The Peruvian Asparagus Importers Association has announced that Matt DeCarlo, president of Altar Produce Inc. in Calexico, CA, has been named West Coast chairman for the association.

Mr. DeCarlo assumes the position formerly occupied by Chris Martin, president of Gourmet Trading Co., who died suddenly July 23. The association joins the industry in grieving the loss of Mr. Martin.

Tosca Limited, a Green Bay, WI-based provider of reusable container pooling and logistics services to the food supply chain, announced that it has acquired the reusable plastic container division of Georgia-Pacific LLC. The acquisition expands the company's portfolio of products and services offered to customers in the produce, dairy, beverage and protein industries.

Harris Teeter is launching a campaign designed to bring salad bars to schools in the Harris Teeter market communities to support Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools. In collaboration with the United Fresh Produce Association Foundation, a founding partner of LMSB2S, Fresh Express, a wholly owned subsidiary of Chiquita Brands, and nine additional produce suppliers, Harris Teeter will donate salad bars to at least 10 schools. These salad bars will benefit more than 5,000 students by providing them a healthy lunch option filled with fresh produce.

Alamo, TX-based Fresh Tex Produce, a year-round shipper of tropical fruits and vegetables, as well as chili peppers and tomatoes out of Mexico, recently hired Rio Grande Valley native CHRIS HOFFMAN comes to the company after working for Glaziers for the past two years, handling outside sales. Mr.

ARMANDO PALACIOS, a Rio Grande Valley native, joined Alamo, TX-based Fresh Tex Produce after working in sales for six years at Azteca Milling, a producer of milled corn under the brand known as “Maseca,” under the position of executive sales. During his time at Azteca, Mr.

“We’ve got increases in everything” for the 2012 grape season in the San Joaquin Valley and will have additional increases in coming seasons, said Nick Dulcich, a partner in J.P. Dulcich & Sons in Delano, CA, and president of Sunlight International Sales Inc., the company’s sales arm. “We are growing as a company.”

The company’s volume was up last year and continues to build this year with young vineyards coming into fuller production.

In addition, there are young vineyards yet to come into production, and new planting continues.