In addition to the “normal mix of varieties” that most grape shippers carry, Pandol Associates Marketing Inc. in Selma, CA, has a line of niche market products that run counter to the traditional wisdom that “bigger is better.”

It consists of “grapes that are grown for sweetness and flavor, rather than berry size,” and they are called “Sweet Babies,” according to President James (Jim) Pandol.

Rather than apply cultural practices designed to increase berry size, “we let them stay small” and develop “very beautiful colors and very intense flavors,” Pandol said.

Eagle Eye Grape Guys LLC in Visalia, CA, a subsidiary of Eagle Eye Produce Inc. in Idaho Falls, ID, is in the midst of its first California grape season since becoming an Eagle Eye company.

“Our program this year is going to land between two [million] and 2.5 million boxes,” said Shaun Ricks, co-founder of The Grape Guys and vice president of the present entity. “I’m talking just California, now. And it is heavy to reds.”

The stand-up bag (a.k.a. pouch bag, gusset bag, handle bag, etc.) has become a big phenomenon in the table grape industry. Nearly every shipper is doing some, and some are going exclusively with it in their bagging programs. Shippers who once dismissed the stand-up bag as a fad or a gimmick now say they have retail customers who demand it. Some large retailers, it is said, will now accept grapes in no other pack style.

The Center for Produce Safety in Davis, CA, received strong support by its board of directors to continue funding research and bring the industry together to address current food safety issues. The vote of confidence was registered following a review of the CPS strategic plan at the organization's board meeting in June.

ANAHEIM, CA — Apio's Mike Casazza and Harrison Higaki of Bay City Flower Co. were honored with the annual Fresh Produce & Floral Council produce and floral awards, respectively, at the FPFC's Southern California Expo, held Tuesday, July 16, at the Disneyland Hotel, here.

After an early start last year in virtually all items grown in New Jersey, including peaches, the 2013 New Jersey peach season is looking at a more normal harvest schedule, according to Joe Grasso of Frank Donio Inc. in Hammonton, NJ.

In fact, “We’re going to start packing our first Jersey peaches this weekend,” he told The Produce News Tuesday, July 2. “The peach season is definitely back to where it should be” as far as timing is concerned.