At the International Fresh Produce Association’s upcoming Foodservice Conference in Monterey, CA, Mission Produce Inc. plans to educate others on the value avocados bring to menus and the art of ripening fruit to the right stage for the recipe.

Omar Bobadilla has joined Bonduelle Fresh Americas, home of Ready Pac Bistro, as vice president of agriculture operations. Bobadilla will become a member of the company’s operations leadership team and will be based in Bonduelle’s newly renovated and expanded Salinas Valley location with additional responsibility for deepening relationships with grower communities and suppliers across the United States, Canada, Mexico and South America.

FreshEdge acquired Sirna & Sons Produce, a fourth-generation, family-run, wholesale food distributor and its respective value-added operation, Christine’s Cuts, a Kosher and Primus GFS certified in-house produce processing facility. FreshEdge now operates more than 1.1 million square feet of warehouse space across 28 facilities with a fleet of 1,027 trucks.

As the produce in foodservice industry prepares to gather July 27-28 in Monterey, CA, International Fresh Produce Association CEO Cathy Burns looks forward to a record-breaking crowd of 2,000-plus, an insightful education program and the best products and services on display at the expo.

Sev-Rend has hired Mark Hoppenjans as its new national sales manager and sustainability lead.

Red Sun Farms stands as one of North America’s largest fully vertically integrated high-tech greenhouse growing operations. With complete ownership and control of the entire process, from seed selection to retail delivery, the company ensures year-round supply of top-quality produce.

“Our diverse range includes tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers, specialty varieties and organics,” said Carlos Visconti, CEO of Red Sun Farms.