NORTH CAROLINA - Though resolutely rooted to the ground, North Carolina sweet potatoes are about to have their profiles raised. On the occasion of this year’s N.C. Ag Awareness Day, the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission and North Carolina Department of Agriculture revealed plans to unveil a new voluntary branded program celebrating the state’s prominent place in the produce world.
Kelly McIver, Executive Director of the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission, explained in the following statement: “As Commissioner of Agriculture Steve Troxler mentioned during today’s N.C. Ag Awareness Day press conference, the North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission and North Carolina Department of Agriculture are pursuing the launch of a voluntary branded program to give our sweet potato farmers the option to place a North Carolina-branded label on their product. Through this proposed initiative, we hope to create greater demand for North Carolina sweet potatoes that already provide more than $346 million to the state economy annually—all while preserving a deep-rooted historical sector of the North Carolina agriculture industry. We look forward to sharing more information about this program as details are finalized.”
The new label, Kelly told me, could be key in generating even more growth—both for this prolific produce item and the growing community in North Carolina.
“North Carolina produces over 50 percent of all sweet potatoes grown in the United States. However, our sweet potatoes are currently not generating the market share we believe the product could bring our farmers, growers, and packers,” Kelly explained. “The North Carolina Sweet Potato Commission and North Carolina Department of Agriculture expect this voluntary branded program to create and increase demand for and quality of North Carolina sweet potatoes domestically and internationally.”
Like the Idaho potato and the Vidalia onion before, the North Carolina sweet potato could fast become a sought-after branded item in produce departments throughout the country and the world.
“Creating a similar market demand for North Carolina sweet potatoes will subsequently increase sales, ultimately preserving North Carolina as the No. 1 producer of sweet potatoes in the country,” Kelly said.
For more updates as they occur, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
BAKERSFIELD, CA - Get a gift ready, and make it gold because Grimmway Farms is proudly celebrating its 50th year in business as a family-owned company. The company will be acknowledging and honoring those who have been essential to its success—namely employees, supplier partners, customers, and local communities.
“We want to recognize how important our employees, partners, customers and communities have been to our success while acknowledging that it was the vision and values established by our founders, Rod and Bob Grimm, that have guided us all of these years,” said Jeff Huckaby, President, in a press release.
“Family-Owned for 50 Years and Growing” is the theme for the year-long campaign. From its humble beginnings as a roadside produce stand to the global agricultural leader it is today, Grimmway Farms has much to celebrate. Over the year-long event, the company will pay tribute to the long and successful partnerships that have helped it grow.
Rod and Bob Grimm set their sights on the carrot industry from early on, after opening their produce stand in Anaheim in the 1960s. The company began doing business as Grimmway Farms in 1969, and made the move to Kern County in 1981. The move allowed them to expand operations to take advantage of the region’s fertile, year-round ideal growing conditions. 1990 was a year of innovation for the company, as the brothers combined their knowledge of farming, engineering, and consumer trends to market the popular baby carrot. This move boosted the company’s growth and redefined consumer demand for healthy snacking options.
Grimmway Farms is still family-owned to this day, with many employees that have been with the company for decades. The next generation of Grimm family members is helping to chart the future of the business and its charitable commitments have advanced educational and pediatric healthcare opportunities throughout Kern County.
“Our company is founded on a unique blend of family values,” Huckaby added. “At the same time, we are always focused and committed to employing best practices and new technologies necessary for a business of our size and scale. Rod and Bob believed in investing in the people who work with us and for us, and this philosophy remains at the core of our success.”
The official kick-off for the 50th anniversary celebration is on March 28, marked by a farm-to-table event celebrating agricultural stewardship and respect for the land. Kern County is the company’s primary growing region, but Grimmway Farms also grows in other areas of California, as well as Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Washington, Florida, and Oregon.
The celebration continues on into April, with the annual company picnic, which hosts over 10,000 employees and their families. The picnic will feature special highlights, including an award ceremony for the company’s college scholarship program. Grimmway Farms has invested over $1.65 million in tuition support for employees’ children through the program to date.
“As one of the largest private employers in Kern County, we have a responsibility to honor and invest in our most critical asset, our workforce,” noted Sara Oliver, Vice President of Human Resources. “Agricultural innovation and evolving technologies will require new skill sets from tomorrow’s workers. We want to make sure we are preparing our community’s youth for future career opportunities by helping them achieve their educational goals.”
