WENATCHEE, WA - What do craft beers and apples have in common? This might seem a long leap, but it’s more of a hop according to CMI Orchards Vice President of Marketing George Harter. As we enter the dual season of apples and PMA Fresh Summit, he tells me that the numbers support branded apples much like the distinctive brands you’ll find in the adult beverage aisle.
"There might not be as many branded apples as beers, but we are having our own similar explosion because customers want a different taste. We give them that along with packaging that helps stand out in the produce department," George shares. "A big part of it, too, is to tell the story and why the brand stands out. Think about retail and craft beers coming up—we want to sell these apples and bring premium quality and stronger mix of retails to help strengthen their category, much like craft beers."
George describes CMI Orchards’ four tier approach delivering apple category success: "As our customers build their variety and mix, they have the ability to have price points at the conventional and organic core levels, plus—club conventional and club organics. Club organics offer an ultra premium option for customers looking for the best of the best."
This type of varietal mix offers retailers various price points and an extensive selection to help strengthen their apple category.
George says that CMI offers America’s largest selection of premium branded varieties like Ambrosia, Smitten®, Jazz™, Envy™, KIKU®, Kanzi®, and Pacific Rose™. Of the seven CMI-grown branded apples, six are in the top nine and all seven are in the top fourteen in the U.S. domestic market (Nielsen, 52 weeks ending May 26, 2018). He adds that CMI works with sub-licensees Rice Fruit Company and Applewood Orchards Inc. to grow and market KIKU, Applewood to grow and market Kanzi, and works with the Enzafruit alliance to grow and market Jazz, Envy, and Pacific Rose.
"We represent, essentially, all key apples in the branded category," he sums up. "Ambrosia finished number one in the branded apple category, with Jazz at number two, and Envy at number three. And of course, we’re proud that KIKU moved up to number seven and has really moved up in terms of sales. Overall, we’re really excited about the momentum coming out of spring and what we are going into coming into this season."
Not a bad place to be as we approach one of the largest industry events of the calendar year. When I ask George what attendees can expect at this year’s Fresh Summit, he tells me the company has a lot to surprise everyone with.
"Our Daisy Girl Organics™ is the number one organic apple brand in the U.S., and the Ship n’ Shop bin we unveiled last year for the brand has been very successful. It’s easy to build a beautiful display, and now we’ve added new life to it which will fit with our customers private label retail plans," George shares, adding a teaser for us all.
"We also have an exciting promotion coming to enhance and differentiate some of our most popular items we have but can’t discuss just yet. Let’s just say that it will enhance our partnership with our customers and will help enact a plan to help reach consumers on a united level," George expresses.
Try as I might, he told me we will just have to wait until we are even closer to PMA Fresh Summit for more. To see all this for yourself, visit booth #2843, and stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we keep our eyes peeled for the latest in our countdown to Orlando, Florida.
RICHMOND, VA - Two words: Self-serve. Whether at restaurants, yogurt shops, or grocery stores, there’s something about those two simple words that add some extra fun to eating and shopping. While many retailers now offer meal kits, Kroger is differentiating its offering by expanding its quick meals selection into new self-serve Easy For You meal kits.
Kroger is putting the ladle into its consumers’ hands—literally—and allowing shoppers to select from a variety of in-store, ready-made frozen entrees and side dishes—such as parmarella mac and cheese, prime rib strips with mushrooms and gravy, and chicken and sausage gumbo—to package in a disposable meal kit container and enjoy later.
According to the Richmond Times-Dispatch, the kits are sold by weight at $7.99 per pound and need only be cooked for 10-12 minutes.
The new Easy For You meal kits are currently available in the Richmond market, with plans to expand to more locations soon.
Will more retailers bolster their meal kits offering with in-store, self-serve options? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on the freshest news relating to produce.
CASTROVILLE, CA - Bringing almost 35 years of experience in the fresh produce industry to the Ocean Mist® Farms table is Rick Bravo, who has just been tapped as the company’s new VP of Sales and Marketing. He offers extensive knowledge in sales and leadership, two core values for Ocean Mist.
“We are delighted to have someone of Rick’s caliber join our team,” said Joe Pezzini, president and CEO of Ocean Mist Farms. “His substantial knowledge of the industry and established relationships with retail and foodservice partners makes him an invaluable addition to our team.”
Bravo’s past includes experience at Dole Fresh Vegetables and Tanimura & Antle. He has proven to be dedicated to customer service, with a background steeped in the vegetable category, and will be instrumental to the company’s sales and marketing efforts moving forward, according to a press release.
“I am thrilled to join the team at Ocean Mist Farms and look forward to this new opportunity while still serving an industry I care deeply about,” said Bravo.
