Gary Margolis, owner and president of Gem Tomato & Vegetable Sales Inc., headquartered in Boca Raton, FL, said that the Arkansas tomato crop is about 10 days ahead of schedule, and with excellent quality and yields.

VINELAND, NJ — The Fresh Wave has signed a deal to enhance the stature of fresh blueberries as the top item in terms of volume at the company, which is headquartered here in southern New Jersey.

The company is for the first time the exclusive distributor of blueberries from Farmer John LLC, based in Alma, GA, The Fresh Wave’s Tom Consalo told The Produce News at the very end of May.

As the Northwest fruit season ramps up, Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers in Wenatchee, WA, is seeing good sizing and excellent quality in all crops.

Oneonta Marketing Director Scott Marboe said on June 5 that cherries were set to start the week of June 10, followed by early apricots the end of the month.

“The cherry crop is shaping up nicely,” Mr. Marboe said. “Bloom weather was perfect, and the growing season so far has been ideal.”

KEVIN EICHELE joined Watsonville, CA-based Monterey Mushrooms last November as Western region director of sales and is working from his home office in Lagun

Virginia’s agricultural production is one of the most diverse in the nation. Many Virginia commodities and products rank in the top ten among all U.S. states.

Fresh market tomatoes from Virginia, for example, rank fourth in the nation. Apples, summer potatoes and fresh market snap beans rank sixth in the country.

Sunrise Fresh Produce LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Merchants Foodservice, announced the completion of its acquisition of certain assets from Produce Distribution Center LLC in Jacksonville, FL. The closing, completed June 5, enables Sunrise Fresh Produce to operate its second produce distribution center as Sunrise Fresh Produce of Jacksonville.

In association with the acquisition, Michael O'Brien, formerly of Adams Produce, has been named as general manager of Sunrise Fresh Produce of Jacksonville.