Sunny Valley projects 15 to 20 percent increases in blueberries this season
Bob Von Rohr, director of customer relations for Sunny Valley International, headquartered in Glassboro, NJ, told The Produce News that the company’s primary blueberry import programs are from Argentina and Chile, and it brings some product in from Uruguay.
“Timing on our Argentina deal is similar to last year,” said Mr. Von Rohr. “Because we don’t source from the early production areas, we will start in early October with our first air shipments. Peak volumes will pivot around the few weeks before and few weeks after the mid-November time frame.
Giumarra forecasting continued growth in blueberry import program
Ben Reilly, the Midwest business development manager for Los Angeles-based Giumarra Cos., said that the company is forecasting and planning for continued growth in its blueberry import program starting in Argentina early this year.
“The blueberry program will then continue through to Uruguay and Chile,” Mr. Reilly said. “We have additional imported blackberries from Guatemala, and we have also added a number of new growers in the northern states of the U.S., extending our volume to later in the season. Our Mexican imports will start during the week of Sept. 10.”
Vision sees significant growth in South American supplies
Ronnie Cohen, a partner at Vision Import Group LLC, River Edge, NJ, said the firm’s mango volume from its South American suppliers will be greater this year and will follow the company’s strategy of steady growth in that space.
“Currently we are bringing mangos in from Brazil and our Brazilian deal is larger than it was last year,” he said in early September. “And we expect to double the volume we had last year from Ecuador.”
Continental Fresh shines during Brazil’s season
Continental Fresh LLC imports mangos throughout the year, but its real time to shine is in the period from late summer into November when Brazilian mangos take center stage.
The Coconut Grove, FL-based company is one of the larger importers of mangos from Brazil, as it has been importing from that South American country for almost two decades.
“We’ve been working in Brazil for 18 years,” said Albert Perez, the company’s managing partner. “We’ve established a very good relationship with a couple of shippers.”
Central American Produce looms large in South America
Thirty-seven years ago when David Warren launched his company, Central American Produce Inc., the name was a great descriptor of the point of origin of the products it sourced.
His son, Michael Warren, who is the current president of the Pompano Beach, FL, operation, said “my father began by bringing in melons from Guatemala and pineapples as well. He pioneered the sno pea business in Guatemala.”
NMB’s assessment increase brings expanded programs
In response to the increase in assessment funding from half a cent to three-quarters of a cent per pound for whole fresh mangos sold in the United States, the National Mango Board’s consumer, retail and foodservice promotions, as well as nutrition, health and food-safety research programs will be expanded beginning in Quarter 4.The NMB approved these new projects during its board meeting held Sept. 11-13 in Washington, DC.
Consumer PR & Marketing
Marriott Chef Oliver Wolf to represent California Dates at PMA, special events
Oliver Wolf, executive chef with J.W. Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa in Desert Springs, CA, will be representing the Californa Date Administrative Committee and its grower members at the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit in Anaheim, CA, in October and “is going to be making some wonderful creations with dates in them,” according to Manager Lorrie Cooper.
“Since this is pretty much our home territory, we thought we would take our professional chef with us,” she said.
Good supplies seen for most nut varieties from 2012 harvest
Good supplies of most types of nuts should be available for fall and winter from the 2012 harvest, with record production seen in some items. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has projected possible record production for peanuts in Georgia, with planted acreage up close to 60 percent over last year. The USDA's National Agricultural Statistics Service, Sept. 12, forecast a total harvest of 2.8 million pounds of peanuts in Georgia for 2012, up from 1.6 million pounds last year.
Why most fruits and vegetables are still classified as ‘specialty’ crops
In August of 2011, A. Sullivan-Greiner, a resident of San Diego, CA, asked The Union of Concerned Scientists, a leading science-based nonprofit working for a healthy environment and a safer world, why, given all we know about the importance of fruits and vegetables in the diet, and the government’s emphasis on the “Five a Day” campaign, are most fruits and vegetables still classified as “specialty crops?”
Atlas Produce adds organic line, rolls out new packaging with high product visibility
In the opinion of Robert Dobrzanski, president and sales manager of Atlas Produce & Distributing Inc. in Bakersfield, CA, some consumer packaging for dates and date products does not show the product well because the label tends to hide the contents of the package.
New packaging from Atlas goes the other direction, increasing the visibility of the product.