FOWLER, CA - Who says life giving you lemons is a bad thing? Bee Sweet Citrus is here to tell retailers that the season, and shoppers, should be all about lemons!
“Whether you’re planning a party for the Super Bowl, or meal planning for the Lenten season, lemons are a must-have for a healthy new year,” said Director of Communications Monique Bienvenue. “Packed full of flavor, lemons are a nutritional powerhouse and can lighten meals without compromising flavor.”
The Bee Sweet sales team is reporting a strong supply of lemons to help fuel its consumers’ needs, whether its traditional lemons, such as Eureka and Lisbon varieties, or Meyers.
Both, the company said in a press release, contain about 20 calories per serving and are an excellent source of fiber and vitamin C.
“With spring just around the corner, consumers are looking for healthy ways to add flavor to their meals,” Monique continued. “Lemons are perfect for those looking for flavorful alternatives to boost their nutrition, while indulging in seasonal dishes and snacks.”
Traditional lemons are often used to enhance the flavor of both hot and cold beverages—offer them up with hot tea for the cold or iced tea for parties. Bee Sweet noted they also make a tasty cross-merchandising option for adding to soups, salads, and many seafood dishes.
Not to be outdone, Meyer Lemons can apparently be tagged as your store’s “baking lemon” because they are less acidic than other varieties and can act as a great ingredient for baked goods and desserts.
Bee Sweet Citrus’ Meyer Lemons are available for a limited time, while traditional varieties are available year-round. How’s that for making more than just lemonade?
BRAMPTON, ON - As one door closes, another opens. For Loblaw, this means reshaping a pair of existing executive positions in favor of leaving behind the designated title “CEO.” Instead, the retailer announced it is expanding the responsibilities of its current President, Sarah Davis, while former Chairman and CEO Galen G. Weston moves forward as Executive Chairman, Loblaw Companies Limited.
"Sarah and I have worked closely for over a decade, and she has played an important role in many of Loblaw's most defining moments: the formation of Choice Properties, the acquisition of Shoppers Drug Mart, the creation of PC Optimum, and a long-term strategy that demonstrates our passion for customers," Weston said in a press release. "Together, our team has put the company on an exciting strategic path and Sarah is a great leader to take us forward."
Davis will continue to report to Weston, who retains senior executive oversight of Loblaw's long-term strategy while applying greater attention to a broader transformation strategy at parent company George Weston Limited, where he is Chairman and CEO.
In turn, Davis will assume expanded responsibilities in her role such as:
- Being fully responsible for the company's 13-member Management Board
- Continued day-to-day oversight of Loblaw's business performance
- Expanded direct-reporting lines with the addition of Finance and Human Resources
Davis brings 12 years of experience with the retailer to this next chapter, having previously served as Chief Financial Officer, Chief Administrative Officer, and the executive lead of most business and operational functions. She has held her current position since January of 2017.
Loblaw said that, other than the shifting of these responsibilities, its executive leadership remains unchanged.
OXNARD, CA - Yeah, football is cool and all, but if you know me well, you know I’m there for the snacks. A smorgasbord of sliders, a deluge of dips—all things made better by an avalanche of avocado! We all know avocado is the real winner when it comes to consumers’ Big Game spreads, and here to make MVP is Mission Produce and its Emeralds in the End Zone retail campaign.
As we rush the ball closer to February 3, I catch up with the company’s Director of Marketing Denise Junqueiro and learn more about the campaign and how it can help turn these emeralds into a touchdown for retailers.
“Emeralds in the End Zone is the perfect party pack for avocados, and the mixed sizing offers something for all of your Big Game party needs. And because the Emeralds in the Rough program uses avocados that are a bit rougher around the edges, retailers and their customers can buy this product at a very attractive price point,” Denise explains. “Not only that, but it’s such a fun and engaging program and the Big Game is such a playful avocado holiday. It’s not just guacamole anymore; people are making avocado slider, avo fries, unique takes on avo dips. We just think it’s so fun to give each of your friends their favorite kind of delight at your Big Game party.”
Denise says that these next two weeks are the sweet spot for retailers to highlight Emeralds in the Rough avocados. For game week, get your orders in for ripe bulk avocados—that way, your consumers can have something that’s ready to transform into a delicious dish right away. Mission Produce offers eye-catching and colorful Emeralds in the End Zone header cards and POS materials that can be used on a wide array retail signage.
“The best time to get those orders in is now!” Denise emphasizes. “This is a perfect Big Game promotion that’s perfect for retailers who are looking to be outside the box and do something different than their competitors. If you want to strike a note with your consumer, Emeralds in the Rough and Emeralds in the End Zone does exactly that.”
