Brian Morris joins Market Fresh corporate staff
Market Fresh, based in Nixa, MO, announced the addition of BRIAN MORRIS to its corporate staff.
As a VMI/packaging specialist for Market Fresh Produce, Morris will be in charge of timely and accurate fulfillment of daily replenishment from customers, as well as handling packaging inventories, according to a company press release.
Baloian Farms introduces premium heirloom onion
Baloian Farms has expanded its line of high-quality produce with the launch of its premium heirloom onion, Sophia la Rosa.
Focus at McDaniel will be on fruit from California and Peru May-September
The supply of California avocados in the marketplace this spring and summer “is going to be significantly less than it was last year,” said Larry McDaniel, vice president of McDaniel Fruit Co. in Fallbrook, CA, in an interview with The Produce News March 24.
Florida Classic’s domestic peach deal grows annually, tops 1 million pounds
Florida Classic Growers of Dundee, FL, has long been known as a premium provider of Florida citrus. But the company was an early entrant in the burgeoning Florida peach deal and is excited about its 2014 crop, according to Vice President of Sales and Marketing Al Finch.
California apricot crop appears early with variable set but good quality
The outlook for the 2014 California apricot season varies from grower to grower, from location to location and from variety to variety. In general, however, it appears that the crop will start earlier than usual, the set is variable but averaging lighter than normal, and quality looks very good.
Lime market remains hot, but relief on horizon
If they were available, large limes (175 size and greater) could return a shipper $110 or more for a 40-pound box.
"That's what you could get if you had any," said Ronald Cohen, vice president of sales at Vision Import Group LLC. in River Edge, NJ. "The trouble is, there aren't any."
The lime market has been red hot for more than a month because of bad weather in Mexico's lime-producing regions in December. Very cold temperatures and wet weather reduced the bloom and even damaged some trees.
Reichel Foods expands the Dippin’ Stix line
Reichel Foods, a fresh‐cut produce snack producer, is introducing four new single-serve products to its line of Dippin’ Stix: Apples & Caramel with Greek Yogurt chips; Apples & Caramel with Peanuts & Chocolate; Sweet Gala Apples & Caramel with Peanuts; and Celery Stix & Ranch Dip. The new Dippin' Stix will be available to retailers and distributors nationwide in late April.
April watermelon movement higher than last season
On April 8, the Agricultural Marketing Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture reported on daily shipments and crossings in the United States for watermelons for the first week of April. The report broke down movement for seeded and seedless watermelon and also provided some data on imports. Units are comprised of a total of 40,000 pounds each.
Save-A-Lot to open new distribution center in Colorado
Save-A-Lot, one of the nation’s leading hard-discount, limited assortment grocery chains and a wholly owned subsidiary of SuperValu, announced plans that will allow it to more efficiently bring fresh quality food options to local neighborhoods with the development of a new 140,000-square-foot food distribution center in Aurora, CO, in June 2014.
Henry Avocado’s California harvest to peak at ideal time for customers
For year-round avocado distributor Phil Henry, there’s little distinction between the oncoming domestic harvest and the winding down of the offshore supply. His commitment to consistently provide customers with superior quality fresh avocados and great service is never seasonal. It’s the perennial purpose of Henry Avocado, according to a company press release.