Apples and innovation go hand in hand at Columbia Marketing International. Steve Lutz, vice president of marketing, said emphasis on brand development, organic sales and category management will keep the company and its customers at the top of their game.

The company is headquartered in Wenatchee, WA, and is among Washington’s leading tree fruit producers. CMI markets a full apple manifest. “Our volume will be up this year overall,” he told The Produce News. “The biggest changes will be organics and our proprietary apple brands.”

Love Beets, a line of premium, all-natural, ready-to-eat beets, announced a company-wide rebranding campaign, featuring a fresh new look that more accurately reflects the brand's whimsical approach to preparing and eating beets. Its new, state-of-the-art packaging better aligns with its commitment to providing consumers with the best-tasting, highest-quality products.

Pear Bureau Northwest announced that Dave Howald has joined the company as the regional marketing manager responsible for the Western United States territory.

Domex Superfresh Growers, a global leader in the growing and shipping of fresh apples, pears, cherries and apricots, continues to provide retailers with innovative tools to connect with consumers with the launch of a new social media promotion called “Your Awesome Apple Recipe Sweepstakes.”

The Kroger Co. donated more than 50 million pounds of fresh meat, produce, dairy and bakery items to local Feeding America food banks in 2013 through its groundbreaking Perishable Donations Partnership — enough bread, meat, cheese and produce to lay 3,700 miles of Kroger's classic deli sandwiches side-by-side from Washington, DC, through Houston to southern Oregon.