NEW ZEALAND - Among the websites on the World Wide Web are those that communicate a brand story while capturing engagement. Take Zespri’s newly redesigned website, for example, which recently won the 2025 Besties Award for Best Website.

"The Zespri team is honored to be recognized as a 2025 Besties Award recipient among other standout brands in the produce industry,” Laura Wood, Brand Manager, told me. “At every consumer touchpoint, we aim to bring our Zespri experience to life—inviting consumers into our world through bold, playfully unexpected storytelling.”

The new Zespri website is a destination for learning more about the brand and its irresistibly healthy kiwifruit, but also a hub for engaging content that entertains and inspires. Laura explained that it plays a critical role in Zespri’s marketing ecosystem, serving as the connective tissue between its activations.

“The launch of our brand characters, The Zespri KiwiBrothers™, has elevated our content over the last two seasons, bringing a fresh approach to our website that sets us apart. These powerful creative assets have helped make our brand more distinctive and engaging across channels,” Laura continued. “Through continuous refinement from SEO and performance updates to content refreshes informed by consumer insights, we ensure our website not only stays relevant but works hard for our brand."

We want to give a special shout-out to our Besties Committee for their time, dedication, and insight. Each year, our team compiles the Besties ballot with nominations across all award categories, and our committee votes to determine the winners.

This year, the committee voted on every category except Snack Storyteller, Retailer of the Year, Best Marketer to Work With, and the Lifetime Achievement Award—four honors selected by our leadership team due to their special significance.

For more exclusive looks at the 2025 Besties Award winners, keep checking back with ANUK.

VINELAND, NJ - In an industry as passionate and tumultuous as fresh produce is, connection is key. With limited resources to feed the world, providers often need to share more than shelf space, and one company that saw the potential to maximize support was TruFresh, a separate division of Trucco.

“Expanding our existing facility gave a lot more options for Trucco; we now have pallet capacity for ourselves and for others in the industry,” Paul Massey, Director of Business Development, shared. “We’re happy to take on third-party customers. One long-term customer has been with us for a few seasons.”

Although TruFresh and Trucco share the same facility, they operate on completely separate systems—TruFresh’s operating system is independent.

With a unique story from its inception, TruFresh prides itself on being shaped by produce experience when approaching logistics.

“One thing we like to stress to all customers, current and new, is that we are a fresh produce company first and foremost. For myself, I grew up in the industry. I received my JD and practiced law for 12 years, but produce gets in your blood, and I was welcomed back with open arms,” Paul said of his and the division’s fresh roots. “In the time I was away, from 1994–2006, the industry saw exponential changes. I was able to reacclimate and be reintroduced with the added asset of my legal experience.”

Under its roof, TruFresh offers three high-tech, state-of-the-art bagging machines, and several hand-packing lines, in addition to an automated cherry line. Additional resources include:

• 180,000-plus square feet of brand-new, pristine storage and production space
• 6,500-plus pallet capacity for ample storage
• 28 dock doors for high-volume capacity
• Cold storage with seven temperature-controlled rooms
• On-site quality control inspection by PrimusGFS and USDA Organic certified team saves time and avoids extra storage costs
• USDA-APHIS-PPQ Certified Cold Treatment Facility

“What sets us apart is there’s no steep learning curve—one of our customers said our produce IQ was very high,” Paul joked. “If a customer has a problem, we aren’t just solving it; we are anticipating what is to come and getting ahead of the next challenge. We are constantly offering new ideas on how they can be better with what they’re packing. It’s our knowledge that sets us apart.”

But the ultimate goal of TruFresh, I learn from Paul, is not just to contribute to our industry but to elevate it.

“Relationships are key. We are not going to turn our backs on each other when it comes down to it. When I am full and someone calls looking for space, I understand where they are and will do all I can to help. We maintain great relationships throughout the grower community—this past year, we were able to call on some growers where I grew up, knowing their coolers were empty. The result was moving 20–30 loads of product with a few phone calls,” Paul explained.

The long-term vision? To keep customers happy, even in produce.

“We are placing strategies for growth. This is only the beginning,” Paul promised.

Strategically located and offering a one-stop facility for cold storage, inspection, and packing, there is clearly much to anticipate from this up-and-coming produce resource.

WENATCHEE, WA - With innovation right there in the name, what better place than Southern Innovations to show off a dynamic portfolio designed to meet the growing demand for healthy family snacking, convenience, and fun retail engagement? CMI Orchards is checking all of these boxes with its apple, cherry, and pear programs, and Marketing Manager Kaci Komstadius recently took a moment to explain how.

What programs will be displayed at CMI Orchards’ Southern Innovations booth this year?

“Among the highlights this year is CMI’s licensed character bag program, which injects fun and familiarity into the produce aisle using recognizable characters, making apples more appealing to kids and a practical choice for parents seeking lunchbox solutions. For the organic shoppers, Crunchie Munchies® offers snack-ready organic apples in bright, approachable packaging that combines wellness with excitement. CMI’s proprietary Hero® bags, complete with playful in-house designed mascots, provide retailers with a unique, family-focused program that encourages both trial and repeat purchases. Meanwhile, Gem® pears stand out as the perfect grab-and-go option—naturally snack-sized, sweet, and ready to eat—earning their place as a fall favorite for busy families.

