San Bernardino, California, June 8, 2010

Dana Thomas, president of Index Fresh, one of the largest avocado distributers in the country, announced today the election of Rick Shade to the company’s Board of Directors. He replaces Judge Charles Froelich.

John Grether, Chairman of the Board stated, “I am very pleased that Rick is joining the Index Fresh Board of Directors. He brings great experience to the Board with his broad background as a grower, farm manager, pest association manager, and as the recent past Chair of the California Avocado Commission (CAC). I greatly admired how Rick provided leadership to the CAC Board during a time of crisis. We are confident he will be a huge asset to the growers, shareholders and management of Index Fresh.”

As a fifth generation California farmer and a third generation avocado grower, Rick has been involved in the citrus/avocado industry for most of his life. Originally from the Whittier area, where his family settled in the 1880’s to farm walnuts and oranges, he moved to the Santa Barbara area where he was mentored by his grandfather. He majored in Fruit Industries at Cal Poly, Pomona; following his grandfather’s death, he took over the family business of farming lemons and avocados. He has been active in the California Farm Bureaus and California Avocado Commission for 10 years, serving most recently as Chairman of the Board.

Rick’s primary focus is the California Avocado Industry, and is currently serving in a managerial capacity, caring for properties in the Santa Barbara area. He joins the Index Fresh Board of Directors with great enthusiasm. “We are all in this together. It is very important to me, as a grower, that I am producing the best possible product for retailers, so consumers can purchase the best possible product. Everybody benefits from quality.”

Rick is married and has three sons. He is the owner of Shade Farm Management, located in Carpinteria, California. He has the unique hobby of restoring antique tractors, and has recently completed the restoration of a 1930 Case tractor.

Index Fresh, Inc. is a grower-owned packing, marketing and shipping company located in Bloomington, CA. Index Fresh remains strongly committed to keeping Index growers, customers and trading partners on the cutting edge of the produce industry. The company distributes premium avocados from California to New York, and supplies large retailers, small specialty retailers, and food service.

Index Fresh has been in business since 1914; the company became a cooperative in 1929. In 1991, Index Fresh entered the import avocado business to supplement the high demand and to broaden the California base, offering year-round avocados to its customers. Imports are from Chile and Mexico. The firm incorporated in 1999.