Juan Stamos founded Malena Produce in 1954 with a commitment to his partners and a passion for fruits and vegetables.

Now, in 2024, the company is celebrating its 70th anniversary while maintaining its commitment to excellence and the legacy of integrity that has been the guiding principle since Malena Produce first opened its doors.

At Mountain View Fruit, this year’s stone fruit crop is anticipated to be large and of high quality, especially considering the ideal California weather conditions during growing season. With this thriving crop the company will be able to meet its customers’ needs and create programs with new partners. The Mountain View organic fruit program has also continued to expand and grow each year.

The International Fresh Produce Association announced that U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack will deliver remarks at the upcoming Washington Conference with IFPA CEO Cathy Burns during the State of the Fresh Nation Breakfast and morning General Session.

In alignment with its continued efforts to create access to food, Meijer announced a $500,000 donation to The Henry Ford's public charter high school, Henry Ford Academy, to support its Farm to School initiative. The program provides free, accessible, locally sourced and cooked-from-scratch school lunches for every high school student.

Progressive Produce and Keystone Fruit Marketing announced the highly anticipated return of Walla Walla sweet onions, the official state vegetable of Washington.

With their renowned flavor profile, Walla Walla sweet onions will captivate taste buds again this season.

"An excellent crop of these irresistibly sweet and mild onions will be ready by mid-June," said Mike Blume, vice president of sales and marketing at Keystone Fruit Marketing. "And as a July 4th favorite, it's imperative that you plan accordingly now."

Umberto Bifulco Jr. (Bert) was born on Staten Island, NY, and attended schools there. He worked on the family farm that his parents started in 1929 after coming from Naples, Italy. The young Bifulco branched out and owned a fruit and vegetable market and also had a commission house in the New York City Produce Market with his brother.