As part of its agreement with the Quebec Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries & Food to promote the integration of more fresh Quebec‐grown produce in the hotel, restaurant and institutional sector, the Quebec Produce Marketing Association continues its successful partnership for a second year with the Institut de tourisme et d’hôtellerie du Québec (ITHQ, the province’s tourism, hotel and restaurant management training institute) to encourage future chefs to include more Quebec‐grown fruits and vegetables in their menus.

Excellent weather conditions in South Africa have contributed to an earlier citrus harvest in the western and northern Cape regions of South Africa, resulting in earlier arrival of citrus to the United States.

RedLine Solutions, a leader in produce traceability and inventory solutions, announced that Auvil Fruit Co. has deployed RedLine Cooler to manage and track its growing inventory.

Auvil Fruit Co. saw business steadily increasing in recent years to now producing about 1.4 million boxes of apples and 57,000 boxes of cherries each year. As business grew, managing inventory became more and more difficult.

The Pacific Maritime Association voted overwhelmingly in favor of a new labor contract with dockworkers. And representatives from the International Longshore and Warehouse Union agreed to ratify the new agreement on May 22, officially ending an 11-month disagreement. The final provisions of the contract, reached in February of this year, improved the arbitration process and streamlined healthcare benefits for affected workers. Conditions of the contract will be retroactive to July 1, 2014, and continue through June 30, 2019.  

Sun Belle Inc., an international berry and specialty marketer and distributor, has added Jan McDaniels and Bob Hylka to its growing produce sales and marketing team.

Jim Allen, president of the New York Apple Association, said that developing trade negotiations with Cuba could be of interest to the state’s apple industry.

“Governor Cuomo was in Cuba in late April, and I have been barraged with questions from both the New York agriculture industry as well as the press covering his trip, asking about New York apples to Cuba.

Emil Serafino, vice president of Exp Group LLC, in North Bergen, NJ, also noted hopes for doing business in Cuba in the future.