Southern Specialties’ ‘Southern Selects’ blackberries and blueberries.

On Nov.

“The Giumarra Companies imports berries, avocados, stone fruit, cherries, grapes, kiwifruit, apples, pears, citrus, persimmons and cherimoya from Chile,” said Hillary Brick, senior vice president of marketing for the Los Angeles-based company. “We also import limited volumes of onions and pomegranates from Chile.”

Gourmet Trading, headquartered in Los Angeles, produces year-round supplies of blueberries and asparagus in addition to handling blackberries. Julia Inestroza, marketing and merchandising manager for the company, said that it imports blueberries from Chile from December through February.

“We offer all the standard-size packs that customers want,” said Ms. Inestroza. “We also offer special labels to increase sales such as our ‘Smurf’ label.”

“Our customers wish for us to supply them with core products year round,” Dave Parker, director of marketing for Scattaglia Growers & Shippers LLC, headquartered in Traver, CA, told The Produce News. “This is why we do business in the Southern Hemisphere. Working with highly professional growers and exporters enables us to live up to our motto, ‘Good Taste Delivered Well.’”

Pacific Trellis Fruit LLC in Reedley, CA, introduced its new “Goin’ Ape” label to the trade at the Produce Marketing Association’s October Fresh Summit event, although it was shipping product under the label to one retail account prior to the event.

On Oct. 14, Crowley Maritime Corp.’s logistics group announced that it named Nelly Yunta vice president of U.S. imports, customs brokerage and consulting for Customized Brokers, Crowley’s customs brokerage company in Miami, where Ms. Yunta is based. She reports to Crowley’s Steve Collar, senior vice president and general manager, logistics.