STOCKTON, MO - It’s not easy to make it 70 years in the produce industry, but the family behind Hammons Products Company was definitely up for the challenge. Celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, the company is honoring its family-owned, family-run roots from its home base in Stockton, Missouri.
"The Hammons family is so proud to be stewards of the Black Walnut industry and to play a role in keeping these wild nuts as part of our American culture," shared CEO, Brian Hammons. "The fall harvest and Black Walnuts in cooking and ice cream are all woven into the fabric of our heritage. And we at Hammons are excited to see a whole new generation of chefs and cooks discover the rich, bold taste."
Wild, all-natural, hand-foraged, locally-sourced, non-GMO, and sustainable, Hammons Black Walnuts stem all the way back to a small grocery store owner with a good idea. In 1946, Ralph Hammons witnessed the abundance of Black Walnuts that grew wildly around the Ozarks and Midwest, bought a nut-cracking machine, and the rest was history.
According to a press release, just during that first year, Ralph Hammons bought and cracked 100,000 pounds of Black Walnuts, launching the “Missouri Dandy” brand in the late 1940s and early 1950s. With a redesigned cracking machine and new Stockton-based plant in tow, the Hammons company was poised for growth.
In the 1970s as Ralph's son, Dwain Hammons assumed leadership of the company, Dwain's wife Donna launched the Missouri Dandy Pantry retail brand. In 1997, the company's leadership role was again passed to their son, Brian Hammons, who remains CEO today.
Now a primary processor, distributor, and marketer of Black Walnuts in the United States, the company has expanded to nationwide distribution while remaining dedicated to its original harvesting and hulling techniques. Hammons says it purchases wild, hand-harvested nuts through 215 hulling stations across 11 states, cracking and shelling nearly 25 million pounds of Black Walnuts each year.
Consumers can find nutritious, bold "Hammons" brand nutmeats in an array of specialty foods, from ice cream and fudge, to nut breads and encrusted fish. The company provides many recipe ideas, as well as information about Hammons Products Company and the growing and harvesting of Black Walnuts at www.black-walnuts.com.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - As consumers flood store shelves with back-to-school purchases and holiday themed plans, Fresh Solutions Network is increasing retail potato sales with three seasonal Side Delights® promotions.
“The carefree days of summer are just a memory now. Autumn brings with it a return to routine, and the start of the holiday season,” said Kathleen Triou, President and CEO of Fresh Solutions Network. “That’s why our autumn promotions feature quick to cook, tasty, creative, crowd pleaser potato recipe ideas.”
Fresh Solutions Network stated in a press release that its Side Delights® promotional theme for September, “Dinner in 23 Minutes,” was cultivated to fit into the shorter time needed by consumers to make tasty and healthy choices for busy families.
October’s Halloween parties can get that extra shocking boost they deserve with the Side Delights® promotional series of “So Good… It’s Scary!” This promotion’s merchandising and point-of-purchase signage offers consumers a QR code recipe to make the fun potato skins recipe “Zombie Skins.” The company stated that as 68 percent of Americans plan to engage in the holiday, with one third counting on a Halloween party, this recipe can round out any celebration.
Thanksgiving is the spotlight of November’s Side Delights® campaign, placing mashed potatoes in the center of the table. The “Mash It Like You Mean It!” promotion will offer several QR Code recipes to appeal to the traditionalist, diplomat, hedonist, procrastinator, and health nut in every home.
The monthly themed merchandisers and point-of-purchase signs were designed specifically to attract shoppers, fit tasty and healthy potato options into every busy family’s schedule, and increase ring at the register, in addition to boosting the potato segment as a whole.
As the industry prepares for consumer-driven autumn purchases, AndNowUKnow will have the latest in innovative campaigns and promotional announcements.
KINGSBURG, CA - As August nears to its close, King Fresh is preparing for a holiday push for grapes, and moving quickly into pomegranates, with good demand across the board. So how is the company planning to meet rising demand, and where will the market sit for these segments?
