MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Target has made strategic investments in its team with the implementation of expert associates in stores. According to Forbes, during a keynote session at Shop Talk in Las Vegas alongside Bill Smith, Shipt CEO, in an interview conducted by Oliver Chen, Managing Director at Cowen and Company, Target’s CEO Brian Cornell referred to this shift as one of the single biggest changes the chain has made.
“We’re investing a lot in hours, staffing, training, development, and creating experts within our stores,” Cornell said. “Because we know as we listen to our guests in certain categories, they want someone there who is an expert. When they shop Target for beauty, they want a beauty expert that they’re coming to. In apparel, they want someone who [will help them] put the whole outfit together. When they’re in a department like food and beverage, they want a food and beverage expert to interact with, let alone when they’re shopping for technology.”
Cornell expressed a desire to offer customers an opportunity to interact with knowledgeable employees in core departments, including grocery.
"Target’s idea to make [staff] into department experts is a wonderful concept—let’s see how well they execute," said Ricardo Belmar, Senior Director of Worldwide Product Marketing at InfoVista on RetailWire. "For Target, this means training thousands of associates. I once heard a Target HR VP say at a conference that their challenge with high-quality training is how to achieve 100 percent success when you have tens of thousands of associates to train."
Cornell and Smith indicated that the relationship between Shipt and Target is part of an effort to create a customer-first experience.
To follow adaptions made by retailers to meet the demands of the shrinking middle class and to attract a strong, loyal customer base, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
ROSEMONT, IL - Reports have surfaced that US Foods is near acquiring Southern California-based seafood, produce, dairy, and grocery distributor Ingardia Brothers Produce.
Sources have told Undercurrent News that Ingardia Brothers suppliers have been informed of the deal, though no official announcement has been forthcoming. Ingardia Brothers Owners Samuel and Joseph Ingardia declined to comment to Undercurrent News, as did US Foods at the time of the story's publication.
Undercurrent News noted that the deal would give US Foods access to both Ingardia Brothers $100-million-turnover business and to its 63,000-square-foot Santa Ana facility—consolidating US Foods’ presence in the region. The acquisition would be the second major investment in the Southern California market in the last year, after US Foods purchased Hawthorne, California-based FirstClass Foods last April.
US Foods followed that acquisition with a number of expansive efforts throughout the last year—among them, acquiring TOBA Inc. Distribution companies in July of 2017, expanding its Virginia distribution center in August 2017.
“We have successfully closed five acquisitions this year as we continue to focus on accretive M&A opportunities,” President and CEO Pietro Satriano said in a financial report that same month. “Continued growth with targeted customers, in combination with our portfolio of value-added services, innovative products, and enhanced digital platform, position us for success in the second half of the year.”
AndNowUKnow will continue to report on this and other fresh produce news.
YAKIMA, WA - With everything in full bloom and the sun shining on all of Mother Nature’s wonders, there’s no better season to celebrate Earth Day than spring. And with the earth-loving holiday just around the corner, Domex Superfresh Growers® is gearing up to turn all of April into Earth Month as a means to promote Superfresh Organics™ Washington-grown apples well into the summer after a record year.
“We believe that caring for the land, air, and water in our little corner of the world affects everyone on the planet. Superfresh Organics naturally fits into our orchard and growing system, and we are pleased to offer many Northwest grown organic varieties nearly year-round,” Catherine Gipe-Stewart, Communications Manager, said.
The demand for more organic produce is growing, causing the organic apple category to increase as a result. In 2017, organic apples ranked as the second highest organic fruit in dollar and volume share—up 4 percent versus previous year in dollars, and up 13 percent in volume versus previous year—with organic apples overall representing 21 percent of both dollar and volume share in the organic fruit category, according to a press release.
Grown in the heartland of Washington state where hot days and cool nights create the ideal environment for fresh and clean crunchy, juicy apples, SuperFresh Organics encourage and support consumers in their desire to buy local fresh produce that adheres to the highest standards of organics.
