SACRAMENTO, CA - From virtual and augmented reality experiences to our proprietary Interprez presentations, the creative minds at AndNowUKnow are continuously searching for ways to bring you the best marketing tools and information portals in the industry.
That being said, we are thrilled to announce the launch of our Quiz Quix–full of produce industry facts, category highlights, and fun anecdotes that will not only liven up your inbox and office, but also act as a vehicle for key information and sponsorship opportunities.
Those on the buy-side and the supply-side can test their skills, compete with colleagues and customers, and find key marketing and selling points you might not have known you needed.
You can use our Quiz Quix not only to strengthen the knowledge of your team, but as a team-builder as well. Why try to pull your office together with fall fantasy teams when you can send each other a link that takes 30 seconds or less and gives you immediate bragging rights–until the next quiz comes along!
Our tagline for Quiz Quix is Fun, Fast, Informative. All you will need to do is click the link in our newsletter, sign in via one of four, easy-to-login social media channels, and you're ready to test your produce industry knowledge. Logging in through your social media accounts does not give ANUK access to any of your data, just provides you with a faster and easier method of signing on.
While we will certainly have a few adjustments along the way, we are very proud to have created Quiz Quix entirely in-house from the hard work of the entire ANUK staff. Quiz Quix also works both on your desktop and your mobile devices.
With Quiz Quix set to launch soon, stay tuned to ANUK to keep an eye out for the next chance to start the work day off right. Prizes, marketing, social media; we hope you enjoy the possibilities this opens up.
DALLAS and FORT WORTH, TX- The retail competition in North Texas is no joke. Between Whole Foods, H-E-B, and Aldi just to name a few, and companies like Trader’s Joe’s and Sprouts growing their footprint in the state, the supermarket landscape is continuing to heat up.
Within that landscape, Albertsons has purchased three of The Fresh Market stores in North Texas; two in Dallas and one in Fort Worth.
“For the Wyle community, we think our Tom Thumb store is the best fit,” said Dennis Bassler, President of Albertsons Southern Division. “While the name on the outside of the store will change, the same store team that customers have grown to love will still be serving our store and we will be providing new offerings to our customers, like expanded organics, natural, and local products.”
These locations will undergo renovations and will reopen within the year. Albertsons will also rebrand an Albertsons store in Wylie with the Tom Thumb banner, with a deadline set for mid-October
The Fresh Market, had operated four North Texas stores before pulling out of the state after it was purchased by private equity firm Apollo Global Management.
The new converted Tom Thumb stores are located at the below sites:
- 3878 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas
- 7331 Gaston Ave., Dallas
- 1751 River Run, Fort Worth
These stores will feature produce and deli sections, as well as sushi, pizza bars, and gourmet bakeries, with the Oak Lawn and Fort Worth locations housing Starbucks coffee bars.
“We are in a fortunate and unique position to be able to select from two exceptional store banners for the communities we serve in North Texas,” Bassler finished.
The dynamic Texas retail market is definitely keeping us on our toes, so stay tuned as we bring you continued updates on the competitive retail landscape.
SACRAMENTO, CA - The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) has released detailed information on audits of leafy greens handlers and an analysis of all citations issued, per its 2015/16 Annual Report.
"Now that the LGMA has been in existence for nearly 10 years, it’s important for us to do all we can to make sure members don’t become complacent," Scott Horsfall, President and CEO of the LGMA, said, according to a release. "This year, we asked our Compliance Officer, Jonathan Field, to take a harder look at some of the infractions that could be avoided with better training. As a result, we saw more citations in infractions categorized as Minor Deviations."
Some key findings listed in the report are:
- A total of 470 audits conducted–slightly up from last year’s 467 audits
- The total number of citations issued has steadily declined over the years. This year there was a slight increase with 385 citations compared to last year’s 370 citations
- On average, LGMA members received less than 1 citation per audit
- On average, LGMA members are in compliance with 99.5 percent of the total checkpoints audited during the year. However, all citations are required to be corrected
The LGMA places infractions in four different categories, with the LGMA’s intent to be that handlers are able to go back and train people not to make the same mistakes again, rather than allowing minor corrections to continue being made in the field during an audit.
