With a vision steadfast in sustainability and quality at Village Farms, Doug Kling, senior vice president and chief sales and marketing officer, said that the Eatontown, NJ-based company strives to combine nature's best with advanced technical know-how to grow produce that bursts with old- fashioned taste and respects 21st century environmental principles. "We are looking forward to United Fresh 2010 and are positioned to offer our customers a meeting room space (No. 1047) at the show," Mr. Kling said in an April 9 press release. "This will allow Village Farms and the customers we serve more

Mike and Cyndy Mulhern, owners of Superior Produce Inc., a wholesaler in Sacramento, CA, are on a mission they've tagged "Coast2Coast4ACure" to raise money for breast cancer. Mr. Mulhern will set off May 17 on his bike for a 3,750-mile cross-country ride from Boston to San Francisco. Mrs. Mulhern, accompanied by her mother, Mr. Mulhern's father and other family members, will be driving alongside in a motor home. The family has good reason for its dedication to raising money for breast cancer. "In fact, there are several reasons," said Mr. Mulhern. "My mother was diagnosed with breast cancer

The National Mango Board is accepting nominees for seven board member positions with terms beginning in January. Nominations will be accepted through May 11. The board is made up of mango importers, foreign producers and a first handler who dedicate themselves to the mission, goals and objectives of the board. These board members work closely with the NMB staff to carry out marketing, research and industry relations programs to benefit the mango industry. The positions currently open for nominations are one importer in District II, two importers in District III, one importer in District IV

Since its founding in 1974, Jungle Jim's International Market in Fairfield, OH, has been a one-stop retail destination for just about anything one would need. Now it is also a wholesale operation for a full line of produce items. "The company's reasoning behind adding a wholesale division to Jungle Jim's was to give it more buying power," said Curt Rhodus, who, along with Doug Caminiti, manages the wholesale division, which opened late last year. "We are wholesaling a full line of fresh produce and everything else the store stocks with the exception of alcohol and tobacco. And we deliver to

Nyssa, OR-based Owyhee Produce kicked off the 2010 asparagus season in mid-April, and according to Robin Froerer, company principal and head of the sales team, shipments are expected to continue through mid-June. Ms. Froerer, daughter of Owyhee founder Owen Froerer, told The Produce News April 6 that she expected asparagus to start shipping within a week to 10 days. "We ship under the 'Ida Spear' label," she said, noting that the early grass will come from the family farm's 150 acres. Ms. Froerer's son, Shay Myers, oversees harvesting and moving the asparagus from the fields to the

Do you have a Facebook page? Are you tweeting on your Twitter account? Have you ever posted a video on YouTube? If you are ignoring these social media platforms, you may be missing a golden opportunity to promote your commodities. At least that's the view of a number of marketing experts, and apparently their advice is being heard by many in the produce industry. California strawberries have a Facebook page and a Twitter account. So do blueberries, California avocados and North Carolina sweet potatoes. Brands are also participating with "Ocean Spray" cranberries, "Del Monte" bananas and Duda