MILLEN, GA - If you know anyone you feel deserves recognition in our industry, be sure to nominate them for The Southeast Produce Council’s (SEPC) second annual Next Generation Award. SEPC's award is designed to honor a young person who is among the “Next Generation” of produce leaders for the produce industry, and they're currently accepting nominations.
“This award is truly a recognition of the heartbeat of our industry,” said David Sherrod, President and CEO. “The younger generations are defining how we grow, buy and consume produce in today’s marketplace. People like Adam Lytch, last year’s recipient, will shape our industry for the next 10-15 years and hopefully teach those coming up behind them. The Southeast Produce Council is proud to host this award and even prouder to foster the young talent within our membership and industry.”
Those nominated for this prestigious award must meet the following criteria: 39 years or younger (on the date of application), employed in the produce industry for at least 4 years, a member in “Good Standing” of the SEPC, made a significant contribution to the industry (company). Once all nominations have been received, a committee will review and select the winner who will then be notified and honored during the President’s Dinner Dance at Southern Innovations 2018.
Do you have someone in mind whom you’d like to nominate for the Next Generation Award? If so, please submit your nomination by July 20th, 2018 here.
For news of the nominations and winners, check back in with us at AndNowUKnow.
Southeast Produce Council
GOODLETTSVILLE, TN - This week, Dollar General released its first quarter 2018 financial results, with positive sales growth despite a tight grocery market and adverse weather conditions. As a result, the company’s CEO Todd Vasos said during the company’s earnings call that Dollar General could be adding fresh fruits and vegetables to thousands of locations.
“We see [produce] as a competitive advantage, especially in rural areas where there isn’t a lot of competition and/or food choices, especially healthy food choices for our core consumers,” Vasos said.
Currently, Dollar General offers fresh produce in 200 of its stores, with 45 additional stores offering produce after last quarter. According to the retailer’s financial report, Dollar General plans to remodel 1,000 stores, 400 of which will model the retailer’s “traditional plus” format that includes grocery offerings and coolers for perishable items, and open 900 new locations in the second half of 2018. In total, Dollar General operates almost 15,000 stores.
Along with produce, Vasos also spoke about the company’s efforts with its private healthy snacking label, Good & Smart, which includes 130 items, like dried fruit, coconut water, and more.
“Our goal is to build Good & Smart into a unique private brand that becomes a go-to-product line for our customers when they look for good food choices at smart prices,” Vasos continued.
Will Dollar General find success in the produce sphere and roll out fresh offerings to more locations in its 15,000-store network? For more produce journeys into retail, AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
ROWLAND HEIGHTS, CA - Durian has both been hailed as the King of Fruits by enthusiasts and described as smelling like “hot garbage” by detractors, but the polarizing fruit, popular throughout southeast Asia, has found a foothold in San Gabriel Valley’s Puan Sri—a café serving exclusively durian baked goods.
Puan Sri opened just months ago with what an Eater article describes as “a near single-minded focus” on bringing the pungent produce item to Southern Californians’ desserts.
According to that article, Puan Sri serves an extensive menu of durian-themed baked goods. From durian layer cake to durian mochi, pancakes to pudding, the restaurant’s various dessert items generally range from $7.00 to $8.00 and all feature the spiky-skinned, creamy and funky durian.
The most expensive item on the menu—and the only savory entre in its assortment—is pizza. A four-slice personal pan-style pie will run you $10.95—and the pizza is, according to Eater, a Spartan affair with a crust “more than likely originated from a store-bought mix” and topped, sauceless-ly, with sliced durian and mozzarella.
“Somehow, it works,” the publication surmises.
Does Puan Sri signify a sea change, bringing the King to more and more U.S. consumers, or will the “olfactory overload” overwhelm café-goers? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on this and other produce news.
ISSAQUAH, WA - Costco Wholesale Corporation announced its third-quarter results, ending May 13, 2018. The company saw an increase in both net sales and net income, perhaps due to its latest investments in e-commerce and delivery services.
Highlights from the quarterly report are listed as follows:
- Net sales for the quarter increased 12.1 percent, $31.62 billion in comparison to last year’s $28.2 billion.
- Net sales for the first 36 weeks of fiscal 2018 increased 12.0 percent, $95.02 billion from last year’s $84.2 billion.
- Net income for the quarter was $750 million, or $1.70 per diluted share, compared to $700 million, or $1.59 per diluted share last year.
- Net income for the first thirty-six weeks of fiscal year 2018 was $2.09 billion, or $4.74 per diluted share, compared to $1.76 billion, or $3.99 per diluted share, last year.
