If any organization was going to throw down the gauntlet of artichoke web site dominance, it's only fitting for it to be the industry leader in artichokes. Ocean Mist Farms has launched a redesigned web site that offers interactive features, easy navigation tools and user-friendly information. "We started from scratch," said Kori Tuggle, marketing manager for the Castroville, CA-based company, who added that Ocean Mist conducted surveys asking what information consumers would like to see on the site. The newly designed home page features streaming video and an Artichoke Aficionados Club, one

Janna Fitje got her start in produce quite by chance. The 23-year-old, who graduated from Fairfield University in Fairfield, CT, in 2005 with a degree in English and philosophy, basically "stumbled upon" her current position as a sales assistant at Fresh From The Start LLC, a grower- shipper that is a division of ADS Management in Riverhead, NY. "It's nothing that I ever thought I would be into," Ms. Fitje said about her first job in produce. "Honestly, at first I had no idea what to expect because I had never worked with anything like this before." Ms. Fitje said that her duties include

MONTEREY, CA -- The PMA Education Foundation plans to launch a produce industry job bank on the Internet in the fall. The web site (www.producejobsource.com) will include free resume searches and resume posting. The main goal of the project is to recruit students new to the fresh produce industry, said Cindy Seel, point person on the project for PMA Education Foundation. Stephanie White, project coordinator, also is a point person for the project along with DMA Solutions, a partner enlisted by the foundation. DMA Solutions is the marketing arm and is involved in strategic planning. PMA

David and Gloria Kasparian, owners of Diamond K Produce in Deming, NM, are excited about the coming green chile crop, saying that growing conditions have been great this season. "This year, weather has been no more unusual than normal," Ms. Kasparian said. Chiles are grown in the Las Uvas Valley near Deming, and Ms. Kasparian said that the growing region affords the grower some natural protection. Problems with wind and hail occur with greater frequency in the Mesilla and Hatch valleys, she told The Produce News. The Las Uvas Valley borders these growing regions, but Ms. Kasparian said that

Southern Specialties has completed its facility expansion project at its headquarters in Pompano Beach, FL. The company now operates out of approximately 100,000 square feet of warehouse space with expanded office and meeting areas. Gary James, chief operating officer of Southern Specialties, said that the facility has 10 temperature- and humidity-controlled coolers designed to optimize storage conditions for a variety of products. Three computer- controlled ripening rooms have also been added. All staging areas and loading docks are refrigerated, and new energy-efficient lighting has been

In May, Hannaford Bros. Co. proudly announced that it was the first "traditional supermarket in the Northeast" to achieve the designation of a certified organic retailer. According to Barbara Houmann, spokesperson for the Organic Trade Association, Hannaford has joined a very select group of retailers that have gone through this certification process. "There's not many," she said. "It's more than a handful -- maybe two handfuls." Most of the supermarkets that have achieved the designation are either single stores or small chains scattered throughout the country, although Whole Foods and Nash