NEW KENSINGTON, PA - Yerecic Label celebrated a first-time World Label Award for printing of the SUNSET® Campari label for Mastronardi Produce®, which was inspired by the ideas from Easy Fresh Cooking®. In 2018, it was the World Label Awards (WLA) 27th year running. The annual competition brings in the best candidates from around the globe.
“In sales, we often find it’s not what we say about ourselves that really matters, it’s what others say about us that matters,” said Art Yerecic, President of Yerecic Label. “This World Label Award from the WLA says we produce World Class quality labels.”
According to a press release, in the competition, six associations take part in the activity. There are six judges, one from each association. Each label must first win a first place award in their respective association in order to submit for the WLA. 72 entries were submitted in 21 classes, with Yerecic winning in Class 21 for Booklet Labels. This past year, there were 21 class winners and 12 honorable mentions. At the 2019 TLMI converter meeting, all the winners were revealed.
“Winning an award in the WLA competition is highly respected throughout the worldwide label industry indicating that the label converter has achieved a high level of competence in label production,” said Tony White, Chairman of the WLA Judging Panel. “The awards not only reflect the achievements of the label printer, but also the whole production process through from design to finishing.”
In order to attract and educate shoppers at the point of purchase, it really helps to apply a finished dish photo, recipe, and important customer information.
Congratulations to Yerecic Label from the ANUK team!
ANAHEIM, CA - Fresh produce professionals will soon gather on the grounds of the happiest place on Earth. The Fresh Produce & Floral Council (FPFC) Expo kicks off July 16, where new takes on design, new events, and a couple of extra touches of magic await key decision makers from the buy-side.
“The FPFC’s intention of consolidating the Northern and Southern California events is to provide a bigger regional show because there isn’t anything else like this in the northwest. So, this is extending our ability to reach and serve the entire West Coast,” Carissa Mace, President of the FPFC, tells me.
And it looks to be working. The attendee list continues to diversify with high-level foodservice and retail operators from further out in the U.S. and beyond. To welcome them, the FPFC is hosting an invitation-only event inside a private location of Disney's California Adventure park, right across from Disneyland, with passes for buy-side members and their guests to enjoy one of the most popular playgrounds in the world in addition to an opening dinner.
“This event was a huge hit last year. Retailer VIPs with executive titles can attend as well as exhibitors and high-level sponsors, and those who joined last year will tell you it was sensational. You have the opportunity to meet Disney characters, character artists, and we will be able to see the World of Color show,” Carissa shares with excitement.
See? I told you there would be magic!
And there are practical additions to the actual show floor, as well. Carissa explained that the FPFC changed the floor layout to elongate rows and encourage people to spend more time talking at each stop.
“We’ve changed how store-level employees are processed because we wanted to make sure the attendees are true professional partners that will promote the brands exhibiting at the store level, ensuring for both exhibitors and companies sending attendees that the right people are there,” she says.
The reach and quality of this produce event continues to grow, promising executive-level retailers from not just California, but also the rest of the U.S. and even Canada as it looks to serve the entire western market as efficiently as possible.
“For the first time, we are seeing Pacific Northwest retailers and we are hoping this will lay the groundwork to bring an event to the Northwest. Events don’t get to that part of the country very often, so we are hoping to find what those needs are and fill them. Imagine an FPFC event in Portland or Seattle!” Carissa adds.
Be sure your calendars are marked, this can’t-miss event is sooner than you think! Clearly, this is just the beginning.
MONROVIA, CA - We can talk about retail strategy all the live long day, but sometimes you need to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth—or in this case, the executive’s mouth. On its podcast, the retailer brought on two top executives to discuss burning consumer questions. Jon Basalone, President of Stores, and Mitch Heeger, Executive Vice President of Marketing and Merchandising, offered some insider info on what makes Trader Joe’s so gosh darn awesome.
