Kingston & Associates Marketing LLC announced its plan to expand its Costa Rican MD2 golden variety pineapple program, the Kingston "Sugar Pine," with an estimated volume increase of 30 percent over last season.

The growth is driven by increased customer demand and expansion into new geographic areas of the United States in recent months.

"We will be introducing our new retail line of packaged gourmet veggies at the upcoming PMA Fresh Summit," said Ande Manos, sales and marketing director for Babe' Farms headquartered in Santa Maria, CA. "It includes 16-ounce and 14-ounce packages of gourmet vegetables, such as topped and trimmed mini root vegetables, mixed color baby beets, gourmet radishes, rainbow carrots, baby purple and green brussels sprouts, baby purple artichokes and baby fennel."

The Mexican Hass Avocado Importers Association will be using an assortment of communications vehicles to get the word out to consumers throughout the United States about Avocados from Mexico. Those vehicles will include television, print advertising, radio, social media and point-of-sale materials at retail.

MHAIA, like its sister organization, APEAM, uses the name Avocados from Mexico, to reference its marketing programs.

S. Strock & Co. Inc., located at the New England Produce Center in Chelsea, MA, received its PACA license on September 5, 1930, making it the oldest active PACA license in the produce industry today. But the company’s roots extend to decades before when it was located at the now historic Faneuil Hall Marketplace in Boston.

JASON MILLER joined Pompano Beach, FL-based Ayco Farms’ sales team, effective Aug. 15

In his new position at Ayco, Mr. Miller is handling cantaloupe, honeydew, watermelon, asparagus, sno peas, sugar snaps, avocados and gourmet colored peppers, as well as products from Central America, South America and Mexico.

Mexican avocados have two seasons, as Doug Meyer, vice president of sales and marketing at West Pak Avocado Inc. in Temecula, CA, pointed out in an interview with The Produce News Oct. 1.