Melissa?s/World Variety Produce, the world-renowned specialty produce distributor based in Los Angeles, has a new employee in its ranks.

The employee is not unlike other recent college grads in that she has the youthful exuberance and drive that companies look for when taking a chance on new hires. But what sets this candidate apart is that she happens to be the namesake of the company which now employs her.

OVIEDO, FL " A. Duda & Sons, a major grower, shipper and marketer of fresh produce, announced that it will begin shipping iceless broccoli using a new patented system developed by StePac USA, an agri-tech company that specializes in providing post-harvest solutions for the fresh produce industry.

Encouraged by the prospects of an exceptional table grape harvest, Chile?s fresh fruit industry is expecting another record-setting export season.

Unexpected rains in early November that drenched many cherry and early apricot export plans and set back harvest times for most crops by seven to 10 days, are seen as only temporary setbacks, according to a December 2004 press release from the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association in Sacramento, CA.

SALINAS, CA " Rosalie Pollard has called it a career after working 39 years for the Antle family. Ms. Pollard started her lengthy sales career in produce working at the former Bud Antle Inc., here.

Now 61, Ms. Pollard started her career in produce in 1966 working for Bud Antle as his receptionist and secretary. This continued for about 18 months until Mr. Antle asked her if she would like to move into sales.

When Tom Sakata died Dec. 14, he didn?t leave a void in the daily functioning of Los Gatos, CA-based broker-distributor Bay Area Produce Inc. But he did leave a void in the hearts of people he?d worked with through a roughly 25-year career with the company.

Summeripe Worldwide Inc. of Dinuba, CA, announced the addition of Simonian Fruit Co. of Fowler, CA to the Summeripe Alliance of tree fruit shippers.

Simonian is a multigenerational, diversified family-farming company with a long tradition of quality growing and involvement in the California tree fruit industry.