Mini watermelons are a new deal for Central American Produce, headquartered in Pompano Beach, FL.

Meanwhile, “Our cantaloupe and honeydew melon season from Central America is under way [in] Guatemala,” Michael Warren, president of the company, told The Produce News in late November. “It will run through early May.”

Mini watermelons were to begin in mid-December. Volumes will be light this first season, Warren said, but he noted that customers have been requesting the product. The watermelons will be available through April.

After more than 46 years of dedicated service, Publix Super Markets Miami Division Vice President Bill Fauerbach has announced his decision to retire at the end of March 2014. Kevin Murphy will take over the position, effective April 1.

“Bill helped grow our culture and build a solid foundation on which the Miami division will continue to grow," Ed Crenshaw, chief executive officer, said in a press release. "We thank him for his many contributions, and he will be missed by us all.”

A fixture on the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market since 1982, Coosemans Los Angeles Inc. and Coosemans L.A. Shipping Inc. have updated the look of their branding and website to reflect their modern and youthful organization while maintaining a comprehensive library of information on specialty produce.

NEW YORK — The Eastern Produce Council presented Theresa Lowden with its first Woman of Distinction Award Dec. 11 during the 2013 New York Produce Show.

Lowden is executive vice president of the Mid-Atlantic Division of JOH Produce; she also serves on the EPC board of directors. When the council formed a Women's Leadership Committee almost six months ago, it named Lowden to chair it.

Robert Lee Carey was born in Bridgeville, DE, on Aug. 25, 1931, and died about eight miles down the road in Seaford, DE, on Nov. 29, 2013. In those 82 years in between, he traveled the world and left an indelible mark across the globe.

WASHINGTON — Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack announced Dec. 12 a new coordinated effort to contain and combat citrus greening, while calling on Congress to reauthorize the farm bill that pumps funds into urgently needed research programs.