Holding a bachelor’s degree in Administrative Justice, Bravo’s produce path is a unique one that started out when he took a role as sales manager. Since taking on that first role, he hasn’t looked back, and his commitment to the fresh food industry and leadership has driven profits and improved efficiency, leading him to his new role with Ocean Mist Farms.
Congratulations to the whole team on this exciting new addition to your team!
ST. LOUIS, MO - Everyone loves a good fair, right? Especially one that promises a job! Schnucks Markets recently announced that it has 1,000 open positions to fill, and the retailer is hosting hiring fairs this Thursday, September 27, and Friday, September 28. The goal is to fully staff its 69 existing metro St. Louis stores, as well as the 19 metro St. Louis stores the company is acquiring from SuperValu.
“This isn’t a job fair, it’s a hiring fair,” said Laura Freeman, Chief People Officer. “We’ll be interviewing on the spot, and we’re hoping to be able to tell hundreds of people that day, ‘You’re hired, and here’s the date we’ll need you to report to orientation.’”
The Thursday, Sept. 27 hiring fair will take place at Orlando’s Event Center, 2050 Dorsett Village Plaza in Maryland Heights, Missouri. The Friday, Sept. 28 hiring fair will take place at the Gateway Convention Center, One Gateway Center, in Collinsville, Illinois. According to a company press release, Schnucks Talent Acquisition Representatives will interview job seekers from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day, and discuss available jobs and career paths.
More than 600 Shop ‘n Save employees at the 19 stores have already accepted Schnucks job offers, with more expected to do so in the coming days, the press release noted. Schnucks anticipates even after all acceptances, the company will need to hire 1,000 additional teammates.
The majority of the open positions are part-time to start, though there are also full-time opportunities available at the company’s bakery plant, pharmacy warehouse, pharmacy central filling facility, and pharmacy call center.
“Schnucks is a company that meets job seekers where they are,” said Jennifer Richert, Talent Acquisition Manager. “Whether someone is looking to build a career or looking for a second job, looking for an after-school job, or looking for a way to stay busy after retirement, we have jobs that meet the needs of a variety of people in a variety of situations.”
To expedite the process, prospective applicants planning to attend either hiring fair are encouraged to visit www.schnucks.com/careers and click “Apply Now” to complete an online application for a role that suits their needs.
For the latest in retail news, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
WESTLAKE, FL - J&J Family of Farms is adding a new hire to complement the beginning of its growing season; the company announced that it has hired Clinton Turner as its new Director of Human Resources.
Turner brings extensive human resources experience—over a decade’s worth—from companies like 24-Hour Fitness, Party City, and Gravity Concepts.
In his new role, Turner will work with management to continue to attract top-quality talent to J&J. Turner will also implement employee training programs and develop employee recognition programs for the company, according to a press release.
“Clinton Turner is a true professional,” said Lynn Rundle, CEO. “His strong service and experience in the military attracted us to him, and we are fortunate to be able to introduce Clinton to the produce industry.”
Clinton holds a bachelor’s degree in Business Management from the University of Georgia and is a Captain in the Army Reserve.
Congratulations, Clinton, from all of us at AndNowUKnow. We wish you and the entire J&J team the best.
SELAH, WA - Staying true to its Wholesome to the Core mission, Rainier Fruit recently announced its latest holiday marketing program: Pears for Pairs. This campaign launches in stores in October, and supports both the company’s pear program and the ninth annual Hanes National Sock Drive. Proceeds from bulk pear and pear bag sales will be donated to the charity, which has distributed more than 2.5 million pairs of socks to those living homeless across the United States.
“At Rainier, our #WholesometotheCore values guide everything we do,” said Mark Zirkle, President of Rainier Fruit. “We believe in collaborating to do the most good, and parterning with Hanes on its 2018 National Sock Drive feels like a natural extension of our focus on making a difference in the communities where we do business, while offering an opportunity for consumers to exercise their values with their wallets by making a socially conscious purchase.”
According to a press release, the homeless epidemic reaches across the nation and touches every state. The National Law Center of Homelessness & Poverty reported that up to 3.5 million people experience homelessness each year in the U.S. Those who are homeless can walk an average of 10 miles a day, putting more wear on their socks in one week than the average American does in one year. This is why socks are among the most needed, but least donated, items.
“We’re thrilled to partner with Rainier Fruit to expand the reach and impact of our Hanes National Sock Drive,” said Sidney Falken, Chief Branding Officer for HanesBrands. “We want to spark a movement to help those living homeless in America, and this is a great step toward that goal.”
In addition to in-store merchandisers that promote the campaign, Rainier has several consumer events lined up to raise awareness of the promotion. The first event, a fruit giveaway and sock collection drive on November 10, will be held at the Wanderlust Festival in Austin, Texas. Rainier and Hanes will host the sock collection event to close out the festival weekend and donate the proceeds to the local charity Mobile Loaves & Fishes.
