KINGSVILLE, ONTARIO - The PMA Fresh Summit awards have brought some of the industry's best to the forefront once again. SUNSET® is one company in that elite class of organizations, with each of its six premium WOW™ berries receiving rave reviews from conference attendees for their unique flavor profiles. On top of that, a panel of retailers and industry insiders selected WOW berries as Best Overall Product Promo from among hundreds of new products.
“We’re thrilled that WOW berries were a judges’ favorite,” said Paul Mastronardi, President and CEO, and the fourth-generation family member to lead Mastronardi Produce. “Initial retailer and customer response to these remarkable berries have been tremendous, and our team was incredibly excited to showcase them at PMA.”
The award recognizes excellence and creativity in product promotion, with a focus on the product’s online exhibitor listing and display showcase, as well as merchandising at the booth, according to PMA standards. WOW dreamberry™ strawberries have just started shipping. According to a press release, these ruby-red berries offer the best version of classic strawberry flavor and are perfectly sweet, every time.
Congrats, SUNSET, on the Fresh Summit honor and keep an eye out for more coverage from AndNowUKnow!
ANAHIEM, CA - It's a wrap, my friends! How does that deep breath feel? It is hard to believe that another PMA Fresh Summit has just swept through our industry, leaving in its whirlwind wake an abundance of fresh innovations, bold and progressive ideas, new relationships, and a stronger kinship between the like-minded and the ingenious. As a kid born in the 80s and a child of the 90s, if Fresh Summit had only been built around Queen Latifah and Magic Johnson, you could say that the show was a hit for this trade news writer. But, lucky for us all, those superstars were just icing on the cake.
With red badges galore and exciting networking opportunities available to the industry masses, business was conducted around every inch of the show—from the exhibition floor to PMA FRESHTIVAL, dubbed The Freshest Place on Earth.
"This year’s Fresh Summit was an incredible gathering of the global fresh produce and floral industry. More than ever, Fresh Summit has felt like a destination, not just a show. From the education, starting with the experience extensions on Thursday and our star-studded Forums for the Future all weekend, to the opportunities for new innovations and connections on the packed show floor, the lounges throughout the floor, and in the networking receptions, this year took Fresh Summit to a new level,” Cathy Burns, CEO, Produce Marketing Association, shares with me. “I would like to thank Conference Committee Co-Chairs, Garland Perkins of The Oppenheimer Group and Mac Riggan of Chelan Fresh Marketing, and our committee members for their leadership and guidance in continuing to help Fresh Summit grow, as well as our sponsors for their support, the PMA staff members who work so hard to put the show on and of course, all of our members who make this possible."
As the PMA team shared, Fresh Summit 2019 was a transformative year, with a record-breaking nearly 24,000 attendees, and a star-studded education lineup. Much was tradition at this year’s show including a retail produce tour, the annual State of the Industry address by Cathy, and educational forums that inspired passionate and invested dialogue.
The Global Street Festival that amassed thousands of attendees on Thursday night for the opening reception did not disappoint. And if you know our industry, you know that having fun is a requisite. PMA met the crowd with three regional themes: Thailand's Festival of Food, Flowers, and Light, Brazil's Carnival, and USA's Woodstock, just in time for its 50th anniversary.
Friday morning kicked off with the Center for Growing Talent's annual 5K Race for Talent for those spry and wide-eyed enough to hit the pavement before bringing the group back together once again to experience Earvin "Magic" Johnson, Chairman and CEO of Magic Johnson Enterprises. Adversity is a topic that traverses industries, demographics, and nations. Magic took to the stage to discuss how his vision for business offered inclusion and supports existing communities instead of excluding them.
Moving from wonder to exhilaration, the attendees then entered the belly of the Kraken: the PMA Fresh Summit show floor—and a beast it is. Did I clock my mileage? I should have, but the booths drew me to them through all my senses as sight, touch, smell, sound, and taste carried our team though two days of some of the most amazing products, vision, and passion that we have seen at a PMA Fresh Summit.
To keep us ready and rarin’ to go on day two of the show, the Center for Growing Talent hosted a Womens Fresh Perspectives leadership breakfast providing industry members with an opportunity to hear Queen Latifah speak of her journey to success both in head and in heart—and how family and staying true to herself really impacted her success. One of my favorite takeaways from her talk was when she spoke of confidence.
