The popularity of locally grown produce might not be all that new.

Michael Muzyk, president of Baldor Specialty Foods in the Bronx, NY, told The Produce News that he questions the local movement as being a trend.

“Sourcing locally has always had its teeth in the produce industry,” said Mr. Muzyk. “Not in specialty items like baby vegetables or Asian produce as much, but those teeth are now rooted in how local product is communicated to the user, and social media is moving that forward at an amazing speed and with a major impact.”

Bancroft, WI-based RPE, a grower-shipper of year-round potatoes and onions, announced SCOTT KEYSER as account manager on May 8. Mr. Keyser will be based in the company’s Bancroft, WI, office.

J. Margiotta Co. LLC, located at the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Cooperative Market, has several divisions. Its logistics’ operation, J&J Bros. Trucking LLC, delivers in the tri-state area and even further away when necessary.

At Jerry Porricelli Produce, it is all about the people, both customers and staff.

Ciro Porricelli, vice president of the firm, located on the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Cooperative Market, told The Produce News that Louis Lord has returned to the company in its sales department after a brief hiatus.

Lance Dichter, president of LD Logistics, headquartered at Hunts Point Terminal Produce Cooperative Market in the Bronx, NY, told The Produce News that the company, in business for eight years, is a third-party logistics firm.

Mission Produce Inc. in Oxnard, CA, which ships asparagus year-round with production in California, Peru and Mexico, has introduced a new consumer retail pack of jumbo-sized asparagus called Steakhouse Style asparagus.

Mission announced the launch of the new product in a May 17 press release. According to the release, "the one-pound bag is a high-tech, extended-life package with vivid graphics and imagery."