Rainier Fruit will also use its social media platforms to raise awareness about the issue of homelessness, including an online promotion on “Giving Tuesday,” during which Rainier will donate a pair of socks for every share of its post.
“Based on our research, pears are an impulse buy, so we’re hoping that this creative and unique campaign will capture new category sales and support repeat purchases, while also fulfilling our company mission to be Wholesome to the Core,” concluded Andy Tudor, Vice President of Business.
The Pears for Pairs campaign is open to all retailers and will run from October through December at retail locations nationwide.
For the latest in how our industry is working to make the world a better place, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
CORAL GABLES, FL - Del Monte Fresh Produce is helping to make the high seas green after entering a definitive agreement to build six energy efficient container ships to replace its current U.S. East Coast fleet of vessels. The new ships will service the company’s ocean transportation lanes between Central and South America and U.S. ports, with the first ship delivery expected for late 2019.
“Del Monte was one of the first large-scale banana producers to receive the SCS Carbon Neutral Certification for our banana operations in Costa Rica. These new ships are an extension of our sustainability commitment on the high seas,” said Vice President of Marketing Dennis Christou. “The six state-of-the-art container vessels will not only increase our tonnage capacity and speed to market but will also significantly reduce air pollution and energy consumption. The new energy efficient vessels are designed to meet the most stringent IMO (International Maritime Organization) Emission control regulations coming into effect in 2020.”
192 meters in length with a breadth of 30 meters and a design draft of 9.3 meters, each vessel will have a 634 forty-foot-high cube container capacity. According to a press release, the six vessels were designed by Shanghai Merchant Ship Design & Research Institute and will be built at the CSSC Huangpu Wenchong Shipbuilding Company shipyard.
The six new vessels are expected to expand to all of Del Monte’s ports when they all come into service.
For more of the latest news like this, keep following AndNowUKnow.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - With a number of policy questions in the air that carry weight in the produce industry’s future, all eyes are on this year’s Washington Conference and what we all hope produce might take home.
“The great thing about this conference and the wide range of attendees is that each person making the trip to Washington comes with their own story, passion for our industry, and position on issues they bring with them,” Cindy Jewell, Vice President of Marketing for California Giant Berry Farms and Chairman of the Board for United Fresh tells me.
Cindy explains that the industry divides and conquers in setting up groups meeting with lawmakers: “I might be focused on talking about nutrition programs, but the person sitting next to me might be anxious to talk about NAFTA or food safety regulations that need improvements with regard to investigations of outbreaks. The staff does a great job of preparing all of us with background on several issues and what we are asking of legislators during our visits. It’s all about being heard and making sure we bring our stories to those making decisions that affect our livelihood!”
When I ask Cindy about key focuses of this year's conference she’d like to highlight, she tells me that immigration reform has been on the list for as long as she can remember: “It looks like this year we might be coming together with a new approach that I am excited about. We are going to meet and discuss the option of going on the offense for a change and maybe even work together to craft our own bill addressing true reform that works for ag—developed by people in ag, rather than waiting for those in D.C. to craft solutions for us—which sounds exciting to me. There are some other issues that we can affect, like NAFTA and the Farm Bill, to ensure specialty crops are being considered as these major deals move forward.”
Mac Riggan, Director of Marketing for Chelan Fresh, shares that this year in particular presents an opportunity to look at new avenues of export and how to manage the situation at hand.
"This will be my first time going in a few years knowing it will benefit me and my company. I’m curious, like everyone else, to see what’s going on with current trade policy changes and how we can navigate our way through them. I’m hoping, in light of changes this year, this will help me steer our company through it,” Mac tells me. “It’s a time to meet my colleagues and competitors to see how we can adapt to the changes and find new homes for our fruit. Too often we don’t do what we need to until we are forced. If and when China is viable again for trading fruit, that will create more demand. I can’t change what has happened, you can only do the best you can and I tend to look at things glass half full.”
Cindy, too, says that in regards to import/export policies, there is a meeting with a task force at the conference to talk about how the industry can create a stronger advocacy group for our international members.
“The staff at United has been working with some of our members on how can we can expand our international trade support. There are so many international issues we can support beyond expanding a trade show or marketing our products, so I am excited to be part of a discussion that will continue to show the value that United and its member services brings to our industry every day. Stay tuned,” she comments.
Brock Nemecek, North America Marketing Manager for T&G Global Limited also looks forward to what can be achieve by bringing our industry together on Capitol Hill.
"It’s important that our industry speak to our congressional representatives in a united voice, especially as we’re facing so many complex issues that affect all aspects of our business," Nemecek explains. "My hope is that, through the United Washington Conference, we’re able to influence our leaders to drive and adopt policies that will eliminate challenges, and increase opportunities and growth for our industry. I’m excited to be here representing the apple industry specifically as tree fruit is quite vulnerable to some of the trade policies being discussed and developed recently."
