Papaya specialist HLB Specialties, based in Pompano Beach, FL, has started importing rambutan fruit from Guatemala. The first shipment arrived the last week of June and is being sampled in the Florida stores of a major national retailer.

TORONTO — Just over a year after coming on board as a partner in Bayshore Vegetable Shippers Ltd., Hugh Bowman told The Produce News things are looking good. Located in Burlington, ON, Bayshore represents over 100 growers and provides fresh produce to wholesalers and retailers in Canada and the United States.

“We do a lot of offshore importing from around the world and carry a full line of fruits and vegetables,” said Julian Sarraino, vice president of marketing and sales for Fresh Taste Produce Ltd. With both Canadian and U.S. divisions, and packaging facilities in southern Ontario and the northeastern United States, Fresh Taste designs and implements various programs based on the needs of its customers. Citrus, stone fruit, grapes, apples, pears, melons, tropicals, wet veg and dry veg are just a few of its offerings.

North American Produce has been operating out of the Ontario Food Terminal since 1960. A family business, North American is now managed by brothers Steven and Larry Davidson, the third generation to run the business. The Produce News sat down with Larry Davidson, chief executive officer, to discuss what makes this wholesaler unique.

The Kitayama Bros.

What will leadership look like in the coming decade? The Wholesale Florist & Florist Supplier Association has selected that topic as keynote for its annual Floral Distribution Conference in Miami Oct. 24-26.