MISSION, TX – As demand for citrus continues to grow, there’s a particular focus growing in the Texas market to uplift citrus even further. The Texas Valley Citrus Committee (TVCC) has announced that it is seeking new members as it continues to promote citrus movement within the state.
“I would like to encourage the citrus industry to get involved,” said Chairman Dennis Holbrook, who is a citrus grower himself. Dennis emphasized the role that TVCC plays in Texas citrus inspection standards for consistent grade and size, stating that “without enforceable standards, any and all citrus could be shipped making it difficult to get the best price possible for high quality Texas citrus. Our citrus marketing order helps create a level playing field.”
The TVCC is currently seeking both producer and handler nominees as it looks to welcome new members into its fold. According to a press release, the Committee is also strongly encouraging the nomination of both women and members to join the TVCC.
“The TVCC plays an important role in ensuring producers and handlers get the best price for their products. We are always looking for new growers to sit on the Committee to create diversity and bring in some new energy,” said Ted Prukop, Manager.
The Committee has scheduled a nomination and budget meeting for Thursday, June 8, 2017, to be held at 12:00 p.m. UTC at the TexaSweet Building in Mission, Texas. The entire Texas citrus industry is invited to attend.
The TVCC is a Board of citrus growers and handlers elected by the industry, and works in partnership with the USDA and the Texas Department of Agriculture to promote the health and growth of the Texas citrus industry. The Committee is managed by the Texas International Produce Association.
Interested in participating, or have questions about participation requirements? Contact the Committee at (956) 581-2190.
MODESTO, CA - Steve Junqueiro, dedicated veteran and leader of The Save Mart Companies, has announced that he will be retiring June 1.
The current Co-President and COO has served the company for 43 years, having started his career as a produce clerk in a Tracy, California, store in 1974. According to a press release, it was an eye for merchandising and operational leadership that moved Steve quickly up the retail ladder.
The chain’s then-owner and CEO Bob Piccinini, named Steve Executive Vice President in June of 2007, where he remained in executive roles and eventually came to his current leadership position.
“I’m so grateful for the many years of dedication and service that Steve has given to The Save Mart Companies,” said CEO Nicole Pesco. “He’s been an integral part of the company’s success. I wish him all the best during this exciting time in his life.”
As Steve embarks on this newest chapter, Save Mart stated that it has named Chris McGarry Chief Administrative Officer.
Chris McGarry brings experience not only from his time at Save Mart, but also 12 years with The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company (A&P) where his last role was Chief Administrative Officer. He is also a seasoned strategic advisor of Boards of Directors and senior executives, Save Mart said, with solid results in managing financial, legal, risk, real estate, human resources, and other functional areas.
As Chief Administrative Officer, Chris will assume responsibility for the Strategy Office and Strategic Execution, Human Resources, Legal and Labor Relations.
Congratulations to Steve Junqueiro on his successful career.
REIDSVILLE, GA – After a successful inaugural year, Shuman Produce is bringing its wildly popular How to Speak Southern campaign back to the buy-side and consumer sphere with version 2.0.
“Consumers are interested in learning more about where and how their produce is grown. Vidalia onions are extremely unique in that they can only be grown in a 20-county region in Southeast Georgia and are only available a few months out of the year. This promotion is a great way for us to share our story and build excitement around RealSweet® Vidalia® onions,” said John Shuman, President. “The goal of this campaign is to increase brand awareness and incremental sales associated with Vidalia sweet onions.”
This year’s installment will continue to educate consumers on the uniqueness of the Vidalia onion, while highlighting some of the company’s favorite and true Southernisms. According to a press release, the campaign will run through June 30, and combine a quiz, recipe videos, and Vidalia facts for a winning combination.
The highlight of the promotion is the “Can You Speak Southern” quiz. It not only tests the user's knowledge of colloquial phrases used in the Southeastern U.S., but also prompts consumers to enter to win weekly giveaways from Shuman, including the grand prize of a Big Green Egg grill that's perfect for grilling and Vidalia season.
“Shuman Produce is excited about the potential of this promotion. After tremendous success in 2015, we expect our social media followers to engage all season long,” said Susannah Lanier, Marketing Coordinator.
