ROSEMONT, IL - US Foods Holding Corp. has announced that Sunil Gupta, Edward W Carter Professor of Business Administration at Harvard Business School, was appointed to the company’s Board of Directors beginning this month.
“Sunil is among the most sought-after experts in how technology is shaping business strategies in the digital era,” said Pietro Satriano, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer in a recent press release. “His experience working with companies across a variety of industries, in addition to the breadth and depth of his marketing insight, will bring a unique expertise to our board.”
Gupta joined Harvard Business School in 2006—where he served as the Chair of the General Management Program for Senior Executives, the Co-Chair of the Driving Digital Strategy Executive Program, and the Chair of the Marketing Department—after holding several positions at the Columbia University Graduate School of Business, including serving as the Meyer Feldberg Professor of Business. In addition to his roles in academia, Gupta has served on the advisory boards of several start-ups including the board of the American Marketing Association.
“We’re excited to welcome Sunil to the board as an independent director,” said Robert Dutkowsky, Chairman of the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. “His leadership in digital strategy and marketing will be a tremendous asset.”
Gupta received his Bachelor of Technology in Mechanical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, his Master of Business Administration from the Indian Institute of Management, and his Doctorate in Marketing from Columbia University.
To stay in the know on produce industry appointments, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
CALIFORNIA - A storm system headed toward the California coast could bring relief to the rapidly drying region—and also snowfall that could hamper travel throughout the state.
Recent bouts of rainfall throughout Southern California and in the mountains have alleviated drought conditions in areas including Santa Barbara, San Diego, and Los Angeles, according to an AccuWeather report, and this week’s wet weather could see normalcy return to portions of California.
The Weather Channel has reported that parts of the state’s central valley will likely recent an inch or more of rain, and the coastal ranges and lower Sierra Nevada mountains will also experience significant rainfall—as much as five inches of rain.
Meanwhile, heavy snowfall is expected to impact travel—particularly along the important Donner Pass section of Interstate 80. Several feet of snow are expected to accumulate throughout the week—with as many as seven feet anticipated at high elevation.
While short-term delays in transportation are expected, the rain and snow is expected to be a boon for the state's water supply—after below average rain- and snow-fall for several months.
For more on this important growing region, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
BRANFORD and PALATKA, FL - L&M’s Florida farming season is in full swing, and this year the company is seeing four times more organic production thanks to a growing program on two of its company-owned farms.
“We have made great progress on our organic program and are as proud of our attention to detail and exceptional quality on organics as we are on our conventional products. So far this year we have produced some very nice organic broccoli, cabbage, and kale; and we look forward to beginning harvest of beets, peppers, cucumbers, and squash in the coming weeks,” said Adam Lytch, Operations Manager, in a press release.
Over the years, L&M has worked hard to bolster its certified organic farming and packing program to the same caliber as its other farming programs, including sustainability and food safety. With organic broccoli, green and red cabbage, and kale already in the works in Palatka, FL, L&M will be adding red and golden beets and cauliflower into the mix this year as well. And, in Branford, FL, L&M is planning to expand its organic bell peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, and butternut and spaghetti squash offerings.
“Organics is an exciting space to move into with continued growth and popularity. Year after year, consumption of organic fruits and vegetables is increasing, and we are excited to be able to meet our customers’ needs with East Coast production. With the recent truck shortage our customers have found it valuable to be able to load their organic and conventional items together—without giving up the valuable shelf life that large cross-dock programs often bring,” added Greg Cardamone, General Manager of Vegetables.
Along with increased organic farming, L&M has also developed new purple organic packaging, displayed on the latest new organic broccoli and cauliflower bags and tags, butt tags for organic cabbage, 3 lb mesh sweet potato bags, and hard squash labels.
For more of the latest in produce, keep checking back with AndNowUKnow.
