Gourmet Trading is promoting two of its items that carry the popular Box Tops for Education coupons - blueberries and bagged asparagus -- as key elements to boosting sales during the upcoming back-to-school season.

The Los Angeles-based company's blueberries and bagged asparagus are marketed under the "Green Giant Fresh" label.

In February, Carl Hoverson, the newly elected chairman of the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association, expressed his desire for a more unified branding of Red River Valley red potatoes. The new image will start appearing this fall in trade show displays, pamphlets, print ads and websites, just to name a few.

Eco Farms Avocados Inc. in Temecula, CA, endeavors to distinguish itself from others in the avocado business by the quality of its pack, according to President Steve Taft.

The company packs California avocados and also handles fruit from Mexico, Chile and Peru.

A perfect storm of high volume, high demand and high quality is propelling Henry Avocado customers into a safe harbor with the Escondido, CA-based company for the foreseeable future, according to a July 27 company press release.

West Pak Avocado Inc. in Temecula, CA, which celebrates its 30th anniversary this year and which is experiencing continued growth, is currently “in the midst of a major investment in personnel and infrastructure within the company,” said Doug Meyer, vice president of sales and marketing, July 31. “[We] are positioning ourselves for the next 30-plus years of growth within the industry.

In past years, the season for “SlimCado” brand green-skin Florida avocados from Brooks Tropicals LLC in Homestead, FL, has wound down with the arrival of the new year. But this year “we’ve got new ‘SlimCado’ varieties that extend our calendar dates,” said Marketing Director Mary Ostlund.