Vision Import opens Southeast branch office
Vision Import Group, a produce importer and distributor based in River Edge, NJ, announced the opening of a Southeast branch office located in Lakeland, FL.
Bruce Letchworth has been named to lead the sales team and will be assisted by Lindsay Love, both of whom previously worked in the Lakeland office of Supervalu and have wide produce experience and a strong record of customer service.
Lisa Hightower joins United Fresh as communications manager
Lisa Hightower has joined United Fresh Produce Association as the association’s new communications manager. Hightower will produce the Inside Fresh United weekly online newsletter, develop content for United’s website and social media sites, work with news media, and promote awareness of United Fresh events, including the upcoming Washington Public Policy Conference.
IPC names new international marketing director
The Idaho Potato Commission has stepped up its global marketing efforts with the addition of Traci Hiebert as its new international marketing director.
I Love Produce sources from all growing regions
“I think one of the things that makes us successful is that we are year-round suppliers of garlic, both organic and conventional, from all growing regions,” said James (Jim) Provost, managing partner of I Love Produce LLC in Kelton, PA.
“We try to have a combination of supply areas for people that prefer non-Chinese garlic, which would include, California, Argentina and Mexico,” he said. “If we combine those three supply areas, that gives us a year-round supply of in-season, new-crop Chinese garlic.”
New hires, new offices, new bag program are among changes at Index Fresh
There are “some fun things going on” at Index Fresh Inc. this year, according to Dana Thomas, president of the company. One of those is a new bagging program called “AvoBuddies,” which was rolled out to help move the abundance of small fruit being harvested in California this spring
T&A's field-packed lettuce impresses in the field and online
When buyer-segment demand spurred Tanimura & Antle to reintroduce it's field-fresh packaged leaf lettuce, the Salinas-based company had a trick up its sleeve, or at least on its packaging: a personal trip from T&A's fields through its shipping process, into the grocery store and then the kitchen.
New discoveries could potentially make thousands of acres available for garlic planting
It is significant that while there are some 25,000 acres of farmland in California, mostly in the San Joaquin Valley, devoted to garlic production, there are also some 14,000 acres in the valley that have been taken out of production due to the presence of a devastating and persistent soil-borne disease called white rot with the expectation that garlic may never be planted in those fields again.
Mission Produce names director of strategic marketing
Mission Produce Inc., based in Oxnard, CA, has hired Robb Bertels as its new director of strategic marketing.
Peru poised to become larger player in U.S. avocado market in coming seasons
Peruvian avocados first gained access to the U.S. market late in the season in 2011, making 2013 the third year but the second full season that avocados from Peru have been available to buyers in the United States.
The Peruvian season runs from June through September, corresponding to the peak of the California avocado season, and also to the peak consumption months for avocados in the United States.
Dole a step closer to going private
David H. Murdock, chairman and chief executive officer of Dole Food Co., signed a definitive merger agreement with the company to acquire for cash all of the outstanding shares of Dole common stock not currently beneficially held by him.
Under the terms of the merger agreement, Dole stockholders will receive $13.50 in cash for each share of Dole common stock that they hold, in a transaction that places the total value of Dole at approximately $1.6 billion.