With a projected crop of California avocados for 2010 that is two-and-a-half to three times the size of the 2009 crop, the California Avocado Commission is supporting that large volume of fruit with a strong marketing campaign that will kick off in earnest in April and continue through September, coinciding with what are expected to be the heaviest volume periods for the crop. Many growers had already started harvesting in a light way in January and February, but Jan DeLyser, vice president of marketing for the commission, said that she expected to see "good volumes of California fruit in the

With spring just around the corner, the Pear Bureau Northwest and Epic Roots have announced a partnership designed to bring excitement to produce departments and consumers alike. A special retail promotion taking place through April will give retailers a chance to showcase a new Epic Roots Mâche and U.S.A. pear salad. The recipe features Green Anjou pears and Mâche Rosettes in a salad that includes other springtime ingredients. "We are excited to bring consumers a new spring recipe idea, savings on Mâche salads and help the produce department increase overall sales with a recipe that calls for

FirstFruits Marketing LLC and Broetje Orchards recently unveiled Opal, a new apple variety grown in Washington state. This new apple variety is recognized for its bright yellow color with hints of orange blush, but its key attributes are its crunchy texture and sweet flavor with Brix of 15-18. These flavor and texture attributes come from its cross between a Golden Delicious and a Topaz apple. Other attributes include a medium-round shape, stem end russeting and resistance to oxidation after slicing. The marketing campaign for Opal has coined them "a new American jewel" and in taste tests

Mangos come into the United States from half a dozen different companies and in even more different carton configurations. As a result pallet counts are all over the board. "Most people use a nine-pound box but there are some bigger ones and smaller ones," said Bill Vogel, president of Tavilla Sales Co. in Los Angeles. "You might get a pallet with 180 cartons from one shipper and another pallet will have 204 or 210 or 216 or even as many as 240 cartons." Larry Nienkerk, managing partner at Splendid Products LLC in Burlingame, CA, said that another problem is that most cartons being used in the

Jeannine Martin, a sales and marketing professional with 35 years of experience in the produce industry, most recently as sales manager of Fowler, CA-based Simonian Fruit Co., has joined Fruit Patch in Dinuba, CA, on the sales desk. An announcement of the appointment was made March 5 in a Fruit Patch press release. "Jeannine's passion for developing business relationships focused on the customer's needs mirrors the philosophy of Fruit Patch," Sheri Mierau, vice president of sales and marketing, said in the release. "Jeannine's track record of using a service-oriented approach in her

A retaliatory tariff on California grapes imposed last year by Mexico in response to a U.S. ban on cross-border trucking cost the industry $43 million in 2009, and industry leaders as well as a congressional coalition are pushing hard to get the situation resolved before the start of the 2010 grape season, according to Barry Bedwell, president of the California Grape & Tree Fruit League in Fresno, CA. "We now have the numbers from 2009 on fresh grapes that really show the impact of that 45 percent tariff," said Mr. Bedwell. "We had estimated that we could lose 75 percent of our market, and in