KINGSVILLE, ON - Mastronardi Produce is excited to celebrate thirty years of SUNSET® Campari® tomatoes. The iconic Campari® cocktail tomato was the first branded tomato and continues to be a consumer favorite. Adding to the celebration, Mastronardi Produce is a 2025 winner of the Canada's Best Managed Companies Platinum Club designation. This is the 16th consecutive win for Mastronardi Produce by Deloitte's distinguished business awards program.

"We're thrilled to be celebrating two exciting milestones this year," said Paul Mastronardi, President and CEO of Mastronardi Produce, in a recent press release "This year marks the 30th anniversary of a produce first and receiving a 16th consecutive Canada's Best Managed Company award adds to the festivities."

When it first launched over 30 years ago, the Campari® tomato revolutionized the category. Known for its perfectly balanced sweetness and acidity, Campari® is one of the most versatile tomatoes in the kitchen. Its versatility and name recognition created a huge shift in the market that changed the way the produce industry approaches branding. To honor this legacy, Mastronardi Produce will have a variety of promotions for consumers, retailers, and employees.

Founded in Kingsville, Ontario in 1954, Mastronardi Produce pioneered commercial greenhouse growing in North America. Today, it is the leading greenhouse operator in North America, supported by over 3,500 employees in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and the Netherlands.

"Our dedicated team truly drive our success as a company," continued Mastronardi. "Being once again honored as one of Canada's best Managed Companies in 2025 and retaining the prestigious Platinum Club is a testament to our team's commitment to success."

Canada's Best Managed is one of Canada's leading business awards, recognizing best-in-class Canadian-owned and managed companies.

About Canada’s Best Managed Companies Program

Canada's Best Managed Companies is the leading business awards program in Canada. Established in 1993, the program recognizes excellence in Canadian headquartered companies with revenues over $50 million CA. Companies compete each year in a rigorous and independent process that evaluates management abilities and practices, overall business performance and growth, efforts of the entire organization, and financial performance.

The prestigious Platinum Club is for winners who have maintained their Best Managed status for seven years or more. The program sponsors include Deloitte Private, CIBC, NRF, EDC, TMX, and The Globe and Mail. For more information, visit bestmanagedcompanies.ca.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - DoorDash, a leading global platform for local commerce, announced it has reached an agreement to acquire SevenRooms, a New York City-based software company and a global leader in hospitality technology. The move marks a significant expansion of DoorDash’s Commerce Platform capabilities, equipping merchants globally with new tools to grow in-store and delivery sales, build stronger customer relationships, and increase profitability. The acquisition is expected to close during the second half of 2025, subject to customary closing conditions and regulatory approvals.

“We’re enhancing the DoorDash Commerce Platform to help merchants serve their customers across all channels,” said Parisa Sadrzadeh, Vice President, Strategy and Operations at DoorDash, in a recent press release. “With SevenRooms, we’re excited to give local businesses around the globe new ways to bring more guests in the door, build and grow direct relationships with their customers, access best-in-class CRM, and drive profitability through smarter marketing.”

Founded in 2011 by Joel Montaniel, Allison Page and Kinesh Patel, SevenRooms delivers best-in-class tools for marketing, operations, and guest experience – all deeply integrated with its industry-leading CRM – to help restaurants, hotels, and hospitality businesses deepen guest relationships, streamline operations, and drive revenue growth. The combination of DoorDash’s scale, reach, and proven track record of digital innovation with SevenRooms’s in-store capabilities will enhance merchants’ ability to drive growth across both first-party and third-party channels.

“We founded SevenRooms with a mission to help hospitality operators understand their guests and grow their business, enabling a more sustainable future,” said Joel Montaniel, Co-Founder and CEO of SevenRooms. “We believe restaurants are the fabric of local communities, and through every table touch, welcome back and raised glass, our focus has always been on helping them grow while making their guests feel at home. With an operator-first mentality at our core, we're excited to embark on this next chapter with DoorDash – delivering greater innovation, a direct channel to a network of millions of DoorDash consumers, more personalized guest relationships and elevated experiences that transform first-time diners into loyal regulars. Together, we're equipping restaurants with the tools to own the guest experience, grow their customer base, and thrive in an omnichannel world – inside and outside of the merchant's four walls.”

As part of DoorDash, SevenRooms will have access to expanded resources and global reach, accelerating its innovation roadmap and unlocking more value for more merchants. Together, DoorDash and SevenRooms will continue to support an open, partner-friendly ecosystem.

