FRESNO, CA - Say hello to a summer sales increase! With peak season underway for nectarines, peaches, and plums, Trinity Fruit Company is helping its retail partners increase traffic in the stonefruit sector. Vice President Gunner White and Vice President of Marketing Angela Hernandez recently provided a closer look at the supplier’s 2025 season.

“Stonefruit delivers the quintessential taste of summer, sparking nostalgia and delight for consumers each year. This season is off to a strong start with excellent quality and great volume across the board. Fruit is sizing well, catering to various consumer preferences with grab-and-go pouch bags and premium single-layer Euro packs,” shares Angela.

Following a successful eight-week run, Trinity Fruit Company’s apricot season is coming to a close. The supplier is now harvesting its highest volume peach varieties—Princess Time and Crimson Lady—perfect for baking and snacking. Early nectarines, including Honey Fire, are also coming in strong with large volume, Angela tells me.

“An exciting addition this year is the BLACK DIAMOND® plum program, now debuting with eye-catching new packaging designed to draw attention to summer produce displays,” she explains. “Additionally, our organic Stone Fruit line continues to expand, with peaches, nectarines, and plums available—including the recent launch of a convenient 4-count tray pack for organic peaches and nectarines.”

Backed by this robust portfolio of stonefruit varieties, Trinity Fruit Company collaborates with its retail partners to ensure strong performance across the category.

“We’re working closely with our retail partners to support in-store promotions and consumer education, helping to boost sales while highlighting the quality, taste, and story behind every piece of fruit,” says Gunner.

“Though specific varieties change frequently throughout the season, we encourage retailers to highlight the full range of commodities and emphasize the consistently exceptional eating experience stonefruit delivers,” Angela adds.

ANUK will be back with more updates on the Trinity Fruit portfolio and the opportunities it generates, so stick around!

HERMOSILLO, SONORA - Produce shipper-marketer, Divine Flavor, along with its principal grower and Mexico’s largest table grape producer, Grupo Alta, recently hosted Sun World International at their Sonora vineyards for a special showcase of Ruby Rush® (Sugrafiftythree variety), the company’s newest red seedless grape brand.

The event served as an exclusive opportunity for select Mexican growers and licensees, including Divine Flavor’s grower-partners, to learn more about the promising new variety, which is being positioned not just as a solution for the early-season grape window but as a new benchmark in quality and consistency for red seedless grapes in that timeframe.

“Ruby Rush is a very exciting development for the industry,” says Carlos Bon of Divine Flavor. “Not only does it address the demand for early-season red seedless varieties, but it also raises the bar in terms of flavor, appearance, and shelf life — all critical elements for retailers and consumers.”

“Ruby Rush represents the next generation of premium table grapes — bold in flavor, striking in appearance and thoughtfully grown to meet rising consumer expectations,” said Jen Sanchez, Vice President of Marketing at Sun World. “Mexico is instrumental to our global supply strategy, and we’re fortunate to work with Grupo Alta, Divine Flavor and other experienced growers who understand what it takes to bring a new brand to life. Their expertise and market reach are accelerating Ruby Rush adoption and ensuring consumers experience its full potential.”

Grupo Alta, recognized for its innovation, premium quality, and role as Divine Flavor’s founding grower, will produce a significant portion of the Ruby Rush® crop in Mexico throughout its locations in Sonora. Similar to the advanced collaboration executed in 2023 to bring more of Sun World's AUTUMNCRSP® (Sugrathirtyfive) to North American markets, a similar concept is now unfolding with Ruby Rush™, as this alliance aims to introduce a distinctive, premium red seedless grape brand earlier in the season.

By leveraging Grupo Alta’s state-of-the-art farming practices, and Sun World's world-class breeding program, the partnership is poised to set a new standard for flavor, appearance, and consistency in the early-season grape category.

Alongside them, several other Divine Flavor grower-partners and licensed producers will also take part in bringing this variety to market.

During the field day, representatives from the Sun World and Grupo Alta team presented the variety’s key agronomic traits, market potential, and flavor profile—generating strong interest from attendees while also providing valuable insights to deepen understanding of the variety’s commercial and horticultural advantages. It was mentioned that Ruby Rush® has been developed with a focus on consumer satisfaction and grower performance, offering exceptional flavor, color, and crunch — critical characteristics for success in today’s table grape market.

YAKIMA, WA - The Washington State Tree Fruit Association (WSTFA) is pleased to announce the promotion of Jacqui Gordón Núñez to Vice President.

Ms. Gordón has served as Director of Training, Education, and Member Services since 2016 where she has been responsible for developing and leading WSTFA’s bilingual training for its members and their employees. This includes the development and production of training classes and materials for WSTFA members in areas including worker safety, food safety, and leadership development.

Gordón will maintain her leadership of WSTFA’s education and training program while taking on additional responsibilities supporting association operations, strategic planning, and industry representation.