GREENSBORO, NC – Publix Super Markets may be expanding its distribution capacity in an effort to continue the company’s northward expansion. The Greensboro-based News & Record reported this week that the retailer is considering a $400 million regional distribution center.
“We are currently evaluating several potential sites, including a site in Greensboro,” Publix told the news source in a written statement. “As with all potential sites, we are in the process of conducting our due diligence, which does include pursuing available incentives.”
The proposed 1.8 million-square-foot facility would sit on roughly 350 acres in eastern Greensboro, North Carolina, and would be one of the largest distribution centers in the Piedmont Triad.
Publix has reportedly requested $17.7 million in incentives and $3 million in infrastructure spending to accommodate the new facility. And the News & Record reported that the city council will hold a public hearing to entertain the request on March 20th.
The News & Record also noted that the company intends to petition to annex the property involved into the Greensboro city limits. When completed, the expansion could bring as many as 1,000 jobs to the Greensboro-area and be a significant economic boon to the city.
“When it’s annexed, it will be in District 1,” Mayor Nancy Vaughan told the News & Record. “These are high-quality jobs that will pay above the median income,” she said. “I can’t remember the last time we talked about an incentive for 1,000 jobs.”
For more on dynamic companies in fresh produce retail, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
SANTA PAULA, CA – The month of March has crept up quickly, but here we are at the end of Limoneira's first financial quarter. After this first big bite out of 2018, the company is announcing its financial results for the first quarter of fiscal 2018.
The company’s net revenue made a big jump this year—12 percent to be exact—coming in at $31.6 million, whereas last year, it came in at $28.1 million during the same quarter.
“We are pleased with our first quarter fiscal 2018 results, generating consolidated revenue growth of 12 percent and positive EBITDA in a seasonal soft quarter. Our core citrus business is performing consistent with plan, and we are encouraged by the early results from our strategic alliance with Suntreat, which is advancing our competitiveness in the orange and specialty citrus category. We continue to seek new avenues to build upon our One World Citrus™ marketing program and improve the availability of fresh citrus to our growing ranks of global customers,” said President and Chief Executive Officer Harold Edwards.
Another gain seen by the company is in its agribusiness sector, which saw an increase from last year’s $26.8 million during the first quarter to the $30.3 million this year during the same time frame. The company reported in a recent press release that this is due to higher prices and volume of fresh lemons sold, in addition to oranges and other specialty citrus during the same time of fiscal 2017.
Lemon sales amounted to $27.8 million for agribusiness revenue during the first quarter of fiscal year 2018, while last year’s lemon sales’ were $26 million.
Orange revenue also spiked, up from last year’s $.5 million during the first quarter to this year’s $1.3 million.
“We are updating our fiscal 2018 EPS guidance to reflect the reduction in our federal corporate income tax rate. We continue to remain confident in our core fundamental business drivers and are excited about the prospects of our real estate venture, Harvest at Limoneira, which is in the midst of the important lot bidding process. We are on schedule with Harvest at Limoneira and expect to begin generating cash flow at the beginning of fiscal 2019.”
According to the press release, the company's financial results are as follows:
- For the first quarter of Fiscal 2017 and Fiscal 2018, rental operations revenue came in at $1.3 million
- Costs and expenses for the company came in at $33.3 million for this year’s first quarter, up from $31.1 million last year; the company attributed the majority of this to the hike in costs and expenses for agribusiness
- The company reported that its EDITDA dropped from last year’s $1.3 million to this year’s $0.2 million during the first quarter of the fiscal years
For more detailed information on how the company’s financials fared in the midst of mother nature’s indecisiveness, check out the press release here.
For more fresh produce news, keep checking back with us at AndNowUKnow!
NEW YORK, NY - Weight Watcher (WW) International announced that as part of its WW Healthy Kitchen™ collection, the company is working with fresh food industry innovator FreshRealm, LLC, to create and distribute convenient, healthy, quick-prep meal kits.
