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AUSTIN, TX – Pairing convenient packaging with an on-trend produce category, Country Sweet Produce is showcasing its expanded line of value-added sweet potato packages and highlighting a family-friendly offering in its popular Bako Sweet microwaveable potato line.
With simple to prepare offerings top-of-mind with busy consumers, we tapped Gina Pettit, Marketing and Specialty Sales Manager, to find out what makes Bako Sweet’s offerings so appealing, in this video exclusive.
“We’re showcasing our microwaveable steamer bag,” Gina says. “It is a nice little handy bag for families. Pop it in the microwave for ten minutes, and you have ready-to-eat sweet potatoes.”
Gina tells me that this unique product in from the Bako Sweet brand is different in size from more traditional microwaveable products. The steamer bag appeals to families whose needs may differ from those consumers who purchase individually-wrapped spuds.
“Usually at the retail store, when you’re shopping, you see more of the individual sweet potato in a microwaveable pack…But when it came to families, there wasn’t really anything geared toward working moms or busy families on the go with kids, and so, we thought that actually more of a family-sized pack would be convenient for consumers,” Gina continues.
Need more Bako Sweet? Watch our video above for more on these tasty spuds.
And for more on all things produce, check in with us at AndNowUKnow.
LEAMINGTON, ON – Pure Flavor® has taken another honorable step in its ongoing commitment to support healthy living. The company recently served as the main sponsor for the Leamington Pure KIDS Triathlon Series, promoting healthy and active lifestyle choices for kids ages 3-13.
“We are happy to have the opportunity to promote a healthy lifestyle to the children in our community,” stated Jamie Moracci, President. “This race has truly become a great tradition where families can spend time together and kids can participate in physical activities in a fun environment.”
The event was part of the annual Leamington Triathlon weekend and featured Kids of Steel triathlon races for children throughout Windsor-Essex county. Pure Flavor stated in a press release that the event was a success, and enjoyed by all who attended. All proceeds went to Erie Shores Hospice.
This tradition began over 20 years ago by President Jamie Moracci and Chief Financial Officer Jeff Moracci’s family, along with several others in the community. Since the beginning of the company’s involvement several years ago, Pure Flavor has been thrilled with the continuous growth it has noticed in the Leamington Triathlon. The company emphasized that what began as a neighborhood tradition has now become a city-wide event that welcomes hundreds of participants each year.
Pure Flavor was also excited to hand out its new kid-friendly Mini Munchies veggies, which further highlighted the company’s commitment to fresh produce and healthy diet to complement an active lifestyle.
The Pure KIDS Triathlon Series will consist of three more races in the surrounding cities over the next two months. Kids who participate in all four races will receive a Fitbit and a ballot to enter for a chance to win a $500 Bicycle World gift card. Each participant in every race will also receive a free pass to Adventure Bay Family Water Park in Windsor, ON.
The company stated that the Pure KIDS Triathlon Series will continue to be a great opportunity to motivate children to live healthy and active lives from an early age.
To learn more and register for the races, visit Pure Flavor’s website here.
CHICAGO, IL – Summer citrus is in full season, and Sunkist Growers is kicking it off in style at the United Fresh 2017 tradeshow. Sunkist is highlighting its varieties of summer citrus and marketing solutions to drive sales at the June 13-15 exposition.
"Sunkist is looking forward to highlighting summer citrus trends to trade customers at the United Fresh tradeshow in Chicago,” said Director of Communications Joan Wickham. “This time of year, consumers are looking for fresh ideas to squeeze the most out of the summer season. With nutrition and wellness materials, fresh juicing tips, zesty recipe inspiration, and more on display at Sunkist’s booth–we’re dishing up a lot of useful citrus information at this year’s tradeshow.”
According to a press release, trade show attendees will have the opportunity to experience a wide array of eye-catching point-of-sale materials to help educate consumers. These materials will emphasize citrus seasonality, flavor profiles, nutrition information, and usage ideas that encourage purchase.
"We know that education is critical when it comes to driving sales in the produce department,” said Director of Retail Marketing Julie DeWolf. “We offer retailers customizable marketing materials and displays as well as coupon and sampling programs that educate consumers, showcase the beauty and versatility of citrus, and build seasonal excitement within the category.”