“Jacqui is very highly regarded by our grower, packer, and marketer members and their employees for developing and delivering bilingual training classes and materials that meet their needs." said Jon DeVaney, WSTFA President, in a recent release. “Beyond her technical expertise, she is a leader in identifying pressing needs, building partnerships, and bringing projects to fruition. She is also passionate about uplifting the Latino community in agriculture. As Vice President she will bring these same skills to making our Association even more effective in adding value to all segments of our industry.”

“I am grateful and excited about taking on this new role,” said Gordón. “I have been able to support the tree fruit industry with education and training programs, and I look forward to using these same skills to make WSTFA even more successful in delivering all of our services.”

Gordón earned a Master of Science degree in Horticulture from Washington State University and a Bachelor of Science degree in Food Science from Ecuador’s Escuela Politécnica Nacional.

WOODLAND, CA - Syngenta Vegetable Seeds is hosting its first Future of Veg Events, August 12-15, 2025, bringing a new era of vegetable innovation to growers, processors, and retailers worldwide. For the first time, visitors will be able to view products in three locations across the U.S.

"The feedback we receive from our customers year-round helps drive our decisions in the field, greenhouse, and lab,” said Fernanda Ferraro, Syngenta Vegetable Seeds Territory Brand and Customer Head, U.S. and Canada, in the release. “At Future of Veg, we’re excited to once again partner with our growers and customers to showcase the innovations we know matter to them.

By hosting its first Future of Veg Events, August 12-15, 2025, it will bring a new era of vegetable innovation to growers, processors, and retailers worldwide. For the first time, visitors will be able to view products in three locations across the U.S.

The Future of Veg brings together industry leaders, breeders, and growers to discover groundbreaking opportunities for vegetable production. Visitors will get a sneak peek at the blockbuster varieties of tomorrow, today. Each location specializes in on the crops common to the geography:

• August 12-14, Plainfield, Wisconsin, will feature sweet corn technologies including Attribute® II, TripleSweet, and a lineup of hybrids specially designed for processing. The green bean portfolio features disease resistance and varieties bred for freezing and canning excellence.
• August 12-13, Salinas, California, is showcasing the most complete Romaine portfolio on the market, fitting slotting needs and disease resistance demands for growers in key production areas. In spinach and cauliflower, Syngenta will display the latest developments in breeding and placement.
• August 13-15, Woodland, California, will present a full lineup of cucurbits, including cantaloupe, squash, and watermelon, including new watermelon rootstock, all with high eating quality. In Solanaceae, tomato and peppers will be on display to show new disease and climate tolerances for open field production.

Syngenta Vegetable Seeds breeders, product specialists, technical sales representatives, and other experts will walk alongside visitors in the field to address questions and gather insights on needs for future products.

“Helping our customers succeed is what drives every innovation at Syngenta, and we’re looking forward to seeing people from around the world at these dynamic events,” said Ana Grau, Syngenta Vegetable Seeds Brand Customer Head, Americas. “Come join us to see the vegetables of tomorrow, today!”

For more information on Syngenta Vegetable Seeds, please visit www.syngentavegetables.com.

IRVINE, CA - Marketing efforts for California avocados are running at full steam this spring and in support for California Avocado Month in June. The California Avocado Commission’s marketing campaign includes consumer advertising, social media, public relations and influencer activities as well as customized programs for participating retailers and foodservice operators. The Commission reports that advertising impressions through April alone exceeded 31 million, and its social media performance is surpassing both CAC’s goals and industry benchmarks.

“California avocado social media is hitting way out of the park this season,” said Terry Splane, CAC vice president of marketing. “For example, our ‘Now In Season’ video skyrocketed on TikTok with more than 1 million views. The platform currently ranks that video in the top 25% in impressions, clicks and click-through rate meaning it outranks 75% of all videos in the industry.”

CAC’s public relations and influencer efforts this spring are creating excitement about the fruit’s availability and have included the distribution of a season opener pre-written story for placement in key regional media outlets, an influencer event at Bristol Farms in Santa Barbara, a California avocado grove tour for media, influencers and customers as well as partnerships with influencers to create branded content to share on their social platforms. Collectively, these PR and influencer activities have resulted in coverage of California avocados with a reach of more than 170 million impressions.

To promote the fruit’s peak season timeframe, CAC is supporting California Avocado Month in June through the distribution of a press release to key regional consumer media, and two broadcast segments were secured in the local California markets of Fresno and Sacramento. The Commission also partnered with influencers who have developed California Avocado Month themed content that is running across their platforms and have worked with retailers and foodservice operators to help them develop and promote California Avocado content on their social channels. Other spring and summer customer programs include advertising and social media support, sales and display contests and more.

“Commission marketing has really been coming on strong in spring,” said Splane. “The California avocado crop was about 40% harvested by the end of May, and CAC has a robust program of advertising and promotion to support the remaining volume continuing into this summer.”

Spring through summer means peak availability of California avocados. The Commission’s crop forecast calls for very strong volume in June and most of July, ranging from 11 to nearly 17 million pounds per week. The harvest is expected to wind down gradually from August into September.