Viva Tierra's organic Alexander Lucas pears coming to market
Organic Alexander Lucas pears are back this spring, brought to the North American market by Viva Tierra Organic Inc. This heirloom variety has a dedicated following among pear connoisseurs who look forward to its brief season.
Sage Fruit announces sponsorship of JR Motorsports
Sage Fruit Co., long-time sponsors of Kasey Kahne Racing, just announced a new associate sponsorship with JR Motorsports, the professional race team owned by Dale Earnhardt Jr. Based in Mooresville, NC, JR Motorsports fields multiple teams and tours nationally in the NASCAR Nationwide Series.
As part of the agreement, the Sage Fruit logo will have placement on the No. 9 NAPA AUTO PARTS Chevrolet for all of Chase Elliott’s races, as well as placement on Kahne’s No. 5 Great Clips Chevrolet at Talladega (May 3) and No. 5 Hellmann’s Chevrolet at Daytona (July 4).
Pear Bureau Northwest names winner of Canadian Culinary Student Recipe Competition
The national finals for the 2014 USA Pears “Pear Excellence” Canadian Culinary Student Recipe Competition were held April 8 at The Dirty Apron Cooking School in Vancouver. Five culinary student finalists from highly competitive regional competitions faced off before a panel of esteemed judges for the National Grand Prize title.
Calavo’s California program targets Western markets
Although the California contribution to aggregate avocado volume in the United States will be a bit under 20 percent this year compared to nearly 30 percent last year, the marketing strategies for California fruit at Calavo Growers Inc. in Santa Paula, CA, are “fairly similar” to what they were in 2013, according to Rob Wedin, vice president of fresh sales and marketing.
Weather affects fresh produce, opens import opportunities for Weis-Buy
Michael Shapiro, part of the sales team at Weis-Buy Farms Inc. in Fort Myers, FL, said it’s hard to talk about marketplace dynamics for fresh produce during the winter without talking about weather impacts.
“The misery index in the northeastern and midwestern United States came close to a record this year,” he told The Produce News.
Weis-Buy Farms is a grower, shipper and broker of all fruits and vegetables.
“We specialize in tomatoes of all kinds, peppers, cucumbers and squash,” he added. “If the produce is fresh, Weis-Buy can find it for our customers.”
Early start to California cherry season gives retailers more holidays for promotion
The early cherry deal in the southern and central San Joaquin Valley of California will have an earlier start than usual this year, by as much as two weeks, not only giving producers more time to market the crop but also giving retailers at least one extra holiday for promotions.
Fresno Food Expo New Product Awards adds Buyer's Choice Award
The 2014 Fresno Food Expo, presented by Union Bank, announced the return of the highly anticipated Fresno Food Expo New Product Awards, presented by Baker Peterson Franklin CPA LLP. These awards showcase innovative products and packaging solutions from California's San Joaquin Valley.
Five Crowns introduces Origami cantaloupe
Five Crowns Marketing is one of only two U.S. growers licensed to bring retailers the Origami cantaloupe, which is hitting stores in May. It is being harvested out of the Imperial Valley and will be available through the beginning of July.
Big crowds flock to FPFC Northern California Expo
PLEASANTON, CA — The Fresh Produce & Floral Council held its eight annual Northern California Expo April 9 at the Alameda County Fairgrounds, here, drawing more than 600 people from the produce and floral trade.
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Mexican grape deal looks good for Unifrutti
“The Mexican grape deal overall looks like a good crop,” according to Basile Kanaris, national sales manager at Unifrutti of America, Inc., which is based in Philadelphia.
Kanaris said April 9 that Unifrutti would begin shipping Perlettes from Mexico in the range of April 28-30. “We’ll have a good crop of Flames that will start in the first week of May.”
He added that Sugraones from Hermosillo will begin May 18.
Unifrutti will also be shipping black Mexican grapes this spring.