The Nunes Co., a long time leader in the California fresh vegetable industry, is touting a new product, BroccoLeaf, as the next kale.

Matt Seeley, vice president of marketing for the Salinas, CA-based firm, told The Produce News that the company has been marketing the item on a nationwide scale for about a month with great results from both retailers and consumers.

Kingston Fresh announced that its mango crop from Ecuador will commence with first arrivals into South Florida the week of Oct. 13.

“We will be unveiling a new look and updated brand positioning platform for the company at the PMA Fresh Summit in October,” said Pete Wilder, marketing director for To-Jo Mushroom Inc. in Avondale, PA. “Our refreshed marketing strategy centers around a new theme that’s creative and intriguing while keeping deep roots to the farm and our owners, Tony and Joe D’Amico. But visitors will have to come to our booth — No. 1210 — to see it in person.”

SNOW HILL, NC — The family firm, begun with 200 acres in 1975, is now 13,000 acres and growing “by leaps and bounds,” said Stacy Ham, vice president of Ham Produce Co., here. It now reaches from eastern North Carolina to a new pack and ship facility at Live Oak in northern Florida. It can store more than 13 million bushels of climate-controlled sweet potatoes.

Giumarra Cos., based in Los Angeles, announced that it has redesigned its consumer brand, "Nature's Partner." The company will debut the new brand in October for its fall and winter products, including Argentinean blueberries and Mexican melons.

"Nature's Partner" was founded in 2003 as a unifying brand under which Giumarra's family of growers could pack their produce. The founding tenets of the brand include Italian heritage, family values, growing expertise and high-quality products.

PURE Bioscience Inc. of El Cajon, CA, has already seen excellent results with its patented antimicrobial agent silver dihydrogen citrate for use in direct contact cleaning in restaurants and food processing facilities. On Oct. 9 the company filed a food contact notification with the U.S. Food & Drug Administration to use SDC as a prewash on fresh produce that could eliminate bacteria a hundredfold above current methodology.