Barry Rogers, president and chief executive officer of Melbourne, FL-based Sweet Onion Trading Co., expects that the volume of Peruvian onions he will be importing will be down this season. “There was a colder-than-normal winter in parts of Peru, and some feel it may have affected the yield,” he told The Produce News on Aug. 9.

Keystone Fruit Marketing Inc., headquartered in Greencastle, PA, is excited about the prospects for its 2011 trademarked “Mayan Sweets” Peruvian onions. “[Things are] excellent so far,” said Marty Kamer, vice president of sales, on Aug. 11. “However, we have just begun the harvest. Anything can happen at this time.”

The company began its “Mayan Sweets” onion program in 1992. Keyperu S.A. is the Peruvian-based sister company, staffed by local experts. Growers have exclusive agreements with Keyperu to facilitate standardized growing practices and product consistency.

Oso Sweet Onions, headquartered in Charleston, WV, will once again market top-quality Peruvian sweet onions to is clients this season. “We’re off to a great start,” President Brian Kastick told The Produce News on Aug. 12. “We’re very excited about everything.

Oso Sweet increased its plantings this season to respond to continued consumer demand. “Our programs in the United States and Europe will be significantly larger,” Mr. Kastick stated.

It is a “different” year for apple production at Gardeners, PA-based Rice Fruit Co., said John Rice, vice president of sales and marketing.

“The crop situation not as good as it was the last couple of years,” he said. “Volumes will be down by at least 15 percent due to lighter fruit set this year. We had some hail damage early in the season. When it’s cool and rainy for an extended period, the apples don’t pollinate as well as they should.

“The undamaged apples, however, are good size and quality,” he added. “We just won’t have as many as normal.”

Northeast Apple Sales, located in Newburgh, NY, continues to focus on marketing apples from the Champlain Valley and Hudson Valley regions of New York. The majority of the company’s apples are marketed throughout the northeastern United States.

“The crop is just now beginning to come in,” said Frank Tangredi, president of Northeast Apple. “We will start with Ginger Gold and Paula Red, and other varieties will follow behind.”

He said that New York apple orchards received adequate rain this summer, which has resulted in outstanding quality.

In August 2010, Hess Fruit Co. in Leola, PA, installed a new “Greefa” packingline. Fred Hess, president and co-owner with his brother Jerry Hess, told The Produce News that the equipment has been a great asset to the company.

“It’s working out extremely well for us,” said Mr. Hess. “We are using the internal sorting option more than we thought we would. It has the latest software for defect sorting and internal sorting. It was a major investment for our company, but it is enabling us to increase our daily production.”