CHARLOTTE, NC — Chiquita Brands moved its headquarters late last year to a downtown office building, here, located next to the sleek and stylish Hall of Fame for the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, which is apropos since the produce marketer is refocused on its core banana and salad businesses, which are on track and racing ahead, according to Bob Stallman, who gained a new job title during the move.

Georgia is not the first place one thinks of when blueberries are mentioned, nor does one think of that fruit when the Peach State is mentioned. But steady growth based on early bearing varieties has in recent years positioned Georgia to compete for the title of the nation's top blueberry producing state.

Homegrown Organic Farms plans to begin packing blueberries at its new facility in Kingsburg, CA, in 2014. Director of Marketing Scott Mabs said the new facility — which is significantly larger than its current production facility in Arvin, CA — will give the company the ability to handle commodities under one roof.

The Reedley, CA, division of Giumarra Bros. Fruit Co.

VIDALIA, GA — There is debate on how dramatically seed stem will affect this year's Vidalia onion crop, but already fields here show marked presence of the bolting flowers that indicate the condition — and more pop up every day.

The Nunes Co. Inc., marketers of "Foxy" brand produce, has partnered with Skinny Mom, a multi-platform lifestyle brand and blogging network made up of over 100 mom bloggers, for two marketing campaigns during May.

As part of the month-long promotion, Foxy produce is the premier sponsor for the Skinny Mom May Meal Plan, which is distributed to over 37,000 dedicated emails subscribers. In addition, Foxy is also a partner for the Skinny Mom 14-Day Slim Down Challenge and will be the featured sponsor in one of the daily emails to participants.