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WEST SACRAMENTO, CA - As part of a new strategy to infuse children with healthy values at a young age, Sacramento-based retailer Raley’s will now be providing free fruit to kids in stores to eat while parents shop. The company is placing baskets of fruit in the entrances of each of its stores to provide a nutritious snacks for any child under the age of 12.
"Raley's wants to connect kids with fresh and healthy food, while enhancing our customers' overall shopping experience," explained Kevin Konkel, Raley’s Senior Vice President of Store Operations. "Offering kids free fruit is an opportunity to provide a nutritious snack option. We know that small changes in food choices can make an impact over time."
This new implement into Raley’s stores comes a little under two months after the reveal of its “Let’s Begin” campaign, a renewed focus on making healthy eating more available to its shoppers, and now help instill better dietary choices and practices later in life. The Let’s Begin campaign includes several levels of strategic moves, including:
- Help its shoppers with fresh cost-saving tips
- Give assistance in defining food labels
- Provide shopping facts and tips about things like coloring and other fresh produce facts
“Fruit is a delicious and easy way for kids to get more fiber and important nutrition into their day, keeping their immune system strong and their taste buds happy!” added Raley’s Wellness Evangelist, Emmie Satrazemis.
According to a press release from the retailer, eighty-seven percent of Americans don't meet recommendations for daily fruit consumption. Raley’s hope is that introducing positive food choices when children are developing their eating habits can be a unique opportunity to educate the next generation of consumers.
Will this investment into the future pay off for Raley’s in both dollars and in wellness? I look forward to diving deeper into the company’s fresh produce tactics as time goes on.
SALINAS, CA - Two original products in the Mann Packing Mann’s Culinary Cuts® line are getting a packaging refresh. The new packaging moves the Sweet Potato Ribbons and Butternut Squash Zig Zags from clamshells to bags, to unify the growing product line, and offer more room on produce aisle shelves.
“Earlier this year, we launched three new Culinary Cuts products that were all in bags,” said Gina Nucci, Director of Corporate Marketing at Mann’s. She continued, “The new package design will provide consumers across North America with a consistent look. By transitioning from clamshells to bags, retailers will be able to save space, enhance margin, and increase sales velocity–it’s a win-win for retailers and consumers.”
The Culinary Cuts® product offerings now include:
- Sweet Potato Ribbons
- Butternut Squash Zig Zags
- Shaved Brussels Sprouts
- Cauliflower Cauliettes®
- Broccoli Clovers
The full line with the new look will be launched into U.S. and Canadian markets starting on October 4, 2016. The products, along with recipes, photos and videos can be seen at culinarycutsclub.com.
The development of the new packaging reflects Mann’s commitment to providing innovative solutions for consumers. Not only will the appearance of the products be noticeably different, customers will also appreciate the consistency of the look. The new bags feature improved physical characteristics which will enhance shelf-life.
Culinary Cuts have helped revolutionize homemade cuisine by offering consumers fresh vegetables cut into distinct shapes that are hard to replicate at home. The convenient vegetables are preservative and gluten-free, and work well for substitutions on anything from pasta to crackers. The washed and ready-to-eat veggies are versatile enough for multiple uses such as side dishes, stir-fry’s, appetizers, desserts, and casseroles.
Culinary Cuts are one of the first veggie pasta swap products available nationwide and are backed with promotions and merchandising support to educate consumers and spur sales. The Butternut Squash Zig Zags and Sweet Potato Ribbons are two of the fastest selling branded squash and sweet potato items where sold, according to AC Nielson 13 W/E_07/30/16.
Check back with AndNowUKnow for all the latest in innovative fresh produce packaging and product line offerings!
KINGSBURG, CA - As the company continues pushing through strong grape and pomegranate seasons, King Fresh Produce is now bolstering its sales and marketing teams with a new hire. Drew Clubb is joining the King Fresh team as Sales & Marketing Representative, and will work out of the company’s Kansas City, Missouri office.
In a statement from the company, King Fresh outlined that Clubb’s focus will lie in strengthening supplier and grower affiliations, as well as working on strategic sales development. Clubb’s background and experience comes from working in the field of banking and finance.
