CORONA, CA - Veg Fresh Farms is welcoming Tyler Lance and David Figueroa to its National Foodservice sales team this summer, as the company enters its 30th year of business in 2019.
Lance will be part of the Sales Management team. In his role, Lance will develop Veg Fresh’s roster of notable foodservice customers.
Figueroa, whose role will be that of Business Development, has decades in the industry, and brings experience as a previous member of PMA Foodservice's Board of Directors and former co-chairman of FPFC SoCal Food Service Committee.
“Joe Marchese has built the National Foodservice Sales division at Veg Fresh Farms from the ground up, and we couldn’t be more proud of what he has accomplished since starting this segment of our business in 1994,” General Partner Mark Widder said. “This team has grown in recent years to now include my son Clay Widder and Dan Floyd. Having Tyler and David to round out this group is a tremendous asset to our business.”
According to a press release, the company’s foodservice division has built a thriving business unit that services 50 distribution centers in 36 states for over 12 national quick-service concepts throughout the U.S. Vertically-aligned partnerships with growers combined with strategic sourcing in the U.S. and Mexico allow the company to offer a year-round supply to its foodservice customers. The company is able to ship out of produce facilities that are closer to customers for fresher product and on-time delivery, thanks to its long-term relationships with regional partners.
For more fresh produce news, stick with AndNowUKnow.
BROOKLINE, NH - For many of us, joining this industry has been a call to action—to offer consumers the best quality of life by providing the freshest ingredients. This is true of DECCO, a leader in the sanitation side of business that aims to keep fruits and vegetables safe.
For New Business Sales Manager Jesse Miceli and Sales and Business Development Manager Tim Madden with DECCO this call to action is second nature. They join me to talk about the company’s vision and the process that has taken shape ever since.
“We jumped in on sanitation and found different chemicals and technologies that hadn’t been used in food safety before,” Jesse continues. “We realized that they were a match made in heaven. Some came from the medical field; others came from different areas of agriculture. When we brought them together in the pack house, we realized we had a much safer approach because we realized we weren’t relying on technologies 20 or 30 years old.”
When it comes to sanitation, companies have a need to be on their A game, and this is a stress that DECCO wants to alleviate, if only for the time it takes to go through the cleaning process. The post-harvest-focused company provides a plethora of options to meet customers’ and their businesses' needs.
"The draw for customers, that we’ve found, is the need for better sanitation. My goal with every customer is that their food safety guy sleeps a little better every night. They have a lot to worry about, so we just want to give them an extra safeguard,” Jesse shares. “We are a one-stop shop. They can get their waxes, fungicides, aerosols, on-food contact sanitation, and more. Beyond that, we usually can cut their sanitation and cleaning time in half and save the customer money. So, our first goal is to give the customer safer and cleaner environment, and our second goal is to do it cheaper.”
One of the company’s biggest sellers is its aerosol service, a dry sanitation process, but DECCO has made major moves over the course of its running.
“DECCO has really changed in the last one year, let alone the last five years in the north west. The company started expanding with the purchase of a Yakima based wax manufacturer in 2008. That started the transition that blossomed in a lot of other things. Our specialty is a host of post-harvest fungicides for the produce industry— liquid forms for the apple, pear and cherry industries for storage or use on the packing line. We also have an aerosol technology that is very unique. It is a dry application of fungicides to the product in the cold-storage rooms,” Tim explains. “The produce can be stored throughout the season. We apply through the door, it encapsulates the entire room and treats product. That is our specialty in the North West—the aerosol technology that we promote.”
While competitors utilize a wet application, the company plans to stay cutting-edge with its aerosol technique. At the end of the day, DECCO’s efforts all boil down to customers’ cost and labor, Tim tells me.
“Growers are trying to figure out how to grow more product with less labor and cost all the time. That is one of the benefits of our product,” Tim says. “We can apply product faster and more efficiently than our competition. We can go out and treat any size of a storage room in one application, which saves on man hours for our clients. The clients only have to show up, make sure we are doing our job, and let us apply our products over the course of time. We’re very efficient.”
