Best Packinghouse Podcasts (2024)

1
A look at regenerative ag in the specialty crop industry 24:51

11h ago24:51

24:51

Ali Cox, CEO and founder of Noble West, an agriculture marketing consultancy sits down with Christina Herrick, produce editor of The Packer, to look at how specialty crop growers utilize regenerative ag currently, its benefits and its potential for the future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

1
New solutions can help reduce food waste 24:16

9d ago24:16

24:16

Ray Hatch, CEO of Quest Resource Management joins Christina Herrick, produce editor for The Packer to talk about the importance of reducing food waste and the solutions his company provides to help reduce the amount of produce in landfills. How to connect with The Packer and PMG magazine: Websites:com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com. Email:news@t…

1
The future of automation and data in agriculture 33:24

17d ago33:24

33:24

Paul Mikesell, founder and CEO of Carbon Robotics, sits down with The Packer's produce editor, Christina Herrick, to talk about the barriers to implementing technology, how his company's LaserWeeder cuts down on sprays and the importance of data in the future of agriculture. How to connect with The Packer and PMG magazine: Websites:com, thepacker.c…

1
How new research could prevent frost damage in orchards 20:05

27d ago20:05

20:05

Collin Juurakko, founder of Advanced Agriscience, sits down with Christina Herrick, produce editor for The Packer to share how his research as a doctoral candidate led to some interesting discoveries about how frost crystals form and how he’s parlaying what he’s learned into a potential solution for tree fruit growers across the globe. How to conne…

1
What you need to know about packinghouse sanitation research 17:09

1M ago17:09

17:09

Jasna Kovac, Ph.D., associate professor of food science and a professor of food safety at Penn State University, shares insights into her research on foodborne pathogens in packinghouses. Kovac shares actionable items to take to reduce risks in packing facilities. Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com. Email: news@t…

1
What you need to know about food inflation and rising production costs 34:58

1M ago34:58

34:58

Jim Bair, president and CEO of the U.S. Apple Association joins Christina Herrick, produce editor for The Packer, to talk about the conversation surrounding rising food prices, slowing grower returns and the current challenges to maintaining a profitable apple business. Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com. Email: …

1
Discussing the importance of advocacy in the agriculture industry 31:26

2M ago31:26

31:26

Kam Quarles, chief executive officer of the National Potato Council, Bob Mattive, president of the National Potato Council and a potato grower from Monte Vista, Colo., and Kelly Turner, manager of the Potato Growers of Michigan, sit down with Christina Herrick, produce editor for The Packer, and talk about the importance of potatoes in the Dietary …

1
Exploring the vineyard of the future project's broader impacts 27:10

2M ago27:10

27:10

Sean Sundberg, business integration manager for John Deere, sits down with The Packer’s produce editor, Christina Herrick, to talk about the collaboration with Sonoma County Winegrowers and how the technology utilized in the “vineyard of the future” will benefit other specialty crop growers. Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and P…

1
How technology could help protect bees and help beekeepers 26:19

2M ago26:19

26:19

Omer Davidi, CEO and co-founder of BeeHero, a beehive technology platform talks with The Packer’s Produce Editor Christina Herrick about how his company’s innovations can help maximize crop yields for the produce industry’s most important resource. Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com. Email: news@thepacker.com and…

1
How legislation impacts the fresh produce industry in Washington State 28:40

3M ago28:40

28:40

Jon DeVaney, president of the Washington Tree Fruit Association sits down with Christina Herrick, produce editor of The Packer, to talk about some of the legislation that directly impacts the fresh produce industry in his state and what this could mean for the rest of the country. Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.c…

1
Why it's important to advocate for the produce industry 23:46

3M ago23:46

23:46

Marissa Dake, vice president of brand and people for DNO Produce, joins LeAnne Ruzzamenti, director of marketing and communications with the Equitable Food Initiative, to discuss the age-old adage, if you’re not at the table you’re on the menu. Dake shares how everyone in the fresh produce industry can be an advocate and outlines the small steps to…

1
Sustainability trends you should know about in 2024 17:45

4M ago17:45

17:45

Kieran Ficken McNeice, director of sustainability programs with Measure to Improve, shares the trends she sees making a big impact on sustainability in the fresh produce industry this year and how to make the most of them. To find us: Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com. Email: news@thepacker.com and artists@produ…

1
Why you need to focus on cybersecurity 28:35

4M ago28:35

28:35

You’re more vulnerable than you think, says Eric Regnier, vice president of operations at Zag Technical Services on the latest Tip of the Iceberg podcast, who shares ways produce businesses can prepare for threats. To learn more: visit zagtech.com To find us: Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com. Email: news@thepac…

