Lindsay, CA-based LoBue Bros. Inc. is kicking off the 2010-11 citrus season with more than just a new crop of fruit. The firm is rolling out a new name, a new identity, new hires and plant upgrades. After a year of strategic planning, the firm's management has announced that LoBue Bros. Inc. will now be known as LoBue Citrus. The new identity is debuting with an updated logo that features an orange wedge anchored on a field of blue, along with the company tagline, "A Legacy of Excellence." The new identity is part of a company strategy aiming to create greater recognition for the company

California-based Wm. Bolthouse Farms Inc. has joined forces with dozens of other growers and a well-known advertising agency to promote baby carrots as a snack food with a $25 million marketing effort. The cutting-edge campaign will use a multitude of marketing strategies including Twitter and Facebook, and non-traditional produce packaging to position the product as a snack-food alternative. The packaging will be similar to what is typically used for chip products such as Doritos. In addition, a new web site has been launched (www.babycarotts.com) that features bold graphics and messages

Entering its third season, The Cranberry Network LLC in Wisconsin Rapids, WI, is sticking to its cornerstone plan, Bob Wilson, a founding partner with Blake Johnston in creating company, told The Produce News Aug. 26. That plan is a no-frills promotion of only fresh cranberries, he said, with an emphasis on making the fruit available for relatively late-season sales. This regularly provides fresh cranberries for the Christmas cooking season. On April 9, 2008, The Cranberry Network was named the marketing agency for Habelman Bros. Co. in Tomah, WI, which is among the world's larger fresh

Del Monte Fresh Produce is moving its northeastern U.S. seaport operation Oct. 1 to the Gloucester Marine Terminal in Gloucester City, NJ, according to Leo Holt, president of Holt Logistics Corp. The Holt family owns Gloucester Marine Terminal, which is more commonly known as the Holt Terminal. Del Monte is making a very short move from the Broadway Terminal in Camden, which is immediately upstream on the Delaware riverfront from the Holt seaport and refrigerated warehouse. Mr. Holt said in a written statement prepared for The Produce News, "The move is motivated by access to a modern pier and

The 2010 season was one the Florida tomato industry would rather forget. Devastating winter weather followed by over-production that led to plummeting prices made for a double whammy that battered grower-shippers from January through June. The industry will gather Sept. 7-12 at the Ritz- Carlton in Naples, FL, for the 35th annual Florida Tomato Conference aiming to learn how to avoid a repeat of 2010. As of Sept. 1, 427 industry members and representatives had registered for the conference, hosted annually by the Maitland, FL-based Florida Tomato Committee and Florida Tomato Exchange. That

What do ogres and onions have in common? They shook up produce aisles, VidaliaOnion.org and even schools this spring and summer. Nearly 43,000 Vidalia onion fans played to win on the newly revamped VidaliaOnion.org web site, increasing the number of consumer contest entries more than 400 percent over previous campaign contests. A second contest garnered thousands more entries specifically from school-aged children across the country. The Vidalia Onion Committee in Vidalia, GA, partnered with DreamWorks Animation SKG Inc. to promote the original sweet onion in conjunction with the release of