ANAHEIM, CA - Every produce show is a golden opportunity to reconnect with old friends and partners from across the industry. With these “catch-ups,” we get to see how things have changed from the previous year, including new promotions and steps in our friends’ journeys. Tracey Lewin, Vice President of Sales and Operations for the Allen Lund Company, took time to chat with me about how she is settling into her most recent role.
“Over 30 years ago I began with the Allen Lund Company in the accounting department where I lasted for about a year and a half or so and then I moved into the sales department—particularly refrigerated and produce,” Tracey told me. “From there I worked my way up and became the Assistant Manager, then the Manager of the Los Angeles office, and in April of this year I was promoted to Vice President.”
Tracey has a busy plate with the new role, but she is more than up to the task. She is challenged with overseeing 11 of the company’s 35 branch offices, and from headcount freight management to management styles and regional differences, each office holds its own special characteristics.
“I’m learning more and more about these offices, getting to know the managers even better, and I’m really embracing this opportunity to continue to grow with the company,” she said.
For over 25 years, Tracey has attended just about every show that the company does, and yet she still finds ways to extract value and fun out of every single one.
“We really appreciate the opportunity to meet with our shippers, growers, and even other carriers that come to see us—it has been a very beneficial relationship for all parties involved and we really appreciate PMA,” she commented.
For more exclusive show content, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
PLEASANT PRAIRIE, WI - Good Foods, one of the biggest names in the plant-based dips and good-for-you products category, is bolstering its leadership team with a new highly-qualified member. Malin Benicek has been hired to fill the role of Vice President of Technical Services, where he will oversee global food safety initiatives as well as the company’s quality management strategies, programs, and standards.
“I’m honored to be joining the Good Foods team,” said Benicek. “Good Foods’ dedication to using the most advanced technologies in food manufacturing and safety is simply the best in the industry. I’m deeply committed to advancing the business growth both nationally and internationally.”
With over 30 years of experience in his back pocket, Benicek has previously served as the Executive Vice President of Quality Assurance, Food Safety, and Regulatory Affairs for Schuman Cheese Inc. and Wayne Farms LLC.
“We believe adding Malin to the team will be crucial for maintaining the success of our company and products,” Kurt Penn, Founder and CEO, commented in a press release. “His experience and passion for improving food safety and quality assurance standards makes him the perfect fit for this role.”
Benicek earned a master’s degree in food microbiology from the University of Wisconsin, after which he went on to work in various industry segments, including prepared foods, food ingredient manufacturing, cultures, and enzymes.
Congratulations to Benicek on the new position!
AndNowUKnow will continue to bring you updates on the leadership of our industry.
IDAHO FALLS, ID - Whoever coined the phrase “couch potato” has a thing or two to learn about the category. If by couch potato you mean healthy, dependable, and titillating, then sure, you can put that on my tombstone! Any other definition is simply untrue. Given the wide array of benefits that come along with eating potatoes, it’s no wonder why the delicious spuds are in high demand this time of year. Dallin Klinger of Marketing and Communications at Eagle Eye Produce knows all about the wondrous tubers, so I reached out to hear his thoughts on the state of the potato market this time of year.
“The potato market is steady currently—at higher than historical prices for this time frame. Supply is light and demand is good. We should see the demand continue to increase in the coming weeks,” Dallin explained. “We have seen a spike in prices due to the tight supply nationally, which is even more dramatic with the larger-sized potatoes. Historically, prices would plateau during the holidays, but they are higher than they have been in over a decade during this time.”
According to Dallin, the eastern Idaho harvest was prolonged due to a significant frost in early October, meaning the national supply is expected to be a bit tighter than last year. However, Eagle Eye’s crops in Nevada and Washington finished on schedule earlier in the month. The company is now shipping all storage crop potatoes from all of its growing regions.
“The quality of our potato crops is excellent, especially those harvested the earliest this fall,” said Dallin. “Our sizing is good, on the smaller side, but should be fairly similar to what we had last year. Nationally, we have some concerns due to an early frost that could factor into how potatoes store this season, but we feel confident in our supply. The overall effects of the frost will take time to fully surface as the season progresses.”
Here’s to more persevering potato crops in the East! To stay up to date on the status of all produce categories, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
SANTA BARBARA, CA - The innovative technology provider, Apeel Sciences, is launching its operations into orbit. No, it isn’t sending its scientists to the moon, but it is rolling out new satellite offices in three countries to help facilitate its growing global presence. The new offices will touch down in Peru, Mexico, and the Netherlands, bringing each a solution to the increased demand for Apeel produce. In addition to this initiative, the company has hired and extended roles of key executives that have proven track records in supporting accelerated growth paths.
