The national finals for the 2014 USA Pears “Pear Excellence” Canadian Culinary Student Recipe Competition were held April 8 at The Dirty Apron Cooking School in Vancouver. Five culinary student finalists from highly competitive regional competitions faced off before a panel of esteemed judges for the National Grand Prize title.

Although the California contribution to aggregate avocado volume in the United States will be a bit under 20 percent this year compared to nearly 30 percent last year, the marketing strategies for California fruit at Calavo Growers Inc. in Santa Paula, CA, are “fairly similar” to what they were in 2013, according to Rob Wedin, vice president of fresh sales and marketing.

Michael Shapiro, part of the sales team at Weis-Buy Farms Inc. in Fort Myers, FL, said it’s hard to talk about marketplace dynamics for fresh produce during the winter without talking about weather impacts.

“The misery index in the northeastern and midwestern United States came close to a record this year,” he told The Produce News.

Weis-Buy Farms is a grower, shipper and broker of all fruits and vegetables.

“We specialize in tomatoes of all kinds, peppers, cucumbers and squash,” he added. “If the produce is fresh, Weis-Buy can find it for our customers.”

The early cherry deal in the southern and central San Joaquin Valley of California will have an earlier start than usual this year, by as much as two weeks, not only giving producers more time to market the crop but also giving retailers at least one extra holiday for promotions.

The 2014 Fresno Food Expo, presented by Union Bank, announced the return of the highly anticipated Fresno Food Expo New Product Awards, presented by Baker Peterson Franklin CPA LLP. These awards showcase innovative products and packaging solutions from California's San Joaquin Valley.

Five Crowns Marketing is one of only two U.S. growers licensed to bring retailers the Origami cantaloupe, which is hitting stores in May. It is being harvested out of the Imperial Valley and will be available through the beginning of July.