SACRAMENTO, CA - California citrus growers are now one step closer to eliminating the scourge known as citrus greening. This week, Governor Jerry Brown officially signed the 2017 Budget Act, which, in part, authorizes $10 million in general funding to prevent the spread of the invasive insect Asian citrus psyllid (ACP) and the deadly and incurable plant disease it can carry, Huanglongbing (HLB).
The citrus industry, including California Citrus Mutual President Joel Nelsen, were pleased with the state’s decision, noting that this is a step in the right direction for California growers.
"California Citrus Mutual applauds Governor Brown and members of the California Legislature for recognizing the severity of this issue, to not only the state's citrus growers, but to the California economy and the many homeowners who enjoy citrus trees in their backyards," Nelsen said.
These new state funds will be in addition to the nearly $25 million currently spent each year by commercial citrus growers for pest detection and eradication. These funds include spending towards the release of beneficial insects for biological control of ACP in residential areas and ongoing public outreach and education.
The act follows the 2009 grower-created initiative, Citrus Pest and Disease Prevention Program, which authorized a mandatory assessment paid by growers that raises an average of $15-18 million per year. All funds generated are then directed toward urban areas, according to a press release, where an estimated 6 in every 10 residents has at least one citrus tree in their yard.
"HLB is spreading at an alarming rate, and the addition of state funds will provide critically needed resources to help protect all citrus trees and prevent HLB from devastating the state's vibrant citrus industry," explained Nelsen.
As we in the industry know, California isn’t the first place affected by HLB. Florida, another state with a massive citrus industry, has seen commercial production plummet by over 70%, according to a press release. As a result, the University of Florida reports that the Florida citrus industry has lost 7,945 jobs, $658 million in value-added product, and $1.098 billion in industry output.
"We know from what has happened in Florida that there are real and lasting economic consequences if HLB is allowed to take hold," added Nelsen. "California citrus is a $3.6 billion industry and supports over 22,000 jobs, all of which could be lost if HLB is not stopped."
Will California’s influx of funds be enough to avoid such losses as we’ve seen in Florida? AndNowUKnow will continue our coverage as the issue continues to affect growers.
WENATCHEE, WA – After an unusually late start to the season, consumers across the country are finally beginning to feel the heat. And with July just beginning, volumes are ramping up, and retailers are reaching the point where they should begin planning promotions around Rainier cherries. Thankfully, Stemilt Growers’ program and promotional advice is available as a starting place to build increased sales with this niche variety.
“It’s a big year for Rainiers with increased volumes and excellent qualities thus far,” noted Roger Pepperl, Marketing Director, in a company press release. “Now that Rainiers are coming into peak volumes, it’s time to promote heavily to capture sales.”
According to its press release, Stemilt was the first grower to introduce Rainier cherries on a large scale. Rainiers were—and still are—a pollinizer for many cherry varieties, but Tom Mathison, the late founder of Stemilt, decided to grow Rainiers on a larger scale to give consumers more options from the dark-sweet varieties.
“Tom set Stemilt up to be the leader of the Rainier category,” said Pepperl. “And today, Stemilt is growing impeccable Rainiers. As they are naturally larger than dark-sweets, the Rainier’s being packed are beautifully colored, full of sugars, making them incredibly large and very sweet, while still maintaining a nice firmness.”
Pepperl also noted that retailers should push advertisements for large-sized Rainiers during the first three weeks of July to maximize sales volumes and hit peak promotions. Running advertisements back-to-back-to-back, he suggested, will benefit retailers, as they will be able to move good volume and make a solid profit. And retailers should also focus on National Rainier Cherry Day, July 11th, with special advertisements to recognize the popular cherry variety. Pop-up display bins in busy areas, featuring both dark-sweet and Rainier cherries, are a great way to encourage impulse buys, the company also suggested.
“Rainier cherries are a fan favorite,” Pepperl said. “Retailers need to capitalize these first three weeks of July to boost sales and the position of this high-ring cherry. Use quality first to encourage consumers to make those impulse purchases.”
Stemilt’s Rainier cherries are available in a variety of packages—including clamshells and pouch bags. And Artisan Organics™ Rainier cherries will also have good supplies in July.
“Rainier cherries require extra care and commitment on both the farming and packing side. They are delicate, and need to be treated as such throughout the field to store process. Stemilt’s long-time leadership in Rainiers has given us the edge to do all that it takes to grow great Rainiers,” said Pepperl.
Rainier cherries are picked and gently placed in lugs, then hydrocooled on-site at the farm, to improve overall quality and extend shelf-life, before making the journey back to the company’s Olds Station facility to be packed and shipped.
Using the company’s state-of-the-art packing line and optical electronic sizer and sorter, Stemilt is able to efficiently yet gently move its Rainier cherries. The 24-lane hybrid line, located at Stemilt’s Olds Station facility, was unveiled last year and is specifically designed to handle yellow-hued cherries.
