SALINAS, CA - Church Brothers Farms is expanding its presence in Northern Mexico with a new facility set to increase its year-round capacity. The 110,000-square-foot plant, known as the San Luis Plant, will produce whole leaf lettuce, broccoli florets, iceless broccoli, and green onions.
“The new facility will allow us to produce during the summer months, where in the past we were limited to only green onions and other seasonal items. Now we will be sourcing from Mexico year-round to meet our U.S. customers’ growing needs,” said CEO Brian Church. “We will be feeding this plant with product that we grow from both sides of the border.”
With the same food safety standards as the Church Brothers’ True Leaf Farms processing plants in Arizona and California, the new plant will handle green onions in a ready-to-eat facility that will elevate the food safety environment even further.
The plant will be strategically built 29 miles away from Church Brothers’ two Yuma, Arizona, facilities and loading docks, as well as less than one mile from the international border in the town of San Luis Rio Colorado. This town is also near other large American companies with manufacturing facilities in the area, like Constellation, Gulfstram, Kenworth, and Honeywell, according to a press release.
Church Brothers Mexico is CTPAT (Custom Trade Partnership Against Terrorism) certified, which gives fresh product expedited entry status. This allows for faster border crossing times and, as a result, a shorter time to market. For more information about the company, visit ChurchBrothers.com.
Set to open by the end of 2018, video footage of the construction progress may be viewed here.
To stay up-to-date on the latest in fresh produce, stick with us at AndNowUKnow.
OXNARD, CA - A juicy mango just isn’t the same in the car or other on-the-run scenarios. With snacking and consumers’ desire to remain healthy while doing so at an all-time high, Freska Produce has a way to sate those needs.
“We will be displaying something new this year at PMA Fresh Summit in our Dried Organic Mangos and Dried Pineapples,” Chuy Loza, Managing Member and Co-Founder, shares with me, explaining the trends that prompted the move.
“Pineapples continue to climb as a popular snack on its own, and mangos are the most popular fruit in the world. What better to have on-the-run than those dried for use, able to have in just about anything you can use for fresh mangos or pineapples? Only these last for up to 12 months. Both are all natural with no additives. Just 100% real mango and 100% real pineapple.”
As many might be aware, Chuy knows a thing or two about mango and other complementary tropical fruits, having recognized the growth potential for the category almost 15 years ago. Now, the company will offer them preserved and ready for on-the-go consumers in a resealable package.
“These resealable bags will come in differing sizes based upon retail preferences,” Chuy explains.
These newest items are available now, and those who swing by booth #1681 at Fresh Summit this week will get the first glimpse.
“We have chosen the PMA to announce these offerings as it’s a great time to get it in front of the industry decision makers. We feel these are hot commodities that are not only good for you but bring great value to both the consumer and retailer. There is going to be tremendous growth in this category by offering great packaging with a great product inside,” Chuy says.
Find out for yourself in Orlando, Florida, this weekend, Oct. 19-20, at Freska Produce booth #1681.
TAMPA, FL - Premier provider of Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs) for fresh food packaging announced the appointment of Dan Martin to the position of President, IFCO North America.
“I am honored to be appointed to this new senior leadership role at IFCO,” said Martin, in a press release. “I look forward to working with my colleagues to help the company fulfill its primary mission of providing our customers, and their consumers, with high-quality and affordable fresh-food efficiently, year-round. This is a very exciting time to return to the global leader, not only for the inherent value and sustainability that RPC’s bring, but to support the acceleration of automation developing in the retail space today.”
Martin stepped into his new role September 1st, simultaneously serving as a member of the IFCO global leadership team and reporting directly to IFCO CEO Wolfgang Orgeldinger.
According to the company’s press release, Martin has served in a variety of senior leadership roles in the packaging, supply chain, and logistics sector. Most recently, Martin served as Senior Vice President Sales & Customer Operations at CHEP USA, helping to launch a new set of customer supply-chain solutions and leading the “voice of the customer” journey that has, the company noted, delivered improved Net Promoter Scores each year.
