CALIFORNIA – As the tail end of a series of storms covering California for the past week descends on the southern end of the state.
While it is an area in need of the moisture, as many of last year's rains missed the southern half of the state, officials and weather experts are warning about flooding, severe winds and rains, and noting that evacuations may be in order.
“Another moisture-laden storm system will slam into California through Monday morning, bringing more heavy rain and mountain snow,” AccuWeather Meteorologist Jordan Root said, in a report issued early this morning.
The National Weather Service has maintained flash flood warnings through much of the region—from San Francisco, down through the central coast, to much of Southern California.
According to Accuweather, storms earlier this week forced evacuations as far south as Santa Clarita in Los Angeles county, where wildfires earlier in the year have hampered the region’s ability to absorb groundwater.
The Associated Press reports that traffic has been diverted off interstates 110 and 710 south of downtown Los Angeles because of water flowing across lanes, and hundreds of homes in Santa Barbara, Los Angeles and Orange counties, near wildfire burn areas, have been evacuated.
Mudslides and flooding have led to several road closures in the vicinity, and throughout the state.
In addition to heavy rain, snow continues to dump on the Sierra Nevada mountain range.
“The Sierras will likely see another few feet of snow through Monday,” Root said. Accuweather noted the likelihood of road closures on the 1-80 Donner Summit, and even noted that plunging snow levels could cause delays as far south as the Grapevine section of I-5.
Major travel disruptions are expected as far east as the i-40 corridor near Flagstaff, AZ, along with Reno, Nevada and areas throughout the Rocky Mountains.
As the week progresses and the storm proceeds southward, weather conditions are expected to become more gentle, with lighter periods of rain diminishing throughout the week.
CINCINNATI, OH - Kroger has announced that it has its current business sights set on more growth and is looking to add 10,000 permanent employees to bolster it.
"Kroger's growth trajectory continues to create opportunities for our people to advance their careers–and to do that in a fun, team environment with great benefits," said Tim Massa, Kroger's Group Vice President of Human Resources and Labor Relations. "We're looking for associates who are passionate about people and about food, and who want to make a difference for our customers, communities and each other."
The positions are in its supermarket divisions, with Massa adding that about 70 percent of Kroger's store managers started as part-time clerks.
The retailer’s total active workforce grew by more than 12,000 in 2016, according to a press release, and it has created more than 86,000 permanent, new jobs over the last eight years.
Kroger also made moves in its commitment to the “Honoring Our Heroes” program, having hired 9,000 veterans in 2016, helping the 100,000 Jobs Mission reach its 2020 goal of hiring more than 100,000 transitioning service members and military veterans.
The company has made several moves in both growth and investing in upping its customer service in recent months, having offered early retirement options to approximately 2,000 non-store associates to make room for investments and also expanding its ClickList offering.
Curently, Kroger and its subsidiaries employ more than 443,000 associates and operate in 35 states, as well as the District of Columbia.
VAUGHAN, ONTARIO - Asian foods are hot, and I don’t just mean flavor-wise. With this particular trend on the rise, Chinese New Year has become a key time to promote Asian fruits and vegetables, expanding awareness for some consumers and reaching out to welcome others.
From the buy-side perspective, what are some key ways retailers look to participate in this opportunity? Longo’s Director of Produce and Floral, Mimmo Franzone, gave me his insights.
“It’s important to have a good mix of variety regardless the holiday or culture, in most cases you would have 1st, 2nd, and 3rd generations shopping and their preferences in cultural food may all vary,” Mimmo starts off, explaining that Longo’s looks to keep a versatile inventory for the ever-diversifying Canadian consumer pool.
When it comes to Chinese New Year, he says that it is good to kick up those offerings a notch.
“We try to promote Asian veg, both wet and dry, while on the fruit side citrus promos are key–most importantly a stem and leaf mandarin is always on feature,” he shares when I ask about key features and promotions.
Items Mimmo says he would be on the lookout for include:
- Gailon
- Bok choys
- Chinese cabbage and lettuces
- Eggplants
- Fuji apples both from the North West and from China
“Bitter melons are always a popular choice with our customers as well,” he adds.
Overall Mimmo says he’s noticed a big uptick in Asian produce and foods in Longo’s market for a couple of reasons.
“The demographics have changed drastically in our market, where we are seeing the Asian population increasing at a very fast pace,” Mimmo explains. “Secondly, the culinary/foodservice world has been incorporating a lot of Asian veg into their menus and in return we are seeing consumers making these purchases for home consumption as well.”
The Chinese New Year rapidly approaches, but it seems the Asian produce trend will last beyond the day of festivities. What fresh items will it bring to the forefront?
