MIAMI, FL - Kapi Kapi Growers, a leading global grower-shipper of sustainably grown pineapples, bananas, and plantains, announces that beloved team member, Douglas (Doug) Bakker, passed away unexpectedly on June 4th, 2025.

A 40-year veteran of the fresh produce industry, Bakker spent the first 30 years of his career helping to run his family’s wholesale business, Bakker Produce. His early years gave him hands-on experience in sorting and repacking, loading and unloading trucks, and making deliveries to customers in Chicago and the Northwest Indiana region. Over time, Bakker held roles in IT, HR, and Accounting before settling into a long tenure in sales.

Bakker then spent seven years in both sales and operations roles, expanding his family business knowledge to include global supply chain experience. Bakker joined the Kapi Kapi team in 2020 when the company was just starting. His breadth of knowledge in all aspects of his regional wholesale business, coupled with a strong background and expertise in tropical fruits was immensely valuable to Kapi’s growth.

“Doug’s passion for the business was evident from our first meeting with him,” said Sofia Acon, president of Kapi Kapi Growers. “It was clear that his experience in nurturing long-term partnerships and relationships made him the right choice when we began building our Business Development team. Over time, Doug played an integral role in developing the type of people-first culture that defines us today. His commitment to strong leadership and cultivating lasting relationships earned him a promotion to Director of Business Development in 2023. Doug’s passion, commitment, and integrity were outstanding. He will be deeply missed.”

In the company’s early stage, Bakker was instrumental in helping Kapi to build name recognition within the industry and much of the company’s steady growth can be attributed to his service-minded sales approach that permeates the team today.

“I will miss working alongside Doug and will always fondly remember our time together. We only worked together for 5 years, but to me he was a lifelong friend and colleague,” said Mark Doiron, Senior Advisor, in the announcement. “Doug had that kind of impact on those around him. Many of his colleagues will remember how he would call them just to say, ‘I appreciate you.’ That’s the kind of team player Doug was.”

Bakker was born on November 16, 1968 to Chuck and Jean Bakker Sr and is survived by his wife, Lora Bakker; children: Matthew (fiancé Emily Romero) Bakker, Timothy Bakker, Meghan (Josh) Rodriguez; brothers: Chuck Bakker, Paul (Julie) Bakker; and sisters: Deb Wright, Karin (Sonny) Ross, Barb (Mike) Toth.

Bakker had a passion for sports and loved following sports teams like the Cubs, the Bears and the IU basketball team. Bakker especially loved baseball and was the former president of the Lakes of Four Seasons Baseball League. One of his goals was to visit all the Major League Baseball fields with his son, Matthew. They ended up visiting 15 out of 30 fields. Bakker also loved to travel with his wife and spending time with his family.

ELGIN, MN - Honeybear® Brands, a leading grower, marketer, and developer of premium conventional and organic apples, pears, and cherries, has released its 2024 Sustainability Report, marking four years of steady and measurable progress toward its ambitious environmental goals.

In collaboration with Sustainable Food Group®, Honeybear established science-based sustainability goals in 2019 across four key pillars: pollinator health, packaging, food loss and waste, and climate and energy. The company committed to transparent, third-party measurement and annual reporting, with 5- and 10-year targets guiding its long-term strategy.

Highlights of the 2024 report include progress in each key area:

• Zero Landfill Food Loss: Progressing toward full diversion of organic waste through reuse and recycling.
• Sourced Renewable Energy: Increasing reliance on renewable energy sources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across operations.
• Plastic-Free Packaging: Continued innovation to reduce and eliminate non-recyclable packaging materials.
• Pollinator Habitat Protection: Expansion of pollinator habitats across North American orchards.

Pollinators—especially bees—are essential to the apple industry, responsible for the production of over 100 food crops worldwide. Yet they face threats from habitat loss, climate change, and pesticides.

Through its Adopt an Acre® program, Honeybear partners with retailers to establish and maintain pollinator habitats directly on the orchards supplying their stores. The initiative offers retailers a turn-key sustainability story while giving consumers a direct way to support pollinator health.

“Without bees, we don’t have apples,” said Kristi Harris, Brand Manager at Honeybear Brands, in the recent press release. “Our Adopt an Acre® program connects sustainability with retail performance. It educates shoppers, drives engagement, and directly supports habitat creation where their fruit is grown. This is sustainability in action, on the ground and in the store.”