Martin began his career more than two decades ago at Ryder Systems—working in various capacities in Operations, Sales, Customer Service and General Management. Martin also worked at the Avis/Budget Group and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the University of Maine.
“We are pleased to welcome Dan Martin back to the IFCO family,” said Orgeldinger. “He understands the unique role IFCO plays in the fresh food value chain, as well as the critically important position product innovation and customer satisfaction hold in the company’s long-term growth strategy.”
Prior to his work at CHEP, Dan served as a General Manager and Sales Leader at IFCO, where he developed and led a double-digit growth initiative predicated on product innovation and enhanced customer collaboration and service.
SALINAS, CA - To support a growing customer base, PlantTape® announced the additions of Hunter Smith, Ph.D., as Director of Agronomy, and Matt Beck, as Equipment Sales & Service Manager.
“As PlantTape continues to expand throughout North America and Europe with a variety of crops, we continue to learn and research best practices for each commodity to support our growing customer base,” stated Brian Antle. “It is important for us to understand the different soil types and climates that each of our customers have. Hunter’s knowledge and expertise give us the ability to place a dedicated focus on areas of improvement and help us to better understand each growers needs to further enhance the benefits of the PlantTape system.”
Hunter Smith received his bachelor’s degree from Arkansas State University in 2009. He attended graduate school at the University of Florida and completed his doctorate program in agronomy there in 2016. Prior to his current role at PlantTape, Smith performed field research, developed pesticide programs, and optimized growing practices for Generation Farms in southeast Georgia.
Prior to joining PlantTape, Matt Beck worked for NH3, as well as Kleen Globe where he managed its equipment maintenance, purchased new and used machinery, and managed its equipment fleets.
“We are excited to welcome Matt to our team with his years of experience in fleet and equipment management,” stated Antle. “With Matt’s knowledge, expertise, and leadership of our sales and service department, we are able to provide exceptional customer service and address customer specific issues. As more growers adopt the PlantTape technology, it is important to us that we provide the same level of support to the growers that were some of our first customers.”
The PlantTape team invites growers to learn more about its revolutionary transplanting system at PMA’s Fresh Summit in Orlando, Florida, at booth #1163. The company will also be exhibiting at the Fruit Attraction Show in Madrid, Spain, in Hall 7, Stand 7E06.
Congratulations to both Hunter and Matt on their new positions!
WISCONSIN - The Wisconsin Potato & Vegetable Growers Association joined the Village of Plover and other partners at a groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the commencement of the first phase on-the-ground restoration projects to be implemented as part of the Little Plover River Watershed Enhancement Project (LPRWEP).
The event took place on October 4, 2018 at the Little Plover River Conservancy Area on Black Oak Drive.
“The WPVGA fully supports the Little Plover River Watershed Enhancement Project because it is the right thing to do,” said Tamas Houlihan, WPVGA Executive Director. “We have been working on issues related to the Little Plover River for many years, and in April of 2017 the WPVGA’s Water Task Force approved a funding request from the Village of Plover for approximately $64,000 to begin a project collaboration with the following partners: The Village of Plover, the Wisconsin Wetlands Association, Montgomery Associates, DeWitt, Ross & Stevens, DNR, UWSP, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, and others.”
Houlihan went on to say that, “This funding helped launch the flow enhancement project which is important because the Little Plover River is an outstanding water resource located within the heart of a major potato and vegetable production area. The WPVGA is happy to collaborate with any and all stakeholders to maintain and improve this watershed. Moving forward, I expect the WPVGA to contribute a lot more to ensure the success of this project.”
Since its inception, the project has received more than $2.1 million in investments, including funds from the Wisconsin DNR, the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and state government, as well as the WPVGA. Houlihan commended the leadership of Village of Plover Administrator Dan Mahoney in bringing diverse stakeholders together, as well as the leadership and cooperation of WPVGA farms such as Mryon Soik & Sons, Worzella & Sons, Plover River Farms, Heartland Farms and the Wysocki Family of Companies.
