MINNESOTA - Fruit lovers, fresh produce connoisseurs, and apple aficionados will REJOICE. There’s an apple adding Pazazz to the produce section! Stock up on this sensational variety to enhance your shopper’s eating experience and elevate the core of your produce department. With Pazazz apples’ excellent storage ability and lasting flavor, the apple deck will be a popular destination. Retailers can capitalize on the BOLD, BRIGHT, and JUICY flavor of Pazazz by tempting consumers with fresh-cut samples and triggering sales with attractive point-of-sale displays to spread that addicting crunch all the way through the summer, long after the traditional apple season ends!
Developed in the same home state as the Honeycrisp, it comes as no surprise that the flavor of Pazazz is just as enticingly sweet with hints of tartness in every juicy bite, perfect for fans new and seasoned. In fact, picky eaters of all ages will relish that explosive crunch, making Pazazz a variety you cannot miss in the apple category.
Featuring superb taste and tremendous versatility, the Pazazz adds that touch of razzle dazzle to everything from salads and appetizers to desserts, or enjoyed on its own! Easy to pack, easy to prepare, and easy to eat, the apple is an ideal snack! Most importantly, it’s a healthy option that tastes great!
SWEDESBORO, NJ - It’s apple time! The new SweeTango® crop is in, and folks just can’t get enough of them. New data from recent in-store demos shows that this crop of SweeTangos is scoring high marks with shoppers on several key purchase drivers including taste, quality, convenience, and value. Next Big Thing, A Growers’ Cooperative has focused on both direct-to-consumer communications and in-store visibility to make sure every shopper knows that SweeTango delivers that consistent quality worth craving.
“SweeTango is becoming a tried and true leader among the many managed varieties available on store shelves. And we are constantly looking at additional ways we can help SweeTango stand out in retail and other emerging markets,” said the grower co-op’s Executive Director Jennifer Parkhill. “NBT remains on the cutting edge of promoting new apple varieties and stands poised to set a new standard in both promotion and marketing excellence in apples.”
According to a press release, 98 percent of shoppers who tried SweeTango apples during recent in-store demos reported that they “loved the flavor,” 93 percent called the apple a “healthy choice,” and 82 precent rated SweeTango a “great value.” Some other factors that contributed to the high marks from the shoppers were the apple’s convenience, ease in preparation, and versatility.
“Customer reaction to our sampling events underscores the importance of demos at store level to set the pace for the season. Consumers overwhelmingly love SweeTango’s flavor, which results in a high number of first-time buyers—and once we get a SweeTango in their hands, they become hooked,” said John Cushing, VP of Sales for New York Apple Sales.
The brand actively maintains consumers awareness and knowledge of SweeTango online while working with its various retail customers to meet their regional and local needs, including in-store demos. In addition, SweeTango reaches a major foodie demographic across a range of social media as well, including podcasts and YouTube. Consumer awareness of the SweeTango brand is a huge asset that savvy retailers are leveraging, reports Roger Pepperl, Marketing Director for Stemilt Growers.
“We have great consumer brand recognition now, and retailers all know the apple. It’s been an easy conversation to get them back on the shelves this year,” said Pepperl. “We stand out among the new varieties. They’re telling us it’s the best apple out there.”
It also helps that the crop this year is superb. This season, SweeTango volumes will last into the New Year for the first time, and Scott Swindeman, Owner of Applewood Fresh Growers, couldn’t be happier.
“We’ve got a quality crop this year, this is the nicest colored and conditioned crop we’ve had in the Midwest since the SweeTango program began. For the first time, we’ll have fruit into January, so this is a great time for retailers to build on and extend SweeTango’s fan base,” said Swindeman. “We are having tremendous success with our pouch bags and tote bags; they are a great consumer value.”
Don’t forget your apple a day and stay with us at ANUK as we bring you more produce news.
