Del Monte Fresh Produce recently finished phase one of its new greenhouse project and is now producing and shipping “Del Monte” brand premium beefsteak tomatoes and tomatoes-on-the-vine from Guatemala to North America.

Phase one included construction of 16 hydroponic greenhouses, covering nearly 25 acres, a packing plant, and other supporting facilities in Jalapa, Guatemala.

Potandon Produce LLC, a leading potato and onion shipper headquartered in Idaho Falls, ID, was named exclusive sales agent for Campbell Farms in Grafton, ND. In addition to growing operations in North Dakota, Campbell Farms produces potatoes in Florida and Minnesota.

Potandon Produce is a full-line supplier of potatoes and onions. The company works with more than 60 domestic co-packers and nine Canadian co-packers to fill the pipeline. Potandon has more than 35,000 acres in cultivation in Idaho and is a domestic leader with a 10 percent market share.

DEMAND

Demand for California melons continues to outpace light supplies. Persistent heat in the Midwest and along the East Coast could stress the local leaf crops and divert demand back to California.

TRANSPORTATION & FUEL

Truck availability on the West Coast is adequate. Freight rates should remain near the summer season’s peak heading into early August.

Olympic freestyle skier and Vancouver 2010 Silver Medalist Jeret (Speedy) Peterson died Monday, July 25, in a remote canyon between Salt Lake City and Park City, UT.

Authorities have called his death a suicide and said Mr. Peterson notified authorities of his location in Lamb’s

Ocean Mist Farms, based in Castroville, CA, completed the upgrade and expansion of its Baja Mist production facility in order to increase Mexico-grown product offerings. The company celebrated the opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony May 23 at the facility located in the Mexicali Valley of Mexico.

You can’t argue with the numbers. Domex Superfresh Growers, headquartered in Yakima, WA, is bracing for double-digit increases in its conventional and organic pear volumes this season.

Marketing and Communications Manager Loren Queen provided the snapshot. “Conventional pears will be up 15 percent,” he told The Produce News July 27.