1
Having Difficult Conversations Leads to Engaged, Productive Workplaces 25:46

4M ago25:46

25:46

During her state of the industry address, Cathy Burns noted that we are experiencing a global human energy crisis and attributed it to a lack of employee engagement. Louisa Clarke from Confidently There coaches individuals and teams around the importance of and skills needed to have difficult conversations. In the podcast, she shares tips for creat…

1
Taking action for responsible labor practices 14:18

5M ago14:18

14:18

How does the industry move from endorsing responsible labor practices to taking action? Peter O’Driscoll, executive director of Equitable Food Initiative, and Kim Combs, supplier verification manager with The Kroger Co., explore the topic, along with EFI Director of Marketing Communications LeAnne Ruzzamenti, in this “Tip of the Iceberg” podcast br…

1
Why ag needs to budget for IT 21:16

5M ago21:16

21:16

To learn more: visit zagtech.com, joeproduce.com, joeproducesearch.com, joejproresumes.com To find us: Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com. Email: news@thepacker.com and artists@producemarketguide.com LinkedIn: PMG: Produce Market Guide and The Packer Instagram: @packernews and @producemktguide Facebook: @ProduceM…

1
Giant Food’s Rob Nickels on making your supermarket a destination for fresh 27:02

5M ago27:02

27:02

Learn how to make your supermarket a destination for fresh from Rob Nickels, who handles category management, procurement and merchandising of fresh produce and floral for Giant Food. Part of Ahold Delhaize USA, Giant Food has stores in Delaware, Maryland, Virginia and the Washington, D.C., area. In our case, it’s fresh produce. Nickels covers seve…

1
How Evan Ehlers of Philadelphia solves food access and scarcity problems 23:39

6M ago23:39

23:39

What if every college student hated wasting the excess meal credits on their dining card enough to figure out a way to share it? And what if that eventually meant that a major produce wholesale market could cut its organic waste by 50% — while feeding people who can’t afford to buy the food they need? Evan Ehlers asked these questions and then tack…

1
This is how AI will affect your job security, says Rex Lawrence of Joe Produce 30:18

6M ago30:18

30:18

What are AI prompt engineers, besides some of the highest-paid people these days? What tech skills do job seekers need to thrive in their search? Addressing these questions and more is the president of Joe Produce, an online job center for produce, agriculture and related companies and produce people across the entire food chain — from seed to stor…

1
How ‘green teams’ help three farms reduce organic waste by 2025 18:03

6M ago18:03

18:03

In this partnered episode with Equitable Food Initiative, learn about an innovative approach to increasing sustainability on farms from special guest Lilian Autler, EFI’s organizational and workforce development manager. Autler lead a project that placed multi-disciplinary teams on three different California farms to address waste management — some…

1
IFPA innovator Vonnie Estes on opening up the produce industry 32:10

7M ago32:10

32:10

Learn from Vonnie Estes, vice president of innovation for International Fresh Produce Association. She talks about her career trajectory that led to her position today, and the Fresh Field Catalyst Accelerator program she started, how companies can apply and what the benefits are. She also shares her favorite parts of the fast-approaching IFPA Glob…

1
Meet PMG’s 2023 Produce Retailer of the Year 41:39

7M ago41:39

41:39

Description: Learn all about Joseph Bunting of United Supermarkets in Lubbock Texas: What makes him tick? How did he get into produce? Who did he meet at the checkout register? How was he mentored and how does he lead and introduce new ideas? And join us at 2 p.m. Oct. 20, at The Packer and PMG booth No. 2937 at the International Fresh Produce Asso…

1
Have you benchmarked your produce company’s tech status? 28:51

7M ago28:51

28:51

You will hear an overview of the state of the agtech industry from our two partner hosts from ZAG Technical Services and Full Tilt Marketing, the most pressing issues and all about a coming report that will benchmark how this sector of the produce industry is doing with its technology know-how and implementation. To learn more: ZagTech.com To find …

1
‘We need to be careful together,’ says The Nunes Co. IT director 23:20

8M ago23:20

23:20

Let’s collaborate to better secure our companies from cyberattacks, says Johnny McGuire, director of Information Technology at The Nunes Co., a California-based vegetable grower with the Foxy label. Learn how this Silicon Valley tech guy turned into a Salinas Valley farm guy, helping create cybersecurity guidelines for produce companies large and s…

1
How this organic grower prevents falls, menstruation embarrassment 17:39

8M ago17:39

17:39

Learn from Blanca Acosta, director of care and culture at Abundant Harvest Organics, which grows for Homegrown Organic Farms. Acosta shares how taking care of your produce employees means listening to — and acting on — their day-to-day needs in their specific working environment. That can mean ladder sleeves to prevent field falls, picking up fruit…

