Community-Suffolk Inc. has more than seven decades of produce experience, which began back in the early 20th century by Larry Piazza Sr., who sold produce from a pushcart operating out of Boston’s Faneuil Hall.

“Through hard work and fair trade, he was integral in each new produce center that came on line,” said Steven Piazza, managing partner for Everett, MA-based Community-Suffolk. “We have photos of him with horse and buggies in the background. He was a leader in the area from the very beginning.”

The company has grown and grown, becoming an integral part of both the Boston Market

On the cusp of the important season getting under way, Vanguard Direct announced the hiring of new positions in key sales and operations roles at the California and Pennsylvania offices. In total three new employees joined the Vanguard Direct teams bringing a variety of skills and experience in the produce industry.

Ethan Williams has joined the Bakersfield, CA, office in the role of senior sales associate. With experience in both traditional produce roles combined with vineyard account management positions, Williams brings over 11 years of sales experience to the Vanguard Direct team.

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In an effort to give back during the holiday season, G&R Farms has partnered with Costco and Schnucks Supermarkets in a new annual promotion entitled “Season of Giving.” The organization has pledged to give a predetermined dollar amount based on the number of boxes shipped to the retailers during the timeframe of the promotion and each retailer was given the option of selecting their own local charity.  G&R Farms grows, packs and ships a year-round supply of sweet onions from Georgia and Peru.  

"We have been blessed with an increased demand of our sweet onions this year while so many

Great Place to Work and Fortune have ranked Wegmans No. 1 on the list of the 2020 Best Workplaces in Retail. Publix came in at No. 3 and Davis, CA-based Nugget Market Inc. is No. 5, while Target is eighth and Tyler, TX-based Brookshire Grocery Co. came in ranked 15th.

The rankings are based on anonymous surveys representing over 900,000 employees from Great Place to Work-Certified companies in the retail industry.

This is the fifth consecutive year that Wegmans has ranked No. 1 on this list.

“It’s both humbling and inspiring to be recognized this way, especially this year,” said President

CMI Orchards has entered into a partnership with Independent Warehouse Inc. to expand pear distribution to domestic and international retailers.

The Dryden, WA-based company will continue to grow and pack, and CMI Orchards will serve as the sales and marketing agent domestically and internationally. The partnership will add over 600,000 cartons of pears to CMI’s selling power, delivering exceptional Bartlett, Bosc, Red and Green D’Anjou pears to retail customers.

“We identified a growing need to increase our supply of pears to satisfy our customers’ needs and Independent was unmistakably a

Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc. is recalling a limited number of cases of organic romaine hearts. The products being recalled are Dole Organic Romaine Hearts three-pack and Wild Harvest Organic Romaine Hearts.  The recall is being conducted due to a possible health risk from E. coli in the two products. 

The impacted products were distributed in Arizona, Hawaii, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Mississippi, Montana, North Carolina, North Dakota and Virginia. These products were harvested and packed nearly four weeks ago and should no longer be in commerce.