HOUSTON, TX - Sysco Corporation is bolstering its local and national operations after scooping up an Illinois-based distributor. This week, the global foodservice distributor announced it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Waugh Foods.
“Waugh Foods has a long, rich history in the Central Illinois area, which includes strong relationships with local independent operators,” said Greg Bertrand, Sysco’s Executive Vice President, U.S. Foodservice Operations. “We are excited to welcome Waugh into the Sysco family and believe this acquisition is a perfect complement to our existing local and regional presence.”
Waugh Foods is an Illinois-based broadline distributor with approximately $40 million in annual sales, according to a press release. Waugh Foods first came to be when Joseph A. Waugh, Sr. founded Waugh Frozen Food Company in 1948. In 1966, after expanding its product lines, the company changed its name to Waugh Foods, Inc., and over the last 70 years, has made a name for itself providing a variety of products to customers throughout the Central Illinois market.
Waugh Foods is headquartered in East Peoria. Following the acquisition, its executives, including Rick Look, Tim Waugh, and Joe Waugh, Jr., will continue to manage the company.
To stay ahead of all acquisitions, expansions, and more as they relate to fresh produce, keep following AndNowUKnow.
UNITED STATES - How does a company like Amazon stay at the top of its retail game? By asking its suppliers to build a line of exclusive products. According to The Wall Street Journal, the online retailer is asking consumer-packaged-goods (CPG) companies to create brands that will be exclusive to Amazon.com. Amazon’s reasoning behind this? Developing brands on its own is costly and time-consuming, people familiar with the matter explained to WSJ.
In recent years, Amazon has been stealthily adding more in-house brands. Online retailers often have a higher profit margin due to in-house brands, because consumers don't have anywhere else to purchase the products they want.
One may wonder why brands would be interested in creating these exclusive products in the first place—because I certainly was. In exchange, Amazon will help suppliers launch their products, promote customer feedback on new products, and provide marketing support. Another component is that suppliers will appear at the top of search results, which, according to WSJ, puts brands ahead of other non-exclusive suppliers. With a platform consisting of about 550 million items, that’s quite the incentive.
How will this strategy continue to play out for Amazon? AndNowUKnow will keep you posted on the great online retail race.
MISSION, TX - Who is the best golfer in the Tex-Mex corridor? We’re about to find out! Registration for this year’s Viva Fresh Open is now open, giving you and your industry cohorts an opportunity to get a world class golfing experience while networking, supporting the industry, and of course, having fun! The 5th annual Viva Fresh Open will kick off on Thursday, April 25th and is being held at both the Oaks and Canyons golf courses in the JW Marriott Hill Country Resort’s TPC golf club due to increasing demand.
“Now in its fifth year, the Viva Fresh Open has become a great start to the conference. It’s really exciting to see the demand for participation in the tournament continue to grow,” said Ed Bertaud, Director of Retail Sales for IFCO, Viva Fresh Steering Committee Member, TIPA Board Member and Tournament Chair. “Hosting this tournament at such a remarkable venue, where the PGA Tour will be making a stop just a few weeks earlier for the Valero Texas Open, is a real treat for golfers of all skill levels.”
The Viva Fresh Open has continued to expand over its five years in operation. In 2018, the tournament expanded from one par-72 course to two, both of which have played host to the PGA tour. According to a press release, both courses also have prestigious roots—the Canyons course was designed by Pete Dye, while the Oaks course was designed by Greg Norman with player consultant Sergio Garcia—and both courses highlight the scenic beauty of Texas hill country with rolling hills, towering oak trees, and wildflowers.
“Since our first Viva Fresh Open, we have focused on bringing together industry stakeholders in iconic settings to promote business in this region. The natural beauty of the TPC San Antonio & JW Marriot Hill Country Resort is an ideal way to celebrate what Texas has to offer,” Bertaud continued.
Each year, a Tournament Committee selects a charitable beneficiary of the golf tournament. Last year’s alone, the tournament helped to raise $25,000 for Brighter Bites, a non-profit designed to bring healthy food and teach nutrition to more than 100 elementary schools across Texas.
After the golf tournament at 6:30 p.m., Viva Fresh attendees are to attend the 19th Hole Celebration for food, beverages, and live music.
For more information or to join sponsors like BEBO Distributing, Inc. and Wonderful Citrus, visit the site here or contact the Texas International Produce Association at [email protected] or 956-581-8632. Happy golfing!