To boost its impact on the industry, the company offers four types of fungicides and is always looking for that fifth and sixth, Tim laughs. DECCO also provides packinghouse support and makes available controllers that can test the water used in packinghouses to see if the proper pH balances are in place. It also manufactures its own wax for the apple, citrus, and other industries that it assists. What really has the company moving full speed ahead, though, is its new facility in Wenatchee, Washington, that opened in April, where DECCO has a state-of-the-art lab that can test and treat compounds, office space for staff, and a warehouse for storage of products and treatment trailers.
With so much growth in the works, DECCO works closely with customers to find what works for them and to make sanitation practices available that might not have been known for another 10 years.
Always ahead of the curve, DECCO pushes forward and looks forward for more ways to better our industry, and that is something I applaud with gratitude.
FRESNO, CA - The California Table Grape Commission recently celebrated 50 years of service, and in recognition of this event, Secretary Karen Ross of the California Department of Food and Agriculture presented the organization with a resolution commemorating these 50 years of service to the state and its residents.
“Since its first meeting in 1968, the commission has served the public interest by providing the leadership, promotion, and research needed to turn a small, struggling industry into a mainstay of the state’s agricultural economy,” Secretary Karen Ross said. “In remaining dedicated to its purpose of creating demand for the state’s fresh grape crop, the commission has fostered an environment that allowed a disparate group of small growers producing 27 million boxes of fresh grapes for U.S. consumers only to grow into an industry that ships approximately 110 million boxes to 60 countries with a crop value of $1.8 billion.”
As part of the celebration, Dominick Bianco of Anthony Vineyards was honored for his service on the first board of commissioners from 1968 -1971 and for his continuous service since 1986. Marko B. Zaninovich of Sunview Vineyards was recognized for his service from 1971-1974 and for his continuous service since 1991.
During the meeting, the 2018 crop estimate was confirmed to be 114.6 million 19 lb boxes. Reports on the promotion programs underway in the U.S., Canada, and export markets around the world were provided, according to a press release.
Congratulations to California Table Grape Commission on this recognition, and to Dominick Bianco and Marko B. Zaninovich for their service!
GREENSBORO, NC - The end of summer is a transitional time for many of us, as is evident in the spate of new hires hitting the newswire. This time around, it’s The Fresh Market that’s announcing its latest executive hire. The company has appointed Oded Shein as Chief Financial Officer. In this role, Shein will serve as a key member of the senior leadership team, providing leadership and direction to the organization so that The Fresh Market can better execute its corporate growth strategy.
Shein brings more than 25 years of financial experience from a variety of retail stores—including serving as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer at Stage Stores, a Houston-based retailer that operates in 42 states through 764 specialty department stores and 59 off-price stores. In addition, he has held senior financial leadership positions at Belk, Inc. in Charlotte, NC, and Charming Shoppes, Inc. in Bensalem, PA.
"Oded will be an essential contributor to the strategic direction of the company and ensure that the organization is aligned with our business objectives," said Larry Appel, Chief Executive Officer. "The combination of Oded's broad business experience and deep finance expertise will enable The Fresh Market to solidify our position in the marketplace as a unique, specialty retailer."
Shein holds a BBA in Information Systems from Baruch College and an MBA in Finance from Columbia Business School. According to a press release, he currently provides financial expertise as an active board member for Conn's Inc., a specialty retailer with over 100 stores in 12 states. He has also received an array of industry awards.
Congratulations to Oded Shein from all of us here at AndNowUKnow.
IRVINE, CA - As California has navigated heat, wind, fires, and more impacting the ag world, the California Avocado Commission’s Marketing Committee met on August 1st to dive into the realities felt in the avocado sector of our industry. The meeting’s results reflect that this year’s harvest will be about 300 million pounds with availability continuing through the month, and the commission is making its mark on this season with fun ways to engage with consumers.