While the company's financial results beat analysts' estimates, the company's shares slipped in after hours trading as its margins narrowed, according to Bloomberg, Reuters, and several other news sources.
For the full report, click here.
Will Costco’s financial growth continue to climb as it ups its e-commerce efforts? Stick with us at AndNowUKnow for the latest.
THE WORLD - Tariffs imposed by the Trump administration have Canada, Mexico, and the European Union reeling, as the U.S. has slapped a 25 percent taxation onto steel and 10 percent tax on aluminum. As a result of the tariffs, the countries on the other side of the coin are retaliating.
According to Reuters, $4 billion worth of trade between the U.S. and Mexico will likely be affected. Mexico has hard-hitting plans for the produce industry, with tariffs set for grapes, apples, cheeses, and steel, among other items.
While many produce items have been spared, cucumbers and gherkins prepared or preserved using vinegar or acetic acid have been added to the list of those tariffed by Canada, according to Canada’s Department of Finance. Some of the items on the country's list will be taxed 10 percent, while others will sit at 25 percent like the U.S.’s tariff on steel. Overall, about $12.8 billion will be subject to tariffs, which, according to CNNMoney, was the total value of Canadian steel and aluminum exports that made their way to the U.S. last year.
The disagreements on trade have many wondering how this will reflect on the NAFTA negotiations that have been long and tumultuous.
“A trade war is when there is an escalation of conflict. In this case, it is simply a response to a first action,” Mexico's Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo told Mexican radio, according to Reuters. “We should stick to the clearly defined battlefield, where the response is appropriate and proportional.”
But it is not just NAFTA participants that are bearing the brunt of the opposing trade views. The effects of these tariffs reach beyond the U.S.’s North American neighbors. Those in Europe are feeling the heat from the administration’s attempt to crack down on China’s presence in the steel and aluminum industries, a move that is not settling well with the European Commission.
“The United States now leaves us with no choice but to proceed with a [World Trade Organization (WTO)] dispute settlement case and with the imposition of additional duties on a number of imports from the United States,” President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker said, according to CNNMoney, expanding that tariffs will affect about $7.5 billion worth of US exports and that the Commission would lodge a case with the WTO.
According to The Washington Post, these tariffs will result in higher prices; even as Trump argues they are put in place for national security purposes. This is because items like beer cans, cars, and other items using metals, which will increase in cost because of the tariffs, will be higher priced.
The cause of these blanketing tariffs on U.S. allies is to curtail China’s stronghold over the steel market, according to The Washington Post.
“China’s direct exports to us are quite small, but their impact on the overall market is quite large,” said the U.S.'s Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross. “That was the fundamental reason why this [tariff] had to be very wide ranging.”
How will this latest development in the U.S.’s trade negotiations translate into the industry’s fresh produce sales? AndNowUKnow will keep you updated with the latest.
SANTA PAULA, CA - June is finally upon us and along with it, the first inklings of summer celebration. Limoneira is ready to celebrate dads and grads, as the season descends, with advice and recipes to kick festivities off with aplomb.
This month, Limoneira spokesperson Megan Roosevelt and special guest Aaron Roosevelt outline some of their favorite summertime lemon recipes—available, alongside new recipes all Summer long, on Limoneira’s YouTube channel.
Featured recipes include:
Grilled Lemon Chicken Street Tacos
Bust out the grill! This recipe has all the flavors of that favorite neighborhood taco truck in one healthy little package.
Ingredients:
- 2 Limoneira classic lemons
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 mild green peppers
- Salt and pepper
- ¼ cup olive oil
- Taco shells
- Diced onion
- Fresh cilantro
Directions: Marinate the chicken. Add two chicken breasts to a bowl, cut in half. Add salt and pepper. Add mild green peppers, cut in half to bowl. Cut lemons in half and juice them into bowl with chicken and peppers. (For extra flavor, add a bit of zest to the bowl.) Add ¼ cup of olive oil for best lemon-to-olive oil ratio. Mix ingredients together and cover on counter for two hours while ingredients marinade, or leave covered in fridge overnight for a stronger infusion.
Next, grill the marinated chicken and peppers on medium high for about 5 minutes per side. The internal temperature of the chicken should reach at least 165 degrees Fareinheit. Once grilled, chop or shred and serve on warm tortillas (taco shells). Top with diced onion and cilantro to taste and serve.
Pink Lemon Strawberry Margarita
Served as a non-alcoholic mocktail or a refreshing summertime cocktail, this margarita has something for everyone.