WATSONVILLE, CA - I’m not one to be interested in sports, but I love me a good cooking contest! It never ceases to amaze me the kinds of creative and innovative dishes that come from the pressure of competition. It looks like California Giant Berry Farms agrees with me, because the grower has just announced its second annual Chef Invitational. The event, back by popular demand, is a nationwide culinary competition inviting foodservice distributor partners to elect their top chefs to compete for the title of California Giant Top Chef.
“We are very excited to announce the event in 2019 after the success we had last year,” said Tom Smith, Director of Foodservice. “It was such a fun time and we had a lot of great collaboration with our distributor partners and their incredible chefs. This time around we will also have Chef Luis Reyes from Sysco West Coast FL, the 2018 winner, to help share his experience and participate as a mentor at the 2019 event.”
Last July, the 2018 Chef Invitational showcased a fierce competition that included innovative recipes that used California Giant berries as the star of the plate. This year’s event will provide even more opportunities for corporate chefs to flex their creativity while competing with both desserts and main dishes. The goal of the promotional competition is to continue to cement relationships with key members of the foodservice industry and highlight the talented chefs that invent creative recipes every day.
The Chef Invitational goes live on February 1, 2019, and entry guidelines are distributed directly to foodservice partners by use of the company foodservice website and e-newsletter, according to the press release. Any recipes need to be submitted by May 1 and finalists are announced May 15. The Invitational event will be held at the Tehama Golf Club in Monterey, California June 23-25, at the end of which, a winner will be determined.
Prior to the Chef Invitational event, finalists will participate in educational sessions with growers, field tours, and roundtable forums with California Giant Influencers who will share insights into consumer and food trends. Each chef-developed recipe will be studied by the company’s group of influencers to create a consumer-friendly version to share with followers on social media channels.
“Sharing the Chef Invitational with California Giant Influencers this year adds a new element to the program by creating recipe hacks that we can share with our consumer followers without restricting the creativity of the professional chefs,” says Cindy Jewell, VP of Marketing. “This combination of professional chefs and consumer influencers really expands our reach providing a great opportunity for these two groups to come together and learn from each other while becoming greater ambassadors for our brand.”
At the Chef Invitational, finalists consisting of the industry’s top chefs will recreate their winning recipes that will then be presented to an esteemed panel of judges to win the coveted title of 2019 California Giant Top Chef.
Best of luck to the participating chefs! AndNowUKnow will keep you updated on how it all shakes out.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - When I think of Texas, I think of big hair, big games, and big flavors, so it’s fitting that San Antonio-based grocer H-E-B is showcasing all there is to know about its home state in a $5 million ad slated to run in a coveted spot during the Super Bowl. The retailer is taking a playful and comedic approach to its big game commercial, highlighting an array of top-quality, H-E-B-branded products that many in the Lone Star State have come to love.
The commercial depicts a Texan castaway on a remote beach, downtrodden, for obvious reasons. The tide turns, though, when he discovers a stray KODI cooler that has washed up on shore, overflowing with enough H-E-B-branded products to throw a beach party bash for one.
“At H-E-B, we appreciate that our customers have come to know and love our H-E-B brand products, which are fun items found exclusively at H-E-B and our family of stores,” said Cory Basso, Vice President of Marketing and Advertising. “Even if you’re deserted on an island, we know our customers expect the best and with the H-E-B brand they know they’re getting top quality products at low prices.”
According to a press release, H-E-B’s brand items were first launched in 1922 exclusively at H-E-B stores, Central Market, Joe V’s, and Mi Tienda. Today, the brand has grown to include thousands of items “made by Texans, for Texans,” including a few featured in the ad like Mootopia Milk, Swoon by H-E-B ice cream, and H-E-B Meal Simple, chef-inspired meals made in minutes. And for those Rams and Patriots fans looking for items to stock up on for their Super Bowl parties, the retailer pointed to its Corn Tortillas and hand-assembled Simply Wrapped Bacon Jalapeño Poppers to make sure to keep the hanger at bay for the whole game.
In addition to its in-store items, H-E-B also brings the taste of Texas to its shoppers via its services like H-E-B Curbside and H-E-B Delivery, which are available at more than 165 locations across Texas.
The 60-second commercial will broadcast between the game’s third and fourth quarters in more than a dozen key Texas markets and will continue to air through February. If you miss the ad during the big game, there’s no H-E-B for you. Just kidding! Check it out above!