The quiz is housed on a dedicated campaign website, viewable here. The website contains engaging and informative content such as delicious summer recipes from Chef & The Fatman, personal farmer profiles, informative Vidalia onion facts, and a sign-up for the RealSweet® consumer newsletter.
Think y’all have what it takes? Try your hand at the quiz, and learn more about RealSweet Vidalias along the way.
SOUTHEASTERN UNITED STATES – Wet weather continues to affect the Southeast this week, with severe storms involving damaging wind, flooding, and even isolated tornados set to strike the region.
"Two storm systems will continue the risk of severe weather and cause the risk to be more extensive, when compared to Tuesday," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski in an AccuWeather report. "One storm will continue to affect the Florida Peninsula, while a new storm spreads the severe weather risk to much of Georgia and the Carolinas."
Though temperatures have dropped in recent days, the report notes that humidity and warmth are still producing ample amounts of rain, and some areas—like the Savannah, Georgia-area—have already experienced flooding.
“The primary threats will include torrential downpours and damaging wind gusts, but isolated tornadoes cannot be ruled out,” noted AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson.
Urban areas including Atlanta, Augusta, and Savannah, Georgia; Jacksonville, Jacksonville, Tampa, and Orlando, Florida; Columbia and Charleston, South Carolina; and Charlotte, Fayetteville, and Wilmington, North Carolina; may all be impacted by severe weather. And roadways could be flooded and travel impacted by severe winds and tornadoes.
Though one storm front will push on into the Atlantic by Wednesday night, the second southbound storm could continue to pound the region.
On a brighter note, the storms are expected to provide significant relief to drought-stricken areas throughout the region—including areas affected by the West Mims Fire, a large wildfire that has been going since April 6.
AndNowUKnow will continue to report on conditions in this and other key regions in our industry.
MONTEREY, CA - The organic category continues to make strides, capturing upwards of 10 percent of all whole produce dollars through the first quarter of 2017 with organic packaged salads acting as the main driver of the category.
In a partnered analysis with Nielsen, the Organic Produce Network (OPN) noted in a press release that in the more than 10 percent of sales that were organic produce for retailers across the country, packaged salads were responsible for 20 percent of all organic fresh produce sales.
“Transparency continues to be a driver of growth as a majority of consumers demand to know how their products are made, grown, or raised,” Nielsen’s Director of Strategic Insight, Andrew Mazursky, commented. “Retailers and manufacturers continue to adapt to this trend across the entire store, including produce, where organic sales continue double-digit growth rates.”
Other notable findings for the quarter included that:
- Organic berries (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, etc.) and apples made up the top three organic fresh produce items sold in March
- At $74 million, organic berries and apples accounted for nearly two-thirds of all fruit sales
- Vegetables accounted for a larger portion of organic dollars than fruits ($189 million vs $119 million) for March 2017.
- Nearly one-third of all carrot and cooking green vegetables were sold as organic for March 2017
“Partnering with Nielsen to provide OPN readers with the most current and relevant information as it relates to the fastest growing segment of the fresh produce industry is an essential component of our mission and one we look to develop further in the coming months,” said Matt Seeley, CEO of OPN.
As for what can be expected, OPN and Nielsen said that organic fruit commodities sales and volume will grow significantly in the coming months, with California production of organic melon and grapes production getting under way. Additionally, the value-added category for organic fresh produce was cited as an area for potential growth and development with the marketing value of convenience.
Of all value-added sales in March, organic produce stood at five percent, but OPN noted that while some consumers might enjoy the value of convenience, to err on the side of caution for shoppers that might find the price too high.
Stay tuned as we continue to watch this and other facets of fresh produce grow and take further shape within the industry.
ORLANDO, FL - Florida will see a sizable investment from retail giant Walmart in the next year: the company just announced upwards of $450 million in investments throughout the state.