The deal reflects DoorDash’s broader mission to empower local businesses and foster stronger connections between consumers and the places they love – whether they’re going out, ordering in, or engaging through a merchant’s own digital presence.

William Blair served as exclusive financial advisor, and Goodwin Procter LLP as legal advisor to SevenRooms on this transaction. A&O Shearman served as legal advisor to DoorDash.

LITTLE ROCK, AR - The Allen Lund Company is pleased to announce Joe Cook's promotion to General Manager of ALC Little Rock.

Joe joined the Allen Lund Company in 2016 in the Little Rock office as a Transportation Broker. He has had exposure to all aspects of the company, from sales, accounting, brokerage, account management, and operations management. He will transition from his current role as Operations Manager to General Manager.

Jim McGuire, Executive Vice President, stated in a recent press release, "Congratulations, Joe, on your well-deserved promotion to General Manager of our Little Rock office! Your exceptional work ethic, positive attitude, and strong leadership skills make you an ideal fit for this new challenge. I am confident that Joe will be committed to building an office that the company will be proud of, and I look forward to working closely with him on his personal development."

Regarding his promotion, Joe said, "I'm honored and excited to take on my new role with the Little Rock office. Over these last nine years, I've been privileged to help our office grow to the point of being a “Gear Up” award finalist in 2024. My experience with ALC has given me an appreciation for each and every team member and their crucial role in making the office succeed. I am so thankful to be a part the amazing Allen Lund Company, a company which puts such an emphasis on developing and promoting talent in-house. Thank you to the executive team for the faith and commitment to me and especially thank you to our team in Little Rock for having my back and the commitment that they show in helping me take the office onwards and upwards."

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Food solutions company SpartanNash® recently celebrated the grand opening of its newest Supermercado Nuestra Familia®—the fourth location in SpartanNash’s Hispanic retail banner. The newly renovated Supermercado Nuestra Familia—located at 5101 Harrison St. in Omaha, Neb.—was previously a Family Fare, with the transition reflecting the Company’s continued commitment to providing a tailored shopping experience that reflects the tastes and traditions of South Omaha’s Hispanic community.

Supermercado Nuestra Familia stores focus on community, quality, and convenience. Along with its classic selections offered in the previous Family Fare store, store guests can now look forward to new additions like tortillas made fresh in-store, an enhanced cake selection, and a broader assortment of authentic Hispanic produce, meat, grocery and dairy products.

“Our Supermercado Nuestra Familia stores offer an abundance of handmade Hispanic foods, plus the convenience of a one-stop shop for grocery staples, and I’m excited to further invest in this banner as part of our retail portfolio,” SpartanNash Senior Vice President and Chief Retail Officer Djouma Barry said in a recent press release. “With four locations in the Omaha community, we are proud to build on our legacy by introducing even more store guests to everything Supermercado Nuestra Familia has to offer.”

Serving the Nebraska and Iowa communities since 2013, Supermercado Nuestra Familia specializes in Hispanic foods, including an abundant assortment of fresh fruits, vegetables and dried chiles and spices. Aguas frescas and horchata are available, along with fresh-cut fruit. Meat is trimmed fresh daily in the full-service carniceria. Tres Leches cakes, gelatins and flans are made in-house, and La Cocina features fresh cheeses, creams, hams, and hot food favorites like tamales, enchiladas, beans and rice. Shoppers can also find freshly made corn and flour tortillas in the tortilleria, often still warm as they go into shoppers’ carts.

“Supermercado Nuestra Familia is deeply rooted in our neighborhoods and proudly supports community events such as Cinco de Mayo Omaha and Fiestas Patrias Omaha. Our entire team is honored to carry forward the tradition of neighborhood service while offering guests even more reasons to shop locally,” Store Director Jerry Duncan said.

AMADO, AZ - Wholesum, a leader in responsible farming and fresh organic produce, recently hosted its company-wide strategy event on April 30th, titled Steps Towards Progress, uniting employees from across the organization in a powerful display of shared purpose, collaboration, and ambition.

The event served as a platform to unveil Wholesum’s strategic direction for the coming years, grounded in the company’s vision, mission, and purpose. With a strong focus on transformation, innovation, and sustainable growth, the strategy introduced new initiatives, long-term projects, and a set of cross-functional strategic teams that will lead the company into the next few years.

Five strategic teams were introduced during the event, each spearheading a core area of growth, advancing key objectives including innovation, market intelligence, labor, and technology, and other critical priorities. These teams are charged with developing and executing initiatives that align with Wholesum’s values-driven culture and long-term goals.

