CHICAGO -- The Organic Trade Association's All Things Organic Conference & Trade Show, held here April 26-29, was a perfect venue for Albert's Organics, a leading U.S. wholesale distributor of organic produce, and Strube Celery & Vegetable Co., the oldest established produce distributor in Chicago, to announce their new partnership that will have Strube distributing Albert's Organics' products throughout the Chicago area.

Four Seasons Produce Inc. in Ephrata, PA, announced that industry veteran John Gilmore joined the organization April 28 in the role of director of procurement.

Ever since the infamous Bugsy Siegel opened the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas in 1946, people from around the world have flocked to the city in increasing numbers every year.

Today, the city offers 124,270 hotel rooms to provide accommodations for over 37 million annual visitors, on top of the resident population of about 60,000. It hosts 3,749 conventions every year.

Any way you cut it, Las Vegas has a lot of mouths to feed.

Mission Produce Inc. will introduce a new processed avocado product line at the United Fresh exposition in Las Vegas May 5-7, according to Ross Wileman, vice president of sales and marketing.

The new line, which will initially consist of two flavors of guacamole, employs high-pressure technology that extends shelf life by destroying the bacteria in the product. "It basically pasteurizes the product to give you a 30-day shelf life," Mr. Wileman said.

Locating the Fresh Tech and Fresh Marketplace expos together in Las Vegas is already paying off as the United Fresh Las Vegas 2008 show is anticipating record attendance in part due to the success of representing the entire supply chain under one roof, according to the group.

United Fresh Las Vegas 2008 is the first show to merge the two expos, allowing attendees to talk with packaging machine suppliers and with marketers of value-added and organic produce. The new focus is a result of the merger between United and the International Fresh-cut Produce Association.