HOUSTON, TX - How do I love potatoes? Let me count the ways: I love potatoes small and round, medium and brown, and larger than large and over a pound. As we head further into the holiday season, there are more consumers than just me browsing the produce aisle for the perfect spud to wax potato—I mean, poetic—about to their holiday guests. And with a whole slew of options, including Russets, Reds, Golds, Fingerlings, Whites, Butter Russets, and Butter Reds, MountainKing has plenty of potatoes for retailers to push and consumers to fill their carts with.
I chatted with John Pope, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, to find out more about MountainKing’s potato harvest and why retailers should be prepared for an onslaught of potato enthusiasts this holiday season.
“We just completed our potato harvest in early October with great conditions. It was one of our strongest years. At MountainKing, the key to a good potato crop starts with varietal selection,” John told me. “We use rigorous standards for selecting only the best types based on taste, cooking performance, yields, and overall quality. We then test these types in ‘plots’ to ensure maximum performance when grown on a commercial scale. Another way we ensure a successful crop is preventing bruising during harvest and storage. Our field-testing programs pay huge dividends by identifying issues as product is stored, which allows us to better manage equipment and process for a bruise-free product all season long.”
September and October, in John’s words, were perfect, helping quality reach excellence. Specifically, MountainKing’s growing area in the San Luis Valley of Colorado, with its long summer days and cool nights, offered yet another ideal growing season with optimal conditions. This cool weather, as well as the holidays, has created a strong sales period for MountainKings’ grocery partners as a result.
John noted that demand for smaller sizes like Yellows, Fingerlings, Creamers, and Organics is up right now, with demand trending downward for larger-sized potatoes like Russets and Whites, while Reds are flat.
“We’re expecting to exceed ten percent growth in our Butter Reds, Butter Golds, Fingerlings, and other varietals,” John said. “On the product front, we’re also rolling out new, smaller-sized Creamers with new display sleeves. On a bigger picture scale, we continue to encourage our grocery partners to shift to positively trending items.”
With countless varieties to choose from and a strong crop to look forward to, there’s no reason not to be extra excited about MountainKing potatoes this starchy season.
For more of the latest potato crop news and market updates like this, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
SALINAS, CA - Church Brothers Farms is adding some additional Salinas expertise to its repertoire before 2018 is up. The company’s new Marketing and Media Specialist is Mary (Langford) Poma, who will report to Kori Tuggle, Vice President of Marketing and Product Development.
Poma has worked in the produce industry for the past six years, gaining experience from roles at other Salinas Valley produce companies including Dole Fresh Vegetables and Ocean Mist Farms. At her prior roles, she developed expertise in digital marketing, brand development, and campaign management, according to a press release. Poma earned a bachelor’s of arts degree with a major in human communication from California State University Monterey Bay and lives in Seaside with her husband.
“Mary is a well-regarded produce industry professional with more than six years of brand management, advertising development/execution and implementation of marketing campaigns,” said Tuggle. “We are excited to have Mary come on board and apply her skills to the Church Brothers/True Leaf Farms business.”
Here’s to Mary Poma on this next step in her career! And for more on the latest big moves in the produce industry, AndNowUKnow will keep you covered.
SALINAS, CA - I can still remember the first time I made homemade cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving. The pop of the berries, the citrusy punch of orange zest—it’s arguably one of my favorite memories of the holidays. Cranberries stand the test of time on the holiday table, bringing much needed tartness to heavy dishes. I spoke to Brian Vertrees, Director of Business Development for Naturipe Farms, to find out more about the cranberry season and why consumers should place this item into the basket.
“Harvest has officially wrapped up for organic cranberries, but our conventional cranberries will be going strong shipping through December,” Brian tells me. “Quality and color are superb so retailers can continue to promote through the holidays.”
Naturipe’s production of cranberries has steadily increased over the years. Given that volumes are up from last year, he explains, this offers retailers many opportunities to promote cranberries and surpass 2017 sales.
