NEWARK, DE - Produce Marketing Association’s 37th annual Foodservice Conference and Expo is scheduled for July 28-29 in Monterey, CA. The conference is revamping its look and approach to generating conversations around foodservice. This includes a new schedule, format, and layout in the renovated exhibit space at the Monterey Conference Center and Portola Hotel & Spa.

“I truly love this show. It’s the premier gathering of the fresh produce supply chain in foodservice,” said Jill Overdorf, Director of Business Development for Naturipe® Value-Added Fresh and Co-Chair of PMA’s Foodservice Conference Committee. “All aspects of the event will focus on flavor, menu development, and providing opportunities for foodservice professionals to learn to innovate and have their curiosity satisfied. As a chef, the excitement that ideas and new produce applications generate is very exciting; it’s a can’t miss conference for foodservice professionals!”

Core events offer networking, information and insights to help businesses grow. They have been consolidated into a two-day program on Saturday and Sunday:

Saturday, July 28:

• Keynote Speaker Danny Meyer, CEO of Union Square Hospitality Group and Shake Shack founder “Whoever Wrote the Rule,” will address strategic risk taking, embracing change, and welcoming disruption.

Sunday, July 29:

• Panel conversation on “The Rapid Pace of Change” in foodservice, moderated by Jet Tila, Chef and Food Network Star. Panelists are: Tim York, President, Markon Cooperative, Inc.; Tamra Scroggins, Director of Food Culture at Sizzler USA, Inc.; and Charlie Lousignont, Senior Vice President of Supply Chain Management at Brinker International, Inc.
• Expo spread out on two levels, featuring more than 185 exhibitors: on the first floor of the Monterey Conference Center and Portola Hotel, and on the second floor of the conference center, which connects to the Monterey Marriott Hotel. The second floor opens at 10:15 AM. The first floor of the expo opens at 11 AM. Both close at 4:30 p.m.
• Best of Show, second Best of Show, and Best Product Promo Awards announced.

According to a press release, each of the exhibit spaces will house a lounge, equipped with conversation starters to spark ideas around food trends and challenges in the foodservice industry.

Themes include: exploring bold, global flavors in dishes made with fresh produce; expanding palettes and produce-centric menu choices for Generation Z; and creative ideas for food waste reduction.

“I’m very excited by what we have lined up for our 2018 event,” said Brent Scattini, Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Mission Produce, Inc. and Co-Chair of PMA’s Foodservice Conference Committee. “Our speakers are well known in their fields and have made significant impacts in the foodservice industry. This event has been designed to maximize time and opportunities for networking, learning, and connecting buyers and suppliers.”

Participants will also have the chance to enjoy related fundraising events to support Center for Growing Talent (CGT) initiatives.

On Saturday, July 28, activities include a Strolling Brunch from 11 AM to 11:45 AM, a Networking Reception from 1 PM to 2 PM, and an all-new Hands-on Fruit & Vegetable Training from 2 PM to 6 PM. CGT’s Women’s Fresh Perspectives Reception is also scheduled Saturday, July 28, from 5:30 PM to 7 PM.

Registration is also open for CGT fundraising events: The Bocce for Talent Tournament scheduled 4 PM to 8 PM Wednesday, July 25, at the Custom House Plaza. The Joe Nucci Memorial Golf Tournament scheduled 7 AM to 2 PM Friday, July 27, at the Bayonet & Black Horse Golf Course. And 5K Race for Talent scheduled at 7 AM Saturday, July 28, at the Promenade between Fisherman’s Wharf and the Portola Hotel.

For more information on registration, click here.

PMA

HENDERSON, CO - While many step up to bat for food safety, understanding the ins and outs of what it means to comply with food safety rules and regulations is a whole different ball game, but one that Birko Corp has long since mastered. With 65 years of food safety experience and customers across all sectors of the food and beverage industry, Birko’s team of experts and level of service is setting the standard for what it means to be a personalized and efficient partner in food safety.

I chatted with Miles Murphy, Birko’s Business Development Director – Produce Sector, to learn more about the company’s emphasis on staying up-to-date with food safety.

