Press Releases

Quality Sun Belle greenhouse vegetables are a win-win proposition:

  • Fresh berries have enjoyed extraordinary sales growth in the past decade and the rate of growth is not ebbing. Why? Better varieties are available. Handling and logistics have improved. Availability is year round. Berry consumption is now linked to better health outcomes. Sun Belle is at the center of this story.

    Prior to Sun Belle’s introduction of the Tupy variety of blackberries to North American markets, blackberry sales were limited by uneven quality and fragmented production and distribution. Sun Belle, for its part, had distributed blackberries from Virginia’s Westmoreland Berry Farms and from Chile starting in 1986 and later from Oregon, Guatemala and Cost Rica. Yet there was no catalyst to the blackberry category. Growing seasons were short. A lot of blackberries were tender and did not travel well. Consumers never had a consistent blackberry experience – they could be sour and hard, sweet but leaky, and sometimes without flavor at all.

    The Tupy variety changed all that. Grown by Sun Belle in Mexico – Tupys have a consistent sweet and full flavor, large even sizing and a shiny appearance, albeit with lower yields. Sun Belle literally bet the farm on Tupy. Between Tupy’s tremendous attributes, Mexico’s 8 month growing season and Sun Belle’s effective marketing in Canada, the United States and Europe, Mexico has become one of the largest shippers of blackberries in the world. Blackberries from Mexico have grown into important supermarket and club store items. That in turn has increased demand for US grown blackberries which Sun Belle ships in the summer from Arkansas, Virginia, North Carolina, California and Oregon.

  • Sun Belle’s research and development of new berry varieties is centered on its laboratory in Mexico where varieties of blueberries, blackberries and raspberries from around the world are tested and crossed to develop the cultivars to be used in the next generation of berries Sun Belle grows, packs and ships to its global customer base. This investment in research and development is critical on two levels. On one level Sun Belle is committed to offering the healthiest, tastiest and largest berries possible throughout the year. That takes research and development. Secondly, in the perpetual fight against plant disease and pests, it is critical to have a pipeline of berry varieties that are resistant to current and potential disease and pests. To that end Sun Belle Inc. is strengthening its relationships with leading plant developers and research universities to be at the cutting edge of new berry varieties.

    Sun Belle Inc. is very committed to developing and publicizing data and research concerning berries that can help all of us make better diet decisions. Sun Belle is an active participant in the activities of the National Berry Crops Initiative, the Berry Health Benefits Symposium and the US High Bush Blueberry Council and the North American Raspberry and Blackberry Association.

  • Number one: they taste great!

    Number two: no preparation needed!

    The rest of the story:
    low in calories
    practically no fat
    cholesterol free
    high in dietary fiber
    high vitamins particularly vitamin C
    top in cancer fighting anti-oxidants
    loaded with polyphenols and other compounds associated with healthier hearts, reducing inflammation, protecting against harmful bacteria and helping the body and mind age more gracefully.

    Good advice from scientists and doctors is to eat five to nine servings of fruits and vegetables per day for better health. By making sure berries are in that diet, take control of your health.

  • Eggplants are the only member of the nightshade family of plants cultivated outside the Americas prior to Columbus’ voyages to the Americas. While all the nightshade plants so prominent in our lives today – tomatoes, peppers, potatoes and even tobacco – originated in the Americas and only reached Europe and Asia in the 16th century, eggplant were developed in India thousands of years ago. By 500 BC they were grown in China and travelled through the Middle East and North Africa reaching Europe 1,300 years ago, Europeans who called the eggplant the “mad apple”, did not use this ornamental fruit for food until quite recently. Eggplants were among the plants Thomas Jefferson introduced to the North America. Eggplant are still grown at Monticello. Though called aubergines throughout Europe, after the Arab name for the plant, in the United States eggplant got its name from the white egg shaped variety which had been fancied in England.

  • Construction is under way to complete a 62,000 square foot state of the art refrigerated distribution and sales facility for Sun Belle in Jessup, Maryland. The plan is to move Sun Belle's historic but overstressed Middle Atlantic facilities from the District of Columbia, where they have been for 25 years, to Howard County, Maryland.

    The Jessup location will provide facilities to fully meet the needs of Sun Belle's customers and growers well into the future. Located on US 1, within a stone's throw of Interstate 95, Sun Belle's Jessup facility will provide efficient access to major ports and airports and easy logistics to customers in New England, the Middle Atlantic, the Southeast and the Ohio Valley. The Jessup facility has been designed with strict food safety standards in mind and absolute focus on maintaining the cold chain.

    With the move to Jessup, Sun Belle will increase its Middle Atlantic capabilities by more than 300 percent and will have extensive precooling facilities. This will allow Sun Belle to be able to provide ideal support and better cold chain logistics to regional producers of fresh berries.

  • In August 2011, Sun Belle Inc. joined the ranks of certified women owned, operated and controlled companies. The Women’s Business Enterprise National Council awarded Sun Belle Inc. a National Women’s Business Enterprise Certification, a one year certificate which expires in August 2012.

    Sun Belle Inc. was founded by Janice L. Honigberg in 1986. Janice has grown the company steadily since 1986, being recognized in 1993 by Inc. Magazine as the 172nd fastest growing private company in the US. For one quarter century, Janice has been shipping and marketing fresh berries from the US and Latin America as well as greenhouse and specialty produce to retailers, club stores and food service operators. A graduate of Yale and Harvard Business School, fluent in Spanish and proficient in French and Portuguese, Janice has developed a global sales and logistics enterprise with a talented team housed in distribution centers in four states.