Duda Farm Fresh Foods won the chef demo competition at the PMA Foodservice Conference with a recipe that featured the company’s value-added fresh celery and radish ministick products.

WP Rawl, a grower, shipper and processor of leafy greens in the United States, announced Marshall Sherman as its new director of food safety and quality assurance on July 7.

Garlic harvest was just getting underway in mid-July at Christopher Ranch, headquartered in Gilroy, CA. Patsy Ross, marketing director for the garlic and specialty products’ firm said the company was looking forward to a good harvest.

“Yields are expected to be normal vs. last year’s crop, which was down about 15 percent,” said Ross. “The demand for garlic in the market for the past couple of years has been strong and the supply has been down a little. So far this year, the size of the garlic bulbs are looking promising.”

Bayshore Produce LLC, an import-export company based in Miami, FL, which has been heavily involved in Chilean exports, has entered the California grape deal in order to offer clients an extended season on grapes. It is also introducing a new trademarked retail brand, “Grapes in the Sun,” which it will use on high-graphic gusseted handle bags as well as clamshells.

Fred Recchiuti, general manager Basciani Foods Inc., headquartered in Avondale, PA, told The Produce News that the company will celebrate its 90th year in business in 2015. The company is a fourth-generation mushroom farm that was founded by the grandfather of Michael Basciani, who serves as company president today.

“One of our primary focuses continues to be in finding and implementing ways to reduce costs by increasing efficiencies on the growing end of our business,” said Recchiuti. “Our attention is on energy reduction, labor reduction and other overhead areas.”

Jose Rossignoli, category general manager at Robinson Fresh, said the global avocado market is growing by leaps and bounds. And trends show that imports keep the domestic pipeline full.

“Avocados account for nearly half of tropical category dollar sales and have been up in sales each year since 2010,” he told The Produce News.