BLYTHEWOOD, SC—The nation’s largest producer of banana-ripening equipment is going bananas, you might say, with a $1.2 million expansion that has doubled its production space to 28,000 square feet in tiny Blythewood, SC, a town with about 2,000 residents about 16 miles north of Columbia, the state capital.

Thermal Technologies Inc., here, has built patented ripening systems that handle 100 million pounds of bananas a day and in 25 years has cornered about 70 percent of the market for banana ripening systems. It also produces equipment to ripen stone fruit, avocados and pears.

ANAHEIM, CA - Brazilian melon grower Itaueira Farms was a first-time sponsor of the fourth annual PMA Foundation for Industry Talent's 5k Race for Talent, and the success of the sponsorship will have it running back next year.

ANAHEIM, CA — If you’ve been thinking about employees and their benefits as a cost to your company, you’re taking the wrong approach.

Benefits and employees should be looked at as an investment rather than a cost to employers. That was the takeaway message from the “Retaining Top Talent and Keeping it Engaged — A Total Rewards Approach” educational workshop session, held at the Produce Marketing Association’s 2012 Fresh Summit, here.

Produce for Kids announced at a PMA Fresh Summit  reception on Sunday, Oct.28, in Anaheim, CA, that it will be embracing a new digital strategy to better reach busy shoppers on a year-round basis and during its annual promotional campaigns. The new strategy will include simplified in-store POS displays, a website redesign that includes mobile optimization and more exposure for participating sponsors and retailers, and an aggressive social media strategy. 

ANAHEIM, CA – A year that saw a consistent supply of top-quality citrus shipped to the United States from South Africa was also a challenging one, as demand for the fruit fell short of expectations. But the group in charge of U.S.-bound exports is upbeat about the headway it made in solidifying its place in the market.

ANAHEIM, CA -- Melissa's/World Variety Produce Inc. hosted a presentation to Los Angeles-area food bloggers on emerging trends and new items Oct. 27 during the Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit International Convention & Exposition, here.

The Los Angeles-based specialty produce marketer offers more than 1,000 exotic produce items, including organic produce, soy items and specialty food items to retailers throughout the country under its well-known brand name, "Melissa's."