“Confidence is like fixing a car,” Queen Latifah said, “you have to maintain it.” I am sorry, but did someone say, err, sing U.N.I.T.Y.? Well, I whispered it.
After the second floor day unleashed its wave of inspiration and opportunity, I had the chance to speak with some industry members on how this show continues to reveal the best of the best, and elevate the brightest minds in fresh produce:
Reggie Griffin, Founder of Reggie Griffin Strategies and Former Senior Vice President at Kroger
“Having been in the retail industry for over 40 years, most of it in the produce and floral sector, and now as a consultant for eight years, I'm still amazed at the gathering of all facets of this great produce and floral Industry. The conventions are great but they are just a forum for the people and the companies to come together to meet professionally and personally. Having worked with several of the exhibitor companies, I don't think the buyside of our industry truly understands the time, effort and expense that supplier companies put forth to make these events happen. These teams are tireless performers in the big show of the convention. As I walked the show floor, I was truly amazed at the diversity both in age, gender, and ethnicity and how our industry has truly emerged as a representation of today's dynamic consumer. No one can say it better than Magic Johnson did on Friday during his simply outstanding presentation: You have to know your customers on an individual basis and then over-deliver on what they want—not what you want to sell.”
Nikki Rodoni, Founder of Measure to Improve and the California Central Coast Sustainability Exchange
"Last week was not only monumental for Measure to Improve (MTI), but for sustainability in the fresh produce industry. Starting with California Central Coast Sustainability Exchange (CCSE) and wrapping up with the PMA Fresh Summit Conference and Expo, MTI participated in the Sustainability Committee Meeting on October 16th and the What’s Hot, What’s Not panel session on the 17th. Sustainability was top of mind throughout. In the State of the Industry address by Cathy Burns, sustainability was highlighted as one of the top trends. Additionally, walking the PMA conference floor and speaking with suppliers, it was clear that companies are at varying stages along their sustainability journey—from just starting out looking for support in the area of sustainability to some of our own clients that are very happy to be well on their sustainability journey after hearing he state of the industry address. Being able to see first-hand, the progress that is being made in the area of setting sustainability goals and innovations for sustainable packaging was incredibly exciting."
Caitlin Tierney, Senior Director of Produce, 99 Cents Only Stores
“Impactful, progressive and motivational, PMA once again hit the ball out of the park with a compact, innovative show. The speakers were exceptional and the show floor was packed with networking, diversity, and education. This year I truly think was the best PMA thus far. I can only wait to see what they pull off next year!”
Jonad Galan, Director of Produce and Floral, Balls Food Stores
“This year’s PMA Fresh Summit show was highly successful with lots of great accomplishments. Fresh Summit is always big but the layout felt very manageable this year and allowed for easy flow to move around the booths. In this industry, we do a lot of emails and phone calls, and this show really allows for deeper relationship building and strengthening as vendors and retailers are able to meet face to face. Personally, covering performance and going over planning/strategy with the grower/vendor/shipper partners really aligns the partnership in a way that all benefit and makes us all successful.”
Frank Swanson, Senior Manager Produce Operations, Fresh Produce, US Foods
"Amazing what can get done in one location in a few days!"
As you can already see here, the excitement covered industry sectors and opportunities and we will definitely have more to come for your reading pleasure so stay tuned! But for now, let's move onto a bit more trade show excitement.
Let’s be honest, you cannot talk about hype in our industry without also having a little bit of industry competition. So, who rose to the top? Here are some companies that more than shined!
- Best Product Promo: SUNSET WOW™ Berries
- Best Sustainable Packaging: Mucci Farms
- Best Island Booth in the Solutions Marketplace: Apeel Sciences
- Best Inline Booth in the Solutions Marketplace: CN
But wait, there is more:
- Best Island Booth in the Complementary Items Marketplace: Fresh Cravings, LLC
- Best Inline Booth in the Complementary Items Marketplace: Lightlife Foods & Field Roast Grain Meat Co.
- Best Island Booth in the Produce Marketplace: Starr Ranch
- Best Inline Booth in the produce Marketplace: North Shore Living
- Best First-Time Exhibitor: Joolies
- Best Island Booth in the FLoral Marketplace: Colour Republic
- Best Inline Booth in the Floral Marketplace: van Hoekelen Greenhouses, Inc
In addition, a number of honors were bestowed at this year’s event, including The Center for Growing Talent which honored both Dr. Frieda Rapaport Caplan and Dick Spezzano for the 2019 Women’s Catalyst Award and the Jay Pack Cultivating Our Future Award, respectively. PMA also honored two industry veterans with leadership awards. Rich Dachman, CEO at Brighter Bites and former Vice President of Produce at Sysco, received the 2019 Robert L. Carey Leadership Award and Vic Smith, CEO of JV Smith Companies, received the 2019 Bryan E. Silbermann Collaboration Award.
