SAN DIEGO -- Looking to capitalize on the momentum it has gained in just under two years of operation, Sundia Corp., an up-and-coming marketer of fresh watermelons and a watermelon juice distributor, is now setting its sights on cut fruit. "We are launching in January for nationwide distribution through chains and mass-market retailers," said Brad Oberwager, Sundia's chief executive officer. "This one's big." Mr. Oberwager noted that the cut-fruit market is currently "underserved by only one premium-priced brand," and that Sundia plans to "get into the market by being aggressively priced. This

SAN DIEGO -- Founded by John Shuman, president of Reidsville, GA-based Shuman Produce Inc., Produce for kids partners with retailers and produce handlers to raise money to benefit Children's Miracle Network, an organization that aids in the care of ill children. At the PMA Fresh Summit on Sunday, Oct. 22, Produce for Kids held a reception to honor and thank the produce companies and retailers that have helped it to raise over $725,000 dollars for Children's Miracle Network. Among the retailers that were honored were Kroger Southwest, which raised $29,000 during the spring portion of the effort

SAN DIEGO -- Farming by its very nature is not for the risk-averse. Perhaps nowhere is this more exemplified than by the largely Latino workforce that takes a considerable risk just getting to and from work. Voluminous evidence demonstrates that these workers -- who often work in the fields -- are not taking jobs away from anyone else, said Craig Regelbrugge, senior director of government relations for the American Nursery & Landscape Association. A PMA Fresh Summit workshop on immigration reform shed light on both the difficulties for illegal immigrants working the fields as well as workers

SAN DIEGO -- You're sitting on your sofa watching a game on TV and eating pistachio nuts. Bear with me here; you'll probably relate to this. Most of the nuts are open, so you have no trouble shelling them by Braille and popping the meat into your mouth without taking your eyes off the screen. Then you pick up a nut that doesn't feel like it's open. You glance down and scrutinize the nut to see if there is enough of a crack between the shell halves to insert a fingernail. When you look back up, you realize you've missed a key play. And in the process, you probably broke a fingernail. Then and

SAN DIEGO -- Some five weeks after news hit of the E. coli 0157:H7 outbreak in spinach, the topic drew lively discussion at the Produce Marketing Association's Fresh Summit town hall workshop forum on a path to recovery. The industry has suffered with spinach- and bagged salad-related losses tallying into the millions of dollars. Industry professionals in the Salinas Valley and surrounding areas have had first-hand opportunities in recent weeks to meet with local, state and federal officials on the matter. This PMA workshop once again afforded that opportunity, but it also allowed for industry

California-based Dulcinea Farms and Florida-based Rosemont Farms announced at the Produce Marketing Association convention in San Diego a strategic alliance that will increase the production and distribution of "Dulcinea" brand fresh fruits and vegetables. Keith Kato, general manager of Dulcinea Farms, told The Produce News that currently about 80 percent of the company's output is marketed west of the Rockies. The alliance with Rosemont will allow the company to significantly increase its production by next spring and facilitate tremendous sales expansion into the eastern half of the United