Ahold Delhaize and Centerbridge Partners have entered into a definitive agreement to acquire FreshDirect, an online grocer based in New York City.

Ahold Delhaize will acquire the majority share, funded by cash on hand, and Centerbridge Partners will be a minority equity investor with a 20 percent stake.

After the deal closes, FreshDirect will retain its brand name, report to a seven-person board, and continue to independently operate out of its facility in New York City. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2021

With the beginning-of-the-season Chilean cherries prices going through the roof, industry veteran Andreas Economou, chief operating officer of Tastyfrutti International Inc., is anticipating an excellent fruit deal from that South American country with good volumes of stone fruit and grapes over the next several months.

Economou said that while the U.S. market for Chilean cherries is strong by U.S. standards, it can’t compete with China for the first cherry cartons of the year. “The first cherry boxes are selling for $180 in China,” he told The Produce News on Friday, Nov. 6. “We won’t pay

Courtney Lane of Zirkle Fruit Co. is the Washington Apple Education Foundation Individual Volunteer of the Year.  Her recognition was announced last week at a company production meeting held in Selah, WA.  While the meeting was pre-planned, the interruption from WAEF with the special announcement occurred as a surprise to her.

Lane has been a volunteer for WAEF for multiple years.  She focuses her WAEF attention primarily on assisting current WAEF scholarship recipients prepare to graduate from college career-ready.  This year she worked with WAEF students at a career exploration event

The Giumarra Cos. announced a partnership with the Genel family of Rancho Agua Blanca to offer Fair Trade Certified avocados grown in the state of Michoacán, Mexico.

Rancho Agua Blanca is family owned and operated, and recently received its certification from Fair Trade USA in early 2020. The Genel family – comprising Isabel Valencia Zepeda, Rafael Genel Valencia, María Isabel Genel Valencia, Marcela Genel Valencia, Gustavo Adolfo Genel Valencia, and Carlos Genel Valencia – farms 250 hectares of Fair Trade Certified avocados and governs the company via a family board.

“We are immensely proud

In the fall of 2019, Green Thumb Farms launched the Farmer’s First program to develop new potato varieties for retailers – and to help consumers discover new products that work well in their kitchens. Last year, Green Thumb partnered with Hannaford to develop the Queen Anne potato. This year they’re partnering with Hannaford again to introduce Fenway Reds, a variety that’s new to Maine.

Fenway Reds are a unique red potato; while many red varieties are oblong in shape, Fenway Reds are round and consistent. In fact, this variety is the roundest red potato ever grown at Green Thumb Farms. Some

Little Leaf Farms is now offering home delivery in the greater Boston and New York City area through Amazon Fresh. COVID-19 has increased demand for grocery deliveries, and customers can now enjoy locally harvested and sustainable lettuce without ever leaving the comfort of their homes.

The partnership with Amazon Fresh is another step in Little Leaf Farms’ continued growth to meet rising demand. The company now has 10 acres of state-of-art greenhouse growing space, recently doubling growing capacity to produce more than 2 million boxes of fresh baby greens a month.

“Now more than ever, it