PORTERVILLE, CA - On the heels of announcing its freeze-dried fruit line—featuring organic blueberries, grapes, and apples—Homegrown Organics is introducing new merchandising options. The display shipper offers retailers impulse sales opportunities for any aisle or department.
“The preliminary response we’ve received from both retailers and distributors has been outstanding,” said Scott Mabs, CEO of Homegrown Organic Farms, according to a press release. “We’re excited to be able to bring these new, innovative snacks to market and help retailers provide more nutritious options for consumers to be able to enjoy organic fruit year-round.”
The display comes fully stocked with product and was designed to be easily removed from the master case and put out on the retail floor. Back up stock will be provided as needed for refills.
The line currently includes multi-serve pouches of:
- Freeze-dried organic apples (.95oz)
- Freeze-dried organic grapes (1.2oz)
- Freeze-dried organic blueberries (1.2oz).
The fruit is all organic, grown in the USA and has a shelf-life of 18 months. The entire line is certified RAW and is Non-GMO project verified.
“We want to give our customers options for merchandising this new snack line,” said Cherie France, Homegrown Organic Farms’ Marketing Manager. “We realize shelf-space is at a premium and want to provide other avenues for our customers to succeed with this unique product.”
If you’re interested in learning more about this new program, get in touch with the Homegrown Organics sales team today. Special promotional pricing opportunities are available to early adopters of the program.
For the latest in produce aisle innovations, check back with AndNowUKnow.
MILWAUKEE, WI - As we look ahead to what fruits and veggies are spiking consumer interest most, FullTilt Marketing went to the influencers of the internet foodies: bloggers.
The company asked 50 food bloggers what their most popular fruit and vegetable posts were for 2016, looking for a glimpse into what trends we might see in months to come.
A dominant aspect? Appearance. According to a press release, 74% of the bloggers’ recipes included descriptive comments such as “beautiful,” “stunning,” “looks so good,” and “amazing.”
“It’s no surprise that appearance drove overall popularity of posts with likes, shares, and comments highest on attractive images,” said Managing Partner at FullTilt Marketing Melinda Goodman. “We’ve always heard that a picture’s worth a thousand words, and your image is your first impression.”
This visual likability, FullTilt said, drove millions of impressions, with over 20% of the posts generating upwards of 20,000 pins.
Additional key driving factors that made the recipes popular with consumers included:
- Seasonality
- Flavor profiles
- Healthy substitutes
One of the top recipe posts, Ciao Florentina’s Sweet Potato Round with Goat Cheese and Cranberries, generated 189,000 shares. The post touched on all the above winning factors–visual appeal, “wow” flavors, seasonal interest, and healthy ingredients.
“The most popular recipe on my blog continues to be sautéed kale and this has been the case for two years,” said Cynthia Rusincovitch, blogger of My Nourished Home. “I find my audience, mostly moms of busy families, want healthier choices that are simple and taste great so they don’t need to fight with their kids to eat them, but they also want dishes that are inspired by what they are seeing in magazines and eating in restaurants.”
As for content highlights that peaked interest, a third of the recipes highlighted gave a healthy twist to a traditional classic. Many produce options promoted for making dishes gluten free, paleo, or offering less sugar included zucchini, cauliflower, and spaghetti squash.
Another content-driven highlight was the importance of seasonal ingredients–34% of the top recipes were presented as seasonal dishes–as well as health.
“From drinks to desserts, breads, salads, and side dishes, the bloggers proved that what’s popular isn’t one type of food, preparation, or trend, but an overall interest in utilizing more fruits and vegetables as part of a healthier diet,” said Heidi McIntyre, Managing Partner of FullTilt.
As to why it went to bloggers for insight, the company cited a recent study from Research Now showing 2 out of 3 of all consumers read blogs weekly and nearly 9 in 10 consumers make purchases after reading about a product or service on a blog.
“Not only are blogs the new trusted media, they are also a key source of peer-to-peer word of mouth advertising that supports all steps of the purchase decision process from discovery to research to price comparison and sometimes direct purchase,” concluded Goodman.
The AndNowUKnow team will certainly keep on the lookout as the questions of popular produce are answered moving throughout 2017 and beyond.
