Flavor 1st Growers & Packers Inc., based in Hendersonville, NC, hired DAN JONES as general manager.

In his new position, Mr. Jones is in charge of the company’s packing and storage facility, as well as overseeing 300 employees.

Before joining Flavor 1st Growers, Mr. Jones worked in the citrus industry in Florida for 30 years. His prior experience includes being an operations manager and export sales manager for DNE World Fruit Sales and Seald-Sweet International.

Michael Muzyk, president of Baldor Specialty Foods in the Bronx, NY, told The Produce News that the company has had extremely good experiences at the New York Produce Show & Conference since its inception two years ago.

Winter Garden Produce Inc. of Uvalde, TX, is heading into the heart of its cabbage and broccoli deal in excellent shape and plans to increase its focus on onions this season as well.

Though water worries led to a slight reduction in cabbage and broccoli production, “That’s not a bad thing,” said J Allen Carnes, whose grandfather D.C. Carnes started the family business in 1949 just outside of Uvalde in the southwest central part of the state known as the Winter Garden — the area that gave the family business its name.

Washington’s apple producers harvested an all-time record setter for the 2012-13 crop year. “We’re going to have a very good crop,” Charles Pomianek, director of the Wenatchee Valley Traffic Association, told The Produce News Nov. 9. “The good news is that all summer long, we thought the estimate was going to be in the 109-million [box range]. Then they get the darned thing picked, and it’s 121.5 million boxes.”

Curry & Company recently introduced new packaging featuring the redesigned Curry & Co. logo. The company said that its packaging is carefully and creatively designed to meet the merchandising and display needs of retailers nationwide. Matching bins and bags are in the final stages of production.

United Fresh is now accepting nominations for United Fresh Foundation's 2013 Produce Excellence in Foodservice Awards Program. The program honors the foodservice industry's most innovative produce performers and is sponsored by Pro*Act LLC.