"We know that training can make a big difference in how leafy greens workers comply with required food safety practices as it helps ingrain the proper procedures into their everyday work habits. We believe this will help us to continue to drive improvement in the industry," concluded Horsfall. "Through training we’re working to correct problems permanently."
The four categories include:
- Flagrant Violations (the most serious category)
- Major Deviations
- Minor Deviations, which must be corrected within 5 days
- Minor Infractions, which can be corrected in the field
The LGMA noted that its audits are mandatory and are conducted by government auditors who verify that science-based food safety practices are implemented on the farm. A copy of the Annual Report is available here, and you can watch a short video interview with LGMA Compliance Officer Jonathan Field here.
FRESNO, CA - Why struggle with handling dozens of tools and devices to manage your produce warehouses when it can be as easy as having one solution in the palm of your hand? That was exactly the idea that came to mind when Famous Software developed its latest product offering, Warehouse Management System (WMS).
"Our goal with Famous WMS was to create a fully-integrated product designed specifically for the Produce Warehouse User," explains Tony Fazio, Product Manager at Famous Software and manager of the company's mobile products. "Mobile device technology is an excellent tool that we can offer our customers to help them create efficiency, accuracy, and improved traceability with their Inventory Management Programs. We look forward to working with our customers to develop future WMS features and enhancements to help them meet the ever changing needs of the produce industry."
WMS was designed specifically with a produce warehouse in mind, Famous says, making it a perfect tool to take any operation to a more integrated, efficient, and accurate level. And because it’s already fully-integrated with your Famous V6 ERP, the product fits seamlessly in with your current programs and requires very little training. WMS will be used on ruggedized handheld Windows Mobile Devices.
One WMS user, Bryan Searcy, also Information Systems Manager at Pacific International Marketing, had quite the praise to share about the company’s newest offering. He shared, “Since installing Famous Mobile WMS at our processing facility in Gonzales, CA (Pure Pacific Organics), our ability to manage our inventory has increased significantly. We’re now able to track our inventory from the raw product coming in, to the storing of finished goods and shipping the product out. Using Famous Mobile WMS has completely eliminated misloads on trucks with the wrong product, which has more than paid for itself.”
When operating with Famous WMS, Mobile Warehouse receiving functions exist right at users’ fingertips. From ensuring load accuracy and efficiency by automating the inventory process, to allowing produce companies to scan Famous case tags, receive inventory from estimates at the cooler, and automatically print pallet tags from a mobile device, Famous WMS helps streamline warehouse work from top to bottom.
“Famous has been awesome to work with over the years as a technology partner,” Searcy continued. “They are highly motivated to meet our unique challenges and requirements while continuing to improve their software to meet the needs of the produce industry as a whole.”
Other functions of the platform span the entirety of the warehouse, including:
- Fully Integrated with Famous V6 ERP
- Wireless Receiving
- Putaway/Slotting
- Pallet Consolidation
- Warehouse Transfers
- Reserving and Shipping Product
- Track and Manage Inventories
- Locate Product for Shipment
- Eliminate Loading Mistakes
- Increase Shipping Efficiency
- Enforce First In First Out (FIFO) Inventory
- Real-Time Traceability
Famous WMS is already available to produce companies across the supply chain. Get exactly what you need, and fast, through this expert organization tool.
KINGSVILLE, ON - Every year, Canadian Business and PROFIT compile an index of Canada’s fastest-growing companies under its PROFIT 500 list, and this year the produce industry’s own Red Sun Farms made the cut for the 28th annual edition. Published in Canadian Business’ October issue, the PROFIT 500 chooses its rankings by weighing each company’s five-year revenue growth.
“Red Sun Farms is honored to be part of the PROFIT 500 ranking” explained CEO Jim DiMenna upon recieving the honor. “This performance is a reflection of our dedicated employees and their commitment to deliver quality produce through our vertically-integrated greenhouse process.”
The PROFIT 500 is one of Canada’s largest annual celebrations of entrepreneurial achievement, and organizes national growth by both region and industry. According to the PROFIT 500 website, this list seeks to give entrepreneurs and their businesses the recognition they deserve for their achievements and contributions to Canada.
