Chiquita Brands International Inc., one of the largest banana producers in the world that a year ago muscled its way into the local avocado scene, notified vendors and suppliers recently that it is "transitioning out" of a proprietary plastic bagging process for avocados.
In 2010, the famed banana brand backed local investors in their pursuit of buying Harvest Time Produce Inc. in Oceanside from longtime packinghouse owner John Schmidt. He sold the firm to two outside investors working closely with Chiquita who intended to increase the producer's purchase of locally grown avocados.
The buyer of Harvest Time was St. Thomas Produce Inc., which included Harvest Time executive Alex Demos and Palm Desert entrepreneurs Robert Lodge, a quality control expert who formerly worked on "Star Wars" toys and custom-made golf clubs, and his wife, Eva.
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