Houlihan said it is not unusual for the WPVGA to work with conservation groups, as the Association has a long history of seeking out and working collaboratively with a number of environmental groups such as the World Wildlife Fund, the International Crane Foundation, Defenders of Wildlife, and many others.
“Many WPVGA members are active environmentalists who truly love and appreciate the land and water upon which they work,” he said. “This is an extremely positive collaboration which is demonstrating how a number of different stakeholders with varied interests can work together to voluntarily find solutions to complex and oftentimes difficult situations.”
The WPVGA’s primary goal in working on the project is to protect the Little Plover River watershed and its associated streams, lakes and wetlands while promoting a sustainable agricultural industry.
Following the program, participants were invited to take a short driving tour to learn about additional restoration work that is taking place in, adjacent to, and upstream of the Little Plover River. Collaborators from Montgomery Associates, Wisconsin Wetlands Association, and other restoration partners were at the sites to discuss the objectives of these stream and wetland restoration activities.
The LPRWEP is a multiparty collaboration convened by the Village of Plover to improve the health of the Little Plover River and the quality of life of the surrounding community. The LPRWEP aims to use best available data and voluntary conservation actions to:
- Increase the flow and improve the aquatic health of the Little Plover River.
- Implement voluntary water management projects that improve the health of the Little Plover River Watershed.
- Improve and expand fish and wildlife habitat and public recreation opportunities and access.
“We plan to do all of this while maintaining a healthy and viable agricultural industry in the area,” Houlihan said. “We believe that this project can serve as a model and lead to other collaborative efforts in other areas of the state. It’s an extremely exciting project and I am proud that the WPVGA is a strong partner in it.”
UNITED STATES - After months of stressful tensions in the trucking and transportation side of business, is there finally a plateau emerging on the scene? The Wall Street Journal provides reports from those within the industry to show that the boom could be reaching its bust, as orders for big rigs eased back last month.
We reported on the recently tight trucking market, and because of the tensions in transportation, many companies have created unique ways to gather truck drivers and larger fleets. There has been a 19 percent drop in truck orders from August’s record of 53,069, showing this dip and plateau in trucking needs. The demand remains high, however, with orders up 90 percent when compared with September of 2017.
After two record-setting months in a row, the trucking industry could be settling—data from ACT Research shows that 42,800 new Class 8 trucks were ordered for fleets to haul goods long distances.
“You can’t continue to have record order months,” President of Columbus, Indiana-based ACT Kenny Vieth shared. “The expectation would be that we could continue to see orders in the 40,000-unit range through the end of the year, but… it’s unlikely that we’re going to revisit an order number with a 5-handle.”
An expedited freight rate is the result of the increase in U.S. shipping demand. Now there is a need to find available trucks. The sum total of this sequence is that orders have grown throughout the year. With the declination of trucking shipments, a 12 percent dip from August to September can be seen, according to the news source. There was also a 1.8 percent dip in the American Trucking Association’s for-hire truck tonnage index from July to August. There was, however, 4.5 percent spike year-over-year—the smallest increase in 12 months.
“September was not as acutely painful as June or July were,” for shippers looking for trucking capacity, according to Chief Executive of Transfix, Drew McElroy. “I think there was a certain amount of tapering or just, ‘Let’s wait and see.’”
Over 500,000 new trucks have been ordered by fleets over the past year, as companies take aim at the trucking situation, according to WSJ.
“Orders are not builds, and builds will be far below what the order rate is,” Derek Leathers, Chief Executive of Werner Enterprises, said. “More importantly, out of the actual builds that take place, you need more trucks today to do the exact same number of miles you did a year ago. Because shorter length of haul means more percentage of your day spent loading or unloading… and less time actually moving freight.”
Will the plateau in trucking continue or will there be a spike as we near the holidays? AndNowUKnow will continue to report the latest.
