Produce

YottaMark Inc. has announced that Sun Pacific, the largest grower, packer, and marketer of citrus in the United States, has selected the company’s HarvestMark PTI solution to achieve compliance with the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) in its packing operations. Sun Pacific will take advantage of new automatic case identification and labeling across its packing facilities, including implementation in the world’s largest citrus packinghouse. …

Shored up by a new partnership designed for deeper market penetration, the tide has turned for the Oceanside tomato deal. When longtime Oceanside grower Harry Singh Jr.’s vine-ripe tomatoes make their much-anticipated return to the market in July, they will be backed by the sales, marketing and distribution expertise of The Oppenheimer Group. …

Giumarra Nogales announces the addition of a new hire to its sales team, Eddie Lerma. Mr. Lerma is a 15 year veteran of the produce industry who most recently worked for Star Produce as head of Quality Control. His new responsibilities with Giumarra include handling customer accounts for the vegetable and melon categories. …

Village Farms International, Inc. has announced that it has harvested the first fruit from its new state-of-the-art greenhouse located in Monahans, Texas. The initial pick is being harvested a few weeks ahead of schedule due to the excellent greenhouse climate. …

Chiquita Brands has released financial and operating results for 2011, reporting full-year comparable income[1] of $38 million, and GAAP income of $57 million on net sales of $3.1 billion. Fourth quarter results improved versus 2010, resulting in a comparable loss[1] of $6 million, versus a comparable loss of $18 million in the year-ago period. The fourth quarter GAAP loss was $16 million, including $8 million of charges related to the company's headquarters relocation and shipping reconfigurations in Europe. …