Watsonville, CA-based Monterey Mushrooms announced the hire of Andrea Allen as Southeast regional sales manager.

In her new position, Allen will be responsible for managing fresh mushroom sales with both retail and foodservice customers in the seven states surrounding the mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions.

Jorge Antona is a very busy man. He is president of Diaz Produce and he loves his job.

“I don’t think you do what I do without loving it, takes a lot of hours, making sure the trucks get there and get to you,” he said. “It is an around-the-clock kind of job.”

The hard work is paying off. “We have done fairly well the last two years and we’ve grown tremendously,” he continued. “We saw 20 percent growth in 2013, and are on the same path for 2014.”

Although California’s water shortage will have some impact on this year’s crop of sweet potatoes, Larelle Miller, sales manager at Quail H Farms LLC in Livingston, CA, said the company still anticipates a high-quality crop. “Water has been an issue for us,” she told The Produce News. “We had to reduce our planted acreage to match our water allocation.

Mann Packing, a leading supplier of washed and ready-to-eat vegetables, will celebrate the company's 75th year in business and highlight two products in the new products showcase at PMA Fresh Summit in Anaheim, CA, in Booth No. 1538 of the Salinas Valley Grower Shipper Pavilion.

WASHINGTON — After 20 years with the food industry, Ray Gilmer, vice president of issues management and communications at the United Fresh Produce Association, is leaving at the end of the month to lead a Maryland college's public relations team.

A new life for an old textile plant and a new use for discarded but quality sweet potatoes were celebrated at the Sept. 30 grand opening of the Natural Blend vegetable dehydration facility in Farmville, NC.