CPMA’s annual convention and trade show is only three weeks away, and 2015 will not only mark the milestone of their 90th anniversary, it will also mark its largest convention and trade show to date. The event will run April 15-17 in Montréal at the Palais de congrès de Montréal.

The trade show welcomes exhibitors who are active within the Canadian fruit and vegetable marketplace, and it offers a distinctive blend of business, networking, development and educational opportunities, while attracting a wide variety of attendees.

Central American Produce Inc., based in Pompano Beach, FL, is having an “outstanding” mango season, according to company president Michael Warren.

“We are receiving beautiful Tommy’s from Nicaragua and Mexico, and will be starting our Guatemalan program by mid-March,” he told The Produce News on March 10. “We are expecting good volumes and are offering great promotions right through the spring.”

In 1997, Christopher Ranch, a leading grower and shipper of high-quality garlic and other specialty products, opened a branch in Pompano Beach, FL. Patsy Ross, marketing director for the Gilroy, CA-based company, said that the Pompano warehouse is important to the company’s customers in the Southeast corner of the United States.

NFL Hall of Famer and the Chicago Bears' beloved Coach Mike Ditka will deliver the Wednesday keynote address at the United Fresh 2015 general session June 10 at McCormick Place in Chicago. Ditka will share insights from his decades of experience as an NFL player, coach and analyst on the importance of leadership and the value of teamwork.

West Coast grocery store chain Haggen will make a donation of more than 45,000 pounds of apples to Northwest Harvest and the Oregon Food Bank to help feed the hungry in local communities in Oregon and Washington.

Heathrow, FL-based Village Farms International has appointed Chef Darren Brown, located in Vancouver, BC, as the executive corporate chef for the company. He comes to Village Farms with over 25 years of experience across numerous facets of the food industry.