If a retailer is selling blueberries, grapes or stone fruit — such as peaches, plums and nectarines — during the winter months, chances are the fruit is from Chile, said Karen Brux, managing director of the San Carlos, CA-based Chilean Fresh Fruit Association, North America. “As the largest fruit exporter in the Southern Hemisphere, Chile exports more than 800,000 tons of fruit to the U.S. annually, and over half of that is supplied during our winter months. Consumers expect their retailers to have year-round supplies of their favorite fruits, and Chile makes it possible.”

At the 17th annual Friend of Chile Awards Luncheon, the Chilean & American Chamber of Commerce of Greater Philadelphia honored accomplished business leaders, including John Anderson, chairman, president and chief executive officer of The Oppenheimer Group, who received a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Sunkist has developed a video series called Sunkist Citrus Hacks to inspire consumers to get creative this citrus season.

"The videos are a spin-off of 'life hacks' — the popular clever life solutions that have garnered so much online traction," said Joan Wickham, Sunkist advertising and public relations manager. "Sunkist Citrus Hacks teach tips and tricks that can help make enjoying citrus easy and, of course, fun.

WASHINGTON — President Obama announced sweeping new executive actions on immigration reform Thursday that will likely set up the White House for a battle with the Republican-controlled Congress, but the produce industry hopes it will serve as a catalyst for a legislative fix.

During his prime-time televised speech, Obama criticized the House for failing to hold a vote on the Senate-passed bill, which he called a compromise.

For many California vegetable grower-shippers, winter marks a shift in production areas and a transition from the central coast to the California or Arizona. That’s not the case for Oxnard, CA-based Boskovich Farms.

“Pretty much we grow the same crops all year-round,” said Don Hobson, vice president of sales and marketing.

With the multi-colored pepper crops transitioning from one district to the next during the fall season, supplies are generally tight and demand good during the Thanksgiving to Christmas time frame. That is especially going to be the case this year as a series of September-October storms created multiple challenges in Baja California, which is the main production area at this time of year. “Not only did the storms damage the crops in the ground but there was significant damage to the infrastructure,” said Mike Aiton, marketing manager for Prime Time Sales LLC in Coachella, CA.