The Oppenheimer Group has been synonymous with New Zealand apples and pears for over 60 years. But 2012 will have more flavor than ever, thanks to new partnerships with old friends.

Bob Von Rohr, director of customer relations for Glassboro, NJ-based Sunny Valley International Inc., said the company’s growing partner, Manetta, SC-based Cotton Hope Farms, started picking peaches in early May, which is about 10 days ahead of normal.

Sometime this spring, the Produce for Kids program that supports Children’s Miracle Network of 170 hospitals and quality, kid-friendly television programming, will top the $4 million mark in donations. It is the perfect way to celebrate the program’s 10th anniversary.

The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas held its annual membership meeting May 17 in Nogales, AZ, which featured several significant highlights.

Alejandro Canelos of Apache Produce Imports assumed the position of chairman of the association, while Matt Mandel of SunFed was elected to fill the position of chairman-elect and a slate of board directors was elected by the membership.

The redesign of its Web page at sweetonions.org has been expanded upon by the Walla Walla Sweet Onion Marketing Committee to interface with the Sweet Onion Festival’s Facebook page.

Kathy Fry-Trommald, director of marketing for the WWSOMC, told The Produce News in early May that the website has been refreshed on a regular basis for the past couple of years, and the Facebook tie-in has been in place since she launched the social media page in 2010.

Walla Walla sweet onions pack quite a punch for Keystone Fruit Marketing Inc. in Walla Walla, WA.

“It’s amazing that such a small crop has such national recognition, and we pride ourselves on promoting a great sweet onion,” Sales Manager Dan Borer told The Produce News May 2.