Trinity adds fresh figs to summer and fall fruit program
FRESNO, CA -- Trinity Fruit Sales Co., here, which markets an assortment of California-grown produce throughout the year, has added fresh figs to its summer and fall line-up.
According to Maurice (Mo) Cameron, a salesman with the company, "We are shipping four different varieties" of fresh figs: Black Mission, Calimyrna, Kadota and Brown Turkey.
Think-21 eyes food processors, supermarkets for waste recycling
SANTA CLARA, CA -- Think-21 believes it has technology that will be of interest to food processors and supermarkets, among others, in the United States.
Utilizing the technology of a partner in Europe, Long Island City, NY-based Think-21 believes that its advanced anaerobic digestion waste recycling systems will provide a low-cost alternative to waste disposal and at the same time produce renewable bio-gas from waste in the United States.
Mexico Calidad Suprema A.C. director explains program's purpose and activities
HERMOSILLO, SONORA, MEXICO -- In an effort to counter a negative image for Mexican-grown produce in the United States and other export markets, the Mexican government implemented a program in 1999 called Mexico Calidad Suprema or, in its English translation, Mexico Supreme Quality.
New Jersey produce items ready to take center stage at Super Foodtown
CEDAR KNOLLS, NJ -- The Super Foodtown here in the northern part of the state was handling quite an assortment of Jersey-grown vegetables in mid- May and would soon be featuring more items more prominently as the season continued to expand.
Among the Jersey-grown items already available when The Produce News visited here May 21 were Romaine, red leaf, green lead, Boston, scallions, leeks, asparagus, escarole, mint, arugula, dill, cilantro, kale, turnip tops and swiss chard, according to Tom Bleaken, the store's produce manager.
Fresh Express creation listed among those that have had most impact
USA Today recently selected the top 25 inventions that have changed the lives of American citizens, and Salinas, CA-based Fresh Express made the list for its bag technology.
Rating No. 10 on USA Today's list is Fresh Express' invention of a high-tech plastic bag introduced nationwide in 1989 that helped ignite a whole consumer category of portion-controlled foods with the rollout of mixed lettuce greens in a bag.
Ron Wilkowski joins The Oppenheimer Group
Ron Wilkowski joined The Oppenheimer Group, headquartered in Vancouver, BC, as a sales representative, effective May 14. Based in the marketer's Wilmington, DE, office, he will sell Oppenheimer's comprehensive product range to customers in the Northeast.
Mr. Wilkowski's produce experience began in 1977, when he was hired to stock shelves at the Tops Market in his hometown of Buffalo, NY. In the last 30 years, he has worked in produce sales, procurement, quality control, operations and inventory management.
Task force tackles light brown apple moth threat
The light brown apple moth is in the crosshairs of California officials ready to do battle with the pest.
While the moth currently appears to be a particular threat to nursery products, more than 200 plants are known to be hosts for the moth, including stone fruits, citrus, grapes, strawberries and flowers.
On May 18, the Light Brown Apple Moth Technical Working Group drew up draft recommendations to combat the threat. The final recommendations should be coming soon.
Inspector shortage creates bottleneck for large Mexican grape crop
A shortage of federal inspectors in Nogales, AZ, compounded by several other issues related to inspections, is creating a bottleneck for arrivals of Mexican table grapes cleared for shipment, just as the harvest is coming into its peak period.
Peter Grannis furthers his education in the realm of produce
To hear him tell it, Peter Grannis started in produce "before I could walk." The produce specialist with Maines Produce Express in Conklin, NY, credited his father, Gary Grannis, with instilling in him a passion for the trade through years of working together at their family-owned seasonal roadside stand in Endicott, NY.
IN THE TRENCHES: It may be time to re-evaluate your mission statement
Does your company have a mission statement? If so, what is it? What does it mean? More important, who knows about it? Normally, a company mission statement is supposed to describe what an organization does. It is accompanied by company goals, purpose and values. It is usually a very short sentence or paragraph.
I browsed a good number of company web sites to see if they had a mission statement posted and what they included in it. Some had statements, some had visions and some had very little related to their company's purpose.