South Africa table grape industry looks for improvements over 2020-21

Weeks ahead of the season’s first South African grape exports, South Africa’s table grape industry (SATI) released a strong statement on Sept. 22. Growers are expecting a much better season than the previous one. Last season was one of the toughest since the post-deregulation era two decades ago. Increases in production cost input, freight costs […]

Leading breeder’s contribution to Cotton Candy and other grape varieties

Exchange rate challenge hits Italian grape exporter in UK market

One of the most important produce breeders in the world is about to retire from his position at the University of Arkansas. The American Pomological Society is giving him an honor, as did the Arkansas Blackberry Growers Association. He already won the National Plant Breeders Association Impact Award. He has been named a Fellow of the American Society […]

A disturbing trend: An epidemic of indifference

I’ve observed a disturbing trend in retail produce operations. It’s not a completely new phenomenon, as it began to manifest itself before the pandemic. However, the pandemic had a profound effect, enabling it to strengthen and spread. In reviewing and visiting many retail operations over the past few months, something is definitely lacking in most […]

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 […]

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 […]

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 […]

Perishable Pundit: Chile sits at political precipice

When we launched The Global Trade Symposium as a sister event to The New York Produce Show and Conference, we knew for sure who we wanted to get to keynote that event. Mary Anastasia O’Grady, an Opinion Columnist for The Wall Street Journal, who writes The Americas column: Mary Anastasia O’Grady writes “The Americas,” a weekly column on politics, economics […]