Great institutions are not created by an act of will; they must grow organically by serving the needs of their community. With this, the premier issue of PRODUCE BUSINESS, we take the first step toward serving the needs of the produce industry and thus building the links which will tie us ever closer to this community in which we now proudly take our place.
Our goal is, to tell the truth. Whatever industry member needs are an honest explanation of what is happening in the industry now, what has happened in the past and what may happen in the future. We will not fail to report the news. We shall not be intimidated into silence and we shall strive to energetically pursue every story in order to present to our readers the complete picture.
PRODUCE BUSINESS was founded in response to our recognition that the old measures of the full story no longer served to provide even a single chapter of the book. Too often, journalists who do not fully understand the industry have been called upon to tell the story to produce professionals. So, we have reached out to establish a network of experienced industry members, to add the insiders’ understanding and perspective to our presentation of the news. In an age where national borders can no longer serve as moats separating the domestic from foreign markets, we have already established three bureaus outside of the fifty states and will be establishing more foreign bureaus in the near future.
Yet, though our role is to analyze the industry thoroughly and objectively, PRODUCE BUSINESS will never lose sight of the fact that while we must be critics of the industry, we are also very much a part of the produce trade, and we will fail in our responsibilities if we do not tell the truth with the sympathy that comes from an understanding of the complexities of context and situation.
PRODUCE BUSINESS is a new sort of trade paper. We shall strive to tell the story with understanding and with style. We shall endeavor to have the content that only true inside knowledge of the business can make possible, placed within the most aesthetically appealing package that professionals can provide.
The real genesis of this paper goes back to when I was a boy reading the trade papers which my father, Michael Prevor, brought home. It was through discussing the contents of these papers with my father that I came to know and love this industry. If this paper, or if I, should ever amount to anything, it is surely due to my father’s wisdom, guidance, and encouragement. It is to him that this enterprise is dedicated.
James E. Prevor
CHAIRMAN OF THE BOARD