Larry Lipman, former CEO and longtime board chairman of Lipman Family Farms, died Sunday, March 22. 

Mr. Lipman, affectionately known by employees as Uncle Larry, was a revolutionary in the tomato industry. Over more than five decades at Lipman Family Farms, he helped to grow the company from a regional tomato grower to a North American leader in tomato and vegetable production and packing. 

Mr. Lipman understood the produce business deeply because he lived it deeply. He held numerous roles across Lipman, beginning as a shipping manager in 1970, until his ascension to CEO. He loved the work, the

Vista Vineyards has named Shawn Caldwell director of sales, bringing more than 30 years of table grape industry experience to the company's newly launched leadership-owned supply platform.

Caldwell joins Vista from Sunview Marketing International, where he served as senior account executive and commodity manager. Before that, he specialized in importing Peruvian table grapes to North America as sales manager at Vanguard Direct. With a career selling California, Mexican and Peruvian fruit across more than 30 years, his experience translates directly into the surety of supply that Vista's retail

Dollar General Corp. has appointed Jerry W. (JJ) Fleeman Jr. to succeed Todd Vasos as CEO of Dollar General effective Jan. 1, 2027. The board intends to appoint Fleeman to serve as a director upon the effective date of the transition.

To assist in the transition, Vasos will continue to serve as CEO until the effective date of the transition, at which time he will serve as senior advisor through April 2, 2027. Following the transition, Vasos is expected to remain a member of the board.

“On behalf of the board of directors, I want to express our deep appreciation for Todd's many years of service

JJ Fleeman will depart from his role as CEO of Ahold Delhaize USA, effective end of June 2026, to pursue another career opportunity.  

Fleeman has spent his entire 36-year career in grocery retail in Ahold Delhaize companies, including Food Lion, its largest U.S. brand. Throughout his service with the company, he has held a diverse array of executive leadership roles, covering strategy, commercial, digital, retail operations, marketing and merchandising. As the leader of Peapod Digital Labs, Fleeman was instrumental in laying the foundations of the omnichannel model that continues to drive the

Divine Flavor, based in Nogales, AZ, announced the promotion of Jeremy Giovannetti and David Reyes to key leadership roles within its expanding vegetable division, reinforcing the company’s commitment to strengthening its commercial operations and driving growth across North American retail.

In his new role as director of sales-vegetables, Giovannetti will lead the vegetable division’s commercial performance, overseeing sales and business development while managing the company’s farm-to-market strategy to drive revenue, profitability, and customer satisfaction.

“After spending a lifetime in the

The California Fresh Fruit Association officially began its new fiscal year on Monday, March 16, during the Annual Membership Breakfast held as part of its 90th Annual Meeting at the Estate Yountville in Napa Valley. The event featured the election of the board of directors and chairman, along with key industry and committee updates.

CFFA’s board of directors is composed of 29 individuals representing operations across California. Andy Muxlow of Family Tree Farms was elected chairman of the board for the 2026–27 fiscal year. Officers are nominated for one-year terms and selected by a committee