“Cranberries are positioned as the festive fall fruit,” Brian says. “They have a great color to add to dishes, and go well with traditional savory holiday dishes and sweet dishes!”
Spoken like a true cranberry lover! For the latest in market updates like this, stick with us here at AndNowUKnow.
ELGIN, MN - Life shouldn’t be about sitting on a shelf—blasé and blending in.
Life is best lived with PAZAZZ!
A bit shiny, a bit showy—with BIG dreams even when the bites are small—life is more FLAVORFUL with Pazazz.
Here’s What’s in Store.
Start thinking beyond the brix, outside the box, and inside every moment—with an apple variety that brings the Wow, Right Now!
This toothsome treat can add dazzle to a day, snap to a salad, sass to a snack or sparkle to an assortment.
Where do you share your Pazazz? You know, that little extra glow to your get up and go? Do you reserve it for certain people or proudly put it on display?
Pazazz is special, and when you find it, it leaves you wanting more!
So when the other premium apple flavors fade, add Pazazz to your store and watch the late season apple profits soar.
Exclusively from Honeybear Brands.
Thank you for watching What’s in Store.
CASTROVILLE, CA - Perhaps you aren’t on board the Brussels sprouts train, so let me assure that you need to be this holiday season. With a stunning array of uses—fried Brussels sprouts leaf salad, anyone?—this veggie should be the superstar of your holiday spread.
I had the chance to talk to Art Barrientos, Vice President of Harvesting, and Diana McClean, Senior Director of Marketing, to learn about the Brussels sprouts season and what makes them a dinnertime staple.
“Right now, we are into our 2018 holiday season. We rotate different seed varieties throughout the growing season that perform very well along the coastal areas of the Salinas Valley and produce a consistent bulb shape and size,” Art tells me. “We will transition to our Coachella and Mexico growing regions around the middle of December.”
With ideal growing conditions in place, overall quality has been excellent throughout the season. Art explains to me that this should continue throughout the holiday season, and due to customer demand, volumes have increased over last season.
“After a sluggish start due to industry oversupply, volumes have stabilized,” Art says. “The market has firmed up and we are now seeing a steady demand for Ocean Mist quality sprouts.”
With all of these sprouts at its back, I ask Diana what retailers should do to make the most of the abundance in supply.
“Brussels sprouts are a seasonal holiday favorite and an increasingly shopping cart staple year-round. We promote our convenience Brussels Sprouts line to consumers year-round with digital coupon promotions, weekly From the Heart blog distribution, influencer engagement, and in-store promotions. All with the effort to support and ignite store sales,” she tells me.
Ocean Mist offers its Season & Steam Brussels sprouts convenience product line in three different cuts: Microwaveable Wholes; Quick Cook Sprouts® Halves; and SuperShread SuperFood® Shreds, in addition to a 2 lb pillow pack which is ideal for family and holiday meal prep. Diana lets me know that the company also offers a bulk pack, a 1 lb vexar bag in both organic and conventional, and a Brussels sprouts stalk, which provides consumers plenty of options during this busy time of year.
Diana and I both share a love for these tiny bulbs, so I have to ask her what it is about Brussels sprouts that make them a holiday favorite.
“Brussels sprouts preparation options have become so diverse that there is truly something for everyone: baked, roasted, grilled, microwaved, or shredded for salads are just a few ideas. Their bright green color and easy integration into meal planning makes them perfect for entertaining and holiday meal preparation,” she says.
If that doesn’t convince you to include Brussels sprouts in your holiday meal lineup, I don’t know what will.
GUATEMALA - Guatemala’s Volcán de Fuego, otherwise known as the “Volcano of Fire,” has erupted once again, just five months after one of its eruptions caused widespread damage to the country’s infrastructure and fresh produce industry. The Volcano of Fire erupted as high as 3,200 ft above the crater, the Guardian reported, adding that hot rock and ash have been drifting toward Guatemala City to the northeast. So far, about 4,000 residents have been evacuated from the area.
