Market Fresh, based in Nixa, MO, announced the addition of BRIAN MORRIS to its corporate staff.

As a VMI/packaging specialist for Market Fresh Produce, Morris will be in charge of timely and accurate fulfillment of daily replenishment from customers, as well as handling packaging inventories, according to a company press release.

Baloian Farms has expanded its line of high-quality produce with the launch of its premium heirloom onion, Sophia la Rosa.

The supply of California avocados in the marketplace this spring and summer “is going to be significantly less than it was last year,” said Larry McDaniel, vice president of McDaniel Fruit Co. in Fallbrook, CA, in an interview with The Produce News March 24.

Florida Classic Growers of Dundee, FL, has long been known as a premium provider of Florida citrus. But the company was an early entrant in the burgeoning Florida peach deal and is excited about its 2014 crop, according to Vice President of Sales and Marketing Al Finch.

The outlook for the 2014 California apricot season varies from grower to grower, from location to location and from variety to variety. In general, however, it appears that the crop will start earlier than usual, the set is variable but averaging lighter than normal, and quality looks very good.

If they were available, large limes (175 size and greater) could return a shipper $110 or more for a 40-pound box.

"That's what you could get if you had any," said Ronald Cohen, vice president of sales at Vision Import Group LLC. in River Edge, NJ. "The trouble is, there aren't any."

The lime market has been red hot for more than a month because of bad weather in Mexico's lime-producing regions in December. Very cold temperatures and wet weather reduced the bloom and even damaged some trees.