Kevin Bartolotta, president of Bartolotta Inc., headquartered in Torrington, CT, held his third annual fundraiser, which ran from Feb. 10 to March 1.

The annual project has grown consistently each year since its inception. This year, Bartolotta partnered in the project with Rob Goldstein, owner and president of Genpro Inc. headquartered in Rutherford, NJ. Goldstein's human resource director also became involved in organizing the fundraiser.

Ahold USA announced that Amy Hahn has been appointed to the newly created position of senior vice president of marketing, effective April 28.

If last year's inaugural marketing season is any indication, retailers will continue to pounce on opportunities to move Tiger figs to customers.

The exclusive variety was added to the production manifest of Stellar Distributing Inc. several years ago, and Sales Manager Kurt Cappelluti said marketplace excitement would not diminish in 2014.

Frieda's Specialty Produce takes another step to further its mission to change the way America eats fruits and vegetables with its new campaign, "Eat One Fruit a Day That Scares You."

Officials are guardedly optimistic that the 2014 runoff season in Colorado’s high country will be a good one. A potential for flooding does exist, however, if meltdown comes too quickly as a result of sustained hot temperatures during the prime runoff months of May and June.

A smaller California avocado crop for 2014 does not necessarily mean less fruit going into the market on a weekly basis but rather a more condensed marketing window, with good supplies available each week during that window, according to Steve Taft, president of Eco Farms Avocados Inc. in Temecula, CA.