On top of that, SVG Ventures and PMA announced ProteoSense as the winner of the THRIVE Fresh Summit Challenge and recipient of a coveted spot in the THRIVE VI Accelerator Program focused on accelerating companies with the best emerging technologies to advance the future of food and agriculture. This only names a handful of coveted moments of recognition that graced the show.
PMA also gathered produce for a donation to Second Harvest Food Bank—the PMA effect continues to ripple out.
"I’m looking forward to the feedback we’ll get from our volunteers and to see where next year’s Fresh Summit will take us. This year we took one giant step forward in helping to grow a healthier world," Cathy concluded.
As we ice our feet and take time to distill all that we saw at this year's Fresh Summit 2019, I hope we will all feel that much more confident that what we do in this industry is not just good business but good for all. See you all soon!
SALINAS, CA - As it continues to develop and evolve its team of employees, Ippolito International has announced the hiring of industry-vet, Evan Giuliani for the newly-created role of Director of Foodservice Sales and New Business Development.
“We’re looking forward to having Evan join our sales team. He is highly respected in the industry and has tremendous knowledge of the foodservice sector,” Dan Canales, Senior VP of Sales, Marketing, and Processing, said in a press release. “With our continued growth in value-added products, Evan is a great addition to the team.”
Giuliani is no stranger to the produce world, and before joining Ippolito, he served as Director of Outside Sales—Foodservice for Taylor Farms. In the new position Giuliani will be responsible for expanding the company’s distribution channels and foodservice sales.
Ippolito has also announced the promotion of Jason Grolnick, who joined the company in July, to the role of Director of Sales. As a produce vet of 30 years, Grolnick has proved himself an invaluable member of the team and has been instrumental in building and developing Ippolito’s customer base.
“Jason has made a significant impact within our sales team in the short period of time he has been here,” Canales commented. “In this newly-created position, he will work with both foodservice and retail accounts.”
Congratulations to Evan on his new position, as well as Jason for his well-deserved promotion.
ONTARIO, CA - Hello! It’s me, coming up for air after the Fresh Summit festivities have commenced! Of all the exhibitors at this year’s event, we at ANUK found some who showed out with exceptional new offerings. One of these was FiveStar Gourmet Foods, which debuted its expansive new snacking lines over the weekend, featuring 25 SKUs including fresh produce and exciting new flavor combinations. The entire lineup adheres to the strict Simply Fresh® brand requirements, which means clean ingredients and no additives. All five snacking product lines, which offer a wide range of snacks, price points, and flavor varieties that fit all consumer snacking needs, will launch nationwide in early November.
“The Simply Fresh brand delivers fresh, on-trend ingredients with both the strictest of quality standards and the highest level of taste experience,” says Tal Shoshan, CEO. “We are so proud of the immediate acceptance by retailers in taking all the product lines as part of their commitment to providing their shoppers with convenient, healthy snacking options.”
The 5 new Simply Fresh snacking product lines, all items between 3-6 oz, include:
- TRIOS, which features plant-based dips along with fresh produce combinations (SRP $2.99)
- SNACKERS, a value line with a great assortment at reasonable prices (SRP $1.99)
- 4-KIDS, specifically designed with kids in mind and touting perfect combinations for the kid at heart as well (SRP $2.99)
- DOUBLE DIPPERS, highlight fresh apple slices and the many creations that come from not only dipping once, but twice! (SRP $2.99)
- MiniMeals2Go, designed for those on-the-go who are looking for a snack box that keeps them satisfied for hours (SRP $4.99)
Congratulations to FiveStar Gourmet Foods on this exciting new product lineup and its recent exhibition at PMA Fresh Summit! The event may be over, but we’ve still got exciting news coming your way, so keep reading AndNowUKnow.
SANTA PAULA, CA - Limoneira is emphasizing the health and benefits of fresh produce with an all-new consumer-facing app: The Produce Department is Nature's Pharmacy™. Like the name implies, the app reminds consumers that much of what they need to live their healthiest and best lives can be easily and inexpensively found in the produce aisle.