“We cultivate our orchards to be a biodiverse system that works in synchronization with nature. One of our most important tools for delivering fresh organic fruit is Integrated Pest Management (IPM) to manage harmful pests. Using IPM protocols, we ensure beneficial insects, such as honey bees, ladybugs, and spiders, have a rich environment to flourish and nurture our orchard environment. Superfresh growing practices allows us to cultivate fruit that our consumers can enjoy for generations to come,” Gipe-Stewart continued.
Looking for marketing material and social media kits to support Earth Day organic programs? Superfresh Growers offers content kits featuring recipes, photos, and more, so be sure to reach out to your local Superfresh Growers representative for more information, and to begin setting April Earth Day and Earth Month ads in your stores.
HERMOSILLA, MX - Rico Farms is furthering its commitment to high-quality fresh produce, announcing a new on-site microbiological testing lab at its Hermosillo ranch location. The new testing lab adds even more quality assurance to each and every point of the Rico Farms growing process, providing the company an in-depth look at all the factors that go into creating high-quality fresh produce.
“We want to have as much detailed information on our product before shipping as possible,” explains Jacobo Yanes, the company’s Operations Manager. “Increasing the frequency of testing helps us ensure that all of our preventative measures are consistently working. Our Quality Control department will be able to put product on precautionary hold at any point in the process until everything has been cleared.”
In the past, Rico Farms has used outside laboratories, but with the addition of the new lab, the company is able to dramatically increase the frequency and speed of the tests. Under the expansion, Rico Farms can administer tests on water, soil, compost, the plants, raw product, and packed product. Currently, the company is starting to perform its routine tests in-house.
“Rico Farms has always challenged themselves to continual improvement,” shares Ben Johnson, President of Bridges Produce, which is the exclusive sales partner of Rico Farms for selling its organic produce in the United States and Canada. “They are never ones to be content and decide that things are ‘good enough.’ Their decision to build a lab so that they can perform microbiological testing is just one example of how they are continually pushing themselves to achieve new levels of excellence.”
And this isn’t the only innovation Rico Farms and Bridges Produce have introduced for the 2018 season, either. Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow to see how the companies joined forces are continuing to push for better working conditions, better quality control, and better fresh produce.
SALINAS, CA - PlantTape is holding an open house on April 10th from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. in Five Points, California, to celebrate the successful transplanting of tomatoes using PlantTape, a revolutionary automated transplanting system. Experts from PlantTape are eager to share the insights they gleaned during the past years of trials and to discuss how the tomato industry can integrate the planting technology into growing operations.
The open house will grant visitors an opportunity to view 20 acres that the machine has already planted, and to evaluate its work as it plants another 20-acre plot.
“After four years and 25,000 acres of development with the PlantTape system, we are excited to showcase what we have learned and how we can apply the automated technology to the tomato industry,” stated Brian Antle, President of PlantTape. “With the availability of labor declining and hourly costs increasing, we must look to turnkey automation solutions, such as PlantTape.”
Tanimura and Antle, the parent company of PlantTape, and other commercial growers planting a variety of crops across the United States and Europe, have already employed the PlantTape system. The advanced technology, which may be adapted for most crops, plants more in less time, with less layers and fewer inputs than traditional transplanting, and achieves stronger, more uniform stands, according to a press release.
To stay in the know as innovations arise to meet the demands of a shifting labor market and produce industry, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
IRELAND and NORTHERN IRELAND - As Whole Foods—erstwhile the model for a small supplier-friendly retailer—makes strides to consolidate its supply chain without losing vendors’ good faith, Lidl appears to be pursuing the opposite tack—courting more small vendors to maximize their product assortment’s appeal. The discount retailer has introduced a new pilot program geared to help small- and middle-sized vendors “kick start” their companies’ development and stock items in the retailer’s 190 stores throughout Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The program—Lidl’s Kick Start Supplier Development Programme—was trialed last year in the Republic of Ireland with just over 50 suppliers.
"The response to last year’s program was nothing short of phenomenal,” Lima Casey, Commercial Director for Lidl Ireland and Northern Ireland, told The Irish Times. “Over 450 different products were entered, ranging from artisan chocolate chip and honeycomb sausages to gourmet marshmallows to premium granola. We want to build on that success finding up to 80 new products for this year’s promotion."
