The changing of the seasons from summer to fall signals an exciting time for Dragonberry Produce. “We’re evolving into certain programs that are really strong,” Sales Executive Amy Nguyen told The Produce News on Aug. 26. Dragonberry Produce is located in Clackamas, OR, and markets blueberries, raspberries, black raspberries and blackberries, from June through September. A full range of spring and summer mixed vegetables grown in the Pacific Northwest are also available.

Bruce Klein, director of marketing for Maurice A. Auerbach Inc., located in South Hackensack, NJ, told The Produce News that its “Auerpak” brand vacuum-packed garlic is getting good response from retailers.

“The six individual sections are individually vacuum-packed,” said Mr. Klein. “The item provides convenience to consumers by having just the right amount of garlic for recipes in a ready-to-use format, and it has a longer shelf life under proper refrigeration.

Christopher Ranch has been working with an heirloom variety of garlic for the past 50 years and is now bringing it to market under the “Monviso” brand name, according to Jeff Stokes, vice president of sales.

About eight years ago, Eric Nagelberg of family-owned Panorama Produce Sales Inc. in Mamaroneck, NY, surveyed the company’s list of products and thought mangos would make a good addition.

“We saw it as a crop that had a lot of room to grow,” he said. “We knew that mangos were the most popular fruit in the world, though they hadn’t gained that same popularity in the United States. But everyone said it had a lot of growth potential, so we decided to add a mango program. I started the program and received good support from the rest of the family.”

Florida-based Continental Fresh is beginning its heaviest time of the year for mango supplies, and Managing Partner Albert Perez expects 2011 to be a carbon copy of 2010.

As the Mexican mango deal was winding down in early September, Ronnie Cohen of the Vision Import Group in River Edge, NJ, saw a strong mango market ahead for the fall deal, which features South America fruit.

“Brazil was supposed to be early, but that didn’t really happen,” he said on the first day of September. “Over the next couple of months, I see good marketing opportunities with a decent transition between areas.”