Indianapolis-based Caito Foods Service Inc., a leading produce distributor that delivers products to more than 10 states on a daily basis, has appointed Tony Mitchell director of procurement. Mr. Mitchell joined Caito Foods in 1992. His most recent role was account manager. During his tenure, he has gained extensive knowledge about sourcing product, marketing strategies and consumer demands. Prior to joining Caito Foods, Mr. Mitchell worked for Pick 'N Save Foods in Van Wert, OH. "Throughout Tony's career in produce distribution, he has focused on delivering practical and effective business

TRAVER, CA -- When Louis Scattaglia, managing member of Scattaglia Growers & Shippers LLC in Traver, CA, and an owner of Scattaglia Farms in Littlerock, CA, first began putting together a small group of growers to form SGS, he had in mind a "very deliberate underlying strategy" with respect to the geographical locations of the orchards, according to Dave Parker, marketing director for SGS. "Strategically, this company was put together to give the retailer a way to differentiate in his marketplace" with great-eating fruit "weeks earlier than his competition is going to put it out on the shelf,"

Justin Guibert, sales representative for Christopher Ranch in Gilroy, CA, grew up in California's Salinas Valley. Those who know that part of the country also know that agriculture plays a major role in the community, and children there grow up with a strong sense of farming surrounding them. One of those people is 28-year-old Justin Guibert. "Between high school and my first year of college at the University of California, a friend was working at the Monterey Agricultural Cooperative Extension," said Mr. Guibert. "He was leaving for school and was hoping to find someone to fill his job. I was

Official estimates for the 2009 Sonora spring grape crop, week by week and variety by variety, will be announced Friday, April 17, during the annual Sonora Spring Summit in Hermosillo, Sonora, Mexico. But growers and marketers of grapes from Mexico were expecting a significantly smaller crop overall than in 2008. Total crop size for export to the United States was expected to be in the range of 10 million to 12 million boxes, vs. an unusually large export volume of about 15.5 million boxes in 2008. However, ample supplies of fruit were expected to be available from the last week of May

How did you begin your career in produce? Your story might be a heartwarming one of family-owned produce stands, or even the occasional "dumb luck" story. Not so for me, as my choice of a career in produce was a deliberate, calculated move spurred by the Produce Marketing Association's Foundation for Industry Talent outreach to me as a college student. And it is a choice that I hope many more young professionals will make in the years to come, with the industry's help. But let's start at the beginning. My produce industry career really began as a result of the PMA FIT's Pack Family/PMA Career

All U.S. potato-producing growing regions are set to benefit from a recently signed market access agreement between the United States and Russia, according to John Keeling, executive vice president and chief executive officer of the National Potato Council. The agreement was signed March 17 and is the first of its kind between the two nations. Providing market access from all U.S. states, the document represents three years' worth of work by the U.S. Potato Board, the council and state potato organizations as well as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service