CALIFORNIA - After a peaceful few days with sunnier skies, California is steeling itself for what weather reporters are pinning as a powerful set of storm systems. With the incoming systems, comes new opportunity for heavy rain, flooding, and travel delays.
"The late-week storm has the potential to be the biggest of the winter in terms of rainfall and impact to much of Southern California," stated AccuWeather Meteorologist Jim Andrews.
Northern California will be privy to the return of wet weather today, from the first of the storms. Southern California is expected to experience its own precipitation late Thursday and through to Saturday from the second. The Los Angeles area could potentially see 24 hours of rainfall on Friday, with heavy rainfall closer to San Diego occurring on Saturday.
"We expect 3 to 6 inches of rain to fall in the lowlands along the coast and over the Los Angeles basin," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Ken Clark. "From 6 to 12 inches of rain is likely below snow levels in the mountains, especially along the south-facing slopes."
With this storm system comes a low cloud ceiling and gusty winds, which could impact airline travel. Rain and excess runoff are making for possible flash flooding conditions, which could also delay road travel.
The National Weather Service's Tom Dang stated that Northern California will be hit again on Monday by the third storm, which could bring the most rain of the three to the region although officials aren't quite certain of its prospective impact.
"There a potential for several inches," Dang said according to Fox News. "It will be very wet."
As California continues its wettest winter in recent years, AndNowUKnow will have the latest on travel issues, the state of the Oroville Dam, and crop updates for the region.
BENTONVILLE, AR – In an effort to stay competitive with online retailers in general—and Amazon in particular—Walmart is planning to combine its buying operations for products sold in the company’s brick-and-mortar stores and those sold online.
According to the financial news source Fortune, Walmart has begun to tell its vendors it's in the process of streamlining operations in order to increase efficiencies, improve coordination between buying teams, and grow the company's already-robust online selection. The retailer also intends to apply the expertise that buyers from the physical stores’ operations have to its relatively-new ecommerce business—expertise in securing the lowest possible price from vendors.
"The way [Walmart] operated until now was extremely inefficient for us and them," a large consumer goods supplier who chose to remain anonymous told Reuters. "For example, they would buy 5 million cases a year for stores and 500 cases (for) online, and then make us go through a different buyer for online. It was a nuisance."
Going forward, Walmart’s Bentonville-based buying team will place both store and web orders with supplies who sell on both platforms. Under the new system, nearly 4,600 items available in-store will also all be approved for sale online.
According to Fortune, Wal-Mart Senior Director of Communications Lorenzo Lopez told the press on Monday that the company is working to create "a more efficient process that accelerates how we bring the full assortment of products in stores to Walmart.com."
The San Bruno-based Walmart.com buying team will still deal with suppliers who make products exclusively sold online, vendors reported. The team will continue to focus on expanding its assortment of online items.
Over the course of 2016, Walmart grew from 8 million items at the start of 2016 to more than 20 million items at the beginning of 2017, but the retailer has a long way to go if it plans to catch up with Amazon’s more than 300 million available products.
This most recent streamlining effort comes on the heels of a significant managerial shuffle last month intended to further integrate the recently-acquired Jet.com and shift priority onto online sales.
AndNowUKnow will keep you posted as new developments on the retailers expanding online operations occur.
DELANO, CA – Columbine Vineyard is giving back and encouraging the next generation of ag workers by hosting this year's Columbine Vineyards (CoVi) Spring Classic Livestock Show.
From March 24 through 26, those looking to boost their current 4-H or FFA experience will have a unique opportunity to do so. CoVi is planning to provide resources for youth and their families looking to learn the ins and outs of livestock showmanship.
“Columbine Vineyards is dedicated to instilling life skills into the future generations of young agriculturalists,” stated Martin Caratan, President, in a company press release. “The CoVi Spring Classic will provide expert resources from the local livestock community. We hope to instill an experience that will encourage our youth to continue or begin with their young livestock careers.”
While there are many jackpot livestock shows throughout the country, the CoVi Spring Classic emphasizes a welcoming atmosphere, and encourages children of all ages to learn and begin showing livestock without any sense of intense competitiveness.
The show is designed primarily for those with less than four years’ experience in livestock shows. The participants will be shown how to groom, brace, and handle their livestock as well as receive lessons in showing etiquette.
