Did you ever wonder why people shop for produce at your competitor’s store? Is their produce any better than yours? Your competition most likely has comparable product and prices. However, if they have a “great” produce department and yours is just mediocre, where do you think people will shop for their fruits and vegetables?

When The Produce News reached Ana Ramos — co-owner with her husband, Frank, of Miami-based The Perishable Specialist Inc. — on Christmas Eve, that conversation gave testament to the company’s claim that it is available to its customers 24 hours a day, seven days a week, every day of the year.

“Both our crop quality and holdings are better than expected because movement has been so strong,” John Rice, president of Rice Fruit Co. in Gardners, PA, told The Produce News. “We had a great year last year due to the shortage of apples in the East, while we had a good crop. But we’re having an even better current year. Some of this may be attributed to us picking up a couple of new customers last year that have stayed with us. And we were poised to move more apples in the fall, and so our pricing was aggressive.”

January will be a time of celebration as people anticipate Chinese New Year and the coming of the Year of the Horse. People born in horse years are said to be skillful with money, perceptive, cheerful and full of wit. The celebration will begin Jan. 31 and continue for 15 days.

Scott Schnuck, chairman and chief executive officer of privately held and family-owned Schnuck Markets Inc., announced that after nearly eight years at the helm, he is preparing to pass the baton to his brother, Todd Schnuck.

In accordance with the family’s succession plan, Todd will become president and CEO in March. Scott will remain chairman and will assist Todd in the transition through September. In addition, older brother, Craig Schnuck, will formally retire from the company and become chairman emeritus.

In 2002, the New York Apple Association took a major bite out of a ripe, juicy apple opportunity when it hired registered dietitian Linda Quinn to be the association’s spokeswoman in order to promote the health benefits of New York apples. She is passionate, proactive and professes to be a major apple believer for all the right reasons.