Three crop peaks and a significant overall increase in production is being forecast by Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers in Wenatchee, WA, for its 2012 cherry season.

Dan Wohlford, national marketing representative for Oneonta, told The Produce News on May 21 that the operation is “looking at a 16 percent increase over last year’s crop.”

Borton & Sons Inc., headquartered in Yakima, WA, anticipates an optimum cherry crop and increased volume in 2012. “We expect a 20 percent to 25 percent increase in volume over last year as a company,” President of Sales & Marketing Denny Annen said May 18. “Between dark sweet cherries and Rainiers, we should be at approximately 500,000 cases this year. The industry numbers being tossed around at this point are in that 20 to 21 million box [range], compared to 18.3 million boxes last year.”

Maurice A. Auerbach is continuing its already strong relationship with the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Cooperative Market from its new state-of-the-art facility in Secaucus, NJ.

Cherry growers from the Pacific Northwest will continue to be able to take advantage of state-of-the-art packaging options offered by PeakfreshUSA, located in Lake Forest, CA. Last year, the company named XPEDX, a division of International Paper, as its exclusive Northwest distributor. XPEDX has been servicing Northwest growers for over 26 years with programs that include equipment, fulfillment and packaging consumable solutions.

It is not a new product for Tanimura & Antle, since the Salinas, CA-based lettuce giant started offering shrink-wrapped lettuce about 10 years ago. But Diana McClean, director of marketing, said that the trend is coming back to shrink wrap and away from naked lettuce, so T&A is introducing this concept once again.

“We have had more calls for wrapped product, so we are bringing it back and have redesigned the packaging,” she said.

California Giant Berry Farms in Watsonville, CA, has moved into the peak of its season with excellent volume, great quality and strong demand.

Cindy Jewell, the firm’s director of marketing, said that the company continues to push the “berry patch” concept to retailers as the best way to merchandise the various types of berries the company sells.