FRESNO, CA - Hazel Technologies has welcomed fresh produce industry veteran Norma Hollnagel as its Senior Sales Manager. Hollnagel's key duties will be managing Hazel Tech’s customer-base growth and commercial operations in California and other key territories.
“I am incredibly excited and honored to join the team at Hazel Technologies,” said Hollnagel. “Their easy-to-use, industry-proven, and academically-tested post-harvest solutions are increasing packer-shipper sales and reducing food waste every day.”
According to a press release, Hollnagel joins Hazel Tech following 19 years at regional post-harvest provider Ethylene Control, where she most recently served in a Vice President role.
Since the company was first founded in 2015, over 100 packer-shippers have partnered with Hazel Tech as a post-harvest technology provider. Hazel is a quarter-sized biodegradable and food-safe packaging insert that is placed in the box during packing, which extends the shelf life of a variety of fresh produce items.
“We have seen excellent results using Hazel Plum® in our export markets,” said Dillon Luallen, Manager at Sanger, CA-based Sierra Sun Fruit Marketing. “Sierra Sun Fruit has seen a 40 percent drop in our product quality claims with our export receivers since working with Hazel Tech.”
The company said results have been strong with stonefruit packer-shippers. In 2018, the University of California-Davis completed a successful stonefruit trial with Hazel Tech. When using Hazel Tech with peaches, plums, nectarines, and apricots, grower-packers have reported up to 40 percent reduction in quality claims and rejections.
You can visit booth #8030 at the United Fresh Trade Show in Chicago on June 10-12 to learn more about Hazel Technologies.
Congratulations to Norma Hollnagel, and for more updates on anything fresh produce, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
NEW JERSEY - We all know (or should know) that it’s what’s on the inside that counts, especially when applied to produce. Who cares about wonky carrots or lumpy avocados? Is an apple any less delicious if it’s not beauty pageant pretty? Imperfect Produce says no! The produce delivery company has recently announced expansion plans to bring its produce underdogs to homes across New Jersey.
“We were getting a lot of requests from folks in New Jersey,” said Reilly Brock, Content Manager for Imperfect Produce. “So this was the logical next step.”
The San Francisco-based company has been expanding its presence across the East Coast, this time opening up a warehouse in Moonachie, where it can serve customers in parts of Bergen, Essex, Hudson, and Union counties. Imperfect Produce relies heavily on its partnerships with local and regional farmers, and for its New Jersey deliveries, the company will source some of its produce from Dandrea Produce, a fourth-generation farm in Vineland, NJ, according to NJ.com.
The company works with farmers to bring produce with “cosmetic quirks,” that would otherwise be discarded or left in the field, to hungry consumers who don’t judge a book by its cover. As a subscription service, the company offers different sized boxes of fruits and vegetables for consumers to select based on their consumption needs.
Imperfect Produce is not the only company to break into the visually-challenged produce world, as Hungry Harvest and Misfit Market provide similar quirky fruit and veg boxes to consumers. Both of those companies have also been cementing their presence in the East Coast market—Hungry Harvest began delivering to suburban Philadelphia communities in South Jersey in 2017, and Misfit Market currently serves all of New Jersey.
Is unconventional-looking produce the next big movement in our industry? AndNowUKnow will report.
BENTONVILLE, AR - The grocery game continues to be a knock-down rumble. No matter the current strategic direction, retailers always have something up their sleeve to give them a supposed edge. The latest to do so is Sam’s Club, owned and operated by Walmart, and its strategy is none other than cutting back on its inventory. In a recent article by Talk Business, the news source detailed the ways in which the retailer is attempting to reduce its inventory items and focus its energy on grocery—and on beating Amazon.
“We still have too many items in our clubs, and we are working to downsize the assortment. We are not adding new items at this time,” Clint Gill, SVP, GMM, Dry Grocery & Beverage, explained to suppliers at Sam’s Club headquarters on May 16, 2019.
