New England gets more than its share of Blizzard 2015
With winds at more than 70 miles per hour, the Blizzard of 2015 slammed New England with a major punch on Monday and into Tuesday.
The storm was as ruthless to New England as it was kind to New York City and regions farther south, which only got a light dusting of snow as it passed through on Monday.
Heritage: WP Rawl celebrating 90 years
WP Rawl’s farming operation started small in 1925, but has evolved into a leading year-round grower, processor and shipper specializing in bulk and value-added leafy greens and vegetables.
The company’s brands are “Rawl,” “Nature’s Greens,” “Palmetto Gardens” and “Versatile Veggies.”
Arizona Leafy Greens adds to food-safety training kit
The Arizona Leafy Greens Food Safety Training Kit has a new component specifically designed for supervisory roles and personnel who conduct daily field assessments. Module 4: Pre-Harvest & Daily Harvest Environmental Assessments addresses the industry’s need to train those responsible for monitoring potential environmental contaminants.
Monte Vista’s Tillman says yellows bringing more outside business
Thus far the 2014-15 shipping season has been good, according to Monte Vista Potato Growers’ General Manager Jason Tillman, and he said that although potato movement had slowed somewhat after the holidays, he remains optimistic that overall business will continue to be steady.
During the first week of January, Tillman said yellows in particular were doing well, and he said the Mexican market was also brisk.
Sky Valley heirloom Navel oranges now shipping
The second week of January marked the beginning of the Sky Valley heirloom Navel orange program, shipping exclusively from Cecelia Packing Corp. of Orange Cove, CA, and packed in the "Sky Valley" label.
‘Blizzard of 2015’ doesn’t live up to name in NYC, leaving produce industry mostly grateful
What was predicted by major news media to be the “Blizzard of 2015” on Monday, Jan. 26, trickled down to a brief dusting of snow across most of the Northeast. This left produce professionals grateful, but also in question of decisions made by politicians in preparation for what they believed would be a dangerous storm.
Sun World names new CEO
Merrill N. Dibble has been appointed president and chief executive officer of Sun World International LLC. Dibble succeeds David Dever and takes the helm as the company embarks on a plan to strengthen its position as a premier grape breeder, producer, marketer and licensor.
Dibble comes to Sun World from AgReserves Inc., where he served as its Bakersfield, CA-based vice president of California operations for the company’s almond, walnut, pistachio and prune business units.
LaGrasso Bros. celebrates 100th anniversary, welcomes new generation
LaGrasso Bros. Produce, a produce and food distributor located in Detroit, celebrated its 100th anniversary this past year with new restaurant openings and increased same store sales.
“The economy in Michigan has been gaining momentum in recent years and 2014 is a reflection of that continued growth,” said Thomas LaGrasso III, vice president of operations at LaGrasso Bros.
Organic mushroom sales continue to rise at a nice rate for Giorgio Fresh
“The organic mushroom market continues to grow at a nice rate,” said Bill Litvin, vice president of sales and national account manager for Giorgio Fresh, headquartered in Temple, PA.
“According to a recent shipping report from The Mushroom Council, the industry saw organic sales increase by 19.3 percent while volume increased by 15.6 percent in the month of December. Similarly, those numbers were reported to increase in 2014 by 30.3 percent in sales and 29.5 percent in volume respectively over the previous year.”
Mucci Farms announces Stephen Cowan as key account manager
Mucci Farms, based in Kingsville, ON, announced the addition of Stephen Cowan to its sales and marketing department on Jan. 26.
Cowan brings over 14 years of experience in the produce industry to his new position as key account manager. Some of his previous positions have included retail produce manager, category manager produce procurement, and multiple sales and key account manager positions.