REIDSVILLE, GA - The Southeast Produce Council’s (SEPC) Southern Innovations show will be here before we know it, and fresh produce operators from across the industry will be showcasing their programs. One organization on the show floor will be Healthy Family Project (HFP), shining a spotlight on its Carry the Cause initiative.

“Healthy Family Project team members will be at Southern Innovations to share more about our Carry the Cause initiative and how it’s helping families during the toughest months of the year,” Trish James, Vice President of HFP, explained. “We’re looking forward to meeting with our friends and partners to discuss how we can work together to expand this important program.”

Healthy Family Project’s Carry the Cause initiative, launched in late 2024, is redefining how produce and cause marketing come together to fight hunger year-round. Centered around a reusable tote bag, where every purchase directly benefits Feeding America, the program kicked off with Harps Food Stores and is expanding this year to Town & Country Supermarkets with support from key brand partners including Village Farms, Shuman Farms, and RPE.

“November and December generosity is amazing. However, by January and February, food banks face a post-holiday drop in donations while need spikes (holiday bills, heating costs, etc). The result is thinner shelves when families need help the most,” Trish pointed out. “HFP’s solution is our award-winning Carry the Cause initiative. We channel holiday traffic—online and in some grocery stores—into measurable support in January and February. We activate in November-December, when giving is top of mind, and direct the money raised to bridge the winter gap.”

In its first season, Carry the Cause provided thousands of meals, generated national visibility across Healthy Family Project’s digital platforms, and created a repeatable model that blends commerce, community, and cause.

Hear about all of this and more when you visit with Healthy Family Project at Southern Innovations. And stick with ANUK for more show updates!

VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA - With imported citrus at its seasonal peak, Oppy’s category continues to deliver premium quality and consistency from a deeply diversified global network of trusted growers.

Featuring dozens of varietals from over nine countries, Oppy’s citrus program brings the best of the Southern Hemisphere to shelves across North America. From juicy Murcott, Tango, and Daisy mandarins to vibrant Navels and Cara Caras from Chile and Uruguay, the season is one of strong supply and standout flavor.

“It’s a privilege to work alongside the world’s top citrus growers and bring their fruit to the U.S. and Canadian market,” said Category Manager Michael Schaefer in the recent release. “Our trusted grower-partners remain at the heart of everything we do. Their expertise and resilience shape every season, driving the quality and exceptional service Oppy is known for.”

This season’s crop from the Southern Hemisphere has arrived with excellent quality and promotable volumes. Back-to-school timing aligns perfectly with the easy-peeling mandarin lineup now available, while the high-sugar Navels and Cara Caras offer eye-catching color and exceptional flavor for late summer citrus displays. South African grapefruit, increasingly recognized for its premium quality, has also arrived in good supply despite potential tariff challenges noted Schaefer.

Oppy continues to focus on the varietals that drive success in the citrus category — easy peelers, Navels, and lemons — while refining the mix within each to deliver even greater performance at retail. Investing in what works and doing it better each season means better flavor, improved shelf life, and stronger partnerships from field to store, shared Category Director Rodrigo Lopez.

Organic citrus remains a key area of expansion, particularly in the mandarin and grapefruit segments. Oppy is growing its organic lineup through trusted producers in South Africa, meeting increasing consumer demand for organic options.

Ethical sourcing continues to be a priority for Oppy, with its Fair Trade Certified easy-peel mandarins from Peru expected to expand significantly over the next three years, alongside new plantings of Fair Trade Navels in Chile, further strengthening the program, as volumes will also increase in future seasons.

“Consumer interest in specialty citrus remains strong, particularly for Cara Cara oranges, which continue to gain popularity in the U.S. market year after year. Blood oranges are also on an upward trend, and Oppy will support that demand with a strong Australian program this season,” said Lopez.

With premium fruit from a wide range of global origins, a growing focus on organics and Fair Trade Certified offerings, and an emphasis on top-performing varietals, Oppy’s citrus program is well-positioned for continued success. As demand for high-quality, ethically sourced citrus rises, Oppy remains committed to delivering flavorful, reliable options that meet the needs of today’s consumers and retail partners alike — now and into the seasons ahead.

ATLANTA, GA - BrightFarms is one brand you won’t want to miss when walking the floor at this year’s Southern Innovations. With a goal to redefine how fresh produce is grown and enjoyed, BrightFarms’ showcase will spotlight how a bold rebrand, new packaging, and more are sparking interest in the category.

I turned to Jess Soare, Vice President of Marketing, BrightFarms, who clued me in on the details.

“This year, BrightFarms will represent the Cox Farms family of brands, showcasing the full lineup of our recently redesigned pesticide-free leafy greens, including Sweet Baby Butter, Crunchy Green Leaf, Green & Red Leaf, and other varieties,” Jess shared with me. “We will also be showcasing our bold new rebrand at the show, spotlighting colorful new packaging across all of our leafy greens and ready-to-eat Crunch Kits.”

Crunch Kits have been a consumer favorite because they offer quick, ready-to-eat meal solutions. I can safely say these have saved me a time or two on my lunch break!

The brand will also introduce its newly launched Greenhouse Salad Bags, as well as new bags for Crunchy Green Leaf, Green & Red Leaf, and Spring Mix—an alternative format to clamshells that delivers enhanced value and opens up new usage occasions for consumers.

“On top of that, we’ll be offering a sneak peek of our upcoming Asian Sesame Crunch Kit, set to launch this fall,” Jess added. “It’s our next big innovation in the Crunch Kit lineup, crafted to deliver bold flavor and the convenience consumers crave.”

With strategically located regional greenhouses, BrightFarms works to ensure a steady, reliable supply of leafy greens for retailers.

“Always pesticide-free, grown year-round, and ready to eat,” Jess emphasized. “Our vibrant packaging highlights the core benefits of our greenhouse-grown greens: freshness, convenience, and quality.”

To learn more about this dynamic brand, be sure to stop by booth #332.

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.