"Garden Cut," a brand of Indianapolis Fruit Co., has launched a new branding and label design for its pre-cut and ready-to-use products in retail stores. A new "To Go Snack" line of produce-based products has also been released during the launch.  Starting Sept. 22, the newly branded Garden Cut products sold throughout the Midwest were available in hundreds of grocery stores.

The Charlotte Hornets have teamed up with Food Lion on a multi-year, multi-faceted partnership that establishes Food Lion Feeds as the official hunger-relief partner of the Charlotte Hornets. The two organizations tipped off the partnership at Highland Renaissance Academy in Charlotte, NC, by distributing more than 9,500 meals to 300 school families with the help of Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina's mobile food pantry. 

Frieda's Organic Heirloom Apples are now available from Frieda's Specialty Produce. These 15 varieties of organic heirloom apples are available in short bursts throughout the season. Due to the short season and limited availability, most retailers and distributors pre-book theirs months in advance.

Earlier this month, the National Mango Board named Manuel Michel to be the next executive director of the marketing and research commodity group. By any measure, he has big shoes to fill.

Michel, who most recently provided regulatory oversight to several federal government commodity programs as a marketing order specialist for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Marketing Order & Agreement Division, will become the board’s second executive director, replacing William Watson, who has been the top staff member of the board since its inception almost a decade ago.

Baldor Specialty Foods, headquartered in the Bronx, NY, officially opened its Jessup, MD, distribution facility in February of this year.

Bill Hodge, general manager of the facility, told The Produce News that business has been very positive since its start.

“We are enjoying a tremendous amount of growth, our product mix is strong and we have the ability to hold inventory,” said Hodge. “Our customers are being satisfied in a timely fashion.”

A little over a year has passed since Aurora Products moved into its new state-of-the-art headquarters in Orange, CT. Aurora, which opened its doors in 1998, offers a full line of natural and organic dried fruits, nuts, trail mixes, salad toppings and granolas. None of Aurora’s products contain preservatives, artificial colors or additives.

This is the fifth move the company has made to accommodate its growing business.