Basalone and Heeger have collectively been with Trader Joe’s for over 70 years, bringing a mountain of experience to the table. They’ve seen a thing or two regarding retail trends. In this episode, they responded to multiple questions, but the three most pertinent to our industry—in my humble opinion—are as follows:
- How do you get to know what consumers want?
- Why are your stores so small?
- What happened with online delivery?
“We pride ourselves on listening to our customers and we always say that, you know, customers vote with their dollars,” Heeger explained. “We're always looking at, you know, products that sell really well. We're always looking at products that may not sell as well. So if something's not selling as well, we'll discontinue that product.”
Seems like a simple plan, but it’s obviously been working for Trader Joe’s over the years. Consumers often shop there because of beloved products they can’t find anywhere else. However, some consumers felt a little prickly toward the size of the store. Basalone, however, noted that this store size is intentional.
“We want our stores to be small and intimate, feel like a neighborhood store,” he said. “Having a cavernous store with wide aisles sounds appealing, but I think when you actually go in and start shopping in that environment, it's a little cold and maybe not as friendly as it could be.”
Throughout the podcast, both Heeger and Basalone commented on the Trader Joe’s brand extending past its products to encompass the entire store.
“Our brand is the store,” Basalone stated. “The real magic in our stores is when people find all that stuff that isn't on their list and not just from a, ‘Hey, that really helps us grow our business’ and all that kind of stuff. It's also fun and interesting for our customers to have that experience. We'll ask them, ‘Are you finding everything on your list?’ And, 'How much stuff is in your cart that isn't on your list?’ And it's amazing.”
Seems as though that simply can’t be addressed with online delivery options.
To hear the interview in its entirety, listen to the podcast episode here.
For the latest in retail news, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
LEAMINGTON, ON - The roots of intriguing and unique flavor profiles—pun intended—are impacting the level of differentiation that retailers are looking for in the fresh produce industry. One of the ways in which growers are making that leap from good to great, fresh produce varieties is through strong partnerships. Pure Flavor® vegetable seed partner Enza Zaden recently won the prestigious International Taste Institute Award for the company’s Tribelli® seed, which produces Pure Flavor®’s Aurora Bites Mini Sweet Peppers.
“After years of research and development with Enza Zaden, the Tribelli seed has proven to be a key item for our mini pepper program,” Pure Flavor President Jamie Moracci said.
Tribelli presents in a variety of colors with an exceptional taste profile; consistent flavor, size, and quality; and very low seed count, regardless of the season. This seed is packed under Pure Flavor’s Aurora Mini Sweet Peppers brand.
“Our partnership with Enza Zaden on this variety is an important one, we have worked very hard on building this brand of mini sweet peppers to meet the needs of retailers expanding their snacking category of items. As a vertically integrated grower, it is a true honor for Enza Zaden to receive the International Taste Institute Award for the Tribelli variety of mini sweet peppers," Moracci added.
According to a press release, the International Taste Institute ensures that all products are analyzed, judged, and scored following a strict and objective methodology through a blind tasting panel. Certified products are awarded the Superior Taste Award with one, two, or three stars, somewhat similar to Michelin stars.
And the Tribelli variety was awarded the Superior Taste Award with two stars.
“Tribelli has earned praise from the most sophisticated palates, proving that it is more than just a pepper. Tribelli is the concentration of an intense flavor, where taste is always what makes the difference in customers’ experience,” commented Jean-Francois Thomin, Marketing Manager for Enza Zaden North America.
So, what does the partnership entail? Enza Zaden partners with Pure Flavor to develop the product in high-tech greenhouses all throughout North America. Pure Flavor has grown the Tribelli seed that produces the multiple colors of Aurora Sweet Mini Sweet Peppers for the last five years.
“I believe Enza Zaden is cracking the code to more vegetable consumption worldwide by developing seed varieties that are flavor forward and building a portfolio of cutting-edge innovations like Tribelli,” Thomin continued.
It all comes down to listening to the consumer, as Pure Flavor shares.
