Donald Christopher, who started Gilroy, CA-based Christopher Ranch in 1956 at the tender age of 22 and grew it into the leading producer of fresh garlic in the United States, died at the age of 87 on Dec. 12, 2022.

Mr. Christopher grew up near San Jose, CA, spending much time on the family farm. The Christopher Ranch story dates back more than 100 years when Ole Christopher (Don’s grandfather) emigrated from Denmark to the United States in the latter part of the 19th century. He was a farmer who settled in California’s Santa Clara Valley with prunes as his top crop.  His children started

Sprouts Farmers Market, one of the largest and fastest growing specialty retailers of fresh, natural and organic food in the United States, hired Alisa Gmelich as the company's senior vice president, chief marketing officer. She will oversee Sprouts’ marketing, advertising and customer engagement.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Alisa to the Sprouts team,” said President and Chief Operating Officer Nick Konat. “Her experience in building brands and growing customer engagement will be instrumental in shaping Sprouts’ marketing strategy to support our expansion and deepen loyalty with our customers

JOH announce the addition of Nick Lewandoski to their Mid-Atlantic produce division as an account executive/account manager.

Lewandoski has spent over 18 years in the food industry and has a great deal of experience in retail management and all fresh categories, including produce, meat, seafood, deli and bakery. Lewandoski has developed and implemented successful selling and merchandising strategies. Lewandoski prides himself on building strong relationships with clients, customers and coworkers.

“We are excited Nick has joined our talented team,” said Theresa Lowden, EVP of produce and

Earlier this week the Colombia Avocado Board met, electing new officers to its board of directors. The newly elected officers, together with other members of CAB, will be instrumental in cultivating the business expansion of Colombian avocados in the U.S. market.

New to the nine-member board of directors are:

Serving two-year terms:

• Dustin Hahn, West Coast sales director of Naturipe
• Mauricio Moranth, general manager of Montana Fruits

Serving one-year terms:

• Gerardo Huerta of Del Rey Avocado
• Ricardo Mejia, general manager of Fruty Green
• Sergio Plata Ortiz, manager of Baika

Reelec

It might be too dramatic to say that the avocado has had a rags to riches career over the last few decades, but it’s not an exaggeration to note its meteoric and unprecedented volume growth in that time frame.

Virtually everyone agrees that the current cult status of the avocado and its ever-increasing popularity was impossible to predict and a very pleasant surprise. At least almost everyone.

“I can’t say that it was surprise,” said Rob Wedin, who retired from Calavo Growers Inc. in early November after a 50-year career that saw the avocado-centric company be his only professional employer

Nancy Campoli, Carolinas and Midwest sales manager for The Produce News, died suddenly Saturday, Dec. 3. She was 61.

Nancy was born in Westwood, NJ, on Aug. 26, 1961. She graduated from Ramapo College of New Jersey with a bachelor’s degree in marketing, which served her and advertisers well throughout her career.

Upon joining The Produce News her ambition and commitment to hard work were immediately evident. Though small in stature, Nancy had a large personality, and her dedication to doing the best job possible endeared her to colleagues and clients alike for the past six years.

“Nancy had