Taylor Fresh Foods Inc. in Salinas, CA, has completed the purchase of River Ranch Fresh Foods, LLC, also based in Salinas. River Ranch processes and distributes salads, salad kits and cut vegetables under private brand and "River Ranch" brands, and spinach under the “Popeye” brand. It also distributes cut vegetable snacks and commodity vegetable products to customers throughout North America. River Ranch operates salad and vegetable processing and cooling operations in Salinas and El Centro, CA. River Ranch will continue normal operations under the River Ranch name as a wholly owned subsidiary

The new Philadelphia produce market will not open before the first of the year. That is a reality that Philadelphia Fresh Food Terminal Corp. executives Jimmy Storey, president, and Louis Penza, vice president, shared in an Aug. 18 conference call with The Produce News. "We've been kind of told it's been pushed back to the first of the year, but no one is going to officially say it," said Mr. Penza. "Call it a 'well-grounded rumor.'" The original schedule was to have the new market, which is called Regional Produce Cooperative Corp., commissioned by the end of July. Two months of testing

Fairtrade-certified summer citrus from South Africa was featured in 16 Food Emporium stores in Manhattan the third week of August. This promotion was organized by importer Fisher Capespan, based in Gloucester City, NJ. Fisher Capespan President Marc Solomon and South African citrus grower Gerrit van der Merwe presided over samplings of the Fairtrade fruit Aug. 16 in an upscale Food Emporium that is within the foundation of Manhattan's 59th Street Bridge. Mr. van der Merwe is chairman of the Western Cape Citrus Producers Forum. The Navel orange samples were grown at the Cedar Citrus farm near

Andy Gustavson, produce manager for Ben Lomond Market in Ben Lomond, CA, and produce supervisor for sister store Scotts Valley Market, told The Produce News Aug. 3 that organic slicing tomatoes out of Baja California, Mexico, were selling well. As of the week of Aug. 2, Ben Lomond Market had those organic slicing tomatoes on ad at 99 cents per pound. Tomatoes out of Baja California eat well, he said. At this time of year, the store stocks its produce department with tomatoes from Southern California and Baja California, Mexico, as well from local grower Miyashita Nursery Inc. in nearby

Warm weather in Quebec has been both a blessing and a curse for Quebec growers this season. A warmer than normal spring enabled many growers to plant a week to two weeks earlier than normal. Pierre Dolbec, business development and marketing director for broccoli and cauliflower grower Les Jardins Paul Cousineau & Fils Inc., told The Produce News in late July that "we planted early, and in general, everybody was saying they were coming out much earlier than normal. Sweet corn came out a good 10 days before it has in regular years. Generally you will see [Quebec] strawberries available the 15th

Life is not a field exercise. Just ask Mitch Brownfield. The 29-year-old, who is part of the sales team at family-owned Sweet Clover Produce in Walla Walla, WA, has been a member of the U.S. Army, both active and reserve, since 2000, and has served as a senior drill sergeant out of Ft. Knox, KY. Mr. Brownfield is a man of business and a man of action, and the military is in his blood. The foundation was laid for the native Washingtonian at an early age. He didn't have an "aha" moment that guided him to the military, but by the time he was in high school, Mr. Brownfield said that his career