“Our top goal is protecting the food supply,” Miles tells me. “We help produce companies, as well as food and beverage processors, keep their facilities and products safe, secure, and pathogen-free. Our team of trained, certified experts works directly with produce companies to help them develop and implement an effective and efficient food safety program. This includes everything from in-plant consultations, training, and our proven cleaning and sanitation chemicals and equipment.”

Currently, Birko is honing in on helping its customers stay on top of the updates outlined in The Food Safety Modernization Act (FMSA). Miles tells me Birko is specifically educating customers about the final FSMA rule, the Preventive Controls Rule, which requires companies to staff or work with a Preventive Controls Qualified Individual (PCQI). As part of this update, each individual facility is required to have a PCQI perform and manage the food safety plan and ensure all records are kept of all food safety processes. Birko is helping customers by supplying PCQIs employees that provide support and understand the intricacies of FSMA and help develop and roll out food safety plans.

“Our experts offer in-plant audits and regular onsite reviews of our customers’ facilities,” Miles shares. “We offer recommendations on how to save time, money, water, and chemicals during these onsite visits, as well as 24/7 technical service for any questions or training needed. In addition, our website is another resource we offer; there are technical articles, blogs, webinars, and more.”

Another service Birko is emphasizing now is unbundling contract labor with food safety sanitation. FSMA is causing significant changes for the produce industry, and with the current labor shortage, it is harder for companies to comply with these changes. While some are responding to this by partnering with third-party contract labor providers that offer chemical products under one invoice, Birko refers to this as “bundling” and advises produce companies of its potential drawbacks.

“We’ve worked with various customers to unbundle these services and discovered improper and ineffective food safety procedures, hidden costs, inadequate chemical usage, and less labor than what is promised. When it comes to food safety and the protection of your brand, anything but absolute transparency is a huge gamble,” Miles explains. “When produce companies experience a recall as a result of poor food safety management with their bundled contract labor and food safety sanitation, the direct costs are tremendous.”

Specifically, Miles points out that the costs to recall the product, lost product and sales due to the recall, extra transportation costs, customer reimbursements, lost time, investigation costs, legal fees, and warehousing, not to mention the negative impact on brands long-term, start to add up.

“Birko, however, isn’t just your chemical and equipment supplier; we partner with our customers on their food safety programs,” Miles says. “It’s important to note that while there may be an upfront cost to food safety and sanitation, the downstream savings are worthwhile and the positive effects on your brand image are priceless.”

To learn more about Birko and how it is helping produce processors with FSMA compliance and unbundling, check out its blog and LinkedIn, and keep your eyes peeled for its eBook launching in June 2018 that provides a deep analysis of the potential pitfalls of bundling contract labor and sanitation, the labor shortage, and automated sanitation solutions.

Keep reading AndNowUKnow for more exclusives on companies keeping the produce industry safe and secure.

Birko Corp

TORONTO, ON - Execulytics Consulting is continuing to meet the needs of international produce suppliers and associations with the new service, Canadian Intelligence. This service combines technical product evaluations with consumer research and retail audits from a regional expert who knows Canadian retail like the back of his hand, Mike Mauti, Managing Partner and Senior Vice President.

“The produce business in Canada is very dynamic and takes a deep understanding of the landscape, both regionally and nationally, to really perform well here,” Mike tells me. “I have spoken with many companies who have found it difficult to find a comprehensive resource that is well-versed in consumer market research, plus technical product evaluations while understanding the lay of the consumer and retail landscapes in Canada.”

Mike brings over two decades of experience navigating the Canadian retail scene as a buyer, merchant, and operator, and he has become incredibly well-versed in these skill sets and so sought to fill a need to benefit all.

Canadian Intelligence services include:

• A comparative product analysis that includes performing a battery of tests comparing the subject product with any number of competitors. Tests include complete visual testing, brix measurement, acid measurement, pressure testing, plus more.
• Consumer panel—Execulytics has a growing consumer panel providing the firm access to hundreds of objective Canadian customers willing to give their feedback through taste tests, surveys, focus groups and shop-alongs.
• Store audits—Execulytics has a vast knowledge of the Canadian retail landscape and is armed with a network of retail experts across the country, delivering store-level intelligence.
• Personalized store tours—tour the retail space and see your product performing live in Canada’s retail environment.
• Market advisory—for strategic planning and execution.
• Project management and delivery—helping to execute its client’s strategy in Canada.

