Branding & IP
From Pink Lady to Autumncrisp, the produce aisle now runs on patents, trademarks and licensing contracts, and the model shows no sign of slowing down.
By Amy Sowder
Marketing Matters
Economic pressure has not reduced demand so much as sharpened expectations about how food earns its place in daily life.
By Melinda Goodman
Product Snapshot
As shoppers pay closer attention to flavor and consistency, tomato suppliers see growth shifting toward a higher-value sales mix.
By Jane Rhodes
Sustainability
Produce companies are under pressure to reduce plastic, but shelf life and food waste are making the shift harder than it looks.
By Steve Maxwell
Sponsored Content
Built on deep agricultural roots in Mexico, Divine Flavor has developed into a multi-origin supplier of premium grapes and vegetables.
Opinion
Uncertainty postpones the investments that make food affordable over time, from new acreage to cold storage and automation.
By David L. Ortega
Insight
A Cal Poly classroom exercise reveals why younger shoppers are underwhelmed by the produce aisle — and what could help close
the gap.
By Lisa Cork
In uncertain markets, readiness is less about having every answer in advance and more about building the maturity, focus and discipline to act when conditions change.
By Ximena Jimenez
Features
Business Chronicles
Nine years after Amazon acquired Whole Foods, online grocery has proved a far harder nut to crack than many expected. But the battle for the basket may only be entering its next phase.
By Tom Azzopardi
Business Chronicles
Did streaming save the music industry, or ruin it?
By Tom Azzopardi
Finance
Investors are pouring money into the farming sector. The consequences extend far beyond the balance sheet.
By Tom Azzopardi
Food Culture
After booming through the 2010s, these local food hubs are looking for new shoppers, new farmers and a new role.
By Tom Azzopardi
Market Trends
After winning shopper curiosity and investor attention, the category now faces the harder task of turning trial into a lasting grocery habit.
By Amy Sowder
Product Snapshot
The category is already trusted by shoppers; suppliers now see growth in making the category easier to use and harder to overlook.
By Rachel Morgan
Interviews
Cathy Burns — CEO, International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA)
The IFPA chief discusses labor, trade, consumption, retail realities and what it will take to build a stronger future for fresh produce.
Alvaro Luque — CEO, Avocados From Mexico
The marketing-led executive behind one of produce’s best-known brands discusses loyalty, foodservice growth and the next stage of avocado consumption.
Hernán Garcés Echeverría — President, Garces Fruit
As president of Garces Fruit — the world’s largest cherry exporter — Hernán Garcés Echeverría reflects on the end of Chile’s extraordinary cherry boom and why quality, branding, and new alliances will now shape the industry’s next phase.
Robert Verloop — Executive Director and CEO of the California Walnut Board and Commission
The industry veteran is drawing on decades across produce to help California walnuts respond to global oversupply, reposition consumer perceptions and expand multichannel marketing.