For more game day produce wins as they relate to Super Bowl Sunday, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - Have you entered your submission for Viva Fresh 2019’s Gateway to Innovation Showcase yet? If not, what are you waiting for?! The deadline to apply is just under one month away—February 20 to be exact—and because this year is the first to open up judging to ALL types of innovations, you definitely won’t want to miss your chance to be a part of the excitement!
“The early enthusiasm we’re hearing from companies about the Gateway to Innovations has been great!” said Dante Galeazzi, President and CEO of the Texas International Produce Association, the organization that puts on the Viva Fresh Produce Expo. “The Gateway to Innovations committee proposed this ‘open’ concept to bring in unique and transformative ideas that are outside the box of traditional entries. We realize this format is not as conventional, but we want to continue pushing the envelope for new ideas while highlighting this region at the same time.”
The twist this year of course is that, in addition to those traditionally awarded new products or packaging designs—that don’t get me wrong, we still love—industry members are also encouraged to submit innovations across the board, including new seed varieties, advances in production, machinery, packing facilities, and greenhouses; technology, application software, food safety, traceability, sustainability efforts, and anything else your revolutionary produce brains can think up!
All Viva Fresh exhibitors and sponsors are invited to submit whatever they deem innovative, then a panel of retail, foodservice, and produce industry judges will select 24 top-tier finalists. Those finalists will go on to be included in the Expo’s display case. All expo attendees will be encouraged to vote live from the show floor for their favorite innovation via mobile device. And the Best of Show Award will be presented on the afternoon of last day of the show, April 27.
“We want Viva Fresh to offer our attendees the most rewarding experience possible when they come to this show,” Dante continued. “The Viva Fresh committees arrange every portion of the event to provide maximum value—from the networking and education opportunities to the concentration of regional exhibitors. The idea of seeing all the new and unique ideas from the region fits perfectly in that theme. Hopefully, we end up seeing a lot of submissions that attendees would not typically see at other shows. Seed companies, for example, are talking about bringing products that haven’t made it into U.S. markets yet. Personally, I’m very excited to see what types of entries make it to the show floor.”
Applicants can submit their entries at the official application webpage here, and finalists will be notified by March 25. Don’t miss your chance to be part of the action!
NOGALES, AZ - The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas is postponing the previously announced Spring Policy Summit, which had been scheduled for March 19-20, 2019, in Tubac, AZ.
“Despite the deal to re-open the government for three weeks, it will be difficult for federal employees to plan for travel so soon after the shutdown,” said Lance Jungmeyer, President of the FPAA. “The Spring Policy Summit has been an outstanding forum to bring together the government and industry to have frank dialogue about regulations and policies. Until we are assured we can host a quality event that works to bring together industry and government officials, we are going to postpone the event.”
Jungmeyer continued, adding that, “We apologize to any individuals who have already made travel plans, and we can’t wait to bring an excellent forum later this year. At this time, we don’t want to put any additional strain on these agencies that are already stretching their resources to provide the basic services that keep America running.”
The FPAA will announce a new date for the Policy Summit after the government is fully funded, which may be sooner than previously anticipated. AndNowUKnow will continue to report the latest!
WOODLAND, CA - It is a solemn moment for Nugget Markets. The retailer announced the passing of its Founder, Eugene “Gene” Noel Stille. The industry veteran died in his sleep on Wednesday, January 16, at the age of 89.
The third-generation grocer and “chairman” of Nugget Markets is survived by his four children, as well as 16 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren. The family has announced that a Celebration of Life is planned for Monday, February 25, as reported by The Daily Democrat. The family has requested that donations be made to Yolo Hospice in lieu of flowers.
“His passions in life were his family, his friends, and his work,” according to VP of Marketing and Communications Kate Stille.
Born in Woodland, CA, Gene “literally grew up in the family grocery business,” Kate noted. After attending Sacramento Community College, Gene served for four years in the Air Force during the Korean War. While on a three-day pass visiting Baltimore, MD, Gene met the love of his life, Joan Hoffman, to whom he was married to for 62 years, until her death in 2013.
“It was love at first sight, and within two months the couple was engaged,” Kate said.
Gene was devoted to Woodland, a special place to him where he was born, raised, and eventually raised four children.
“The Woodland community is where Gene developed many lifelong friends who helped mold him into the man he became,” Kate stated. “It was also the genesis of his family business, Nugget Markets, which Gene took over after his father in the mid-1950s. Gene continued to grow the business over the course of his lifetime, always focused on service, quality, value, servant leadership, and the local communities.”
