Working with Wenatchee, WA, cherry grower Phillippi Fruit Co., Grant J. Hunt Co. is looking forward to a clean crop of consistently sized fruit, according to Hunt Marketing Director Eric Patrick in Yakima, WA.

Mr. Patrick told The Produce News on May 18 that predictions are for a crop of 21 million 20-pound equivalents out of the Northwest, possibly beating the 2009 record of 20.5 million boxes.

“Right now we’re seeing a lot of cherries, evenly distributed,” he said. A mild spring and the even spread on the trees could lead to bigger fruit, he added.

Sales of mushrooms have continued to grow over the past decade, according to Bart Minor, president of the Mushroom Council headquartered in San Jose, CA.

"In 2011, supermarket sales in pounds were over 204 million as reported by Symphony/IRI Group," he said. "Mushrooms continue to outperform total produce dollars and volume."

He added that in the past, white button mushrooms were always the standard, and while still immensely popular, other varieties are finding favor with consumers such as the increased usage in brown mushrooms indicates.

Irwindale, CA-based Ready Pac Foods announced DON BRUMLEY as its new regional sales manager on May 7.

Mr. Brumley has more than 25 years of retail sales and management experience, having most previously worked for Colorful Harvest.

Three crop peaks and a significant overall increase in production is being forecast by Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers in Wenatchee, WA, for its 2012 cherry season.

Dan Wohlford, national marketing representative for Oneonta, told The Produce News on May 21 that the operation is “looking at a 16 percent increase over last year’s crop.”

Borton & Sons Inc., headquartered in Yakima, WA, anticipates an optimum cherry crop and increased volume in 2012. “We expect a 20 percent to 25 percent increase in volume over last year as a company,” President of Sales & Marketing Denny Annen said May 18. “Between dark sweet cherries and Rainiers, we should be at approximately 500,000 cases this year. The industry numbers being tossed around at this point are in that 20 to 21 million box [range], compared to 18.3 million boxes last year.”

Maurice A. Auerbach is continuing its already strong relationship with the Hunts Point Terminal Produce Cooperative Market from its new state-of-the-art facility in Secaucus, NJ.