“While we do carry many items that would qualify as specialty, we have found ourselves in many ways avoiding that label for those products,” said Simcha Weinstein, director of marketing for Albert’s Organics headquartered in Santa Cruz, CA. The company is a full-service organic produce wholesale distributor that carries a complete line of fresh organic produce.

“Much like an artist working with clay — he can make an ash tray or create a delicate statue — we feel we provide chefs with the materials they need to create gourmet presentations,” said Charlie Eagle, vice president of business development for Southern Specialties, headquartered in Pompano Beach, FL. “At the same time, we continue to provide our retail customers with the products that enable consumers to serve their families and friends the same gourmet products used in the finest restaurants in the country.”

Demand is high for environmental packaging, and Zuhlke & Associates, which is headquartered in Bangor PA, continues to supply the produce industry with green packaging options.

Kurt Zuhlke Jr., the company’s president and chief executive officer, said that the company also will meet and exceed customer expectations when it comes to customization.

According to Mr. Zuhlke, 99 percent of all containers manufactured are made from recycled materials which have been cleaned and sanitized. The practice helps keep containers from making their way to overburdened landfills.

Sales activity is brisk at D’Arrigo Bros. Co. of New York Inc. The company moves commodities from its headquarters at the Hunts Point Terminal Market in the Bronx, NY, offering a full array of high-quality fruits and vegetables to buyers in the New York metropolitan area and beyond.

“Everything is good at D’Arrigo Bros.,” company President Matthew D’Arrigo told The Produce News June 10.

D’Arrigo Bros. works with its customers on an individual basis to provide the highest level of service and provides brokerage service to customers outside the region.

Although the production year has been a wet one, Torrey Farms Inc., located in Elba, NY, will have a good volume season. “We had rain like everyone else,” Vice President Maureen Torrey told The Produce News June 17. “We’ll have volume comparable to last year and pretty normal quality.”

She added that the only area where planting was more difficult due to rain was the company’s muck farm operation, where onions and potatoes are grown. “But everything went in normally,” she stated.

Although New York state was plagued by rainy conditions during this year’s onion planting season, Bland Farms LLC expects to have good volume and a highly promotable Empire-Sweets crop.

“This spring we had a challenge,” Michael Hively, the company’s chief financial officer and general manager, told The Produce News June 14. “We had too much rain.” He went on to say that the rich field soil became mucky, making it difficult to plant. “We had to pick and choose the fields to be planted,” he added.