Consumers continue to enjoy simultaneous purchase of two of their favorite fruits — apples and pears — during the holidays. Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers’ U-Pick the Flavors program is the ultimate retail mix-and-match marketing tool. “The idea is that you can mix different varieties to get the different flavors you want,” said national marketing representative Dan Wohlford.

Agroexport LLC, based in Pharr, TX, has partnered with Apio Inc. to introduce the first commercial offering of avocado products featuring the patented BreatheWay packaging technology.

Packed under the “Villita” brand, Agroexport’s new Slice ‘n Serve avocado packages deliver fresh, ripe avocados that last 14 days longer than traditionally packaged avocados, bringing tremendous value to the “Villita” brand and its customers.

The new Slice ‘n Serve 25-pound packs made their debut at the recent Produce Marketing Association Fresh Summit convention in New Orleans.

To-Jo Mushrooms Inc. announced that John Cunningham has joined the company as a national accounts manager, Julie Petrovick has been promoted to director of strategic plan implementation and Peter Wilder has been appointed to marketing director.

LoBue Citrus is celebrating the start of the Navel season with the Celebrate Citrus Sweepstakes. The sweepstakes runs Nov. 1 through Feb. 28.

Lipman, one of North America’s largest open-field tomato growers, has committed $200,000 to the Boys & Girls Club of Collier County in Florida to help fund the nonprofit’s first location in Immokalee.

The 16,000-square-foot facility, which is slated to open in early 2016, will serve more than 400 children and young adults with afterschool and summer programming.

Irwindale, CA-based Ready Pac Foods Inc. has promoted Rick Montoya to vice president of the retail specialties division and Sean McClure to procurement manager within the same division. Montoya, who has held the role of procurement manager for the retail specialties division since 2008, will be stepping into his new position to replace Ken Ewalt, who ran Ready Pac’s retail specialties division for the last 16 years.