In addition to these offerings, visitors will be able to sample a plethora of delicious ways to enjoy summer citrus. Chef Jill Davie will serve Citrus Marmalades, Goat Cheese Crostini with Smoked Bacon, and Lemon Lentil Hummus with Chicken. A fresh juice bar will serve freshly squeezed Valencia orange and California Star Ruby grapefruit juices, along with Meyer and conventional lemon infused water. These samples on the show floor will allow attendees to experience the distinct difference between each lemon variety.
The company stated that this is the perfect time for Valencia oranges, in season now through October, and emphasized that these delicious summer oranges offer an excellent balance of tart and sweet flavors, and are perfect for juicing.
Sunkist further added that its fruit options are healthy, stating that Valencia oranges are a nutritious rewarding summer snack option, and an excellent source of Vitamin C. Sunkist's refreshing Grapefruit is available year-round, is an excellent source of Vitamins A and C, and makes a tangy addition to summer salads and cocktails. Sunkist also has lemons available year-round, a versatile summertime staple that can be adapted in any season. Sunkist's offerings include varieties like Meyer, seedless, and Zebra® (pink variegated) lemons.
To learn more about Sunkist citrus varieties, campaigns, and merchandising be sure to visit booth #3023 at United Fresh 2017 this week!
BAKERSFIELD, CA - With a short amount of time under its belt since the launch of its new brand promise, Sun World International is making good on following its consumer-first focus strategy. With a new promise to consistently guide its operations, SunWorld is using the brand promise to further leverage the uniqueness of its products, and further highlight its mission throughout every facet of the company.
Having launched “Better Farms. Better Flavor,” on Earth Day, Executive Vice President Gordon Robertson and Director of Marketing Natalie Erlendson recently joined me to peel back the curtain on the mindset behind the move, and where it’s taking the company from here.
“This promise certainly builds off of our strong legacy, but it’s really meant to demonstrate our steadfast commitment of always being better,” Gordon shares with me. “Our brand promise is a commitment from our organization to our customers and consumers that we’ll never stop searching for the next best-tasting variety, state-of-the-art practices, or go-to market strategy.”
Extending to adorn each of the company’s communication efforts and marketing campaigns, Sun World is using the “Better Farms. Better Flavor” promise to distinctly articulate with both the buy-side sector and the end consumer just how the company is moving the needle to truly create better farms and consistently great tasting grapes. The promise covers all of the company’s marketing efforts, from in-store merchandising, to online and social media endeavors.
“Our strategy is to always have a consumer-first focus,” Natalie emphasizes. “At the end of the day, that’s who Sun World and our customers are ultimately responsible to. We started this journey to find a way to meaningfully connect consumers to our vineyeards, and to make sure we were sharing with consumers the information that they wanted most. That’s where the ‘Better Farms. Better Flavor’ promise was born.”
Sun World utilized three methods to learn just what consumers wanted in a brand:
- Shop Alongs: where the company tagged along with consumers to walk and talk with them throughout their typical produce shopping experience.
- Focus Groups: where consumers provided in depth and detailed information on what mattered to them most when selecting grapes.
- National Quantitative Survey: a method that validated through statistics what the company learned with the other studies.
The end result? Consumers were most interested in knowing that they will receive a consistently great eating experience from grapes, that are also grown in a responsible way. Thus comes, “Better Farms. Better Flavor.”
“Our new brand promise upholds that we’ll always work to improve the lives of our people, and grow the best quality grapes with the most sustainable practices possible,” Gordon continues.
Sun World will be ramping up exposure of its new brand promise with an updated POS toolkit for retailers, through a presence online and with social media, and through new branded packaging designs that the company will begin to roll out upon completion of consumer testing. As the company looks to help its retail customers make grapes a preferred category amongst consumers, more innovations are sure to come.
So, just where will this promise take Sun World next? We can’t wait to find out.
SAN JOSE, COSTA RICA – Costa Rican police seized nearly a ton of cocaine stowed away in a banana plantation and bound, allegedly, for parts unknown. Drug smugglers had purportedly stowed the drugs, valued at approximately $8 million, in boxes amongst the fruit trees—with plans to later ship the drugs alongside canned palm hearts.
