NEW YORK, NY - Although a heatwave is making its way through the Northwestern United States right now, a thunderstorm of tweets rained down from President Trump this Monday morning. This time around, the tweets were aimed at Amazon, and the company’s stock felt the blow, falling immediately after Trump tweeted against the e-tailer.
“The Amazon Washington Post has gone crazy against me ever since they lost the Internet Tax Case in the U.S. Supreme Court two months ago. Next up is the U.S. Post Office which they use, at a fraction of real cost, as their 'delivery boy' for a BIG percentage of their packages…” Trump began. “…In my opinion the Washington Post is nothing more than an expensive (the paper loses a fortune) lobbyist for Amazon. Is it used as protection against antitrust claims which many feel should be brought?”
Making investors nervous were the hints to antitrust action, according to Fast Company, causing the company's stocks to dip. As a result, Amazon’s stock dropped up to 1.5 percent. While fluctuating throughout the day, the stocks did go up a little.
While this drop is indicative of Trump’s impact on the market, the news source conveys that stock prices are sure to shift as the days and weeks go by, especially considering that Amazon is set to release its quarterly earnings report later this week, the news source relayed.
How will that release affect the market? AndNowUKnow will keep you posted.
BRITISH COLUMBIA - Organic blueberries are a beloved summertime staple. Whether they’re used in pies, as a sweet addition to barbecue, or as simple snacks for kids home from school to nosh on, Oppy understands that consumers seriously dig this blue fruit. Further dialing into its blueberry program, the company recently began marketing its organic blues under the Ocean Spray® Family Farmer-Owned label.
I had the chance to chat with Jason Fung, Director of Category Development, about this move and why Oppy felt its partnership with Ocean Spray was one that stayed true to both companies’ values and vision.
“We certainly see this as continued growth in the blueberry category,” Jason explains to me. “The category is growing anywhere from 8 to 10 percent annually, and we see upwards of double that in the organic portion. We wanted to stay up with consumer demand and also engage with a well-known brand that people love, hence our development of the Ocean Spray berry line.”
Oppy is currently offering Ocean Spray organic blueberries grown in British Columbia and Washington state. Jason notes that July and August are peak sales windows for blueberries, so Oppy’s organic program is an ideal fit.
As retailers are looking to promote blueberries throughout the summer, Jason shares with me that Oppy is keen to get these beauts out there with promotions behind them, and there are several ways that retailers can capitalize on the category.
“Some people twinline the organics and the conventional and merchandise them fairly close. Some retailers have very specific sections that tie into the rest of their organic category,” he tells me, before letting me know that both of these methods have been very successful as they relate to blueberries. “It’s good to have big displays where blueberries are front and center.”
Farmer-owned and operated, Ocean Spray is perhaps best known for its humorous commercials featuring a father and son duo wading in a pool of cranberries. Jason tells me that the family, farmer-owned aspect of Ocean Spray definitely played a role in Oppy’s decision to market its blueberries under its label.
“Oppy grows with multi-generational blueberry farmers,” Jason shares with me. “Tying that in to a consumer brand like Ocean Spray while staying true to the small family farmer—and the care and effort they put into the pack—that’s really the hallmark of our program.”
Available for purchase nationwide, these blueberries will run from now until the middle of August, although Jason hopes they run until the end of August.
“Depends on the heat,” he tells me with a laugh.
Oppy continues to grow within the organic berry category, now carrying strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries under the Ocean Spray label. As Jason explained to me, tying its product to Ocean Spray’s label yields multiple benefits. Most important of all, the move represents the company’s continued connection to family-owned farms, which, Jason assures me, is what Oppy represents in the category.
WENATCHEE, WA - After debuting in just 2017, Stemilt’s Rave® apple is ready to make an even bigger splash this year. Rave, the trademark name for the MN55 apple cultivar, is an early-to-ripen Honeycrisp cross with an outrageously juicy flavor, and will have consumers raving once again starting around August 6th.