“At Limoniera, we know that good health and maintaining balance continues to be important to all of us, and that produce and citrus can be critical to this balance,” said Harold Edwards, President and CEO. “We understand that people are busy and looking for solutions that are easy to incorporate into their busy lives, and The Produce Department at Nature's Pharmacy app does just that. Limoneira is proud to be a leader in educating consumers about how to eat their way to optimum health naturally.”
The app identifies fruits and veggies available in grocery stores that can help consumers solve common healthcare issues. To do this, Limoneira cross-tabulated 55 health concerns and desired outcomes with 74 fruits and vegetables to create this educational platform that is part of Limoneira’s new Take a Healthy Stand™ campaign, which showcases the ways citrus and produce can help alleviate serious health issues while enhancing personal wellbeing—with the information supported by research by the Institute of National Health and other objective organizations.
“The Produce Department is Nature's Pharmacy and Take a Healthy Stand are important components of the Food as Medicine movement taking hold nationwide,” said Megan Roosevelt, a Limoneira nutritionist and founder of Healthy Grocery Girl®. “Food as Medicine maintains that fresh, healthy produce such as lemons can help avoid an expensive and perhaps less effective trip to the grocery department's supplement aisle.”
The app gives consumers access to information about issues like cholesterol, cardiovascular diseases, and insomnia; solutions like raising energy levels or reducing wrinkles; and additional stats like where the fresh produce can be found in stores. All of the produce featured on the app contains 12 essential vitamins and 11 essential minerals and can be used to address the concerns. Once a certain concern or outcome is selected, the app then generates foods in the produce aisle that can help consumers achieve their health goals, according to a press release.
The app made its premier debut this weekend at PMA Fresh Summit and is now available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store.
For more fresh produce news like this, keep checking back with AndNowUKnow.
LONDON, ENGLAND - Lidl Great Britain (Lidl GB) has announced that it will be investing £15 billion (U.S. $19 billion) in British suppliers over the next five years. As a trade news writer, whenever I hear news of big-box grocers getting directly involved with suppliers, my ears instantly perk up.
This investment, a press release noted, comes at a time when the discount grocer’s growth continues to skyrocket, and will provide its suppliers with the support needed to grow their own businesses. The introduction of longer-term contracts will provide further stability, and a new young farmers program will offer support for new talent within the industry.
“As our business continues to grow, it’s vital that our suppliers remain at the heart of our growth plans, and that is why we are committing to investing at least £15 billion over the next five years. Our business is only ever as good as our suppliers’, so our investments and commitments are key to ensuring that they can invest and expand with us,” stated Ryan McDonnell, Chief Commercial Officer.
In addition to the above initiatives, Lidl has has also pledged to increase sales of fresh produce by over 10 percent over the next 12 months.
Will Lidl US follow in Great Britain’s footsteps? Only time will tell, and AndNowUKnow will be here to tell you.
ASHEVILLE, NC - We've reported that Earth Fare will be opening a new store in Georgia. Before that, talks surfaced that the organic grocer was to open its fifteenth Florida location. Now that that's underway, it looks like Earth Fare wants more of that Florida realty. 15 more store locations are slotted to open in the Sunshine State, bringing Earth Fare's total store count to 55 in 10 states.
“We’re working about 15 opportunities between Miami and Tallahassee, right now,” stated Frank Scorpiniti, CEO. “That would put us at 30 stores in Florida.”
According to the Tampa Bay Business Journal, Earth Fare has approximately 100 stores at various stages of development in its “real estate pipeline.”
“We have enough opportunity to more than double the size of the business over the next few years,” Scorpiniti stated.
With Earth Fare already in the backyards of retail giants such as Publix, will we see more of the grocer's locations in Florida? AndNowUKnow will keep you updated.
DELANO, CA - Blanc Vineyards is dribbling past tired marketing initiatives and executing an alley-oop to end all alley-oops with its new all-star partner: two-time NBA World Champion Danny “Green Ranger” Green. The Los Angeles Lakers player has teamed up with the grape grower to encourage kids to live healthy lifestyles via a new brand for the Pristine proprietary variety.
“We’re proud to be partnering with the Danny Green for such a good cause,” said Jack Campbell, Co-Owner of Blanc Vineyards. “Snacking healthy starts early, and if we can get kids into good eating habits with a world champion athlete then everybody wins. Grapes are fat and cholesterol free, have no added sugar, and they taste great.”
