Charles Walker, managing director of the National Peach Council since the early 1990s, stepped down in September after serving the industry for more than 17 years, and Kay Rentzel, a veteran of the apple industry, was hired in December as the new managing director of the council, it was announced Jan. 26.

Greg Heinz competes in mountain bike races on a white and pink mountain bike. The bike has pink cables, and Mr. Heinz accessorizes with pink gloves and pink glasses.

Pink is the color used by the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, most often seen with its pink ribbon logo. Breast cancer awareness is a cause that Mr. Heinz's employer -- Salinas, CA-based D'Arrigo Bros. Co. of California -- has actively supported for years. In fact, D'Arrigo has a popular, decades-old "Andy Boy" label that is pink.

As it marks its 75th year in 2009 as a domestic and international produce distributor, the Grant J. Hunt Co. continues its attention to quality and hands- on service as it moves ahead in technology and efficiency.

"We are celebrating 75 years from the official launch of the Grant J. Hunt Co. near the San Francisco Terminal Market. My family has actually been in the industry since my great-great grandfather first started delivering our fruits and vegetables to San Francisco via ferry boats in the early 1900s," company President Grant M. Hunt said in a press release.

TORONTO -- Ippolito Produce Ltd. has recently increased its presence on the Ontario Food Terminal, here, to four stalls from two.

The firm, a division of the Burlington, ON-based Ippolito Group, expanded into its new space at the south wing of the terminal on Dec. 14 after several months of negotiations followed by a complete overhaul of the new facility, which included lighting, new front windows and doors, and new dock plates.

There is general agreement among growers and shippers of California peaches, nectarines and plums that the industry is going through some troubled times.

Certainly, returns to the farm have not been good in recent years. There are many factors contributing to that condition, but overproduction, vis-a-vis the current level of demand, is widely seen as a major cause of the industry's woes.

At the very least, it is one factor over which the growers themselves can exercise some control.

Innovation. Environmental stewardship. Social responsibility. The phrases are now commonly used in the fresh produce industry. But 20 years ago, Stemilt Growers Inc., based in Wenatchee, WA, saw the wisdom of incorporating the concepts into its business practices. And the commitment continues to be recognized nationally.

"Our founder, Tom Mathison, was a believer in innovation," said Roger Pepperl, Stemilt director of marketing. "It's in our culture here."