“It’s almost time to build upon the incredibly successful launch year of Rave apples,” said Brianna Shales, Communications Manager. “We have a bigger crop than in 2017, which is expected as more trees continue to come into production now and over the next few years. That means more shoppers than ever before will get to enjoy the crunch, snappy zing and refreshing flavor that Rave brings to produce departments each August.”
Ramping up its delectable qualities as the young trees develop and mature, Stemilt is expecting even better color and larger sizing for Rave’s second season. Near-perfect weather in eastern Washington throughout the spring and summer season has perfectly prepped Rave’s sugars, acids, and juiciness, Stemilt reported in a press release.
“With volumes still not enough to match demand, we anticipate a short, but very sweet season for Rave,” said Shales. “It has the flavor and appearance to kick-off the first five weeks of apple season with a bang. This second commercial crop gives us the opportunity to keep introducing people to Rave and build fans for what we know is a great future for this apple.”
A cross between Honeycrisp and an unreleased variety called MonArk developed by University of Minnesota’s senior apple breeding researcher David Bedford, MN55 was born two decades ago through natural cross-pollination. Bedford is the same breeder behind the Honeycrisp and its successor, SweeTango® brand Minneiska cultivar apples.
“It’s unheard of for an apple to fully color and ripen in late July in Washington State, but that’s what the MonArk parentage does for Rave,” said Shales. “Being early isn’t enough to win over consumers and that’s where the Honeycrisp parentage comes in. Shoppers truly raved about Rave last year because of its bite and juicy flavor.”
Stemilt offers an array of merchandising tools for retailers, including high-graphic cartons the apple is shipped in, POS signage, and a toolkit with social and digital assets. On the grower’s end, Stemilt is planning its own word-of-mouth activities to continue introducing Rave to shoppers and build upon its social side, Shales said.
“Rave is the social apple that you have to tell someone about after trying one. We’re supporting the brand and its social side with consumer events, influencer outreach, and geo-targeted activations in the markets carrying Rave to ensure your shoppers know about its availability and short season. It’s going to be fun,” said Shales.
For more on this apple as it makes its way to retailers once again, AndNowUKnow will be sure to give you something to rave about.
TYLER, TX - Brookshire Grocery Co. is expanding its Super 1 Food store network in the South after the towns of Breaux Bridge, Crowley, Franklin, New Roads, Rayne, Abbeville, and Eunice, Louisiana, celebrated grand openings this week.
“We are very excited to celebrate the grand openings of these Super 1 Foods stores,” said Chairman and CEO Brad Brookshire, in a recent press release. “We are focused on making a positive impact in the lives of our customers, employee-partners, and communities. With our great line of offerings and outstanding service, we are confident people in these communities are going to truly love shopping at Super 1.”
Back in April, Brookshire acquired former Winn-Dixie locations in order to reopen each as Super 1 Foods locations. The new locations bring Brookshire’s tally of Super 1 Foods stores up to 47, with the Breaux Bridge, Crowley, Franklin, New Roads, and Rayne locations opening the door to new communities for the grocer.
Along with grand openings, Brookshire is also celebrating its curbside pickup service at 11 Super 1 Foods locations as well as its partnership with Instacart that offers consumers same-day grocery delivery at select stores throughout its network.
“We are always looking for ways to expand our service to customers,” Brookshire continued. “We are very excited to be adding the convenience of online ordering with curbside pickup at 11 locations.”
For a fee of $4.95 for orders under $50 and no fee for orders of $50 or more, shoppers can tap Super 1 Foods’ personal shoppers to fill orders that can include fresh local produce, grab-and-go meals, the stores’ own brands of products, and more at the same in-store prices. And, using the company’s website or Instacart app, shoppers can have access to store items delivered to them in the convenience of their own home.
Will Super 1 Foods’ network continue to expand into new markets as the grocery retail sector heats up? Stick with us at AndNowUKnow for the scoop on our industry.