VIRGINIA AND MARYLAND - It seems as though the industry just got word of UNFI’s recent divestment of 13 stores of its Shoppers Food Stores banner, and while initial reports contained few details, new information on the buyers has been revealed. German-based grocer Lidl has announced its acquisition of six of the 13 Shoppers locations being sold throughout Virginia and Maryland.
“We plan to acquire six properties in Maryland and Virginia from UNFI. In Maryland, this includes sites in Annapolis, Brooklyn Park, Oxon Hill, Takoma Park, and Wheaton. In Virginia, it includes a Shoppers store in Burke,” Public Relations and Communications Manager William Harwood commented to news source WTOP.
Lidl has been in the midst of aggressive expansion, targeting regions overseas as well as the East Coast of the U.S., where the retailer plans to open 25 new stores by the spring of next year.
Four Shoppers locations will be closing as a part of UNFI’s divestment, but the six that Lidl acquired will join the retailer’s 65 existing stores along the East Coast.
“We will be making significant investments in the redevelopment of the sites, and will have more to share in terms of the grand opening timeline at the end of next year,” Harwood said.
What will be the next phase of Lidl’s expansion, and is the retailer looking for more stores to acquire in addition to the new ones it plans to build? AndNowUKnow will keep you updated.
DALLAS, TX - DMA Solutions, well known in the industry as a full-service marketing agency dedicated to serving the produce industry, has recently announced the launch of its sixth-annual Social Media and Produce Marketer’s Calendars. A valuable tool, the calendars help marketers and produce industry members make strategic decisions next year to both trade and consumer audiences.
“As an active industry participant, we understand how to manage all the important dates, tradeshows, and events happening within our industry,” Dan’l Mackey Almy, President and CEO, commented in a press release. “We take time to carefully vet the important information industry marketers and professionals need to know and put it into one cohesive document to help marketers plan and prep for all the exciting events in 2020.”
As we all know, social media has become an essential function in produce marketing, and DMA Solutions’ calendars are full of inspiration, tips, and trends to help marketers create relevant and strategic content for their respective social media channels. The calendars allow marketers to craft a tangible strategy for creating content to raise brand awareness, elevate social media presences, and drive engagement. Offering both flexibility and ease, the calendars are available as a printable document or as a PDF.
The 2020 Social Media Calendar features both national holidays and consumer holidays, including national “Eat More Fruits and Vegetables Day” (May 25) or “Get a Balanced Life Month” (January). The calendar also includes top trending hashtags for each month and helpful tips from DMA Solutions’ social media team to incorporate into social media planning for next year.
“We believe a social media calendar is crucial for marketers responsible for creating relevant and timely content,” said Mariah Demery, Senior Social Media Specialist. “By having key dates and holidays at our fingertips, we’re able to plan ahead, save time, and capitalize on topics and trends that will have measurable impacts for the brands we’re promoting.”
The 2020 Produce Marketer’s Calendar is an in-depth resource of key dates for conferences and tradeshows, and includes helpful tips from DMA Solutions’ marketing team and a detailed countdown to PMA’s Fresh Summit in October. Industry leaders can expect to see an education category highlighting valuable training and learning opportunities throughout the year, which can aid in leadership and career development.
For more news on valuable industry resources, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
OTTAWA, CANADA - Today, the Canadian Produce Marketing Association announced the Canadian Food Inspection Agency reported a recall of a salad kit due to the E. coli O157:H7 strain effective yesterday, December 8. The product recalled was a line of salad kits using romaine lettuce grown in the affected Salinas, California, region.
According to CPMA’s press release, the regions affected were listed as: New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec. The CFIA is warning consumers not to consume the recalled product bearing a Best Before date up to and including 07DE19 (Dec. 7, 2019) and a lot code beginning with “Z” from Salinas. This product is not likely to be available at retail stores, but may still be in consumer’s homes even though most growers we speak to in California have fully transitioned to Yuma, Arizona.