“As a brand, we take great pride in marketing the exceptional characteristics of the strategic varieties that we grow. Consumers let us know all the time how much they enjoy the product and how easy it is use, no matter the application,” commented Matt Mastronardi, Executive Vice-President of Pure Flavor.
The company has developed an extensive variety of recipe ideas for consumers to create their own dishes from and, while we are trade news writers, we are also consumers, so we will be trying some of those very soon.
CHICAGO, IL - This cherry season is kicking off with high demand, and Chelan Fresh is excited to answer that need for retailers with fruit that is ready to go. Back in Chicago, I had a chance to visit with Mac Riggan, Director of Marketing for Chelan Fresh, who shared a bit about what is going on this season.
“We’re expecting cherry demand to be high to start with so I know retailers are excited to get fruit in that’s ready to go,” Mac says. “So customers can expect big fruit, good tasting fruit, and I think they’re going to be really excited about.”
Retail partners can be on the lookout for Orondo Rubies, Cup o’ Cherries, and Wild Cherries exclusive to Chelan Fresh. And that’s not all.
A new 2 lb and 3 lb top seal for dark sweet cherries is available now into August that could be a glimpse of packs to come.
“It’s a high-quality film you can peel and reseal multiple times, can even store it in your refrigerator. We’re very excited about where that’s going to take packaging for our fruit in the future,” Mac shares.
Last but not least will be a continued roll-out of the new pouch bag from Chelan Fresh, which features white coloring the team is sure will help set cherries apart in the store.
Hear about all this and more straight from Mac when you watch the brief video above.
MONTEREY, CA - With more than double the attendance from its debut last year, as well as more participants bringing tasty plates to compete with, the annual Chef Invitational by California Giant Berry looks to be our industry’s next burgeoning success.
“We had more chefs in the finalist line-up, more of our distributor partners and customer representatives in attendance, more local sponsors as well as many local chefs, restaurateurs, and Cal Giant staff that showed up to support the second annual Chef Invitational,” Tom Smith, Director of Foodservice for California Giant Berry Farms, shares with me. “While we had over 50 recipes submitted by seven distributor partners, ultimately our Chef finalists represented Markon, Renaissance Food Group, Sysco, and Fresh Concepts.”
The competition returned to the Tehama Golf Club in Monterey, CA, on June 25. Chef finalists were selected from multiple roles in partner companies, from Culinary Development to both Corporate and Restaurant Chefs, to participate in the three-day event ending with a chef cook-off.
The competition itself came down to:
- Chef Israel Ortiz - Harrah’s Resort/Fresh Concepts
- Chef Travis Peters - Shamrock Foodservice/Markon
- Chef Jonathon Merrick – Maines Paper & Food Service/Markon
- Chef Adrian Day-Murchison – Renaissance Food Group
- Chef Patty Long – Renaissance Food Group
- Chef Christian Kearns – Sysco
But there was so much that went down before the cooking even began!
“We had several exciting additions to this year’s Chef Invitational. We added an event called the ‘Foodie Forum,’ and Tony Baker, a seasoned professional chef, businessman, local and industry celebrity, emceed our event. Also new this year, Richard Alfaro of Alfaro Family Wines and Vineyard hosted the chefs at his winery for an afternoon tasting of different varieties of all the berries we grow – strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries,” Tom explains.
Prior to the tour, many of the chefs didn’t know there were multiple varieties, much less know that there were significant differences in flavor, acid, texture, sugar content, and appearance.
“Once the group tasted each of the varieties, Richard, Winemaker and Owner, presented his pairings of wine for each variety of berry based on the notes and flavor profiles from both the berry variety and the delicious wines from his vineyard. It was a huge hit with the chefs and something very much out of the box for them. It has inspired them to focus on the flavor profile of each berry and really focus on utilizing those flavors when pairing with food items when they return to their home kitchens,” Tom says.
He added that having the chefs in the fields with Cal Giant’s growers, tasting the berries fresh, and seeing firsthand the hard work that goes into growing and producing high-quality fresh berries was his favorite part of the experience.