One tangible outcome of this strategic approach was the inaugural Vendor Recognition Ceremony, a new initiative led by one of the strategic teams focused on deepening partnerships within the supply chain. For the first time, Wholesum recognized six standout vendors selected based on a newly developed, cross-departmental scoring system that evaluated performance in areas such as service quality, ethical practices, delivery reliability, pricing, and collaborative support.

Vendors play an essential role in our success and in the execution of our strategic priorities,” said Theojary Crisantes Jr., Chief Operations Officer during the ceremony. “They are a critical part of our interconnected supply chain, and this event was an opportunity not only to recognize their contributions, but to share our strategic vision so we can continue building mutually beneficial relationships."

Recognizing top vendors by farm exemplified Wholesum’s commitment to partnership and accountability across its stakeholder community. The company believes that when vendors understand its direction, particularly in areas like sustainability or innovation, they are better equipped to contribute ideas and materials that align with evolving needs.

The 2025 Vendor Recognition honorees included:

• International Paper Co
• JDR Transport, LLC
• Celulosa y Corrugados de Sonora, S.A. de C.V.
• Agri-Packing Supply, Inc.
• Koppert
• Fast Acrylic, LLC

"This kind of collaboration doesn’t happen by accident,” shared Wholesum’s Chief Commercial Officer, Ricardo Crisantes, in a recent press release. “It’s the result of shared values, continuous dialogue, and a commitment to excellence.”

Led by Wholesum’s leadership team, Steps Towards Progress emphasized that every role, internal and external, contributes to a larger shared purpose. The event left a clear message: transformation is a collective journey.

“We are all interconnected in this process,” Ricardo concluded, “And our progress depends on our ability to move forward together.”

GLENNVILLE, GA - G&R Farms proudly announces the launch of its 2025 Growing America’s Farmers (GAF) program, featuring in-store Vidalia promotions to support the next generation of agricultural leaders. GAF raises funds for grants and scholarships benefiting students pursuing careers in production agriculture.

USDA reports the average age of U.S. farmers is nearly 58 years old, and only 1.5% of the population is farmers and ranchers, highlighting an increase in the average age, coupled with a decrease in workforce. This creates significant labor shortages that challenge the sustainability of farming operations nationwide. The GAF program aims to help alleviate that strain.

Now entering its tenth year, the GAF program was developed by G&R Farms, a third-generation family farm rooted in southeast Georgia. The mission: invest in the future of farming by supporting FFA students and helping them achieve their educational goals. To date, the program has raised nearly $450,000 for the National FFA and State FFA Foundations across more than a dozen states.

“We started Growing America’s Farmers with a simple belief—that by investing in today’s students, we’re planting the seeds for a stronger, more resilient agricultural future,” shared Blake Dasher, CEO of G&R Farms, in a recent press release. “These young leaders will tackle tomorrow’s challenges, and it’s our responsibility to help pave the way.”

This year’s program includes a fresh new look for all in-store materials, including redesigned full-size and secondary display bins, bags, and POS, offering a high-visibility platform to share the program’s mission with shoppers while elevating product presence.

For participating retailers, G&R Farms dedicates a portion of proceeds from specially marked produce items to be donated to the National FFA Foundation, that are then disbursed to the states where the product is sold. These funds directly impact young agriculturalists who represent the future of America’s food supply.

Melissa’s Produce returns as a proud partner in 2025, continuing their commitment to agricultural education and youth development. Also demonstrating their commitment to the future of our food supply are nine regional and national retail chains confirmed so far.

“This campaign is about more than sweet onions—it’s about investing in the lives and futures of the students who will carry agriculture forward,” Dasher added. “By working with our retail partners, we’re showing these young farmers that their goals are important and their future matters.”

While many promotions coincide with Vidalia sweet onion season, G&R Farms has been a year-round sweet onion supplier for more than 15 years. With farms and experts on the ground in Peru during Vidalia’s off season, Growing America’s Farmers promotions can run anytime, year-round.

As G&R Farms celebrates its 80th year in 2025, the milestone is more than a celebration of longevity – it’s a testament to G&R’s deep-rooted dedication to the agricultural industry, the sweet onion category, and the future of our nation’s food supply. Sights are set high, aiming to beat last year’s program donations through the Growing America’s Farmers program.

To learn more about Growing America’s Farmers or to become a participating retailer, visit www.growingamericasfarmers.com or www.grfarms.com.