ELGIN, MN - The apple fandom is no joke. With new varieties cropping up every day for apple fans to flock to, it’s no wonder the apple category is amongst those that reign in the produce aisle. While Honeybear Brands already has a whole slew of varieties for apple enthusiasts to pick from, the company is heading into this year’s PMA Fresh Summit with even more new varieties up its sleeve that attendees will not want to miss.
I chatted with Don Roper, Vice President Sales and Marketing, to find out more about Honeybear Brands’ 100+ new varieties in development—some of which you can take a bite out of in Orlando, FL, at booth #2927—and one in particular that the company is promoting this autumn.
“We had great weather in Washington and the Midwest for harvest, so this should be an exceptional season for color, with fruit condition coming in above average despite smaller crop sizes,” Don tells me. “At Honeybear, we’re meticulous about product quality with every new variety we bring to market. This season, quality has never been better: perfect color, guaranteed explosively crisp bites, and that sweet and tart flavor that we know brings apple buyers back time after time to the store. It has been a strong market right from the start, and now that we finally have retail shelves filled, we are starting to get production in balance with demand. We are in the key fall apple months so there will be significant promotions of varieties, including our new First Kiss® MN 55.”
A tart and juicy apple—which Don jokes is just like a real first kiss: memorable—the First Kiss variety stands out with its exceptional flavor, striking scarlet red color, and incredible texture and crunch. First Kiss is also an early maturing apple, making it one of the first varieties to make it to market.
“At our booth, we’re sampling a number of varieties, so there’s plenty to see and try. On deck, we have Pazazz and First Kiss. It’s a rare opportunity to try this new variety as it sold out very quickly at retail when it launched Labor Day weekend,” Don shares. “We’re also soliciting feedback on some early varieties still in development from our varietal development program—showing retail buyers what the apple deck may look like a few years down the line. We have close to one hundred new varieties in various stages of testing and commercial development, and visitors to our booth will have the opportunity to try some of them!”
As it develops new varieties, Honeybear remains focused on creating a portfolio of varieties that offer retailers and their apple-loving customers a spectrum of flavors, textures, and eating experiences. This helps retailers build their apple programs with guaranteed varietal diversity and fresh-and-new varieties like First Kiss that keep consumers buying all season long.
“We have a very busy year ahead of us, and there are lots of changes happening at our infrastructure level, too. We’ve doubled our packaging capabilities in the Midwest, invested in our transportation and logistics services in order to continue bringing best in class support to our retailers wherever they are, and Pazazz has now grown so significantly, that we have our first dedicated Brand Manager, Kristi Harris, on staff,” Don continues. “Come and say hi at our PMA booth.”
You heard the man, go say hi to Honeybear Brands at PMA! If you need an incentive, there will be delicious apples to try!
OVIEDO, FL - Duda Farm Fresh Foods is ringing in this year’s PMA Fresh Summit by celebrating over 90 years in business and six generations of legacy-building. At its booth, attendees can learn more about Duda Farm Fresh Foods’ personal legacy stories and goals, as well as be able to get in on the action of supporting school nutrition.
“We wanted to make this year’s booth experience a little different by sharing our legacy in a very tangible and creative way,” said Nichole Towell, Senior Director of Marketing. “Imagine the experience you would have with a Zoltar machine, where you put in a quarter and out pops your future—think of our booth as ‘Cel-tar’ where you give us your legacy, and we’ll give you an inspiring quote and donate on your behalf to serve the children of Florida. We think that’s a much more exciting experience.”
For the last 90-plus years, Duda Farm Fresh Foods has invested in innovations to offer sweeter, crisper celery to consumers as well as in communities nationwide by giving back to non-profit programs like United Fresh Foundation's Salad Bars to Schools, Feeding America, and more.
At this year’s PMA, the company will continue its legacy of charitable giving by donating $5 per shared legacy in support of their own legacy, giving back to local communities and supporting the Salad Bars to Schools program, according to a press release. The company will also choose, at random, five grand prize winners to take home AirPods® for their participation.
