BENTONVILLE, AK - Walmart has launched a new app, in partnership with Silicon Valley tech start-ups Even and PayActiv streamlining the idiom “time is money.” The new launch, which the retailer described as an industry-first tool, allows more than 1.4 million employees accross the nation to cultivate financial wellness and even access their check pre-pay day.
“Traditional approaches to workforce well-being often focus solely on physical health, but we know from listening to our associates that financial well-being is just as important. We’re investing to give our people financial tools that help provide more stability in their lives, which we believe will empower them to be all they can be when they are at work serving our customers,” said Jacqui Canney, Walmart Chief People Officer.
Available to all Walmart, Sam’s Club, and Walmart e-commerce employees when it launches, the Even app connects to checking accounts, prepaid accounts, or Walmart Associate Paycards securely while linking to Walmart's payroll systems.
Expenses will automatically subtract from a user’s anticipated cash inflows, allowing associates to see exactly how much money they’re okay to spend. Associates will access the tools through the Even app, available for both iOS and Android devices, according to a press release. Unexpected expenses? Employees can now access earned wages ahead of schedule using an “Instapay” feature. Trouble mapping out room for spending around bills and savings? This looks to help Walmart workers automatically do so.
“Money management is something people across every income level struggle with, in large part because they don’t have access to good tools,” said Jon Schlossberg, CEO of Even. “In real life, if you want to get ahead, you’ve got to make a financial plan, and also have a way to fix the plan when it breaks. Even offers tools for both, together in one app. Working with Walmart and PayActiv gives us the opportunity to put these powerful, easy-to-use financial management tools in the hands of millions of hard working Americans."
Not only do the companies say the technology will cut out the work of figuring out how much money is okay to spend, but it should also provide the flexibility needed to avoid overdrafts, high-fee funding, or credit options.
“Every American worker faces unexpected and stressful between-paychecks expenses,” said Safwan Shah, Founder and CEO of PayActiv. “With on-demand access to earned wages, Walmart associates will be able to save more, avoid the financial traps that reduce their take-home pay, and get a level of stability that few service sector employers provide.”
Walmart said that it will cover the entire cost of Even’s automated financial management tool for both hourly and salaried associates, ensuring associates can use Instapay up to eight times per year for free. Associates can use the program more frequently if needed, in which case the retailer would subsidize the additional Even subscription required to do so.
The latest in a slew of financial- and tech-related moves, AndNowUKnow will continue to report on this developing strategy.
WESTERN CANADA – There is a new face around the towns of Western Canada, and its not your run-of-the-mill new neighbor experience. FreshCo, a discount food chain, is moving into Western Canadian neighborhoods next year. This is a move by its parent company, Sobeys Inc., as it plays catch up with its competitors who have stepped into the low-cost food retail arena.
"The absence of a large discount banner put us at a structural disadvantage," Michael Medline, Chief Executive Officer of Sobeys and Empire, told an analyst conference call on Wednesday according to The Globe and Mail. "Discount grocery is the fastest growing segment of the bricks-and-mortar market…We need to participate to a greater degree in this higher-growth segment."
While the majority of the changes will take place over the coming four years, Empire Co. Ltd., the umbrella company under which Sobeys and Safeway reside, has its eyes set on transitioning 65 of its 255 of the two retailers' stores in Western Canada to the discount chain locations.
FreshCo is not a new face to every customer, as it has an established consumer base in Ontario. The movement to Western territory has been long in the making, but the retailer has gone through some difficulties along the way, including the anti-climactic financial results of its Safeway takeover in Western Canada for $5.8 billion in 2013.
Sobeys is welcoming more discount stores to challenge competitors’ perception of high prices. Project Sunrise, the company’s attempt to realign its operations in the coming months, is another way it is tackling the evolving market.
Estimates for minimum wage costs show up to $25 million in 2018 and $70 million the following year, a financial offset the company is already weighing. That being said, hope FreshCo could pervade the discount market, which currently makes up 40.5 percent of Canada’s $100 billion+ food retail market, is the next strategic step. On top of that, FreshCo is ranked the sixth discount banner in the country, according to Medline in the same article.
While looking to new and improved tactics to highlight its low pricing, FreshCo is offering a word to the wise, too, as Medline expressed in the same article that Sobeys will be altering offerings based on consumers’ tastes and surrounding communities.