Retailers participating in the program benefit from custom signage, consumer education materials, and co-branded messaging, backed by measurable environmental impact.

The full 2024 Honeybear Brands Sustainability Report is available here.

MILLEN, GA - Beginning this fall, the Southeast Produce Council (SEPC) will roll out a series of sustainability-focused educational offerings, continuing through 2026. The aim is to provide organizations with the resources and insights they need to implement sustainability initiatives in ways that best align with their own priorities and capacity. Feedback obtained during SEPC’s webinar earlier in 2025, Sustainability Essentials, led by Measure to Improve, served as the foundation for creating SEPC’s programming, based on sustainability topics members identified as being most relevant to their businesses.

“We’re excited to introduce this comprehensive sustainability education series,” said John Barnette, Senior Director of Produce & Floral Category Management at Southeastern Grocers and Co-Chair of SEPC’s newly formed Sustainability Committee, along with Co-Chair Adam Brady, Director of Marketing for Shuman Farms. “By focusing on practical, applicable knowledge and tools, we aim to equip our members - and the broader industry - with the insights they need to drive meaningful progress, both environmentally and economically.”

A webinar on Integrated Pest Management (IPM) will be held on Wednesday, August 27, in preparation for upcoming retailer policies requiring third-party IPM certification for suppliers. These new requirements are set to take effect at the end of 2025. The IPM Institute will provide an overview of Integrated Pest Management practices, highlight certification options that meet the new standards, and offer insight into the rationale behind these changes, both from a national and global perspective. Additionally, two SEPC member companies will share how they’ve implemented IPM practices and the impact it has had on their operations.

A sustainability panel, “Why Sustainability is Good for Business,” will also be held during Southern Innovations, SEPC’s innovation-driven tradeshow and conference, on September 11th. The goal of the session is to share real-world examples of how sustainability can drive business value, with representation from across the supply chain — including retail, packaging, waste, and grower/shipper.

Later in the fall, a Sustainable Packaging webinar will take place on Tuesday, October 28th, providing practical tools and guidance on a topic that remains a top priority for many fresh produce companies. The educational series continues in 2026 with in-person and virtual offerings on topics including food loss and waste reduction, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and carbon reduction, and regenerative agriculture.

“The meaning of sustainability has evolved significantly in recent years across our industry. While global reporting frameworks continue to shift, the practical impact of sustainability remains very real for our members - and it continues to be a priority for many retailers,” said David Sherrod, SEPC President and CEO, in the recent press release. “That’s why we’re proud to launch this education series at a time when companies are seeking relevant, actionable tools and information to support their sustainability efforts in meaningful ways.”

SOUTH AFRICA - Summer Citrus from South Africa (SCSA) is now in the middle of its season and reports a positive outlook. Chief Executive Officer Suhanra Conradie divulged the details in a recent newsletter from SCSA.

“We have now entered into our mid-season period, and things are going very well! Although we were off to a really late start, we gained some great momentum over the last few weeks, and in terms of volume, we are slightly ahead of what we originally planned for the season,” Suhanra wrote. “Of course, this is quite typical for the perishable nature of our business, and we allow some room in our planning for the additional demand of the market. This aligns with our goal to grow the business responsibly and sustainably in the U.S.”

SCSA entered the United States market toward the end of May with a few containers on the MSC Lorena, according to the newsletter. Since around the 3rd week of June, SCSA has coordinated weekly arrivals of either dedicated conventional vessels or container vessels, and some weeks even both. The majority of its fruit is being shipped to the port of Philadelphia.

SCSA reports that it has loaded a solid amount of Easy Peelers—primarily Clementines and Navels. Additionally, the supplier’s citrus program consists of Star Ruby grapefruit, Cara Caras, and lemons.

“For the month of July, we will continue to load some Easy Peelers, as the later Mandarin varieties could start, but this really depends on the maturity of the fruit,” Suhanra stated. “We will also continue to load Navels, Star Ruby, and Cara-Cara. Overall, from a production side, the crop and quality of the fruit are really looking good.”

On a final note, Suhanra addressed the tariffs between the U.S. and South Africa.