Gene was very active in his community, taking on leadership roles in the California Grocers Association and United Grocers Association, was a member of the Woodland Lions Club and the Masonic Order, and also served on numerous community boards.
“Most importantly, Gene was a fun-loving, hard-working, spirited person who was always willing to offer a helping hand,” said Kate. “His contagious smile and positive attitude inspired his family and everyone he met. Gene was a friend to all and will be dearly missed by many.”
We offer our most sincere condolences to Gene’s family and to Nugget Markets.
WASHINGTON, DC - This weekend, President Donald Trump announced that he and Congress have reached a deal to temporarily reopen the federal government.
“I am very proud to announce today that we have reached a deal to end the shutdown and re-open the federal government,” President Trump noted in a speech delivered in the White House Rose Garden.
Though the deal reportedly does not include $5.7 billion in border security funding, the President’s tone was, at times, combative. Referring perhaps to the possibility of declaring a state of emergency and unilaterally appropriating funding for his border security proposal, the President continued: “As everyone knows, I have a very powerful alternative, but I didn’t want to use it at this time. Hopefully, it won’t be necessary.”
The President’s remarks Friday afternoon came on the heels of news that the FAA was delaying or suspending some flights to LaGuardia Airport because of Air Traffic Control staffing issues.
Estimates by S&P Global Rankings reported on by USA Today predict that, as of January 25, the government shutdown has racked up a net economic cost of $7.1 billion.
On Sunday, according to a top White House official, some of the estimated 800,000 federal employees who have gone paycheck-less during the shutdown could potentially begin getting their back pay by early this week, depending on the payroll provider.
Some of the costs due to the shutdown have fallen on the grocery industry. A St. Louis Save-a-Lot store where SNAP customers make up the vast majority of shoppers, was put in the position of being forced to close its doors should the shutdown continue. And one Pennsylvania retailer, D&K Surplus Grocery, was rendered unable to process SNAP benefits for 600 of its customers.
Grocers and food companies across the nation have offered support to federal workers in a variety of ways (see examples here, here, and here).
The temporary reopening of government—effective through February 15—should promise a respite for flagging stores and shoppers alike.
Sources have noted that the deal will not, at this time, include concessions on border security.
AndNowUKnow will continue to report with updates as the situation unfolds and more news is forthcoming.
CORONA, CA - Veg-Fresh Farms is entering 2019 with a bang. In its own words, the grower has added power to its salesforce, with the addition of Mickey Owens, who has 35 years with Kroger under his belt; Jeff Kelly, who will be taking on a newly created VP of Sales role; and Cherie Galper to its sales team.
“We are...excited about the addition of Mickey to our Veg-Fresh team—we have had the pleasure of knowing him for many years, and the perspective he will bring to our sales team will be paramount to our success. His retail buying experience will be absolutely valuable in helping us service our accounts and building programs with our retail customers,” said General Partner Dino Cancellieri, Jr.
Owens joined Veg-Fresh in January as Sales Manager. According to a press release, he made the jump to the supplier side after 35 years at Kroger, where he most recently held the position of Produce Buyer.
Prior to accepting the new VP of Sales role, Kelly spent 15 years in produce sales management in Southern California.
“I’m excited by the opportunities I’ve witnessed at Veg-Fresh, from strong organic and conventional retail programs the team has already built, to the grower partnerships Veg-Fresh has cultivated and sustained, to the foodservice sales that continue to build year over year. I am looking forward to taking the Veg-Fresh sales growth into the next decade.” said Kelly.
Cancellieri added, “The VP of Sales role is a new position at Veg-Fresh Farms. It was something we knew we needed as owners, but it was not a position that could be easily filled. Jeff possesses the experience, drive, and team-building skills we were specifically looking for, and we are excited to see him grow into this role.”
Galper was welcomed onto Veg-Fresh’s team to provide additional sales staff support and drive the organic and conventional tomato category forward as Sales Manager. She joined the team in January and will assist with the company’s grower relations in the Salinas/Watsonville area.
“Cherie’s long-standing relationships with retailers and wholesalers is a bonus for us, and we look forward to seeing her contributions to our team and her implementation of our new product offerings,” Cancellieri concluded.
Congratulations to Mickey Owens, Jeff Kelly, and Cherie Galper on their new positions!