Tommy Wilkins, an industry giant with more than 40 years of experience in the produce sector, has been named director of sales and business development for Horton Fruit Co.’s newly established location in Dallas.

Wilkins and Horton Fruit, a family-owned company operating throughout the eastern U.S. for over 75 years, will support the surrounding region’s grocery, retail and foodservice industries as a key sourcing, packing, conditioning and distribution point for perishable goods.

"Our expansion into Dallas is an opportunity to move closer to the source for much of our product menu, which

During The Blueberry Summit held Sept. 27 to Sept. 29 in Savannah, GA, the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council and North American Blueberry Council honored and celebrated those past, present and future leaders of the blueberry industry. 

With over 350 people in attendance, the NABC honored its first inductees into the Blueberry Hall of Fame. The NABC Hall of Fame Award is a new recognition that honors and celebrates blueberry leaders, growers and suppliers who have made a lasting impact on the blueberry industry in North America. The award was established as the council and industry’s highest

Divine Flavor, a Nogales, AZ-based produce grower and distributor, announced the restructuring of its executive sales team, elevating Patrick Cortes to vice president of sales and Carlos Bon to senior vice president of sales.

Cortes, who joined the Divine Flavor team in April, will continue his hand in business development and strategic planning for the company while taking on his new role as VP of sales, reporting to Bon, who will serve as the company’s new senior vice president of sales. The moves position the vertically integrated company for its robust growth plans.

“I’m very excited for

SpartanNash has named Andy Smith its senior director of merchandising for produce and floral. In his new role, Smith will oversee all aspects of produce and floral merchandising to include retail, category management, distribution and procurement.

“I’m pleased to promote Andy from within to fill this critical role on the merchandising team,” said SpartanNash Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer Bennett Morgan. “As we look to improve our fresh credibility in our new Go-to-Market Strategy, floral and produce are going to be big bets for us.

Since beginning his professional

The California Avocado Commission announced that Jeff Oberman, who served as president and CEO of the organization since October 2022, has left the organization to pursue other interests.

Oberman was brought in as the first external hire to be president and CEO for the commission in over three decades, bringing many years of experience to the role.

Over the past year, CAC implemented significant changes that have strengthened the organization and its standing in the industry. Some of the notable positive changes include:

Organizational Restructuring: Oberman led the charge in restructuring

Indianapolis Fruit Co., a FreshEdge company, is adding to its industry-leading team and experience.

Tony Mitchell, an industry veteran of more than 30 years, is joining Indianapolis Fruit as chief revenue officer. Mitchell began working in the fresh produce industry in 1992, and throughout the course of his career he has held various leadership roles in family-owned distribution, national distribution and import-export businesses. 

Mitchell will be working to grow and create meaningful retail programs that add additional value to Indianapolis Fruit’s robust offering of products and services