GLENNVILLE, GA - Once consumers get their hands on a Vidalia® Sweet Onion, retailers and foodservice operators have loyal customers for life. With the amazing 2024 season that the current crop has experienced, there are more loyal Sweet Onion lovers than ever before. As Delbert Bland, Owner of Bland Farms and recent inductee into the prestigious Vidalia Onion Hall of Fame, tells me, the opportunities for the category are extending well into September for customers.

“This year’s crop has been excellent. We were blessed with perfect growing conditions that produced great-quality Vidalia Sweet Onions,” Delbert shared with me on his morning drive in Georgia. “Because of the high production, we were able to put a lot of onions into storage. And, with the cutting-edge technology we use to store them, they are coming out of storage with the same quality and eating experience as when they went in. It has been a great year for the category.”

With this hallmark year, customers can expect Bland to ship till the end of September, when the company will offer a smooth transition to sweet onions from Peru.

“This year, the Peru crop looks excellent,” Delbert detailed, having just arrived back from a visit to the growing operations there. “Last year was a short crop due to weather challenges, but this year we anticipate no problems at all.”

Delbert also shared that this season, volume per store and sales seem to be up, and overall, they have been very good.

“People clamor for a great quality sweet onion, which creates its own market,” Delbert says. “Combined with our dedicated customer service tenets, sales and marketing support, and intel, our program is built to succeed.”

As Delbert and I hung up the phone and we both launched into our mornings, I could already smell Vidalia Sweet Onions cooking up in households everywhere—and heating up the produce department as well.

MCALLEN, TX - Is it just me, or is the window between the Fourth of July and back-to-school shrinking? While it might feel like we were just heralding summer celebrations, already we look ahead to the third quarter of the year, and though off-and-on-rain in the Southwest has kept veg markets like tomatoes and cucumbers up, GR Fresh’s Tony Incaviglia is looking forward to change on the horizon with coming industry events and eyes on innovation.

“The summer markets have been high, but a lot of the local growers retailers love to support will be kicking in more in the coming weeks. Likewise, we’ve seen a lot of early bloom across categories, so we may not see the second or third picks in peppers, for instance. It has kept things relatively stable,” the Vice President of Sales and Marketing shares of the veg outlook.

While Roma tomatoes have been on the tighter side, cucumbers have remained relatively steady, and bell peppers are staying in the 20-dollar range, which Tony points out is a nice balance from the dramatic swings the category has seen previously.

“Our summer program is mostly grown six hours south of the border, so it’s packed during the day, on the road overnight, and we have it before morning. Shrink goes down with a system that is relatively seamless when Mother Nature is not consistently challenging us—thankfully that’s been less the case,” he assures me.

Though there is always gratitude for any weather reprieve, change and challenge are inevitable in the world of fresh produce, and to this end, Tony says GR Fresh is constantly working in the future as well as the present. Because of this, he is excited the team will be attending its first Southern Innovations, hosted by Southeast Produce Council September 12–14.

“Doing the same thing over and over is the definition of insanity, which innovation disrupts, so we are excited to go to this show and learn more about how the industry is looking forward. Smaller regional shows, in my mind, always offer great opportunities for connection, even with just four or five hours on the floor,” Tony shares.

As the countdown to autumn is underway, AndNowUKnow will keep you up on the latest in product and events impacting the produce industry.

CARMEL VALLEY, CA - AndNowUKnow is extending our deepest condolences to all who were lucky enough to know Tom Nunes (T3), as the industry vet recently passed away on August 5 at the age of 95 in Carmel Valley, California. With a farming career spanning over 70 years, Tom is honored for his extensive leadership and innovation in the fresh produce industry.

Tom’s passion for ag was sparked at a young age, born into a farming family of Portuguese immigrants in Chualar, California. In his early years, Tom helped his father in the field. Beginning his career in the Salinas Valley, Tom started two successful grower-shipper companies and garnered various industry awards and honors throughout his tenure. Despite these honors, he would have said his greatest achievement and pleasure came from his family, including his three sons, daughter, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, an obituary read.

In 1955, a good friend, Bill “Chopper” Brown approached Tom about starting a new company growing, harvesting, and shipping Iceberg lettuce. He and each of the five other partners invested $5,000 and grew 400 acres of Iceberg lettuce for their new company, Growers Exchange. The company enjoyed success with Tom as President from 1955–1965, ultimately growing and shipping out of Salinas, El Centro, Yuma, Phoenix, Aguila, and Alamosa. It was at Growers Exchange where Tom and his brother Bob Nunes began their lifelong partnership.

Tom and Bob worked six years together at Growers Exchange, leaving in 1966 to form Nunes Bros. of California, an integrated grower-shipper of fresh vegetables. Nunes Bros. immediately displayed innovation and creativity, driving industry evolutions with film-wrapped lettuce.

Recognizing his leadership at Nunes Bros. the Salinas Valley produce industry elected Tom to the Directors of the Grower-Shipper Association of Central California Board of Directors, where he served as Chairman from 1967–1968.

