JEFFERSON CITY, MO -- Retailers, chefs, foodservice providers and media from across Missouri were awarded AgriMissouri Excellence Awards Dec. 10 at the Missouri Governor-s Conference on Agriculture at Tan-Tar-A Resort in Osage Beach, MO. These awards recognize individuals and organizations whose promotion of Missouri grown or processed products has been exemplary. "The Excellence Awards are our way of recognizing above-and-beyond promotion of Missouri products," said Peter Hofherr, director of the Missouri Department of Agriculture. "It's a win-win scenario. Producers get credit for their

Melissa?s/World Variety Produce, the world-renowned specialty produce distributor based in Los Angeles, has a new employee in its ranks. The employee is not unlike other recent college grads in that she has the youthful exuberance and drive that companies look for when taking a chance on new hires. But what sets this candidate apart is that she happens to be the namesake of the company which now employs her. Melissa Hernandez " the "Melissa? for whom the company is named " officially joined Melissa?s/World Variety Produce at the start of 2005 after having graduated from the University of

OVIEDO, FL " A. Duda & Sons, a major grower, shipper and marketer of fresh produce, announced that it will begin shipping iceless broccoli using a new patented system developed by StePac USA, an agri-tech company that specializes in providing post-harvest solutions for the fresh produce industry. The system uses programmable logic controllers that precisely monitor product quality at critical points throughout the cooling process, as well as a total packaging system that extends shelf life. A unique feature of the system is the ability to provide customers with quality-assurance documentation

Encouraged by the prospects of an exceptional table grape harvest, Chile?s fresh fruit industry is expecting another record-setting export season. Unexpected rains in early November that drenched many cherry and early apricot export plans and set back harvest times for most crops by seven to 10 days, are seen as only temporary setbacks, according to a December 2004 press release from the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association in Sacramento, CA. Fresh fruit exports last season grew by 11 percent to a record 217 million cases, led by a 28 percent export surge to the European Union. Fruit exports to the

When Tom Sakata died Dec. 14, he didn?t leave a void in the daily functioning of Los Gatos, CA-based broker-distributor Bay Area Produce Inc. But he did leave a void in the hearts of people he?d worked with through a roughly 25-year career with the company. Mr. Sakata died of heart failure, a demise foreshadowed by the major heart attack he suffered eight years ago. He had retired from his position as chief operating officer and salesman at Bay Area Produce in 2003. Then 62, Mr. Sakata had been the one to teach new salespeople the ropes, said Bay Area Produce partner Hank Imwalle. ?He was a

Summeripe Worldwide Inc. of Dinuba, CA, announced the addition of Simonian Fruit Co. of Fowler, CA to the Summeripe Alliance of tree fruit shippers. Simonian is a multigenerational, diversified family-farming company with a long tradition of quality growing and involvement in the California tree fruit industry. Pat Steider, president of Summeripe Worldwide Inc., stated, "The joining of Simonian will further strengthen and expand the Summeripe Alliance to address the increasing demand by retailers and customers for Summeripe ready-to-eat tree fruit. Simonian?s quality and tradition of personal