Natural Flavor Produce LLC in Nogales, AZ, is a new business on the scene in the West Mexico deal, but the general manager, Gabriel (Gabe) Nuñez, who handles sales for the company, has 18 years of experience on the sales desk.

NOGALES, AZ — Sandia Distributors Inc., here, has hired two new sales people to replace Gabe Nuñez and Steve Damon, who are no longer with the company.

"We brought in Bobby Peraza, who was over at Borg, and we brought in Luis Hanna, who was over at Del Campo," said Bill Spence, sales manager, on Nov. 10. Both new hires had started about a month earlier.

Danny Carosilva continues on the sales desk at Sandia, along with Mr. Spence.

NOGALES, AZ — Veggies Inc., here, a buying broker which handles all of the produce items available in the Nogales produce deal on a buy-sell basis and also does quality-control inspections, consolidation and repacking, has expanded the size of its quality-control department this year with the addition of "a couple of new inspectors," according to Marco Barreda, vice president.

In addition, “on the operations side, we added three new refrigerated trucks” to the company's fleet of bobtail trucks, he said.

The Los Angeles based Giumarra Cos., which has had a presence in Nogales, AZ, for four decades, is expecting an increase in its organic volume this year, and will debut a couple of other new products.

"We have steadily been increasing our organic product offering," said Ben Reilly, the firm's Midwest business development manager, who is based in the Arizona office. “We now offer U.S. Department of Agriculture-certified organic melons, bell peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes, strawberries and papaya to complement our conventional product line.”

The new Mexican produce branding entity Eleven Rivers is gearing up for the launch of product, which it expects to occur in early January.

Brand representative Fernando Mariscal said the operation will not be rushed into branding product before it makes sense so that start date could be fluid. Eleven Rivers is a new branding concept that was launched during the Produce Marketing Association convention in Florida in October.

NOGALES, AZ — Fresh Farms, here, which has grown steadily since its founding in 2006, will see additional growth on most commodities for the 2010-11 season, according to Jerry Havel, director of sales and marketing.

In squash, "we are getting to be one of the larger shippers" in the Nogales deal, he said.

Originally established just a year ago to market some of the grapes, melons and squash for two agricultural operations owned by the Molina family of Hermosillo, Mexico, which owns Fresh Farms, the company has since broadened to represent additional growers as well.