Westlake Produce Co. announced that its West Side melon program will be at full strength and that the popular mini-watermelon will see an increase in volume over 2006. Andrew Bivens, California melon manager for the Los Angeles-based distributor, said that the company would offer an excellent supply of cantaloupes, honeydew, mixed melons and all varieties of watermelon throughout the deal, which launches the first of July. "We consider the melons from the west side of the San Joaquin Valley to be the finest in the country, and this year is no exception," Mr. Bivens said in a press release. He

Paul Kneeland, director of produce and floral operations for Roche Bros., headquartered in Wellesley Hills, MA, has taken a new position to head produce and floral operations for Kings Super Markets Inc., based in Parsippany, NJ. Mr. Kneeland said that he was to begin at Kings on June 18. Kings Super Markets is an upscale retail chain that was founded in 1936 and operates 25 stores. Mr. Kneeland also is first vice president of the New England Produce Council, based in Burlington, MA, and was on the founding board of the council. He had worked for the family-owned Roche chain since 1981. Roche

With the California avocado harvest currently at peak season, the industry has been shipping anywhere from 8 million to 10 million pounds of avocados a week, according to Guy Witney, director of industry affairs for the California Avocado Commission. In addition, Mexico has been sending between 7 million and 11 million pounds of avocados a week to the U.S. marketplace. Aggregate volume for the two sources has been "between 17 [million] and 21 million pounds of fruit on the market every week," Mr. Witney said. That is comparable to the volume of avocados that moved into the market each week

The central California summer onion deal is hoping to rebound to its 2005 form after a dropoff in volume in 2006. There were 10,200 acres of onions harvested in the central California onion deal in 2006, which yielded a harvest of slightly more than 9.01 million fiftyweight bags. In 2005, there were only 8,700 acres planted with slightly more than 9.5 million fiftyweight bags harvested. The lower volume on greater acreage in 2006 largely was the result of extreme heat -- around 17 days of over 100-degree heat -- in late June and early July, said Wayne Mininger, executive vice president of the

Anthony Totta, a produce consultant with 30 years of experience in fresh produce procurement, supply chain management, sales and distribution, has launched Grow My Profits, a produce consultancy designed to help growers maximize their returns by making sound investments, streamlining their operations and minimizing waste. Grow My Profits, based in Lee's Summit, MO, was established to guide growers in the development of successful operational and marketing strategies in response to changing consumer demands and industry requirements. "We look at every aspect of a producer's business -- from the

The projected volume of this year's West Side melon deal in California is 20 million 40-pound cartons, which closely mirrors last year's production of 20.7 million cartons. The West Side deal covers Bakersfield and points north but not the Imperial Valley. When the Cantaloupe Advisory Board met April 27, not all cantaloupes in the West Side deal had been planted, according to Jerry Munson, manager of the board. "Our guess was 20 million cartons," Mr. Munson said. "[The West Side deal] is always between 20 [million] and 22 million cartons." Most of that volume comes out of Fresno County. In