“What this really does is marry consumer and retail intelligence with product intelligence to better inform the supplier’s business model and go-to-market strategies,” Mike says.

Execulytics helps its customers solve a variety of challenges by focusing on objective analytics and good old fashioned, roll-up-your-sleeves execution, as Mike adds, consulting and catering to those in the fresh foods industry.

As competition continues to heat up across the entire international retail landscape, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for more resources and insights from across the industry.

Execulytics Consulting

WADENA, MN - A new produce distribution facility is coming to Colorado. Russ Davis Wholesale announced early this week that it has plans in the works to purchase a 125,000-square-foot building, formerly a Mars/Doane building at an airport industrial park, according to The Pueblo Chieftain.

"Colorado doesn't currently have a company that does what we do and we feel that it is a great market for our business model," said company Chief Executive Andy Gamble in a statement.

Russ Davis Wholesale will invest $8 million to $10 million in the project, while the city of Pueblo offered a $2.6 million jobs incentive grant from its half-cent sales tax fund for economic development, approved by City Council later Monday.

The facility will likely employ just over 160 workers, and the site could be ready to operate as soon as September.

Details the news source noted were given by Russ Davis Wholesale executives at a jobs announcement Monday afternoon included:

• Pueblo Community College will provide an estimated $130,400 in pre-employment training
• The jobs will pay an average wage of about $17 an hour, according to PEDCO officials
• The company chose Pueblo for its available real estate and labor force, as well as its centralized location as a launching point to the Mountain West market

Andrew Trainor, Chair of PEDCO and Regional President of Legacy Bank, called the employee-owned Russ Davis Wholesale "a great family company" that will fit well with the region's other agricultural offerings, adding, "I think they're going to be a great addition."

The company was founded in 1955 by the late Russ Davis, according to its website, and this location will make its sixth distribution center in the U.S. Five others are currently operated in three Midwestern states, including a processing plant in Eagan, MN. For more in expansions, strategies, and other news regarding fresh produce, AndNowUKnow will bring you the latest.

Russ Davis Wholesale

ORANGE COUNTY, CA - Zespri is revving its engines and driving traffic at retail with its new consumer campaign, A Real Snack for Real Life. The national digital campaign, which launched June 6 and will run through October 15 during the heart of Zespri season, features SunGold kiwifruit and brings the Zespri brand to life with in-store demos, point-of-sale materials, geo-targeted digital couponing, display contests, billboards in select markets, and a “Real Giveaways for Real Life” promotion.

“Our campaign combines a variety of consumer touchpoints nationally and locally that will target moms and build brand awareness for Zespri SunGold and other varieties of Zespri Kiwifruit,” said Zespri’s Marketing Manager for North America Sarah Deaton.

The campaign not only communicates to parents the deliciousness and nutritiousness of SunGold Kiwifruit as a snack everyone in the family will love, but also takes the idea that just like a SunGold Kiwifruit, parenting isn’t always pretty on the outside, but it’s always real, and encourages consumers to embrace life’s imperfections with this tropically sweet and easy-to-eat healthy snack that fits in with real lives.

With custom header and POS cards touting the brand and contest info, in-store ads and integrated social and digital components, as well as geo-targeting efforts, Zespri is hoping to bring top-of-mind awareness to SunGold and other varieties of Zespri Kiwifruit. And to get more retailers involved, regional display contests are planned to promote the trial of SunGold and encourage in-store visibility and sales.

As part of the campaign, consumers can enter daily for a chance to win a grand prize pack valued at $15,000. According to a press release, winners can choose from prizes ranging from a staycation at a luxury hotel; a cleaning service; grocery delivery; or a college fund starter to name a few. Weekly winners will also be selected for smaller prizes throughout the promotion.

Retailers are encouraged to contact their regional market development manager to develop a customized program, and to receive their POS sales material, contest information, and demo kits.

For more news like this, AndNowUKnow will continue to report.

Zespri

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - After Blackwells Capital ousted SuperValu for failing to acknowledge shareholder demands earlier this year, the retailer announced this week it will be reorganizing its corporate structure into a holding company structure as a means to “facilitate strategic transformation, among other benefits to stockholders.”