The new collection includes various products, content, and experiences, all aimed at making healthy cooking and eating easier, both at home and on the go, according to a recent press release. The collection will be available—alongside individual products—at retailers in the second half of 2018.
"At WW, our goal is to be a partner to everyone on their pursuit toward healthier living," said Mindy Grossman, President and CEO of Weight Watchers. "We know people today need the tools, inspiration, and community to develop healthy habits in their day-to-day lives. Whether through a collection of delicious and satisfying recipes, custom WW kitchen tools, or fresh, quick-prep meal kits, we are delivering the solutions that make healthy eating and cooking accessible, easier, and simpler for all."
In addition to the meal kits, the WW Healthy Kitchen line will include branded tools and products developed with Gibson Overseas, Inc. and WW Freestyle™ inspired recipes curated by new WW member and brand ambassador Chef Eric Greenspan.
"For generations, our mission at Gibson has been to provide customized solutions," said Sal Gabbay, CEO of Gibson Overseas, Inc. "It's powerful to know by partnering with WW to develop this distinct and superior line of products and tools, we will make a significant impact on people's lives. These products are simple, convenient, and specifically tailored to help people eat healthier on their journey to health."
With the meal kits, WW and FreshRealm hope to make healthy cooking accessible to everyone, even those who live busy lives.
"There has been a shift in what people demand as it relates to the food they consume; people are busier so they want convenience, but they also desire fresh foods—whether they are on-the-go or at home with their family," said Michael Lippold, Founder & CEO of FreshRealm. "We're working closely with WW to deliver on all these points with a distinguished product line of healthy and delicious quick-prep meals."
To stay in the know on meal kit trends, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
WENATCHEE, WA - January was the month for Honeycrisp apples, with the variety making up nearly a quarter of U.S. apple sales, according to Stemilt’s latest Fruit Tracker Fast Facts video analysis of Nielsen retail scan data. Accounting for 24.1 percent of U.S. apple sales—an increase of 10.8 percent year-over-year—Honeycrisp continues to catch consumers' eyes and earn its share of the apple sales pie.
“The trend of growth in both volume and dollar sales of Honeycrisp continued as we welcomed the new year. This is due to increased national supplies of Honeycrisp in the 2017 apple crop, but also great consumer demand for this favorite variety. The average retail price of Honeycrisp in January 2018 was $2.46, or 50.9 percent higher than the average retail price for all apples ($1.63). Even with its success story, the increases in Honeycrisp were not enough to reverse a downward year-over-year trend on apple sales and volume,” said Brianna Shales, Communications Manager, in a press release.
In January 2018, apples made up 6 percent of total produce department sales—down from last year’s 6.8 percent—with Gala (25.9% share), Honeycrisp (16%), Fuji (13.2%), Granny Smith (10.8%), and Red Delicious (10.7%) taking the top 5 spots of apple volume on shelves. The Central region beat the U.S. average and led other regions with 6.8 percent of its produce dollars coming from apples. Approximately 57.6 percent of apples were sold bulk while the remaining 42.4 percent fell under the bag category. Bags are up 2.6 percent when compared to January 2017—due to smaller fruit size and tight supplies on bulk.
“The three-pound bag continues to be the top avenue for bag sales,” Shales continued. “Six out of every ten bag purchases are in this weight while five-pound bags rank second. In a crop with more opportunities on bags than bulk, it’s important that retailers look towards larger package sizes, like three and five pounds, to drive volume sales of apples.”
Shales also stated that Stemilt’s existing Lil Snappers® 3 lb pouch bag program has been a great merchandising avenue for retailers this year because of its ability to market intent to parents looking to buy healthy, kid-sized foods for their children’s lunches and snacks. The brand has great distribution in the U.S. and Canada and has been a big promotion driver at retail.