Have you gotten your rough draft picks in yet?—and yes, I stole that adorable pun from Denise. Now is the time!
MONTEREY, CA - Mark your calendars, folks! The 4th annual Organic Produce Summit (OPS) will be upon us before you know it, and lucky for you all—registration is now open on the OPS website. Dedicated exclusively to bringing together organic fresh produce growers and shippers with the buy-side, the event is slated for July 10th through the 11th at the Monterey Conference Center on the Central Coast.
“The response from the organic community has been phenomenal as we enter our fourth year of OPS. We’re grateful for the support our sponsors and the retail and buying communities have shown for OPS and look forward to making OPS 2019 the best ever,” said Susan Canales, President. “We are finalizing the educational sessions and have a great lineup of keynote presentations scheduled. Combined with a sold-out trade show, we’ll have an energetic two days of information, education, and networking for over 1,500 attendees.”
Stay tuned, as OPS will be announcing two of the event’s Keynote presenters next, along with the finalized educational sessions in the coming weeks.
Looking for a little taste of this year’s event? Among the sessions for OPS 2019 are:
- Organic Fresh Produce across the Globe (Part I and II)
- Food Waste — Saving Money and the Environment
- Organic Data Studies
- The Role of Wholesalers and Distributors in the Organic Supply Chain
- Organic Meals at Retail
Educational breakout sessions, keynote presentations, and a sold-out exhibit floor featuring 140 producers of organic fresh produce will abound. Retail and buying organizations also have the opportunity to visit one of four scheduled field tours featuring the nation's largest producers of organic fresh fruits and vegetables, according to a press release.
On top of that, OPS is offering approved retailers and buying organizations complimentary registration which includes admission to all OPS activities and events including opening reception, field tours, educational sessions, keynote presentations, and the celebrated trade show itself. And, if the field tours are on your list, retailers, OPS are offering up to three nights of complimentary accommodations.
Calendar marked? Check. Now, let’s keep an ear to the ground as OPS reveals the excitement to come.
SAN DIEGO, CA - Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce’s GoodFarms™ brand has received the coveted 2018 Communitas Award in recognition of its focus on benefitting its employees, communities, and the environment.
“We are honored to receive this award based on the work we do for our workers and in our community, but our good work wouldn't have as much impact without the help of our partners, especially Costco Wholesale and Equitable Food Initiative,” said John Farrington, Chief Operating Officer. “Their leadership has helped us implement wide changes on our farms and has generated $4.3 million in worker bonuses since 2014.”
According to a press release, the Communitas Awards are an outgrowth of the pro bono recognition program of the Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals, which was founded in 1995 to support those who contribute their unique marketing and communication talents to public service and charitable organizations.
“We nominated GoodFarms because it is an industry leader in social responsibility that deeply cares about doing the right thing. It works to protect the environment with a wide range of sustainable business practices, and most importantly, it cares about employees, both in and out of the fields,” stated LeAnne Ruzzamenti, Director of Marketing and Communications for Equitable Food Initiative. “We applaud the leadership efforts of GoodFarms, and we’re glad to see the business community recognize its work with this Communitas Award.”
Below are just a few of the efforts GoodFarms have made in the area of social responsibility:
- Ten of GoodFarms’ growing operations in Mexico and California have been third-party certified by Equitable Food Initiative
- GoodFarms employees are encouraged to submit ideas to improve equipment and processes
- GoodFarms hosts a clothing closet and food pantry to support off-season workers and help them provide their families with educational opportunities and long-term ties to the community
- GoodFarms is focused on finding alternatives for hazardous pesticides and reducing food waste by using imperfect fruits and vegetables
- GoodFarms produces cold-pressed organic juice that uses around 20 percent of the strawberries that the company grows but is unable to sell as fresh because of size or appearance
“What differentiates our product and approach is our focus on people. We train and empower farmworkers to be part of the quality and food safety process to ensure our berries and vegetables are the highest quality while implementing sustainable techniques and creating better work environments,” noted Amalia Zimmerman-Lommel, Director of Social Responsibility for GoodFarms.
Congratulations to Andrew & Williamson on this well-deserved award!
Andrew & Williamson Fresh Produce GoodFarms™ Equitable Food Initiative
BENTONVILLE, AR - Walmart announced it will debut a first for its supply chain this July: a 340,000-square-foot high-tech consolidation center designed to revolutionize the way the company receives, sorts, and ships freight. The retailer has selected Colton, California, as the site for this automated facility that will enable three times more volume to flow and increase shipping accuracy.
“We’re going to make the regional distribution centers more efficient,” said Geno Bell, Senior Director of the Consolidation Center Network. “With this new technology, we can be surgical and responsive in getting merchandise into stores.”
