Dennis Gertmenian, chief executive officer of Ready Pac Foods in Irwindale, CA, has retired from the company he founded in 1969. This is the second retirement for the 62-year-old Mr. Gertmenian, and this one looks like it will stick. He will, however, continue as a board member for Ready Pac Foods and remains the company's major shareholder. Mr. Gertmenian said that the company is coming off a record year and is at the forefront of the industry again. Ready Pac President Michael Solomon, who is stepping into the role as chief executive officer, said that the "vision, passion and energy [Mr

The Organic Trade Association announced that it will co-locate its 2009 All Things Organic conference and trade show with Expo Comida Latina and All Asia Food June 16-18 at McCormick Place in Chicago. "This is an exciting time to be involved in the organic and ethnic and specialty product sectors, particularly as organic and specialty/ethnic foods are the two fastest-growing segments of retail food sales," David Gagnon, the association's interim executive director, said in an Aug. 12 press release. "These co-located events will offer national and regional forward-thinking retailers

Eurofresh Farms in Willcox, AZ, is launching a new marketing program designed to educate Arizona shoppers about the advantages of buying locally grown Eurofresh tomatoes. Eurofresh is bringing back the familiar "Arizona Grown" logo and will include it on all packages and all materials shipped to Arizona grocery stores. "We know food safety, sustainability and locally grown are top of mind with shoppers," Dwight Ferguson, chief executive officer of Eurofresh Farms, said in a press release. "We are going to work with our retail partners to educate shoppers that when they buy Eurofresh tomatoes

Muranaka Farm Inc. broke ground Thursday, July 24, on a new cooler that will sit on the company's 600 acres of farmland by its headquarters in Moorpark, CA. The new cooler will be located just down the road from the company's current cooler and is scheduled for a December opening. The 18,000-square-foot facility will be more than four times the size of the current cooler, with additional doors for the loading dock. It will replace Muranaka's 30-year-old cooler, which will be converted to a processing facility for new products that are in development. Upgrades offered in the new cooler include

After fielding resumes from across the country, the Florida Strawberry Growers Association board unanimously voted to appoint Ted Campbell as its new executive director. Mr. Campbell, who began working Aug. 1 at the association's headquarters in Dover, FL, said that it was too early in his tenure to state exactly which strategies would be put in place under his directorship. "I am learning everything I can about the association, its members and the industry," said Mr. Campbell. "My background is primarily in produce sales, procurement and marketing for both the wholesale and retail sides of

"Our South African citrus program began with limited supplies in June," said David Mixon, senior vice president of Seald-Sweet International, headquartered in Vero Beach, FL. "Due to growing conditions, supplies were somewhat late -- about two to three weeks behind last year. On a long-term average, it makes this year's movement about four weeks later than normal." The erratic movement start is attributable to varying weather conditions in South Africa's citrus-growing regions. Mr. Mixon said that temperatures were warmer and the region received more rainfall than normal. Besides a delayed