Capespan North America, a leader in supplying deciduous and citrus fruit year-round to North American retailers, club stores and wholesalers, announced the launch of ClemGem, the brand name for the company’s clementines and other easy-peeling soft citrus products.

Professional Produce, located in the Los Angeles suburb of Vernon, CA, recently hired John McCormick, and is planning on handling organics, in addition to conventional produce, said President Ted Kaplan in an interview with The Produce News.

The organic program, which the company was “just starting,” will include citrus and “a few other items,” Kaplan added.

Prior to joining Professional Produce, McCormick worked for Muranaka Farms. Before that, he was with Ralph’s Grocery Stores for around 30 years.

Great West Produce Inc., a long-established distributor specializing in leafy greens and other vegetables in Commerce, CA, has diversified in recent years into other commodities.

Last fall, the company added a pineapple program and a melon program, and also hired Todd Smith to head up sales on the new melon and pineapple programs, according to Sean Villa, president of Great West Produce.

Smith is a 30-year produce veteran who was previously commodity manager for melons at Valley Fruit and Produce in Los Angeles.

The San Joaquin Valley is buzzing with activity as one of the world's biggest produce supplying regions picks, packs and ships fruits and vegetables around the globe. The San Joaquin Valley represents over 69 percent of the commodities in California and is home to seven of California's top 10 agricultural producing counties.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service expected to recommence issuing phytosanitary certificates effective July 7 for U.S. potato exports to cities within a 26-kilometer zone along the U.S.-Mexico border after receiving confirmation from SAGARPA, the Mexican Ministry of Agriculture, that exports to that zone will be allowed.

Ready Pac Foods Inc. sponsored a symposium on the sustainability of organic spinach, hosted by The United Vegetable Growers Cooperative. The event was held June 24 in Seaside, CA, and spotlighted the growing threat of Downey Mildew to organic spinach yields to help raise awareness within the industry and among fresh-cut produce consumers.