WASHINGTON, DC - United Fresh Produce Association announced that it has expanded its industry relations team, hoping to provide unparalleled support to member companies across different segments of the produce supply and demand chain. The association added new staff positions to serve members in the following sectors: grower-shipper, wholesaler-distributor, fresh-cut processor, retail, and foodservice, as well as industry service providers.
“As we’ve worked to support our members across the industry with education, training, networking, and other opportunities, it’s become clear that multiple market segments really have unique needs that can best be served with a real focus on that segment,” said Vice President of Member Services Miriam Wolk. “Our volunteer market boards have been the first line of action to meet those needs, and we’re now excited to add new staff positions to drive added member value to each segment.”
Current United Fresh staff members Parker Linn and Andrew Marshall have transitioned into new roles within the association. Linn, who joined United Fresh in 2015 as a Government Relations Assistant, will now serve as Manager of Industry Relations for the grower-shipper community. Marshall, a 10-year veteran staff member, transitions to the role of Director of Foodservice Programs & Foundation Partnerships.
United Fresh also welcomes new staff members to support additional sectors of the industry. Erin Hutchinson will serve as Director of Supply Chain Relations. In her role, Hutchinson will support the Fresh-Cut Processor community, as well as United Fresh’s supply chain logistics and service provider members. She joins United Fresh from GVM Inc./Independent Ag Equipment, where she worked in agricultural equipment and services supporting growers and their partners.
Mary Alameda, a recent graduate of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, will serve as Manager of Industry Relations for the Wholesaler-Distributor Community. Alameda has grown up in the produce industry with her family’s longtime grower-packer-shipper operations located in Salinas and Yuma.
Spencer Crawford will serve as Manager of Industry Relations for the Retail Community. He joins United Fresh from the Educational Advisory Board, serving multiple roles within their member services department. He also previously interned for Congresswoman Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming.
Finally, Natalia Gamarra joins United Fresh as Manager of International Member Services. She has most recently worked for Produce Business Magazine, and previously worked in international membership for the Produce Marketing Association. A fluent speaker of English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Italian, Natalia is a native of Argentina. She will focus on supporting United Fresh members in Mexico, Central, and South America.
“In my 25-year tenure at United Fresh, we’ve never been able to bring this level of staff support to our members,” President & CEO Tom Stenzel said in a press release. "With the continuing growth of our convention and trade show, expanding membership, and our educational portfolio, it’s great to be in a position to double down on our increasing value to the industry.”
Congratulations from those of us here at AndNowUKnow to the United Fresh team!
FRESNO, CA - After nearly five years of legal conflict, the California Supreme Court has unanimously rejected a bid by the United Farm Workers of America (UFW) and the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) to overturn a court order directing the ALRB to count the ballots in of the largest decertification election in California agricultural labor history—the decertification election held by Gerawan Farming workers in 2013.
“Our family has consistently maintained that we will honor the results of the election, once we know the election results,” said Dan Gerawan, Co-Owner of Gerawan Farming, in a press release. Gerawan applauded the decision, saying: “We hope that the ALRB will finally do the same, and immediately count the ballots.”
In that press release, Gerawan noted that the UFW won an election at Gerawan in 1990, ostensibly establishing the union as representative for the company's workforce. But in 1995, the UFW inexplicably disappeared without attempting to bargain for a contract. In 2012, the UFW returned and demanded that the ALRB impose a contract that would require Gerawan farmworkers to pay the UFW to keep their jobs. A decertification election was subsequently held on November 5, 2013, after a majority of Gerawan farmworkers asked to decide whether to oust the UFW as their bargaining representative.
At the request of the UFW, the ALRB refused to count the ballots, concluding that it is “impossible to know” whether the workers’ request for an election represented their “true sentiments” when it came time to vote.
On May 30, 2018, the California Court of Appeal in Fresno reversed the Board, and directed it to count the ballots. “Unfortunately,” the court opined, “the Board was apparently so zealous to punish this employer, it lost sight of the importance of the election itself” and “unnecessarily disenfranchised the workers without any meaningful consideration of whether the employer’s conduct reasonably impacted the worker’s freedom of choice in the election.”
The UFW and the ALRB subsequently asked the California Supreme Court to reverse this decision, claiming that the court lacked the power to “interfere” with the ALRB’s oversight of elections.
“Today’s decision reaffirms the fundamental principle that open and transparent government is an essential check against the arbitrary exercise of official power,” said David A. Schwarz, counsel for Gerawan.