With grocery a $15 billion business for Sam’s Club, Gill articulated that the company is now looking to explore its delivery model, with the right merchandise being one of the key factors toward building up consumers’ baskets. He went on to state that Sam’s Club’s parent company, Walmart, boasts some of the largest supply chain resources in the nation. This in turn positions Sam’s Club for some explosive growth, he noted.
“I wouldn’t trade places with Amazon for anything as they have not yet figured out fresh,” Gill said. “I think we are in the third inning of this ball game, and the retailer who can first figure out how to deliver fresh at scale will be the winner. At Sam’s, we have memberships that we can leverage to deliver.”
Will this strategy play out in Sam's Club's favor? AndNowUKnow will report on the latest.
ORLANDO, FL - Change is in the air and one of those companies helping to impact the arena on preventing foodborne illness is Fresh Express. John P. Olivo, President of the pioneering producer of value-added leafy greens and fresh produce products, has released what the company is calling a far-reaching Interim Report by its Blue-Ribbon Panel on the Prevention of Foodborne Cyclospora Outbreaks.
Timing is of note, as Fresh Express released the report to align with the current growing season in order to help protect public health, according to a press release. So, what motivated this project? Multiple Cyclospora outbreaks occurred in the U.S. in the spring and summer of 2018 and were linked to various fresh produce items and their suppliers, including Fresh Express. As the report added, some of which were also potentially sourced to U.S.- grown fresh produce.
To proactively address the prevention of future outbreaks while also addressing the recent outbreak concerns themselves, Fresh Express formed a Blue-Ribbon Panel comprised of scientists with deep expertise in the biology of the Cyclospora cayetanensis organism, food safety, outbreak response, and public health.
“This is an exceptional collaboration by those most knowledgeable about a particular food safety risk,” said Dr. Michael T. Osterholm, who chaired the independent panel and is also the noted infectious disease and food safety expert charged with studying the little-understood Cyclospora parasite and identifying controls to limit further outbreaks. “Their value in shedding light on the Cyclospora cayetanensis outbreak problem cannot be overstated and is already providing long-needed assistance toward discovering how best to manage risk and limit future outbreaks.”
According to the company, following a November 18, 2018 meeting, the Blue-Ribbon Panel formed four distinct working groups focused on root cause assessment, preventive controls, collaboration, and testing validation. The groups met over several months to review existing information, research, and data points and to form a more complete picture of the perplexing life cycle of the parasite, its dependence on human hosts, factors affecting its infectivity, potential modes of transmission and, importantly, recommendations for mitigation against contamination and future outbreaks.
The comprehensive Interim Report, contains the preliminary findings, recommendations and ongoing priorities of the four working groups to more effectively curtail Cyclospora outbreaks going forward.
The full Interim Report and Fact Sheet are available on the Fresh Express and can be found here, as well as fresh produce industry trade associations that include Produce Marketing Association and United Fresh Produce Association.
HATFIELD, UNITED KINGDOM - Online retailer and Kroger partner Ocado Group is jumping in on the emerging vertical farming industry, announcing its recently-purchased 58 percent stake in Jones Foods Co., Europe’s largest operating vertical farm. Ocado has also set plans in motion to help set up a company called Infinite Acres that will design infrastructure for the eco-friendly vertical farms using artificial intelligence, climate control systems, and other tools.
“Vertical farming has always been on our wish-list for a lot of strategic reasons, but we were really busy doing other core things,” Stewart McGuire, Ocado Group’s Head of Corporate Development, said in an interview reported by Yahoo Finance.
Ocado plans to use its automation and distribution experience to make Jones Food’s operations more efficient, with the possibility of integrating the vertical farming operation with Ocado Zoom to deliver fresh products to customers within an hour, according to the news source. The two investments total 17 million pounds (USD $22 million), and represent Ocado’s interest in new fields for growth outside of its main business. Once its U.K. farm is developed, the partners plan to build additional farms throughout Europe and the world.
