LA CAÑADA, CA - The Allen Lund Company is pleased to announce Scott Wood's promotion to IT Systems Manager of the IT department.

Scott's responsibilities will revolve around ensuring the secure and effective operation of ALC's computer systems infrastructure and related applications. He will report to Keith Curtis, Senior Director of IT Systems.

Chetan Tandon, Chief Information Officer, stated in the release, "Over the past three years, Scott has continued to impress me with his ability to learn new technologies and solve complex systems-related issues. As we threw new challenges at him, like Oracle Cloud and Microsoft Azure, he became an expert in these technologies. I want to congratulate Scott on this well-deserved promotion, as he is a huge asset to our team and organization."

Keith Curtis remarked, "We're thrilled to congratulate Scott on his well-deserved promotion to IT Systems Manager. His leadership, technical expertise, and ability to communicate concisely have been instrumental in driving our systems team forward. Scott continually impresses me in every interaction I have with him. We're excited to see Scott continue to lead and innovate in this new role, and we look forward to all the great things ahead."

Regarding his promotion, Scott said, "I'm truly honored to be promoted to the role of manager of the IT Systems team and appreciate the confidence placed in me. This new opportunity means a great deal, and I'm excited to take on the challenge. I look forward to supporting our team’s success."

NOGALES, AZ - The Mexico season has been winding down for Divine Flavor. As the supplier continues to provide excellent quality and variety, I got in touch with Alán Aguirre Camou, Chief Marketing Officer, and Michael DuPuis, Quality Assurance and Public Relations Manager, to discuss how supplies have fared.

“In Mexico, our tomato program is wrapping up. Supplies of hothouse tomatoes—Roma, Beefsteaks, and vine-ripened—as well as the Magnifico tomato out of Sinaloa and Sonora, are winding down,” Alán began telling me. “Both the organic slicer cucumber and the Long English cucumber ended earlier in Sinaloa this season. Bell peppers and mini peppers from Sinaloa ended a while ago as well. Besides that, regular seedless watermelon, mini watermelon, cantaloupe, and Hami melons are wrapping up at the end of May.”

Last year, with a hurricane that played a large part in the Mexico season, Divine Flavor faced some challenges, as many others did. Alán explained that this delayed some crops in Sinaloa, but Divine Flavor was well positioned to mitigate any shortages.

“We know how to adapt for our retailers despite the weather conditions, because it's part of progress at the end of the day—to try to find solutions ahead and assure supply, especially for our clients,” he added.

Michael echoed that sentiment.

“The growers we work with in Sinaloa are very experienced growers who have been producing for more than 30 years,” he stated. “Although there was bad weather, these guys responded very well. They know how to pivot. That's what the good growers know how to do—navigate through tough situations and get back onto a commercial scale as far as producing at good volumes to fulfill programs, but also meet the quality we need for our retail programs.”

As we move into the next season for Divine Flavor, I asked which regions the supplier’s operations will be focused on in the coming months.

“A couple of years ago, we finally connected western Mexico with central Mexico. West Mexico is more in charge of the winter veg, and central Mexico is helping us have that year-round hothouse offering opportunity, and also equality with the states of Guanajuato in central Mexico,” Alán noted. “Also in Jalisco, there is now way more volume than we had previously, thanks to the Queretaro and Guanajuato growers in central Mexico.”

Michael continued, stating, “It's a tremendous opportunity for us to have more expansion into central Mexico. As the years have gone by, seasonal produce in Mexico is kind of going away. Mexico is now truly a year-round operation as far as supplies go. We're excited because it will complement our programs to carry on beyond West Mexico and be a great bridge to connect the West Mexico season once it starts back up again in November and December.”

Looking toward next season, Alán has some predictions in terms of quality.

“One of our consistently high-quality items is our mixed bell peppers, either in three count or six count. The consumer loves these offerings because they apply to their daily kitchens,” he points out. “I already mentioned the snacking Magnifico tomato, but I will also note that the Long English cucumber and the Persian cucumber have been consistent items that North America loves in their daily kitchen.”

On a final note, Michael stated that quality and flavor are the DNA and backbone of Divine Flavor.

“We're continuously investing in those areas and trying to get really organized,” he said. “When it comes to forecasting projections, we're investing in our quality control teams that are working with growers to make sure we are forecasting correctly and using technology and AI to help better plan to fulfill our contracts. Alán is working very hard on standardizing quality and packing manuals to make sure the best product is being grown on our farms and delivered to our customers at the end of the day.”

In our next article, Alán, Michael, and I will discuss Divine Flavor’s Better Grower Program, so stay tuned.

SALINAS, CA - Retailers, get ready: Naturipe Farms, one of the largest berry growers and breeders in the world, is excited to announce promotable volumes of fresh, flavorful blackberries from the Southeast, led by Georgia-grown fruit and featuring our highly-sought after proprietary variety, Southern Grace. With Mexico’s crop winding down and domestic production ramping up, this year’s blackberry season is off to a strong start.

“Our Southern Grace variety delivers exceptional flavor and consistently high quality, and we’re excited to bring this delightful berry to our retail partners at just the right time,” said Fernando Aguiar, Director of Business Development at Naturipe Farms, in a recent press release. “It’s a unique opportunity to promote a regionally grown blackberry that really stands out on the shelf — and in the clamshell.”

Naturipe’s domestic blackberry peak is expected to begin in late May and run through most of June, with promotable volumes available in both 6 oz and 12 oz clamshells. This is a great time for retailers to capitalize on consumer demand for local and regionally-sourced foods, highlighting the Georgia origins of Naturipe Blackberries and driving purchases during a key window for berry sales.

Naturipe Raspberries are also headed into a peak in June, with crops boasting both strong quality as well as promotable volumes. All Naturipe’s Raspberries are 100% proprietary varieties, and are specially bred for flavor and appearance – they last longer on the shelves and taste sweeter than others on the market. They are available in the same convenient 6 oz and 12 oz. pack sizes.

“June is a great time to run a dual blackberry and raspberry promotion,“ Aguiar added. “It’s a one-two punch of flavor, quality, and value.”

With promotable volumes, proprietary varieties, and a focus on locally grown goodness, Naturipe’s late spring berry lineup is a win for retailers and consumers. For more information on Naturipe’s offerings, contact sales at [email protected].