In a statement issued on the occasion of the California Supreme Court decision, Western Growers President & CEO Tom Nassif echoed these sentiments.
Nassif stated: “Workers have the right to choose whether they wish to be represented by a union. Nearly five years after the Gerawan Farming workers’ votes were cast, the ALRB has exhausted all of its appeal rights and must now do the right thing and have the votes counted. However, this process has taken too long and is evidence that the State of California has deliberately acted to disenfranchise farmworkers. The ALRB has strayed far afield from its original purpose—to guarantee justice for all agricultural workers—which requires immediate reform.”
The California Fresh Fruit Association likewise issued a statement applauding the court's decision.
“Today we welcomed this long overdue decision. We are pleased and encouraged by the recent decision by the California Supreme Court, which affirms that the most important opinion in this entire matter, the prerogative of the employees will be heard,” said George Radanovich, President of the California Fresh Fruit Association. “Today’s court action would not have occurred without the determined effort of Gerawan Farming, Inc., the Gerawan family, and in particular, company President Dan Gerawan for defending his company and his employee’s right to choose. This fight has been long and arduous, but we are happy to see that light has been cast onto this injustice and the farmworkers voice will be heard.”
“To us, this sends a strong message that you must let the workers see the results of their ballots,” added Jesse Rojas, spokesman for Pick Justice, a group organized to represent the workers. “We strongly believe that this literally means the ALRB will have to open the ballots and count them. We are very excited.”
Rojas continued, noting the enduring struggle of Gerawan's farmworkers to be heard.
“Thousands of the highest paid industry farmworkers will finally be vindicated,” said Rojas. “After almost five years of suffering and sacrificing their time and money to fight for justice and civil rights, their free choice of voting and seeing the results will be enforced. Most fundamental right in labor relations is to vote and see the outcome of the election. The UFW union and ALRB state government failed to abide by their own rules and so called 'purpose'.”
The original court decision in favor of upholding Gerawan Farming’s decertification vote can be found here.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for more updates as they occur.
BOISE, ID - Albertsons Companies has announced the appointment of a new CEO this week. Effective immediately, Albertsons’ current President and COO Jim Donald will assume the role of Chief Executive and President. Current Chairman and CEO Robert Miller will vacate the former position but continue on as Chairman of the Board.
“Albertsons Companies is uniquely positioned to operate in both a ‘four walls’ traditional environment and the ‘no walls’ world of technology,” Donald said, in a press release. “We serve 34 million customers each week across our 2,300-plus stores and serve 5.5 million patients in our 1,700-plus pharmacies. That’s a significant food, health, and wellness footprint. We’re well positioned to serve the evolving needs of today’s customer, wherever and whenever they choose to shop with us. I am looking forward to leading this dynamic company as we focus on innovation and customer-centric retailing in all its forms.”
The retailer noted in its press release that both Miller and Donald are two of grocery retail’s preeminent leaders.
Donald’s 47-year retail career began as a trainee in Florida with Publix Supermarkets. He joined Albertsons in 1976, eventually working his way up to Vice President of Operations in Arizona.
In 1991, Donald was recruited personally by Sam Walton to join Walmart to lead the development of their grocery business and Superstore concept. Donald subsequently left for Safeway in 1994 to be the Senior Vice President of their 130-store Eastern region, a position he held for two years. Donald assumed his first Chief Executive Officer role at Pathmark Stores from 1996 through 2002, followed by his most well-known appointment—President and Chief Executive Officer at Starbucks.
At Starbucks, Donald notably led the company through record growth, including five straight years of more than 20 percent annual earnings increases. Post Starbucks, Donald served as Chief Executive Officer of two other companies, Haggen and Extended Stay America, Inc.
Named one of the “Top 25 CEOs in the World” by The Best Practice Institute and one of Business Travel News’ “25 Most Influential Business Travel Executives” in 2013 for his leadership of Extended Stay America where he led its successful $565 million IPO, Donald joined Albertsons Companies in March 2018 as President and Chief Operating Officer.
“Jim is an exceptional retailer. In the seven months since he joined Albertsons Companies, he’s flown tens of thousands of miles and met personally with thousands of employees in hundreds of our stores, distribution centers, manufacturing plants, and offices around the country,” Miller said. “His expertise in listening to front line employees and customers, facilitating employee engagement and generating sales is unmatched, and there is no better leader for Albertsons Companies at this state in our evolution.”
