Bowery Farming, the largest U.S. vertical farming company serving almost 800 grocery stores and major e-commerce platforms, announced that it is now providing Albertsons Companies with Bowery’s Protected Produce that’s local, safe and sustainable, to an initial 275 Safeway and Acme stores across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.
Bowery Farming, the largest vertical farming company in the U.S., unveils a new "Farmer's Selection" product category, a line of rotating, small-batch, wildly flavorful, next-generation greens, curated by Bowery's R&D team. Bowery’s Mustard Frills — hearty mustard greens with a tingly start and a fiery, wasabi-style finish — are the first greens released under this new category and will be available in select grocery retailers this week through spring 2021, followed by Green Sorrel.
Markon welcomes Kate Burr as its new Food Safety Director. In her new role, Burr will use her proficiency of field and processing practices, product recall expertise, and sustainability knowledge to enhance Markon’s food safety initiatives. She will be responsible for compliance with Markon’s 5-Star Food Safety Program standards throughout Markon’s supply chain; ensure all Markon First Crop, Ready-Set-Serve, and Markon Essentials products meet or exceed its stringent food safety standards; and serve as the voice of Markon for all food safety-related matters. She will also deliver relevant industry information to members, alert customers about food safety concerns, and conduct ongoing research in the field.
Nature Fresh Farms welcomes Robert Van Der Geest as General Manager to their Mexico team. The company has financially invested in the operation of a 15-acre greenhouse with an additional 15 acres under construction, located in Central Mexico. Van Der Geest has been brought on to lead their greenhouse operations.
Leonardo’s Produce (“Leonardo’s”), a distributor of fresh produce and specialty products, joined FreshEdge, a family of produce and specialty food companies backed by Rotunda Capital Partners, further diversifying the group’s combined customer base and increasing its breadth and depth of service offerings in Michigan and Ohio. Leonardo’s joins a growing family that includes Piazza Produce & Specialty Foods, Indianapolis Fruit, Get Fresh, McCartney Produce, Garden Cut, Cibus Fresh and Papania’s.
Houweling’s Group has moved to its new Nogales, Arizona, distribution and packing services center. Having outgrown the 18,000-square-foot facility the company operated the last few years, the new 30,000-square-foot facility has 50% more receiving bays, six coolers with the ability to manage three separate climate zones and a cooled packing area.
McCartney Produce, a distributor of fresh produce and specialty food products, joined FreshEdge, a family of produce and specialty food companies, further diversifying the group’s combined customer base and increasing its breadth and depth of service offerings in the Midwest and Southeast. McCartney joins a growing family that includes Get Fresh, Indianapolis Fruit, Piazza Produce & Specialty Foods, Garden Cut, CIBUS Fresh, and Papania’s.
Since coming to market in 2010, Tasteful Selections has been a pioneer and leader in the bite-size potato category — owning and operating the entire planting, harvesting and packaging process. With multiple facility and acreage expansions from 2010 to 2018, Tasteful Selections grew to meet demand while responding to consumer preference toward convenience items and smaller pack sizes.
Fresh Del Monte Produce has added six new energy-efficient reefer container vessels to its fleet. The addition of the new vessels named – Del Monte Gold, Del Monte Rose, Del Monte Harvester, Del Monte Spirit, Del Monte Valiant andDel Monte Pride – marks a new chapter in environmental sustainability for the company.
Hitchcock Farms of Salinas, California, a premier and innovative grower/shipper has acquired Pfyffer Associates, a grower, packer and shipper of premium Brussels sprouts in Santa Cruz, California. Pfyffer has been a leading supplier of Brussels sprouts for over 45 years with their well-known Ernie’s Pride and Pfyffer labels.
