Arriving just in time for the holiday season, Opal and FirstFruits Marketing will leverage the holiday giving spirit with a tagline of "taste the difference, make a difference" and will donate a portion of all Opal apple sales to charity through its Youth Make a Difference Initiative.

The International Pineapple Conference held its first Global Pineapple Conference in San Jose, Costa Rica in early November. The conference addressed supply by country, demand for fresh and value-added pineapple, transportation delays at U.S. ports, technology, sustainability and social responsibility.

Paradise Produce Distributors, based in Lakeland, FL, recently added STEVE R. HITCHINGS to its sales staff.

Consumers continue to enjoy simultaneous purchase of two of their favorite fruits — apples and pears — during the holidays. Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers’ U-Pick the Flavors program is the ultimate retail mix-and-match marketing tool. “The idea is that you can mix different varieties to get the different flavors you want,” said national marketing representative Dan Wohlford.

Agroexport LLC, based in Pharr, TX, has partnered with Apio Inc. to introduce the first commercial offering of avocado products featuring the patented BreatheWay packaging technology.

Packed under the “Villita” brand, Agroexport’s new Slice ‘n Serve avocado packages deliver fresh, ripe avocados that last 14 days longer than traditionally packaged avocados, bringing tremendous value to the “Villita” brand and its customers.

The new Slice ‘n Serve 25-pound packs made their debut at the recent Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit convention in New Orleans.

To-Jo Mushrooms Inc. announced that John Cunningham has joined the company as a national accounts manager, Julie Petrovick has been promoted to director of strategic plan implementation and Peter Wilder has been appointed to marketing director.