Police recovered the giant store of drugs after responding to an armed robbery in which three men attacked and robbed a truck carrying a cargo of palm hearts, according to news source The Herald. The suspects reportedly planned to use palm heart containers to ship cocaine, potentially outside of the country, as shipping drugs in food and food containers has proven a popular method of smuggling in recent years, as we've recently reported here, here, and here.
Police pursued the suspects to a banana plantation in Sarapiqui in northeast Costa Rica where they uncovered the giant cache of drugs hidden in containers authorities said were “very similar to those that contained canned heart of palm.”
Where will nefarious types attempt to infiltrate our industry next? AndNowUKnow will keep you up to date with the latest news on produce smuggling schemes and fresh food heists.
MUNCIE, IN — In a motion filed Tuesday in the Marsh Supermarkets’ bankruptcy case, at least 11 of Marsh’s 44 stores could be sold off to one of Kroger’s subsidiaries, Topvalco Inc, according to source The Star Press.
The source reports that Kroger is positioned to swoop in on the bankrupt chain, which filed for Chapter 11 last month. The paperwork filed for the judge’s approval indicates that Marsh is potentially selling 11 “core” stores to the Kroger subsidiary for the amount of $16 million.
Both Marsh and Kroger have declined to comment on the motion at the moment.
The additional stores up for auction are reportedly under consideration to be sold to Generative Growth LLC, an Ohio-based company and owner of Fresh Encounter Family of Companies and its retail banners. The deal would result in the sale of 15 stores for $8 million.
The remaining stores may be sold in other not yet announced motions.
According to the source, the initial filing didn’t identify which stores would be allocated to the bidders, but the subsequent filing listed details which can be found here. Additionally, notes on the file indicated an objection from one of the property owners to the Kroger purchase, without specifying further details.
Will Kroger soon be expanding throughout Indiana as the Marsh Supermarkets bankruptcy case comes to a close? Follow along with AndNowUKnow as the details unfurl.
WATSONVILLE, CA - United Fresh is not just coming, it is now upon us. Beyond the networking and showcasing, there is another advantage to the show floor that could help to ensure not only tighter partnerships within the industry, but stronger produce consumption outside of it.
By now we know the Tour de Fresh is fighting for accessible produce for the next generation, one mile at a time, and while the riders are recruited and sponsors made, there is more we can all be doing as we gather in Chicago this week.
“We will have a poster in our booth with all the rider photos and their fundraising progress to date, and we will also be happy to collect funds electronically on the spot for any donations made at the show,” California Giant’s Vice President of Marketing Cindy Jewell tells me, sharing that promotions in the United Fresh booth are a growing way to get even more industry members involved. “It really occurred to me just this year what a huge group of friends we are creating in our industry because of this annual ride. Now, each time I attend a conference or convention our booth becomes the Tour de Fresh home for current riders, past riders, sponsors, and curious sponsors-to-be. Together, we have all created this huge team of people that are now connected through this crazy three-day event we pull off every year.”
It is a growing extension to the produce family that other booths of participating sponsors are encouraged to join, be it through fun inclusions like last year’s stationary bicycle, or photos with riders, or just stopping by to show support and help push the event towards its goal of $150,000.
“Each year has been completely different with attendees, venues, and routes, but every year brings the same exact result–crazy camaraderie that lasts well beyond the ride,” Cindy shares, and as a spectator coming along for the third year I can absolutely agree.
And if not from us, take it from first-time rider Robb Bertels, VP of Marketing for Mission Produce.
“Mission Produce really believes in the school salad bar program, and we’ve been a sponsor of the Tour de Fresh since its inception,” Robb shares. “We have four riders in the Tour this year, and have a healthy competition going on about who can raise the most money. We also decided to create a team kit (jerseys, bibs, sleeves, gloves, socks) and approached some of our vendors to contribute to our efforts. We’ll place sponsor logos on our Mission Produce jerseys so we will look like extremely slow and–in my case–out of shape professional bike riders!”
Click here to see who will be riding and what company they will be repping in the process. I encourage you to turn this list into a scavenger hunt to track down other exhibitors showcasing Tour de Fresh support, to meet and shake hands with some of these amazing riders, and to find out how you can get more involved in helping kids fall in love with fruits and veggies across the U.S.
GOODLETTSVILLE, TN - More players are entering the fresh produce retail arena, from Blue Apron to VICE’s new meal kit programs, to German retailer Lidl, and now from the discount dollar retailer Dollar General. On a recent earnings call, the company reported that it will be expanding perishables, including fresh produce, in its strategy moving forward.