According to a press release, the center, which will open with 150 full-time associates and scale up to more than 600 associates by 2021, can move three times as many cases as its counterparts. Walmart said this will be the most efficient consolidation center in its supply chain.
If you don’t know what an automated consolidation center is, you’re not alone! While Walmart has consolidation centers today, the process has been manual up to this point. Currently, suppliers must create and ship 42 separate orders and forward each to one of 42 regional distribution centers. The new system, according to Walmart, will enable suppliers to fill one massive order instead. The new software automatically and immediately scans and counts the product when it arrives and documents the information in Walmart’s systems, allowing the retailer to be nimble when order-filling issues arise.
And because the new center is also a warehouse, Walmart will be able to react quickly and move product faster. The retailer offers the example of, if there were to be an unexpected blizzard in the Northeast U.S., items like extra space heaters could be sent quickly from Minnesota to New England—potentially before a storm hits.
For more on state-of-the-art innovations in the retail and fresh produce industries, keep following us at AndNowUKnow!
SEATTLE, WA - Amazon seems like it has no plans to slow down its expansion of physical Whole Foods stores. In fact, a new report from Yahoo Finance suggests that Whole Foods may one day occupy any of 300-plus now-abandoned Sears and Kmart stores. According to the source, Whole Foods managers have begun visiting former sites that were once either Sears' stores or stores under the company’s Kmart banner.
“There are lots of vacant retail spaces that they can take advantage of, and that gives them access to reasonable retail locations, but I also think they want to secure good real estate deals by filling voids, and getting good rental levels from landlords,” Neil Saunders, Managing Director of Retail at GlobalData revealed to Yahoo Finance.
The source noted that just last month, representatives from Whole Foods visited a former Kmart site in Utah that was closed in mid-2017 when Sears’ financial struggles were at a high point. The location has remained vacant ever since. Yahoo Finance reported that Sears has not been been turning a profit in nearly a decade. Over the past three years, the company has closed 23 Sears stores and 205 Kmart stores—a national footprint Yahoo said covers broad demographics and allows for opportunity to scale quickly and at a low cost.
Whole Foods has yet to comment on this speculation, but Yahoo noted that, at just over 470 physical retail locations, the retailer is still far behind the numbers competitors like Walmart and Kroger have put up.
As more details on this potential new growth strategy are revealed, AndNowUKnow will keep you updated.
JALISCO, MEXICO - Creative pepper displays can earn cash in more ways than one—Oppy’s announcement on why retailers might want to “PepperUp” with Divemex is hard to pass up. The marketer and greenhouse vegetable producer is teaming up with its grower-partner to offer a display contest worth thousands of dollars in prizes early in the new year, an extra step up from the not-so-small fact that sweet bell peppers are among the most popular vegetables.
“Peppers are among the most eye-catching items in the produce department,” said Aaron Quon, Executive Director of Oppy’s greenhouse category. “We are encouraging our customers to drive sales by bringing their pepper displays ‘up’ in size, or in location, like moving the display ‘up’ to the front of the store or department. Another way to ‘PepperUP’ would be to include organic and conventional peppers on display or up-selling to a socially conscious consumer because all Divemex peppers are Fair Trade Certified.”
Divemex greenhouses are located in the states of Sinaloa, Nayarit, and Jalisco, Mexico, with its season spanning from late August through late May.
Calling the grower a pioneer known for growing beyond expectations, Quon said in a press release that “Divemex delivers exceptional pepper quality, appearance, and flavor, made possible by years of growing expertise and sophisticated production practices undertaken in high tech greenhouse environments.”
The company’s CEO, Luis de Saracho, added that the 2018-19 season is progressing well.
“With production in Culiacán entering the market now to supplement the supplies from our Jalisco and Nayarit greenhouses, we’re excited to see volume ramp up and make peppers plentiful for the display contest and more,” he stated; great news for the upcoming promotion.
Running from mid-January to the end of March, the Divemex “PepperUP” competition invites retailers to construct large, creative displays of Divemex-branded sweet bell and mini peppers in bulk and assorted pack styles. The builder of the top display will cash in on the $2,000 grand prize, while second place earns $1,000 and third will receive $500, the company said. The first 50 entrants can select from $25 Subway or Starbucks gift cards.
Winners will be notified on or before April 30, 2019.
To help, Oppy said it is offering bright, large-scale PepperUP point-of-sale signage to bring even more attention to the Divemex displays—a move that helps ring in not only prize cash, but register cash as well. Photo entries for the contest can be emailed to or uploaded at [email protected], along with the name of the produce manager and store, as well as an address, email, and phone contact information, as well as the nominee’s preference of Starbucks or Subway gift card.