The recall was triggered due to findings discovered by the CFIA during its investigation into a foodborne illness outbreak. More updates will be posted if other high-risk products are recalled. CFIA reiterates that food contaminated with E. coli O157:H7 may not look or smell spoiled, it can still make you sick.
While the advisory for both this and the previous reports from the CDC and FDA are still in effect, the majority of growers ANUK has reached out to have confirmed they completed transition out of the Salinas region.
For more updates on the outbreak, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
CANADA - Walmart is narrowing in on a territory outside of the U.S. In November alone, the company initiated two new international plans: First, by launching a blockchain-based supply chain across all of its third-party freight carriers in Canada, then by releasing plans to open 500 new stores in China. This morning, we learned of another massive effort completed by the company as it opened a new state-of-the-art 450,000-square-foot distribution center in Ontario, Canada.
"It's exciting that shopping on Walmart.ca continues growing in popularity with our customers,” said Alexis Lanternier, Executive Vice President of E-Commerce, Walmart Canada. “We've been modernizing and innovating to ensure products can get to our customers in the quickest and most efficient way possible, without compromising on our everyday low prices and the quality customers expect.”
According to RIS News, this is Walmart’s largest dedicated and purpose-built distribution center, featuring flexible and scalable solutions for logistics and fulfillment. The facility is part of a larger strategy to expand the company’s Canadian e-commerce presence. RIS stated that Walmart’s Canadian flagship website is visited by over 750,000 customers every day. To complete this monumental initiative, the retailer teamed up with the solutions provider SCI.
"The retail business is constantly evolving and becoming more complex," said Guy Toksoy, Vice President of Operations, SCI. "SCI's commitment to continuous improvement and innovation helps our clients meet increasing e-commerce demands, and we were excited to partner with one of Canada's largest retailers to go beyond conventional logistic services and adapt an automated model to best suit Walmart Canada's needs."
According to the news source, the new distribution features:
- Maximized storage through a four-level, 70,000-square-foot pick platform
- State-of-the-art intelligence software that provides real-time visibility to operations
- Automation that improves capacity and uses conveyors to transport materials
To see how else the retail behemoth plans to expand its operations, keep reading our updates here at AndNowUKnow.
MOUNT MAUNGANUI, NEW ZEALAND - As the 2019 New Zealand kiwifruit season draws to a close, Zespri is celebrating its stellar crop that is in its final stages. The company’s full crop has been shipped, including four containers of Zespri Green leaving Tauranga bound for North Asia, unloading in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Approximately 70 tonnes (77 tons) were loaded onto the APL Denver at the end of November and expected to reach the first port in early December.
“Our premium Zespri SunGold and Green Kiwifruit are more popular than ever, and over the course of the season we’ve moved 44 full charter shiploads and 17,160 containers, or more than 500,000 tonnes in total, to our markets,” Blair Hamill, Chief Global Supply Officer, commented.
Zespri reports that 147 million trays of kiwifruit were shipped offshore this season to over 50 countries to satiate the unprecedented levels of demand from record numbers of consumers.
The number of containers shipped was slightly down from the previous record year, but the 2019 season was the second-largest crop ever harvested by New Zealand kiwifruit growers. This was also the first season that Zespri exported more of its popular SunGold variety than Green.
“This was a significant milestone for the industry,” Hamill said in a press release. “Zespri SunGold was developed through Zespri’s partnership with Plant and Food Research, after many years of research and significant investment by New Zealand growers. Owned by Zespri, it’s generating strong returns to New Zealand communities and to our licensed growers offshore and we’re excited about the international demand for it.”
Throughout the busy season, fruit arrived in Europe and China earlier than the previous year, helping the company meet growing demand for kiwifruit.
“The 2019 season saw our kiwifruit mature earlier meaning we could ship our kiwifruit to consumers earlier in the year and get the season started with a lot of momentum, delivering for consumers around the world,” Hamill said. “We’ve also received feedback from the markets that the fruit is one of our best-ever tasting crops.”