Guatemala is currently in the midst of its melon, blackberry, Brussels sprout, banana, and French bean seasons, and while little is known so far about whether or not this eruption will affect production or harvest, it would not be the first time the Volcano of Fire interrupted the fresh produce industry.
In June, the volcano erupted for more than 16 hours and affected as many as 1.7 million people. Guatemala City’s international airport was closed as a result, and several growers reported that local products such as greens, beans, peas, and rambutans were all negatively affected.
Information on the volcano is still slim, but AndNowUKnow will continue to bring you the latest fresh produce news as more is revealed.
PASADENA, CA - Cuties® are a wintertime staple, and consumers are excited to get their hands on the delicious fruits. To further this excitement, Cuties produced a Countdown to Cuties sweepstakes to increase brand awareness and get everybody talking about the advent of the California Cuties season, which runs from November to May. By utilizing its loyal fan base, the brand offered consumers a chance to win a smartwatch and share their own personal countdowns with each other.
“We anticipated and were very pleased with this volume of excitement surrounding Cuties season because we know consumers love the brand,” said Kate Reeb, Director of Marketing for Sun Pacific. “This promotion created another opportunity to personalize people’s experience with the Cuties brand and create excitement around the much anticipated start of a season.”
According to a press release, since the promotion launched on October 22, more than 78,000 have entered the sweepstakes. The brand also included the hashtag #CutiesCountdown to generate buzz on social media. Over 1,400 engagements were logged across Twitter and Facebook during the three-week promotion period.
For the latest in fresh produce news, keep reading us here at AndNowUKnow.
GRAND FORKS, ND - While sweet potato supply continues to work its way back up in the eastern U.S., demand remains strong as we head into Thanksgiving and the holiday season.
“Overall, sweet potato demand has continued to grow with the largest demand growth coming from the packaged sweet potatoes,” Keith Groven, Fresh Sales Manager for Black Gold Farms, shares, explaining that convenience and smaller size profiles are likely the leading cause for the bagged products’ growth in popularity. “Sweet potatoes are also becoming less seasonal; not because they are becoming less popular during the holidays, but because they are becoming significantly more popular during the rest of the year.”
To encourage this shift toward year-round demand for the category, Keith recommends retailers use the holiday push to showcase the versatility sweet potatoes offer outside of marshmallow-decked yams and holiday pies.
“Knowing that many consumers are making trips to the produce department specifically to shop for sweet potatoes this time of year is a great opportunity to share messages about other cooking methods and recipes like using sweet potatoes as wedges, or even making a delicious hummus for an appetizer. Anything to help increase the purchasing frequency of this healthy vegetable is a win for both the consumer and the retailer,” he says.
While we are looking at a tighter inventory, with the yields for the 2018 crop being average as compared to what we had coming out of the large 2017 crop, Keith assures that retailers will have what they need to supply holiday shoppers.
“This won’t impact availability for the holiday season, but we have seen the open market get much stronger over the last 60 days. We are seeing excellent quality and pack-out on the new crop,” he concludes.
Keep an eye on the digital horizon as we continue to keep an ear to the ground for all key holiday vegetables and fruits.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Last month, popular plant-based meat company Beyond Meat® made headlines after announcing the possibility of entering the public arena. This week, it became official, with the meat alternative brand filing a registration statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission for a proposed initial public offering of its common stock. Forbes reported that the initial offering size was filed for $100 million, but that the number will likely change.
For the proposed offering, Goldman Sachs & Co., J.P. Morgan, Credit Suisse, BofA Merrill Lynch and Jefferies will serve as active book-running managers, with William Blair acting as co-manager.
According to a press release, the number of shares to be offered and the price range for the offering have not yet been determined, but Beyond Meat plans to list its stock on Nasdaq Global Market under the ticker symbol “BYND.” While the registration statement was filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission, it has not yet become effective.
This week, Beyond Meat also welcomed Kathy N. Waller and Ned Segal to its Board of Directors as well as the audit committee.