“We are rooted in the foundation that we’re not just in the business of providing great tasting, healthy products—we also believe in the power of giving back to our communities and making as much of a difference as we can,” said company President Dan Duda. “We’re excited to be able to extend that to the industry as a whole by inspiring each person to think of their unique legacy as well.”
Towell added, “We encourage everyone to take five minutes to stop by, eat some great food from Chef Todd, fill out a legacy card, potentially win, and ultimately make a difference.”
To experience Celtar for yourself and make a difference in a Florida school, visit Duda Farm Fresh Foods at booth #3743 October 19-20. Don’t forget to use the Celtar Snapchat filter on the show floor for some extra fun!
SOUTHWEST UNITED STATES - After two decades in which the region has experienced protracted drought conditions, the Colorado River—a waterway sustaining 40 million people and one of the largest agricultural economies in the world—is running at a deficit. And a new plan to better conserve the region’s scant water resources may mean more water-saving in the short term to ensure long-term sustainability.
According to a report from NPR, authorities along the Upper Colorado River are currently focusing on a plan involving boosting snowpack with weather modification, improvements to existing reservoir management, and creating a water bank in Lake Powell. Simultaneously, authorities lower along the basin—in Arizona, California, and Nevada—are currently working on incentives to conserve water.
“Take Lake Mead,” the Upper Colorado River Commission's James Eklund told NPR. “More is being taken out than comes into it. Like your bank account, if you do that over a sustained period you will run a deficit, and if you're talking about water for 40 million people and economies that are massive—[the] fifth largest economy in the world [is what] the Colorado River Basin represents—then that's significant.”
The news source also quoted Jennifer Pitt, Colorado River Project Director for the National Audubon Society, who noted that, without modifications to current policy, reservoirs like Lake Mead and Lake Powell—the second largest reservoir in the U.S.—could become “dead pools,” effectively cutting the river off to inhabitants and economies downstream.
To read more about the efforts to save the Colorado River, including more on growers in the region and the fear of federal intervention, read NPR’s story in full, here.
For more fresh produce news, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
BRONX, NY - According to the United Nations, about one third of the food produced worldwide gets wasted every year. The United States is a part of this global issue; the Food Waste Reduction Alliance estimates that 84% of unused food in American restaurants ends up being disposed of, with only 1% donated. Baldor Specialty Foods is stepping up to the plate to help tackle this worldwide problem.
Thomas McQuillan, Vice President of Strategy, Culture, and Sustainability, told Business Insider that a significant portion of the food grown on U.S. farms is also discarded, and the food distributor wants to decrease this amount of unused food. This summer, the company launched a program to increase the consumption of food that is imperfect in terms of size, shape, or blemishes. McQuillan stated that Baldor wants to "recalibrate" what kinds of produce are considered usable so that more of it can go toward restaurants and other buyers.
The "imperfect produce" program, which encourages farms to sell their blemished or misshapen produce to Baldor, is bringing these products to restaurants and aims to hit grocery stores as well. McQuillan said the program also helps generate more revenue for farmers, who can create the same output with less land because they are discarding less food.
He also stated that Baldor’s new program is a good opportunity for chefs to show consumers why imperfect produce should be used more widely.
The food distributor is in talks with a retailer about offering its imperfect produce in stores, but the plans are still in early stages.
If these plans came to fruition, customers could go to an "imperfect" section in a grocery store and grab blemished or misshapen Baldor items for a reduced cost, McQuillan told the news source. Some of these items may look different than produce sold in stores—they may be bigger, smaller, or misshapen. But they are still nutritious and tasty, he said, adding it would be "a shame" for them to be unused.
"We really believe that the market wants that product now," McQuillan said. "We are ready for it."
Will other distributors hop on the imperfect produce train? AndNowUKnow will keep its eyes on the newswire.