PLEASANTON, CA — More than 1,100 produce industry professional attended the Fresh Produce & Floral Council's Northern California Expo on April 18 at the Alameda Fairgrounds, here.

Cherry movement is only weeks away for Stemilt Growers Inc., a premiere fruit grower headquartered in Wenatchee, WA. “We’ll start out with California cherries,” Roger Pepperl, director of marketing, told The Produce News April 2. Initial volume will be available at the end of April and beginning of May. “Around May 15, we will ship a lot of fruit domestically,” he added. “We’ll be going in a pretty strong way.”

Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association, headquartered in Fishers, NY, told The Produce News that the organization is, as always, exhibiting at the upcoming New England Produce & Floral Council Expo in Foxboro, MA, on April 25. He noted the new and interesting venue where the show will be held this year.

New York Apple Sales is increasing its offerings with a new import.

John Cushing, vice president of New York Apple Sales Inc., headquartered in Castleton, NY, told The Produce News that the company is exhibiting at the New England Produce Council Produce & Floral Expo, being held this year at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, MA, on April 25. The company will be represented at booth No. 106 by Mr. Cushing and Scott Seeberger, sales representative.

Bland Farms LLC is headquartered in sunny south Georgia — in Glennville, to be precise. But the company is no stranger to the New England Produce Council expo, where it has exhibited for the last four years.

Daily Fresh Distributing Inc., a Nogales, AZ, founded in fall 2011 by Paul Bachelier, who was previously in sales with Omega Produce Co., will embark on its first season of handling grapes from Mexico with the start of the Sonora grape deal in early May.

But while grapes are new to the company, they are not new to Mr. Bachelier, who has been involved in grape sales for 18 years.