Produce Buzzers - A Podcast for Lovers of Fresh Fruits and Veggies ProduceBuzz.Com

Mangos are available all year round but this time of year is one of the best times for the best quality mangos. So in this week’s episode, we celebrate this delicious and healthy fruit, one of the most popular fruits in the world, if not the most popular. Often called “The World’s Fruit,” mangos are one of the oldest fruits known to humans. Indian Hindustan writings referenced them over 4,000 years ago. India is where they originated and are considered a sacred fruit there as well as in other Asian cultures. They became symbols for many rulers and spiritual leaders throughout Indian and Asian history. According to legend, Buddha meditated under a mango tree. We don’t know if mangos are actually sacred, but we do know that the experience of eating them is divine! Today’s guest is Daniel Spellman, marketing director for the National Mango Board. He will tell us all about these nutrition-packed natural energy boosters.

Time once again to celebrate a quintessential American holiday; Cinco de Mayo! Yes, that's right. It's more American than Mexican despite celebrating the wonderful culture of our neighbors down south. Most people don't know the history of Cinco de Mayo. And even more don't realize that the battle it celebrates was more important for the United States than for Mexico, even though Americans didn't fight in it. Tune it to learn the surprising history of the day. You will also learn how to pick the perfect avocado and keep them perfect for weeks, the amazing health benefits of cilantro, and all about limes. And we would be remiss if we didn't give you a great guacamole recipe along with the perfect Margarita recipe.

On the Produce Buzzers Podcast, we usually only feature fresh fruits and veggies instead of processed products. But there are some good processed products in the produce aisle. Most juices in the grocery store are not very good for you. They are often made with concentrated fruit juice which is almost like pure sugar syrup. But if you look in the produce section you will find some that are loaded with nutritional benefits. One of the best brands is Suja Juice. All organic and non-GMO, their juices undergo “high-pressure processing” to extend their shelf life without using any heat or preservatives. This keeps the nutrition and the delicious flavors locked in, unlike most juices that undergo heat pasteurization. Because of that, you will only find Suja Juice in the produce aisle. They are like fresh produce in a bottle.

This week’s guest is Jody Cnossen, EVP of Sales for Suja Juice. Listen in to learn about their delicious and nutritious line of products. They have immunity boosters, energy, digestive, and cleansing shots, and just plain juice made with the most nutritious fruits and veggies. They can definitely juice up your diet!

The Giumarra Companies have been fulfilling those two missions for over 100 years. This week’s guest will tell us about that legacy and about some delicious new varieties from this company that sells almost every fruit and veggie. Have you heard of the new “Lemonade” apple?

This week’s guest on the podcast represents a company that began as a family farm over 100 years ago. Gary Caloroso is Regional Business Development Director for the Giumarra Companies, founded along with his brothers in 1922 by Giuseppe “Joe” Giumarra an immigrant from Sicily. The company started as a wholesaler and distributor for California farmers, primarily citrus. But within a few years the family started growing its own fruits and vegetables. They were a pioneer in growing table grapes and quickly became one of the largest grape companies in the world. Now Giumarra markets almost every type of fruit and vegetable under their wonderfully named “Nature’s Partner” brand.

Gary is a longtime colleague of the Produce Buzzers and he joins us to tell us all about his long career in “Feeding the World in a Healthy Way,” the company’s tagline. The other company motto is “The Love of the Land” and the company has lived up to that priding themselves on being a good steward of the acreage they tend. Gary will tell us about those visions and also about a few of the fantastic fruits and veggies the company specializes in. They have some exciting new varieties that you will want to learn about. Have you heard of the “Lemonade” apple? Tune in. You will want to look for this delicious new treat.

Yes, once again, it's one of the most sacred times of the year. Yes, Easter, Passover, and Ramadan. But for fruit and veggie lovers, it's also a new season of artichokes. It's here and in full swing. So we are going to peel away the leaves on this heavenly veggie, (which technically is a flower!) to get a closer look at it.

To do so, we welcome back a great friend of the Produce Buzzers, Mark Munger. Mark is Senior Director of Marketing for Ocean Mist Farms based in Castroville, CA in the Bay Area of the State. The company has been around for almost 100 years and was the first to grow artichokes commercially in the U.S. Today they are the leading grower of artichokes in North America.

Mark worked for Theresa’s Nolan Network alongside Rick, Cynthia, and Edwin in the early 1990’s. He was a valuable part of our team of merchandisers representing our clients of companies and commodities on the West Coast. Since that time, he has been a rising star in the produce business. He will tell us all about artichokes and how to prepare and eat them. We will learn about some new varieties and one of the most beautiful varieties, the purple artichoke!

This week we are delighted to have Robert Schueller, Director of Public Relations at Melissa’s World Variety Produce, back on the show. Robert has been dubbed the “Produce Expert” by the media since he has unique access to such a wide variety of fruits and vegetables. He has written several books about the cornucopia Mother Nature has to offer in the world of fresh produce.  

In this week’s episode, Robert has a long list of new and delicious items from Melissa’s Produce, the largest purveyor of fresh produce in the U.S. Listen in to hear about spicy popcorn, ready-to-eat pastas, great spice blends, kumquats, Ojai Pixie tangerines, pink pineapple, quince paste, sweet young coconut, coconut flavored snacks, and a flight of dragonfruit!