“From our side, we are invested in the U.S. market and together with our loyal partners and service providers, we are committed to executing this program with excellence and continued success for all parties involved. We have worked very hard to establish ourselves as the preferred supplier of citrus to the U.S. during the summer months to complement local citrus production when otherwise unavailable,” she said. “We have also prioritized weekly arrivals of fresh fruit into the U.S. market, which did not happen overnight or with the snap of a finger! We are focused on a successful and sustainable business for the long term for all who are working to make this happen.”

We will continue to keep an eye out for SCSA updates, so stay tuned.

CORAL GABLES, FL - Fresh Del Monte Produce Inc., a global leader in fresh and fresh-cut fruit and vegetables, announced the appointment of Mark Gagnon as Vice President of Sales – South Region to accelerate growth across the Southern States.

Gagnon, who rejoined Fresh Del Monte effective June 2, 2025, will oversee commercial strategy and customer engagement across the region. He reports directly to Danny Dumas, Senior Vice President of Sales, Product Management, and Marketing for North America.

With more than 30 years of senior-level experience in sales strategy, business development, and customer management, Gagnon has held leadership roles at Dole, Chiquita, Chobani, Kalera, and Seald Sweet. He previously served at Fresh Del Monte from 2014 to 2020. Throughout his career, he has built lasting partnerships with national and regional retailers and is widely recognized for driving category growth while leading high-performing sales teams.

“Mark’s deep expertise in sales and strategic growth will be instrumental as we expand our footprint across the South region,” said Dumas. “His return strengthens our leadership team and reinforces our commitment to delivering value for our customers and long-term growth for Fresh Del Monte.”

Gagnon’s appointment underscores Fresh Del Monte’s focus on enhancing commercial operations and deepening customer partnerships across North America. His regional insight and proven track record position him to drive results and support the company’s mission of delivering fresh, high-quality produce across the Southern U.S.

ZAANDAM, THE NETHERLANDS - Ahold Delhaize announces the appointment of Jan Brecht as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) and member of the Executive Committee, effective September 26, 2025. He will succeed Ben Wishart, who has decided to step down as a member of the Executive Committee and leave the company after twelve years in the CTO role at Ahold Delhaize.

Jan brings a wealth of experience in digital transformation and enterprise technology leadership. He most recently served as Chief Digital Information Officer at Nissan Motor. Prior to that, he was Chief Information Officer (CIO) at Mercedes-Benz Group, where he led the company’s IT strategy during a period of significant innovation and digitalization. Earlier in his career, he was CIO and Head of Global Supply Chain at Adidas Group. Jan holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and has lived and worked across Europe, the U.S., and Japan.

Ben joined Ahold in 2013 as CTO and became a member of the Ahold Delhaize Executive Committee in 2018. Over his tenure, he has been instrumental in shaping the company’s technology strategy, overseeing the development of core retail and digital platforms, as well as scaling group-wide sourcing and solution delivery.

Evolving our technology landscape

Commenting on the transition, Frans Muller, CEO of Ahold Delhaize, said in a recent press release: "Ben has been a driving force behind our digital transformation and a trusted leader in our Executive Committee. We are grateful for the many contributions Ben has made as CTO and as a leader across the company. We are thrilled to welcome Jan, whose international experience and visionary leadership, coupled with deep tech expertise and passion for consumers and data, will be invaluable as we continue to evolve our technology landscape to better serve our customers and brands. His experience positions him well to support our Growing Together strategy’s direction of advancing cost efficiency, simplicity, resilience, and IT security.”

As CTO, Jan will lead Ahold Delhaize’s technology function, overseeing Enterprise Tech strategy, digital innovation, cybersecurity, and enabling our family of great local brands to leverage Ahold Delhaize’s scale to accelerate the development of scalable, customer-centric platforms.

Working with talented teams

Jan added: "I’m honored to join Ahold Delhaize at such a pivotal time, with the Growing Together strategy having made a solid start since its launch last year. The company’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, modernization, and customer experience aligns perfectly with my own experience and values. I look forward to working with talented teams across the company to build the next generation of digital and AI/data capabilities that will power the future of retail."

Upon the announcement, Ben shared: "It has been a privilege to serve Ahold Delhaize and to work alongside such dedicated colleagues across our Group and local brands. I’m proud of what we’ve achieved together and confident that Jan will bring fresh energy and insights to continue advancing our technology agenda. I wish him and the team every success in the journey ahead."

Jan will join the company as incoming CTO on September 1 and will work together with Ben over the course of September to ensure a smooth handover.