We’ll continue to report on this and all other produce trends.
FRESNO, CA- In a continued effort to invest in the future, the California Table Grape Commission has opened the door for thousands of students to participate in innovative projects ranging from planting vineyards and building mini-wind turbines, to programming robotics.
“The education grant program is one of the ways table grape growers in California give back to communities in which they live and work,” said Kathleen Nave, President of the Commission, according to a release.
The Innovation in Teaching Education Grant Program was created in 1993 to support innovative educational projects in the table grape growing regions of California. Overall, 56 education grants worth up to $750 each were awarded this year.
Other samples of the projects funded by the grants include:
- Exploring California Foods and Nutrition: Focused on California agriculture, this project will help teach science, reading, math, and nutrition. Third through sixth grade students will grow, cook, and taste produce firsthand. Grant funds will purchase cooking supplies, California cheeses, mushroom kits to grow and taste, and transportation to visit an olive oil company.
- Agricultural Engineering in Mini Greenhouses: Grant funds will purchase the equipment and materials needed to upgrade their garden project to include miniature green houses to protect the plants from freezing. Seventh grade students have analyzed the data and designed this solution for maintaining their garden ecosystem.
- 3D-Assisted Wind Turbine: Seventh and eighth grade students will design and build a miniature Wind Turbine prototype that generates power. The 3D printer that grant funds will purchase can produce the over-sized plastic gear that is needed to increase power output.
The full list of funded projects can be found here.
The funded projects will be implemented in the current academic year, and will reach over 7,500 K-12 students in the table grape growing regions of California’s San Joaquin and Coachella valleys.
The next funding cycle for the Innovation in Teaching education grants will be in the fall of 2017. The Innovation in Teaching education grants are part of a community service program of the California Table Grape Commission, funded by California’s table grape growers.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Target has announced a new lead executive with the promotion of Rick Gomez, now the retailer’s Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.
“Target has long been known for our unforgettable marketing and we are fortunate to be considered one of the world’s most iconic brands,” said Gomez. “I’m incredibly proud and humbled to lead Target’s marketing team as we continue to sharpen our capabilities, cater to our guests, and most importantly, drive growth for Target.”
Gomez joined the corporation in 2013, and according to a press release his leadership has been instrumental in driving growth in a number of Target’s signature categories.
During his time with Target, Gomez has:
- Championed the company’s renewed emphasis on deeper, more personal guest research.
- Been key in the establishment of Target’s Guest Center of Excellence.
- Driven some of Target’s most memorable marketing initiatives, including award-winning live commercials and a record-breaking Lilly Pulitzer partnership.
Before Target, Gomez focused on integrated marketing, brand building, and customer engagement with PepsiCo, Quaker Oats, and MillerCoors.
“Rick has a deep understanding of the retail marketplace and brings an analytical, strategic, and collaborative approach to the work he leads to reach our guests and drive the business,” said Target Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Brian Cornell, whom Gomez will report to directly. “As our new Chief Marketing Officer, Rick will build on Target’s history of world-class marketing to drive traffic, sales, guest loyalty and brand equity during a time of rapid retail change. Rick is a very talented marketer whose leadership will be critical as we continue to refine our marketing efforts and reach our guests in new, relevant ways.”
In his new role, which is effective as of Jan. 29, Gomez will be responsible for furthering Target’s brand positioning and leading the integration of all marketing programs. In his positions, the retailer said that he will oversee marketing and media strategy, creative, marketing communications, guest research, loyalty, corporate communications, and corporate social responsibility efforts.
Continue to read AndNowUKnow as we keep you up-to-date on all the latest in retail and beyond.
PHARR, TX – A painting may be worth a thousand words, but as criminals at the U.S. border recently found out, nefariously painted watermelons may be worth some far more serious implications. Authorities recently seized 3,000 pounds of marijuana from a commercial shipment, disguised as painted watermelon-shaped packages.
“Smugglers continue to be creative as they attempt to introduce illegal narcotics into our country,” said Port Director Efrain Solis Jr., Hidalgo, of Pharr, and Anzalduas Ports of Entry. “Our frontline CBP officers’ experience, vigilance and attention to detail prevents the introduction of these dangerous drugs into our country.”
The bust occurred earlier this week at the Pharr International Bridge. Authorities at the cargo facility were surprised with the true contents of a commercial shipment of watermelon after referring a Thermo King tractor trailer for secondary inspection. Concealed amongst fresh watermelons, were their poorly camouflaged brethren.
Extracted from within the obviously painted imposters came 390 packages of the alleged drugs, due to the revealing nature of a non-intrusive imaging system and a canine team. Authorities clarified that once gathered, criminals were attempting to push a total of 3,000 pounds of marijuana across the border through the suspect melons.
