With the Chinese New Year occurring later this month, marketers of Asian produce items are gearing up for increased demand for a variety of products. Patsy Ross, marketing director for Gilroy, CA-based Christopher Ranch, said that the company expects more volume of ginger from Hawaii this year than was available last year. "We feel that Hawaiian ginger is the best," Ms. Ross said, adding that it always is the premier ginger and as a result tends to be higher in price. Hawaiian ginger harvest also is the longest, she said. Christopher Ranch offers a 4.25-ounce bottle of ginger, a 4.25-ounce

Fruit Patch Sales LLC in Dinuba, CA, a major marketer of California stone fruit and other fruit and the exclusive sales agent for grower-packer Fruit Patch Inc., has hired industry veteran Rick Eastes as vice president of sales and marketing. A graduate of the University of Arizona and the Thunderbird School of International Management, Mr. Eastes started his produce career at Heggblade Marguleas, spent many years with the DiMare Co. and then with The Oppenheimer Group before joining Sunkist Growers in 2004. He spent the last two seasons as a director of special projects for Ballantine Produce

WENATCHEE, WA -- Stemilt founder and tree fruit pioneer Thomas Kyle Mathison died Dec. 26 of cancer. He was 82 years old. Born June 23, 1926 and raised on Stemilt Hill near Wenatchee, Mr. Mathison was a third-generation apple and cherry grower, intelligent businessman and driving force behind bringing Washington fruit to the global marketplace. Upon graduating from Wenatchee High School, he joined the U.S. Army and fought in the Pacific Theater during World War II. He was in Tokyo Bay for the signing of the armistice as the war ended. After the war, Mr. Mathison returned home to work on the

Cool temperatures during the Florida strawberry growing season have delayed the harvest by about a week or two for some growers, but the lasting effects on the deal should be stronger fruit and a somewhat longer season. The Florida Strawberry Growers Association, a non-profit organization located in Dover, FL, is the parent company of the Florida Strawberry Patent Service and the Florida Strawberry Research & Education Foundation. The association has over 100 grower members representing over 8,000 acres of strawberries in Florida, with the majority being in the state's Plant City-Dover area

I don't know about you, but at home I have been experiencing phone call after phone call from insurance agencies, department stores, home improvement centers, telephone companies, banks and even window washers trying to sell me something new or convince me to upgrade what I already have. Additionally, I am receiving loads of coupons in the mail from restaurants vying for my patronage. It's all part of "emergency marketing" as companies solicit for business in a slumping economy. Everyone is getting weary of the same news every day on the radio, television and in the newspapers about the

James Dale (J.D.) Ward Jr., co-founder of Sierra View Sales in Fresno, CA, died Dec. 9 in Lenox, IA, where he had been living for the past 18 months since moving from Fresno, CA. He was 55. The cause of death was not revealed. Born Aug. 7, 1953 in Fremont, NE, Mr. Ward served for three years in the U.S. Marine Corps and then worked as a carpenter and house builder until a back injury made it necessary for him to pursue other work. He joined the sales team at Mendelson-Zeller Co. Inc. in Fresno, where his mother, Ruth Sanders, was sales manager for the Central California office. "J.D. worked