AndNowUKnow will continue to keep you up-to-date with the latest!
WOODRIDGE, IL – Sunfarm Food Service is a company that prides itself on hard work and dedication, and when time came to look for an ERP software solution provider, they wanted to select a company that could optimize the solid business they had built in the St. Louis area over the last 90 years. They selected Produce Pro Software.
“Our goal is to get to know a company from the ground up and really understand their business when presenting a tailored solution to best fit their needs,” explain Marc Hatfield, National Sales Manager at Produce Pro Software, in a press release.
Sunfarm needed a software solutions provider that could work with them throughout the entire implementation process to provide the highest level of customer service and support.
“I first met Marc Hatfield of Produce Pro Software, at a trade show. Even though one of our competitors was already using Produce Pro, it’s the system we had our eye on. There were several things I was impressed with throughout the sales process as well as implementation. I can’t speak enough of how fantastic it was for Produce Pro to ask the right questions and learn our business. They even came out to our facility to see our operation first hand before we made our decision,” commented John Pollaci. “Produce Pro dedicated an entire team to ensure our implementation ran smoothly. I could not be more impressed with the level of professionalism of their staff, and believe it or not, they made it fun! The whole process before going live with the new system was great and made for a very smooth transition.”
Produce Pro noted in is press release, that the benefits that Sunfarm reaped from pairing with the software provider include:
- Better inventory visibility
- Increased system speed and flexibility
- Robust reporting and exporting
“Thus far, Produce Pro has exceeded our expectations, and we look forward to keeping that momentum going,” added Pollaci. “Next up, we are implementing Produce Pro’s Driver Solution which will help us realize a huge reduction in paper usage and additional costs.”
For more on companies that service the fresh produce industry and opportunities to improve operations, check in with AndNowUKnow.
RIO RICO, AZ - In the wise words of Texas’s Charles Goodnight, “Above all things, the plainsman had to have a sense – an instinct for direction... Few men have this instinct... I never had a compass in my life. I was never lost.” Similar to Goodnight’s instinct for direction when traversing the land, SunFed has shown an instinct in its company’s direction by expanding with meticulousness into its new category, onions, and by making its long-anticipated journey back into U.S. production.
Joining me to discuss the company’s forward thinking and expansive growth is CEO Craig Slate and Vice President of Operations Matt Mandel, as SunFed evolves its focus to include a new onion product line set to roll out in early 2018.
When I ask about the team’s newest item in the company’s product line, Matt explains to me, “SunFed is going to be handling traditional white, red, Spanish yellow, sweet yellow onions across the portfolio of products. They fit really well with what we currently provide, on multiple levels.”
As the company makes strides into this produce territory, the new category seems a fitting addition and a natural next step in their established produce line, which includes bell peppers, squash, and more.
Craig shares in the sentiment and adds that the company’s items work to its incoming category’s advantage, especially where their biggest markets are concerned.
“All of those can be cross-merchandised together. They all complement each other and the style of category. Bell peppers and our squashes are great sauté items. We do a lot for the retail throughout Texas. That’s a big area of penetration for us on the veg items,” he tells me.
While news of the company’s expansion into a new category is exciting, what makes the company’s movement into onions so monumental is SunFed’s simultaneous step back onto U.S. soil. Onion production will start off on Mexican land at the start of the year before being transitioned to the company’s Texas farms come springtime.
“We’re going to start with Mexican production, but it’s not all coming from Mexico, which is going to be slightly different for some veg. It’s been over a decade since we have grown domestically. So, this is going to be our dramatic and triumphant return to domestic products. We will be starting the earliest onions out of Mexico in January. That will carry us into the domestic production which will start mid-to-late March” Craig explains.
With so much excitement swirling around this news, the company has already begun to plan retail promotions, though it wants to get its feet firmly planted in the category before extensively mapping out and announcing impending moves. First things first for the company: creating a quality category that aligns itself alongside the other successful produce items it has to offer consumers. With that being said, these movements in the company’s production give credence to the idea that its instinctual moves lead to its successes. Perhaps nothing proves this more than SunFed’s U.S. homecoming.