1
Agtech is maturing, says Dennis Donohue of Western Growers 24:20

8M ago24:20

24:20

Learn from Dennis Donohue, director of Western Growers Center for Innovation and Technology, an agtech startup incubator, on how agriculture has matured with its approach to technology. He dives into water, economics, next-generation agriculture workers, robots and more. To find us: Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU…

1
DEI expert Vic Clark: How to diversify produce leadership 30:46

9M ago30:46

30:46

What to do about DEI? This Equitable Food Initiative-partnered episode explains with a helpful chat. A produce industry veteran for more than 25 years, Vic Clark shares his advice and perspective as the industry expands its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, or DEI, initiatives. “The only thing I’ve seen change in the last 25 years in this industry i…

1
Giant Food’s Merchandiser-Dietitian: Emily Massi 33:14

9M ago33:14

33:14

As Giant Food’s healthy living merchandising manager, Emily Massi serves as a liaison between the worlds of retail registered dietitians and retail merchandising. Learn why this role was created, how she’s bridging the two worlds and how it benefits consumers as well as produce retailers. To find Giant Food’s Healthy Living team and resources: Heal…

1
ZAG Tech’s Greg Gatzke on cyber-attacks, being competitive 27:32

9M ago27:32

27:32

What’s going to happen with cybersecurity, labor, data and all the other ways a produce company can be more competitive today and in the future? Longtime cybersecurity and ag expert Greg Gatzke, founder of ZAG Technical Services, explains. To find ZAG Technical Services: zagtech.com To find us: Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com an…

1
Why Bonduelle Fresh Americas hires chronically underemployed people 18:37

9M ago18:37

18:37

Learn in this EFI-partnered episode why one multinational produce company slashed the requirement of drug screenings and background checks, hiring chronically underemployed people — all ways Bonduelle Fresh Americas (home of the Ready Pac Bistro brand) earned B Corp Certification to become a profitable “Benefit for All” company that consumers can t…

1
Explore the wide world of Martha Montoya 27:27

10M ago27:27

27:27

Description: The CEO of Agtools has an almost dizzying depth of knowledge on how the global produce industry works, from field to shelf. Let’s learn a little from Martha Montoya. To find Agtools: ag.tools To find ZAG Technical Services: zagtech.com To find us: Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com. Email: news@thepa…

1
What’s the actual ROI for social media? Cristie Mather of Curious Plot shares 23:26

10M ago23:26

23:26

Learn from Cristie Mather, vice president of food at marketing agency Curious Plot, what kinds of activities on social media can provide results for produce companies and retailers, and what the return on investment looks like for this marketing tool. To find us: Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com. Email: news@th…

1
What to do before you add AI, says ZAG Tech’s Thuan Ngo 27:07

10M ago27:07

27:07

Learn what data your company already has, what to do with it, and the steps necessary to jump into the AI game for your produce and produce-adjacent business. To find ZAG Technical Services: Visit zagtech.com, especially the data software services solutions page. To find us: Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com. Em…

1
South40Snacks’ Josh Schroeter on nut bars in produce departments 34:45

10M ago34:45

34:45

Learn from this sunflower seed and nutbar company founder when (and why) a nut bar belongs in the produce department. Why are produce buyers asking for them? How does this help produce sales at retail or the overall basket ring? To find us: Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com. Email: news@thepacker.com and artists…

1
AT Ag Consulting’s Andy Tudor on robot palletizers, produce coatings — and jobs 27:54

11M ago27:54

27:54

Explore with Andy Tudor, president of AT Ag Consulting, the simplicity of ag tech in solving problem – that it isn’t always actual “computer tech” but any kind of new technology that solves a problem, from robot palletizers and sorting machines to organic apple coatings and what it means for labor. To find us: Our websites: producemarketguide.com,…

1
Are grocery employees actually following produce promo instructions? 1:00:11

11M ago1:00:11

1:00:11

Learn about the problem of produce promotion execution at the store level, and what you can do about it. To find us: Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com. Email: news@thepacker.com and artists@producemarketguide.com LinkedIn: PMG: Produce Market Guide and The Packer Instagram: @packernews and @producemktguide Faceb…

1
ZAG on the hidden side of produce: Tech competition and insecurity 25:21

11M ago25:21

25:21

Welcome to a new partnered series with ZAG Technical Services, where you’ll learn about the challenges and solutions for tech side of fresh produce and produce retail business. To find us: Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com. Email: news@thepacker.com and artists@producemarketguide.com LinkedIn: PMG: Produce Marke…

