FOLSOM, CA - The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC), in partnership with VentureFuel, announced the four companies selected for the inaugural cohort of the Blueberry Boost Accelerator. Each startup was chosen by a selection panel of blueberry industry leaders for its bold use of blueberries in innovative products that span wellness, fun snacking formats, and better-for-you indulgence — offering novel, exciting ways for consumers to enjoy blueberries.

The Blueberry Boost Accelerator was launched earlier this year to fuel forward-thinking product innovation and elevate blueberries as a hero ingredient by supporting visionary startups. From functional nutrition to clean-label desserts, this inaugural cohort exemplifies the future of the power of blueberries.

The 2025 Blueberry Boost Accelerator cohort includes:

• Bonny Prebiotic Fiber Powder (New York, NY) — A clean-label, prebiotic fiber powder with a blueberry-infused flavor, designed to support gut health and make fiber fun, flavorful, and functional.
• Farmer Bob’s “Beyond Berries™” (Salem, OR) — A playful, frozen, nutrient-dense fruit snack made with upcycled blueberries and raspberries, and naturally sweet dates, reshaped into a new-to-market format that’s fun, naturally sweet, and family-friendly.
• Pluff (Orlando, FL) — A high-protein, mousse-style dessert launching with a “Berry Blast” flavor made with freeze-dried blueberries. Pluff delivers indulgent texture and functional nutrition in one high-protein, low-sugar bite.
• Sorbatto’s “Blue Cream” (Wapato, WA) — A dairy-free, allergy-friendly frozen dessert made from 75% highbush blueberries. With no added sugar or water, Blue Cream offers a creamy, fruit-first alternative to traditional ice cream.

Companies were evaluated across various criteria: volume potential and market relevance; unique value proposition and differentiation (including blueberry prominence); product marketability and PR potential; fundability and scale; and the strength of founding teams.

“Whether eaten by the handful or in a favorite recipe, blueberries are a delicious and special staple – and we’ve known they have huge potential in ingredient innovation,” said USHBC President Kasey Cronquist in the recent release. “This cohort of inventive entrepreneurial brands is demonstrating how blueberries can add great taste, excitement, and wellness benefits to products across categories. We’re thrilled to be part of the promotion and continued growth of these innovators.”

The cohort will now enter a nine-week accelerator sprint, receiving weekly one-on-one coaching from VentureFuel, expert sessions with industry leaders, peer roundtables, and support with developing marketing materials, including a professionally produced commercial. The program will culminate in a live pitch competition at The Blueberry Convention in Seattle, Oct. 8-10, where the winning company will receive a $20,000 grand prize, and the runner-up will receive $10,000.

“This cohort shows how startup-driven innovation can introduce blueberries to new consumers in exciting, unexpected ways,” said Fred Schonenberg, founder and CEO of VentureFuel. “These founders are creating products that deliver on what today’s shoppers crave — flavor, function, and fun — while unlocking new paths to commercial scale that benefit the entire blueberry category.”

To learn more about the Blueberry Boost Accelerator, visit blueberryboostaccelerator.com.

MONTEREY, CA - As part of its continued leadership of the packaged salad space in both product quality and merchandising innovation, Dole Fresh Vegetables/Bud Antle, manufacturer of DOLE®-branded packaged salads, has completed a bold new packaging refresh of its DOLE® Salad Kit line to make it easier for salad lovers to choose, shop and enjoy their favorite all-inclusive salad experiences.

While intended to appeal to all salad kit users, which remains the fastest-growing segment of packaged salads, the refresh, incorporating compelling new colors, photography, ingredient iconography, and callouts, represents an intentional nod to the growing number of Millennial and Gen Z shoppers buying packaged salads for the first time.

The research-backed new look is being unveiled this month on the company’s 31 Chopped, Premium, and Classic salad kits at supermarkets throughout North America.

To introduce the refresh to salad lovers, Dole Fresh Vegetables/Bud Antle has launched a money-saving offer good on any DOLE® Salad on its Instacart page, starting Aug. 18.

According to David Austin, Dole Fresh Vegetables/Bud Antle’s VP of Marketing & Innovation, the Instacart offer will help customers visualize the extent of the redesign, which represents the first time in years that the packaging has been reimagined on such popular, industry-defining kits as Sunflower Crunch, Endless Summer, Sesame Asian and its five Caesar flavor varieties.

“The new packaging is meant to better communicate specific brand and product benefits to make it easier for occasional and frequent salad users to choose DOLE® Brand while reinforcing our identity as the premier provider of fresh foods,” said Austin in the recent release. “Because they tend to shop differently, Millennials and Gen Z are often motivated more by visuals, transparency, and specific flavor, nutrient, and ingredient claims than other consumers.”

“Ultimately, we want more people to experience the flavors, freshness, and convenience of a DOLE® Salad as part of our larger goal to increase Americans’ nutritional health through a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables.”

Austin said that one of the goals of the redesign was to accelerate the growth of DOLE® Branded packaged salads among Millennial and Gen Z consumers, who account for 42% of the U.S. population combined, and represent much of the growth of the segment. The company conducted extensive qualitative and quantitative research with Millennial, Gen Z, and older packaged salad users to measure packaging appeal, believability, clarity, and impact on purchase intent.