Valued at approximately $600,092, the illicit haul was seized by U.S. Customs and Border Protection, Office of Field Operations. The case is still under investigation by Homeland Security Investigations special agents.
What arts and crafts will the seedy criminal world marry with fresh produce next, in their bootleg endeavors? Stay riveted with AndNowUKnow as we continue to report.
POMPANO BEACH, FL – With winter well underway and spring on its heels, asparagus is on the minds of enterprising retailers. What does the remainder of the season have to offer in the way of asparagus imports from Peru and Mexico? We tapped Charlie Eagle, Vice President of Business and Development for Southern Specialties, to find out just what we can expect from asparagus throughout the season.
“We grow in Peru year-round, and right around this time of year, we typically transition a good portion of our growing to Caborca, Mexico,” notes Charlie, when I ask where the company stands in terms of production as of January 16. “That Caborca crop has been slow to come on because we’ve had some rain and some cool weather. We predict that, for about another week, the majority of our product will be coming from Peru, but that should turn around, shortly, once the weather improves.”
Charlie notes that the quality of asparagus coming out of Peru has generally been very good, but yield has decreased slightly from last year, and available volumes haven’t provided retailers with many opportunities to promote their product.
“We are seeing yields that are just a little lower, because many of our fields are maturing. Our fields in Peru have been planted for several years and harvested on a regular basis; over the years, as the fields mature, the yields do go down a little bit. We’ve had steady demand through the season so far, and the prices out of Peru have been a higher than in the past,” Charlie tells me.
Once production transitions to Mexico, though, Southern Specialties can expect an excellent supply of high-quality produce.
“We expect Mexico to start production from Caborca and other areas with good yields and good quality,” says Charlie. “And we expect to have promotable volumes through the remainder of the season—available both through our Pompano Beach, FL, facility and through San Luis, AZ.”
For years, Charlie explains, Southern Specialties has offered Southern Select value-added asparagus in a variety of package sizes, ideally suited for a variety of consumers’ needs. “We offer a variety of sizes and pack styles that are suited to many different types of customers—from a club store-type two-pound package all the way down to our Southern Selects asparagus tips available in an eight-ounce microwaveable bag.”
With year-round programs for both varieties, Southern Specialties expects to have ample supply of green and white asparagus for the remainder of the season, and as spring approaches, the company will begin to supply purple asparagus, as well.
“In addition to that,” adds Charlie, “we have good volumes of organic asparagus available, and we encourage buyers to contact us to discuss our organic asparagus program.”
For updates as the season progresses, check back in with AndNowUKnow.
IRVINE, CA- Yesterday, the Western Growers Association Center for Innovation and Technology (WGCIT) celebrated its one year anniversary. Taylor Farms, a member and sponsor, hosted a celebratory event for the occasion at the Taylor Farms building. The WGCIT is positioned to bring entrepreneurs together with farmers to find solutions to the challenges facing the industry; acting as an agtech incubator working with some of the brightest innovators in agriculture such as, Aaron Enz of Alta Energy and Mike Dodson of Lotpath.
Bruce Taylor, Chairman and CEO, Taylor Farms also spoke on his experience with innovation, commenting, "It's easy to be skeptical, it's takes time, it takes resources, and it takes bandwidth, but it's important to do. It's important for our community in terms of being stewards of our resources. It's important for our industry in terms of our future."
The event featured entrepreneurs collaborating with farmers on current and future technologies, as well as leaders from the agricultural industry and the City of Salinas speaking about the development of agtech and networking with agtech leaders.
"We are proud of the achievements we, and our startups, have accomplished thus far and have found our footing to create a solid foundation for the Center," said Hank Giclas, Western Growers Association Senior Vice President, Strategic Planning, Science, and Technology, according to a statement.
The WGCIT first opened its doors on December 10, 2015 with six agtech startup companies. Over the course of a year, the organization has transformed into a hub of collaboration, now housing 27 startups.
Other milestones over the past year include:
- Launching arguably the first scholarship program of its kind, providing scholarship winners with residence at one of the country's premier agtech incubators designed to assist start-up companies who are developing agricultural technologies.
- Developing an initiative with Trace Genomics (one of WGCIT's residents) the launch a Soil Microbial Health Initiative, assisting farmers in understanding how soil biology is a key factor in crop productivity, disease susceptibility, and crop quality.
- Creating a partnership with SWIIM (one of WCGIT's residents) to help farmers conserve more water and simultaneously earn money for the water they do not use.
- Crafting a program of regular classes and workshops to help startups bring their technology from development to production.