“This year has been an exciting one for Walmart in Florida, and we’ll build on that momentum as we continue to focus on how to better serve our customers through innovation and investments so they can save both time and money,” said Elise Vasquez-Warner, Vice President and Regional General Manager in North Florida. “We’ve had a sharp focus on making our store experience second to none and our customers are telling us that our plan is working. Our team is energized and we’re looking forward to exceeding our customer’s expectations for what a great Walmart shopping experience can be like.”
One notable thing on the to-do list is the opening of a state-of-the-art Supercenter in Lake Nona with some of the newest shopping innovations in retail, which the retailer said will be tested with customers and evaluated for potential implementation in other locations across the country.
Plans for fiscal 2017-18, which spans Feb. 1, 2017, to Jan. 31, 2018, also include:
- Opening nine new stores across the state, creating more than 800 jobs statewide
- Executing a multi-million-dollar capital investment plan by remodeling more than 40 locations across the state
- An approximate investment of more than $300 million with two buildings spanning more than 2.2-million-sq.-ft.
- Hiring more than 3,225 Floridians by opening more than 20 stores/clubs across the state
Walmart also confirmed plans to break ground later this year on a new distribution center for perishable goods in the city of Cocoa, according to a press release, with plans to invest more than $145 million in the 640,000-sq.-ft. facility and to employ more than 450 associates once fully operational. This is in addition to a new 150-acre e-commerce distribution center in Davenport, which has recently been certified as fully operational and will have a grand opening in the months to come.
With bigger plans to add to the strides it made last year in the state, part of the $2.7 billion it invested across the U.S., AndNowUKnow will continue to keep an eye out for further developments on this and other retail moves as they are announced.
IRWINDALE, CA – Ready Pac Foods is making new investments into its next stages of innovation. The company has announced the promotion of Galit Feinreich to Chief Marketing Officer, as current CMO Tristan Simpson announced she will depart next month.
“With her deep experience in innovation, marketing and strategy, I am confident Galit will help steer Ready Pac Foods into the next phase of our innovation journey,” said Ready Pac Foods CEO Tony Sarsam. “In addition to leveraging the strong marketing leadership already in place, Galit will enable new opportunities for innovation, ensuring our continued significant growth.”
Galit first joined Ready Pac Foods in July of last year, heading the company’s R&D function. Galit brought to the company, and will bring to her new role, more than 20 years of experience in marketing. More than half of that time was spent with Nestlé USA.
During her 12 years at Nestlé, Galit developed numerous new products including a completely new season product segment, the Easter Egg Hunt Kits. She also worked on two product lines that received Product of the Year awards, Crunch® Girl Scout Bars and Skinny Cow® Divines Chocolate. Galit’s contributions were also recognized with the Nielsen Breakthrough Innovation award for the launch of the Skinny Cow® Chocolate line.
Prior to her career with Nestle, Galit worked in the marketing and advertising departments for Interwoven, Inc.; Homestore (formerly Move.com); and Hawk Aviation, Ltd. Galit played a key part in the strategic development and creative execution for numerous media and product launches during her time in these roles.
Current CMO Tristan Simpson has decided to leave Ready Pac Foods at the end of June.
“I want to personally thank Tristan for her leadership and dedication in helping Ready Pac Foods grow into the company we are today,” said Sarsam. “She leaves behind a much stronger Ready Pac Foods than the one she joined six years ago.”
Tristan joined Ready Pac Foods in 2011, and led the transformation of the company’s Innovation and Marketing efforts, building best-in-class Marketing, Research & Development (R&D), and Corporate Communications functions.
During her time with the company, Tristan had many accomplishments including developing the updated Ready Pac Foods branding, accelerating the new product pipeline, and leading in the process culminating in the Bonduelle acquisition.
From all of us here at AndNowUKnow, we wish Tristan all the best in her future endeavors, and welcome Galit to her new role!
BEVERLY, MA - Many food companies still use paper-based procedures or antiquated systems to manage their suppliers and to control the quality of incoming product or raw materials. Without centralized control of data, it is difficult to have insight to the performance of the supply chain, and it is all but impossible to enforce standardization.
Greenlight™ has helped food industry customers to transform the way that they manage their quality, compliance, and traceability agendas across the fresh produce supply chain.
