I recently had a conversation with someone who did not understand why a brand would allocate funds to a YouTuber using their product. “Shoppers are not going to be influenced by someone on YouTube they’ve never heard of.” Fast forward to a conversation with my dad who was lamenting about this season’s cast of Dancing with the Stars featuring a few social influencers he had no idea who they were. “They aren’t stars.”

Well, maybe not to you.

The topic of how to meet the needs of the next generation of shoppers keeps coming up and brands are racking their brains on how to reach them. So, I

The Southeast Produce Council announced the successful completion of its inaugural Next Generation Leadership Academy's immersive trip to the Research Triangle region in North Carolina. It was a pivotal experience of the program centered around the theme "Next Era of Agriculture." The initiative, designed to cultivate emerging leaders in the produce industry, saw participants engage in a transformative exploration of cutting-edge agricultural practices, technological advancements, and sustainable solutions.

The Research Triangle, renowned for its innovation and technological prowess, provided

As we enter 2024, there are countless trend reports and forecasting being done to help businesses shape their plans for the year ahead. At first glance, it may seem like chasing trends and attempting to predict what consumers will be looking for is a never-ending battle, but I encourage you to view this as an opportunity for how to approach marketing going forward.

Over half of the global population consists of Millennials and Gen Z, which is the sweet spot that Have A Plant programs have identified as our specific target audience. Much of our research and trend forecasting is dedicated to

Ocean Mist has a lot of irons in the fire this year, with the biggest activity being that 2024 marks its centennial in June.

“It’s a huge milestone for us and we are really excited about it,” said Mark Munger, senior director of marketing for the Castroville, CA grower-shipper. “A major part of our 100-year celebration is recognizing the people — past and present — who have contributed and continue to contribute to our centennial milestone and who are already helping us prepare for the next 100 years.”

There will be a number of centennial celebrations throughout the year with its official

Several tropical storms in October, including two hurricanes (Lidia and Otis), have combined with cold winter weather to severely limit supplies of vegetables from Mexico’s main winter production areas.

“Unfortunately, there is no way around it that this entire season out of Sinaloa will be one of the most challenging on record,” said Patrick Cortes, vice president of sales for Divine Flavor, which is headquartered in Nogales, AZ.

He added that most of the vegetables coming out of the Culiacan area in the state of Sinaloa are in short supply. “We are still reeling from the hurricane (Otis)

GrubMarket has successfully acquired Oregon- and California-based JC Cheyne, a highly regarded fresh produce business that is widely known as the “wholesale house of the finest onions and potatoes in the Bay Area.”

JC Cheyne currently sells over 70 different items, including almost every color, size and grade of potatoes and onions, to a diverse group of over 80 retail, foodservice and wholesale establishments and mom-and-pop shops, across California. It also takes pride in having great relationships with suppliers in Oregon’s Klamath Basin, Northwestern Washington, Idaho and Mexico.

JC