Miller’s 57-year retail career began as a high school job in Southern California in the backroom of a neighborhood supermarket. He took on roles of increasing responsibility, culminating in his serving as Executive Vice President of Operations for Albertsons, Inc.
Miller left Albertsons from 1991 to 2006, serving as CEO of Fred Meyer, COO and Vice Chairman of Kroger, and CEO of Rite Aid before returning to lead Albertsons as CEO following the divestiture of Albertson’s assets.
For more important updates in fresh produce retail, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Real estate technology company Compass made headlines last week when a merger between it and leading California luxury real estate firm, Pacific Union International, was announced.
As Pacific Union’s exclusive financial advisor, CREO | Montminy & Co. oversaw the interests of the nation’s fifth largest real estate brokerage—and California’s largest private brokerage—throughout the transaction. I spoke with Joel Montminy, CREO | Montminy & Co.’s President and CEO, and a familiar face to ANUK readers, to learn more about the transaction, the parallels between the real estate and food industries, and CREO | Montminy & Co.’s extensive dealings in the produce industry—including oversight of the Total Produce-Progressive Produce transaction that saw the former company acquire a 65 percent stake in the latter in early-2016.
“I think of the parallels between this transaction and the Amazon/Whole Foods deal. Compass represents the best of breed in data and technology to support real estate brokerage services and Pacific Union is California’s market leader on the street,” Joel told me, remarking that, just as Whole Foods opted to partner with Amazon and pair complementary yet disparate businesses, Compass’s partnership with Pacific Union represents a similar trend in real estate. “We’re seeing similar consolidation, investment in new technology platforms, and hyper focus on customer efficiency transform the food industry.”
The acquisition of Pacific Union will see Compass’s combined operations grow to encompass more that 6,400 employees representing $28 billion in annual sales volume, as of 2017, bringing together one of the West Coast’s most successful premier real estate companies under the wing of one of the industry’s most dynamic technology companies.
Joel tells me that like grocery and real estate industries, produce is seeing a trend toward consolidation—with large companies looking to invest in smaller companies and use their leverage to grow both businesses at once.
“There are some parallels in produce, too, insofar as you’re seeing large international produce companies, with platforms that smaller, less diversified companies can leverage, picking up businesses. That’s what happened when Progressive Produce partnered with Total Produce—though that was less about technology and more about a distribution platform.”
Pacific Union, founded in 1975, was acquired by CEO Mark A. McLaughlin in 2009. Since then, McLaughlin has grown the company from $2.1 billion in sales volume to $14.1 billion in 2017, according to a Compass press release announcing the merger. Pacific Union has over 50 offices and nearly 1,700 real estate professionals throughout California.
Joel elaborated. “Compass is a Softbank-backed technology company that operates in the real estate brokerage business. Pacific Union and Compass had a complementary culture; both businesses were very entrepreneurial and highly-
In addition to its expertise in real estate and technology, CREO | Montminy & Co. specializes in investment transactions throughout all aspects of the food industry. The Los Angeles-based boutique investment firm has advised over 100 companies in the food industry—including nearly two dozen in produce.
CINCINNATI, OH; PITTSBURGH, PA; CHICAGO, IL - Recently, meal-packing volunteers received an unexpected helping hand—in the form of Oprah Winfrey. In support of Kroger's Zero Hunger | Zero Waste anniversary, Oprah surprised over 100 members of the Cincinnati community by helping them pack meals for school children at the Freestore Foodbank in Cincinnati, Ohio.
"Kroger is thrilled to have Oprah Winfrey and O, That's Good! be a part of Zero Hunger | Zero Waste—our plan to end hunger in the communities we call home and eliminate waste in the company by 2025—as we celebrate the one-year anniversary of announcing our moonshot," said Rodney McMullen, Kroger's Chairman and CEO. "The joining together of two household names is a milestone in our Zero Hunger | Zero Waste journey. Her involvement in our service event was inspiring and energizing. Together, we can change the world and Feed the Human Spirit™ across America."
In addition to packing 2,000 meals on-site to go toward helping children in the greater Cincinnati community, Winfrey's food line O, That's Good! and Kroger together donated one million meals to Feeding America® to help families across the country.
"It's an honor to support this initiative in the local Cincinnati community and beyond," Oprah said. "I am committed to the fight against hunger because I've seen the impact it has on people. That's why I wanted to be here today to help pack food for Cincinnati children facing hunger. The work Kroger is doing is special and meaningful."
