The Produce Moms Podcast

Little Saints was born during the pandemic as an antidote to drinking too much alcohol and feeling terrible about it. Having spent pretty much her entire adult life as a cocktail enthusiast, Megan ignored the initial signs that alcohol was doing more harm than good to her body and her mind. Without access to any option more interesting than a "sparkling water with lime", it was hard to convince he...

The year 2022 was an exciting time to be working in fresh produce!  From sustainable harvesting to mega grocery mergers and let's not forget the many women making an impact in produce. Robert Lambert, Founder of AndNowUKnow, is constantly exposed to the latest in produce news and he's here to recap some of the top headlines in 2022.  Plus, Robert shares his unorthodox entry into the produce indust...

The youngest of 21 children, Sarah Frey grew up on a struggling farm in Southern Illinois. At 15, she started her own fresh produce delivery business out of an old pickup truck. Soon after, she took over the family farm and started doing business with the largest grocery retailers in the country. Frey's story is one of never giving up, negotiating with some of the biggest businesses in the nation...

Wada farms is a premier example of what can be accomplished through hard work and tireless dedication. Originally established in 1943, Wada Farms was founded by Frank Wada who immigrated to the U.S. from Japan in 1922. To pursue the love of farming, Frank and his family decided to settle in Pingree, Idaho, where they put down family roots. Together, they grew their first crop of Idaho potatoes on...

Visiting the apple orchard is an American fall tradition – as soon as the weather starts to cool, family favorite varieties start to ripen on the trees and call our names. This year, we were on the hunt for SweeTango, a bright red blush over a yellow cream breaking background and officially holds the Guinness world record for the loudest crunch.  So we are talking with John Jacobson of Pine Tree A...

Portland Public Schools is extending its free meal program, now offering no-cost breakfasts and lunches at 53 of its 81 schools. Whitney Ellersick with PPS Nutrition Services says it's about bringing everyone to the table. This is thanks to the Community Eligibility Provision Pogram. It's part of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service, which provides free meals for school di...

The Kroger-Albersons merger announcement came hard and fast. So has the reaction from grocery retail industry stakeholders and observers, including strategy executive, Brittain Ladd. The $24.6 billion deal, will create a supermarket company with the reach and resources to fend off big retail grocery competitors like Walmart and Amazon. To keep up with the latest in the produce industry, be sure to...

NatureSweet is more than the name on the freshly grown goods you see in stores. It's also the people behind the produce. This week, we have Lori Castillo, VP of Marketing to tell us why NatureSweet is able to bring you the best tasting tomatoes, cucumbers, and peppers in the world because.  Plus, why they have a belief of "Unleashing the Power of People" and why this saying is what makes "Raised R...

Fruits talk, and Strella Biotech listens through proprietary sensors collect data throughout the supply chain to power first-in-class shelf life data. Coupled with decision algorithms for each supply chain segment, we're putting better produce on the shelf with less waste.  In this latest episode we're talking with the leadership team at Strella Biotech to learn more! To keep up with the latest in...

Food Forward is a Southern California nonprofit organization that "rescues" fresh local produce. The organization's mission is to "harvest food, fight hunger and build community." The volunteer-driven organization is dedicated to food justice and eliminating hunger in communities.  The Produce Moms caught up with Food Forward's founder and executive director, Rick Nahmias, and Communications Direc...

Our choices about what we eat represent our single biggest daily opportunity to change our environmental footprint. Eat the Change combines marketplace solutions with education and activism to empower consumers to make dietary choices aligned with their concerns around climate and health. Eat the Change was born because there's a more delicious and planet-friendly wat to eat, and we want to learn...

Upcycled food is the easy way for anyone to prevent food waste via the products they buy. Upcycled products prevent food waste by creating new, high quality products out of surplus food. It's an innovative approach to food waste because it is the first consumer product-based solution, making it highly scalable and economically sustainable. Co-Founder and CEO, Turner Wyatt joins us on our latest ep...

