In early 1926, Moses Richter boarded a train in North Carolina headed for New York City for the purpose of helping Southern peach growers get a fair market price for their crops. That journey marked the beginning of Richter and Company, which,100 years later, is still laser focused on Southern peaches and the longevity of its “Family of Farms.”

Moses Richter’s journey actually began in what is now the city of Odessa in Ukraine, where he was born in 1898. As a teenager, Moses traveled to the United States to join his sister and brother-in-law in North Carolina, where he quickly found work in a

Harps Food Stores, an employee-owned retailer operating 160 stores across Arkansas, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri and Oklahoma, is rolling out a new postharvest technology designed to reduce broccoli shrink and improve freshness. 

The company has partnered with Verdant Technologies to implement HarvestHold Fresh, which are sheets added to its iceless broccoli supply chain, following a successful pilot in late 2025.

The initiative, conducted in collaboration with grower partner Ocean Mist Farms and distributor Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG), delivered measurable gains in quality

ADS Management, the Westhampton, NY-based parent company of Hapco Farms and Freshouse, is continuing to invest in its mission to support local farmers through strategic grower partnerships and expanded infrastructure across key agricultural regions.

In 2024, the company launched a partnership with Barnwood Valley Farms in Hadley, MA. The site serves as a local packing facility for potatoes and works directly with up to 20 neighboring farms to help distribute fresh produce throughout the region. Nearly 18 months later, this model — building smaller packing sites embedded within farming

Fresh produce remains a critical growth driver for food retail, with $97 billion in sales and a 2 percent increase in unit sales, according to Circana. FMI - The Food Industry Association’s The Power of Produce 2026, which is based on a survey of consumers about their produce purchases, debuted at the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure 2026 event and reveals the category’s future is increasingly shaped by generational shifts in how shoppers discover, shop and engage with fruits and vegetables.

While Boomers continue to account for more than one third (34 percent) of produce spending

ST. PETE BEACH, FL – The National Watermelon Association featured a women’s leadership session Feb. 20 at its 111th annual convention, here, which offered advice on how women can best advance their careers.

Led by Lauren Griffeth, a researcher and instructor on women’s leadership at the University of Georgia, the well-attended session focused on the notion that women will encounter both mentors and sponsors during their career, and it is important to know the difference between the two. Griffeth also urged everyone to develop their own personal board of directors to best navigate the

Every retailer in every industry is looking to increase profits, perhaps none more so than the grocery channel where margins are razor thin. For grocers, there may be a big opportunity in the produce (and other perishables) aisle.

According to new research in the INFORMS journal Management Science, grocery retailers may not need new technology or behavior change from shoppers to do so. Small operational decisions already under a retailer’s control — including how perishable items are displayed and when (and how much) they’re discounted — can increase profits while also reducing spoilage.

The new