FreshXperts, a consulting group for the fresh industry based in Kansas City, MO, announced PJ Petrillo as administrator and general manager on June 3.

A new cold storage facility at Columbine Vineyards in Delano, CA, will double grape storage capacity for the company and will also “help us with precooling and the turnaround on grapes from the fields,” according to Anthony Stetson, sales manager.

“We built the new facility on our property right her adjacent to our old one,” Stetson told The Produce News May 30. “The structure is completed” and finishing touches were in process. “It will be ready to go when we start harvesting here the end of June.”

HAMMONTON, NJ — As probably everyone knows, the winter of 2013-14 was long, harsh and extremely cold in most sections of the eastern United States, including New Jersey.

So when at the end of May The Produce News visited Tim Wetherbee, sales manager at Diamond Blueberry Inc., here, to discuss the upcoming New Jersey blueberry season, his first comments spoke directly to that issue: “We came through the winter pretty well,” he declared.

Georgia Peach growers are gearing up for a plentiful crop, which is expected to peak in volume and quality during the month of July.  To highlight the flavor of the summertime fruit, the Georgia Peach Council has launched a seasonal marketing campaign aimed at both retailers and consumers.

With an attendance figure that matched last year, a keynote address by one of the most recognizable names in the United States and an increase in exhibitors and booth space, executives at United Fresh Produce Association were calling this year’s show “very successful.”

Sun Pacific announced that for the first time it will have Cuties available to retailers during summer months. Summer Cuties will make their debut from June through October 2014. The company has also hired Bailey Lauerman as the new marketing agency of record for Cuties, as well as for additional brands and products within the Sun Pacific portfolio.