Ethnic marketing has been a popular concept in the produce industry for the past few years, but purveyors of this niche marketing are usually talking about the growing Hispanic or Asian communities. While African-Americans have long since assimilated into the U.S. melting pot, as a group they do have some specific buying habits that do allow for niche marketing " though reaching that segment offers its own challenges. While there are higher concentrations of African-Americans in urban centers, they are not a homogeneous segment of society, said Michael Brown, director of agribusiness

?We look to Italians, including those in Sicily, to teach us in the U.S. about food," Paul McGowan, director of preclearance programs at USDA, APHIS, plant protection and quarantine division, said in his address and presentation on U.S. import protocol to Sicilian and American dignitaries and citrus industry professionals in Catania, Italy, in early January. "The Italians, as well as the French, are considered the world?s experts on food, and their cultures have our highest respect." The U.S. group that participated in the trip to Sicily in early January consisted of retail representatives

On a voluntary basis with dried and processed figs, the California fresh fig industry currently participates in the activities of the California Fig Advisory Board. However, according to Richard Matoian, manager of the board, that could change soon. ?There is a potential that we are going to be voting on a [fresh] fig marketing order here in the next few months," he said. If that comes about, "it is likely the Fig Advisory Board is going to be the umbrella organization representing both the fresh and the dried marketing orders." Meanwhile, the fig board has recently introduced a new logo and

Garlic producer Christopher Ranch LLC in Gilroy, CA, has hired Mike Mantelli as its general operations manager to oversee and analyze company operations from the ground up. ?I?ll be working on strategies to advance Christopher Ranch?s position in the produce industry," said Mr. Mantelli. He started working at Christopher Ranch in 1984, and left in 2001 to pursue other produce industry opportunities in the melon and tomato categories. He returned to Christopher Ranch in September 2004 and is happy to be back. "I'm excited about using what I've learned to help Christopher Ranch achieve its

With more than 1.5 million cases of under-glass peppers produced by the Divemex group of Mexican greenhouse growers, The Oppenheimer Group is seeing its strongest winter program to date, according to Mike Reed, category director. Mr. Reed said that Divemex?s early winter production in its southern growing areas "has allowed us to offer customers a seamless supply of bell peppers when Canadian production dropped off in late October." He continued, "This is our second year partnering with the Divemex group " with a mix that includes bell peppers and seedless cucumbers. Their early production and

In the short term and "from a customer perspective," there will be "no change? in Sun World International?s operations following Black Diamond Capital Management LLC acquiring it, according to Christopher Kipley, a partner at Black Diamond. Longer term, such changes as there may be "are largely going to be driven? by people who have been working at Sun World for years and who "know [the company] best," he said. However, Sun World President and CEO Tim Shaheen and CFO Ray Speer will be leaving the company after a designated transition period, and an executive search firm will be begin to