According to a news release, the first of Apeel’s satellite offices will be in the Netherlands—one of the world’s largest exporters of food and agricultural products—and will service all of Europe, following the European Commission approval in June. Apeel’s second and third satellite office locations in Peru and Mexico offer new solutions to regions that have been eager to bring food waste prevention technology to their farms.
The company is also adding five new key executives to help spearhead this growth, bringing the total team headcount close to 200 employees. Additionally, the company currently has over 100 open career opportunities across three continents, including roles in Product and Strategy, Operations, and Engineering.
The new executives include:
- Jason De Turris, Vice President of Brand, who joins Apeel with twenty years of marketing experience having previously worked with brands like Rolex, Jell-O, Xbox, American Express, and Naked Juice. He will use his experience building world-class brands to establish Apeel’s consumer brand and retail activation strategy worldwide.
- Viviane Schappo, Director of Supplier Relations in Latin America, comes to Apeel from C.H. Robinson, an organization with over $16.6B in sales. She will focus on driving the business development pipeline in Latin America and supporting Apeel’s partners and in-country implementation processes.
- Megan Opp, Chief People Officer, has joined as Apeel’s first Chief People Officer to ensure that Apeel’s culture seamlessly scales as the company grows and continues to attract and retain top talent in the business, technology, and science communities.
- Bill Strong, Chief Financial Officer, has been appointed CFO after helping Apeel raise $110M to-date and overseeing the growth of Apeel’s business from 30 to nearly 200 employees.
- Erich Klawuhn, Vice President of Product is chartered with bringing Apeel products to market and helping identify the opportunity for Apeel’s technology in new verticals. Previously, he was a VP at View Inc., the first company to successfully advance the large‐scale commercialization of dynamic glass.
The company has demonstrated a greater than 50 percent food waste reduction at U.S. food retail, and now has its produce in over 2,000 stores with request for its revolutionary, waste-reducing product globally. Congrats to all of these industry experts on working alongside such an innovation-driven company!
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - SpartanNash recently celebrated the grand opening of its Fargo Produce Distribution Center. The 80,000-square-foot facility has the capacity for 1,600 items—including 300 organic items—and is solely dedicated to produce and floral distribution in order to provide the freshest and highest quality offerings available. Not one to skimp out on quality, the company invested nearly $10 million and created 30 jobs, including specialized warehouse teams, dedicated quality control associates, and a banana ripening lead.
“SpartanNash is committed to delivering best-in-class products throughout our supply chain, and today, that commitment now includes fresher than ever produce and floral options for customers serviced out of the state-of-the-art Fargo Produce Distribution Center,” said Walt Lentz, President, Food Distribution. “This facility highlights our commitment to our customers, independent retailers and the Fargo community as a whole.”
Located at 3402 4th Ave. South in Fargo, North Dakota, the Fargo Produce DC includes state-of-the-art avocado and banana ripening rooms, organic flash sustainable technology for improved shelf life and color consistency, three dedicated temperature zones for optimal product storage, and a large variety of fresh plants and floral available for next-day delivery. According to the press release, the facility will also carry an expanded cut fruit and vegetable product line as well as a variety of fresh juices and beverages, dressings, snacks and nuts, and specialty and tropical produce to complement other offerings.
In addition to consumer staples including bananas, grapes, and cherries, the distribution center will also showcase SpartanNash’s commitment to supporting local growers and producers, carrying locally grown red and russet potatoes, tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, sweet corn, cabbage, and apples as seasonally available.
The Fargo Produce DC also highlights SpartanNash’s corporate responsibility commitments, including investments in energy-efficient LED Green illumination technology to reduce heat, environmentally sustainable refrigeration, and non-CO2 emitting industrial warehouse equipment.
Will SpartanNash have more stores made now that it has a base of distribution? Keep reading ANUK as we bring you more developments in the fresh produce industry.
UNITED STATES - Noah Robbins is no stranger to produce. Having grown up on an orange grove, agriculture is in his blood. So, when he graduated from college and saw the decline in young farmers taking interest in the old-school business side of things, he decided to make a break for himself. After working on a large-scale vegetable farm in Florida, Noah’s “a-ha” moment came when he learned shishito peppers at a local sushi restaurant were being flown all the way from Japan.
“I immediately got to work,” Noah relays to me as he pieces together for me why he started Ark Foods, now known for its wholesale and retail product lines. “I found seed and I contacted a greenhouse. A farmer loaned me a bit of land and worked with me to grow my first three acres of shishito peppers. Rather than raise venture capital, my father suggested I ‘shut up and sell some peppers.’ So I did.”
