Grower Direct Marketing, a Stockton, CA-based grower-shipper, is off to an early start with its MonsterCot crop.

Legend Produce, a leading U.S. melon supplier, has begun harvesting the popular Origami cantaloupes, which will be available through October.

The characteristics and advantages of the Origami, including high Brix, thin rind, small cavity and great flavor, have made it one of the more popular melon varieties.

The Military Produce Group is showing its commitment to the environment by using reusable plastic containers from IFCO Systems for the shipment of fresh produce to dozens of commissaries.

The Military Produce Group, which supplies fruits and vegetables to commissaries in the southern United States, is moving to RPCs from corrugated boxes for several commodities. This move furthers the Defense Commissary Agency's sustainability program.

Orange, CA-based Interfresh Inc., a national supplier of fruits and vegetables, announced the addition of Stuart Smith to its sales staff in San Bruno, CA, effective April 7.

With the objective of making Vidalia-type sweet onions available when the true Vidalia onions were not in season, Saven Corp. in Savannah, GA, 25 years ago, began growing sweet onions in Chile during the winter and marketing them in the United States under the “Oso Sweet” trademark.

“Our program is growing by leaps and bounds,” Louie Galvan, a partner in Delano, CA-based Fruit Royale told The Produce News April 1, referring to the company’s involvement in the Mexican grape deal.

“We are actually tripling our numbers from last year,” he said. “We have brought on a couple of sizeable growers, and we are making some moves to get involved in the growing process down there as well. We will have a sizeable deal.”

All of the company’s grapes from Mexico will ship out of Nogales, AZ, he said.