1
Live, shoppable videos — for grocers? Yes, it’s a thing 35:17

12M ago35:17

35:17

Learn how an award-winning partnership between Firework and The Fresh Market is inspiring shoppers to buy produce and other grocery ingredients while — and after — attending live virtual cooking events where they can join the conversation. To find us: Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com. Email: news@thepacker.com …

1
Kroger’s data-science company on shopper personalization 29:46

1y ago29:46

29:46

How do you use shopper data to personalize the shopping trip, making it a better experience for your customer, and a more profitable experience for your business? To find us: Our websites: producemarketguide.com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com. Email: news@thepacker.com and artists@producemarketguide.com LinkedIn: PMG: Produce Market Guide and Th…

1
The best comments from 11 EFI episodes 19:26

1y ago19:26

19:26

Learn the major takeaways from several produce leaders in this final episode of a 12-part series with Equitable Food Initiative. You gotta love a “best of” episode. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By PMG

1
How does The Fresh Market train its personal e-commerce shoppers? 24:38

1y ago24:38

24:38

Learn how one food retailer handles its digital shopper program and ensures the people picking the consumer’s produce order know what to do. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.By PMG

1
How to share authentic stories of your #AlwaysEssential workers 15:48

1y ago15:48

15:48

Hey, produce industry: Do you even know Farmworker Awareness Week exists? Yes, there is a day, a week, and a month for everything. But this is a chance to spotlight the essential workers who form the foundation of your business—and all of our daily nutrition needs. It’s mainly for you, retail and produce marketers. See omnystudio.com/listener for p…

1
How do you center people amid all the agtech innovation 21:19

1y ago21:19

21:19

When you think about agtech, you don’t think about farmworkers first. Often, tech startups and venture capitalists come to mind. But what if the farmworker’s perspective, ideas and needs were placed front and center while these necessary innovations propel our produce industry forward? See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.…

1
Walnuts need a major makeover 40:00

1y ago40:00

40:00

Why can’t walnuts be fresh and cool like pistachios and almonds? They can be, and Robert Verloop has a plan to increase sales and consumption. To find us: Our websites: thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com, www.producemarketguide.com Email: news@thepacker.com and artists@producemarketguide.com LinkedIn: PMG: Produce Market Guide and The Packer Instagra…

1
Produce man Tom Cingari of ShopRite talks store modernization, sustainable style 33:17

1y ago33:17

33:17

This family business began with one man and a produce pushcart in the 1920s and has since grown to 12 Cingari Family ShopRite supermarkets across Connecticut, part of the Wakefern Food Corp. And now they’re modernizing, with environmental sustainability in mind. Tom Cingari, vice president of produce, floral and e-commerce, explains. To find us: Ou…

1
AgSocio’s Matt Rogers on ethical — and competitive — labor contracting 24:48

1y ago24:48

24:48

During his time in retail, Matt Rogers from AgSocio developed a deep sense of the labor supply chain and saw a need for labor providers, or farm labor contractors, to be more to workers and growers. He walks us through some of the things that shaped his perspective and shares what everyone in produce needs to be thinking about when it comes to H2A …

1
How shoppers discover who picks NatureSweet tomatoes 18:39

1y ago18:39

18:39

Who plants, cultivates, harvests, cleans, grades, sorts and packs those little NatureSweet Cherub tomatoes in those clear plastic dome containers in so many grocery stores? Just look under the label and you’ll see. It’s part of NatureSweet’s Associates Under the Label program. To find us: Our websites: com, thepacker.com and ProduceEDU.com. Email: …

1
Let there be light 15:17

1+ y ago15:17

15:17

Two workers at Misionero — Araceli Miranda and Eduardo Adina — share with us why adding lights to the parking lot was important to employees and how they overcame the challenges of no electrical access, lighting all necessary areas. This has been a common request brought up by workers at numerous Equitable Food Initiative-certified facilities, and …

1
Why this Food Lion guy is one of the nation’s top produce managers 29:36

1+ y ago29:36

29:36

Maybe you think you know what makes a good supermarket produce manager. Well, let’s see if your preconceived notions match the reality of one winner in a nationwide contest of the best. This episode spotlights an award-winning produce manager. Chris Jorgensen, a 23-year veteran of Food Lion, was one of only 25 winners in International Fresh Produce…

1
How this tree-fruit grower is climbing the ladder to meaningful sustainability 18:07

1+ y ago18:07

18:07

Actual effective change — like sustainability that actually means something — comes from the bottom up, rather than top-down. We’re thinking, orchard ladders with 10-inch steps and stability teeth, says Vernon Peterson, a fourth-generation tree-fruit grower in California. This episode marks the sixth of a series we’re doing with Equitable Food Init…

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