SALINAS, CA -- Colorful Harvest, based here, has rolled out packaging that it anticipates will help it move more berries in the marketplace while offering conveniences to its customers. The company has rolled out a display-ready bulk eight-pounder box with a safety seal and a berry combo pack that is a 34-ounce clamshell pack in two- count or four-count configurations. "We'll pack the first run in the second week of December" in California, said Doug Ranno, Colorful Harvest's chief operating officer and managing partner. "We think we can do it almost year round. We know that there's [customer]

Mahwah, NJ-based Supreme Cuts, a premier processor and distributor of high-quality pre-cut vegetables, has become the first company to manufacture fresh off-the-cob corn. The new product, "Off the Cob" fresh kernel corn, is the brand name for the new product, which boasts a 14-day shelf life. This new product will be an important and innovative option for supermarket chains and the foodservice industry, which will now be able to offer customers the benefits of fresh kernel corn year-round in convenient "off the cob" presentation. Prior to this unique new product from Supreme Cuts, the only way

Wayne McKnight, Wal-Mart Stores Inc.'s vice president of global procurement-food, has decided to leave his position and return to his roots in Canada in early 2008. Mr. McKnight, a 32-year veteran of the produce industry, told The Produce News Dec. 4 that he "discussed [his] changing plans with the company back in early October and they asked if I would stay on until the end of their fiscal year, which this year would be February 1. So I will stay with the company until then. I am going to move back to the greater Toronto area in February and March. My family is there and my kids are in school

Life is beginning to return to normal at the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California's building in Salinas, CA, nearly five months after a fire forced tenants to find other working quarters. A July 18 fire destroyed the kitchen and damaged part of an adjacent small conference room. Power and water were restored to the building the day following the 10 p.m. fire, and disruption to the association's work was minimal. The damage to the small conference room largely came from firefighter efforts to stop the spread of the fire. There was no major structural or property damage to the rest

RIO RICO, AZ -- The 39th annual convention of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas, held here Nov. 29-Dec. 1, was memorable for several reasons: It was the swan song of departing President Lee Frankel, it brought more than 650 attendees to this southern Arizona location that is the hub of winter vegetable production, and it featured a strong educational session that touted the importance of Mexican produce for four U.S. retail chains. Mr. Frankel, who has led the association for the past 12 years, announced that he was leaving FPAA to take a similar position with United Potato Growers

&IRVINE, CA -- Working to add a new shade of green to consumers' holiday menus, the Hass Avocado Board has launched an integrated marketing initiative encouraging consumers to incorporate avocados into their December holiday meals. "We want consumers to think of avocados beyond just guacamole," Jose Luis Obregon, managing director of the board, said in a Dec. 5 press release. "Hass avocados are the perfect complement to holiday dishes, easily adding delicious flavor to a variety of traditional holiday favorites. We've put together a holistic marketing effort to reach consumers with this