Dole Fresh Vegetables introduced its first packaged salad in 1993. The company, now represented through Bud Antle, was instrumental in the launch and growth of new salad varieties, such as its DOLE® Chopped Salad Kits line, and the overall salad segment.

BURLINGTON, ON - Ippolito Fruit & Produce Ltd. is pleased to announce that Itzamn Huelat has joined Ippolito Fruit & Produce as Manager, Business Development & Specialty Services. Itzamn has over 20 years of experience in international trade, marketing, sales, and sourcing. His background includes serving as Director and Trade Commissioner for the Foreign Trade Office of Costa Rica, where he played a key role in promoting global trade partnerships. Most recently, Itzamn was Category Manager at National Produce

Marketing in Toronto, where he led business development and sourcing initiatives for fresh fruit and vegetables across multiple countries, including Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Colombia, and Ecuador.

Steve Dimen, COO, said in the recent release, “Itzamn has a proven track record of driving sales through innovation and category management. We are excited about the opportunities ahead as he helps expand our growth in Specialty Services, including offshore programs, bagging, repacking, and ripening operations.”

“I am very excited to be part of the Ippolito team and look forward to contributing to this growing and dynamic business. I am eager to collaborate with everyone and be part of the continued success at the Ippolito Group,” said Itzamn.

ZAANDAM, THE NETHERLANDS - Ahold Delhaize secured another Virtual Power Purchase Agreement (VPPA) in Europe, representing an additional step towards its ambition to reduce emissions associated with electricity consumption to zero by 2035.

The new VPPA relates to a new-to-be-built onshore wind farm in Galaţi County, in eastern Romania, and is owned by HELLENiQ Renewables, a wholly owned subsidiary of HELLENiQ ENERGY Holdings. The project was developed and will be constructed by OX2 and is expected to become operational by 2027.

Long-term renewable energy agreement in Romania 

The wind farm is projected to generate around 309 GWh of electricity annually, equivalent to the annual electricity usage of approximately 89,000 Romanian households. Ahold Delhaize will contract approximately 50% of the wind farm’s output and will receive Guarantees of Origin (renewable energy certificates) for a period of twelve years.

The VPPA will deliver around 158,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy per year, which equates to approximately 10% of Ahold Delhaize’s estimated electricity consumption for its European operations in 2030, including planned growth.

Due to the current structure of the Romanian Guarantees of Origin market, which is currently not integrated into the European AIB (Association of Issuing Bodies) system, local sourcing was a necessary and important consideration. This VPPA enables Ahold Delhaize to support increasing Romania’s renewable electricity supply, while progressing towards its broader climate ambitions.

Responsible energy solutions 

“We’re pleased to support the development of new renewable energy capacity in Romania through this long-term agreement,” said Frank Sluis, CFO at Ahold Delhaize Europe & Indonesia. “It also brings us another step closer to our net-zero carbon emissions goals in Europe, and we’re grateful to be working with partners who share our responsible energy solutions ambitions.”

Vasilis Tsaitas, CFO at HELLENiQ ENERGY, added in a recent release: “This partnership underscores our commitment to sustainability and responsible energy practices, while marking another step in HELLENiQ ENERGY’s strategic expansion into the Romanian renewable energy sector. We are pleased to collaborate with a prominent international retailer such as Ahold Delhaize and facilitate its efforts in advancing sustainable energy initiatives.”

Building on earlier progress

This marks Ahold Delhaize’s third Power Purchase Agreement, following a direct Power Purchase Agreement in the Netherlands in 2023 and a VPPA in Spain in 2024. These agreements form part of the Company’s wider efforts to achieve net-zero carbon emissions across its own operations (scope 1 and 2) by 2040 and strengthen its energy resilience. Through strategic partnerships and long-term investments, Ahold Delhaize continues to contribute to the development of renewable energy infrastructure across Europe.

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Food solutions company SpartanNash® announced that Jason Ulichnie has been named Vice President, OwnBrands Marketing. In this role, Ulichnie will oversee the end-to-end portfolio management, product development, and brand equity of SpartanNash OwnBrands – including Our Family®, Fresh and Finest™ by Our Family, and Finest Reserve™ by Our Family – for Company-operated stores and wholesale customers.

Bringing nearly 20 years of retail and restaurant industry experience at Schnuck® Markets, Inc. and Brinker International®, Ulichnie will also manage product innovation, pricing and promotions, forecasting, and sourcing, working cross-functionally to enhance the OwnBrands portfolio and elevate brand presence.  

"As we continue to take our brand-building to the next level, Jason will be an important addition to our Marketing leadership team," said SpartanNash Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer Erin Storm in the recent release. "His knowledge in leading category transformation to drive profitable growth and culinary innovation will benefit our independent retail customers as well as our Family Fare®, Martin's Super Markets, and D&W® Fresh Market shoppers."

Ulichnie previously served as Vice President, Merchandising, Own Brands for Schnuck Markets, Inc., a privately held supermarket chain based in St. Louis. He also served in senior leadership roles at Southeastern Grocers ®, Walmart®, and Brinker International, the casual dining company that owns, operates, and franchises Chili's® Grill & Bar and Maggiano's Little Italy® restaurants.

Ulichnie earned his bachelor's degree in business administration from the University of North Texas and his MBA from the University of Texas at Dallas.