This year, United Fresh is introducing several new networking, education, and advocacy events to keep pace with the ever-changing political climate. According to the conference calendar, attendees will join industry executives at the new Global Trade Forum, two days of Congressional Meetings, the Fresh Festival on Capitol Hill, and the United Fresh & Congressional Friends Afternoon at the Ball Game with the United Fresh Board of Directors.
“I have had a couple of conversations with people recently about attending this conference and its interesting how some people say, ‘I don’t go because nothing ever gets done.’ Being the eternal optimist, I just don’t see it that way. If we don’t go to Washington D.C. and speak directly to lawmakers about our issues, concerns, challenges and wants—then who will? If we don’t speak for ourselves, who do we expect to speak on our behalf?” Cindy concludes. “I look at it like voting: If I don’t vote, then I don’t get an opinion, and I certainly can’t complain when something doesn’t go my way. So, I say—show up, be heard, and make a difference.”
It all kicks off today. AndNowUKnow will continue to bring you the latest as we look to see where the pieces fall as the industry brings its voice together in Washington D.C.
LANCASTER, PA - Strengthening its position in the Northeast grocery market, Wegmans Food Markets debuted its 98th store this week—a 120,000-square-foot property at the corner of Harrisburg Pike and Route 30 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. The store made its debut Sunday, September 23, drawing outsized crowds to the much anticipated location.
“We’re all here for the same reason: our customers,” said Store Manager Jimmy Bellis, in a press release anticipating Sunday’s opening. “Our aim is to make food shopping a pleasure. We can’t wait for the doors to open at 7 a.m. on Sunday. Shoppers from this area have been traveling to Downingtown and Harrisburg to shop at our stores for a very long time…That’s part of what makes this opening so special for us. We felt welcome here before the first shovel was in the ground.”
According to local news source Lancaster Online, the 7 a.m. opening drew a crowd of close to 2,000—with some prospective shoppers waiting in line for hours to be the first shoppers inside.
The Lancaster store employs a team of 475—a team that had been working for the past several months, according to the company’s press release, preparing the store for its opening.
The store focuses on organic choices and features more than 4,000 organic items. And the company noted that Executive Chef Keith Briggs and his group of 100 culinarians at the new store have been ready to bring Wegmans’ latest innovations starting day one.
The store features three innovative firsts for the Pennsylvania market:
- The Burger Bar: a family-friendly, casual restaurant that serves burgers and sandwiches, fresh salads, soup, sides, kids’ meals, and beer and wine by the glass
- Authentic Italian pizza, made to order, from a custom rotating brick-hearth oven, and quick-fired at 800 degrees on volcanic stone from Mt. Vesuvius in Italy
- A made-to-order salad station with fresh ingredients from the market: crisp greens, grains, toppings, and dressings
The company also noted that Lancaster-area shoppers can now enjoy everything Wegmans is known for—including an expansive produce department that offers hundreds of fresh fruits and vegetables.
For more, read Wegmans press release in its entirety, here.
FREEPORT, TX - It’s usually the thought that counts, but sometimes, it could be your undoing. I don’t mean that in a spooky Halloween way—I mean that in a, “Oh no! Someone just donated a box of bananas that included alleged drugs!” kind of way. Word on the street is that two sergeants from a Texas prison picked up two donated pallets of bananas at the Ports of America in Freeport on Friday. The 45 boxes of ripe goods were donated to the Wayne Scott Unit in Texas’ Brazoria County and were never claimed.
“One of the boxes felt different than the others,” the Texas Department of Criminal Justice (TDCJ) said. “Inside, under a bundle of bananas, he found another bundle! Inside that? What appeared to be a white powdery substance."
After testing, the substance was deemed to be cocaine, which led to a full-on search of the banana shipment. The TDCJ reported that 540 packages of cocaine were found, with a street value of $18 million.
Authorities don’t know from whence the shipment came or to whom it was intended, but investigations are underway, according to NPR.
“Sometimes, life gives you lemons. Sometimes, it gives you bananas. And sometimes, it gives you something you’d never expect!” TDCJ shared.
The news source shares the statistics on bananas used as a vehicle for drug transactions:
- 9 tons of cocaine in a banana shipping container from Colombia were spotted by Spanish police in April. (The Associated Press)
- In February, Albanian police also discovered 1,350 pounds of the narcotic were discovered in a banana shipment from Colombia by Albanian police in February. (The Associated Press)
- 2.3 tons of cocaine were found in a banana shipment from Colombia and other South American countries by Romanian Authorities in July of 2016. (The Associated Press)
- 13 supermarkets in Germany received banana boxes containing cocaine from Colombia in January and May of 2015. (BBC)
How are criminals attempting to infiltrate our market with their dealings? Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow to keep up to speed on where and how the action is occurring.