CITRUSDAL, South Africa – As citrus growers were busy harvesting the early citrus crop in this region on the Western Cape of South Africa, grower-members of the Western Cape Citrus Producers Forum were focused on the attention to detail needed for producing top-quality citrus and maintaining a disciplined approach to exporting their fruit to the United States.

Ready Pac Foods Inc. in conjunction with Disney Consumer Products, is announcing a new line of innovative Disney-themed Mini-Meal and Salads formulated specifically for kids ages 6-12 under the popular Ready Pac "Cool Cuts" brand.

School foodservice directors and educators can take advantage of a tasty new kit offered by the Pear Bureau Northwest, which incorporates delicious Northwest pears into school meal planning classroom activities.

Joe Spano, vice president of sales for Mucci Farms, a leading producer of greenhouse vegetables in Leamington, ON, told The Produce News that Mucci is among the leading companies that owns and/or contracts greenhouse acreage in eastern Ontario.

DANA BYRD joined the sales team at Pismo-Ocean Vegetable Exchange, located in Ocean, CA. She was previously a sales representative in the wine and spirits industry for the past two years in Northern California.

In 1917, Frank Dandrea began operating a farm he named Dandrea Produce on 400 acres in Vineland, NJ. He produced peaches and leafy greens, and distributed what he grew to local retailers.

Steven Dandrea, a third-generation Dandrea family member and grandson of the founder, is now the vice president of Dandrea Produce and explained how the company evolved from a grower to the major Northeastern grower-distributor that it is today.