He graduated from college and went to work the very next day.

That was how Jason Sardilli recalled his official start in his family's produce company, Sardilli Produce & Dairy Co. Inc., where he works alongside his father, Don, and his older brother, Devin.

And although he hails from a produce family and "helped out" at the wholesale distributor in Hartford, CT, while he was growing up, his joining the company was never assumed or pre-ordained.

The board of directors of the newly formed Mission, TX-based Greenhouse Produce Co. LLC has announced the appointment of greenhouse pioneer Fried De Schouwer as president.

Mr. De Schouwer, a greenhouse tomato industry leader, left Eurofresh, where he was vice president of sales and marketing, after 14 years in 2004. During his tenure, Mr. De Schouwer was the cornerstone of the company's rapid growth in sales from $3 million to more than $85 million by 2004.

The United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association in Washington, DC, has announced the recipients of the 2005 Frieda Rapoport Caplan Family Business Scholarships.

WASHINGTON -- The produce industry is eagerly awaiting news on whether retailers -- a critical voice in the country-of-origin labeling debate -- will support a compromise country-of-origin labeling package that, in turn, would help sell the proposal on Capitol Hill.

The Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition is expected to attract over 17,000 attendees from 70 countries and 800 exhibitors when it convenes Nov. 4-8 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta.

"We may be an industry steeped in tradition, but we also have our attention focused on the future," said PMA President Bryan Silbermann. "PMA's Fresh Summit reflects the heart and soul of our membership through a diverse program that offers buyers and sellers value they can connect to and take home from Atlanta.

PORTLAND, OR -- According to figures compiled by Pear Bureau Northwest, this season's overall Northwest fresh pear crop is estimated to see an 11 percent increase over that of 2004, with Anjous predicted to be up 21 percent.

Kevin Moffitt, president and CEO of the bureau, said in late July that the 2005-06 crop estimate calls for 18.8 million 44-pound equivalents, up from 17 million in 2004. Moreover, the new crop will exceed the five-year average of 17.7 million boxes by some 6 percent.