In a web-based conference call with investors and the press, Campbell Soup Co. announced the morning of July 9 that it had reached an agreement to purchase Bolthouse Farms in Bakersfield, CA, for $1.55 billion, and will operate it as a separate business unit maintaining its current senior management.

Fisher Capespan, a leading importer of citrus, grapes, apples, pears and stone fruit from South Africa, Chile, Peru, Brazil and Mexico, supplying North American retailers, club stores and wholesalers, will now be known as Capespan North America.

This past February, Eagle Eye Produce Inc., based in Idaho Falls, ID, was named the 2011 U.S. Exporter of the Year by the Agricultural Trade Office, a market promotion office of the U.S. Department of Agriculture located in Mexico City, Mexico.

The inclusion of fresh produce from Michigan helps Duda Farm Fresh Foods maintain optimum quality while servicing regional customers. “By growing and selling fresh produce grown in Michigan, Duda Farm Fresh Foods is able to service customers with a locally grown and regionally available product,” Director of Marketing Nichole Towell told The Produce News on June 12. “We service the customer for most of the year with product from Michigan that is high in quality and saves on shipping time and distance.”

The California Avocado Commission is celebrating the second annual California Avocado Week at Downtown Disney in Anaheim, CA, to encourage visitors to include California avocados in their celebrations this summer.

From July 1-7, attendees had the opportunity to sample delicious dishes featuring California avocados prepared by some of the top Downtown Disney executive chefs.

Last year, the United States lost out on a large percentage of the Australian citrus crop due to more-favorable markets in Southeast Asia. This year, the Australians are back in full force, with a 50-percent increase in citrus shipped to the United States, according to Stu Monaghan, national sales manager for DNE World Citrus Sales in Stuart, FL.

The first Australian vessel arrived in Long Beach, CA, June 22; by July 6, the third was already scheduled to dock.