And the fun doesn’t stop there, as Grimmway Farms will be celebrating its community and partners with a cleanup day in Kern County, harvest dinners recognizing industry partners and employees, and the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit Conference and Expo, where Grimmway Farms will share new ideas and practices with produce industry purveyors from around the world.
“Since joining the company in 2018, I have been humbled by Grimmway’s rare culture of honoring the past, investing in the future and taking nothing for granted,” commented Alexander Good, Executive Chairman “A lot of organizations talk about this conceptually, but Grimmway lives it. This anniversary celebration is for all of us who are invested in creating a better tomorrow—in the way we eat, how we treat our natural resources, and how we interact with each other. ‘Fifty Years and Growing’ is an exciting place to be,” Good said.
Congratulations to Grimmway Farms on 50 strong years. Here’s to another 50!
MADISON, WI - America’s Dairyland is about to be produce-ified if Hy-Vee has anything to do with it. After introducing its first-ever Hy-Vee HealthMarket store to the industry last year, the retailer’s CEO Randy Edeker revealed that the grocer planned to open 50 to 60 locations of its small-format banner. This week, the next stop on the expansion tour was announced—that of Sun Prairie, Wisconsin, according to local news source Madison.com.
According to Edeker, the Hy-Vee HealthMarkets are about twice the size of the health food sections found at conventional Hy-Vees and offer only 11,000 fresh items, including produce, meal kits, and meat and dairy items. Riding the wave of the latest consumer-driven health craze, the HealthMarket banner also features in-store health clinics, pharmacies, and fitness studios—giving shoppers a good excuse to wear yoga pants to the grocery store! I mean, we don't need an excuse, but still!
While its counterpart in West Des Moines was 15,700 square feet, the new Sun Prairie location is expected to be 19,650 square feet. In addition, the project will take place on a six acre lot, with the store holding court on the corner of West Main Street and Grand Avenue and sharing space with a separate 6,500-square-foot Hy-Vee Fast & Fresh convenience store and fuel pumps.
Construction on the new location begins in April.
Where will Hy-Vee take its innovative banner next? AndNowUKnow will continue to keep you up-to-date on our industry’s comings and goings.
MOUNT MAUNGANUI, NZ - Bon voyage to Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit as the company heads to China and Japan following this season’s early start to harvest for the first time!
“This will mean we’ll have more than 18,000 containers to ship this season,” Zespri Chief Grower and Alliances Officer David Courtney said. “We’re also expecting to use 45 charter vessels—three to move our kiwifruit to Northern Europe, twelve to service our Mediterranean markets, and thirty to take fruit up to Japan, China, and Korea.”
Courtney also added that Zespri expects more than 600,000 pallets of kiwifruit to be shipped offshore this season in total. According to the company’s press release, the Southampton Star “departed from Tauranga Harbour yesterday evening carrying approximately 3,000 pallets of Bay of Plenty-grown SunGold Kiwifruit bound for Shanghai and Kobe. The vessel had earlier berthed in Gisborne where it picked up 1,600 pallets of SunGold Kiwifruit, marking the start of what promises to be another bumper crop.”
The company also stated for the first time, Zespri is expecting to supply more gold kiwifruit than green this season.
“Last season we supplied 76 million trays of Green and 65 million trays of SunGold,” Courtney explained. “Our latest estimates indicate we are on track to supply more than 75 million trays of SunGold this season, while Green is expected to be below 75 million trays. Most of our growing regions have had a very dry summer which means we’re certainly expecting a great tasting fruit this season.”
Zespri’s two most significant markets remain Greater China and Japan and are expected to continue to perform strongly as Zespri expands into new areas within these markets.
The company says it’s still seeing strong growth in China and Japan led by increasing consumer demand for SunGold and more broadly, it's seeing great results in South East and East Asia.
With the first shipment of Zespri’s SunGold Kiwifruit now safely aboard, Courtney said they look forward to introducing the kiwifruit and its health benefits to consumers across the world and continuing to move closer to the company's goal of increasing its global kiwifruit sales to $4.5 billion by 2025.
