Dole Berry Co., based in Watsonville, CA, has purchased Winter Haven, FL-based SunnyRidge Farm, a grower and marketer of domestic and imported berries. All divisions of SunnyRidge were included in the acquisition.

FoodLink, an on-line network for fresh food retailers, wholesalers and suppliers, announced its status as a certified partner to Giant Eagle Inc. and its produce team.

With 228 supermarket locations, Giant Eagle is one of the larger produce buyers in the country, offering selections from regional growers to global suppliers with a focus on the highest quality and freshness standards.

“We are picking and packing new-crop [dates] now and getting ready to ship out our fall produce program,” said Albert Keck, president of Hadley Date Gardens Inc. in Thermal, CA, in an interview with The Produce News Oct. 12.

Atlas Produce & Distributing Inc.in Bakersfield, CA, which specializes in Californa-grown Medjool dates marketed under the “Caramel Naturel” brand, relies on its label and packaging and the quality of its product, combined with good positioning on the retail shelf to boost products sales for customers during the holiday season, according to Robert Dobrzansky, president and sales manager.

“Our label really entices consumers to purchase,” he said. “It is subtle, but a beautiful label.”

At Family Tree Farms LLC, in Reedley, CA, “a lot of times, the story is staying the course,” and the company’s Satsuma Mandarin program, now in its sixth year, “is just that,” said Don Goforth, director of sales and marketing, in an interview with The Produce News Oct. 11.