“We are happy with where we are,” said Christopher Sandwick, vice president of sales and marketing for Belleharvest Sales Inc., located in Belding, MI. But ideally the company strives to be a specialist in new, tasty apple varieties.

“We continue to try and elevate our status in new varieties from around the world,” Sandwick said. The effort doesn’t instantly pay off but it’s “a long play” to achieve the goals of having new types of apples that taste good and have other unique, new high qualities.

Honeybear Brands — the marketing division of Wescott Agri-Products, a grower, producer and marketer of premium apples and pears — brought in the New Year with some extra Pazazz.

The Elgin, MN-based company officially introduced its latest apple creation, Pazazz, in select produce retailers across the country in early January.

Jim Ehrlich, executive director of the Colorado Potato Administrative Committee, said a marketplace shortage of cartons has reflected in the price of potatoes this shipping season, and given that “our quality is probably the best in the industry year-in and year-out,” Colorado could have an advantage with volume.

Fuel rates that are more than $1 per gallon cheaper than they were a year ago are great news for truck drivers, but that may not translate into a big savings for truck rates.

At least that is the view of Paul Kazan, president of Interstate Transportation Systems Inc. in the Bronx, NY. “Fuel costs are only one component of the rate,” said the longtime transportation expert.

The Canadian Produce Marketing Association and its partners launched Half Your Plate, a new healthy eating initiative, across Canada.

Organic Iceberg and green onions are now being offered by Braga Fresh Family Farms as part of its premium-quality, USDA-certified line of organic produce — Josie’s Organics.