“I also loved having the teens from Teen Kitchen Project serving as sous chefs for our chef finalists. This is an organization we support through our philanthropy program, so it was a great experience for the teens to see another side of California Giant and learn from professional chefs who genuinely appreciated their help,” he adds.
RFG's VP of Business Development, Kim St George, came out the team's two chef participants—the only two female chefs of the competition!
“I was thoroughly impressed with the second annual Cal Giant Invitational event! The chefs’ creations using Cal Giant berries were not only full of taste, flavor, texture, and originality, but the caliber of their masterpieces were second to none," Kim shared. "Renaissance Food Group was honored and extremely proud to have two of our corporate chefs represent our company in the finals. Chef Adrian Day-Murchison and Chef Patty Long’s talents were on display and they rose to the occasion with their innovative and complex recipes. Cal Giant should be commended for sponsoring a top-notch event that brought culinary experience to the Monterey Bay while showcasing their high quality berries!”
Foodie Forum
The panel of speakers was a lineup that encompassed all aspects of the foodservice industry, receiving incredible feedback from our chef finalists, sponsors, customers, and Cal Giant staff in attendance. Among the participants were:
- Chef Tony Baker from Montrio Bistro and owner of Baker’s Bacon
- Denis Boaro of Basil Seasonal Dining and Gusto Handcrafted Pasta and Pizza
- Chef Luis Reyes from Sysco West Coast FL and the first annual CGCI Top Chef
- Ashley Walterhouse of Fitmitten Kitchen
The Winners
- People’s Choice (selected by the guests in attendance): Chef Jonathan Merrick from Maines Paper & Food Service, a Markon Cooperative member, was selected for his Korean Street Food Style Blackberry and Blueberry filled Mochi Donut.
- Top Chef (selected by a judges panel made up of chefs, influencers, and local restaurateurs): Chef Travis Peters of The Parish in Tucson, AZ, representing Shamrock Foods, a Markon Cooperative member, was selected as Top Chef for his Blueberry Sweet Tea Quail in Raspberry BBQ sauce, served over Blackberry and Blueberry Brussel Sprouts and garnished with Strawberry Infused Oil and Toasted Pecans.
While there must always be a winner, Tom assures me all of the dishes presented by finalist chefs were amazing and all were incredibly innovative in their use of berries. So, who's hungry for what next year has in store? I know I am!
NEW BROCKTON, AL - Foodservice is where trends start and become movements and I can guarantee you that Ben E. Keith, a major national food and beverage distribution company, knows that. The company has plans on the books to invest $100 million to open an advanced foodservice distribution center in New Brockton, Coffee County, Alabama. In addition, Ben E. Keith also plans to expand its manufacturing facilities at Kelley Foods, located in nearby Elba.
“When we acquired Kelley Foods in 2016, we saw it as our gateway to expand in the Southeast to better serve new and existing customers and to uncover new opportunities,” Mike Sweet, President of Ben E. Keith Foods said. “We are deeply committed to the communities of Alabama in which we live, work, and serve, and we look forward to many more years of shared success.”
Ben E. Keith is part of the Markon Cooperative, Inc. which consists of independent, broadline foodservice companies in the U.S. and Canada. According to a statement from Kay Ivey, Alabama’s Governor, the new 425,000-square-foot Coffee County facility will be designed to accommodate future expansions of up to one million square feet; a move which positions the company to expand its distribution activities in the Southeast.
“We welcome the decision by Ben E. Keith, one of the nation’s largest family-owned distribution companies, to significantly expand its presence in Alabama with a new, state-of-the-art facility in Coffee County,” said Ivey. “The investment in the New Brockton facility will not only create good jobs in that community but also provide a springboard for this first-rate company to continue to grow in Alabama.”
Coffee County construction of the facility in New Brockton will begin by December 2019, with a completion date by December 2021. This expansion in the southeast as well as the added capacity will allow the company to better service customers, while staying committed to the local community.