“Ocado is a technology company now so we’re not interested in becoming the world’s farmer, but we are interested in ensuring that people who have food supply chains have the best technology and the ability to operate that if need be,” McGuire commented.
Will Ocado’s investment in vertical farming spark competitor’s interest, creating a bona fide movement? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
YAKIMA, WA - The Cosmic Crisp® apple is officially making its debut, with the help of Crunch Pak® and Litehouse®. The new, groundbreaking apple variety heralding from Washington state will be hurtling into produce aisles everywhere this December—but if that wait is too long, United Fresh attendees can sample the apple this week while PMA show-goers can try it in October. 
“Our goal is to provide shoppers with an excellent eating experience. Having the exclusive rights to new varieties with complex flavor profiles helps us meet that goal and keep the category fresh,” said Ozgur Koc, Senior Vice President of Business and Product Development at Crunch Pak. “Cosmic Crisp's firm, crisp texture and sweet-tart flavor profile make it an ideal eating and slicing apple.”
Crunch Pak will serve as the exclusive slicer of Cosmic Crisp branded sliced apple pounches, as the variety joins the company’s robust offerings.
“Partnering with Crunch Pak provides a huge boost to our sampling efforts and will increase the apple’s visibility nationally,” said Kathryn Grandy, Director of Marketing for Proprietary Variety Management (PVM), which is leading the Cosmic Crisp retail launch. “We’re especially happy to be able to offer sliced apple samples to participants and attendees of the Missoula Children’s Theatre (MCT)’s national tour, of which Cosmic Crisp is a sponsor.”
Litehouse will bolster its refrigerated salad lineup with Cosmic Crisp branded cider in jugs. According to a press release, Litehouse already produces apple cider varietals as well, making its partnership with Cosmic Crisp a match made in the cosmos.
“We are excited to partner with Cosmic Crisp to create a new varietal offering,” said Theresa Lindholm, Brand Manager at Litehouse. “The juice is light in color, but it packs a bold, fresh flavor that has irresistible sweet and tart notes and is unlike any of our other ciders. It will be the perfect addition to our existing cider offering.”
To stay ahead of new product and variety launches in the fresh produce sector, keep following AndNowUKnow.
NEWARK, DE - The Produce Marketing Association announced earlier this morning that its Chief Science and Technology Officer, Bob Whitaker, is planning to retire in January 2020. He has worked with the association for 11 years.
“Bob has proven himself to be a true champion not only for our organization, but the industry at large. His voice has been critical in times of challenge and change, providing a credible source of truth for our industry, and in turn, enhancing our relationships with other associations and regulatory partners,” stated Cathy Burns, CEO, in a letter to the industry. “I am incredibly proud of the work that we have been able to accomplish under Bob’s leadership.”
In that letter, Burns articulated the ways in which Whitaker’s legacy will continue to shape PMA. He was an expert in the face of food safety outbreaks, regulatory changes—such as implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act—and more. He was also among those who formed the Center for Produce Safety.
By announcing his retirement six months in advance, Whitaker has ensured that PMA is positioned to begin searching for his successor. The association, along with his guidance, is confident it will find someone to carry his work onward.
We here at AndNowUKnow wish Bob all the best!
CALIFORNIA - A blob has appeared in the sky, and before you ask, no, it isn’t a bird or a plane or even Superman. It’s a giant blob of ladybugs, also known as a bloom!
According to a report from AccuWeather, the San Diego office of the National Weather Service first noticed the blob last week. They informed a ground spotter, who informed them that the strange phenomenon wasn’t precipitation, but was in fact a gigantic cluster of beetles off to snack on aphids and pollen in the mountains.
Ladybugs are especially helpful for those in the growing business, as they consume plant-eating insects (like those aphids I mentioned earlier) which helps protect crops.
