Benton Harbor, MI-based Gem Tomato Sales Inc., is gearing up to come into its Michigan tomato season in July. “The Michigan season is going well,” President Gary Margolis told The Produce News on June 19. “We’ve had an excellent growing season.”

Kurt Zuhlke Jr., president and chief executive officer of Bangor, PA-based Zuhlke & Associates, said consumers demand for recyclable packaging materials for fresh produce has never been higher.

“Consumers are feeling more comfortable with the increased use of recyclables in the marketplace,” he told The Produce News on June 18. “It’s good for everyone.”

Rainier Fruit Co., headquartered in Yakima, WA, completed construction of its 12th portable hydrocooler, which is now located in one of the 22 orchards that will be harvested this season. Use of the equipment will keep the internal temperature of the juicy gems down, ensuring product of the highest quality is moved into the pipeline.

New Jersey peaches were being picked as early as June 18, according to Pegi Adam, communication consulting director for the New Jersey Peach Promotion Council in Clayton, NJ. “Our normal start date is around July 10, so we are running about three weeks early,” said Ms. Adam. “So far the quality looks very good, and we anticipate no problems. The major growers have their full complement of fruit moving into the packinghouses this week.”

LOS ANGELES — California Vegetable Exchange Inc., here, a produce broker and wholesale firm founded by Tom Kunisaki in 1966, has suspended operations May 14 following the filing of a PACA claim last month by a group of creditors.

Mr. Kunisaki’s attorney, John Lapinski, told The Produce News June 22, “This is a closure and liquidation” and not a bankruptcy. There has been and will be no bankruptcy filing, he said. “There is no need,” as Cal-O’s assets will be distributed to PACA creditors by the trust under supervision of the court.

RPE Inc., a year-round grower-shipper of potatoes and onions, based in Bancroft, WI, has announced a vertically integrated partnership with Lodi, CA-based West Coast Vegetable Co. Inc. to grow, pack and market onions.

The partnership with West Coast Vegetable Co. will allow RPE to serve its customers better by increasing its capacity with year-round supplies in all varieties of onions and by offering more packing locations to allow just-in-time inventory for its customers.