“We had originally projected that volume would continue strong through Labor Day; however, excellent demand as well as a reduction of the original crop estimate has created a quicker end to the season,” Jan DeLyser, Vice President of Marketing, shared. “Despite all of the weather-related challenges California avocado growers have endured this season, the revised crop forecast is still nearly 40 percent higher than last year, and we’re committed to providing customers with the support they need.”
Always making the best of every situation, CAC is at the top of its marketing game and giving consumers something to dance about. A Golden State-inspired playlist called the California Avocado Summer Soundtrack was released in July by the commission on digital audio provider Spotify. In addition to the tunes that have had every listener bop their heads as they indulge in their avocado needs, trendsetters like Chef Phillip Frankland Lee of Scratch Restaurants and other local food and lifestyle tastemakers have teamed up with CAC to develop recipes illustrating California’s vast array of music genres. The partnerships put the recipes together in a digital California avocado cookbook, and CAC is offering free downloads of the Summer Soundtrack recipe booklet in its blog, The Scoop. A dedicated email, promoted social posts, a blog post, and home page feature are all included in the program on CaliforniaAvocado.com.
The commission’s website was recently upgraded with redesigned and improved sections, according to a press release, which includes a user-friendly recipe section with advanced searching capabilities. Further, the website now provides personalization for those visiting, with suggested content related to the consumer and what is most practical for the time of day that the user is searching.
Made of California, CAC’s advertising campaign, will tread on through August to provide innovative digital and social programs that focus on consumers of California avocados. The organization hopes to help consumers find stores and restaurants where California avocados are distributed.
For more fresh produce news, stick with AndNowUKnow.
BEIJING, CHINA - In today’s grocery market, retailers are doing online-offline balancing acts to improve both their brick-and-mortar and online grocery networks. This week, Walmart made moves to bolster its international network and further integrate its retail presence with tech and innovation by investing $320 million—$500 million total when combined with JD.com’s own investment—into Chinese online grocery delivery firm Dada-JD Daojia, according to a report by Reuters.
“We are confident that this deeper collaboration with Dada-JD Daojia will enhance our omni-channel footprint and deliver a better O2O (online to offline) customer experience,” said Wern-Yuen Tan, President and CEO for Walmart China.
In 2016, Walmart began its partnership with Dada-JD Daojia after investing $50 million. Today, 200 Walmart stores located across 30 major Chinese cities have a presence in JD Daojia. The news source reports that through this partnership, Walmart has been working toward integrating its retail network in China with the country’s “small retail” movement to keep up with competitors in the market, such as Alibaba and Tencent.
Partially owned by JD.com, Dada-JD Daojia consists of two businesses—operating a network of five million delivery people and providing one-hour grocery delivery services out of retail stores JD Daojia is partnered with.
Will Walmart’s latest investment bring new tech, innovations, and small retail formats into the U.S. grocery market? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on retail happenings as they relate to produce.
BATAVIA, IL - Ring the alarms because there’s a new product expansion in town, bringing more fresh produce to customers. The goal with the new expansion is to offer fresh, organic, and easy-to-prepare options. In fact, proving the company is putting its pedal to the metal on this release, 20 percent of products in every one of Aldi’s 1,800 stores will be new compared to last year, and the retailer will also be increasing fresh food selections by 40 percent.
