RIO RICO, AZ — Mexican vegetable volume is building this December for Ciruli Bros. LLC, based here.

Chris Ciruli, the firm’s chief operating officer, indicated Dec. 9 that the Los Mochis, Sinaloa, green bean deal had just begun. Ciruli was also receiving hot peppers and green, yellow and Mexican gray squash.

Slightly farther to the south, Culiacan was shipping eggplant and cucumbers, with colored Bell peppers, tomatoes and Romas due to start by Christmas.

“Those will be our last new items until mangos start March 1," he said.

It’s no secret that adding more fresh produce to your diet will improve your overall health — from reducing the risk of cancer and many other chronic health conditions to managing your weight, fruits and vegetables are your answer.

The ShopRite Sprouts program, an eight-week incentive program designed to encourage children to try new fruits and vegetables, held a special awards ceremony earlier this month.

The Perishable Specialist Inc., a customs brokerage firm in Miami, is dedicated entirely to the produce industry so its business is streamlined to handle perishables exclusively.

Owned by husband and wife Frank and Ana Ramos, The Perishable Specialist deals repeatedly with government agencies and departments, vendors and the steamship lines.

NOGALES, AZ — On Dec. 1, Divine Flavor LLC was scheduled to move into a new refrigerated warehouse here that is within two miles of the Mexican border. The firm will be moving from a facility in nearby Rio Rico, AZ. Five-thousand square feet will serve as the new Divine Flavor office. The remaining 91,000 square feet will have precooling and repacking facilities as well as refrigerated cold storages with temperatures to suit specific products, according to Pedro Batiz, Divine Flavor’s vice president of sales.

Divine Flavor also operates a San Diego warehouse.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture ruled that organic farmers and handlers are exempt from paying into conventional commodity check-off programs, saying that it is an important step that recognizes the organic industry’s unique needs and lets the industry decide where the dollars are best spent.