After a “weird” summer weather-wise, Red Blossom Sales Inc. of Fresno, CA, has its fall berry program on track, according to Craig Casca, chief executive officer and director of sales.

“The weather has been kind of weird for the whole summer,” Mr. Casca told The Produce News in late July. “It’s slowed things down, which is good for the plants; on the bad side, it’s made berry size smaller than we’d like. But in the long run we’re going to have better berries for a longer period of time.”

While many produce companies are thinking about developing a social media presence, California Giant Berry Farms in Watsonville, CA, has embraced new forms of engaging with customers on-line, and the results have been rewarding.

The folks at Fresherized Foods in Fort Worth, TX, manufacturer of Wholly Guacamole, are “extremely excited” that consumers “are finally getting it, that avocados are a healthy fruit,” according to Tracey Altman, vice president of Marketing.

Wholly Guacamole is produced using an ultra-high pressure process that “allows us to offer an all-natural guacamole or avocado product without any additives or preservatives,” said Cindy Wong, vice president of foodservice, in an interview last year.

“Florida avocados are seasonal,” said Bill Brindle, vice president of sales for Brooks Tropicals LLC in Homestead, FL, July 22. “They start off in July and run pretty much through December, so we are right at the beginning of our season.”

The season gets off to a quick start with volume building quickly, so that “we get up to our peak volumes” by August, he said. “We are pretty much going to be peaking for at least the next six weeks.” It is “a very nice crop coming in,” with about a 40 percent increase in volume over 2010.

Eco Farms Avocados Inc. in Escondido, CA, which grows, packs and ships California avocados and also handles imported avocados from various sources, has opened a branch office in McAllen, TX, according to Steve Taft, president.

“It has been six months or so since we opened it, with the prospects of that area becoming a bigger and bigger dynamic area” in the avocado trade, “which is clearly true. It has become quite a force,” he said.

Agricom International LLC in Escondido, CA, has just opened its second California avocado packinghouse, according to General Manager Bruce Dowhan. The new facility is in Ventura, CA, and is designed to serve growers in California’s northern producing areas in the vicinity of Ventura and Santa Barbara, CA.

Having a packing facility in the northern growing area enables Giumarra Agricom to “have a staff there to work directly with those growers,” Mr. Dowhan said.