TEHACHAPI, CA - What does reliability mean to you? To Justin Waites, Associate Director of Sales and Marketing for Millennium Pacific Produce, it means a quality commitment over quantity that has built brand recognition that defies the company’s footprint.

“I like to say that we're big enough to supply, but still small enough to care about what we grow. Our greenhouse is operated very much as a passion project. We're one of the largest family-run, privately held greenhouses in North America. The family part is still very strong, and we care deeply about what gets put out into the market and the quality of the product that wears our brand."

Consciously growing both its crop and its footprint, the company just celebrated the launch of its West Coast Bell Pepper Program, with a Canadian expansion teed up for next spring.

"We're going to be the only U.S. Grown greenhouse 11lb peppers available during the winter months, making this a very unique program,” Justin points out. “Ours is a true greenhouse, all under glass with no open air. Enclosed and grown in a high-tech establishment, our bell peppers are not only great quality but incredibly protected from a food safety standpoint.”

24 acres of high-tech greenhouse bell peppers grown Stateside can mean a strong resource for many markets in the nation, but circling back to that definition of reliability, Justin tells me Millennium remains committed to a shipping schedule that will keep the product in premium condition.

“It’s important to us to guarantee a certain window of freshness—the peppers are just phenomenal, and we’re really excited to offer a new local option during a unique window where gapping can occur," Justin states.

It is a stance that has ensured brand recognition based on a consistent experience across Millennium’s categories, making its cherry and heirloom tomatoes synonymous with charcuterie boards in its markets and garnering a deeply loyal customer base.

"It's not in anyone’s best interest, especially from a brand perspective, to put our sticker or label out in a market if we can't make sure the quality is really, really top-notch. We want them to want our product. Especially with produce, if somebody has one bad experience, good luck trying to get them back. They're going to look for other options," Justin points out.

In that vein, the company is ideally located to provide winter peppers and other products anywhere in the central U.S., from Washington down to Southern California, and the east-central U.S., picked, packed, and shipped the same day, with product arriving the following day ready to be shelved and bought.

While Justin does tease that if the rave reviews continue to trend in the West, it could incentivize an eastward expansion, it is clear that the horse comes before the proverbial cart—and that horse’s name is quality.

“At the end of the day, I find the quality of the product is what keeps consumers coming back. As a result, we make a lot of noise with what we put out into the market," Justin concludes.

With more growth already in the works, there is certainly more to anticipate from the greenhouse brand, so stay tuned.

LOS ANGELES, CA - Labor Day is one of the final major produce-selling opportunities of summer, giving retailers another occasion to capture demand around grilling, entertaining, and family gatherings while beginning the transition into fall.

Last year’s promotions underscore the opportunity. The USDA National Retail Report recorded 311,059 produce ad features during Labor Day week in 2025, up 6% from the previous week. Watermelon, cantaloupe, corn, potatoes, sweet onions, colored bell peppers and avocados were among the items heavily promoted as retailers featured late-summer favorites alongside the first signs of fall.

“Labor Day is an important transition point in the produce department,” said Robert Schueller, Director of Public Relations at Melissa’s, in the recent release. “Retailers can capitalize on the foods shoppers are looking for now while using specialty items to keep displays fresh and build excitement as merchandising begins to shift into fall.”

Melissa’s is highlighting several timely opportunities that can carry retailers from the holiday into the season ahead.

New-crop Melissa’s Baby Dutch Yellow®, Dutch Red® and Gemstone Potatoes® are here from Idaho’s Magic Valley, with strong supplies for Labor Day and the transition into fall. Retailers can capitalize on grilling demand through the holiday, then carry the program forward as merchandising shifts toward roasting and fall meal solutions.

Waterloupes® offer a unique late-summer melon experience, combining the crisp, juicy texture of watermelon with the sweet, aromatic flavor of cantaloupe. Available through October, Waterloupes give retailers a distinctive way to keep melon displays fresh and engaging as the department moves into fall.

Organic Green Keitt Mangos, grown in California, bring another seasonal discovery to late-summer fruit displays, with availability extending through October. Known for their large size, silky texture, small seed, and sweet flavor, Green Keitts remain green when ripe, creating an opportunity for shopper education at the point of sale.

Fiesta Serrano Peppers bring a colorful mix of red, yellow, orange, chocolate, and green Serranos to grilling, salsa, and guacamole displays. Available into winter, they provide a visually distinctive pepper offering that can transition from Labor Day into fall and football-season merchandising.