Sixty years ago Hendrik and Fred Meijer opened a store in Grand Rapids called Thrifty Acres and pioneered the American supercenter. While that innovative concept has grown into a retail phenomenon, Meijer aims to continuously improve the shopping experience and support community organizations in ways that embody the retailer's values.

"The opening of Thrifty Acres in June 1962, was history in the making, although I'm not sure our dad and grandfather realized it at the time," said Meijer Executive Chairman Hank Meijer. "They saw an opportunity to serve their customers better by offering a

Hurricane Agatha was the first named storm of the season, and despite its best efforts the storm had no effects on the major harvesting regions, mainly in southern Georgia. In fact, favorable growing conditions are improving supplies across commodity categories.

According to Mark Campbell, founder and CEO of ProduceIQ, Bell pepper supplies are improving and prices are falling. Crops planted in Georgia after the freeze are ready for harvest as Georgia's pepper production is overlapping with growers in California, north Florida and even a small volume from Mexico. “Current quotes are a weak $14

You can start promoting stone fruit, grapes, berries and melons right now. Set large expanded displays of all summer fruit and promote it regularly in your ads to capture colossal sales and exceed your budget.

Grapes are in good supply with excellent quality out of Mexico and California starting up as well. Demand is fairly light on a steady market.

Strawberries shipping from Salinas-Watsonville and Santa Maria are in good supply. Demand is light on a steady market with volume starting to peak.

Cherries are in moderate demand on a steady market. California supply is lighter and will finish

Gary Beall and Rusty Phillips have teamed up with key experts in the produce industry to accelerate the growth of Nabaco Inc. Nabaco manufactures a revolutionary safe and edible coating called NatuWrap that extends the shelf life of produce. Beall and Phillips are both experienced entrepreneurs, inventors and researchers in material and biosciences. Both have founded successful startups and hold numerous patents and publications.

Nabaco is revolutionizing the produce industry with its GRAS-approved edible coating: NatuWrap. The patented, sustainable NatuWrap coating keeps moisture in, while

As Bobalu Berry Farms managing partners continue with their daily walks in strawberry fields, students in Ventura County are preparing for their walk toward high school diplomas so the company thought it’s perfect timing for awarding scholarships from the new Bobalu Berry Farms Scholarship Program.

As noted earlier in the year, the company is celebrating 60 years of farming strawberries in Oxnard, CA, and established an annual scholarship program to honor family founders. Brothers Bobby and RC Jones chose to commemorate this anniversary by giving back to the community that has supported the

Growing up in Trenton, PA, Cece Krumrine figured her career would be in the food industry. “My mother always had a small garden in the backyard, and she loved to cook. I would come home from school for lunch, and she always made the best things.”

Her mother made sure that Krumrine and her siblings ate a well-balanced, great-tasting meal. Krumrine came away from those experiences with a keen interest in good nutrition and took that passion with her when she entered Penn State University in the late 1960s. She majored in journalism and food nutrition. Her parents ran a pretty tight ship at home