the 2025/26 season for the highest packout and season-long quality.

“It was also such a gift to recognize the SugarBee Growers of the Year, with four families being honored for their growing practices and fruit performance,” Julie shares. “And, last but far from least, we unveiled some ‘Big Bet’ strategic initiatives for the upcoming season!”

While the mission ahead is full of unknowns, there are certainties that continue making SugarBee, and the team behind the apple, a value proposition worth continued investment.

“We will always lead with the eating experience of a fresh SugarBee apple. Consumers today are savvy; they recognize if corners are being cut when their favorite apple doesn’t have the same crispy, juicy bite every time. We will fiercely protect that from farm to shelf, basket to counter. Beyond availability at retail, we are on a mission to make SugarBee apples a household name—leaning into defined KPIs for every marketing dollar, while charting new ways to connect with consumers.”

The future looks sweet for SugarBee.