“Spring is a still a great season for apple promotions. In fact, apples made up 6.3 percent of total produce sales in the U.S. in March 2017,” Shales said. “It’s important for retailers to continue executing multi-variety apple ads at least once a month. Focus bagged apple promotion opportunities around brands like Lil Snappers and Artisan Organics™ to drive both volume sales and shopper loyalty.”
With spring just weeks away, Stemilt is planning organic Earth Day (April 22) and festive Piñata® Apple Cinco de Mayo (May 5) ads with its retail partners. The company saw its long-time leadership in organic apples increase in the 2017 crop with orchards completing the three-year transition to organics. The company has many merchandising options for its Artisan Organics apples, including a new five-pound organic Apple Lover pouch bags designed to increase organic purchase size.
And for those retailers hoping to kick off Cinco de Mayo promotions the right way, Stemilt is supporting Piñata apple promotions during the celebration with an exciting digital program to reach Millennial and Gen Z shoppers via food influencers and some of its favorite food channels on social media.
For more produce industry news like this, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
SAN JUAN, TX - Just about everything tastes better with the crisp, savory, and fragrant addition of onions—from its irresistible punch when diced and tossed into homemade salsas to the perfectly layered rings that sit atop our barbecued patties during hot summer festivities. Lucky for us, Rio Fresh has much to offer supermarkets throughout its home state of Texas and beyond.
When I gave salesperson Courtney Schuster Moore a ring one Tuesday afternoon, I was welcomed by a fun chat with part of the family. Courtney, her brother, Sales Manager Taylor Schuster, and her father, Grower Fred Schuster, filled me in on how onion season is shaping up, as well as the company’s plans for the upcoming season.
The full line of onions is looking great, and Fred assures me that the Lone Star Sweet 1015 harvest is going especially well. Seasonality for this onion variety is just revving up; the company cut its first field the day of our chat, which was toward the end of February.
“The onions right now look very good. They’ve gone through a long, cold winter, which was a little unusual for us, but they came through it very well. Now that we are starting to get warmer weather, we’re really starting to see them bulb and grow. We are actually starting to knife our first field of onions today,” Fred shares, explaining that all of its Texas onions are grown, hand-picked, and packaged by the family-run company.
With a bountiful harvest in the works out of Tampico, Mexico, and, come the first week of March, Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, I ask them how shipments of the company’s Texas onions can boost sales for retailers.
“We have been working on branding and special packaging that emphasizes that these onions are homegrown in Texas. Our Lone Star Sweet is our signature Texas 1015 sweet onion. We’re focusing on high-graphic consumer bags, boxes, and packaging that highlight they’re the sweet Texas onions that people love to enjoy in the spring,” Courtney explains, before expanding on the special touch the family puts in every shipment. “Our operations are on the land that we have been farming for over 75 years, so quality is very personal for us.”
Retailers throughout the country who have this springtime favorite to offer their consumers will find that merchandising the juicy and sweet onion variety is as easy as remembering a favorite springtime pastime: barbecues with friends and family. The three recommend that retailers pair their Lone Star Sweet onion with hamburger necessities for easy BBQ party pick-ups.
“We’ll be starting our Lone Star Sweet 1015 in Texas stores the first week of March,” Taylor tells me. “Springtime rolls around, and everyone is outside barbecuing. I think it’s great to have a delicious sweet onion to top a BBQ sandwich.”
Those looking to tap into Rio Fresh’s sweet onions this spring can get their hands on the variety through mid-June, Taylor adds.
As we make our way into longer days, Rio Fresh is bringing the tastes of its Texas sweet onion to those throughout the nation, reminding consumers of how great life tastes when matched with the variety’s fresh crunch.
DINUBA, CA - This spring is bringing a treat to pair with the love that is in full bloom. Suntreat is debuting this season’s Suki Mandarins, which is the first time the company’s Suki crop will be available in promotable volumes.
The Sukis, which translates to “love,” are brought to perfection, the company said, with the extra care it puts into its growth, which can be seen in the reaction consumers have when they peel away the flesh and bite into the juicy flavor. This variety in the company’s citrus family is available through May, offering a tasty final bow to this citrus season.