“July is a pivotal month for cherry sales,” Pepperl concluded. “We advise that retailers waste no time and start the attack on advertisements early. With great planning and execution, this will be a big month for both Stemilt and for the retailer.”
For more on this and other ways retailers can capitalize on cherries this season, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has imposed sanctions on four produce businesses for failure to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).
According to a USDA press release, the following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry:
Anival Valle, doing business as California Valley Produce
Operating out of Chula Vista, California, this business received sanctions for failing to pay a $51,503 award in favor of an Arizona seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Anival Valle was listed as the sole proprietor of the business.
James Bartley, doing business as Greenfield Produce Sales
Operating out of Salinas, California, this business received sanctions for failing to pay a $26,321 award in favor of a California seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, James M. Bartley was listed as the sole proprietor of the business.
Stay Fresh Distributors Inc.
Operating out of Brooksville, Florida, this business received sanctions for failing to pay a $25,228 award in favor of a New Mexico seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Jason A. Canals was listed as the officer, director, and/or major stockholder of the business.
AP Royal Produce Inc.
Operating out of Brooklyn, New York, this business received sanctions for failing to pay a $47,937 award in favor of a Texas seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Aleksandr Yakubov was listed as the officer, director, and/or major stockholder of the business.
The PACA Division, which is part of USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), regulates fair trading practices of produce businesses that are operating subject to PACA including buyers, sellers, commission merchants, dealers, and brokers within the fruit and vegetable industry.
In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,500 PACA claims involving more than $58 million. Its experts also assisted more than 8,000 callers with issues valued at approximately $140 million. These are just two examples of how USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.
CASTROVILLE, CA – Ocean Mist® Farms, a presenting sponsor of the 2017 Artichoke Food & Wine Festival, is proud to announce that the company has experienced a 27 percent increase in attendance from last year, confirming that the California state vegetable is continuing to excite consumers and those seeking to explore new, flavorful applications for the artichoke.
For several years, Ocean Mist Farms has been a supporter of the two-day festival intended to elevate artichoke awareness, inspire consumption, and give back to the local community where the vegetable is grown, the company noted in a press release.
To support the company’s trade partners throughout the year, the Ocean Mist Farms event sponsorship helps host a popular Farmer’s Market and Agro Art competition, more than 13 chef demos, field tours, and food booths featuring artichokes front and center.
Members of the local media were on hand to cover the event and encourage local community members to stop by and sample all things artichoke.
Additionally, the company recently held its annual Ocean Mist Farms Academic Scholarship presentation. The scholarship program recognizes students who demonstrate the company’s guiding values of Integrity, Quality, Passion, and Success in their daily lives and in their pursuit of higher education.
“This year’s recipients each received scholarship funds toward their college education, which supports our community education initiative,” said Director of Marketing Diana McClean, who noted that the growing festival is looking to also add participants beyond the local community. “Looking toward next year, we’re hopeful that more and more non-residents of Central California will continue to join us, as this event becomes a highlight of the year for artichoke enthusiasts all over the country.”
In addition to helping spread the word about artichokes, both locally and nationally, the Artichoke Food & Wine Festival is a celebration of the Castroville community and heritage. Proceeds from the Festival support several local programs including like Ag Against Hunger, local community centers, school libraries, and senior activity centers.
Dates for next year’s event have already been announced; the 2018 Artichoke Food & Wine Festival will be held June 2-3, 2018. For more on the event and Ocean Mist Farms, visit the company’s website and its Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest accounts.
SEATTLE, WA - As the retail industry smooths out from the market shakeup that was Amazon’s announcement of Whole Foods accepting a $13.7 billion acquisition bid, Reuters recently reported that the e-commerce giant turned brick & mortar would have many more steps to take before becoming a major grocery presence.
Specifically, experts said Amazon’s warehouse space for fresh distribution is not where it needs to be to compete with other major retailers that have been building their U.S. presence in the market over the last 10+ years.
"If Amazon wants to become a dominant grocery company in a short period of time, then there would be an investment required, and it would be big," said MWPVL International Inc. President Marc Wulfraat. He explained that Whole Foods’ current distribution capabilities, over 1 million-square-feet of warehouse space with a portion of inventory going from suppliers directly to stores, aren't enough to compete.
How much would the company need? About 12 or more additional grocery warehouses, according to the report.
MWPVL noted that Amazon has a little over 3 million-square-feet of U.S. warehousing dedicated to its existing AmazonFresh and Prime Pantry grocery programs, a fraction of long-standing brick & mortars like Walmart.
For now, experts said Amazon will likely look to United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) to supply Whole Foods with “hard-to-source” products, while reaffirming previous theories of cost cuts in the retailer’s stores.
Will Amazon’s next move involve expanding its fresh distribution capabilities? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on this and other developing industry news.