“We have been executing a strategic transformation of our business over the last two years to become the wholesale supplier of choice for grocery retailers across the United States, while also executing initiatives to deliver long-term stockholder value,” said SuperValu’s President and CEO Mark Gross. “The proposed holding company structure is another significant and important undertaking by our team that would support and advance our transformation by further separating our wholesale and retail operations in a tax efficient manner.”

According to a press release, the proposal, as outlined in SuperValu’s preliminary proxy statement/prospects filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission yesterday June 12, 2018, includes the holding company structure as follows:

• Organize and further segregate SuperValu’s wholesale and retail operations in an operationally efficient and strategic manner, including to separate the wholesale and retail operations held by SuperValu’s current public company entity

• Facilitate SuperValu’s previously announced strategic transformation plan to sell certain retail assets to third parties
• Better segregate SuperValu’s liabilities into their respective business segments
• Increase SuperValu’s strategic, business, and financial flexibility
• Enable SuperValu to achieve its strategic transformation plan in a tax efficient manner that may facilitate the ability to utilize a material portion of SuperValu’s capital loss carryforward, which could generate approximately $300 million of cash tax benefits for the company over the next 15 years

At the upcoming 2018 Annual Meeting of Stockholders, SuperValu’s stockholders will be able to vote on the Holding Company Proposal.

Will SuperValu’s restructuring efforts satisfy shareholders like Blackwells Capital? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.

SuperValu

RIVERSIDE, CA - Produce and partnerships go hand-in-hand, and to both enhance and highlight its own role as a partner, Index Fresh has refreshed its existing custom sales program.

In every new partnership, Index Fresh introduces its custom sales program—AvoConcepts Retail Design Studio—to highlight its commitment to seeing these relationships grow and to show that there is value in doing business with the California-based avocado marketer, according to a recent release.

“Through the AvoConcepts Retail Design Studio, Index Fresh assists in creating compelling in-store experiences, practical and fun social media strategies, and distinct promotional partnerships,” the company said in a statement. “Index Fresh also offers its clients AvoConcepts to add value to their product with custom bag labels, which often include new, exciting avocado recipes.”

Other customized offerings through AvoConcepts include:

• Avocado education
• Field tours
• Menu-ready partnerships
• Point of sale materials
• Custom bags

The approach helps give Index Fresh a clearer structure for the benefit of both current and future clients, with AvoConcepts offering support for every marketing need by providing customized products and solutions.

Index Fresh

AUSTIN, TX - Whole Foods Market has promoted Kelly Landrieu, an experienced advocate for local producers, to be the company’s Global Coordinator of Local Brands. After serving five years with the company, Landrieu will now be tasked with working alongside Whole Foods Market’s local foragers and merchants in an effort to gain innovative and trending products from a variety of suppliers.

In her most recent position at Whole Foods, Landrieu helped develop and manage the “Friends of Whole Foods Market” program, which features artisan and restaurateur partners within the walls of Whole Foods Market stores. Prior, Landrieu spent four years as Whole Foods Market’s local forager in the 40-store Southwest region, according to a press release, discovering hundreds of local brands, including MALK Organics, French Truck Coffee, and Windowsill Pies.

In her new role as Global Coordinator of Local Brands, Landrieu will use these skills to partner with the retailer’s local buyers and foragers across the company and highlight the local product selection at Whole Foods stores. Her tasks will also include developing continued education and mentorship programs for current and future local suppliers, as well as supporting her forager partners in the field.

“We’re very excited for Kelly to work with our team of local foragers to source the best local products for our stores and help our local suppliers thrive and expand,” said Cathy Strange, Global Executive Coordinator of Specialty and Product Innovation and Development. “Kelly’s experience as a local forager in the field, along with her passion for food and entrepreneurship, make her a terrific advocate for our local buyers, foragers, and suppliers.”

Whole Foods noted that it has developed a longstanding reputation as an incubator for small suppliers. The grocer‘s Local Producer Loan Program has provided low interest loans to local suppliers to help them expand their businesses for more than 11 years, loaning more than $22 million to small businesses to use for investments in new equipment, organic certification, or research and development for new products.

Whole Foods Market