Ingredients:
- 3 tbsp Limoneira pink lemon juice
- 1 tbsp agave syrup (or sweetener of choice)
- 6 oz soda water (for mocktail)
- 4 oz gold tequila (for cocktail)
- Frozen strawberry skewer
Directions: Add liquid ingredients to medium sized glass (choose soda water or tequila), add a couple of ice cubes and stir. Salt rim if desired, and garnish with strawberry skewer and pink lemon slices and enjoy.
For a helpful demonstration, the citrus provider noted in a press release, you can watch Megan and Aaron create the recipes on the Limoneira YouTube channel and subscribe to see more videos with more wonderful recipes, tips, and tricks as they are added to the channel each Friday throughout the month.
For more fresh produce news, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
VANCOUVER, BC - Village Farms International announced it has entered into an extended agreement with Mexico-based Agroparque de Yecapixtla for another seven years. The new agreement between the two companies allows Agroparque de Yecapixtla to grow tomatoes, including specialty varieties, that are distributed under the Village Farms brand and sold to its marquee retail and foodservice partners in the United States and Canada.
“We are thrilled to build on this existing and flourishing relationship with Agroparque de Yecapixtla,” said Village Farms President and CEO Michael A. DeGiglio. “Village Farms prides itself in its ability to deliver year-round consistent quality products to its customers. This new, exclusive, long-term agreement with Agroparque de Yecapixtla further solidifies Village Farms’ value commitment to its customers. And reflecting upon our many years of operating in Mexico, we are most grateful to be associated with such a highly respected company led by the honorable Mr. Miguel.”
Located in the mountainous region of Morelos, which is known as one of the best areas for greenhouse growing in Mexico thanks to its warm days and cool nights, Agroparque de Yecapixtla’s master farmers have generations of experience growing tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers. As part of the agreement, Village Farms will continue to provide Agroparque de Yecapixtla with technical expertise in growing and packaging operation support, with two full-time Village Farms employees on site, according to a press release.
“We are pleased to commence upon this long-term agreement between Village Farms and Agroparque de Yecapixtla, a great achievement uniting not only these two companies but inaugurating the Mexican countryside as a source of reliable and quality product,” said Agroparque de Yecapixtla CEO Alfredo Miguel.
Currently, Agroparque de Yecapixtla is in the process of more than doubling its growing area to 125 acres from its current 50 acres by adding to its existing greenhouse and state of the art packaging facility built two years ago. This expansion will help the company further leverage its scale and expertise to expand into cucumbers and peppers, which will also be sold, marketed, and distributed under the agreement.
“Working with Agroparque de Yecapixtla over the past year has confirmed for us that we are aligned with a great long-term partner in Mexico who will further enhance our winter supply capabilities for our growing customer base. We look forward to accomplishing great things together in the years to come,” said Michael Minerva, SVP, Grower Relations & Supply Development for Village Farms.
To stay up-to-date on the produce industry, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
UNITED STATES - Behind the scenes, Walmart has been concocting ideas of what it will look like to shop in the future, and some of them sound like we’ve stepped into a Back to the Future reboot. Perhaps in a bid to take on an Amazon-dominated landscape, Walmart has filed several patents with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, according to CNBC. There aren’t any guarantees that these ideas will come to fruition, but they do offer a glimpse into the future of retail.
The six recently published patent filings include:
- Smart shopping carts, paired with a sensing device that could perform navigation operations.
- Wearable tracking devices that track a user’s activities. Potentially, these could be worn to improve employee productivity. (Amazon applied for a similar device in 2016.)
- In-store inventory trackers that sense when inventory is getting low and send a low stock signal. No longer would human associates check inventory levels.
- In-store drone assistance that could provide price verification and navigation assistance.
- A blockchain ledger to help customers resell products at a new price.
- Blockchain-powered delivery truck fleets, which will make deliveries easier for self-driving trucks. This technology would let these trucks into restricted areas by using “authentication-based access and encryption,” according to the patent filing.
Will this technology see the light of day in one of the nation’s largest retailers? AndNowUKnow will continue to report the latest in futuristic shopping.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Produce Moms™ is taking over the airways this week after launching its podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Play Music, Stitcher, and theproducemoms.com. In partnership with Producer Bryant Urich of The Podcasting Experiment, based in Nashville, Tennessee, The Produce Moms Podcast is focused on health and features some of the biggest influencers in produce, agriculture, wellness, and entrepreneurship discussing a variety of produce-centric topics.
“According to the latest Nielsen report on podcasting, over 60 million American households are podcast listeners and fans, so it made sense for The Produce Moms to make sure we were advocating for, and representing the produce industry on this growing platform,” said Founder and CEO Lori Taylor.