ATLANTA, GA - Consumers continue to look for convenience and fresh in their meal kits, a task not often easily met. As we’ve continued to report, competition in the meal kit game is serious. Just last week Chef’d abruptly shut down, whereas others, like Blue Apron and Plated, have either made deals with retailers to have kits sold in stores or been acquired, respectively.
The latest to throw its hat in the proverbial meal kit ring is none other than Chick-fil-A. According to Business Insider, the fast food chain is trialing a meal kit program—Mealtime Kits—at 150 restaurants in the Atlanta area. This move would make the chain the first fast food restaurant to offer a meal kit service. Once news broke of the restaurant’s decision to trail a meal kit program, Blue Apron’s shares dropped 2.57%.
Like traditional meal kits, Chick-fil-A’s varieties will include fresh, pre-measured ingredients. But these kits can be bought at the restaurant's drive-thrus, counters, or the company’s app.
"We designed our offering so our guests don't have to order ahead, subscribe to a service, or make an extra stop at the grocery store," Michael Patrick, an innovation program lead at Chick-fil-A, said in a statement. "They simply pick up a Mealtime Kit at their convenience—for example, when they're already at a Chick-fil-A restaurant grabbing a breakfast or lunch, or in the drive-thru on their way home."
The five meal kits offered include: chicken parmesan, chicken enchiladas, crispy Dijon chicken, pan-roasted chicken, and chicken flatbread. Each serves two people, costs $15.89, and is meant to take only 30 minutes to prepare.
The kits will be available only in the Atlanta area until mid-November, though it's possible Chick-fil-A may roll them out more widely in the future.
With Blue Apron's shares dropping after this announcement, what does this mean for the meal kit business? Will other fast food chains follow in Chick-fil-A’s footsteps? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
NOGALES, AZ - I always like to say that you can’t look to the future without a strong foundation from which to build. Fourth generation family farm and industry powerhouse Wilson Produce has announced its next steps, including increased production on its renowned mini sweet peppers, cucumbers, and squash. The company will also introduce new commodities to the mix, such as colored bell peppers, mini cucumbers, green beans, and shishito peppers.
To build excitement around the company’s expanding and incoming commodities, it is launching a brand refresh, updates to company resources, and a new strategy for its retail programs.
“We are returning to our roots and taking advantage of the fundamentals our company was built on—the family name, the land, growing healthy products and investing in the people who are the backbone of our company,” General Manager Guillermo Martinez shared. “Each of these things is important, especially as we expand our growing program to increase acreage, add new commodities and additional organic volume, as well as continue our emphasis on the regenerative agricultural model.”
As the industry continues to evolve, the company decided to make changes to stay ahead of the curve, bringing its traditions and strong reputation for quality to its new approach. To do this, the company will offer new packaging and an updated website to the table, as well as buyer resources like new retail tools. This includes category management and seasonal promotions that showcase the increase in commodity offerings.
One very unique way that the company is stepping into new territory, though, is its approach to consumers, as it creates a dialogue between them and the company by sharing information through the Truth be Grown storytelling initiative, according to a press release.
“Organics and regenerative agriculture are now part of our story—a story that is my past and my future, where I was brought up to respect and care for the land and to work with nature,” CEO Alicia Bon Martin explained. “We’re seeing that consumers care about the way that their food is grown and we’re taking that seriously. We have placed a priority on our organic program, and we’re going to expand and take it even further using regenerative agricultural practices that are especially important in protected agriculture where we have a limited amount of space and crops available for rotation.”
Wilson Produce will be making the rounds, visiting customers to explore its changes and new programs with them. It will showcase its approach at PMA, before January’s season commences.
KIRKWOOD, CA - This morning saw a historic moment for our industry as the participants of the 5th annual Tour de Fresh set off on a record-setting four-day ride that will take a scenic but challenging route through Northern California.
