Each fall the San Luis Valley's many potato farms and packing sheds, along with individuals and families who contribute to Colorado's rich potato legacy, are celebrated with a harvest festival — and this year's is shaping up to be one for the history books.

Chiquita Brands International, which in March announced a proposed merger with Dublin, Ireland-based Fyffes plc, received an unsolicited $611 million buyout offer from the Cutrale Group and the Safra Group.

The pair of companies proposed to acquire 100 percent of the outstanding stock of Chiquita Brands Inc. at a price of $13 per share in cash to Chiquita shareholders. This proposal represents a premium of 29 percent to Chiquita's closing share price of $10.06 as of Aug. 8; however, since the offer was announced Chiquita's stock has risen to more than $13 per share.

After more than 14 months of being denied official access to the Chinese market, the California citrus industry was notified verbally the week of July 28 and in writing Monday, Aug. 4 that China was once again open for exports of California citrus.

Headquartered in Orlando, FL, with farming operations in California’s San Joaquin Valley and a packing, processing and distribution facility in Coalinga, CA, Spice World Inc. is fully vertically integrated in the garlic business, according to Louis Hymel, director of purchasing. “We are pretty much from seed to plate,” he said.

Although the company sources garlic from various producing areas, including Argentina, Central Mexico and Baja California, Mexico, “we offer California garlic almost all year-round,” he said.

The addition of Mission Produce Inc.’s asparagus business as well as its top salesman has given Los Angeles-based Progressive Produce Corp. more flexibility, more volume and more customers for its own asparagus business.

The deal, which was announced last fall and included Mission’s Mexican asparagus business, significantly increased Progressive’s presence in fresh asparagus.