Westmoreland hires Jimmy Coppola
JIMMY COPPOLA joined Leamington, ON-based Westmoreland Sales’ TopLine team as an account manager in February.
In his new role, Mr. Coppola will be handling commodities such as greenhouse tomatoes, cucumbers, Bell peppers and a long line of specialty products. He also recently took on the marketing responsibilities for TopLine.
Florida blueberry industry already at crossroads as it matures
Florida’s blueberry industry came from a standing start to a significant present and an even more promising future in roughly a decade, but already the industry is at a crossroads of sorts. Smaller producers are falling by the wayside as major players and outside influences maneuver to propel the deal to the next level as the industry matures.
Growers, shippers wonder what future holds for Lone Star State’s ever-changing onion industry
Texas onion growers were riding high in 2010. Demand was strong and market prices for the season averaged $20-$40 for a 40-pound box for sweets throughout the deal. In 2011, growers put more onions in the ground, bringing Lone Star State onion production to 13,064 acres.
Rising Star Award presented at third annual ATPC
McAllen, TX – The Rising Star Award was presented to Ed Bertaud, the Houston-based director of business development for the Pallet Management Division of IFCO Systems N.A. Inc., March 8 during the America Trades Produce Conference, here.
Dorothy Koboski enters FirstFruits' sales intern program
DOROTHY KOBOSKI, who has worked for Yakima, WA-based FirstFruits Marketing of Washington for about two-and-a-half years as a sales assistant, is one of the first to go through the company’s recently implemented sales intern program. She will spend most of the year in transitional training to understand all aspects of growing, packing, warehousing and selling before graduating into actual sales responsibility.
Tracking demographics reveals where consumption of fruits and vegetables is highest in the United States
There are myriad trends and factors that influence fruit and vegetable consumption in the United States, including the changing ethnic makeup of the country, which bodes well for tropical fruits and vegetables as well as the of the produce industry as a whole.
Del Rey Avocado in process of renovating packinghouse
A major packinghouse renovation was well under way at Del Rey Avocado Co. Inc. in Fallbrook, CA, and was within a few weeks of completion, when The Produce News talked to Robert (Bob) Lucy, the company’s president, Feb. 19.
“We have torn down a lot of the old coolers and have built one massive one,” Mr. Lucy said. Instead of having “the three little coolers that we had,” with the space “all chopped up,” those have been replaced with “one great big cooler that will almost double our storage space, which is just wonderful for us.”
Grimmway emphasizes healthy eating with the help of ‘The Biggest Loser’
Grimmway Farms, one of the world’s larger carrot producers and shippers, continues to expand its connection with the popular “The Biggest Loser” television show as a way to increase awareness for its own brand and to stress its healthy eating emphasis.
In the Trenches: Are you overlooking invisible shrink?
As a former director of produce operations, I wore many hats in being responsible for achieving a sales and profit budget. Besides sales and merchandising, another important function was “controlling shrink.”
Whenever a produce manager was questioned about his or her shrink, the response usually was, “I don’t know where our shrink is occurring. I have a good staff and we faithfully follow all the company shrink programs. The numbers have to be wrong.”
NWA's Centennial Celebration
2013 National Watermelon Queen Amber Nolin with Gordon Hunt of the National Watermelon Promotion Boa