“Companies become a part of the PROFIT 500 through innovative thinking, smart strategy, and sheer grit,” says James Cowan, Editor-in-Chief of PROFIT and Canadian Business. “These firms demonstrate what Canadian entrepreneurs can achieve, both at home and across the globe.”
Want to check out the full list of rankings for yourself? Visit www.profitguide.com/microsite/profit500 to find out where Red Sun landed and more details on the program.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN – As Target looks to cement its foothold amidst an ever-growing competitive retail market, CEO Brian Cornell said that he believes the answer is in smaller forms for big expansions and future growth.
Cornell told reporters yesterday during Target’s fall national meeting that he believes Target’s explosive growth in the future will come from further investments into the small “flex-format” stores, according to Bloomberg. Target has opened 23 of these stores so far, specifically located in major cities.
The 50,000-square-feet or less stores have enabled Target to establish locations where securing larger retail space in urban areas is more difficult. Cornell also emphasized that the small store format are also able to more easily shift focus for the particular demographics surrounding each store’s location; an option bigger box and super stores do not have.
Bloomberg reported that Cornell stated that hundreds of these smaller format Target stores could be in the buy-side segment’s midst soon. These specific formats, in addition to opening up further city-focused possibilities, could also work as potential pick up points for the company’s e-commerce business furthering its presence in that growing sector as well.
Target plans to add nine more “flex-format” stores by this year’s end, with 16 already planned for 2017.
Could this small store format be the strategy to secure Target’s national splash for retail success? As Bloomberg stated Target’s rivals have abandoned their similar small store strategies, AndNowUKnow will continue to report on Target’s innovative strategies and their respective results.
MCLEAN, VA - Gladstone Land Corporation has acquired two large California almond orchards, one in Stanislaus County and one in Merced County.
The acquisition was made for about $23.4 million in cash and 343,750 common units of limited partnership interest in the company's operating partnership, with OP Units issued valued at $12.00 per unit. As a result, Gladstone stated the total deal came out to about $27.5 million for 2,485 total acres, or just over $11,000 per acre.
"This completes our second farmland acquisition in the past two weeks, each of which involved a significant amount of OP Units that were issued as partial consideration for the total purchase price," said David Gladstone, President and CEO of Gladstone Land, according to a press release. "Both these almond orchards have strong access to water, including numerous wells and reservoirs on-site.”
As part of the deal, Gladstone Land assumed two long-term, triple-net leases, including annual CPI increases and upward market rent adjustments every five years.
Bill Reiman, Gladstone Land's Western Managing Director, commented that the trees for both farms are approximately nine years old and are just beginning their peak production.
"We view these acquisitions as low-risk in that they come with long-term leases with an outstanding tenant. The lease terms provide for rent escalations that we feel confident will provide for excellent, safe returns for many more years. While this purchase increases our position in the almond industry, it also adds a strong, cash-rent lease with a very large, international tenant," Reiman said.
As for future moves in the industry, Gladstone not only has intentions to continue buying but also is encouraging consumption.
“Our experienced deal team continues to find great farmland investment opportunities focused on high-value, income-producing properties that are currently generating strong crop revenues. Please eat more almonds; they are a healthy food!" Gladstone concluded.
Continue to follow AndNowUKnow as we on all notable acquistions made within the industry.
LOS ANGELES, CA - The stars of the 68th Emmy® Awards will not only be on the red carpet, but on the menu as well.
Babé Farms has announced that the Emmy® Awards Governors Ball and Creative Arts Balls’ plates will offer specialty produce from the Santa Maria, California, grower, including thousands of gourmet vegetables.
“It’s not every day that someone who grew up on a farm gets to be part of one of the biggest events in Hollywood,” NBC Los Angeles’ Ted Chen reported upon the unveiling of what the stars would be eating at the big event.
Such featured fresh stars for the menu included:
- 21,000 individual beets (red, gold, and striped)
- 6,500 bulbs of petite baby fennel
- 8,000 heads of Baby Lollo Rossa lettuce
- 2,700 pounds of Rainbow Carrots
These couture vegetables listed above were used primarily for the salad course, according to a press release, with the exception of the carrots which were a part of the “Turf & Turf” entrée.
Babé Farms said that it worked closely with the Executive Chefs of Patina Catering to ensure all needs were met for both quantity and quality, with meticulous planning needed for the ball.
