RBest Produce completes move to Long Island
“We have just completed our move from Hunts Point in the Bronx to Port Washington, Long Island, New York,” said Carl DelPrete, vice president of RBest Produce Inc. “We have built a state-of-the-art facility, which recently scored 98 percent in our PrimusGFS [Global Food Safety] audit inspection.”
He added that RBest Produce’s sister company, El Sol brands, headquartered in Medley, FL, is now offering the “El Sol” label that provides consistent packaging and quality.
Vilsack announces nearly $100 million in grants for specialty crops, other food programs
WASHINGTON — Nearly $100 million in federal grants will be available for food programs, including $63 million to support specialty crop producers, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Monday, March 16.
The new funding was unveiled at a speech at the National Farmers Union Convention in Wichita, KS, and later by a press conference with U.S. Department of Agriculture officials and others.
Roundy’s names new board member, lead director
Roundy’s Inc., a leading grocer in the Midwest, has appointed Kimberly L. Feil to its board of directors and Gregory P. Josefowicz as its lead director. Robert A. Mariano, Roundy’s president and chief executive officer, will continue to serve as chairman of the board of directors of the company.
With the season almost here, decision still pending in Vidalia court case
Though Vidalia onion season is just around the corner and some growers may start harvesting in a couple of weeks, there is still no word from a Georgia court about a pending challenge to a case that could prevent packing or shipping before April 20.
In August 2013, Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black issued a mandate that no Vidalia onion can be packed or shipped sooner than 12:01 a.m. on the Monday of the last full week of April each year — April 20 this year.
Samuel Napolitano, longtime produce veteran, dies at 84
Samuel S. Napolitano, a New Jersey produce veteran known for handling seasonal juice grapes and New Jersey plum tomatoes, died Thursday, March 12. He was 84.
To-Jo capitalizing on trend to blend
To-Jo Mushrooms Inc. has expanded its pre-cooked mushroom line to take advantage of the increased demand for mushrooms in the foodservice arena related to mushroom blendability.
Trucco's 'organic plus' biodynamic kiwifruit now available
A.J. Trucco Inc., a year-round distributor of kiwifruit and other fresh fruits, has added biodynamic kiwifruit from Italy to its KiwiStar line. Biodynamic kiwifruit is an innovative addition to the market and Trucco is one of the first importers to introduce this product in the United States.
Southern Specialties’ Charlie Eagle says tropical produce on the rise
An executive at one of the leading tropical produce suppliers believes the tropical category is on an upswing, in large part due to the exposure consumers have via supermarkets, cooking shows and food publications.
Kingston seeing strong sales with ‘Sugar Pine’ program
Kingston Fresh is experiencing strong early sales of its Costa Rican MD2 variety golden pineapple program — the Kingston “Sugar Pine” — which has increased significantly over 2014 amid strong customer demand.
Strawberry volume headed toward 7 million trays per week
In mid-March, strawberry growers in California’s Watsonville district were just beginning to pick fruit and join their brethren from Southern and Central California in the business of providing strawberries to all corners of the United States.
Mexico and Florida have increased their respective production in the winter months and are very important producers during the November to February time frame, but once California growers start sniffing spring, the berries load up on the plants and California production is off to the races.