What sets CMI apart in the category is the breadth of snack-focused solutions across both apples and pears, backed by customizable marketing support for retailers. By tying licensed character programs and proprietary designs to timely cultural moments, like back-to-school, CMI drives excitement and impulse purchases while offering both conventional and organic choices to appeal to a wide range of shoppers.

With its focus on snackability, family appeal, and innovative packaging, CMI is positioning apples and pears as the go-to healthy snack for kids and parents alike. This blend of variety, customization, and shopper-centric design reinforces our leadership in delivering fresh solutions that grow consumption and delight families at retail.”

What emerging trends have you witnessed across these categories?

“Across apples, cherries, and pears, snackability, convenience, and premium experiences are driving consumer demand. Shoppers are increasingly seeking healthy, portable options that fit busy lifestyles, and fresh fruit is stepping into that role. In apples, this has translated into demand for bagged items, licensed character packs, and branded programs that make fruit both fun and approachable for kids and families. Cherries continue to shine as a seasonal indulgence, with consumers gravitating toward larger sizes and packaging that enhances their premium perception.

Retailers and foodservice operators can harness these shifts by leveraging CMI’s comprehensive portfolio of brands and packaging solutions. Programs like Crunchie Munchies and Hero bags highlight healthy family snacking in eye-catching packaging, while licensed character pouches bring cultural relevance and excitement to the produce aisle and can be particularly effective during back-to-school promotions. These programs not only attract attention but also make fruit easier for parents to choose and kids to enjoy, directly fueling consumption.

By combining innovative marketing, exclusive varieties, and snackable solutions across apples, cherries, and pears, CMI helps its partners not only keep pace with changing consumer preferences but also spark new demand. Whether through retail promotions, foodservice integration, or in-store merchandising, CMI ensures that fresh fruit remains a vibrant, exciting, and convenient choice for today’s consumer.”

What makes attending Southern Innovations so valuable to CMI Orchards?

“The Southern Innovations show offers a unique platform. It is designed to spotlight fresh ideas, forward-thinking products, and innovative solutions that connect directly with the needs of today’s retailers and foodservice operators. Unlike larger national shows, Southern Innovations creates a more intimate environment where suppliers and buyers can easily connect and collaborate to prepare for the season ahead.

It provides the chance to kick off our upcoming apple season, helping decision-makers see how products and programs can be positioned for success in their stores or menus. For CMI Orchards, it’s the perfect venue to highlight category-driving programs that align with the show’s emphasis on innovation and consumer engagement.

Southern Innovations is not just about displaying produce, it’s about sparking ideas, building connections, and helping retailers and foodservice partners discover new ways to grow demand and differentiate their offerings.”

It’s all waiting for you at booth #308, so be sure to stop by and check out these premium programs!

WASHINGTON, DC - In a complaint filed on March 6, 2024, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) alleged that Atlantic Frozen Foods LLC, of Whitehall, Pa., failed to make full payment promptly in the amount of $1,176,084.39 to six sellers for multiple lots of produce, in violation of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).

After the complaint was filed, USDA and Atlantic Frozen Foods entered into a Consent Decision and Order in which Atlantic Frozen Foods agreed to pay the unpaid produce sellers listed in Appendix A to the Complaint and to pay a civil penalty in the amount of $25,000. Atlantic Frozen Foods has satisfied the terms of the Consent Decision and Order, and the finding that it committed repeated and flagrant PACA violations has been permanently abated without further process. The case has been closed.

For more information, contact Peter Scarabelli, Acting Chief, Investigative Enforcement Branch, at (202) 720-6873 or [email protected]. 

WASHINGTON, DC - In a complaint filed on Jan. 15, 2025, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) alleged that Roberson Onion Corp., doing business as Roberson Produce, of Hazlehurst, Ga., failed to make full payment promptly in the total amount of $889,309.48, to 12 sellers for multiple lots of produce, in violation of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).

After the complaint was filed, USDA and Roberson Produce entered into a Consent Decision and Order finding that Roberson Produce committed repeated and flagrant PACA violations by failing to pay $457,171.80 to multiple produce sellers. The Consent Decision and Order took effect on Aug. 15, 2025.

Steve Roberson, the company’s sole shareholder, and principal, may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee until Aug. 15, 2026, and then only with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond. Mr. Roberson is also ineligible to be licensed under PACA until Aug. 15, 2027, and then only with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.

USDA is required to publish a finding that a business has committed willful, repeated, and flagrant PACA violations, and impose restrictions against those principals determined to be responsibly connected to the business during the violation period. Those individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, members, managers, officers, directors or major stockholders may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee without USDA approval.

By issuing these penalties, USDA continues to enforce the prompt and full payment for produce while protecting the rights of sellers and buyers in the marketplace. For more information, contact the Investigative Enforcement Branch at (202) 720-6873 or [email protected].