Jakov P. Dulcich and Sons, a California-based grower-shipper of premium table grapes, hired Kevin Andrew as its new chief operating officer.

Andrew joins the Dulcich team with 33 years of experience in the produce industry, having served as COO at both Sun World International and, most recently, Columbine Vineyards.

Turbana, the Miami-based company representing the Colombian co-op of independent banana growers and the fourth largest importer of bananas in the United States, has positioned itself as a socially responsible organization focusing on sustainability and bettering lives in all communities it serves.

Its latest efforts include a partnership with Price Chopper and Produce for Kids; continuing support for the One Laptop per Child initiative; and an upcoming project, again partnering with Price Chopper, to donate salad bars to U.S. schools.

Peter Dandrea, fresh out of the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania and a member of the fourth generation at Dandrea Produce Inc., recently came on board full time at the Vineland, NJ-based company and is off to a fast start.

The 22-year-old son of Dandrea Produce Vice President Steven Dandrea already holds the title of logistics coordinator for West Coast farms, logistics coordinator, import programs, and logistics director for the company’s direct store delivery program.

At one time, Telesis Onion Co. Inc. in Five Points, CA, grew and packed onions predominantly for the foodservice sector. But retail business has become increasingly important for the company in recent years, according to salesman Mike Smythe.

“Telesis is still mostly a foodservice company,” he said. “We mostly supply onions to our foodservice customers. But as time goes by,” more and more retailers want cartons and consumer bags.

Butch Nottingham, marketing specialist for the Virginia Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services, headquartered in Richmond, VA, told The Produce News that the agency focuses heavily on the state’s potato crops.

“Farmers in Virginia typically produce between 3,000 and 4,000 acres of potatoes,” said Mr. Nottingham. “But we’ve seen an eight to 10 percent decrease this year for various reasons.”

The promotional campaign that the Fresno, CA-based California Table Grape Commission has built for the 2013 season — not only for the United States but for Canada and for countries around the world — is “an aggressive one,” according to Kathleen Nave, president of the organization. “It focuses on the many ways in which California table grapes can be incorporated easily and conveniently into a healthy lifestyle. We will be communicating those messages to retailers, foodservice operators and certainly to consumers around the world.”