Chief Banana

A Tale of Prison, Peaches, and Persistence

By Erin Mittelstaedt on May 8, 2024

FruitGuys CEO Erin Mittelstaedt highlights the resilience of Japanese American farmers like the Masumoto family of Masumoto Family Farm.

Tagged With: california farms, family farm, farmers

My New Favorite Kumquat Mocktail Recipe

By Erin Mittelstaedt on May 1, 2024

FruitGuys CEO Erin Mittelstaedt shares the recipe for a fun and fruity kumquat mocktail. Grab the ingredients and try it at home!

Tagged With: citrus, healthy office, sustainability

Dessert Foods versus Food Deserts

By Chris Mittelstaedt on August 22, 2023

Food deserts are just one reason The FruitGuys donates fruit, produce, and snacks to food banks and hunger relief partners each week.

Tagged With: fighting hunger, GoodWorks

Does Back-to-School mean Summer is Over?

By Chris Mittelstaedt on August 8, 2023

While going back to school can feel like the end of summer, it doesn't mean the end of summer fruit. Enjoy the taste of summer for a few more weeks from your desk with the help of our Farm-to-School program and receive fruit from regional farms.

Tagged With: farm-to-school program, healthy kids, seasonal fruit, summer fruit

What a Plum-mer!

By Chris Mittelstaedt on July 25, 2023

Plum season means fruit hybrids like the delicious Very Cherry plum. A natural cross of a cherry and a plum, these tiny plums are sweet and juicy. Join us on Wednesday, August 9th or a lunch and learn and recognize the difference between your hunger for food versus the desire for a pause.

Tagged With: stone fruit, summer fruit

The Gamble of Early Summer Fruit

By Chris Mittelstaedt on May 9, 2023

The beginning of the cherry harvest in late spring is always a gamble. This highly-valued crop is extremely weather sensitive!

Tagged With: California, stone fruit, summer fruit

Words for Spring & Fruit Poem Contest

By Chris Mittelstaedt on April 11, 2023

In celebration of April, the month of poetry, and our 25th anniversary year, I’m pulling out one of my favorite poems about the Satsuma Mandarin.

Tagged With: citrus

A Banana Walks Into a Bar…

By Chris Mittelstaedt on March 28, 2023

As part of our celebration of 25 years in business, we are dusting off some of my classic newsletters. Here’s one from 2006 that reveals the inspiration behind The FruitGuys Bananas.

Tagged With: Banana

The Pronouncements of Passion

By Chris Mittelstaedt on September 24, 2010

A cool fall breeze rustled the leaves outside of Peter's toy-store window. "Pauline," he piped." Pat pitched Paul a prototype policy that primes Pat for promotion." Pauline pulled the penguin puppet …

Tagged With: tropical fruit