Valentine's Day took on an added dimension this year when Wal-Mart, the nation's largest food retailer, introduced bagged "Pink Lady" brand apples to its produce departments. The limited-time promotion was detailed by Pink Lady America Director of Marketing Alan Taylor, who told The Produce News that Wal-Mart "made available another option in its selection of Valentine's Day presents, a selection that already included flowers, gift baskets, personalized gifts, candy, fragrances and lingerie." Referring to Pink Lady's familiar Flowing Heart logo, Mr. Taylor said, "Not only do the Pink Lady

Ephrata, PA-based Four Seasons Produce Co. has enlisted the services of produce industry veteran Maggie Bezart to help recast the company's image and marketing efforts. Ronald Carkoski, president and chief executive officer of Four Seasons, said that Ms. Bezart's company -- Maggie Bezart Marketing Services -- would help the full-service wholesaler by providing a fresh vision for the company. Ms. Bezart's wealth of marketing experience and accomplishments make her a valuable asset in bolstering Four Seasons' business on a number of fronts, with the possibility of doubling the firm's business

The strawberry history of Plant City, FL, began over a hundred years ago when the first railroad was extended to the western coast of the state. Since that time it has evolved into one of the world's larger and more advanced producing areas. The Florida Strawberry Growers Association, headquartered in Dover, was formed in 1982 as a way for growers to become "partners in research, promotion and member-community service." Today, 16 million flats of strawberries are produced annually in the state. The association has also evolved tremendously over the years. "We actually function as three

Nunhems, a major global producer of vegetable seeds, has opened a new service center in Leon, Guanajuato, Mexico, according to Clark Huffman, director of marketing and sales for Nunhems USA. "Our objective is to be able to provide our customers with services that are more responsive than ever and to take advantage of Leon's strategic central Mexico location and interior port and transportation capabilities as an excellent hub for distribution to the rest of the country," Mr. Huffman said in a statement. The new Leon facility boasts some 3,280 square feet of warehouse and office space, with

Early strawberry volume from Southern California districts as of late January was running significantly ahead of a year ago when a series of rainstorms caused problems with the crop. Boskovich Farms in Oxnard, CA, which has about a 33 percent increase in strawberry acreage this year, experienced a January production about 400 percent over last year's January volume, according to Sales Manager Russ Widerburg. "Last year, at the beginning of the winter berries here in Oxnard, it seems like every time we started to pick up volume, the rain would come and knock us down, and we would have to start

Danielle Carter knows a good mix when she sees one. The 26-year-old sales assistant at California-based Classic Salads LLC is finding that her job there meshes nicely with her roles as mother to six-year-old Ethan and wife of exactly two years this Valentine's Day to her husband, Nick. Ms. Carter, who commutes 20 miles and back every day from Salinas, CA, to Classic's Watsonville, CA, cooler, has worked in the industry for about three years. "I just like the produce business, how it works, how [product] grows," she said. She began her career in the trade with Gourmet Veg-Paq Inc. in Salinas as