"This cloud-based technology not only keeps our data safe and secure, but it significantly reduces the administrative burden associated with managing this task as all data is held in one location and our key stakeholders are able to access and update it in real time," said Jamie Chambers, Head of Technical at Wealmoor, a UK-based supplier of fresh exotic fruit and specialty vegetables.
"The improved visibility of both supply chain approvals and the expiry of due diligence documentation ensures that we always know the status of our suppliers and supply chains," he added.
Businesses at every point of the supply chain are using Greenlight™ software to gain deeper insight into the performance of their sites, suppliers, and products. Since 2009, Greenlight™ has helped perform over 19 million quality control checks and 60,000 audits. Over 3,300 businesses are participants in the Greenlight™ network.
"We can now instantly generate an inspection report, take pictures on the hand-held device of the produce in question, and send the report straight to the management team and supplier," said Stephen Shields, Technical Manager, Huntapac Produce Ltd. "This instant alert has improved the communication both internally and with our suppliers and has allowed us to identify which areas of the business are working well and which areas need improving."
Greenlight™ is offered by Sensitech as part of its complete range of supply chain visibility solutions. For more than 25 years, leading companies in the food, pharmaceutical, industrial, consumer goods, and other industries have relied on Sensitech to help protect their products—and their bottom lines.
Learn more about Greenlight™ at Sensitech’s booth at United Fresh, #2438. You can also go online to www.sensitech.com/en/quality-compliance/greenlight-software.
SANTA PAULA, CA - With sustainability on the mind around the globe, Limoneira Company has strengthened its place in the movement by commissioning a new joint project with Tesla to reduce energy costs and move towards energy independence.
"This project will study the efficacy of battery systems paired to solar manufacturing facilities," said Mark Palamountain, Senior Director, according to a press release. "The goal is to reduce demand from the utilities during the day, which is the high cost period, and offset that use with less expensive night time energy that is stored in the battery."
Limoneira has six solar installations across the company, totaling 4.2M kWhs annually. An additional solar project is planned for 2017 which will add 1.5MWs on Limoneira's packing house roof for 2.8M kwhs, or a total of 7M kwhs annually. This will enable the company to be 50% off the grid. The company is on track to become completely energy independent by 2022.
"Limoneira has a long history of land stewardship and sustainability," said CEO Harold Edwards. "We will continue to make investments that are clean, as well as profitable."
In addition to Limoneira's solar operations, the company is a leader in providing Work Force housing and has significant green waste recycling, integrated pest management, and water projects. The company also releases regular educational pieces showing consumers new ways to use citrus, including natural, environmentally-friendly cleaning methods.
WASHINGTON, DC - Following suit after the arrivals of several retail rivals, Wegmans Food Markets has announced it will making its debut in the Washington, DC market. The company announced its new DC store will be 80,000-square-feet and occupy the Fannie Mae building on Wisconsin Avenue NW.
“We are excited to be a part of the redevelopment of this distinct site,” said Ralph Uttaro, SVP of Real Estate for the retailer, according to Bisnow. “The District of Columbia is an ideal market for us and we look forward to serving new customers and offering a unique shopping experience there.”
As reported by the Washington Post, Wegmans will not be entering the historic building until after Fannie Mae is scheduled to move out late next year. Richard Lake, Partner for Roadside Development and a facilitator for the move told the source this will likely mean Wegmans will open its doors by 2022.
“Wegmans is a decisive win for our city,” shared DC Mayor Muriel Bowser. “Going forward, we will continue to forge strong public-private partnerships like this one that benefit DC residents and families and help us spread inclusive prosperity throughout all eight wards.”
Based in Rochester, NY, Wegmans is no stranger to the Maryland and Virginia markets. The move into DC is part of its general expansion in the Northeast, but also will put it head to head with a few of its biggest retail rivals. Over the past year or so, Lidl, Aldi, and Harris Teeter have all marked DC as an area of interest, with Lidl even choosing nearby Arlington, VA, as the home of its U.S. headquarters.
As the DC retail landscape continues to heat up and competitors keep pouring in, AndNowUKnow will update you with the latest.