“You’re not just donating salad bars, you’re changing the world,” Tom Stenzel, President and CEO of United Fresh, told the group. “Thank you so much everybody for having this idea and making this happen. Some of you might not know Cindy Jewell is the Chairperson for United Fresh, which I would say is the second most amazing thing she’s done for our industry. The first is this.”
The event kicked off officially last night with a group dinner at the Kirkwood resort, recognizing those who have brought the ride this far, and welcoming those who have joined to help push it even further.
“In the now five years we’ve done Tour de Fresh, we have raised over $600,000 and donated more than 80 salad bars,” Cindy Jewell, Vice President of Marketing for California Giant Berry Farms and one of the conceptualizers of the Tour de Fresh, shared with the crowd of riders and supporters last night. “I want to recognize five riders who have been here all five years, as well as sponsors who have been here the last five years. Thank you for sticking with us from day one.”
Legacy Riders Mike Deusebio, Jeff Church, Raina Nelson, Adam Linder, and Ray Connelly lined up to receive special commemorative jerseys, marking not only over 1,000 miles ridden to put salad bars in schools, but a significant amount raised.
“Look at these guys, this is $98,000 raised right here,” Anthony Gallino, California Giant’s Vice President of Sales and idea man behind the tour, told us, going down the list of how much each individual had raised.
Tom, too, had some inspiring numbers to show what this means not just for children, but in helping to ensure the future of our industry.
“Salad Bars for Schools has successfully donated 5,300 salad bars across the country, and you’ve made a huge dent in that,” he shared, explaining that when talking to schools about how much a $3,000 salad bar generates in fresh produces purchases, the answer was $6,000 a year. “Let me do the math for you, that’s more than $30 million in produce purchases a year because of what we’ve done with Salad Bars for Schools. It’s the gift that keeps on giving, not just for our industry but for changing the lifestyle for these kids.”
As of the latest, the riders have raised almost $125,000—creeping up on last year's record-breaking $170,916. Help this year continue to raise the bar by donating at the link below.
Donate to Place Salad Bars in Schools
Make no mistake that it does not come without a significant amount of work and support, from the riders pushing themselves and each other, to the support crews that feed them, keep them hydrated and healthy, ensure their bikes are running, and protect them from vehicles that may or may not know how to share the road.
With segments on the map already promising heat in the triple digits and a climb that will result in dropping more than 3,500 feet of altitude over 20-plus miles, continue to follow AndNowUKnow as I follow them through the back roads of Northern California to Monterey and PMA’s Foodservice Expo.
WEST COAST, UNITED STATES - Produce providers on the west coast will continue to feel the heat into August, forecasters are now predicting. The heat wave us Californians and our neighbors felt in mid-July looks to be returning, but this time it may last even longer.
"This stretch of heat actually looks to be longer than what was experienced in mid-July," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Dan Pydynowski. "After returning on Sunday, the heat could last right through next weekend."
From Washington, which will see temperatures in 90s and 100s, to Southern California, where Los Angeles County officials issued a heat warning for next week for temperatures in the mid to high 100s, several growing regions in the West will be sweltering, according to the National Weather Service.
“In Southern California, temperatures soaring well into the triple digits seems likely for at least the valleys and into the 90s F for coastal cities,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Ken Clark said, with the source going on to further explain that the heat will mean continued problems with wildfires.
Several produce categories have already been feeling the heat, so to speak. According to US Foods’ recent farmer’s report, green leaf and romaine lettuce, avocados, strawberries, and limes are all having some market changes due to lowered supplies or quality challenges.
So, when can the industry expect some reprieve? AccuWeather reports that the heat will be relentless through the final days of July, but August will see some lower, more manageable temperatures.
"The heat may get pushed back briefly during the first days of August," according to Long-Range Meteorologist Paul Pastelok.
AndNowUKnow will continue to monitor the West’s heat wave as temperatures continue to soar, so stay tuned for the latest.