As we move through the remainder of this year and into early 2019, the retailer will continue to roll out products nationwide, with new items focused on the following:
Fresh and healthy:
- More ready-to-cook and organic fresh meats to make meal preparation easier, including organic chicken breasts and marinated cilantro lime chicken breasts
- Expanded produce selection, including veggie noodles and ready-to-eat sliced fruits, such as mango, pineapple and watermelon spears, and more organics
- The expanding Earth Grown line has new vegan and vegetarian options, such as kale and quinoa crunch burgers, and chicken-less patties and tenders
Convenient:
- Expanded refrigeration offerings for grab-and-go convenience, including single-serve guacamole and organic hummus, plus fresh fruit and vegetable snack packs
- Newly added fresh organic salsa, antipasti salad, gourmet olives and calzones
- More drinks and refrigerated beverages, such as strawberry kefir and kombucha
- More easy-to-prepare meal starters, including quinoa bowls, premium pasta sauces and vegetarian options, like meatless hot dogs and sausages
“The continued success of our store expansion and remodel initiatives has given us the opportunity to carefully select and introduce new products that satisfy our customers’ increasing preferences for fresh items, including organic meats, salad bowls, sliced fruits, and gourmet cheeses,” Aldi U.S. CEO Jason Hart shared. “We know people lead busy lives, so we’re making it even easier for them to purchase everything on their shopping list at Aldi, while still saving money.”
As we've previously reported, the retail chain is primed and prepped for an accelerated growth plan with the hopes of investing over $5 billion to remodel and expand its store count to 2,500 by the end of 2022.
As it moves into the second half of its remodel investment, Aldi and its new store layout have made a point to feature additional refrigeration space to accommodate even more fresh, healthy, and convenient products, according to a press release.
Aldi’s new products are much anticipated—I mean, the retailer has received over 300 product awards for its wines, cheeses, and exclusive product lines, and let’s face it; those go well with every produce item in the book! So, what vino will you be pairing with your fresh-focused dish tonight?
MURRIETA, CA - West Pak Avocado was on hand at PMA’s 37th annual Foodservice Conference & Expo late last month—bringing its team in full force to introduce new ideas and offerings to the show’s more-than 1,800 attendees.
“This event has always been a great time to connect with members of the foodservice industry, for them to share their opportunities and challenges, and for us to showcase new offerings and solutions to an ever-changing landscape,” said West Pak Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Doug Meyer, in a press release.
Buyers including distributors, retailers, wholesalers, brokers, and end-use operators attended the two-day event, held July 28-29, 2018 at the Monterey Conference Center and Monterey Marriott in Monterey, California. In its company press release, West Pak Avocado noted that the Murrieta, California-based company has been exhibiting at the Foodservice Conference and Exposition for over 20 years—showcasing its latest and greatest avo ideas.
“In addition to an increased demand for organic fruit, and steady growth for imperfect fruit, this year we experienced added interest in conditioned premium avocados,” added Marketing Manager George Henderson. “It’s no longer just an option, as heavy users of this popular green fruit expect fresh avocados in their favorite dishes. Foodservice operators continue to expand avocado offerings in not just lunch and dinner but breakfast as well. Consumers continue to drive this demand for innovation, and it’s exhilarating.”
The Foodservice Conference & Expo kicked off on Saturday with a session on innovation featuring keynote speaker, Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group and founder of Shake Shack and concurrent experiential fruit and vegetable training and buyer roundtable sessions.
The next day, exhibitors took to the show floor, sharing ideas about trends and challenges in the foodservice industry. Themes included exploring bold global flavors in dishes made with fresh produce, expanding palates and produce-centric menu choices for Generation Z, and creative ideas for food waste reduction.
For more updates on fresh food, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
CAMP HILL, PA - After almost a year of speculation and Rite Aid investors rallying to stop the deal, Albertsons and Rite Aid have agreed to mutually terminate the merger agreement—valued at $24 billion—both companies were scheduled to vote for today.
"While we believed in the merits of the combination with Albertsons, we have heard the views expressed by our stockholders and are committed to moving forward and executing our strategic plan as a standalone company," said Rite Aid Chairman and Chief Executive Officer John Standley. "We remain focused on leveraging our network of conveniently located retail pharmacies, our EnvisionRxOptions PBM, and our trusted brand of health and wellness offerings. We will continue building momentum for key areas of our business like our innovative Wellness store format, highly successful customer loyalty program, and expanded pharmacy service offerings, as we also enhance our omnichannel and own brand offerings to strengthen our competitive position and create long-term value for stockholders."
