Los Alamitos proclaimed October 15, as “Frieda Rapoport Caplan Day.” Mayor Richard Murphy presented Caplan with the proclamation at the Sept. 21 city council meeting, noting Caplan’s “hard work and dedication to the produce industry and the city of Los Alamitos.”
The founder of Los Alamitos-based wholesale company Frieda’s Specialty Produce, Caplan has been a resident of Rossmoor since 1958, and still lives in the same home she shared with her daughters and late husband, Al Caplan.
“I am quite thrilled to be living and working in Los Alamitos,” said Caplan upon receiving the honor. “One of the nice things is that three of our very large clients have their stores in Los Alamitos – Ralphs, Sprouts, and Vons-Safeway. Do not forget to look for your exotic fruits and vegetables!”
To commemorate the occasion, the Los Alamitos City Council will host a free public screening of Fear No Fruit, the Frieda Caplan documentary, on Thursday, Oct. 15, at the Los Alamitos Community Center. Caplan, along with daughters Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins (CEO and COO of Frieda’s Specialty Produce Company), will be present for a post-screening meet-and-greet with the local community.
“[Caplan] is such a champion in her industry, you would not know the things she had done until you come and see the movie,” said Council Member Warren Kusumoto. “It will be a great time for the community to come and see what we have here in our city.” The city of Los Alamitos is also featured in the film.
For more information about the Los Alamitos screening, visit www.fearnofruit.com/screenings
About Frieda’s Inc.
With over 50 years of fresh produce innovation, Frieda’s Specialty Produce continues to change the way America eats fruits and vegetables. Founded in 1962 by Frieda Caplan, Frieda’s was the first wholesale produce company in the U.S. to be founded, owned, and operated by a woman, and is still a family- and women-owned business today. Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 specialty items to U.S. produce departments, including Kiwifruit, Spaghetti Squash, Habanero Peppers, Sunchokes®, Stokes Purple® Sweet Potatoes, Sangria and Fiore Viola Artichokes, and many more. Frieda’s featured program is “Eat One Fruit a Day That Scares You,” which encourages everyone to #FearNoFruit. Connect with Frieda’s on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, Pinterest, and at Friedas.com.