SANTA PAULA, CA - July is here, and fireworks aren't going to be the only thing going off this month. Limoneira has released the latest in its series of seasonal and fun recipes for lemons which are assured to result in an explosion of flavors for consumers.
Whether it’s celebrating Independence Day, having a backyard BBQ, or just enjoying the great outdoors, July is a month where easy, nutritious ways to fuel up are crucial. This month, Limoneira spokesperson Megan Roosevelt and Kirby Zylstra from “In the Kitchen with Kirby” have put together an easy and festive selection of recipes and home décor ideas to keep the summertime fun going strong–with lemons, of course.
For a helpful demonstration, you can watch Megan create the recipes below here on the Limoneira YouTube channel. Subscribers can find videos with more wonderful tips and tricks not detailed in this, which are added to the channel each Friday throughout the month.
Take a look at some festive examples from the latest press release, below.
Red, White, & Blue Parfaits
They’re easy, they’re delicious, and they’re festive. What better way to celebrate the 4th of July?
Ingredients:
- 1 Limoneira lemon
- 2 cups non-dairy coconut milk yogurt
- Fresh strawberries
- Fresh blueberries
Directions: Add juice from ½ a Limoneira lemon and a teaspoon of zest to non-dairy coconut milk yogurt and stir together. Layer with berries, top with a touch of fresh lemon zest, and enjoy!
Grilled Lemon Asparagus
An easy recipe that’s perfect for a summertime BBQ or as a contribution to a summertime potluck.
Ingredients:
- Fresh asparagus
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ½ Limoneira lemon
- Sea salt
Directions: Wash and dry the asparagus. Lay out in a shallow dish and top with olive oil, juice from half a lemon, and a pinch of sea salt. Toss together with your hands and let marinade for at least 30 minutes. Preheat a grill to medium, and cook the asparagus about 8 minutes on each side.
Frozen Strawberry Lemonade
Brought to us by Limoneira special guest and amazing foodie vlogger Kirby Zylstra from “In the Kitchen with Kirby”, this delicious lemonade will keep you cool throughout any summertime occasion.
Ingredients:
- 2 cups cold filtered water
- 2 cups of sliced strawberries (fresh is ideal, but frozen works just fine)
- One handful of ice
- Juice from one Limoneira lemon
- ¼ cup raw honey (or to taste)
- 1 pinch sea salt
Directions: Combine ingredients in blender. (Note: if you have a high-powered blender, simply removing the rind from one lemon and adding the entire fruit might save you some time.) Serve and enjoy!
Each month, Megan will be featuring another wonderful facet of citrus living, with the help of a special, surprise guest from YouTube. Subscribe to Limoneira’s YouTube channel for more information on the many ways this endlessly versatile fruit can improve life inside the home and beyond.
Limoneira has also linked with additional global chefs and mixologists, nutritionists, and beauty, lifestyle, and green-cleaning experts that share their knowledge with the customers of grocery and foodservice partners around the world. Their biographies can be found on Limoneira’s website.
CHICAGO, IL - It seems like just yesterday we were gathered in Chicago connecting with those of the produce industry at the latest United Fresh. To kick off the innovation-centric event, IFCO hosted a beautiful opening party, where Wolfgang Orgeldinger, CEO of IFCO Systems Group, shared with ANUK that the expo was not all that was being celebrated.
“We’re not only celebrating United, we’re also celebrating the 25th anniversary of IFCO,” Wolfgang shares, explaining that the company has seen staggering growth since it was founded in 1992.
“We are the pioneer of pooling solutions for reusable packaging for fresh food. We are the global market leader, operating in more than 30 countries and serving customers in more than 50 countries around the world,” Wolfgang says.
Some of the numbers he shares are:
- Serving more than 675 retail partners on 6 continents
- A team of more than 12,500 grower and producers
- A global logistics network of more than 80 facilities
- Running a pool of more than 270 million reusable plastic containers
But don’t just take our word for it! Hear it all from Wolfgang himself, as well as how to say “AndNowUKnow” in German, in the short video above.
CHICAGO, IL - My produce career is about the same age as the Tour de Fresh, so it’s difficult to imagine there was a time produce members might not know what that is.
As the fourth annual ride to put salad bars in schools approaches, VP of Sales for California Giant Berry Farms, and half of the duo that started the Tour de Fresh, Anthony Gallino tells me that the growth the program has seen since its inception is astronomical.
“We started out with 25 riders and a goal to raise $50,000,” Anthony laughs at the wide gap from then until now. With double the riders and triple the revenue, it’s safe to say the program has seen some success.
This year though, as is often true in produce, Mother Nature has thrown the ride some hurdles. While she came through in spades to California’s need for water, the state’s wettest winter forced riders to reroute their trek into PMA Foodservice 2017.