“We are excited to have Drew on board with King Fresh. He brings a fresh sales and marketing vision to our brand. We look forward to continued success with the addition of Drew to our Midwest office,” shared Adam Millburn, Director of Marketing for King Fresh-KC
Clubb is no stranger to Missouri, originally hailing from the state’s city of Columbia and earning his Agricultural Business degree from Northwest MO State University in Maryville. King Fresh said his hobbies range across many outdoor activities, including fishing and hiking.
King Fresh Produce, the marketing arm of Wilson Farms, is now in its third generation of Wilsons spearheading the company. Wilson Farms was founded by current President Keith Wilson’s father, Woodrow Wilson, following in the farming tradition of Keith’s grandfather. Keith himself heads King Fresh, where his children also break into the family business.
MCFARLAND, CA – As the holidays fast approach and consumers begin readying their seasonal menus, Sunlight International is projecting a strong supply in quality and volume of grapes to carry through December.
As Nick Dulcich, President of Sunlight International, recently told me, the company is halfway through its harvesting season in Kern County, California, with a steady ongoing supply of green, red, and black premium grape varieties.
“This season has been exceptional in terms of quality and quantity,” Nick says. “The weather has been very pleasant so far, and beneficial for the crops. This forecast is expected to remain the same for the next several weeks.”
The company’s excellent quality is further bolstered by normal harvesting conditions and on-time schedules. Nick says that this year’s market is currently steady with very good demand, aided in part by the excellent quality of the crop.
“The combined export and domestic demand is very good, and comparable to previous years. The dollar is fairly strong, but the demand for high-quality fruit remains steady,” Nick continues.
Nick states that Sunlight International was the first grape grower to package its products in the Grab-n-Go bag, which further entices consumers and prompts spontaneous purchases with its colorful branding.
To further bolster these grape-focused rings at the register, Sunlight International is offering retailers seasonal POS displays for a variety of programs. These displays complement the company’s full-color graphic Grab-n-Go bags, with the following offerings driving sales in the category:
- Pretty Lady
- Pretty Lady Emerald
- Harvest Hobgoblin
- Incredible Grape Pumpkin Patch
- Pretty Lady for the Holidays
“The Grab-n-Go bags and POS displays, paired with full-color display bins to match, create a unique array of eye-catching graphics and also highlight selling points that help to drive category growth,” Nick finishes.
As the season continues and grapes continue to enrich the offerings of consumer’s holiday culinary feats, AndNowUKnow will have the latest on product offerings and announcements.
BENTONVILLE, AR - Walmart is changing up its supplier rules as we head into the new year, setting tighter standards in multiple areas of its process. According to a report from commerce-focused publication Pymnts, the retailer will be shrinking its window for goods from four days to just two, while increasing it’s upping delivery compliance requirements in North America from 90 percent to 95 percent.
Expected to go into effect in February, 2017, the news source states, this increased pressure on suppliers has been something Walmart has been inching towards since it first announced its delivery compliance standards in 2010. The 2010 requirements declared that items “must arrive by date” (MABD) for all merchandise from suppliers, who were then given a six month window to comply.
Currently, Walmart’s guidelines allow for delivery in a four day time period, either two days early or one day late from the MABD. As reported in Pymnts, if a supplier misses that window 10 percent or more of the time, the company is then charged 3 percent of it’s quarterly invoice by Walmart. Those with very large contracts with the retailer could then potentially be taking a big financial hit.
Now, with the window shrinking to just two days and only wiggle room to miss the scheduled dates 5 percent of the time, the frequency of these fines will likely start to ramp up. The source says delivery will now only be permitted on the scheduled date or a day early—never late.
Will sourcing and logistics teams be able to tighten their workings to get suppliers’ shipments to Walmart in on time? AndNowUKnow will continue to cover the retailer’s changes to its supply chain as more is revealed.
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CARIBBEAN - Tropical Storm Matthew, officially named this morning, could be the U.S.’s next hurricane by next week.
"Matthew will take a westward path across the central Caribbean this weekend, where strengthening to a hurricane is possible," AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski said in a recent report.