Why would we buy a packaged bag of apples when they are easy to slice, or could even be eaten whole?  Easy. In our country, 40% of fresh produce is wasted, and a large portion of this percentage happens in our homes. Produce is purchased with the best intentions and then life gets in the way.  Crunch Pak's efforts are a simple, yet effective, way to take control of your grocery efficiency. Value-a...

In 2014, Burnell Cotlon spent his life savings to open the only fresh grocery store in the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans. When the pandemic put many in his community out of work, he began allowing customers to take groceries on credit. Within a month, he'd opened tabs for more than 60 customers who could no longer afford to buy food. Cotlon, an Army veteran who lived in a FEMA trailer for three...

September is National Fruit and Veggie Month and luckily for the produce industry, Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, President and CEO of Produce for a Better Health Foundation decided to shift her focus of study in college from medicine to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.  Find out how she is taking produce consumption data and educating the world.  Plus you don't want to miss how  various produce hacks ca...

Find out what to expect this season as TPM Founder & CEO, Lori Taylor and TPM Executive Producer, Kristen Mehne reunite for this special "kick-off" episode of The Produce Moms.  To keep up with the latest in the produce industry, be sure to follow The Produce Moms on all of your favorite platforms, including our  blog , Facebook ,  Instagram , and  TikTok  accounts. You can also watch The Produce...

"We want to make sure the contribution we make is a positive one in the world." Joanna Jaramillo (33:57-34:00) You've probably seen Wholesum's ripe, organic Poppies or Darlings snacking tomatoes, Persian cucumbers, or bright and crisp bell peppers when shopping for groceries, but did you know Wholesum's produce is 100% fresh, organic, responsibly grown, they use 100% renewable energy on their farm...

"Food is so personal, so cultural, and such an integral part of how we live life, how we celebrate… how we do everything!" Lori Taylor (3:00-3:08) You want your kids to grow up eating healthy, and that means more than just the types of food you're eating. Without a healthy relationship to food, your children can develop all sorts of unhealthy eating patterns that no amount of broccoli can counterb...

"We 100% know and believe here in the produce industry that with proper immigration reform we will be able to increase efficiencies on the farm and therefore drive down the price of food at the grocery store."   Lori Taylor (7:04-7:17) We're all feeling the pain of rising gas and grocery store prices. Everything is going up thanks to inflation, but one remedy to fix it is through immigration refor...

"The seeds inside will be a cross of two parent apple trees. Breeders will plant those seeds, grow that tree and just wait to see what the results come out to be. It's very similar to having your kids."   Brett Valicoff (21:26-21:36)   Brett Valicoff, President of Valicoff Fruit, a farm started by his great grandfather over one hundred years ago, certainly knows the complexities that go into growi...

"Nobody wakes up wanting to waste food, it's just a matter of having the right information at the right time."   Dana Gunders (19:34-19:41)   When it comes to food waste around the world, the statistics are staggering. We all know it's a problem and almost every country is fighting it. What can we do to effectively decrease our food waste (and the carbon emissions that come with it), decrease food...

"To do good is in our DNA." Johnathan Sutton (16:41-16:43)   Westfalia Fruit is known around the world for their incredible, healthy, fresh avocados. They have the largest avocado-growing footprint in the world, plus grow fruits like mangoes, kiwis, limes, oranges, litchis, clementines, grapes, coconuts, pomegranates, cherries… the list goes on and on! What's most phenomenal about Westfalia other...

"We went from working with one band to working with hundreds of musicians and artists like Dave Matthews, Jack Johnson, Michael Franti, The Dead and so many others!"   Justin Levy (5:11-5:23)   It all started when Justin Levy had an idea 20 years ago to teach young people how to fight against hunger by hosting a food drive at a concert. He was attending University of Colorado at the time and as a...

"We want to see farms like yours be very successful and profitable because your profit directly relates to our ability to create a more sustainable, healthy planet and continue to access and grow food."   Lori Taylor (16:12-16:37)   Beth Bocock went from saying, "I'll never marry a farmer!" to becoming one of the second owners of Bumbleberry Acres with her husband, working for Naturipe and being t...