Good luck to all who enter!
SANTA CRUZ, CA - I may be a typical California girl shivering at even the idea of today’s high of 53 degrees in Sacramento, but daydreaming about Jacobs Farm Del Cabo’s latest product is helping warm me up! The company’s Del Cabo brand has debuted the Cabo Diablo Hot Pepper Medley, an organic and Fair Trade certified 8 oz pack that marries “hot as hell” peppers with their more palatable pals.
“We developed this hot pepper medley to take advantage of the several medium-to-hot pepper varieties we grow and offer them in one package,” said Kyla Oberman, Marketing Manager. “This new pack provides those home chefs an ideal mix of medium-to-hot peppers to use in their culinary creations.”
According to a press release, Cabo Diablo Hot Pepper Medley includes such on-trend pepper varieties as habaneros, Brazilian starfish, serranos, and more. The company cited a 2017 Kalsec Consumer Trend Survey which stated that 48 percent of U.S. consumers prepare hot and spicy foods at home, and 43 percent choose the same when dining out. Talk about a hot category!
Each 8 oz retail bag is packed in a twelve count box which is available to retailers now.
PHARR, TX - Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller was sworn in yesterday, January 14, in a fashion that looked to highlight trade and immigration across the Texas border. The official chose to be sworn in at the Pharr International Bridge rather than in Austin—a first ever for the state, according to multiple reports.
“It’s a great day to be on the Texas border,” Miller said during his swearing in, as reported by KXAN. “I am honored to again take the oath of office to represent Texas as your Agriculture Commissioner for the next four years. I can think of no better place to accept this responsibility than here in the Rio Grande Valley, a region vital to the agricultural and economic future of Texas.”
The stage was surrounded by fresh Rio Grande Valley fruits and vegetables, to further emphasize the importance of trade between the two neighboring territories, according to the report.
"Today, for the first time in history, a Texas Agricultural Commissioner took his oath of office at a place other than the state capitol. Amidst the sounds of 18-wheelers and mariachis and the wonderful scents of both locally grown and imported fresh produce, the Texas Department of Agriculture’s (TDA) reelected Ag Commissioner Sid Miller was sworn in at the Pharr International Bridge in South Texas,” Dante Galeazzi, President and CEO of the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) shared with ANUK.
Dante said it was a tremendous honor for the produce industry and the local ag community to have Commissioner Miller sworn in at the import point, where he highlighted the economic importance of the region for its value in not just the domestic production of fresh fruits and vegetables, but also the role that fresh produce arriving from Mexico plays in the U.S.’s economy as a whole.
“Commissioner Miller mentioned that the TDA office was responsible for overseeing the $6 billion agriculture industry in Texas; an economic value that exceeds the budgets of some states,” he said.
Bret Erickson, Senior VP of Business Affairs for J&D Produce, Inc., echoed Dante's sentiments.
“The fact that Texas Ag Commissioner Sid Miller chose to be sworn in at the Pharr International Bridge sends a powerful message that Texas agriculture and international trade go hand in hand; that Texas and Mexico are partners who can and find ways to work together to achieve positive economic growth for our respective regions. Many Texas produce companies have a foot on both sides of the border and rely on imports as part of their overall business operations,” Bret shared. “Texas agribusinesses collectively import and export a tremendous amount of product. The fact of the matter is we live in a global economy and it is critical to our future success that we not only acknowledge that point, but embrace it in order to continue to grow and prosper. I look forward to Commissioner Miller’s continued emphasis on enhancing international trade opportunities for Texas agriculture for both exports and imports.”
Tamaulipas Governor García Cabeza de Vaca was present at the ceremony as well, speaking to the importance and strength of partnership between the two entities.
"Since the start of my tenure as Governor of Tamaulipas, we have worked hand in hand with the Texas Department of Agriculture and Commissioner Miller to increase trade that has greatly benefited producers and consumers. We look forward to continuing the close relationship we enjoy that is unique on the U.S.-Mexico border," Governor Cabeza de Vaca said, KXAN reported.
“Governor Cabeza de Vaca also spoke to how agriculture was vital to both our economy and that of states like Tamaulipas. He thanked Commissioner Miller for the partnership and friendship between Texas and Tamaulipas, and he also recognized that corridors such as the Pharr International Bridge are important to growing that relationship. That idea is something TIPA and our members can agree with wholeheartedly. The message is that the Tex-Mex corridor thrives on the partnership between the continued growth of Texas produce and the steady flow of Mexican-grown produce to keep our region an agricultural and economic hotspot," Dante concluded.
Is this a first in a series of moves to further highlight produce’s importance, nationally and internationally? AndNowUKnow is eager to see, so stay tuned.