California Vegetable Specialties Inc. has the majority of U.S. production of Belgian endive all to itself. "Several other companies have tried over the years, but as far as I know -- and I think I'd know -- I am the only producer in the country," said Richard Collins, owner and president of the firm, which is located in Rio Vista, CA, about 45 minutes south of Sacramento on that city's namesake river. Mr. Collins, who has been growing and selling the specialty item for almost three decades, has a well-established customer list that includes high-end restaurants, top retailers and many

Sundia Corp. announced that Mark Sherburne, a veteran of the value-added produce industry, has joined the Oakland, CA-based company as vice president of sales, a new position. Mr. Sherburne will have responsibility for Sundia Corp.'s distribution channels and strategies worldwide. "Sundia has been growing so quickly that we now need someone of Mark's caliber to guide us through the company's next stages of growth," Dan Hoskins, general manager and chief operating officer of Sundia, said in a press release. Mr. Hoskins noted that Mr. Sherburne, having held positions of increasing responsibility

UTICA, NY -- Chanatry's Market is a family-owned supermarket that has been serving this upstate New York community since William Howard Taft was in the White House. Its practice from the start was to offer high-quality items at competitive prices in a friendly atmosphere. That practice endures to the present time, only in a larger setting. Fresh produce and meats have always been key departments at Chanatry's, located here between Syracuse and the state capital of Albany. In fact, the store has the largest service area for meats (55 feet) in the region, with staff available at all times to

EW Brandt & Sons, a grower-packer-shipper of premium cherries, stone fruit, apples and pears based in Wapato, WA, introduced a new clamshell that it said represents the next generation of donut peach and nectarine packaging, representing a new level of value-added convenience and usage. Packed in a four-pack and eight-pack clamshell, each weighing one pound and two pounds, respectively, the new product helps protect against spoilage, bruising and retail merchandising woes. The clamshell has a breather that outlines the outer edges to prevent condensation and is flat on the bottom. The flat

WASHINGTON -- The federal government promotes a diet rich in fruits and vegetables but is silent when it comes to defending its science-based pesticide safety limits in news stories attacking the produce industry. This was the message delivered by United Fresh Produce Association Chairman Steffanie Smith and other industry representatives who met June 15 with Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Lisa Jackson. "We asked them, especially EPA, to be more fierce in their response when critics attack EPA pesticide residues," said Ms. Smith, who is

Fresh & Easy, the U.S. division of England's retail giant Tesco, has agreed to purchase the U.S. operations of both its major produce and meat suppliers. The chain's communications director, Brendan Wonnacott, told The Produce News June 23 that the deal would be completed this summer. Wild Rockets Food, the produce supplier, was formed by Tesco's main U.K. produce supplier four years ago at the same time that Fresh & Easy came into the U.S. marketplace. Although Fresh & Easy buys from other produce suppliers and will continue to do so, according to Mr. Wonnacott, Wild Rocket's operations will