Like 4-H and FFA events, the CoVi Spring Classic offers participants prizes in areas of Improvement and Showmanship, and educational resources are available to parents to help navigate their student’s future in livestock.
General admission to the event is free, and a minimal feel is required for participation; hogs, lambs, and goats are $15 and steers are $20.
The event will be held March 24 through 26 at the Memorial Park Livestock Center, 100 Lexington St, Delano, CA 93215. For more details, prospective attendees and participants can contact Amber Cleaver here.
YUMA, AZ – Consumers are continuing to quench their palates with the exciting flavor profiles of dates, and to further tap in on that penchant, Natural Delights™ has announced a new partnership with Food52, and a subsequent new promotion.
“We’re thrilled to partner with such a well respected media brand and influential driver of consumer food trends. Our partnership with Food52 is designed to drive purchase of the Natural Delights brand, and educate consumers about the versatility and nutritional qualities of our Medjool dates,” stated Erin Hanagan-Muths, Director of Marketing, Bard Valley Date Growers.
The partnership will be embodied through a new four-and-a-half week recipe contest to continue putting Medjool dates top-of-mind. According to a press release, Natural Delights expects the promotion to reach over 4.5 million consumers and food influencers.
Consumers, along with the Food52 network of foodies and home chefs, will create their own delicious recipes that include Natural Delights Medjool dates. Up to ten finalists will have their recipes put to the test by Food52 recipe developers and professionally photographed by Food52’s team of stylists.
“By redefining the Medjool date category and focusing on powerful promotions like our Food52 partnership we have been able to go from leading the category to being the category. When shoppers are looking for dates, they are actively seeking out the Natural Delights brand,” continued Hanagan-Muths.
This partnership will mark the beginning of a 365 omni-channel marketing campaign that will include the following aspects throughout the 2017-18 season in the U.S. and Canada:
- National print advertising
- Programmatic digital advertising
- Content partnerships
- Consumer influencer promotions
- Event marketing
- Social media content marketing
Bard Valley Date Growers stated that the Natural Delights brand now accounts for over 85% of the total date category share of dollars and volume, due in part to the strategic repositioning of the Medjool date category through continuous promotions and marketing campaigns over the past three years. The company also stated that the brand experiences high sales rates in comparison to other brands.
Throughout 2017, Natural Delights will offer retailers a complete support kit that will include co-branded advertising opportunities, and branded merchandising tools in order to create a date destination in the produce department. These tools will assist retailers to take advantage of the growing demand for Natural Delights products.
As the dates category continues to grow, AndNowUKnow will have all the latest in strategic partnerships and promotions.
ROSEMONT, IL – Foodservice titan US Foods announced yesterday, February 14, that it has agreed to acquire All American Foods.
“The growth All American Foods has experienced over the last three decades is proof that their business model and commitment to customer service is strong,” said John O’Carroll, Northeast Region President of US Foods, in a press release. “We are looking forward to building on All American Foods’ already strong reputation and bringing an even better experience to foodservice operators throughout Southern New England.”
Established in 1988, All American Foods is a broadline distributor based in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. The company boasts annual sales of almost $60 million and provides more than 4,000 SKUs to nearly 1,000 customers throughout Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and Connecticut.
In a press release, US Foods welcomed All American Foods employees to the company, and said it will continue to operate out of All American Foods’ 65,000-square-foot facility.
US Foods hopes that the addition of All American Foods will further enhance the company’s ability to serve customers in the northeast region, an area heavily-populated with independent restaurants.
The acquisition is expected to close at the end of February; terms of the transactions have not been disclosed.
For updates, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
ARLINGTON, VA - The moment the buy-side sector has waited for is here—Lidl has announced an opening date for its entryway into U.S. markets. Far ahead of when the chain was first speculated to join the country's current consumer options, Lidl will be opening its doors in just a few months.
Announced this Wednesday, the chain has marked summer of this year as its prospective opening date. Though the retailer plans to open a larger spree of stores in the future, it will currently focus on an initial 20 to start its U.S. saga.
Lidl also indicated that it plans to open another 100 stores on U.S. soil, according to news source WoodTV8, that will fan across the East Coast within a year. This quickened move comes after Lidl had long anticipated opening its U.S. locations no later than 2018, and remaining vigilant on acquiring property and preparing for its debut.
