Pismo Oceano Vegetable Exchange Growers LLC  located in Oceano, CA, has purchased an ownership position in Beachside Produce, located in Guadalupe, CA.

The two companies concluded several months of negotiations last week, which will culminate in merging the two sales forces into one larger Beachside sales team that will sell all commodities of the combined entity beginning June 4.

Gabriela D’Arrigo, vice president of communications and marketing at D'Arrigo New York, has joined Brighter Bites as its newest board member.

Mike Kindy has joined Dollar Tree Inc. as chief supply chain officer. Kindy has more than 34 years of management experience in retail logistics and operating distribution centers.

Tozer offer a wide range of high-quality celery varieties for the primary growing season. Tozer has been at the forefront of celery varietal development since it established the world's first commercial F1 hybrid celery variety.

Kenneth Crossman, who had a long career in produce with A&P, The Potato Board, Sun World and Procacci Bros., died April 10 surrounded by family. He was 94.

Born in Toledo, OH, Mr. Crossman was raised in the Auburndale neighborhood of the city, graduating from DeVilbiss High School in 1946. He was the only child of the late Harold & Alice (Hipple) Crossman.

California cantaloupe farmers are overjoyed with the amount of rainfall received this winter and for the welcome relief to severe drought conditions that have impacted growing areas for the past several years.

Although rainfall was heavy throughout the winter, cantaloupe-producing districts have not experienced flooding that has impacted other parts of the state. Additionally, California cantaloupe fields had not yet been planted at the time of the state’s heaviest rainfall.