“I am very pleased to welcome Kathy and Ned to our team,” said CEO and Founder Ethan Brown in a press release. “We’re fortunate to have access to their expertise and backgrounds as financial stewards at Coca-Cola and Twitter, respectively. I look forward to working with Kathy and Ned as we further our mission to create The Future of Protein™ and pursue our goal of becoming a global protein company.”
To stay up-to-date on the latest arenas plant-based foods are breaking into, keep following AndNowUKnow.
UNITED STATES - Technology and the savings it provides is changing our industry in every aspect, from the way the crops are cared for to the way retailers are selling it. An area still in the works for such moves as software penetration is transportation.
“We all know there’s a driver shortage. It’s an issue caused by a number of factors that have been around for a while and we haven’t solved it. On the other side of that issue, it’s about information, knowledge, managing transportation expenses and things we as an industry are quite far behind on when it comes to technology,” Bud Floyd, CEO of Freightflow TMS Software shares with me.
Bud spent 14 years with CH Robinson on the fresh side before he and Freightflow’s Founder, Butch Peri, made the jump to software, recognizing a need within the industry and taking up the challenge.
“I think when we talk about the issue of transportation we need to be a bit more expansive in our approach. It’s a utilization of equipment issue as much as a people issue, which subsequently has created a greater need for information, visibility, and collaboration on all sides. One of the challenges is how do we change people’s behaviors, and that’s what we as an industry have to address,” Bud explains. “The technology penetration in this industry is behind and we wanted to build something that accommodates all the idiosyncrasies of produce transportation, as well as offer tools that level the playing field for all produce operators, no matter the size.”
Millennial though I might be, I am a strong advocate for the technology-challenged. I’m sure there are many more benefits to my Mazda 3 than bluetooth and seat warmers, but I’m nowhere near finding out. So, I can relate when Bud tells me much of the industry is apprehensive about overhauling its current approach and processes for transportation management.
“Let me ask you a question, you have this iPhone. Have you ever read the directions?” he asks me, which I confirm with him I have not. “That was the premise we approached this software with.”
That, he assures me, is how easy Freightflow is to operate.
“What is the point in having software that the majority of the industry can’t or won’t use? We wanted something simple, that is easy to adapt to, that fills a major need in fresh produce. So we have made a software that is intuitive at every step,” Bud tells me.
He explains that $1.6 trillion transportation category’s TMS penetration is 56%, while it’s estimated that the produce category’s penetration is less than 15%. Yet the demand for a higher level of customer service is coming in waves and the apprehension toward technological solutions looks to be serving as a barrier to maximizing our industry’s success.
“Produce is the most difficult type of transportation to manage—most TMS software has not been designed to handle all its needs/idiosyncrasies,” Bud shares. “We are a team that has a background in growing and transportation/logistics. This is our industry and we understand its needs. With that in mind, we were able to create a dynamic software solution for produce.”
Freightflow, as Bud explains it, is a next-generation approach to transportation and its expense management. By integrating with industry ERP’s, you enhance supply chain visibility and collaboration as well as create a seamless information flow process from building and managing loads to customer billing. This is coupled with the ability to collect all kinds of data that offers the user robust reporting.
Freightflow Reporting includes:
Integration of multiple data sources, such as temperature, tracking, routing, and equipment status
Unique mapping of the entire order with customer and vendor data
Ease of building real-time robust reports unique to each customer, creating long-term solutions
The result is delivering efficiency, improving the visibility, improving service and customer satisfaction.
“We recognize the barriers—how hard it can be to learn a new system and the expense of purchasing software and the difficulties with the on-boarding process. But it is now far less expensive and easier with Freightflow than what everyone anticipates,” Bud concludes.
Freightflow, he says, has a straightforward, easy-to-understand pricing strategy, with easily managed upfront on-boarding expenses while giving the user confidence that this expenditure will return anywhere from 2 to 10% transportation savings. You can find out more by exploring the website here.
AndNowUKnow will continue to report on the latest of all aspects influencing the produce industry, so stay tuned.