The 2013 South African citrus season has concluded after a strong season.

"It has been a very good season for our citrus," Suhanra Conradie, chief executive officer of the Western Cape Citrus Producers Forum, said in a press release. "In our 14th year, the volumes consistently have been [about] 40,000 tons each year. This season brought 39,462.98 tons to the U.S."

General Produce Inc. of Atlanta began more than 50 years ago as a purveyor of bananas and has since grown to become one of the Southeast’s larger distributors of produce — from apples to zucchini — with its own fleet of more than 100 trucks providing overnight delivery to 11 Southeastern states.

The Union of Growers of Brazilian Papaya, an organization that handles the export of Brazilian papayas from the region of Linhares in the state of Espirito Santo, has developed a new twin-pack clamshell for its Golden papayas.

C&C Produce, a Kansas City, MO-based repacking and merchandising company, is hosting its first annual Harvest to Market Open House Wednesday, Dec. 4 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The open house, which gives restaurant owners, chefs, foodservice personnel and retailers a chance to talk directly to growers, will take place at C&C Produce’s facility at 1100 Atlantic Avenue, Kansas City.

Hollis Baley, director of marketing for Klamath Basin Fresh Organics LLC, said she expected continuing demand and acceptance at the retail sector when it comes to organic product. “Business is good,” she told The Produce News. “I think people continue to buy organics because they know it’s better for them and the environment. Especially for root vegetables and other commodities with such delicate skins, what you put into the farming process is getting fully absorbed into the vegetable.

Despite the ups and downs of business today, Bartolotta Inc. in Torrington, CT — under the guidance of Kevin Bartolotta, owner and president — has a strong reputation for being a major fundraiser and donor to needy causes.

Bartolotta’s charity efforts are well known among his colleagues, friends and associates across the country.