Ogranic blueberries led the way for Gourmet Trading Co.’s Chile deal, with shipments beginning in early November.

“Gourmet Trading Company handles conventional and organic blueberries out of Chile,” said Luciano Fiszman, procurement manager for the Los Angeles-based firm, a leading supplier of year round high-quality fruits and vegetables. “We will also have some Chilean asparagus this season.”

Sam Jones is the senior manager of domestic citrus operations for Duda Farm Fresh Foods, headquartered in Oviedo, FL. He said that the Florida citrus season started about two weeks later than last season.

“We are very pleased with the quality and color of the citrus fruits,” said Jones. “We have been challenged this early season with the small size structure of grapefruit and tangerines.”

Overall, Jones said that shipments are down from last season due to a later start, which translates into a later-maturing crop.

Temperatures in citrus-growing areas in California’s San Joaquin Valley once again dipped to potentially damaging levels the night of Dec. 10 and early morning of Dec. 11. That made seven nights out of eight that temperatures were low enough to cause concern, and the cumulative effect, in spite of frost-protection measures, could now mean that there is some fairly extensive damage.

GARY LINKLETTER was re-elected chairman of the P.E.I. Potato Board at the group’s Dec. 5 board of directors meeting. Linkletter is currently serving his second three-year term representing the tablestock sector for the Summerside District. He is a partner in Linkletter Farms, a family farm operation that grows seed, table and processing potatoes.

Heeren Bros. Inc. held a ribbon-cutting ceremony Dec. 11. to celebrate the opening of its new $22 million state-of-the-art facility in Alpine Township, MI, and state legislators, township officials, contractors, vendors and neighbors toured Heeren's new 178,000-square-foot facility.

On the first workday of the new year, James (Jim) Bair will step into his newly appointed position as president and chief executive officer of the U.S. Apple Association, headquartered in Vienna, VA.