“Mother Nature messed with our route a bit around Big Sur, pushing us to detour inland before finishing the circuit in Monterey,” Anthony shares of the almost 300 mile ride. “We will be moving from the southern part of the coast up to the north for the first time in our history, with the second day offering quite a challenge for our riders.”
If you’re not on a bicycle, or do not have your logo on a kit, fear not. You can still help foster fresh produce consumption for the next generation.
As many of the riders for this tour come in as return members, Anthony explains that the opportunities for growth in sponsorship and involvement continue to pop up.
“We continue to realize opportunities, everything from sponsored meals and food trucks from the foodservice industries, to bringing out your chefs to make your product for our riders, a number of chances present a stronger brand opportunity,” Anthony tells me. “In short, there are other areas besides riding a bike or sponsoring riders to raise money and get everyone involved.”
Another area for growth that could be on the table is the timing of the ride.
“Other associations have inquired after the ride coming into shows, and while we may not increase the number of rides, we are open to changing the show,” Anthony says. “Riders love to ride different roads, so long as we are raising money for salad bars, so that could be a great opportunity to change things up.”
So throw your hat in the ring now if you want the Tour de Fresh to ride for you, and as AndNowUKnow counts down to covering the 300-mile road of the fourth annual Tour de Fresh, keep checking in for the inside scoop.
SALINAS, CA - Church Brothers Farms is doubling down on its commitment to being a leader in AgTech with the unveiling of a first-of-its-kind technology clean energy solution this week. The company debuted its Clean Power Station, a cogeneration system, during the 2017 Forbes AgTech Summit field tour at the True Leaf Farms processing plant in San Juan Bautista, California.
Cogeneration, which is also referred to as cogen or Combined Heat and Power (CHP), is when electricity and heat is produced from a single fuel source. Powered by a natural gas fueled engine, a cogeneration system is a highly efficient way of capturing heat that would otherwise be lost during the production of electricity.
“A cogeneration system is flexible and reliable because of its efficient use of energy,” explains Steve Church, Co-Chairman. “We decided to make this investment because it helps us do more with less, energy wise; it creates less emissions making our operation more sustainable; and gives us independence about how we procure our energy. Concentric Power re-engineered how we produce cold air and water for our salad processing facility.”
Church Brothers Farms’ new cogeneration plant also provides an additional step, according to a press release, where the thermal energy (heat) becomes cold with the use of an aqueous ammonia absorption chiller. Due to this extra step, the company explained that the plant will generate 2MW of electric power, which will then be used to run its state-of-the-art processing facility. As an added bonus, the process will recover enough heat to provide 300 tons of low temperature refrigeration.
The Clean Power Station at True Leaf Farms was created in partnership with Campbell, California-based Concentric Power, a company adept at creating high-efficiency energy modules for onsite electric power generation and low temperature refrigeration. Tom and Steve Church, Co-Chairmen of Church Brothers Farms, are investors in Concentric Power.
“Our full scale commercial projects create fewer emissions while increasing sustainability and enabling businesses to produce their own energy,” said Brian Curtis, CEO and Founder of Concentric Power. “We’re excited about the Clean Power Station we established with True Leaf Farms. Church Brothers and Concentric Power are committed to sustainability, independence and efficiency.”
When fully operational the cogen system at the True Leaf Farms processing facility will reduce the company’s carbon emissions by 25 percent, the release reports, allowing the company to return power into the grid. A cogen system is also controllable, which will allow True Leaf Farms to control when it is on or off, a luxury not available when using solar or wind power. Concentric Power uses a patented control system, which enables a smart software layer and maximizes technical efficiencies and economic results.
Want to learn more about this unique clean energy technology that provides the company with economical savings and increased long-term sustainability? Check out ChurchBrothers.com or ConcentricPower.com at these links.
SUNBURY, PA – Weis Markets has announced a new executive hire set to bolster the company’s marketing efforts. The company has hired Ron Bonacci as its new Vice President of Marketing and Advertising.
“Ron Bonacci has extensive experience in managing cross-functional teams in developing and implementing strategies for customer relationship management, marketing, and advertising,” said Richard Gunn, Senior Vice President, Merchandising and Marketing. “He will also oversee our growing digital program. We are pleased to welcome him to our company.”
Immediately prior to joining Weis Markets, Bonacci was Senior Director of Marketing at United Supermarkets at the company’s Lubbock, Texas, headquarters. Early in his career, Bonacci worked at Kroger in various capacities including store operations, category management, merchandising, and loyalty marketing. More recently, Bonacci served in marketing positions for Food City and S&H Solutions.
In his new position, Bonacci will oversee the day-to-day operations of the company’s advertising, marketing, and public relations activities. In this capacity, he will report directly to Gunn.
We at AndNowUKnow congratulate Ron on his new role and wish him and Weis Markets the best in all their endeavors.