The program, according to The Irish Times, is designed to support small vendors in their efforts to grow their brand and bolster their supply network. The program currently represents a nearly £180,000 (roughly $253,400 USD) investment by Lidl and includes a series of business development classes held by Lidl panelists and industry experts aimed at covering topics such as quality control, packaging, marketing, and brand building.
Could the discount retailer apply this model to its stateside stores and capitalize on unique merchandizing opportunities as other vendors consolidate suppliers? Last week, Albertsons introduced a similar program, perhaps making overtures to vendors irked by Amazon and Whole Foods’ recent policy changes.
For updates on this and other important fresh-focused retail news, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
NEW YORK, NY - Just this month, the meal kit market has seen a flurry of activity as big-name rivals Blue Apron and HelloFresh vied for the number one spot. In an effort to return to its former glory, Blue Apron launched its meal kits in grocery stores as a new strategy to boost sales and shares. And, not one to be left behind, HelloFresh hit back last week by acquiring Boulder-based, organic-savvy Green Chef, and has since taken the lead as a result.
According to a report by Recode, HelloFresh has nabbed the top spot in the $5 billion American meal-kit market and, combined with Green Chef, now controls 36 percent of the market. Blue Apron on the other hand, saw its shares decline to 35 percent last month despite its push to rejuvenate its brand.
In 2017, Blue Apron controlled the market by 48 percent, with HelloFresh only at 24 percent. While HelloFresh steadily bolstered its company shares last year, Blue Apron’s started a downward spiral. Last year alone, HelloFresh grew its U.S. revenue 90 percent to $678 million, while Blue Apron’s only rose 11 percent to $881 million, with the overall U.S. meal kit market increasing its sales by 40.7 percent.
Recode also notes that due to Blue Apron’s warehouse and customer retention struggles, even if HelloFresh had not added Green Chef to its arsenal, the Berlin-based company still would have surpassed Blue Apron.
Will HelloFresh keep its spot as number one or will Blue Apron finally revive its name and have the numbers return to its side? AndNowUKnow will continue to report as the story unfolds.
FLORIDA - As Florida’s peach crop approaches its peak, the Florida Specialty Crop Foundation (FSCF), non-profit organization of the Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association, is ramping up attention for retailers to maximize the benefits of the season’s brief window.
Sonia Tighe, Executive Director, took the time to discuss the season with me.
“We have been promoting to the retailers in March prior to our peak period in April,” Sonia explains. “To reach consumers, we have a Facebook page to keep them posted that the crop will be coming and to ask their retailers for it.”
Available early April through mid-May, the crop is looking good and on track. The FSCF started its grant for this particular program in 2017, which Sonia says is the first time there was any overall industry promotion.
The Florida peach is tree-ripened with tremendous flavor, and Sonia explains that consumers who participated in sampling provided very positive feedback about the fruit.
While Hurricane Irma posed concern, Sonia says that, for the majority of the growers, the trees survived and the unusual cold weather Florida experienced helped with the chill hours the trees needed.
Al Finch of Florida Classic Growers also told me that Mother Nature has been kind to the peaches after testing growers over the last couple of seasons.
“We are excited about the upcoming Florida peach season. As far as volume is concerned, we lost some crops from weather incidents the last couple of years and are now looking to rebound this season. The peaches have received good chill hours this year, which in turn is going to produce a higher yielding crop. We anticipate our volume to be more than the previous season. Demand continues to increase each year as the message gets out about these delicious 'ready-to-eat' peaches, full of great flavor and taste,” Al tells me.
He also explains that Florida peach season begins as Chile wraps up their season, and the Florida season finishes before Georgia, South Carolina, or California peaches kick off theirs, historically.
“Having an exclusive marketing window during the month of April and the first week of May, allows us to fill in the gap in the marketplace,” he shares.
The week of April 9th we will see volume pick up, with peak weeks falling between April 16 and May 12th. However, the ready-to-eat peaches will be available through the week of May 21st.
“We were pleasantly surprised at the retail reaction. We focused heavily on in-store sampling last year, which yielded tremendous results,” Sonia tells me. “The Florida peach crop has a unique market window from mid-March to May. It is literally ready-to-eat when the consumer purchases it.”
Don’t miss your chance at the brief window for this stonefruit staple, just in time for consumers shopping with Spring Fever!
