HURRICANE KATRINA UPDATE: Storm damages southern Florida floral nurseries and avocado crop
Charles H. Bronson, Florida's commissioner of agriculture, will visit the Homestead area of southern Florida Tuesday, Aug. 30, to view the damage that Hurricane Katrina wreaked on the states nursery industry. "The strong winds, heavy rain and loss of power have combined to wallop our nursery industry in south Florida," said Commissioner Bronson. We will do all that we can to assist our growers.
Pride Packing taps Oppenheimer as marketing partner
Capitalizing on a strong stone fruit market and looking ahead to future opportunities, The Oppenheimer Group and Pride Packing Co. have joined forces.
The recently announced alliance with the Wapato, WA-based Pride represents Vancouver, BC-based Oppenheimer's first full-scale venture into domestic stone fruit marketing.
U.S. apple crop a bit smaller than in 2004
CHICAGO At the U.S. Apple Association 2005 Apple Crop Outlook & Marketing Conference, held here at the Four Seasons Hotel Chicago Aug. 18-19, James R. Cranney Jr., vice president of the hosting group, told the audience of apple marketers that the total U.S. apple crop this season will be down 6 percent over 2004 and should total about 234.2 million bushels, which is, however, 3 percent above the five-year average.
Rice Fruit and Wal-Mart team up again for huge peach displays
August in Pennsylvania can only mean one thing: sweet, juicy and delicious tree-ripened peaches.
Wal-Mart and Rice Fruit Co. in Gardners, PA, teamed up for the second year in a row to recognize Pennsylvania's peach industry with a giant display of Pennsylvania peaches in both the Carlisle, PA, and Chambersburg, PA, supercenters.
The peach displays go hand-in-hand with Wal-Marts Store of the Community effort, which places products that customers want to buy in the stores meaning more local produce, like the Pennsylvania-grown peaches featured in this promotion.
Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission awards $3,000 to recipe contest winners
The Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission in Baton Rouge, LA, and Louisiana Cookin' magazine have concluded the first Sweet Rewards Recipe Contest for canned sweet potatoes, naming four first-place winning recipes and one grand-prize winner. Over 400 entries from 38 states nationwide were narrowed down to 10 recipes in four categories: soups, sides, desserts, and breads and breakfast. These 10 dishes were then prepared for judging by students in the Culinary Arts program at Delgado Community College in New Orleans.
Enjoying a family business to the fullest
He graduated from college and went to work the very next day. That was how Jason Sardilli recalled his official start in his family's produce company, Sardilli Produce & Dairy Co. Inc., where he works alongside his father, Don, and his older brother, Devin. And although he hails from a produce family and "helped out" at the wholesale distributor in Hartford, CT, while he was growing up, his joining the company was never assumed or pre-ordained.
Greenhouse Produce Co. appoints Fried De Schouwer president
The board of directors of the newly formed Mission, TX-based Greenhouse Produce Co. LLC has announced the appointment of greenhouse pioneer Fried De Schouwer as president.
Mr. De Schouwer, a greenhouse tomato industry leader, left Eurofresh, where he was vice president of sales and marketing, after 14 years in 2004. During his tenure, Mr. De Schouwer was the cornerstone of the company's rapid growth in sales from $3 million to more than $85 million by 2004.
Frieda Rapoport Caplan Family Business Scholarships awarded
The United Fresh Fruit & Vegetable Association in Washington, DC, has announced the recipients of the 2005 Frieda Rapoport Caplan Family Business Scholarships.
RETAIL VIEW: Pennsylvania bringing retailers to underserved areas
Earlier this month, the state of Pennsylvania gave $500,000 for a small local supermarket chain to open another unit in Philadelphia. The state made a similar investment in Shop Rite late last year, which has resulted in the development of another Philadelphia supermarket that is already up and running. And the state has about $19 million more earmarked for similar investment.
Stage is set for Fair Trade Month in October
Plans for the second annual Fair Trade Month to be held in October are being finalized through Oakland, CA-based non-profit TransFair USA, the only independent third-party certifier of Fair Trade products in the United States.
Fair Trade certification is a business model that aligns the interests of growers, farmworkers, the industry and consumers. Fair Trade growers are guaranteed a minimum return designed to cover the cost of sustainable production and a decent standard of living for farmers and farmworkers.