Produce Blue Book

Bret Erickson, senior VP at Little Bear Produce, testifies before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition, and Forestry, representing both his company and International Fresh Produce Association during a hearing on the agricultural economy. Follow the links to read or watch his testimony.

Retail analyst Pamela Riemenschneider says ALDI USA's Southeastern Grocers conversion plan shows how it plans to become one of the biggest retailers in the U.S. https://lnkd.in/g6rq-HNQ

John Giles of Promar International recaps Fruit Logistica 2025: Don’t be shocked by supply chain shocks. https://lnkd.in/gB8ZhxMz

The 25 percent tariffs on products from Mexico and Canada have been paused until early March, but that still leaves many questions for the produce industry. Here are some answers from Rebeckah Freeman Adcock. https://lnkd.in/gFvtjMvA

NOW CONNECTED: “Tobianne Paul's track record of building strong, consumer-centric brands speaks for itself,” says Rodolfo Spielmann, President & CEO of NatureSweet. https://lnkd.in/gdeiFcB9

NOW CONNECTED: “Gregory Samels’s extensive experience, passion for excellence, and proven track record of growth align perfectly with our mission to provide the highest quality produce and service to our partners,” says Ryan Dietz, President of Heartland Produce.

Coming to you for the final Week in Review with Greg and Pamela, we’re talking Super Bowl promotions, Big Game inflation, avocado crop forecasts, farmworker anxiety and a why an old video of Pamela picking strawberries is suddenly going viral.

NOW CONNECTED: “Nathan’s expertise in capital markets, finance and technology makes him the ideal leader to continue driving our mission of transforming the fresh produce industry with technology services that reduce food and economic waste,” said Patrick McCullough, CEO of ProducePay. “Yuin and Diana will be instrumental in helping us scale our growing portfolio and ensure best-in-class financial operations as we expand geographically along with our suite of products.”

Commodities such as strawberries, tomatoes, squash, beans, and cucumbers will see the most ill effects from last week's cold front in the south, says Mark Campbell, CFA in this week's ProduceIQ analysis, but no widespread losses have been reported yet. https://lnkd.in/gV6HMt3D

Pamela says snow days in the south are sure to snag logistics, but Greg says the snag coming for the Super Bowl avocado supply is very real. And what’s with all the new executives?