Family-owned produce processor Verdelli Farms Inc., announced the promotion of 15-year company employee Kathi Metzger to sales manager.

Ms. Metzger, who joined the Harrisburg, PA-based company in 1990, previously served as Verdelli's customer service manager and has played a significant role in Verdelli's growth and success.

Fruit fly larvae were found in two different shipments of Texas citrus at a California/Arizona border agricultural inspection station in late April, triggering immediate suspension of shipments from the shippers in question and a new protocol for other shippers.

CIUDAD OBREGON, SONORA, MEXICO - The Sonora agricultural community convened for an unprecedented summit April 19-21, here, at the Hotel Grande Valle Obregon to explore ways to better work together to promote Sonoran agriculture products on both a national and international level.

PHILADELPHIA - John Vena Inc. announced April 25 the formation of a new venture: John Vena Specialties LLC. John J. Hickey will be the managing and operational partner of this company, located in the John Vena Inc. warehouse here.

John Vena Specialties will initially work with specialty produce growers in California, Mexico, Florida and Chile.

YONKERS, NY - Merex Corp. is expanding its growing operations in the Dominican Republic to 52 hothouses from 28, and extending its product mix beyond colored bell peppers to include specialty tomatoes and cucumbers.

During the 2004-05 growing season, Merex Corp., together with America Agricola, produced 150,000 exportable cases of Dutch-variety colored bell peppers. The expansion will double the yield for the coming growing season.

Harllee Packing Inc. in Palmetto, FL, one of the older commercial tomato packers in Florida, is celebrating 70 years of packing under the "Harllee" brand.

For the 70th anniversary of the brand, Harllee Packing is going retro with this year's label. The special anniversary label resembles the old-style lithograph label that the Harllee family used in 1935. The new Harllee label celebrates 70 years of outstanding product backed by a family who stands for timeless trust, integrity and knowledge, according to a company press release.