With a projected crop of California avocados for 2010 that is two-and-a-half to three times the size of the 2009 crop, the California Avocado Commission is supporting that large volume of fruit with a strong marketing campaign that will kick off in earnest in April and continue through September, coinciding with what are expected to be the heaviest volume periods for the crop.

With spring just around the corner, the Pear Bureau Northwest and Epic Roots have announced a partnership designed to bring excitement to produce departments and consumers alike. A special retail promotion taking place through April will give retailers a chance to showcase a new Epic Roots Mâche and U.S.A. pear salad. The recipe features Green Anjou pears and Mâche Rosettes in a salad that includes other springtime ingredients.

FirstFruits Marketing LLC and Broetje Orchards recently unveiled Opal, a new apple variety grown in Washington state.

This new apple variety is recognized for its bright yellow color with hints of orange blush, but its key attributes are its crunchy texture and sweet flavor with Brix of 15-18. These flavor and texture attributes come from its cross between a Golden Delicious and a Topaz apple. Other attributes include a medium-round shape, stem end russeting and resistance to oxidation after slicing.

Mangos come into the United States from half a dozen different companies and in even more different carton configurations. As a result pallet counts are all over the board.

"Most people use a nine-pound box but there are some bigger ones and smaller ones," said Bill Vogel, president of Tavilla Sales Co. in Los Angeles. "You might get a pallet with 180 cartons from one shipper and another pallet will have 204 or 210 or 216 or even as many as 240 cartons."

Jeannine Martin, a sales and marketing professional with 35 years of experience in the produce industry, most recently as sales manager of Fowler, CA-based Simonian Fruit Co., has joined Fruit Patch in Dinuba, CA, on the sales desk.

An announcement of the appointment was made March 5 in a Fruit Patch press release.

A retaliatory tariff on California grapes imposed last year by Mexico in response to a U.S. ban on cross-border trucking cost the industry $43 million in 2009, and industry leaders as well as a congressional coalition are pushing hard to get the situation resolved before the start of the 2010 grape season, according to Barry Bedwell, president of the California Grape & Tree Fruit League in Fresno, CA.