“We’ve seen growth over the last couple of years, but we are anticipating accelerated growth through our Texas division. If you look at our normal annual production on squash and cucumbers—we’ve already seen those segments ramp up. Going into 2018, we’ve got a higher percentage of production coming from Central and Eastern Mexico, which supports that Texas facility much more so,” Craig tells me. “As a company overall, we’ve really seen continued growth, but probably more at an accelerated rate through the Texas facility. We’re starting to hit our stride on that three-year plan as to where we want to be over the next five-to-eight years.”
With so much on the expansive horizon, the company’s navigation of the industry with instinctual and natural determination for success continues to show steadfast growth. We at AndNowUKnow look forward to seeing how its category growth and the onset of U.S. production push SunFed’s story forward with more achievements.
WENATCHEE, WA — The first commercial release of USA-grown KORU® apples comes just in time for the holiday season, with flavor and size perfect for holiday shoppers craving crisp, sweet, and naturally delicious apples.
“We’re excited to be part of the KORU family and to work with these other two great companies,” said Chelan Fresh Director of Marketing, Mac Riggan, who noted that 2017 is the first year the company has participated in marketing the new KORU variety with New York Apple Sales and Oneonta Starr.
New Zealand’s season runs from May through September, and the New York crop was harvested right on cue in late September–a month earlier than Washington’s November harvest–which allowed the fruit to hit the market in October.
“We had a great start in October and were able to keep one of our retailers from gapping between New Zealand and U.S. fruit,” Jim Allen, Vice President of Marketing for New York Apple Sales, said in a press release.
New York Apple Sales, Oneonta Starr Ranch, and Chelan Fresh are collaborating on the KORU project, and all report positive findings–with consumer feedback reveling the apple variety’s “Escape Ordinary” flavor profile and characteristics–of the fruit that has risen to the fourth most popular new variety spot in the United States this past summer.
“This is really a great apple, one of my favorites,” said Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers National Marketing Representative Bruce Turner. “It’s interesting that it’s a naturally pollinated cross of Fuji and Braeburn found in New Zealand and yet it tastes like neither parent. In response, consumer feedback has been amazing, and we receive quite a few emails from consumers who tell us how much they love KORU.”
With the KORU apple variety off to a good start and distributing to over 11,000 stores across the U.S. and Canada, retailers and buyers alike should keep their eyes peeled for KORU in 27-pound euro cartons and 2-pound pouch bags now available. And with production in both New Zealand and USA gearing up as young trees mature, the apple variety will soon be available year-round beginning in 2019.
For more on fresh produce from near and far, stay up-to-date with AndNowUKnow.
New York Apple Sales Chelan Fresh Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers
MIAMI, FL - We are completely immersed in the greens and reds of the holiday season. In Dave’s Specialty Imports’ case, it’s the ruby red line-up of luscious berries. The company has welcomed organic cherries from its farm in Argentina for the first time, bringing the program to market for a few short weeks in December.
“It is a very unique program and available for just a few short weeks. We are thrilled to offer it and hope it really gives an added benefit to our customers,” said company Vice President Leslie Simmons.
This is not the only holiday red the family-owned operation is offering, having planted strawberries on 100 acres in central Florida for the first time this year as well.
“The quality and appearance has been outstanding and the flavor is spot on,” said Mike Bowe, President. According to a press release, Dave’s has started shipping high-quality fruit to retail and foodservice customers in 1 lb clamshells. He continued, “This has been a wonderful opportunity for us to continue to build out a stronger domestic program to complement our Mexican strawberries.”
Rounding out the flushed lineup are Chilean red currants, which are especially sought after around the holiday season and pomegranate arils—in flat trays from India and 4.4 oz and 8 oz cups from Peru will start up in January.
Both make their return as popular winter items to the Dave’s import offerings, so keep an eye out as you look to add a splash of red to your produce department.
SANTA PAULA, CA – As the Southern California fires continue, Limoneira is reporting probable minimal damage to its properties. Financially, the company anticipates exceptional revenue and operating income for fiscal year 2017. Just what supported the company’s thriving endeavors this year?
