Maurice A. Auerbach Inc., located in South Hackensack, NJ, is the largest distributor of garlic and specialty produce in the Northeast. The company’s organic line consists of garlic and shallots.

Bruce Klein, director of marketing, told The Produce News that the company’s accounts, especially the more upscale retailers, are remaining strongly committed to organics.

At Double D Farms in Fresno, CA, the key items for fall and winter are organic asparagus and broccoli.

“We are currently finishing our production of organic and conventional cantaloupe, corn and onions,” said Gurdeep Billan, director of sales. “Asparagus from Baja will start in late September, and we’ll have steady supplies through December. From there, we transition to Northern Mexico, shipping out of Yuma, AZ, for a January-to-May organic asparagus program.”

Tom Deardorff II, president of Deardorff Family Farms in Oxnard, CA, told The Produce News that the company is fully integrated.

“We do everything from growing, packing, distributing and marketing,” said Mr. Deardorff. “Our organic line was started in 2006 under the ‘Deardorff Organics’ label, and it has increased in production and in demand every year since.”

He added that it takes time to transition acreage at the company’s ranches to organic, but it is increasing each year.

“As a CCOF [California Certified Organic Farmers] certified organic wholesaler, we provide distribution, storage, logistics and consolidation services to trading partners throughout the U.S. and Canada. Working with many of the original pioneers of organic farming we’ve been privileged to help bring organics to the doorstep of the mass market,” according to the web site for Los Angeles-based Heath & Lejeune Inc.

S.M. Jones, a leading grower-shipper of corn, announced Aug. 30 the extension of its contract with CHEP, an industry leader in pallet and container pooling solutions. S.M. Jones uses CHEP pallets to transport its sweet corn from processing facilities in Florida in Homestead and Belle Glade to supermarkets, wholesale clubs and distributors across the United States.

FoodLink, the Los Gatos, CA-based on-line network for fresh food retailers, wholesalers and suppliers, enjoyed significant growth during the first half of 2011, adding new customers at a record pace, introducing new products for buyers and suppliers, adding experienced executive leadership, and growing network commerce for fresh produce by more than 32 percent.