This facility will serve as Ben E. Keith’s southeast regional headquarters. This new venture could potentially create 80 direct jobs spanning the next five years and as a further investment in the community itself, the facility could provide an economic boost to the town of New Brockton.
Congrats to Ben E. Keith on its continued moves to expand its market share across the food and beverage industries! Check back with AndNowUKnow as we keep our finger on the pulse of the industry’s foodservice leaders.
JOHN’S, N.L., CANADA - Costco has been reaching new heights lately, with plans in the works to open its first brick-and-mortar stores in China and New Zealand, and the retailer is on track to hit another milestone—the largest Costco store in Canada.
The new behemoth, opening in a subdivision of St. John’s, N.L., covers nearly 830,000-square-feet, with 1,000 parking spaces and 24 gas pumps, according to BNN Bloomberg. This new large-format location will provide suppliers a larger stage to showcase their brands and stories. The store has been in the works for over two years, so locals were understandably excited, and had lined up starting at 4 a.m. for the grand opening.
The promise of such a smorgasbord of fresh produce and other grocery retail items is tempting, but residents have also expressed concern for the potential traffic troubles the new store may cause. Regardless, the people of St. John’s will have a new and impressive place to shop.
For more grocery retail news, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
SACRAMENTO, CA - June is here, my fellow produce friends, and you know what that means? I’ll give you a hint: It’s not about barbecuing, beaching, or bronzing. It’s all about finding that Snack apple! So, whip out your June issues of The Snack Magazine and prepare for the fastest selfie of your lives, because you’re in the running to win a cool hundo in cash!
If you haven’t received a hard copy of our June issue, click here for the digital cover. But before you begin your premium selfie game, be sure to do the following:
- Show your face! It’s called a selfie for a reason!
- Be sure your finger is pointing to the AndNowUKnow apple logo
If your photo checks off all the above boxes, email it to [email protected] to join the running for the $100 cash prize!
Every round, we choose two winners, one from the buy-side and one from the supply-side. If you beat everyone to the punches this round, you could join the winners circle with some of the quickest produce people, like:
- Natali Carrillo of Gold Coast Packing (reigning supply-side champion!)
- Kimberly Chan of 99 Cents Only (reigning buy-side champion!)
- Danny Ortiz of Sysco
- Dustin White of Fresh Concepts
- Brandi McGuire-Sisco of Topco Associates
- Mike Mendez of NatureFresh™ Farms
- Monina Knox of Sobeys
Interested in receiving a copy of The Snack to give you a leg up in future challenges? Subscriptions are valued at $129 per year, click here to subscribe. Good luck to all! We hope to see many smiling faces in our inboxes!
MCALLEN, TX - Congratulations are in order for Fox Solutions™ on its recently received 2019 United Fresh Innovation Award in Best New Packing/Processing Equipment for the Fox Solutions’ Pouch Bagger 2.0 (FSPB2). United Fresh was a busy show for the company, though its Product Manager, Jeff Reger, still had time to speak with us at the event about Fox's recent innovations.
“We are honored to receive this recognition from United Fresh,” said Aaron Fox, President. “To see Fox Solutions commitment to innovation and sustainability in our manufacturing processes and packaging solutions be honored in this way is very rewarding.”
According to a press release, FSPB2 is custom built specifically for fresh produce packinghouses. It prioritizes pack line efficiencies, product handling, and food safety for higher equipment productivity. Unlike other bagging machines on the market, FSPB2 reduces the amount of downtime to change the line over and improves bagging automation.
The United Fresh Innovation Awards honor innovations and new products that substantially contribute to the fresh and fresh-cut produce industry’s success. Through the development, manufacturing, and marketing of new and innovative products, leading companies are able to support the industry’s economic growth. Every year, United FreshTEC and United FreshMKT exhibitors showcase their new and innovative products in the United Fresh Innovation Awards competition.
Congratulations to Fox Solutions from all of us at ANUK!