Shuman Farms has RealSweet high-quality, premium sweet onions from Peru on hand and is currently making the transition from Vidalia to Peru. Shuman began growing sweet onions in Peru more than 20 years ago to meet the year-round consumer demand for premium sweet onions. Peru provides the ideal climate, soil and growing conditions, and allows retailers to keep premium sweet onions on shelf from September to March.

The Peruvian sweet onion is very similar to the Vidalia onion in terms of taste, sweetness and appearance, with the characteristic flat shape and yellow color that consumers

With a continuing focus on regional retail, Fagerberg Farms/Fagerberg Produce in Eaton, CO, kicked off the 2021 onion shipping season with its full slate of conventional varieties on Aug. 16, with organics to follow in September.

Harvest came about a week later than normal due to cooler temps in April, company President Ryan Fagerberg said. The start included “all colors and sizes, including Colorado Sweets,” adding that, “we have reshaped our organic program and are hoping that area of our company can gain more traction this upcoming shipping season. Our Colorado Organics will be ready to

Agrokasa is expected to more than double its blueberry export shipments this season, with a similar increase expected next year.

José Antonio Castro, director of the Lima, Peru-based grower-shipper-exporter of avocados, table grapes and asparagus, told The Produce News that the addition of blueberries several years ago both expands the company’s risk management portfolio and allows for better utilization of its labor force.

With those four crops, the company can now offer good value jobs to most of its workers from April through February. He said that is a very important consideration as

With about three-quarters of its annual volume already picked and packed, and running a bit behind 2020 numbers, the California strawberry industry is expecting a strong final quarter allowing volume to surpass last year’s total.

Through the week ended Aug. 21, California had sent close to 150 million trays of fruit to market, which represents about a 4.5 percent decline from the previous year. By the end of the third week of 2020, California’s strawberry growers had marketed more than 157 million trays of fruit on the way to a crop that exceeded 200 million trays.

California Strawberry

West Pak Avocado, a global supplier of fresh avocados, welcomed Stephen Sheldon as director of global sourcing. In his new position, he will lead and manage the strategic planning, budgeting, and execution of sourcing from global regions, including California, Mexico and South America. Sheldon will foster, develop and manage long-term relationships and key partnerships with existing and prospective growers and farming corporations in support of the company’s strategic direction and growth plan.

In his role as director of global sourcing, Sheldon will report to Vice President of International

The United Fresh Produce Association has published the sixth edition of its Produce Industry Compensation & Benefits Report, an expansive research resource that assists produce industry employers in understanding critical compensation benchmarks.

Developed with input from the United Fresh Finance & Business Management Council, the report includes compensation and benefits data from fresh produce companies for more than 30 full-time positions in the areas of: Sales & Marketing; Production/Operations; Food Safety & Quality; Administrative; Finance & Accounting; and Executives. The survey