Stevco Inc., headquartered in Los Angeles, expects to have an increased volume of grapes from its spring grape deal out of Mexico this year, according to Jared Lane, vice president of marketing.

That growth will come partly from increased acreage and partly from better yields. “The crop in general is up in volume,” Mr. Lane said in an April 4 interview with The Produce News from the company’s Bakersfield, CA, office. In addition, “we have a little bit more added acreage of Flames.”

Think a sweet onion is a sweet onion? Think again, said John Shuman, president of Shuman Produce, Inc. in Reidsville, GA, which will be exhibiting at the New England Produce Council Expo.

“Our Mexico grape program is continuing to grow, and that is part of our overall strategy,” said Rudy Heras, newly appointed category director of Mexico grapes and peppers for Sun World International LLC in Bakersfield, CA, in an interview with The Produce News April 4.

Green Tree International is going to be brokering in the Mexican grape deal again, said Cary Crum, vice president of the Visalia, CA-based company in an interview with The Produce News April 3. “We’ve got our own people down there in Nogales [AZ], our same team we have had for five years, to do our inspections, our quality control.”

Rick Sullivan, president of the Wm. Manis Co.

Lakeside Organic Gardens LLC, in Watsonville, CA, handles 40 commodities. Its line includes organic broccoli, cauliflower, celery, leaf lettuce, bunched greens, zucchini, beets, spinach, leeks, romaine hearts, dandelions and cabbage.

Caroline Hogue, sales manager, said that the company’s exposure in the Northeast is relatively limited, but it is important to get its message out to companies in the region.