Noah drummed up business by calling restaurants and specialty produce distributors around the country, convincing chefs to feature the peppers on their menus. Years later, Ark Foods’ product line has expanded to over 15 SKUs, which includes its Veggie Bowls, Squash Snack Packs, Shishito Pepper Party Packs, and additional wholesale produce.
“When the meal kit industry took off, I saw an opportunity to create our own version—and that’s how the Ark Foods Veggie Bowls were born,” Noah explains, offering me a deep dive into the company’s growth and game-changing strategies in the food space. “They each consist of a fresh-cut vegetable paired with the perfect plant-based sauce, all served in a heat-and-eat microwaveable bowl. When I founded Ark Foods, I wanted to keep the brand completely accessible to everyone, but also unique and differentiated. Today, these qualities support our efforts to grow our business in imaginative ways.”
As a modern-day farming company, Ark Foods continues to build upon its mission to create simple, fresh, and exciting food. From purchasing the highest-quality seeds to growing its crops responsibly, produce should be magical and remarkable no matter what.
“From day one, we’ve been committed to doing ag differently by building a transparent supply chain. With a deep respect for the art of farming, and a family history to back it up, we’ve developed a fully-owned ecosystem: We’re integrated into every decision, every step of the growing process, and in managing our family of employees so that we’re completely accountable for our food quality and culture,” Noah remarks.
As the company prepares to show at The New York Produce Show in December, Noah notes that making vegetables approachable and inventive doesn’t have to break the bank.
“We are constantly working on new ways that vegetables can be enjoyed—from raw bulk veggies to heat-and-eat meals. We believe that vegetables are the ultimate food: completely universal and fundamental, but also creative and inspiring. They’re the product of a fascinating process and the starting ingredient for a million new ones,” he concludes.
As we follow along with Ark Foods’ journey, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
ITALY - Peanut butter, chocolate, other delicious fruits—these are the pairings that come to the ANUK team’s minds when we think about what goes best with bananas. Bad guys, on the other hand, seem to think cocaine pairs nicely with everyone’s favorite yellow fruit. Fortunately, this illicit agenda won’t be seeing the light of day any time soon, as police in southern Italy thwarted another attempt to pair the two together.
According to a report by Daily Sabah, authorities seized over a ton of cocaine hidden in a refrigerated container used for transporting bananas on a boat bound for Germany. The drugs, which were stored in 144 different packages and concealed in the banana container, are estimated to have a street value of $275 million.
While this batch of illegal substances was seized at the port of Gioia Tauro, authorities in the Mediterranean have been on yellow alert due to packages of cocaine mysteriously washing ashore. Specifically, police in the southwest of France have closed beaches because over 2,200 pounds of cocaine has been discovered since mid-October.
While it has not been disclosed if the two cocaine incidents are related—or from the same source—one thing is certain: those on the right side of justice will continue to (drug) bust while the produce is hot to keep the freshest of fruits and veggies out of the wrong hands.
Keep checking back with AndNowUKnow for breaking industry news.
CALIFORNIA - Cardenas Markets is solidifying its place in the West Coast market with new store locations that are taking it even more westward in the Golden State. News source PE reported that the fixture of the Inland Empire grocery scene is opening its first store west of Pomona, California, in Whittier, in addition to bolstering its footprint in the counties of Los Angeles and Orange.
“This is the first of many more to come,” Marco Robles, Public Affairs Director, disclosed to the news source. “We certainly see the opportunities there, with the demographics of the coastal areas. It is obviously very much a part of our outreach.”
Robles also noted that Cardenas Markets has been working to put four new stores on the map every year. This year, that included locations in Victorville, Concord, Tucson (its first store in Arizona), and Las Vegas, and in 2020, a store in Montclair.
On top of simply expanding, Cardenas Markets has also revamped its stores to include trendy amenities like coffee bars and fast-casual restaurants. Will the new Whittier store—which will be housed in a former 34,642-square-foot Stater Bros location and employ around 120 people—include such exciting features? And what other markets is Cardenas Markets considering ripe for the retail taking? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
IRVINE, CA - Good morning, AndNowUKnow readers!
Today, I am bringing you some of the category and weather news from around the industry. Check back twice weekly to see the latest around all growing regions.
THE WEST TO WARM UP THIS WEEKEND
A ridge of high pressure will bring above average temperatures to California growing regions this weekend.
Starting tomorrow, temperatures will rise by 15 to 20°—above where temperatures were most of this week. Oxnard, California, will have a high temperature of 80° tomorrow, 82° on Sunday, and 77° on Monday. Salinas will see maximum temperatures this weekend of 71°, 75°, and 75°. Santa Maria will have highs of 80°, 78°, and 80°.
Look for a possible uptick in the supply of strawberries this weekend and early next week. Lettuces from this region are on the way out.