From New Zealand, over 74 million trays of Zespri SunGold and 73 million trays of Green were supplied to global customers and consumers.
“As we come to the end of the sales programme for New Zealand fruit we’re transitioning to Northern Hemisphere production. With that crop harvested and being packed we’re forecasting a total of just over 19 million trays through our partnerships with growers in Italy, France, Japan, Korea, and Greece driving strong returns to those communities,” Hamill commented.
Though this season has closed, Zespri is ready and eager for the next, and has already begun planning for the start of next year’s New Zealand crop, with the first vessel expected to export next season’s fruit starting in March 2020.
“Demand for our fruit continues to grow faster than our ability to meet it and we’re working hard to boost our production so we can continue to supply the world’s leading portfolio of branded kiwifruit all 12 months of the year,” concluded Hamill.
Zespri holds a sweet opportunity for many, and we look forward to bringing you more on the innovative company as we move into 2020!
NEW YORK, NY - 2019 has been the year of following along with the Smart & Final acquisition. Reports began circulating in February of the possibility of the retailer exploring a sale—a sale that didn’t come to fruition until April and then wasn’t completed until June. Now, it appears Smart & Final’s warehouse business is back on the market, rounding out the grocer's acquisition year.
According to a report by Nasdaq, the private equity firm that acquired Smart & Final, Apollo Global Management, is considering selling the warehouse store business of Smart & Final. People familiar with the matter disclosed to the news source that Apollo is seeking more than $1 billion for the 70-warehouse-store-strong business—the firm originally purchased Smart & Final for $1.1 billion.
The news source also noted that Apollo is trying to catch the eye of major grocery retailers and distributors by putting the more lucrative division of Smart & Final up for grabs—the sale would exclude the retailer’s grocery store business. The firm has recruited Credit Suisse Group and Deutsche Bank to run the auction of the division.
Who will snap up Smart & Final? And how will this billion-dollar acquisition affect the grocery retail market? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
GREENSBORO, NC - When I think of specialty food curators, I picture a group of robed health advocates strolling through grocery aisles with magical fruits and veg radiating from their fingertips. These all-powerful folks harness their weapons months in advance, predicting food trends with what I can only assume is sorcery. Specialty grocer The Fresh Market has got these sorcerers in droves, recently partnering with 25madison in order to predict the hottest trends in the industry.
“Our mission is to inspire our guests to make everyday eating extraordinary, and to uphold this, we have extremely high standards for the products or brands that ultimately make it into our store,” said Dwight Richmond, Director of Center Store Merchandising at The Fresh Market. “Some examples of new products that were big hits in 2019 based on trends were Beyond Burgers and Caulipower Pizza (plant-based), Haku Shoyu and Fillos Sofritos Beans (authentically ethnic), and a host of functional beverages, like kombucha and keto protein drinks.”
To help identify and showcase innovative food and beverage products, The Fresh Market has tapped New York City-based venture studio, 25madison, which is a business builder, incubating companies from the ground up and investing in early-stage businesses. 25madison will keep The Fresh Market on the pulse of early-stage consumer companies that are poised to disrupt or create market trends.
“We are excited to partner with The Fresh Market to help identify, build, and invest in disruptive businesses,” said Steven Price, CEO of 25madison. “By teaming up with The Fresh Market, we can create a competitive edge for our companies, leveraging unique consumer insights and distribution in 159 stores. This strategic partnership will help The Fresh Market’s customers discover and shop for new and innovative brands.”
Here are some of The Fresh Market’s early predictions based on top trends in the food industry:
Sugar Smarts
Consumers are becoming more aware of how much sugar is added to foods, thanks to new food labeling requirements becoming mandatory in 2020 which include a callout for “added sugars” under the carbohydrates section.