Lidl will first make its mark in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. As we’ve reported previously, this region is also where Lidl first established its U.S. base in 2015.
With the U.S. now officially about to be added to Lidl’s operating list, will our markets be as amenable to the discount retailer as the 27 other countries in which the chain has found success? AndNowUKnow will keep you apprised.
WOODRIDGE, IL – After years of robust growth, Produce Pro Software has announced the launch of its newly-redesigned website www.producepro.com.
“Our goal with the new website was to have an avenue to inform customers and prospects, alike, about our solutions and how we can assist with their day-to-day challenges as well as keep up with evolving industry regulations,” said Marc Hatfield, National Sales Manager, in a press release. “We think of our customers as our partners and we want them to know we are an extension of their organization. Our new website helps paint this picture.”
The site’s new simplified look, combined with enhanced visual content, search functionality, and mobile optimizations, will allow visitors to connect with Produce Pro Software from any device—desktop or mobile.
“Being a technology company and living in a digital age, having an up-to-date website was a top priority for us. However, we also wanted to maintain some of the tried and true strengths from our previous site which aimed to tell the breadth of our company story and our commitment to our customers throughout the industry,” said Kristen Santangelo, Marketing Manager. “As we continue to enhance our products and services to fit the demands and needs of our customers, we needed a digital platform we could manage ourselves; ensuring visitors receive an informative experience each time they visit our site as well as a clear way to contact us.”
From the new website, visitors can access a variety of features, including:
- The company’s history since 1990
- Videos about products and services
- Customer case studies and testimonials
- Recent news and upcoming education webinars and workshops
From an all-in-one, integrated ERP software solution and warehouse management system to mobile apps to industry consulting, Produce Pro offers a robust list of products and service, and with the industry’s recent growth and increased demand for software solutions, Produce Pro Software noted that its offerings are bound to increase.
For more on this and other exciting companies in the produce industry, check in with us at AndNowUKnow.
MT MAUNGANUI, NEW ZEALAND - As demand for the European SunGold kiwifruit continues to rise, Zespri has announced that it plans to allocate an additional 1,800 hectares of its proprietary variety over the next three years to match. Essentially doubling production of the fruit variety in Europe, the first 1,200 hectares will be in Italy and the remaining 600 are yet to be announced.
“Twelve-month supply is a key part of Zespri’s strategy and this investment aligns our offshore production with the strong increases in New Zealand SunGold volumes, set to double to around 320,000 tonnes over the next five years,” said Zespri Chief Operating Officer, Simon Limmer.
The initial expansion will be through a longstanding partnership with the four Italian suppliers originally contracted with Zespri in 2000 to produce the previous gold variety Hort16A, which the company said ignited the gold category worldwide. These suppliers include:
- Apofruit
- Alegra–Intesa
- Salvi Unacoa
- Spreafico
Limmer said that, based on current pricing, the SunGold fruit from the first 1,200 hectares alone will generate over €100 million (about $105.85 million USD) a year in revenue for the Italian economy once the vines are fully producing, according to a press release.
“Growing Zespri Kiwifruit in Italy for the past 17 years has seen us develop strong partnerships with Italian growers and suppliers, making Italy the logical choice to expand our production base,” Limmer said.
Zespri’s President Global Sales & Marketing, Daniel Mathieson, said the company invested around NZ$160 million (about $105.85 million USD) last year in targeted marketing at trade and consumer levels, which he stated benefits the entire kiwifruit category.
“Kiwifruit makes up just 0.22 percent of globally traded fruit: our goal is to grow kiwifruit consumption around the world,” Mathieson said.
He continued, “Large-scale investments like this help us achieve that goal and meet the very strong consumer demand for this great-tasting, quality fruit, which has brought real excitement to the global kiwifruit category. We’re pleased to see the growth in kiwifruit volumes around the world, which underscores just how important it is for all kiwifruit producers to supply good quality, tasty fruit to support this category growth.”
The new plantings for the SunGold will be staged with 1,200 hectares to be established in Italy over the next two years and a further 600 hectares planned for Europe in 2019/20. The variety is managed by Zespri’s premium brand, which celebrates its 20th birthday next month.