Desert regions of Coachella will also see warmer temperatures. Coachella will see maximum temperatures of 90° Saturday through Monday. Possibly look for supplies of bell peppers to increase over the weekend into early next week.
Beware as the warmer temperatures will peter out by Tuesday as a storm front comes through California, bringing cooler temperatures and a chance of rain on Tuesday and Wednesday through the state. High temperatures along the coast will drop back into the 60°s and minimum temperatures will go back into the low to mid-40°s. The desert region's maximum temperatures will drop from the 90°s down to the mid-70°s for the remainder of the week.
SOUTHERN GEORGIA SAW FREEZING TEMPERATURES THIS WEEK
The freezing temperatures we had anticipated for the southern Georgia and the panhandle of Florida materialized as expected. The coldest temperatures were in the region of southwestern Georgia and the panhandle of Florida, where the minimum temperature on Tuesday dipped into the 20°s and was in the mid-30°s on Wednesday. Look for serious damage to any remaining fall crops from these regions.
As we get closer to the coast in southeastern Georgia and the eastern coast of Florida, the temperatures were not as harsh, with minimum temperatures staying mostly in the low 40°s with an occasional 39° in isolated areas.
Further south, into the Orlando and Lakeland area, which is a major region for winter strawberries, there were no issues of cold temperatures. This region is just scratching the plants, but volume should begin to pickup in the next couple of weeks.
TEXAS GRAPEFRUIT RECEIVED A BLAST OF COLD AIR THIS WEEK
The same cold front that blasted the eastern half of the country even made its way as far south as the Rio Grande Valley of McAllen, Texas, this week. This region of Texas is a big shipper of red grapefruit this time of year. This is some of the best grapefruit in the country.
Temperatures literally dropped 40° overnight from a high of 87° on Monday to a high of only 44° on Tuesday. The minimum temperatures also dropped from 55° on Monday to 36° on Tuesday. The cold temperatures remained Wednesday and yesterday, but by today, the maximum temperature will be 64° and 74° on Sunday with minimum temperatures back into the mid-50°s.
Don’t expect this cold weather to have any negative effects on the grapefruit.
HURRICANE CENTRAL
A very late season tropical depression has formed in the Pacific off the southern tip of Baja California. The storm is heading in a northernly direction and is forecast to make its way to the Cabo San Lucas region of Baja California sometime Sunday. This storm has sustained winds of 35 mph. It is not known at this time how much rain the storm will bring.
There is no activity in the Atlantic Ocean currently.
Thank you as always for your support. We will be back next week with another report.
PARAMUS, NJ - Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street? No? That’s fine—I’ve got a feeling that Classic Harvest’s most recent launch will get me there. In celebration of Sesame Street’s 50th anniversary, the company released limited-edition eat brighter!™ mandarins that feature the frenzied-but-cuddly Cookie Monster character. Leading the charge with great-tasting mandarins from Peru and Chile, Classic Harvest is now shipping its Sesame Street-themed fare from southern New Jersey.
“We ship eat brighter! Cookie Monster mandarins year-round. The anniversary packaging is a fun way to wrap up Classic Harvest’s record summer of shipping mandarins,” said Jennifer Westerhoff, Executive Vice President. “This summer, we increased volumes exponentially with top-quality fruit from Peru and Chile, and we’re now finishing the season with the best eating fruit all year, so we are ready to party! Cookie Monster is featured twelve months a year on our mandarins, but 50th Anniversary ‘party mode’ Cookie Monster is available for just a short time!”
The convenient Sesame Street 50th Anniversary bag features attention-grabbing, high-quality graphics starring Cookie Monster-themed eat brighter!™ mandarins. The eat brighter! initiative is a collaboration among Produce Marketing Association, Sesame Workshop, and the Partnership for a Healthier America that leverages the strength and influence of the Sesame Street brand to drive fresh produce consumption for kids ages 2-5 and their families. According to a press release, the eat brighter! branding in produce departments provides a positive, healthy example for kids to model in a way that’s fun and exciting.
“For 50 years, Sesame Street has appealed not only to children, but also to their parents and caregivers,” said Linda Cunningham, President. “Our eat brighter! mandarins are available twelve months a year, but the anniversary bags are a limited edition featuring the best eating fruit of the season.”
Place your order of Classic Harvest eat brighter! mandarins in the limited-edition Sesame Street 50th Anniversary packaging featuring Cooking Monster by contacting the Classic Harvest Sales Team. Classic Harvest also offers Cara Cara oranges, navels, lemons, and a complete line of specialty citrus, all perfect for the year-round citrus assortment.
For more exciting product launches across the industry, keep reading ANUK.