Avocados From Mexico CEO praises new team
In announcing the new senior executives on his marketing and retail promotion teams, Avocados From Mexico Chief Executive Officer Tim O'Connor said the organization is well poised to move forward and develop some exciting new programs.
Strong demand and decreased supply expected to strengthen sweet potato prices
Recent weather events that have decreased sweet potato inventories combined with strong demand on the domestic and export markets should bolster prices for sweet potato growers this year, according to industry members.
Southern Specialties moving outstanding quality British Columbia blueberries and gearing up for another great Regal artichoke season
“We have begun shipping what will be a bountiful blueberry season out of British Columbia,” Charlie Eagle, vice president of business development for Pompano Beach, FL-based Southern Specialties, told The Produce News in mid-July. “We have been shipping blueberries from this region for over 10 years. They are available under the ‘Southern Selects’ label in full pint and 18-ounce clamshells.”
Ringer & Son sees impact from Colorado freeze, drought
Sales agents at longtime Colorado broker Ringer & Son are reporting mixed conditions for some of the state’s most popular produce crops. Sweet corn will come in late but should bring volume similar to past years; peaches are down considerably due to early freezes; and Rocky Ford cantaloupe is up 20 to 30 percent over 2012.
According to Ringer President Joshua Johnson, growers Mike Ahlberg and sons, Zach and Scott, will start harvesting famed Olathe-area sweet corn from 600-plus acres near Delta, CO, around July 20, and loads will continue to go out through mid-September.
Stellar Distributing expands its shipments of chestnuts
Stellar Distributing will start shipping California chestnuts Sept. 1, as it have for the past 15 years, according to Kurt Cappeluti, sales manager. Stellar will ship the California chestnuts through September.
New to Stellar’s repertoire are Italian chestnuts, which will start Sept. 20. The Italian chestnuts will extend Stellar’s shipments to mid-January, which will allow for holiday promotions.
Stellar ships around 2.5 million nine-kilo boxes of kiwis a year, domestic and imported. Cappeluti said kiwi buyers have been asking about chestnuts, too.
New Jersey peaches looking to branch out in social media
The New Jersey Peach Promotion Council is now making it easy for buyers to find when and where to buy locally grown Jersey Fresh peaches, by means of an upgraded social media package that integrates its website, Facebook, and Twitter.
Ship Philly First brings competitors together to promote the Delaware River region
PHILADELPHIA — The infrastructure along the Delaware River is uniquely positioned to handle imports of international fruits and vegetables. With major facilities from Wilmington, DE, upriver to Philadelphia and southern New Jersey, a network of expediters, transporters, fumigators and cold storage facilities exist that tie a bow on the import package.
California grape exports reached record volume in 2012
Exports of California table grapes in 2012 reached a record 358,370 metric tons (41,582,237 19-pound box equivalents), according to a written statement The Produce News received July 12 from the international marketing team at the California Table Grape Commission.
Stevco has volume growth across the board
Stevco Inc. in Bakersfield, CA, has expanded its grape program for the 2013 season in the San Joaquin Valley with new plantings coming into production in many varieties.
The program “has been expanded across the board,” said Jared Lane, vice president of sales and marketing. From Sugraones and Flames on the early end to Autumn Kings on the late end, “we have had expansion at every stage of the season, and I think we are going to be able to supply a lot more high-quality fruit to our clientele.”
Quality drives 20 percent growth in grape volume at Sundale Vineyards
Sundale Vineyards in Tulare, CA, together with its sales arm, Sundale Sales Inc., have enjoyed a steady growth in table grape volume over the last few years, and have undertaken substantial facility expansions along the way to keep pace.
This year, Sundale expects another substantial volume increase. “I’m probably going to see 20 percent growth in volume over last year,” said Sean Stockton, president of Sundale Sales. “Sundale continues to grow with great customer support.”