For now, Matthew has ag areas like Cuba, northern Venezuela, Colombia, and the Dominican Republic on alert for what the system could grow to be by Sunday, with a potential path towards the U.S. this weekend.
"A northward turn is not out of line with climatology with systems in the Caribbean during this time of the year," Mike Doll, AccuWeather Tropical Meteorologist, said.
Whether or not Matthew will make it far enough to bring its rain and wind to the U.S. Gulf Coast, or the Atlantic Seaboard, will be determined by how far west the system makes it in the coming days.
"Until Matthew becomes better organized the track and strength beyond four days is highly uncertain," Kottlowski said.
Additional, but more remote, trajectories for the weather pattern include continuing its path west into Central America, and what AccuWeather reported as a “very abrupt” turn to the northeast, keeping the storm east of the U.S.
"Even if Matthew moves northward across Cuba early next week, as we suspect it will, then it could still find a way to get into the eastern Gulf of Mexico," said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bernie Rayno.
What can we expect if the predictions come to fruition? Rain in the northeastern states into this weekend, with the possibility of the tropical system moving toward the U.S. Atlantic Coast and even the southeastern states if it is strong enough to last into next week.
AndNowUKnow will continue to monitor the situation and keep you up to speed on Matthew’s potential effects to the produce industry.
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA and MEXICO - The area surrounding the California-Mexico border has been a lot shakier over the past few days. Since early Monday morning, the San Andreas Fault has seen more than 140 earthquakes, two of which reached at least a 4.3-magnitude on the Richter scale.
The swarms started occurring at 4 AM on Monday, United States Geological Survey (USGS) Seismologist Robert Graves told CNBC, and while the quakes weren’t particularly strong, he says this is still something to take note of.
"They are not strongly damaging earthquakes but obviously the fact there are so many of them and they are occurring so close in time is something that deserves our attention," said Graves. "Obviously, we're looking at that very closely.”
Imperial County, the epicenter for many of the quakes, lies along the U.S.-Mexico border and is home to a number of active fault strands. These strands include the "main fault,” also known as the San Andreas fault. This fault line, now made popular by Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson-fronted disaster movie fame, is capable of producing 8.0-magnitude earthquakes.
"There's always the potential that a larger earthquake could occur," Graves continued in the interview with CNBC. "We haven't seen anything in the current set of observations that would suggest that that is going to happen but we obviously cannot rule it out.”
Graves estimated a five percent chance of a larger-scaled earthquake, explaining that this type of earthquake swarm means that the probability doesn't diminish quite as quickly. This won't necessarily mean anything capable of doing major damage, however. The probability of a 7.0-magnitude or above quake occurring is "far less than one percent,” the seismologist assures.
CNBC reports that the last major earthquake along the southern section of the San Andreas Fault was in 1857, and topped out at a 7.8-magnitude.
A spokesperson for the Imperial County Sheriff's Department confirmed on Tuesday that there have been no reports of injuries or damage from any of the preceding earthquakes.
WILLIAMSBURG, VA – As the industry prepares to gather in Virginia for the Southeast Produce Council’s (SEPC) Southern Innovations Symposium this week, attendees are gearing up for an event filled with opportunities and speakers to further cultivate innovation.
With the event at large beginning this Thursday, September 29, I recently spoke with the Symposium’s keynote speaker, Chris Fussell, to learn more about what insights fresh produce members can glean from his panel surrounding the topic of New Rules of Engagement in a Complex World.
“What are the systems and processes that can be put in place to allow large traditional systems to retain stability and strength of a bureaucratic model, but also decentralize and move with speed and agility,” Chris says of his planned discussion.
Chris will also touch on how his understandings of transforming industries and organizations as a former member of the special operations community can translate to the leadership capabilities and prospective strategies needed by fresh produce members in our own industry.
Attendees can hear Chris’s speech during his keynote panel on Friday, September 29, at 10:15 am, followed by a Q&A segment. As we recently reported, attendees of the event can also stay ahead at the shifting forefront of our industry, by hearing the strategies of futurist Richard Worzel.
To learn more about what wisdom Chris will offer during his speech, listen to the audio interview above.
See you on the floor!