Salinas, CA-based Markon announced the promotion of JOE ANGE to purchasing director.

When Continental Fresh’s managing member, Albert Perez, was in high school, a trip to the Dominican Republic altered the direction of his life, but most importantly, it has improved the lives of thousands of people in that Caribbean country.

“While I was in college I started a foundation to help the people in the Dominican Republic,” he said. “Every year for the past 30 years, we have gone down there and built a project — typically an aqueduct or a school.”

Throughout the fall, as the source of supply for mangos is centered in South America, the National Mango Board will continue to push consumption through promotion and public relations.

All year long, the board creates customized promotion with retailers and also continues its effort to garner publicity for the tropical fruit. Megan McKenna, NMB’s director of marketing, said media outreach is a continual process as is the work its does with social media. Its entire marketing campaign goes by the Mangover moniker with several splinter efforts.

Laura Phelps, president of the American Mushroom Institute in Washington, DC, said that for the third consecutive year, mushroom sales have exceeded $1 billion in value, with sales totaling 896 million pounds, according to the annual U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service mushroom survey. Pennsylvania accounted for 62 percent of the total volume of sales and second-ranked California contributed 13 percent.

Stemilt Growers of Wenatchee, WA, and Lantao of Shanghai, China, have teamed up to be the first marketers of Washington-grown Starkrimson pears in China under the new protocol between the United States and China announced earlier this year.

Just like its name implies, Starkrimson pears have a crimson red color that brightens as its ripens. It has a juicy texture and sweet flavor with a floral essence.

Continuing in its direct-to-consumer marketing campaign, the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee will again dovetail with the U.S. Potato Board’s promotional efforts.

Linda Weyers, assistant director of CPAC, said, “Our goal is to educate consumers on the fact potatoes are very nutritious and also non-fattening, and we will be coordinating our message with the USPB’s ‘Hungry Girl’ campaign starting this fall.”