FISHERS, NY - The New York Apple Association (NYAA) is expanding its Board of Directors after appointing Sarah Dressel, of Dressel Farms in New Paltz, New York (NYAA District 3), Chairperson of the Board of Directors. In addition to a new Chairperson, the NYAA Board also recently completed a strategic planning process as a means to evolve its presence in the marketplace.
“It is an honor and a privilege to help lead this organization at such an exciting time in the apple industry,” said Dressel, a fourth-generation apple grower who joined the NYAA board in 2016 and served as Vice Chair from 2017-2018.
Last month, Dressel took on the Chairperson position at the NYAA Board meeting, succeeding former Chairperson Jason Woodworth of Lamont Fruit Farm in Waterport, New York (NYAA District 6).
“This appointment is significant news for NYAA and for women assuming leadership roles throughout the ag industry,” said NYAA President Cynthia Haskins. “Sarah comes from a multi-generational apple farm with great experience in direct-to-consumer markets and wholesale. We look forward to her leadership.”
Dressel graduated from Cornell University in 2011 after earning a degree in agricultural sciences and completed the Young Apple Leader program through USApple. In addition to serving on the Board of Directors for the Hudson Valley Research Lab, she currently works in her family’s business managing its retail stand, u-pick operations, and all horticultural aspects. According to a press release, she is a member of the Hudson Valley Young Grower group and recently toured apple growing operations in New Zealand as a member of the International Fruit Tree Association.
The NYAA represents 600 commercial apple growers across New York state, which is the second largest apple producing state in the nation.
Congratulations, Sarah Dressel, on your new role with the Board! For more happening in and around our industry, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
CINCINNATI, OH - Kroger seems to be shifting its focus and making moves away from its former buying tactics, now closing both its Wenatchee, WA, and Fresno, CA, buying offices, sources have informed AndNowUKnow.
It’s no secret Kroger has been reevaluating its strategy and upping the stakes on its digital involvement. Since the introduction of its Restock Kroger plan last year, the retailer has continuously cited the outline for moves it is making in its approach to “create value for shareholders focuses on redefining the food and customer experience through digital and technology, expanding partnerships to create customer value, developing talent, and creating social impact.” At the same time, it has also been slowly consolidating operations across all categories, with produce lagging behind, as one longtime industry veteran, who asked to remain anonymous, pointed out.
“Over the past decade, Kroger has played quite a bit of ‘musical chairs’ with [produce] category managers, and buyers, too. Is Kroger losing valuable insight, knowledge, and relationships within the most dynamic department in the store? Is this move a sign of more changes and a larger gap to come, between suppliers and Kroger?” they said. “Fewer and larger shippers and more contracts and technology has shrunk our world, and perhaps reduced the perceived value of regional buying offices. This is a debatable point, and in this case someone lost and someone won.”
Kroger has certainly rocked the fresh produce boat as of late. Still fresh in all our minds is the move to enact a new Net 90 Payment Policy for suppliers across all sectors of the store, effectively asking all fresh produce providers to waive their rights under PACA, which it effectively dropped weeks later in regards to our industry after growers and associations made their plight. While the ANUK team certainly breathed a unanimous sigh of relief, experts raise concern that this was a sign of the retailer’s further withdrawal from key fresh produce insights, furthered by moves to close remote buyer offices.
“My concerns are bigger picture. Is this a sign of Kroger furthering themselves from suppliers in both a geographic, relationship and knowledge, or understanding sense?” another source shared in relation to the developments.
A number of contributors still reserve optimism of this new direction, observing that the closure of these offices could lead to a more centralized approach and vision that might be a better direction for the industry, suppliers, and beyond.
The retailer is offering current employees the opportunity to stay on its team, requiring them to relocate from their current locations to its homestead of Cincinnati, OH. Those who choose not to relocate but remain in their positions through October may reportedly be offered a severance, according to one source, but specified details have yet to be released.
Kroger did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Ever looking to follow the pulse of this industry and all the sides that ensure its movement, AndNowUKnow will continue to report the latest.