Opal, known as the apple with a purpose, donates a percentage of sales from every case of Opal apples to youth-led non-profits each year. In keeping with the spirit of giving, Opal hit the Big Apple Dec. 2 for Giving Tuesday — a global day dedicated to giving back — and gave away over 6,000 Opal apples.

Del Monte Fresh Produce N.A. Inc. has announced a voluntary recall of fresh cut fruit containing Gala red apples grown in Pennsylvania. The affected product was distributed to a limited number of customers in the Northeast and is being recalled because these apples have the potential to be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

The Castellini Group of Cos., a leading distributor of fresh produce based in Cincinnati, announced plans to construct a vegetable processing and distribution center in Conley, GA.

The location in Georgia strengthens Castellini's presence in the Southeast, enabling it to reach 80 percent of the U.S. market within a single day by truck.

The board of directors of the Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association named Tamas Houlihan as its executive director. Houlihan has been serving as interim executive director since August of 2014.

“We had a very strong Thanksgiving pull and we’re looking forward to a strong remaining holiday season,” Charlie Eagle, vice president of business development for Southern Specialties, a leading grower, importer and distributor of specialty produce, told The Produce News.

“We continue to receive asparagus from Peru and will open our Mexican deal in early January,” he continued. “We offer asparagus in a wide variety of value-added options, with sizes that are ideal for every consumer.”

OBREGÓN, SONORA, Mexico — Strong and growing within Sonora’s thriving Yaqui Valley is Agricola Gutiérrez. The 20-year old company is owned by brothers Octavio and Ernesto Gutiérrez.

In recent years, the very close brothers have somewhat separated their entrepreneurial activities. But together they own produce packinghouses around Obregón as well as the produce marketing company, GreenPoint Distributing LLC, located in Rio Rico, AZ. GreenPoint was founded in November 2000 after an unprofitable season selling product through an independent distributor.