"We are excited about this year's organic citrus season," said Tom Avinelis, chief executive officer of Homegrown Organic Farms in Porterville, CA, in an interview with The Produce News Jan. 17. “We have rolled out with an organic Navel program that is featuring high-quality fruit that is in abundant supply this year. Our volumes have gone up substantially” over the past couple of years. Homegrown’s organic citrus program is increasing in other areas. “We have a cara cara program that has really begun to expand,” Mr. Avinelis said.

In June 2010, Jacobs Farm/Del Cabo, the Pescadero, CA-based organic cooperative grower, packer and distributor, expanded its operations to include a new warehouse, packing and distribution facility in Boston, MA, that would allow for more timely distribution of organic culinary herbs and edible flowers throughout the region. The new HAACP-approved operation is the first East Coast facility for the company. Marina Pace, marketing representative, told The Produce News that in early January, Sara Rostampour joined Jacobs Farm/Del Cabo as manager of the new facility.

The largest luncheon crowd in at least four years responded enthusiastically to the Fresh Produce & Floral Council's Dec. 1 charity auction event and donated more than $27,000 to two different charities.
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Safeway is partnering with Olympic figure skating champion Kristi Yamaguchi to relaunch the highly successful Lunchbox Winners produce program in nearly 1,500 stores across the nation.

Relief may be on the way for U.S. produce companies hit hard by steep Mexican tariffs as the U.S. Department of Transportation on Jan. 6 released a "concept document," a first step in resolving the cross border trucking dispute.

Mexico placed $2 billion in tariffs on a range of U.S. products after Congress shut down the funding for a pilot program that allowed a small number of Mexican trucks to enter the United States. Congress since removed the funding ban but the tariffs continued as the Obama administration had yet to finalize a plan for a new pilot program.

APTOS, CA -- Entering the Chilean Avocado Lovers Club national random drawing gave Pueblo, CO, resident Jennifer Smith the hottest ticket in town: two tickets and an all-expenses-paid trip to the 2011 Tostitos BCS National Championship Game in Glendale, AZ.

The weekend of Jan. 8-9, Ms. Smith will head to Arizona to see the most talked-about bowl game faceoff featuring the top two teams in the nation: the undefeated Auburn Tigers vs. the undefeated Oregon Ducks.