Pete’s, the California-based produce company specializing in hydroponically grown living lettuce and cress varieties in addition to butter lettuce wrap kits, will debut an innovative and sustainable new line of packaged salad varieties, Greenhouse Fresh, in retail locations in and around the West Coast in early January.

Available in four varieties — Benevolent Butter, Hydro Spring Mix, Indoor Romaine and Nice & Crunchy — Pete’s Greenhouse Fresh offers environmentally-conscious consumers a range of fresh and sustainable packaged salad varieties that use 90 percent less land and water

This past year has thrown several challenges at Maine potato farmers, leading to decreased production amidst the chaos of a pandemic. The USDA National Agricultural Statistics Service’s crop production forecast for November reported Maine potato production at 13.4 million cwt, down 20 percent from last year’s forecast. The report further explained planted acreage at 51 thousand acres is down 2 percent and the yield forecast at 265 cwt per acre is down 18 percent from last year.

Bob Davis, president at Maine Farmers Exchange, based in Presque Isle, ME, attributed the decrease to a very dry

Southeastern Grocers, Inc., parent company and home of BI-LO, Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie grocery stores, concludes 2020 with the completion of 41 new and renewed grocery stores that provide local residents throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi with an enhanced shopping experience. Over the course of the year, the grocer has renewed 32 stores throughout its footprint to offer improved shopping experiences, opened eight brand new Winn-Dixie stores in Florida and expanded its growing Hispanic grocery store, Fresco y Más, into a new community in

California Giant Berry Farms strawberry growers are looking forward to the start of the year with volumes ramping up in California, Mexico, and Florida.

In Oxnard, California growers are optimistic about their 2020-21 season which has just begun. Quality, shape and sheen of the strawberries is exceptional. “The new crop looks very promising as far as overall quality and volume,” shared Steve Yamamoto, a fieldsman for California Giant in Oxnard. He added, “We are picking the San Andreas variety and will soon be adding the Frontera variety into the pick rotation,” indicating the volume increase

Autumn Glory apple shipments were up the month of November, and recent Nielsen data confirms stellar November sales. Autumn Glory placed in the top 20 not only nationally, but in all nine Nielsen regions as well. Organic apple and pear sales also soared, with both categories having record organic share.

Nielsen data on the last four weeks ending Nov. 28 revealed Autumn Glory sales were up 88 percent and volume was up 78 percent year over year. The 2020 crop year has seen a 16 percent increase in Superfresh Growers organic volume of Autumn Glory, and that has also translated to increased

Winter Sweetz, a Texas-based grapefruit brand owned by Lone Star Citrus, announced the launch of “Sweeter in Texas” sweepstakes to celebrate Texas red grapefruit season during the holidays and through the New Year. 

To elevate the sweepstakes, Winter Sweetz is utilizing their website, product kwik-lok messaging, social media platforms, influencer promotion efforts and email marketing to drive entries. 

“This season's harvest is one of our very best yet and we are thrilled to share our excitement to ignite demand this year by way of this sweepstakes,” said April Flowers, director of