Seeds: As Mighty as Nuts
Hot on the heels of the nut snacking trend is a rise in seed-based products (think quinoa, hemp, sesame, pumpkin, flax, sunflower, and chia). Not only are seeds allergen-free, but they are loaded with fiber, protein, antioxidants, essential minerals, and fatty acids, like omega-3.
Plant Based 2.0
Consumers have embraced plant-based meat alternatives and cauliflower pizza crusts, but now food manufacturers are taking it to the next level with plant-based alternatives that pump up the protein using legumes and vegetables.
Sober Celebrating
The rise in functional beverages has also extended to happy hour, with sober-curious consumers choosing to celebrate sans alcohol.
Transparency and Traceability
“We are entering a phase where consumers want to understand the full lifecycle of a food product, from where and how it was grown, why it is better nutritionally and better for the environment,” said Richmond.
As I said, I’m pretty sure these specialty food curators are using sorcery to their advantage, so I advise industry folks to hop on these trends while they’re hot. To see what else is budding amongst health-conscious consumers, keep reading ANUK.
THE NETHERLANDS AND USA - Apeel Sciences and Nature’s Pride—at first glance, you wonder, are they now together? The answer is yes, yes they are. Apeel has announced recently that Apeel supported avocados are now on store shelves in Europe thanks to Nature’s Pride. A small skip over the pond, but a major avocadostone for the company. Nature’s Pride is now integrating the Apeel solution across its expansive avocado value chain to bring Apeel avocados to Edeka and Netto in Germany, and Salling Group stores Føtex and Bilka in Denmark.
“Approval of Apeel’s technology in Europe demonstrates the European Commission’s commitment to addressing our planet’s massive food waste crisis, which is now understood to be a top contributor to climate change,” said James Rogers, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Apeel Sciences. “Our U.S. partners are realizing the value of Apeel and are halving their food waste in many cases. Our next critical step is assisting retailers across Europe in their efforts to reduce waste, while simultaneously improving profits and enabling customers to enjoy fresh, high-quality produce with a longer shelf-life and ripe time.”
Apeel and Nature’s Pride joined forces to take on the European food waste crisis earlier this year. According to the press release, Apeel’s plant-derived coating has already demonstrated a greater than 50 percent food waste reduction on average at the retail level in the United States. Due to the partnership and the success, the European Commission authorized the use of the ingredients in the coating for use.
“Every day we work across the entire chain to create innovative solutions that will make the world healthier and more sustainable. Apeel allows us to significantly reduce food waste, so we are extremely proud that the result of our intensive cooperation has now reached the shelves. We look forward to reaching more consumers in Europe with our products with Apeel,” said Adriëlle Dankier, Chief Commercial Officer of Nature's Pride.
Food waste in Europe has reached a staggering 88 million tonnes (U.S. 97 million tons) annually, with associated costs estimated at 143 billion euros, that’s 158 billion USD for us over here on the stateside. In German households, for example, every eighth grocery item is thrown away. This means that 6.7 million tonnes (7.4 tons U.S.) of food goes to waste in homes every year. Calculated per person, this means wastage of two fully packed shopping carts weighing about 82 kilograms (181 pounds) with a merchandise value of 234 euros (259 USD).
“Food waste is a major challenge that puts a strain on the environment. This is why this is a high-priority area in Salling Group, and we are investing in solutions and initiatives to ensure that we reach our goal: a 50 percent reduction in food waste leading up to 2030. We are certain that Apeel can help make a difference, not only for us but also for customers and households. Therefore, we look forward to introducing the solution in Denmark,” said Stephan Bruhn, Director at Salling Group.
Also mentioned in the press release, more Apeel produce categories are expected to roll out in the future for Europe.
“We constantly deal with innovations in the fruit and vegetable segment, since fruit and vegetables are the calling card of our stores, and we look forward to cooperating with Apeel Sciences,” said Rolf Lange, Head of Corporate Communications at Edeka Zentrale AG & Co. KG.
For more innovative solutions in the produce industry, keep reading ANUK.