For more on how those in our industry are giving back, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
NASHVILLE, TN - The siren call of barbecue and music with a country twang may have been what called me to Nashville, Tennessee, but what made the trip one to remember was the best-of-its-kind showcase of organic and foodservice innovations. This year’s Southern Innovations Organics & Foodservice Expo married two of the produce industry’s hottest trends, so it’s no wonder I had such a tough time narrowing the choices down to just these four picks.
Oppy and Ocean Spray® Family Farmer-Owned Brand Organic Berries
Tell me that you haven’t seen those Ocean Spray® commercials—I dare you. That iconic image of two farmers standing knee-deep in fruit is one that consumers will not soon forget, and, for Oppy, that means a major marketing opportunity. Data shows that berries are one of the fastest-growing categories in the organic sector, so with the Family Farmer-Owned Brand organic line, the marketer and brand found themselves to be a match made in berry retailing heaven. Nothing like an iconic brand and a rapidly growing category to make for a constantly ringing register.
Ippolito International Brussels Chips
Salty, crunchy, and addicting, I was fantasizing about falling face-first into a foodservice-sized bag of these samples long-after the Nashville skyline disappeared from view. Consumers have learned that Brussels sprouts are not just grandma’s side dish anymore and are affirming their newfound knowledge with their wallets. And by offering just the leaves of the Brussels, Ippolito found a way to tap further into those wallets by making a versatile product that hits the growing foodservice market and the snacking trend.
Mann Packing Caulilini™ SweetStem™
Like a beautiful bouquet I can pop in my mouth, Mann Packing’s proprietary, new Caulilini™ SweetStem™ is absolutely stunning—not to mention tasty. Now available for foodservice operators after over a year of extensive trials, Caulilini is a solution for chefs of all kinds wanting to add a show-stopping look and sweet, succulent flavor to anything from side dishes and crudité platters to an all-out entrée. It’s not often something this innovative hits the plate, and I, for one, will savor it.
GreenFruit Avocados 2 Ct. Foodservice Box
Those in foodservice know, avocados have a bit of a learning curve. How many times have you waited to use a not-yet-ripe avocado only to find out your fruit has gone from hard-as-a-rock to a pile of green mush in your hands? Here to eliminate guesswork is GreenFruit Avocados, with its new 2 Ct. box for size 48s avocados. In that size, foodservice customers can’t over-handle these gems, and with the accompanying avocado color chart, even the most avocado-clueless can see the ripeness stages and timeframe for optimal consumption. Foolproof!
Until next year, Southern Innovations!
SANTA ANA, CA - Equitable Food Initiative Communication Summit; which took place July 24-25 in Santa Ana, California; was an opportunity like none other to plant success within our messages that will blossom into a return that can be felt within our businesses. The invite-only event reached out to EFI Certified grower/shippers and those who are looking into becoming certified, and it offered resources on how to communicate brand messaging more effectively.
On the tails of the event, I found out the inside scoop on what sets this gathering—which hosted 30 industry professionals from 14 companies this year—apart from other industry happenings.
“In light of the speed of communication in today’s marketplace and new media channels, we felt that educating our growers with advanced media training that facilitates their ability to effectively tell their stories—not just during crisis, but even when there is no issue—is critical,” LeAnne Ruzzamenti, Director of Marketing Communications, shares. “Consumers are looking to make meaningful connections with the individuals who grow their food and gain a sense of transparency that has been unavailable to them in the past. We feel this event was another important tool we can offer our members to advance their organizational success.”
Speakers at the event were the following, covering a variety of issues:
Heather Shavey with Costco Wholesale
Topics explored were priority of labor standards and Costco’s commitment to and support of EFI and the Ethical Charter, as well as the company’s continued efforts to make workforce development and safety a priority.
Melinda Goodman with Full Tilt Marketing
This section dove into Values Driven Marketing to Drive Retailer and Consumer Engagement, which meant discussing the new era of the social justice movement, keyboard warriors, and the importance of storytelling to establish transparent connections
Theresa Thorne with Thorne Communications and Dave Murray with Andrew & Williamson
During their talks, crisis plan development was talked about in conjunction with managing and messaging a crisis. This included preparedness protocols based on previous crisis experience
Carmine & Vanessa Gallo
This talk shared the importance of telling branding stories, sharpening persuasive edge, and hosting mock interviews. While participants attended, they engaged in hands-on activities—such as creating a logline; developing a message map; and being in an interview training on camera to evaluate messaging checklist, authentic body language, and more.