Florida Specialty Crop Foundation Florida Classic Growers Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association
PEBBLE BEACH, CA - With a new fiscal year came a new Board of Directors and Chairman for the California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA). During the group’s 82nd Annual Meeting in Pebble Beach, California, Randy Giumarra of Giumarra Vineyards was elected as Chairman of the Board for the 2018/19 fiscal year as Harold McClarty of HMC Farms completed his two years of service.
The Association’s Board, comprised of 46 men and women from operations located from as far south as Coachella Valley to as far north as Lake County, meets three times a year to take action on regulatory and legislative issues at the state, federal, and international levels. The organization's officers are nominated to serve for a one-year period and are selected by a committee of past Board Chairs. According to a press release, the full slate of new officers included:
- CHAIR: Randy Giumarra (Giumarra Vineyards) - Bakersfield-based fresh grape and treefruit shipper
- FIRST VICE CHAIR: Kevin Herman (The Specialty Crop Company) - Madera-based fresh fig, pomegranate, and persimmon shipper
- SECOND VICE CHAIR: Wayde Kirschenman (Kirschenman Enterprises) – Kern County-based diversified farming operation
- SECRETARY/TREASURER: Louis Pandol (Pandol Bros., Inc.) - Delano-based fresh grape shipper
Stepping down after two years of service as Chairman is Harold McClarty of HMC Farms, who the Association graciously thanked for his tenure.
Also garnering a share of the spotlight during the meeting was Kathleen Nave, President/CEO of The California Table Grape Commission, who was awarded the Association’s prestigious Mentor’s Award. Given to an individual who has demonstrated exceptional dedication to the fresh grape, berry, and treefruit communities, Nave has demonstrated herself as a perfect candidate. Nave has overseen strong commodity growth for the California table grape industry during her 19 years as President.
Before joining industry members at the meeting, the Association hosted two keynote speakers at the Annual Industry Workshop: Hector Barajas, partner at MBA Communications, and Bill Bishop, Chief Architect and Co-Founder of Brick Meets Click. The Association reported that both speakers delivered passionate messages about issues that are impacting the future of California agriculture and what our industry must do to be prepared.
Congratulations to Randy and Kathleen, as well as all those honored by CFFA this week, and for more on issues affecting California’s rich fresh produce industry, continue learning with us here at AndNowUKnow.
MURRIETA, CA - West Pak Avocado has officially unveiled a new company video and welcomed its audience inside the world of the much beloved avocado—through the eyes of the company’s “Avocado Family.” The company’s Growing a Ripe Legacy documentary celebrates its rich heritage as the film follows the seed-to-store journey of West Pak avocados.
"Developing a video that defines West Pak and our Avocado Family was a year in the making,” said Co-Founder Galen Newhouse, in a press release. “With efforts spanning from our headquarters in Murrieta, California, to Michoacán, Mexico, the production involved creating never-before-seen footage inside of our facilities and with members of our team. Our goal was to show the depth of our operations, the heart of our team, and the lengths West Pak takes as a company to provide our customers with the finest fruit globally.”
According to the company’s press release, Growing a Ripe Legacy documents the heart of the West Pak organization and its key stakeholders and employees. The video starts with the humble beginnings of West Pak founders Galen Newhouse and Randy Shoup and records the progression they have made in 35 years of business—all while standing behind their core values, people, culture, innovation, and commitment to avocado growth.
West Pak’s goal, as outlined in the new corporate video, is to continue the company’s commitment to growing industry relationships, new ventures in global markets, industry innovation, and continued branding for the avocado. The video’s release comes as Newhouse and Shoup prepare to step back from their original roles and hand the reins over to CEO Mario Pacheco—a former executive with Chiquita Banana—who will take over the day-to-day operations of the company, while its founders continue to spearhead various aspects of business development and serve on West Pak’s Board of Directors.
In addition to celebrating the legacy for the company’s founders, West Pak’s video also serves as a foundation that reinforces the company's "Avocado Family" theme and expand upon the organization's dedication to innovation, growers, and global expansion.
The trailer for Growing a Ripe Legacy debuted at the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fresh Summit in New Orleans on October 20, 2017. The full-length video is currently available on the company website and YouTube.