The Organic Produce Network and Western Growers have formed a strategic partnership reflecting the importance of organic production and announced that WG will be the presenting sponsor of the Organic Grower Summit 2021.

Organic Grower Summit 2021 presented by Western Growers and OPN will be held at the Hyatt Regency Monterey Resort in Monterey, CA, on Dec. 1-2.  Exhibitor registration will open in May with general registration slated to open in June.

The live and in-person event provides growers firsthand knowledge and information in a variety of areas ranging from agtech to food safety to

Church Brothers Farms made additions to its sales team and promoted existing staff as part of a plan to grow the company’s retail and foodservice sales programs.

Bob Licker joined the company to support foodservice sales with his more than 44 years of experience in the industry. He was most recently at Mann Packing as the Northeast regional manager for foodservice. Prior to that, he was at US Foods as a specialist and then regional category manager for the Northeast region.

The company also added industry veterans Andy Abbott and Shayne Gordon as contract sales managers. Their focus is on

W. Galen Weston, who led the transformation of retail giant Loblaw from near-bankruptcy to one of Canada's leading retailers, died April 12 at home after a long illness. He was 80.

In 1961 he launched his career by acquiring and expanding supermarkets and department stores in Ireland. In 1972 he returned to Canada to take charge of Loblaw, a struggling chain of grocery stores that George Weston Ltd. had controlled since 1947. Over more than four decades of hard work and team effort, Mr. Weston led the transformation of the company, including the creation of President's Choice, the launch of

Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A. Inc., one of North America’s leading marketers and distributors of high-quality fresh and fresh-cut fruit and vegetables, announced the official relaunch of its Honeyglow pineapple, further showcasing the brand’s range and diverse product line in the pineapple space.

As one of the newest members of Fresh Del Monte’s pineapple line, the Honeyglow pineapple boasts sweet flavors. Every Del Monte Honeyglow pineapple is left to mature naturally on the plant for a few precious extra days, which ensures a riper and sweeter product while creating the perfect balance of

Harold Paivarinta, senior director of sales and business development at Red Sun Farms in Kingsville, Ontario, and who currently serves as chairman of the Southeast Produce Council's Board of Directors, was unable to attend Southern Exposure in person due to travel restrictions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic; however, he took part virtually in many aspects of the event. During the trade show Thursday, April 8, The Produce News was able to interview him via video which was set up at the SEPC booth.

Q: What has been your experience taking part virtually in Southern Exposure?

A. A lot of the

Don Goodwin, founder and former owner of GoldenSun Insights, a strategy centric firm focused in the fresh produce industry, died Sunday, April 18. He was 58 years old.

An industry veteran, Mr. Goodwin had an extensive career in the produce industry spanning 40 years, during which he touched just about every aspect of the supply chain — from procurement to wholesale to marketing.

Mr. Goodwin began his career as a graduate of Western Michigan University’s Food Distribution Program.

Before founding GoldenSun Insights in 2004, Mr. Goodwin led Target’s produce division with the rollout of