Those who attended the two-day event walked away with a better understanding of communications, thanks to Carmine Gallo’s expertise. Known as the Communications Guru, he is a three-time Wall Street Journal bestselling author, Harvard instructor, and renowned communications advisor.
With that, I look forward to seeing the fruits of the conference’s labor, as new and innovative messaging makes ripples through the industry and draws attention to the tremendous efforts put forth every day.
For more fresh produce happenings, stick with us at AndNowUKnow.
NEW YORK - Crunch Time Apple Growers recently named Warren Abbott to its Board of Directors at the Crunch Time Apple Growers annual meeting. Warren is currently the CEO, CFO at Abbott Farms. He graduated from Purdue University in 1987 with a BS in Agricultural Economics.
Warren’s vision for a profitable grain crop farm was eventually coupled with a Fall ‘U-pick’ operation that would engage consumers in the greater Baldwinsville area. Over time, his vision for the farm evolved into a full-season ‘U-pick’ operation and entertainment destination for Central New Yorkers, according to a press release.
“Warren is a great addition to the board,” said Rena Montedoro, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “His experience will help provide insights into how consumers view apple picking—as well as apples in general.”
Crunch Time also promoted two of its staff members, including Rena Montedoro to Vice President of Sales & Marketing and Robin Leous to Business Manager. The company noted that these promotions follow on the heels of Rena’s and Robin’s continued commitment to Crunch Time Apple Growers and their efforts to help grow the company.
Congratulations from ANUK to Warren, Rena, and Robin, as well as the whole Crunch Time team!
MORGAN HILL, CA - Sakata Seed America announced the completion of phase one of the Sakata Seed America Woodland Innovation Center: a new research and production facility in Woodland, CA.
The company announced plans for the center March 1, 2016, and, since then, has made efforts to construct its Woodland Innovation Center to create an exciting culmination of infrastructure and land that enables Sakata Seed America to consolidate and expand R&D and production practices on a single, state-of-the-art campus, flexible for future expansion.
According to a company press release, the Sakata Seed America Woodland Innovation Center is an $18.5M investment comprised of 219 acres in Yolo county. Sixteen of the acres house four main buildings designed by local principal Stantec Architecture architect, Matthew Shigihara. The four main buildings include: the Head House, a shop for research and development that allows for washing and drying of breeder seed; multiple greenhouses for trialing important Sakata crops, like Hot Pepper, Sweet Pepper, Tomato, Watermelon, and Melon; the Farm Shop, used for production maintenance and equipment, drying of seed, and other farm related activities; the Washery building for washing, fluming, and drying all types of wet seed attached to the Warehouse; a 25,000-square-foot space housing the latest technology in seed processing equipment; and a LEED certified office building.
The facility will be officially inaugurated on Thursday, September 13, when Sakata will host a Grand Opening celebration at the facility’s Farm Shop. Attendees will include Dave Armstrong, President of Sakata Seed America; Hiroshi Sakata, President of Sakata Seed Corporation; as well as California state assembly members, Japanese consulate, media, and Sakata customers. The event will be catered by a local chef utilizing Sakata products grown on site, and include a virtual tour of the site, as well as Japanese drummers and a traditional Japanese Sake Ceremony.
Congratulations to Sakata Seed America on the completion of phase one!
UNITED KINGDOM - A shipment of cocaine and heroin, weighing in at 400kgs, was tucked within a lorry of fruits and vegetables at Killingholme Port in Lincolnshire on Wednesday. The drugs have been estimated to hold a $35 million value and have been seized by the National Crime Agency (NCA).
According to Illicit Trade, the drugs were in a consignment of tomatoes and onions, and the drug deal has led authorities to arrest a 45-year-old man who was charged with attempting to import the Class A drugs. He has since been released on bail, but police continue to investigate the situation.
“The seizure of this significant amount of controlled drugs supports our mission to protect the public from harm. We will continue to work with law-enforcement partners to detect and disrupt criminal activity,” NCA Branch Commander Jayne Lloyd said.
The shipment made its way to Lincolnshire from the Hook of Holland.
“This was a substantial seizure and demonstrates the vital work Border Force officers are doing to take Class A drugs out of circulation,” Director at Border Force North Liz Versi shared.
The Border Force North assisted NCA throughout the process.
For more information on how drug dealings try to tap into our industry, and how officials inevitably nab the culprits responsible, stick with AndNowUKnow.