Bill Litvin, regional sales and national account manager for Giorgio Fresh in Temple, PA, said that even during the worst of the economic downturn over the past few years, the company’s organic sales thrived.

“Our organic blueberry program has taken a significant expansion into Oregon this year,” Scott Mabs, director of marketing for Homegrown Organic Farms in Strathmore, CA, told The Produce News. “A few years ago we purchased a ranch in Oregon and started transitioning it to organic. This is the first year it’s producing certified organic blues.”

Maurice A. Auerbach in Secaucus, NJ, is a third-generation family-owned business that started distributing garlic during World War II. In the 1970s, it expanded its product line to include a variety of produce sourced from around the world. It specializes in garlic, shallots and other specialty items such as tropical and Asian, and it handles organic garlic, shallots and tofu.

U.S. Sens. James E. Risch (R-ID) and Mike Crapo (R-ID) joined Frank Muir, president and chief executive officer of the Idaho Potato Commission, to welcome the Great Big Idaho Potato Truck when it rolled into Washington, DC, for a special appearance in front of the the U.S. Capitol Building.

Albert’s Organics, headquartered in Santa Cruz, CA, is a wholesale distributor of fresh organic produce and other perishable items including meats, cheeses, juices, dairy products and more.

Simcha Weinstein, director of marketing for the company, said as its name implies, it was founded upon and has handled fresh organic produce since it first opened its doors in 1982.

Turlock Fruit Co. Inc., headquartered in Turlock, CA, has been shipping melons from California’s San Joaquin Valley since 1918. That makes the summer of 2012 the 95th melon-shipping season for the four-generation family business.

“We basically have the same programs” this year as last year, said Steve Smith, an owner and officer in the company, whose father, Don Smith, is president, and whose son, Alec Smith is in sales with the company.