Wholesale perspective: A happy, repeat grape consumer will continue to drive the business

In a week’s time, Tom Kovacevich probably sees more grapes than many retailers do in a lifetime. The president of T.M. Kovacevich-Philadelphia Inc. — better known simply as TMK Produce — Kovacevich operates nine units on the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market, and there are times TMK has over 100 combinations of grape offerings. At the 2022 Global […]

Aldi’s year gets even better with three top retail awards

All is going well for Aldi, which is increasing its footprint across the UK, rising in the supermarket rankings and winning awards in the process. The discount retailer, fresh off a surge into the No. 4 slot ahead of rival Morrisons, recently took home three trophies at the Retail Industry Awards for environmental stewardship, online […]

Opinion: At one major wholesale market in U.S. the winds of change are blowing

As a young woman coming into this industry, I have realized there are not many people my age in the wholesale produce business — especially buyers. Youth is scarce in the terminal market, and I am curious as to what will happen as our buyers begin to “age out.” Traditionally, terminal market operations have relied […]

Avocado leader Mission Produce announces distribution centre in Dartford

Avocado company Mission Produce has announced plans to open a state-of-the-art ripening, packing and forward distribution centre (FDC) in Dartford, England, in 2023. Strategically located with direct access to major international ports and transportation networks, the facility is expected to strengthen Mission’s expanding international footprint and optimize product distribution to the company’s European customer base. […]

Aldi’s move into Big Four shows power of discounting, inflation

Although Aldi’s rise into the Big Four of UK supermarkets ahead of Morrisons was not a surprise given its surge in the past two years, it nonetheless showed the power of discount chains in a budget-crunched sector for consumers. With inflation soaring to 12.4%, Aldi pulled down a 9.3% share to leap ahead of Morrisons […]

Raspberry development in processing and fresh sectors

On a recent trip to Chile, I took this photo in a raspberry production field. For me, it very neatly summed up the progress that has been made in raspberry breeding in the recent past. The variety on the left has been the industry standard type in the country for the last few decades. On […]

Tackling social sustainability in fresh produce

Social sustainability can best be described as a company’s desire to “make a positive difference to people’s lives and futures, with a focus on their position in the environment.” Social sustainability projects can create great support for and understanding of sustainability. Quite a few fresh produce companies aspire to become a supply chain partner that […]

Wait a minute: Aren’t we the plant-based diet?

By Anne-Marie Roerink Life has been a rollercoaster ride for more than two years. At the onset of the pandemic, consumers focused on comfort food, but immunity and healthful eating quickly took a front seat. When you type in “healthy” in any one of the search engines, then click images, every picture that pops up […]