Kevin Bartolotta, president of Bartolotta Inc. in Torrington, CT, is a prime example of the generosity the produce industry typically displays, and his heart is as big as the moon when it comes to caring about people in need. Even when he’s in the middle of his day-to-day business of overseeing his company; a broker, distributor and logistics provider specializing in Western, Eastern and Southern vegetables, his mind is never far away from the next fundraiser he is organizing or donating to those in need.

Chilean Ambassador Felipe Bulnes, Delaware Governor Jack Markell, Chile’s Exporters Association President Ronald Bown, Pacific Seaways Executive Director Francisco Labarca and Port officials welcomed this year’s first shipment of Chilean winter fruit to the U.S. onboard Pacific Seaways’ chartered refrigerated breakbulk vessel m/v Polarstream on Monday, Dec. 17.

Total Produce plc, located in Dublin, Ireland, announced Dec. 17 that it has brokered a deal to acquire a majority interest in The Oppenheimer Group, headquartered in Vancouver, BC.

Under the terms of the deal, Total Produce will control 65 percent of the company in a two-phase deal. In January, Total Produce will acquire 35 percent of Oppenheimer's shares. The remaining 30 percent of shares will be acquired in 2017 at a price based on future profits.

Despite the impact of frost to the 2012 potato crop from the Red River Valley, the region’s growers are moving their largest crop since 2008. “It would have been larger if we hadn’t lost 2,100 acres to frost late in the harvest,” said Ted Kreis, marketing director for the Northern Plains Potato Growers Association in East Grand Forks, MN. “That cost us a half million hundredweight of potatoes.”

As part of Richard Bagdasarian Inc.'s commitment to sustainability, President Nick Bozick recently employed an advanced 300kW photovoltaic solar energy system at its packinghouse in Mecca, CA.

Earl A. Cronk Jr., a senior category manager for the Golub Corp's Price Chopper division in Schenectady, NY, died of a sudden and massive heart attack Dec. 7. He was 45.