With new episodes every Wednesday, The Produce Moms invited the industry’s biggest influencers to share their stories and expertise across a wide variety of topics chosen by over 40,000 people from all 50 states and more than 30 countries in the TPM community.
“When we decided to launch our podcast series, we wanted to make sure we were catering to the issues our audience wants to know about the most,” Lori explained. “So we did some community-sourcing and the topics they suggested ran the gamut from the truth about how produce is grown, to who are the heroes of the produce world and what are their stories.”
And there’s lots to look forward to in the following episodes with guests like Lisa Helfman, Founder and CEO of Brighter Bites and Alex Jackson Berkley, granddaughter of produce icon Frieda Caplan and third-generation leader of Frieda’s Specialty Produce, in episodes 2 and 3 respectively, and Margaret D’Arrigo-Martin of Taylor Farms, Allison Kuh of Kroger, Jacly London of Good Housekeeping, and additional thought leaders from The Produce Moms’ brand partners in episodes to come. Kroger will also feature its Optup app in a testimonial-style commercial in some of the episodes.
“The Podcasting Experiment is proud to support The Produce Moms Podcast and expand our podcast network of entrepreneurs that are changing the world,” said Urich. “When The Podcasting Experiment ran across the work and story of The Produce Moms, we knew Lori would be a great fit for a Podcast Host. We look forward to supporting the show’s ongoing strategy and relishing in its eminent growth.”
According to a press release, The Produce Moms Podcast is designed to educate consumers about fresh produce, introduce them to produce brands, engage the produce industry with consumers in inspiring conversations, and promote public policy to protect and increase the availability of fresh product at American Schools. Visit www.theproducemoms.com/podcast for more information and to listen to the launch episodes. And stick with us at AndNowUKnow for produce news like this.
WATSONVILLE, CA - Hitting a milestone, figuratively and literally, this looks to be the year to dive in more than any other as everyone looks to the 5th annual Tour de Fresh. With new opportunities for riders and sponsors alike to maximize every side of the industry’s chance to get involved, there is much in store for this year’s big event.
One opportunity yet to be snatched up is sponsoring one of the dinners for the riders and participants making Tour de Fresh possible.
In sponsoring this portion of the ride, the organization would have direct exposure to an ideal audience in Tour participants like Tanimura and Antle, Taylor Farms, California Giant Berry Farms, Crunch Pak, Jazz Apples, Mission Avocados, Mann Packing, and more, along with organizers, support crew, fresh produce industry members, and media in attendance.
“As a service provider, the Tour de Fresh dinner sponsorship gives DMA Solutions the opportunity to be a part of a unique event and connect directly with our current and potential customers,” Dan’l Mackey Almy, President and CEO of DMA Solutions, Inc. tells me. “I believe this is one of the most intentional sponsorships that other service providers can be a part of, not only to get involved in a noteworthy cause, but leading up to one of the year’s most anticipated shows.”
If you are able to attend the dinner, DMA added that you would have an opportunity to highlight capabilities to those present, in addition to public relations and social media promotion to the industry, local media, and the local community at large. If you cannot, DMA is also a dinner sponsor and can speak on your behalf.
The dinner location is already selected for the first night of the ride, July 23rd, including the booking of the restaurant. All that is needed is your help to cover food and beverages for those making it possible to provide salad bars in schools for hundreds of thousands of children across the country.
And this isn’t the only way to help make a difference.
The fifth annual ride is welcoming new sponsors for its entertaining finish line festival–which offers brands the opportunity to support this year’s event like never before. By sponsoring the finish line festival, brands have a chance to sample products in a 10x10 tent, meet face-to-face with local community members and industry colleagues, gain brand exposure by reaching trade and consumer media all at once in addition to recognition as a Salad Bars to Schools donor and mention in the Tour de Fresh media outreach.
“The finish-line festival idea was born from a deep desire to make this year’s event a party as we are celebrating a huge milestone together,” commented Cindy Jewell, Vice President of Marketing at California Giant Berry Farms. “Our hope is to paint a visual for the local community and industry members that showcases what it means to be a part of the fresh produce industry–we come together and rally to support causes that have such a meaningful impact.”
While sponsoring a dinner or the festival are opportunities to take part in the Tour de Fresh event, making a donation to help fund the cost of placing a salad bar in schools is also a way to support the deeper meaning of the ride. Already supporters from inside and outside the industry have raised a total of $46,684 this year, with no sign of slowing down in the two months we have left.
Donate by clicking here, or connect with DMA Solutions for interest in either of the opportunities above to be a key part of the main event. Every dollar means one more step toward boosting children's access to produce.