“The remodeling of about 300 traditional stores based on lessons learned from the conversion of acquired sites last year is on track,” noted CEO Todd Vasos during the call, according to a SeekingAlpha transcript. “The remodels include increasing the cooler set to 34 doors, an increase of about a 160 percent on average from the existing cooler footprint for these locations. This allows for a greater perishable assortment, which helps drive trips and basket size. Additionally, across about a third of these locations, we are testing an assortment of fresh produce. While it’s still very early, initial remodels are yielding strong same-store sales improvements.”
As we previously reported, the company announced a net sales increase of 6.5 percent to $5.61 billion for first quarter fiscal 2017, while same-store sales in the 2017 first quarter moved up 0.7 percent from last year. As the stock reports show, the company continues to see favorable results.
"For the first quarter of 2017, I am pleased with our earnings results which reflect solid management of the business in a difficult retail environment as we overcame our most challenging comparisons from the prior year,” said Vasos. “Our same-store sales improved as we moved past the delay in income tax refunds and the timing shift of the later Easter holiday. We continue to execute on our focused strategy and implement our operating initiatives which we believe will improve customer traffic and transactions."
The company also highlighted that its recently enacted plans to acquire 322 locations in 36 states has resulted in an increase to the company’s prior guidance, and Dollar General is now looking to add approximately 290 new stores in addition to the 1,000 stores it had previously anticipated.
How else will the fresh retail landscape change? Follow along with AndNowUKnow as we keep you updated.
IRWINDALE, CA – Ready Pac Foods announced today that it is expanding into the fresh meal category and introducing a new brand. The wholly-owned subsidiary of Bonduelle will launch its new Fresh Prep’d™ brand of fresh meals beginning in September with two product lines: Fresh Prep’d Soup Kits, and Fresh Prep’d Wrap Kits.
“We saw a great opportunity to diversify the company’s offerings and provide consumers with the convenient meal options they are looking for, especially as sales of products in the perimeter of the grocery store continue to grow,” said CEO Tony Sarsam, in a press release. “The new Fresh Prep’d brand falls in line with our overall business strategy to gain market share in the growing fresh prepared foods category beyond salads.”
The company noted that its new product lines will deliver fresh, healthy, and convenient meal options with delicious, bold tastes, and on-trend flavor profiles. Over the past year, the fresh prepared meal category has grown 8.9 percent to $8.3 billion in sales. With its move into the rapidly-expanding category, Ready Pac Foods hopes to continue to position itself as the leader in fresh prepared meal solutions and give more people the freedom to eat healthier.
“In developing the Fresh Prep’d brand, we wanted to create an easy alternative to lackluster desk lunches and unhealthy fast food,” said CMO Galit Feinreich. “With more than 75 percent of households in the U.S. purchasing fresh prepared foods, our Fresh Prep’d options enable consumers to have a delicious, healthy, and convenient meal at a great value.”
Consumers struggle to find solutions that meet their needs for convenient, fresh, healthy, and great tasting meals, according to Ready Pac Foods’ research. Consumers reported that the options available in today’s grocery stores often force them to compromise on one or more of these important needs—foregoing great taste for convenience, or healthy options for flavor. The Fresh Prep’d brand aims at addressing these concerns, and delivering convenient healthy meals that don’t sacrifice on fresh flavor.
With its new brand, the company notes, Ready Pac Foods is not simply expanding into the fresh meal category; the company is introducing its spirit of innovation into the paradigm. Fresh Prep’d Soup Kits are, according to the company’s press release, the first of their kind in the fresh soup category—with flavorful broths, on-trend ingredient combinations, and fresh vegetables that maintain their great flavor and crisp texture. Fresh Prep’d Soup Kits are the only fresh soup prepared by the consumer right before enjoying.
Additionally, Fresh Prep’d Wrap Kits feature high-quality ingredients, bold sauces and vegetables—many inspired by the company’s popular Bistro Bowl® line. The kits allow consumers to custom prepare their wrap just before eating to ensure a fresh eating experience with never soggy, tortilla and crisp, crunchy vegetables, not possible previously with pre-prepared wraps.
For more on innovative new product lines in our industry, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.