"We believe we will achieve record revenue and operating profit in fiscal 2017 despite the delayed timing of our desert lemon harvest. Our recent acquisitions, our expanded lemon planting efforts, our affiliated grower recruiting efforts, our new lemon packinghouse, our sales/marketing alliance with Suntreat for our oranges and specialty citrus and our focus on improving operating efficiencies have us very well positioned for continued growth in our operating results in fiscal year 2018,” said Harold Edwards, President and Chief Executive Officer, in a recent press release. "As we enter fiscal 2018, we are very excited about the overall strength of our agriculture business as well as our real estate venture, Harvest at Limoneira. This project involved years of thoughtful planning with our joint venture partner, the Lewis Group, and the commitment of city, county and state-wide officials. As we embark on this tremendous opportunity, we believe it will deliver strong cash flow and long-term value for our shareholders and the county of Ventura, CA."
According to the company’s recent press release regarding its fiscal year 2017 and initial fiscal year 2018 guidance, curent expectations include:
- A revenue of approximately $120 million
- Earnings per diluted share between $0.40 to $0.44 per share
- Operating income between $11.5 million and $12 million
- EBITDA between $18.6 million and $19.1 million
The company anticipates an even higher climb come 2018, projecting earnings per diluted share to be around $0.55 to $0.65 during fiscal year 2018. Hopeful that Harvest at Limoneira’s lot sales process will begin during 2018’s spring, with closings to impact fiscal year 2019, Phase 1 of the project alone currently has about 632 units in tow.
In regards to the Thomas and other local fires, the company reports, thankfuly, that its initial assessment shows the orchards suffered no significant damage; however, 14 of the company’s 265 farm-worker housing units have been destroyed by the fire, and the company’s packinghouse went through a brief power outage. As the company recovers from what damage has occurred, including the estimated $60,000 replacement for the housing unit, it is optimistic that the fire and wind damage will not have a material impact on operations results.
“We are very thankful for the hundreds of firefighters that have braved the fires to protect our properties as well as the properties of our friends and neighbors. We will know in the coming months if the fires affected our avocado or citrus crops for fiscal 2018. In addition, we do not believe the wildfires caused any long-term damage to our orchards,” said Alex Teague, Chief Operating Officer, in a recent press release.
The company released its press release with additional information on its anticipated fiscal 2018 year, as it looks back on its lemon harvests hailing from Yuma, Arizona. For a look at the press release, click here.
As we look to January of 2018 for a full report, how will the company’s fourth quarter and fiscal year 2017 pan out? Stay tuned into AndNowUKnow, for the latest fresh produce industry news!
EL SEGUNDO, CA – Fresh-focused meal kit provider Chef’d announced a new executive hire aimed at strengthening the burgeoning company’s marketing efforts. The company has hired Jemie Sae Koo as its new Vice President of Marketing.
In her new role, Chef’d noted in a press release, Sae Koo will be responsible for developing and implementing marketing strategies that reinforce the value of Chef'd in the market. She will work to further position the company to empower customers to cook like their favorite chefs, eliminate food waste, and reduce grocery costs—while growing Chef’d as a premium brand.
“We're thrilled to have Jemie come on board to help us make an impact on what is slated to become a multi-billion-dollar industry within the next year,” noted CEO Kyle Ransford. “Chef'd is at the center of that trend. We understand the growing need for meal kits, created via recipes from world-renowned chefs and culinary influencers, that anyone can cook at their leisure. Jemie brings an entrepreneurial, business-first approach to marketing programs. At the heart of our business, we are driven to fully understand the needs of our customers and surpass their expectations.”
Sae Koo brings more than 15 years of digital and marketing experience to her new role—including considerable experience with developing digital-first stories for Millennial and Gen Z audiences for Fortune 500 companies. According to Chef’d, Sae Koo is adept at digitally-driven customer engagement, experience creation, driving demand, business development, sales strategies, partnerships, and influencer marketing—and has led initiatives and successfully developed viral campaigns for several global brands, including Amazon, Disney, H&M, Intel, Nestle, Coca-Cola, Salesforce, Toyota, Taco Bell, and YouTube.
Sae Koo also serves on the Executive Board of the American Heart Association. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology, International Studies, and minor in Business Management from the University of California, Irvine.
This news follows a round of fundraising this August; the company raised $35.2 million with investments from Smithfield Foods, Campbell Soup, and Fresh Direct.