Also on hand for the Press Preview and exclusive interviews were Babé Farms owners, Jeff Lundberg and Judy Lundberg-Wafer, to discuss serving what is billed one of the largest formal sit-down dinners in the U.S., setting up a great stage for fresh produce.
Held at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the 68th EMMY® Awards will air Sunday, September 18th, on ABC.
WENATCHEE, WA - Last week, Stemilt held its second annual food influencer event at its orchards and packing facilities. The experience brought together nine popular food bloggers to learn the Stemilt method of growing, harvesting, and packing apples and pears. Combined, the influencers reach nearly 3 million consumers monthly, have more than 375,000 Instagram followers, and equally impressive followings on other popular social media platforms.
“It’s always fun to share the Stemilt experience and our history of innovation with people, but this group in particular had an incredible energy and passion for food and fruit that made the trip very memorable,” said Brianna Shales, Communications Manager at Stemilt Growers, according to a press release. “This annual trip has become a great way for us to share our brand and passion for growing fruit, including new varieties, with a group of talented and influential bloggers that work every day to reach the consumers who buy our fruits.”
The two-day trip was held last week in Wenatchee, WA, and welcomed popular food bloggers and influencers including: Sheri Wetherell of Foodista, Molly Yeh of My Name is Yeh, and Stemilt’s own Stem blog Kitchen Council members, Sally Kuzemchak of Real Mom Nutrition, and Jennifer Farley of Savory Simple. During the trip, the group posted 46 times on social media using the hashtag #WorldFamousFruitFAM garnering approximately 2,871,426 social impressions.
In addition to experiencing early fall temperatures in the Wenatchee Valley, the group enjoyed local restaurants, attending a fruit-inspired dinner with Stemilt’s founding family, along with learning first-hand how Stemilt grows, packs, and markets its fruit and branded products through tours of apple and pear orchards and packing facilities.
Among the many highlights of the trip was teaching the bloggers how to properly pick a Honeycrisp apple and educating them on new, up-and-coming varieties and the great care that goes into growing, harvesting, and packing fruit.
“Millennials are often called the foodie generation, as they are passionate and excited about food, and particularly fresh produce. We’ve found that connecting and working with the bloggers and influencers that they follow and trust is a great way to inform and engage this important shopper group about our brands,” said Shales.
Stemilt has been working with food influencers for several years as a way to directly promote its brands with consumers. The company has a three-member Kitchen Council that regularly contributes original recipes and tips for its blog about all things fruit, The Stem, and works with additional bloggers throughout the year to increase consumer awareness of product lines like Lil Snappers® kid-sized fruits, Fresh Blenders™ apples for juicing and smoothies, and signature varieties like Piñata® apples and Skylar Rae® brand cherries on both food blogs and a variety of social media channels.
Check back with AndNowUKnow to keep up with all of the latest fresh produce industry marketing innovations.
TEMECULA, CA - Eco Farms is growing its team as both avocado and citrus businesses continue to thrive around the world.
One new addition is the Jeff Davis, who has been named as National Accounts Manager.
“We’ve instituted some significant changes and additions to transform our sales in 2016. Throughout Eco Farms’ past history, our president and founder, Steve Taft, sold the majority of our produce. In April we added a Sales Director in Gahl Crane, to add his experience in selling to new and diverse markets,” CEO Andy Hamilton said, according to a press release. “By adding Jeff, we now have someone with significant foodservice and national account experience.”
Another growth spurt for the team is Mike Nunez, who has joined on as the company’s new Key Accounts Manager.
“Through Mike’s experience and knowledge, we now have a Key Account Manager armed with a deep background in selling to chains across the U.S., and especially the western U.S.,” Hamilton said.
Eco Farms has grown its footprint worldwide since it began in 1974. A fully-integrated avocado and citrus handler with avocado programs in California, Mexico, Peru, and Chile, the company sells avocados throughout the U.S., Canada, Europe, and Asia.
In addition to packing California avocados and importing conventional avocados, Eco Farms also grows, imports, packs, and ships organic avocados, a full-line of organic citrus, and looks to serve retailers, food service, and other key customers throughout North America by ripening avocados across the U.S.