- Assisting and providing resources to help the agtech start-up companies housed in the WGCIT to develop new technologies, including HeavyConnect's Pesticide Use reporting tool, iFood Decision Sciences' data management app called "The Toolbox" and more.
The WGCIT’s solutions-oriented approach strategy includes hosting short sessions that highlight specific tech innovations that address targeted industry needs; connecting with other incubators and accelerators; solidifying ties with academia; and more formalized trials and beta testing with the Western Growers community.
"During this first year, the Center has grown organically and going forward we are going to take a more solutions-oriented role," said Giclas. "We have engaged Dennis Donohue, former Mayor of the City of Salinas, and under his leadership we plan to zero in and seek out agtech startups who are developing technologies that solve the industry's most immediate needs."
The WGCIT shows no signs of stopping, with plans to further agtech excellence throughout the local community, state, nation, and industry. Key targets include solutions to issues surrounding water quantity and quality, technologies that focus on mechanization to provide relief to labor challenges and food safety innovations.
What other innovative solutions will the industry see next? Stay tuned with AndNowUKnow for the latest!
NEW YORK, NY – Staying at the forefront of the industry can involve more than just a selection of fresh offerings, as D’Arrigo Brothers of NY has proven with its endeavors. The company has recently formed another partnership to better the overall health of the consumers that it aims to nourish; this time, donating $15,000 to Paws of War to help fund training dogs for veterans who served on the frontlines.
“We all know someone who has served in our nation’s military, said Gabriela D'Arrigo the Marketing and Communication Director of D'Arrigo Brothers of New York. “Thousands of brave men and women were wounded in combat protecting your family and mine. Others returned home without visible injuries, but emotionally scarred by the horrors of war. For some the nightmares and the emotional pain continues for decades. We at D’Arrigo Brothers of New York were very pleased when we learned that we could make a difference, that we could underwrite the cost of Paws of War training support dogs that could improve the lives of these three veterans and so many others.”
Paws of War provides service dogs to veterans who suffer from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after their time in the service. According to a press release, through D’Arrigo Brothers of New York’s underwriting, the Long Island-based company was able to train and present three U.S. combat military veterans with service dogs.
Purple Heart Naval Corpsman Gus Pappas was presented with Nico, a mixed terrier. Gus served in Vietnam, and is a Two-Star retired Chief of the New York City Fire Department. U.S. Navy Petty Officer First Class Rob Carrozzo was presented with Lucy. Rob was deployed to Iraq three times. Brian Pacella, who served as an Amry Military Police Officer in Iraq, was presented with Susie.
“We are thrilled to partner with D'Arrigo Brothers of New York to further our mission of helping both ends of the leash,” said Paws of War Executive Director, Dori Scofield. "This sponsorship will allow us to match three more rescued dogs in training with veterans in need.”
D’Arrigo Brothers of NY stated that according to the Department of Veteran Affairs (V.A.), of the 750,000 military personnel who served in Afghanistan and Iraq around 100,000 sought mental health care. Of that number, half were diagnosed with PTSD. The company also reiterated that over 13% of U.S. veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan suffer from PTSD.
How will D’Arrigo Brothers of New York next contribute to the welfare of consumers? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
CHELAN, WA - Chelan Fresh is looking to make a big statement with a petite apple. The grower cooperative has teamed up with Borton Fruit to bring the Rockit apple, known for its small size and tasty crunch, to American soil in volumes.
“This is one little apple that I can see turning the apple category upside down,” Mac Riggan, Chelan’s Director of Marketing, shares with me. “People become so excited about the consistency of the eating experience once they try it, it will be a regular item on their shopping list.”
As trends continue to shift towards “the more convenient, the better,” the Rockit comes to parents’ aid in a sleek, portable container that provides good real estate for retailers.
“A tube of apples equates to the water bottle in convenience,” Mac shares, painting for me the imagery of just how simple the water bottle has made staying hydrated. Likewise, the tube of Rockits make it cool and compact for anyone on-the-go. “This tube utilizes a simple but effective way to get Rockit in key display areas for both conventional and convenient stores.”
Born from a cross between a royal gala and gala splendour cross, this all-natural apple has an appealing red blush and creates a memorable snacking experience.
“People see apples as the answer to a candy bar, and this takes that one step further,” Mac says. “Rockits are small and easy for kids, work well for adults who might be looking to monitor their sugar intake, and they have a strong shelf-life.”
He adds that this product can help retailers in their vision of becoming a solution provider for moms. The only downside? The Rockit is still new to Washington soil and cannot grow as quickly as the demand for the product.
“The only downside is that amount is still limited,” Mac shares, explaining that the last crop came in with outstanding quality. “Come March, we will be able to integrate the New Zealand Rockit program, so stay tuned.”