To Chris Ciruli, chief operating officer of Ciruli Bros., based in Nogales, AZ, the numbers speak for themselves. “Last week (April 25 to May 1), 3.7 million cartons of mangos came into the United States. With that type of volume, you’d expect prices to be on the decline, but the demand is still very strong.”

The veteran mango supplier recalled that it wasn’t too long ago that a few weeks in a row of 2.5 million cases would send the market spiraling downward. “I expect we will have a couple of back-to-back weeks this season with volumes in excess of 3 million cartons with good demand. Mango

Fresh fruits and vegetables came to life to celebrate the hard work and dedication of school lunch heroes on National School Lunch Hero Day, May 7.

Studies show that some of the healthiest meals of the day for school children come from school lunch programs because many school children don’t have access to healthy fruits and vegetables at home. The DNO team is committed to continuing to raise awareness to continue to work toward easy access for fresh-cut produce options to support school meal foodservice providers.

“Providing access to fresh fruits and vegetables is at the core of what we

Noting that “there are still a lot of potatoes out there,” Skyline Potato Co. General Manager Les Alderete said his Center, CO, shed will ship the remainder of its 2020 crop into August this year.

He added, “We have quite a bit left, and we think we’ll go the first two weeks into August, about a week or so longer than normal if demand keeps up.”

Alderete told The Produce News in late April the new crop, which is planted during May, is planned for a traditional start around Labor Day, giving the operation two weeks to make upgrades to the shed.

The 2020 crop, Alderete said, has met with

Strawberries are a year-round anchor of the berry category in U.S. supermarkets, representing nearly two-thirds of the sales volume and more than $3 billion in annual sales.

A recent national survey revealed that one-third of U.S. consumers named strawberries as their favorite fruit. It’s no wonder that purchase intent for strawberries is at an all-time high, with nine in 10 consumers indicating they definitely/probably would buy fresh strawberries, according to the California Strawberry Commission.

“California strawberry farmers are a dedicated and skilled group of people. Many come from

Ever since Glenmont, NY-based New York Apple Sales launched Yes! Apples in 2019, the consumer-friendly apple brand has worked to become a force in the industry.

“Powered by over 100 years of experience, New York Apple Sales is made up of professionals that have spent years in the produce industry and have been a part of all aspects of the industry,” said Tenley Fitzgerald, vice president of marketing for the company. “What’s more, we partner with the best group of multi-generational apple growers that bring as much — or more — growing and farming expertise to their craft. The relationships

Employee-owned Tanimura & Antle, one of the largest grower-shippers in the Salinas Valley, announced the promotion of Brett Champlin to senior director of harvest operations. In his new role, Champlin will oversee the day-to-day harvest operations for all the company’s crops.

“We have an extremely talented team of crop and industry experts in our harvest department and I attribute my knowledge and success to the mentorship they have provided me with since I started at Tanimura & Antle,” said Champlin.  “I look forward to continuing to work together to deliver premium fresh produce to our