Fruit World’s CEO and Owner Bianca Kaprielian and Creekside Organics’ CEO, President and Owner Brenda Haught  announced a 50-50 merger of their two organizations, effective immediately. A strategic alignment of shared values and vision, this merger strengthens each leader's long-held commitment to supporting family farms, combining decades of organic farming, sales and marketing expertise under one roof.

“This partnership was a natural evolution for us,” said Kaprielian. “Before this merger, our companies already shared so much in common — a commitment to family farmers, an organic-first

Save A Lot is celebrating the achievements of its Hometown Heroes program, which debuted in 2023 to honor the people and organizations making a difference in the communities its stores serve. In 2024, Save A Lot recognized 21 hometown heroes and awarded $10,500 in Save A Lot gift cards.

Through the program, Save A Lot spotlights individuals and organizations who exemplify what it means to serve their community. Standout recipients of 2024 include Canton Township firefighter-paramedics, consistently going above and beyond in their service to others, and Nicole Stroik, recognized for her work

PlantTape announced the commercial launch of its latest innovation: an automated tomato transplanter. This cutting-edge solution is poised to transform the way tomatoes are transplanted, offering increased efficiency and precision for growers worldwide.

Designed with extensive input from tomato growers and industry experts, the automated tomato transplanter addresses the specific needs and challenges faced by modern agriculturalists. This innovative module can plant up to 12-inch-tall transplants, ensuring rapid and uniform planting across fields. With the capability to bury plants eight

United Natural Foods Inc. is taking actions to advance the company’s multi-year strategy focused on creating more customized value for its customers and suppliers and driving profitable growth.

In support of its strategy, the company will realign its commercial wholesale organization into two product-centered divisions, conventional grocery products and natural, organic, specialty and fresh products, while continuing to enhance its enterprise-wide commercial and supply chain capabilities.

Tropical fruit grower and importer Tierra Suelta is seeing strong volumes of high-quality, Florida-grown star fruit.

“Festive stars shapes are everywhere during the holidays, and star fruit is a fun way to brighten winter tables,” said Steve Stutz, Tierra Suelta principal and sales lead. “Tangy and sweeter than citrus, star fruit can enhance any dish from salads to main courses to desserts.”

Vertically integrated, Tierra Suelta’s cooling and packing facility is adjacent to its farms in Homestead, FL, so fruit goes from the tree to the cooler without delay. Combined with its in-house

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s updates to the Marketing Assistance for Specialty Crops initiative include an additional $650 million investment.

“Specialty crop growers across the U.S. are facing severe and unique challenges. As we wrote in December, the USDA’s MASC program is an important step in helping growers recover from this economic battering, and with today’s announcement, we are grateful to the USDA for recognizing that even more was needed," the Specialty Crop Farm Bill Alliance said in a statement.

"This additional funding will play a critical role in stabilizing farms