Will we continue to see more beetle blobs in the future? Will our crops be better protected due to their insect-fighting prowess? AndNowUKnow will continue to bring you the latest in weather updates and more.
SALINAS, CA - The ever-increasing competition in our industry has many companies upping their game, and one of the ways in which they are achieving this is through strategic partnerships to pivot and impact their programs and presence in fresh produce. As we break into the second half of 2019, Church Brothers Farms and FiveStar Gourmet Foods have entered into a formal partnership allowing each company to expand their portfolios in their respective areas of expertise in the retail and foodservice arenas.
“This partnership allows us to expand into regional processing with FiveStar’s state-of-the-art facilities in California and Florida, and quickly scale up to create new, innovative value added-items for our customers,” Brian Church, CEO of Church Brothers Farms, said. “FiveStar will leverage our strong land base of more than 40,000 conventional and organic crop acres to expand into the bagged salad category.”
Church adds that integrating each company’s strengths and customer bases is mutually beneficial and will complement the other’s ability to create new opportunities for the growers and processors across the board.
Effective immediately, this move creates an opportunity in which both companies are now better positioned for increased growth. The partnership will not affect ownership or personnel, and each company will continue to operate independently, according to a press release.
"This legal partnership creates a vertically integrated program for FiveStar Gourmet Foods, and we are extremely excited to work with such a well-known, established company like Church Brothers Farms,” Tal Shoshan, CEO of FiveStar Gourmet Foods, Inc., said. “A grower-direct supply helps further our new product innovation especially within packaged salads like blends and kits, which FiveStar plans to impact in a big way, similar to how we impacted the salad bowl category."
The two companies will collaborate on resources, infrastructure, logistics, best-in-class food safety practices, and facilities, Shoshan noted, in order to be the most impactful and effective for their customers.
The new partnership is a logical move for both the companies as FiveStar Gourmet Foods has been sourcing fresh commodities from Church Brothers Farms for several years for the company’s Simply Fresh® brands.
Congrats, FiveStar Gourmet Foods and Church Brothers Farms, on this recent partnership and we are excited to see the opportunities that these companies will generate on the road ahead!
WASHINGTON, DC - The week is starting on a note of partnership rather than that of planned tariffs between the U.S. and Mexico. The two powers announced they have struck a deal to work together to immediately implement a “durable solution” addressing challenges of irregular migration.
“I would like to thank the President of Mexico, Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, and his foreign minister, Marcelo Ebrard, together with all of the many representatives of both the United States and Mexico, for working so long and hard to get our agreement on immigration completed!” President Donald Trump said on Twitter Saturday morning, June 8.
Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador praised the deal, calling for celebrations in Mexico on Saturday. According to an NPR report, López Obrador thanked "all Mexicans who made it possible to avoid the imposition of tariffs on Mexico products exported to the United States."
A media note from the White House, which can be found here, said that the United States and Mexico met last week, resulting in additional commitments from both countries. Mexico, for example, said it will increase enforcement and take action to “dismantle human smuggling and trafficking organizations as well as their illicit financial and transportation networks,” while the U.S. is committing to finding a way to accelerate evaluations of those looking to enter the country.
Per the agreement, the U.S. will also continue to expand the existing Migrant Protection Protocols across its entire Southern Border. This, the White House said, means those crossing the U.S.’s Southern Border to seek asylum will be “rapidly returned to Mexico, where they may await the adjudication of their asylum claims.” Mexico will authorize entrance for humanitarian reasons.
While Mexico included in the agreement that it will offer jobs, healthcare, and education, NPR reported critics are questioning the safety of those returned to Mexico.
For now, the two sides said they recognize the strong links between promoting development and economic growth in southern Mexico and the success of promoting prosperity, good governance, and security in Central America, committing to lead in working with regional and international partners. Should the results not pan out as expected, the U.S. and Mexico said discussions will continue, as well as taking further actions.