Hudson River Fruit Distributors, a leading supplier of East Coast apples based in Milton, NY, announced that fourth-generation family member Marcus Albinder has joined the company.

Cherry shippers throughout the Pacific Northwest are ramping up for the start of the summer season. “The change of pace is exciting, cherries are a fun time of year,” said Dan Davis, director of business development at Starr Ranch Growers.

The Wenatchee, WA-based shipper says this summer will require patience, tenacity and excellent communication — qualities the Starr team has in abundance.

“We experienced cold temperatures and snowfall last month making it still a little too early to make much of an assessment,” said Davis.

Gary Margolis, president of Gem Tomato Sales Inc., has long led the movement of direct marketing for Arkansas’ popular vine-ripened tomato varieties — be it rounds or Romas — and has a longstanding relationship with Triple M Farms in Hamburg, AR.

Over this is past winter, New Jersey had “some nice hard freezes, which is always good, and potato planting got started pretty much on time with the mild spring,” according to Ron Budd, vice president of Gloucester County Packing Corp.

“We started the third week of March with our planting of potatoes,” he told The Produce News Monday, May 2. “I think most guys just finished up this past weekend.”

Budd then provided his estimates on the start dates for the coming season.

Matthews Ridgeview Farms, a fifth-generation family-owned-and-operated company, continues to grow, increasing acreage and space for its sweet potatoes. The company is looking to grow with its current partnerships and build some new partnerships in the year ahead.

The National Watermelon Promotion Board’s Foodservice program has a goal of placing more watermelon on menus, year-round, to move more watermelon through the supply chain and to keep watermelon top-of-mind with consumers.

To help achieve this, the NWPB uses operator success stories with watermelon to earn or pay for placements in foodservice publications to inspire other operators, according to Megan McKenna, senior director of marketing and foodservice.