More for updates on Zespri SunGold Kiwifruit, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
NEW YORK CITY, NY - After a five-year-long partnership, grocery delivery service Instacart and Whole Foods Market are calling it quits. While grocery retail partnerships are often fickle, the split will, unfortunately, lead to upwards of 237 job cuts, according to Crain’s New York Business. Instacart and Whole Foods will officially terminate their partnership on May 15, 2019.
“Whole Foods Market has been a partner of ours since 2014, but our relationship is now beginning to wind down,” Apoorva Mehta, Instacart’s CEO, wrote in a Medium post back in December. “The first phase of this transition starts today, which means that we have to start scaling back our in-store shopper operations within Whole Foods locations. Today, we have 1,415 in-store shoppers across 76 Whole Foods locations. Out of this community of in-store shoppers at Whole Foods, 243 will be impacted beginning February 10, 2019. In the months that follow, we expect to ramp down all remaining Whole Foods in-store shopping operations in preparation for Whole Foods to fully exit our marketplace in the coming months.”
The Inquirer reported on the job cuts earlier this month after notices were filed with state officials. At the time, the number of laid-off workers was only 56 workers in Philadelphia, which included 24 layoffs at the location at 929 South St.; 20 layoffs at the location at 2101 Pennsylvania Ave.; and 12 layoffs at the location at 15 E. Wynnewood Rd. Crain’s New York Business reported that an additional 44 Instacart shoppers will be laid off from the location on Bedford Avenue in Brooklyn, New York, by May.
“We expect to be able to place more than 75% of all our impacted in-store Whole Foods shoppers in new in-store shopper jobs at another retailer in their area. For our remaining impacted shoppers, we are committed to doing everything we can to support you. We want to find the best possible option for you, and we’re available to discuss other potential roles either within or outside of Instacart,” continued Apoorva in the Medium post.
While Whole Foods was one of Instacart’s more flashy partners thanks to its Amazon backing, Instacart also works with Costco, Aldi, Shoprite, and Kroger, to name a few.
For more breaking grocery retail news, AndNowUKnow has you covered.
MILWAUKEE, WI - In a roundhouse kick to unemployment, Roundy’s Supermarkets Inc. has announced its plans to hire over 500 employees across all departments. Owned by parent company The Kroger Co. of Cincinnati, Roundy’s Supermarkets operates grocery stores under the banners of Pick ‘n Save and Metro Market, as reported by The Milwaukee Business Journal.
While the supermarket chain is steadily growing, Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs, Jim Hyland, claimed that the hiring announcement is to address the needs of the grocer’s existing 106 stores.
“There’s always a need for people in this industry,” Hyland said to The Milwaukee Business Journal. “The industry’s growing. The industry’s becoming more competitive.”
Roundy’s has scheduled open interviews at all of its Wisconsin stores from 10 am to 6 pm on April 6. The event includes both full- and part-time positions, including hourly clerks, department leads, and department managers.
As competition keeps getting hotter in the grocery industry, more and more companies are adding services like online shopping and curbside pick-up. Hyland commented that the company needs qualified staff that can fulfill those orders and manage the extra services.
“We’ve had tremendous growth in our business over the last few years,” said Hyland.
Will this growth trend continue for Roundy’s and Kroger? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
ONTARIO, CANADA - In addition to its beautiful architecture, Montreal is a setting for innovation. And, come early next month, that stage will be set for innovations in fresh produce as CPMA’s annual convention and tradeshow comes to town. After chatting with Carl Mastronardi, President, and Fiona McLean, Marketing Manager, I suggest you make sure DelFrescoPure is on your show list.
“The CPMA is a chance to interact with current customers, as well as possible new ones, and we have so much to share this year,” Carl tells me. “As a producer, you are there to show retailers what you can do for them. They are there to increase their competitive advantage; my job is to ensure they try a product, and that’s much easier to do with a new product! Living Lettuce, Living Microgreens and cut microgreens!”
Among those products, Carl and his team will be showing a local offering, as well as an innovation that promises potential for international growth. The latter, Carl and Fiona explain, is a trend born in top-tier restaurants with room for opportunity in grocery.
“We are excited to be showing our LivingCube™ at CPMA, which we will definitely be looking to expand to the U.S.,” Carl shares. “Living lettuce really is unique as a product. Usually what I see comes in the hard clamshell, where we will be offering a three-pack lettuce so alive you’ll be able to take plastic off in a recyclable bag and water it.”
