ORLANDO, FL — The Produce Marketing Association's annual Fresh Summit event offers great formal and informal opportunities to network, make new contacts and work to grow your business.

It all starts Friday, Oct. 15, with the welcoming reception, scheduled from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Hilton Orlando Hotel. This reception is designed to help develop new business relationships and to reconnect with colleagues. The Chilean Fresh Fruit Association is the sponsor of the welcoming reception.

Amy Nguyen, sales executive for Dragonberry Produce Inc. in Clackamas, OR, is on a mission at this year's Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit. "What’s exciting is our new apple — the Green Dragon," she told The Produce News.

Ms. Nguyen plans to visit with the company’s partners and retailers to give them an in-depth look at this year’s offering.

“We have been testing this for three years,” she said. “We test drive certain commodities before releasing them. We’ve got a lot of unique product offerings.”

At this year's Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit Convention & Expositon in Orlando, FL, Dulcich & Sons is encouraging attendees to visit its booth (No. 2089) and boost their sales by discussing its Harvest Hobgoblin Merchandising Program — plus boost their energy with a hit from its free oxygen bar.

In a continued expansion of its year-round onion program, Curry & Co. in Brooks, OR, has purchased the Gerrald's Vidalia Sweet Onions Inc. facility in Statesboro, GA.

Curry & Co. partners with two large Vidalia onion growers, Jamie Brannen and Terry Gerrald. The Vidalia Onion Committee named Mr. Gerrald its Vidalia Onion Grower of the Year in 2009.

Rio Queen Citrus in Mission, TX is readying to celebrate its 40th anniversary in the best way possible: with a banner citrus season.

Clifford Produce is engaging in a fundraising campaign for the National Breast Cancer Foundation during the month of October.

Anthony Totta, marketing and business development director for Clifford Produce in Leamington, ON, and co-owner and chief executive officer of Grow My Profits LLC, a fresh produce consulting firm in Lee's Summit, MO, said, "We’ve chosen October because it is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and it will help to raise awareness among those in the fresh produce industry."