In 1976, Tom and Bob went on to establish The Nunes Company, which eventually grew into a truly integrated grower-shipper that included shipping, cooling, growing, and harvesting operations.

“We had a great advantage of building a company and then selling it and getting to start over. It allowed us to look at what we did right and look at what we did wrong and build a better company,” Tom once said.

Tom believed that people were the company’s most important asset, and mutual loyalty and respect were evident as most of the top employees from Nunes Bros. returned to work with Tom and Bob at The Nunes Company.

Please click here to read Tom Nunes’ obituary in full.

Our hearts are with the Nunes family, The Nunes Company, and all who knew this beloved industry leader.

ROSEMONT, IL - With the release of its second quarter fiscal 2024 report, US Foods is letting us in on the company strategies leading to another strong period of growth. Within the second quarter report, the distributor noted a 7.7 percent net sales increase, rising to $9.7 billion for the quarter.

“During the second quarter, we delivered record Adjusted EBITDA and EBITDA margin in a softer macro environment. Our team’s success further emphasizes the strength of our operating model and ability to control the controllables,” said Dave Flitman, Chief Executive Officer. “Our balanced approach to drive improved profitability through the execution of our strategic initiatives was evident again this quarter and we captured market share with independent restaurants for the 13^th consecutive quarter.”

US Foods’ net sales of $9.7 billion was driven by total case volume growth and food cost inflation of 2.9 percent, a press release noted. In addition, total case volume increased 5.2 percent from the prior year driven by a 5.7 percent increase in independent restaurant case volume, a 6 percent increase in healthcare volume, a 2.1 percent increase in hospitality volume, and a 4.2 percent increase in chain volume.

With this success fueling its growth, the company has several strategies in play to continue securing profit and market share gains.

“We also held an exciting investor day on June 5, where we outlined our new long-range plan to accelerate growth, profitability, and returns,” Flitman stated. “We laid out our financial algorithm from 2025 through 2027 of growing sales at a 5 percent CAGR, increasing Adjusted EBITDA at a 10 percent CAGR, expanding EBITDA margin by at least 20 basis points per year and growing Adjusted Diluted EPS at a 20 percent CAGR. We are confident that we have the right strategy and the operational rigor in place to deliver on our 2027 financial targets, all underpinned by our 30,000 hardworking and dedicated associates.”

In addition, US Foods also reported:

• Gross profit increased 7.2 percent to $1.7 billion
• Net income was $198 million
• Adjusted EBITDA increased 13.2 percent to $489 million
• Diluted EPS increased 9.6 percent to $0.80; Adjusted Diluted EPS increased 17.7 percent to $0.93

“We delivered record profitability in the second quarter through our balanced approach to drive top- and bottom-line gains despite the operating environment,” added Dirk Locascio, Chief Financial Officer. “Maintaining our disciplined approach to capital deployment and intense focus on driving long-term shareholder value creation, we closed on the IWC acquisition, repurchased $41 million of shares, and further reduced our net leverage while continuing to invest in the business. Given our strong first half of the year and outlook for the remainder of 2024, we are reiterating our net sales, Adjusted EBITDA, and Adjusted Diluted EPS guidance.”

Click here to view the full results of US Foods’ second quarter of fiscal year 2024, and stick with ANUK as we bring you more industry news.

REIDSVILLE, GA - Back to simplify nutritious eating for families for another year, Healthy Family Project is making the most of the fall season with its 10^th annual Back-to-School campaign. The omnichannel campaign will hit the organization’s social media, email newsletter, and website content now through September 15, focusing on practical tips and produce-centric meal ideas for busy households during the back-to-school season.

“Aligned with the theme, Healthy Family Project’s 2024 Back-to-School partners are making a $12,000 donation to the International Fresh Produce Association’s Foundation for Fresh Produce,” said Trish James, Vice President. “This contribution is aimed at increasing produce consumption in schools, underscoring the industry’s commitment to fostering healthier eating habits among children.”

The campaign is supported by a variety of like-minded brands dedicated to increasing produce consumption among the younger generations, a press release explained. Partners of the campaign include Bee Sweet Citrus, Consalo Family Farms, Shuman Farms RealSweet® Onions, JAZZ™ apples, Nature Fresh Farms®, and YoQuiero! Brands.

The campaign will include content featuring these partner brands, including an Instagram Live and Instagram Reels created by Healthy Family Project’s dietitians. As the release went on to note, this strategic use of social media not only highlights the brands but also provides valuable information and inspiration to families looking to incorporate more fresh produce into their lives.

In addition to the organization’s social media approach, curated content will also be shared in weekly e-newsletters distributed to Healthy Family Project’s consumer and nutrition professional audiences.

Since 2014, the annual Back-to-School campaign has resulted in more than $208,000 in donations to charities that impact families and increase produce consumption in schools. Since 2002, Healthy Family Project has donated more than $8 million to charities promoting health and wellness for families through retail and digital cause marketing campaigns.

Cheers to another impactful effort to drive produce consumption!