Now for some breaking news from the show floor...
The Sholl Group II today announced the sale of the licensing, marketing and distribution rights of its Green Giant Fresh commodity produce business to Growers Marketing, an affiliate of Growers Express, which was formed to manage the venture. Growers Express will obtain the Master Trademark License Agreement with General Mills, owner of the Green Giant Brand, for all fresh produce supplied under the brand. The Sholl Group II will continue to offer value-added items, such as the Green Giant Fresh steam line, stir fries, and fresh cut vegetables under a sub-licensing agreement with Grower's Marketing.
"We are excited about this opportunity to work closer with all of our Green Giant Fresh partners, as well as our respective customers to further develop this brand which has one of the longest and most respected legacies in the retail sector," said Jamie Strachan, CEO and president of Growers Express. "We have been very proud to be a licensing partner of Green Giant Fresh branded products, and we look forward to further leveraging our fresh produce expertise. Our organization is well positioned to grow the Green Giant Fresh line of products and leverage the tremendous brand equity of the Green Giant brand throughout the fresh produce category.