Carl and Fiona explain the produce will come with the option to continue to grow in the rectangle box by removing the crisper bag and add water to grow, or ensure the bag is zip-locked to create the crisper affect and place in the fridge. Each package contains 3 heads of tender living lettuce with 5 varieties to choose from.
“The box itself tells the consumer that they can keep the product in the fridge in the bag, or keep it on the counter and add a bit of water,” Fiona shares. “At our booth, we will have a display fridge so we can show retailers what our products will look like in-store and which merchandising materials or ideas are available to educate consumers at the store level. We want to show how we can help our retail partners increase the basket size through merchandising and creative flexibility, everything from the details on our packaging to display cases, shelf strips, shelf talkers, and merchandising execution.”
Another exciting aspect of the LivingCube is the ability for it to expand. In addition to lettuce, DelFrescoPure offers living microgreens like basil and cilantro. While more is in LivingCube’s future, Carl says right now the focus is on ensuring that the existing line is given the attention needed.
“We are not looking to expand to everything right away, but we are excited to see it grow,” he shares.
As for the local focus I touched on earlier, DelFrescoPure will also be showing its increasingly popular YES!Berries Your Everyday Snack® strawberries, high in flavor and on the shelf locally within 24 hours—a key selling point, the way Carl and his team explain it!
“We’re doing something a little different with our YES!Berries, offering a unique taste experience that is high in brix. It’s a great, sort of tangy-sweet flavor,” Carl shares. “Our retail partners tell us they have a hard time keeping the YES!Berries in stock since they fly off the shelf. Thankfully, we are pretty centrally located—we pick, pack and ship the same day and are more focused on taking care of our own backyard before trying to expand where we distribute YES!Berries. Another thing we are excited about is that we haven’t sprayed them with pesticides for about a year now and are looking really hard into going completely pesticide-free.”
This is quite a feat. Even organic, Carl and Fiona remind me, uses approved pesticides while the DelFrescoPure team is aiming to go without any pesticides at all, providing “natural products that don’t kill anything.”
“Right now we are pesticide-free in 17 acres of greenhouse-grown berries,” Carl says.
This is just a small glimpse into what you can find when you swing by booth #2203 come April 2 through 4. If you happen to catch me there, excuse me if I’m stuffing my face with YES!Berries—Taste’s like summer all year long®!
MONTREAL, QC - The 2019 CPMA Convention and Trade Show is just a week away. The trade show boasts an impressive who’s-who of North American exhibitors—as well as retailers, foodservice professionals, and more from Canada’s produce buying community.
In a recent press release, the CPMA provided a “snapshot” of what the 94th annual edition will entail. The show, which welcomes both international exhibitors and those who are active within the Canadian fruit and vegetable marketplace, provides a distinctive blend of business, networking, development, and educational opportunities while attracting a wide variety of attendees from across the produce supply chain.
This year's trade show, held April 2-4 at the Palais des congrès de Montréal, boasts the following big numbers:
- 535 exhibit spaces (10 x 10 feet)
- Over 300 exhibiting companies
- 143 international exhibitors on the Trade Show floor at CPMA 2019 in Montreal
- 132 Canadian exhibitors, including 30 exhibitors from Quebec
- 39 first-time exhibitors participating in the 2019 CPMA Convention and Trade Show in Montreal—each with a floor decal in front of their booth so attendees can welcome them to the Trade Show and to the Association
- 39 companies participating in the New Product Showcase.
- 1,834 followers of @CPMA_ACDFL on Twitter (Be sure to follow, tweet at @CPMA_ACDFL, and use the hashtag #CPMA2019 for anything relating to the 2019 CPMA Convention and Trade Show)
Although exhibit space is sold out, the CPMA noted, there is still time to register to attend the event, and produce retailers and foodservice operators can take advantage of a complimentary Trade Show voucher ($300 value) by registering online. At the event, delegates will have the opportunity to meet with exhibiting companies, participate in the business and social programs, and capitalize on opportunities that will enrich industry knowledge and grow your business in Canada.
For more fresh produce news, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
IRVINE, CA - Good morning, AndNowUKnow readers!