The packaging has been monikered Green Ranger to mirror Green’s nickname on the court and on Instagram (@greenranger14). According to a press release, Green Ranger branded grapes are a proprietary variety called Pristine. This variety has been carefully cultivated for more than 20 years to create a large, crispy, firm, green seedless grape with all the characteristics consumers and retailers covet: a snappy texture and a sweet vanilla streak flavor that ends with a zesty apple finish.
“I never thought I’d have my own grape brand,” said Green. “It feels really good to promote something that could make a difference in so many kids’ lives, for the rest of their lives.”
The Green Ranger branded grapes will be making their first public appearance at PMA Fresh Summit on Saturday, October 19th. Following PMA, the exciting new brand will be available at select produce retailers across Southern California coincidentally during the first week of the 2020 NBA season, which tips off on November 1st.
Delano Farms and Four Star Fruit are also getting in on the action, with all three produce growers providing Green Ranger grapes to all Team Basketball Camps, which help aspiring basketball players of all ages across the country improve their games.
If you’re at PMA as we speak, be sure to stop by booth #144 to chat with Danny Green himself about the new grape brand!
AndNowUKnow will continue to report on the latest baller produce news, especially as it relates to PMA Fresh Summit.
FORT WORTH, TX - As companies continue to push for further growth, there is one concern that always looms large—distribution. Whether retail or foodservice, a company’s footprint is only as large as its distribution network. Widely-known foodservice distributor, Ben E. Keith, recently took steps to this crucial aspect of growth, holding a ground-breaking ceremony for its new facility in New Brockton, Alabama, located in Coffee County. The new facility is set to expand the company’s distribution coverage in the Southeast by adding up to 1 million square feet in the future. Construction of the 425,000-square-foot distribution center will begin immediately, with an estimated completion date of December 2021.
"Ben E. Keith Foods is deeply committed to the communities of Alabama, and consider this our Gateway to the Southeast as we continue to expand our market area," said Mike Sweet, President, commented in a press release. "The added capacity will be a welcomed addition to enhance the customer experience through more item offerings, technology, and services."
The new distribution facility will include features such as: a state-of-the-art Frick Refrigeration System and security systems, Dematic Multi-Shuttles, LED Lighting, exclusive WMS Systems, a training center, and a modern test kitchen. The project is expected to generate 80 new jobs over the next five years, along with 230 individuals the company already employs through its existing distribution center and manufacturing facility in Elba, Alabama.
Keep reading AndNowUKnow for more news on distribution expansion in our industry.
TRAVERSE CITY, MI - Consumer demand is what drives the evolution of this industry, and with the eating public demanding more foods suitable for snacking, produce providers would do well to heed the call. North Bay Produce, Inc. is taking a step outside its comfort zone with its first addition to the dried fruits category. The cooperative is poised for success with its new five-item line of dried fruits that hold tremendous consumer appeal due to the use of quality fruits and minimal ingredients.
“Many of the North Bay’s farms grow these fruits and it is another way to offer healthy products that consumers crave,” said Nick Osmulski, President. “For years, many of our customers have asked if we might offer dried fruits. So, after extensively studying the best methods of drying to assure that the best flavor and health benefits come through, North Bay is finally ready to launch this exciting new product line.”
The new line includes dried blueberries, cherries, cherries with zero added sugar, cranberries, and whole cranberries. As a pioneer in fresh produce, the move to dried fruits may seem unusual, but for North Bay Produce, the new line represents a natural progression of its products and business. Considerable care went into the creation of the new products, as the cooperative was determined to deliver exceptional dried fruits.
“There is a real art and science to drying fruit well, and we feel that we have perfected the craft,” Jon Wall, VP of Operations, commented in a press release. “We are excited to be launching North Bay Produce Dried Fruits, and we believe it will be a hit because most importantly, people will taste the real fruit flavor in every bite.”
Attendees of PMA Fresh Summit will have the chance to examine the new line of dried fruits up-close and in-person. At the North Bay Produce booth, the cooperative’s produce experts will be on hand to highlight the many ways that dried fruits can be used—not just for snacking, but as a natural compliment to many fresh produce options, such as salad toppings, mixed in with granola and nuts, or an excellent addition to baking.
Interested in seeing the wares for yourself? Head over to booth #2080 and sample the cooperative’s latest contribution to produce. Keep reading AndNowUKnow for more insight into upcoming industry shows.