“At Suntreat, we put in the extra time and care into making sure that Suki Mandarins are the best tasting and highest quality Golden Nuggets on the market,” said Director of Marketing Brett Burdsal, in a recent press release. “Because we handle Sukis with the gentle care that you would provide for something as delicate as stonefruit, the flavor and shelf-life of the product surpasses anything else you see on the market.”
Suntreat’s crop was plucked from its trees on March 6th and is shipping to retailers next week. At the start of the harvesting process, Suki Mandarins are positioned in small field totes that protect the fruit, as opposed to large harvest bins that are typically used. The rind gets toughened when the Suki Mandarins are delivered to the packing house when they are cured and held for a few days, ultimately preventing break down.
Suntreat runs its Suki Mandarins through its Sumo Citrus line, where the fresh fruit is hand-packed instead of machine-packed so as to use a softer process on the produce, bringing retailers a better quality item to sell.
“Last year, when we started handling the Sukis differently, we immediately noticed we were yielding a better product with greater taste and a longer shelf-life. How we pick, how we pack—it all leads to a stronger flavor and superior shelf-life, making Suki Mandarins stand out among the crowd,” said Daniel Kass, Vice President of Sales and Business Development.
Packaging for Suki Mandarins is taking a note from its sister citrus, Sumo Citrus, with a fresh design consisting of a high graphic and bold colors that reflect the similarities between the two, while staying true to the Suntreat family look. The effect is an eye-catching look that stands out on the shelf. Retailers looking for more signage to draw additional attention to the added citrus need look no further—the company has a 10-inch round sign with details on Suki Mandarins and other retailer information for every fifteenth half-bushel box and 2- and 3-lb bag.
“We’re really excited about it to be able to show off the new look for Suki. We think the name is going to ring true, the box is going to pop, and the taste is going to be second only to our Sumo Citrus,” Brett continued. “With the California mandarin season coming to an end, Sukis are the grand finale and last big burst of flavor in the produce department until Summer flavors roll in. Next to Sumos, Sukis are by far the most requested and memorable fruit we grow and a way to finish with a big bang.”
This addition to Suntreat’s citrus lineup carries on in the tradition of the company’s other, more established varieties like Sumos and Zunas, as it delivers innovative craft citrus and excellent flavor from California roots to nationwide plates.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA – Dole® Food Company has introduced a line of seasoned coleslaw kits. The new line includes the following:
- Dole Sweet Apple Slawesome!™ Kit
- Dole Mango Sriracha Slawesome! Kit
- Dole Fiesta Lime Slawesome! Kit
- Dole Smoky BBQ Slawesome! Kit
The products, which the company said in a press release are a mix of shredded mixed cabbage and carrots with original Dole dressing and an instant seasoning pack, leverage the growing consumer appeal of coleslaw and establish coleslaws with an additional punch of flavor as a new product category for the company.
"Dole is continuously striving to deliver product innovation for customers and their shoppers and we think these Slawsomes kits establish a new category within the industry for seasoned coleslaw kits,” Bil Goldfield, Director of Corporate Communications, recently shared with me. “The unique flavors of these kits not only complement a variety of foods—both vegetarian and meat protein—but the range of flavors makes them more of a year-round product line than current coleslaws."
These products join Dole’s other coleslaw kits:
- Dole Creamy Coleslaw Kit
- Dole Colorful Coleslaw
- Dole Angel Hair Coleslaw
- Dole Shredded Carrots
- Dole Shredded Red Cabbage
- Dole Shredded Lettuce
The new, flavorful kits pair well with pork, poultry, and fish; but may also be used as a topping on soups and stews or in a sandwich. The product packaging includes flavor-specific pairings, topping ideas, and a link to Dole’s recipe library.
To stay in the know on new product launches in the produce industry, keep reading AndNowUKnow.