Jon DeVaney, who has served as the executive director of the Yakima Growers-Shippers Association since 2009, has been named as president of the newly formed Washington State Tree Fruit Association, effective Sept. 1.

The new association represents a merger of four industry organizations in Washington state: Yakima Growers-Shippers Association, Wenatchee Valley Traffic Association, Washington State Horticultural Association and Washington Growers Clearing House Association.

Each day through July 29, Food Lion is giving one customer at each of its participating stores the opportunity to win up to $100 in free groceries during the grocer’s “MVP Free Grocery Giveaway.” One grand prize winner will also receive a year’s supply of free groceries.

More than 15,000 winning customers will enjoy immediate savings of up to $100, not to exceed their grocery bill, at checkout, through this “pay it forward” program. All participants are also immediately entered into the drawing to win the grand prize of a year’s supply of groceries.

Chelan Fresh Marketing has joined The Produce Mom family of partners. The partnership was established with a primary goal of marketing the Rockit apple, which has been promoted on The Produce Mom's blog, social media and WISH-TV/Indy Style news segments.

The Rockit apple promotions were well-received.

Stevco Inc., which is headquartered in Los Angeles and has branch offices in Nogales, AZ, and in Coachella and Bakersfield, CA, continues to have an increase in producing acreage across most grape varieties throughout the season, but as with the industry as a whole, “most of our growth as a company has been in the late varieties,” said Jared Lane, vice president of sales and marketing, in an interview with The Produce News.

The changes in variety mix at Eagle Eye Grape Guys LLC in Visalia, CA, a subsidiary of Eagle Eye Produce Co. in Idaho Falls, ID, is really more of an evolution than a revolution, according to Shaun Ricks, vice president of the company.

For the 2014 season out of the San Joaquin Valley, “we’ve got more acreage coming on line of new varieties,” he said July 8. But that has been the case for several successive seasons. “Every year we get more and more.”

Vincent B. Zaninovich & Sons in Richgrove, CA, which had its first commercial crop last year of a licensed proprietary green seedless grape variety called Sweet Sunshine, will have increased production of the variety this year, according to John Zaninovich, president of the company.

“We will start shipping” that variety “the week of the 21st of July, and our volume has increased from last year,” Zaninovich told The Produce News. “The quality is even better this year, and we are real excited about retail response and the good consumer response with that grape.”