Fresh Del Monte Produce, one of the world’s leading vertically integrated producers, marketers and distributors of high-quality fresh and fresh-cut fruit and vegetables, is pleased to announce the election of two additional members to its Board of Directors, Lori Tauber Marcus and Kristin Colber-Baker.

Vanguard International has added new talent to their team with the hiring of Fanny Robles in Peru and Ignacio Ugarte in Chile.

Nature Fresh Farms is expanding its greenhouse strawberry acreage with help from their longstanding growing partner Cielo Vista, from one to 16 acres, planned to be completed this fall.

Spring into the new season, full of warmer weather and new recipes in Tasteful Selections second quarter of the “It’s the Little Things” Campaign. Continuing to enjoy the little wins, the little celebrations and the little things that help you get through each day; Tasteful Selections is taking the time to enjoy.

Bowery Farming, the largest U.S. vertical farming company serving almost 800 grocery stores and major e-commerce platforms, announced that it is now providing Albertsons Companies with Bowery’s Protected Produce that’s local, safe and sustainable, to an initial 275 Safeway and Acme stores across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions.

Bowery Farming, the largest vertical farming company in the U.S., unveils a new "Farmer's Selection" product category, a line of rotating, small-batch, wildly flavorful, next-generation greens, curated by Bowery's R&D team. Bowery’s Mustard Frills — hearty mustard greens with a tingly start and a fiery, wasabi-style finish — are the first greens released under this new category and will be available in select grocery retailers this week through spring 2021, followed by Green Sorrel.

Markon welcomes Kate Burr as its new Food Safety Director. In her new role, Burr will use her proficiency of field and processing practices, product recall expertise, and sustainability knowledge to enhance Markon’s food safety initiatives. She will be responsible for compliance with Markon’s 5-Star Food Safety Program standards throughout Markon’s supply chain; ensure all Markon First Crop, Ready-Set-Serve, and Markon Essentials products meet or exceed its stringent food safety standards; and serve as the voice of Markon for all food safety-related matters. She will also deliver relevant industry information to members, alert customers about food safety concerns, and conduct ongoing research in the field. 

Nature Fresh Farms welcomes Robert Van Der Geest as General Manager to their Mexico team. The company has financially invested in the operation of a 15-acre greenhouse with an additional 15 acres under construction, located in Central Mexico. Van Der Geest has been brought on to lead their greenhouse operations.

Leonardo’s Produce (“Leonardo’s”), a distributor of fresh produce and specialty products, joined FreshEdge, a family of produce and specialty food companies backed by Rotunda Capital Partners, further diversifying the group’s combined customer base and increasing its breadth and depth of service offerings in Michigan and Ohio. Leonardo’s joins a growing family that includes Piazza Produce & Specialty Foods, Indianapolis Fruit, Get Fresh, McCartney Produce, Garden Cut, Cibus Fresh and Papania’s.

Houweling’s Group has moved to its new Nogales, Arizona, distribution and packing services center. Having outgrown the 18,000-square-foot facility the company operated the last few years, the new 30,000-square-foot facility has 50% more receiving bays, six coolers with the ability to manage three separate climate zones and a cooled packing area.