Prime Produce International LLC, an avocado importer, packer and marketer founded in 2004 by Avi Crane, filed Chapter 7 bankruptcy Dec. 4 in U.S. Bankruptcy Court Central District of California in Santa Ana, CA, and ceased operation as of the same date. The bankruptcy petition was filed by the company's attorney, John T. Hanson of San Francisco. Bankruptcy trustee is John M. Wolfe of Irvine, CA. The case is assigned to Judge Robert N. Kwan. Explaining the cause of the bankruptcy, Mr. Crane furnished The Produce News with a written statement Dec. 7 that said, "The developer of the software used

Hold the top sirloin, fried chicken and barbecue. A study conducted by Monterey, CA-based Dole Fresh Vegetables suggests that residents of a number of U.S. cities known for their meat-eating ways may actually prefer salad. The internal study named 21 markets as Top Salad Cities in the United States, which means that local residents in these markets eat more salad per person than their counterparts in other U.S. cities, have the potential to eat more salad or are more likely to try new salad blends, experiment with salad and salad ingredients in the kitchen, or serve salad as a meal. The 18

The Idaho-Eastern Oregon Onion Committee has partnered with OSI Restaurant Partners, the Tampa, FL-based owner of Outback Steakhouse, on a new promotion on the Facebook social media web site that includes a program to give away a blooming onion appetizer to participants. Coupons are currently being distributed to the first 500,000 people who sign up as fans on Outback's Facebook page. The onion committee represents 32 onion shippers from the Snake River Valley of southwestern Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon. A number of shippers from the area are major suppliers of the colossal onions sold to

Michele Peterson joined the sales team at Aspen Produce LLC, headquartered in Center, CO, Nov. 10. "This is just a wonderful environment," Ms. Peterson told The Produce News Nov. 23. The family-owned company has been growing and shipping potatoes from its state-of-the-art facility in Colorado's San Luis Valley since 1971. Prior to joining Aspen Produce, Ms. Peterson worked at Harvest Select in Monte Vista, CO, for 10 years. Her husband is a third-generation potato farmer in the valley. Aspen Produce markets potatoes throughout the United States. The area from the Southeast to Midwest is a

Nichole Towell has been selected to receive the Produce Marketing Association Foundation for Industry Talent's second Tip Murphy Scholarship for Leadership Excellence. Ms. Towell, marketing development manager for Duda Farm Fresh Foods in Wellington, FL, will use the award to participate in PMA FIT's Leadership Symposium in January. "Our scholarship committee felt that Nichole's personal statement in particular eloquently demonstrated her commitment to the industry and her passion for furthering her personal and professional development," PMA FIT Executive Director Cindy Seel said in a Dec. 1

APTOS, CA -- With the close of 2009 bringing abundant, high-quality Chilean Hass avocados, U.S. retailers across the country are using the Chilean Avocado Importers Association's eye-catching, in-store promotional materials and comprehensive marketing program to drive increased sales in the produce department. "Our Chilean Hass avocado promotion has been an absolute home run for us as we garnered double-digit sales increases," Steve Williams, director of produce at Sweetbay Supermarket, said in a Dec. 1 press release. "The point- of-sale materials and consumer touch points were great [and]