For more on fresh food providers disrupting the grocery industry, check in with AndNowUKnow.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – According to a survey by fulfilment software maker Temando, four out of five shoppers want same-day delivery, but only half of retailers offer it. While big names like Amazon and Walmart have been dominating online grocery and same-day delivery services, another major retailer is moving into online grocery after a recent acquisition. This week, Target purchased grocery-delivery startup Shipt for $550 million in cash in an effort to challenge its competitors in e-commerce orders and boost its overall online and instore sales.
“With Shipt’s network of local shoppers and their current market penetration, we will move from days to hours, dramatically accelerating our ability to bring affordable same-day delivery to guests across the country,” said John Mulligan, Target’s Chief Operating Officer, in a company press release. “By the 2018 holiday season, we will be servicing every major market across the country with same-day delivery, and Shipt’s service-oriented approach aligns well with Target’s commitment to delivering an exceptional shopping experience for our guests.”
The retailer plans to rollout same-day grocery delivery across the country via Shipt’s platform starting in 2018, with the majority of stores offering the service by next year’s holiday season. Along with same-day grocery delivery, Shipt’s services also include personal shoppers who stay in touch with customers throughout the grocery delivery process.
While Shipt is now owned by Target, the grocery delivery startup will continue to work with other retailers. “We'll continue growing our marketplace and membership base, working with a variety of retailers to drive scale and efficiencies," Shipt's CEO, Bill Smith stated. "We are very excited to partner with Target, one of the most loved retailers in the country with a reputation for supporting local communities. Partnering with Target and the national scale they provide allows Shipt to further accelerate our growth, bringing our service to more people, in more markets across the country."
According to Yahoo! Finance, Target had been working with Instacart to bring grocery delivery to certain markets. However, beginning mid-summer, the retailer began discussions with Shipt, with the acquisition following shortly after. As Target and Shipt move forward, Mulligan stated the company hadn’t reconvened with Instacart about the future yet.
In order to use Target’s new Shipt service, Target customers must become Shipt members and pay , an annual fee of $99. Over time, however, the retailer hopes to integrate Shipt’s services with Target.com and its own app.
This acquisition is one of Target’s biggest to-date and is expected to close before 2017 ends.
Will Target’s leap into the realm of grocery help the retailer make a name for itself as a grocer? AndNowUKnow will continue to report as the story unfolds.
SALINAS, CA - Warm words of praise were shared last week as Tanimura & Antle honored its Chief Ag Officer Steve Bassi with the inaugural Demeter Award for Agricultural Excellence and Leadership. In a ceremony on Friday, December 8th, CEO Rick Antle and the Tanimura & Antle team were in tow to commend Bassi on his commitment to the well-being of the company and its employees, growers, customers and vendors, as well as his unfaltering loyalty, dedication, and mentorship for the betterment of all.
“It is truly a great honor,” said Bassi upon receiving the first-ever award. “I am extremely proud of the Company, Accomplishments, Team, Grower, and Farmland Base that has been built over the years. I now know what my true purpose is: To provide continuing leadership and pass along all the philosophy, advise, guidance, lessons, and mentoring that I was fortunate enough to receive from yourself (Rick Antle), Bob (Antle) and George (Tanimura), as well as the Tanimura Brothers.”
Employed by Tanimura & Antle for the past 31 years, according to a press release, Steve has played multiple roles within the company, and has become the go-to guy for what is happening on the farm.
As Antle explained, “Our award winner is best described as having ‘The Mind of a Scientist and the Soul of a Farmer.’”
The Demeter Award for Agricultural Excellence and Leadership is meant to be “celebratory, everlasting, and self-renewing,” Antle shared during his speech, and was introduced in tandem with launching the company’s employee stock ownership plan (ESOP) earlier this year, and the celebration of its 35th anniversary this past November.
The statue itself is quite lovely to behold. As Antle put it so elegantly, the bronze statute depicts Demeter, the Goddess of Agriculture, “with her arms outstretched to the heavens, symbolizing the circular shape of the world; the continuous cycle of the seasons and the shape of a plow. A closer view of the statute shows a plow tilling uncultivated earth and as the soil passes along its blade it changes from barren soil to that with roots and then plants and finally fruit, the life of a plant.”
Congrats are in order for the inaugural Demeter Award winner. Here’s to Steve Bassi and all his accomplishments!