Stevco Inc. in Bakersfield, CA, has expanded its grape program for the 2013 season in the San Joaquin Valley with new plantings coming into production in many varieties.

The program “has been expanded across the board,” said Jared Lane, vice president of sales and marketing. From Sugraones and Flames on the early end to Autumn Kings on the late end, “we have had expansion at every stage of the season, and I think we are going to be able to supply a lot more high-quality fruit to our clientele.”

Sundale Vineyards in Tulare, CA, together with its sales arm, Sundale Sales Inc., have enjoyed a steady growth in table grape volume over the last few years, and have undertaken substantial facility expansions along the way to keep pace.

This year, Sundale expects another substantial volume increase. “I’m probably going to see 20 percent growth in volume over last year,” said Sean Stockton, president of Sundale Sales. “Sundale continues to grow with great customer support.”

Scattaglia Growers & Shippers LLC in Traver, CA, grows, packs and ships a full line-up of table grape varieties in the central San Joaquin Valley, from early season Flames to late season Autumn Kings, but proprietary varieties exclusive to SGS are an increasingly important part of the company’s grape program.

“We continue to get great response [from customers] with our fall lineup of red and black seedless, and we continue to increase our acreage, especially with the SGS Red variety,” said Louis Scattaglia, managing partner.

Don Johnston, a longtime leader in the California potato industry, died Tuesday, July 16, after several difficult years, including the death of his wife, Gail Johnston, last fall. He was 80.

The Leafy Greens Council appointed Beth Brown to the role of executive director July 1 following the death of former executive director Ray Clark on June 6.

In addition to the “normal mix of varieties” that most grape shippers carry, Pandol Associates Marketing Inc. in Selma, CA, has a line of niche market products that run counter to the traditional wisdom that “bigger is better.”

It consists of “grapes that are grown for sweetness and flavor, rather than berry size,” and they are called “Sweet Babies,” according to President James (Jim) Pandol.

Rather than apply cultural practices designed to increase berry size, “we let them stay small” and develop “very beautiful colors and very intense flavors,” Pandol said.