Today, I am bringing you some of the category and weather news from around the industry. Check back twice weekly to see where the rain is falling, the sun is shining, and everything in between.
ONE LAST STORM SYSTEM TO HIT CALIFORNIA
One last storm system will come through California this week. Coastal growing regions of Salinas and Santa Maria will see approximately .25 inches of rain tomorrow and Wednesday.
The San Joaquin Valley growing regions of Modesto in the north and Fresno in the middle of the state will see about .50 inches of rain.
This appears to be the last storm system that will come through California for the next two weeks. Looking past Wednesday things should begin to really warm up across the state. By Sunday, Salinas, Santa Maria, and the San Joaquin Valley will be in the mid-70°s with some isolated locations reaching 80°s. Low temperatures will be in the 50°s throughout much of the state. Look for ideal growing conditions all next week.
YUMA AND COACHELLA TO SEE HOTTEST DAYS OF YEAR SO FAR
Today, Yuma should reach a maximum temperature of 90°, which is the hottest day of the year so far. The previous high was 88 back on March 18th. Wednesday through Saturday will be a tad cooler with maximum temperatures only in the mid-80°s, but by Sunday high temperatures will be back at 90° where they will stay through Tuesday, April 2. Maybe there will be additional supplies of product coming from this region next week?
The Coachella Valley will see similar warm temperatures this week and next. Coachella will reach a maximum temperature of 92° and a minimum temperature of 63° on Monday, April 1, and Tuesday, April 2. Coachella is waiting for their spring crop of green bells, green beans, and sweet corn to start. These warmer temperatures might speed up the process by a few days. You might want to check with shippers out of this area to see what’s new.
FLORIDA BEAUTIFUL WEATHER THIS WEEK – MORE RAIN NEXT WEEK
Florida will experience a noneventful week of weather with maximum temperatures ranging from the mid-70°s to the low 80°s and minimum temperatures in the mid-50°s to low 60°s across the state. The next major change in the weather will be storms coming next Monday through Wednesday, bringing up to 1 inch of rain across all major growing regions.
HOT HOT HOT IN SINALOA
Culiacan, Sinaloa, will experience maximum temperatures of 98° all this week, with minimum temperatures in the mid-50°s. One can only expect volumes to increase with these kinds of temperatures. Keep an eye on supplies and markets.
Things will cool off a bit on Saturday as the high temperature will only reach 90°. Going forward, high temperatures will only be in the low 90°s for the first half of next week.
GRAPE GROWING REGIONS OF MEXICO
Grape growing regions of Hermosillo and Caborca in the state of Sonora are experiencing beautiful late spring conditions with maximum temperatures in the mid-90°s and minimums in the upper 50°s. These temperatures bode well for the maturation of the upcoming grape crop in May. These warm temperatures will continue through at least next Tuesday. On Wednesday, April 3, temperatures should cool off a few degrees, with maximum temperatures only reaching into the mid-80°s.
GEORGIA
Georgia is gearing up for their spring crop of blueberries in the next month. Right now, Georgia is in a state of flux regarding the weather. Yesterday the maximum temperature was 77°, but tomorrow the temperature will only get to 66°, and then by Saturday the high will be 80°. Sunday, March 31, will see some rain and a maximum temperature of only 71° on Monday, but will begin to warm again on Wednesday, April 3. Hopefully as we get into April things will become more stable.
Thank you again for your support, and we will be back later this week with another update.
SUNNY VALLEY, OR - Last week, Oregonians were shorted one truckload of melons after a bizarre accident sparked fire in a tractor-trailer carrying cantaloupe. The driver escaped unharmed but the cantaloupe were not so lucky—as the truck and its cargo burned to the ground.
Local ABC affiliate KEZI-9 news reported on the incident, which occurred at milepost 76 of the I-5 interstate near Sunny Valley, Oregon. Rescue crews and passersby documented the fire, which eventually consumed the entire truck.
“Truck and fruit appear to be a total loss,” the Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) told the news source. “ODOT/OSP holding all NB lanes just prior to Sunny Valley due to a semi-truck on fire. It's carrying cantaloupe. Expect delays until the fire subsides enough to let traffic through.”
One would think juicy cantaloupe were flame retardant, but this story proves that even the juiciest of fruits are no match for fire.
AndNowUKnow will continue to report with breaking produce news.