As a result of this decision, the special meeting of Rite Aid's stockholders, which was to be held on August 9, 2018, will not take place.
According to a press release, neither Rite Aid nor Albertsons will be responsible for any payments to the other party as a result of the termination of the merger agreement.
Rite Aid also announced its board of directors is evaluating governance changes at the company. As it considers these changes, Rite Aid will continue to engage with stockholders to ensure alignment between the company and its investors.
The company noted that its 2018 annual meeting of stockholders will be held on October 30, 2018, at 8:30 a.m., at a location to be determined.
For those of us who wondered what a Rite Aid/Alberstons merge might have looked like, our ideas will have to remain on the sidelines.
For the latest in breaking retail news, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
MONTEREY, CA - Two heads are better than one, four are better than two, and a whole gamut of foodservice professionals brings, apparently, a Think Tank. That is the idea that fueled the Produce Marketing Association when it decided to launch an inaugural Think Tank event to coincide with its annual foodservice expo, capturing the opportunity to collect upward of 30 leaders across the industry and ask them to open their minds to new approaches on old issues.
“There are huge opportunities for continued fresh fruit and vegetable growth in foodservice, but the challenge PMA and our industry has historically faced is really understanding the needs of the culinary gurus who set food trends,” said PMA Chief Marketing Officer Lauren M. Scott. “Since the foodservice and produce industries connect in Monterey for our conference, we convened an eclectic group of growers, distributors, operators, consumer advocates, and chefs to uncover the deeper conversations that the supply chain needs to have, as well as breaking the mold to uncover creative ways to innovate produce on the plate. Based on the energy in the room, it was very clear we had a community of passionate leaders who want to grow a healthier world.”
Set up as something of a roundtable of industry members, we all sat in an organized circle as we were walked through several exercises, first to break the ice, then introduce business issues, and finally to hatch possible new approaches to those issues. Think of a giant team building exercise that encompasses everyone in the supply chain, including, at any one time, the consumer, if you could approach it as such.
Amongst those in attendance were representatives from Naturipe Farms, Markon, HelloFresh, Sysco, Mission Produce, Taylor Farms, 4Earth Farms, Sizzler, PF Chang’s, and The Cheesecake Factory, all asked at one point to break off into five groups that named top challenges they face. After picking the two challenges that seemed to overlap most from the list, we were instructed to write them on two balloons, tossing them into the group and writing down possible solutions to whatever issue we caught. Balloons noted concerns such as:
- Consumer engagement
- Labor
- Water
- Shelf-life
“The Think Tank provided a unique way to get decision makers at opposite ends of the distribution channel to come together, and, through an unexpected series of exercises and discussions, develop some key targets and issues that need attention and provide potential solutions within our industry,” Brent Scattini, Vice President of Sales & Marketing for Mission Produce, shared. “The approach was unique and I feel that follow up sessions at other PMA events will continue to move the dialogue forward and potentially come up with solutions that will lead us into the future.”
In another exercise, groups were given the name of a professional or personal role, such as a hairdresser or barista, and asked how those people would respond to specific needs on a worksheet. Later we were told to apply the filter of our own businesses and identify overlaps, encouraging everyone to see beyond the traditional molds our industry may have set.
These are just some of the things that took place as we were guided through three hours of brainstorming exercises, relationship builders, and given a few fun prizes along the way.
Moving forward, ideas and insights from the Think Tank will be shared with each participant to keep the momentum moving forward, according to Lauren. “Additional confab sessions like these will be held on different topics, but the intent is to spark ideas and build relationships. It was a great experience to spend three hours with new and familiar faces, and we can’t wait for 2019!”
What happens when you put a bunch of operators into a room with toys, funny questions, and a few core concerns? A lot, evidently.