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Produce a key part of Chinese New Year celebrations

The beginning of the annual Chinese calendar is based on the cycles of the moon, and so the specific day is different each year. In 2005, it falls on Feb. 9. The Chinese named each of the 12 years after an animal, based on a Buddha legend. This year is proclaimed the year of the rooster. The celebration may not be as widespread across North America as Jan. 1, but the Chinese consider it one of the more important days of the year. As the Asian population grows across the United States, produce suppliers are keeping pace with the equally growing demand for food products these groups use during

NWPB names director of industry affairs

William Winsemann III has joined the National Watermelon Promotion Board as director of industry affairs, where he will be responsible for overseeing the operations of the industry affairs department. Mr. Winsemann has 23 years of experience in business administration, logistics accounting and systems and data management, as well as in policy, trade, agriculture and government. He is a 16-year member of the produce industry, focusing primarily on Florida citrus and citrus products, working for companies such as eFruit International Inc. and Louis Dreyfus Citrus Inc. Most recently, he served as

Justice investigation clears mushroom group

A two-year U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division investigation into the Eastern Mushroom Marketing Cooperative in Wayne, PA, was completed in mid-December. EMMC Executive Director Charles Matthews said that his group has discontinued its challenged foray into the real estate business, but otherwise received a clean bill of health. Mr. Matthews said that the cooperative was investigated "from stem to stern? on an anti-trust allegation. Cooperative e-mails and records were analyzed; membership agreements and organization policies were scrutinized. ?What we agreed to in the consent

Sun World sees auction as positive step

The long road out of bankruptcy appeared near an end for Sun World International Inc. in Bakersfield, CA, with the announcement that the company was scheduled to go on the auction block Jan. 13 with at least three bidders showing strong interest in acquiring the company. The Chicago Sun-Times reported Wednesday, Jan. 12, that "an auction for the business, which generates $120 million in annual revenue, will be held Thursday [Jan. 13], subject to approval of a bankruptcy judge on Friday." According to the Sun-Times story, a Lake Forest, IL-based investment group, Black Diamond Capital

Rosemont Farms to enter Florida strawberry deal with acquisition of J.W. Hunt Co.

Rosemont Farms, a vegetable grower-shipper located in Boca Raton, FL, acquired the assets of J.W. Hunt in Plant City, FL, in a move that will give Rosemont a much-coveted presence in the Plant City area and will keep active one of the more respected brands in Florida produce " particularly strawberries. Included in the transaction are all assets of J.W. Hunt, including a 65,000-square-foot refrigerated building located in Plant City. The purchase agreement was signed in early December; terms were not disclosed. Andrew Schwartz, president of Rosemont Farms, said that the acquisition gives his

New Dietary Guidelines urge Americans to eat more produce

WASHINGTON " Consumers will need to nearly double their daily consumption of fruits and vegetables to meet the new Dietary Guidelines, which in turn will form the blueprint for a host of federal agriculture policies and the yet-to-be-released revised food pyramid. The federal government released the 2005 Dietary Guidelines at a Jan. 12 press conference, recommending that consumers eat five to 13 servings of fruits and vegetables each day, depending on their calorie level. The latest guidelines, issued jointly by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Department of Health & Human Services, are
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For nearly a century, officials at Consalo Family Farms have emphasized family values to focus on building and maintaining relationships with their customers. That means offering a wide range of quality product at fair price points and backing those products with the proper amount of marketing support. 

Today, the family business, which was founded by Willliam Consalo Sr. in 1927, when he started buying fresh produce and traveling to sell crops throughout the region, is run by its fourth generation of family members.

Like previous generations, this group of owners continue to focus on consistency and showing the produce industry that they are very serious about how they continue to operate the Vineland, NJ-based company.

The key, they said, is to keep doing what others have done for so long and so well and adapting to changing times by adding a focus on new technologies, equipment and, of course, new ideas to stay ahead of the curve in the competitive and demanding produce industry. 

On the eve of the New York Produce Show, the family members who operate the fully-integrated, year-round operation that also provides expertise in shipping, growing, imports and packaging, remain committed to those company ethos that have such a great track record. Once again, they are extremely confident that the show will serve as a great opportunity to interact with new and existing clients and get their message out.

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