Robert (Bob) Piccinini, the chairman of Save Mart Supermarkets, died Tuesday, March 24 at his Modesto, CA, home. He was 73.

Mr. Piccinini purchased Save Mart from the Piccinini and Tocco families in 1985 after working his way up through the ranks, from box boy, truck driver, store manager, vice president of real estate and onto president and chief executive officer. He is credited with taking Save Mart from a homegrown, Central Valley chain to the regional competitor it is today.

The Eastern Produce Council will hold its May meeting at the Philadelphia Wholesale Produce Market. This is the third meeting at the state-of-the-art PWPM facility. The first two meetings drew almost 300 attendees each time.

It's apple harvest time in New Zealand, and Enza brand owner Turners & Growers, which markets apples and pears via The Oppenheimer Group in North America, is dealing with a unique challenge this season.

Cyclone Pam's devastation is gradually being assessed in the Republic of Vanuatu, while over 200 guest workers from that nation focus their efforts on the Enza apple harvest.

When it comes to Vidalia onions and farming in general, Bo Herndon has always been an innovator. In 2014, Herndon Farms began growing organic leafy greens, opening the door to also start growing organic Vidalia onions as part of its 2015 program.

“We’ve seen we can grow organic greens in the fall, this is our first time around with organic Vidalias and the crop looks good so far,” said Sales and Marketing Manager John Williams. “There’s more and more demand — you can see increased square footage in retail being given to organic items and it is a nice program to be a part of.

Mann Packing has hired Pam Hudson as the manager of marketing and communications. In this role, she will oversee the company’s advertising and promotional programs while engaging in customer and consumer marketing support. Hudson will report to Kim St.

In 1915, Stephen Boskovich bought his first parcel of land in the Lankershim District near Los Angeles and began farming. One hundred years later, two of his grandchildren are running what became Boskovich Farms in nearby Oxnard, CA, and the fourth generation of the family is beginning to find its way in the family firm.