Keith Wilson, President of King Fresh Produce LLC, recently joined me along with his daughter Paige Wilson, who is interning this summer in the company’s marketing department. The two divulged where King Fresh is currently sitting in its segment seasons, and where the company is heading next.
“We are currently finishing up with Flames, and we’ve finished with our Ivory green seedless variety. Our season this year will go all the way through December,” Keith tells me of the company’s current California grape selections.
“Quality has been great on all varieties, and the next red and green seedless varieties which are packing right now, Summer Royal, Magenta, V Red, and Crimson. These varieties all look to be well sized with exceptional flavor,” Keith says, adding that the industry experienced smaller berry size to its Flame crop, which was most likely due to spring weather.
King Fresh has seen heightened demand on extra-large grapes, and Keith expects returns for extra-large fruit to be better than last year. Retailers should promote grapes of all colors for the upcoming holidays.
“The crop looks good from here forward, so retailers should promote all the way through Thanksgiving, if not Christmas also,” Paige says.
From its California grape program, King Fresh is launching straight into its California pomegranate program. The company just started packing its Granada variety last week.
“We move into the Smith variety in one week, then Foothills, and then into the Wonderful variety in late September,” Keith outlines.
King Fresh is experiencing increased volume to its pomegranate program as the company took on more growers this year.
“The quality looks great this year, and we’re optimistic about the market,” Keith says. “I expect the prices to be better than last year because pomegranate acreage is is diminishing.”
Keith expects prices to be in the $30 range for larger size two-layer boxes which he says should be promotable by the end of August all the way through November. The company projects that 40 percent of its crop will be exported to match the growing demand in Asian markets.
“Retailers need to get on board early this year to increase pomegranate sales, starting with the varieties that will come in prior to Wonderfuls,” Paige divulges.
So what’s next in the King Fresh pipeline?
“We’re looking at importing more grapes from Peru to expand our current programs,” Keith says. “And we’re very excited about our Chilean grapes, which are grown and packed year-round.”
King Fresh is also expecting to pack its California winter citrus in November, starting with Navel oranges, and expects the program to close out sometime in April.
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 Keith’s father, Woodrow Wilson, following in the farming tradition of Keith’s grandfather. Keith himself heads King Fresh, where his children are now beginning to break into the family business.
As the King Fresh family continues to grow, with the Wilson family tie at its base, AndNowUKnow will have our ear to the ground for company expansions to its growing programs and offered segments.
SOUTHEAST of MIAMI - A new storm system has appeared on the horizon, and weather experts have already started predicting it may reach hurricane status and potentially impact south Florida.
Currently located about 1,600 miles southeast of Miami, the system, thus far known as “99L,” has the potential to bring gusty winds, showers, and thunderstorms to Florida by Sunday and Monday. On its way west-northwest through Puerto Rico and Hispaniola, 99L could gain enough strength to first become Tropical Depression Eight, Tropical Storm Hermine, and even potentially a hurricane by the end of the week.
The National Hurricane Center reports that this system has “a medium to high chance” of developing into at least a tropical depression or tropical storm over the next 2 to 5 days.
"99L has the potential to become very well-organized over the Bahamas, just east of Florida this weekend," according to AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski.
Provided 99L keeps some distance north of Hispaniola, there is the potential for significant strengthening, perhaps to a hurricane this weekend.
While the intensity of the storm will depend on how quickly 99L strengthens, according to AccuWeather, gusty showers, thunderstorms, and rough seas will continue spreading northwestward as it travels towards Florida.
AccuWeather warns that people along the southeast coast of Florida and the Florida Keys should be prepared for thunderstorms and rough seas and surf. With Kottlowski adding, “All people living and having interests in and around the Bahamas, Cuba, and Florida should closely monitor the movement of this evolving tropical system.”
AndNowUKnow will be keeping a keen eye on 99L over the next few days as it continues to develop, so stay tune for more on how this may affect Florida’s produce business.
MENLO PARK, CA – With a gentle pluck here and a speedy suction there, this latest robotics innovation is looking to streamline the apple industry by removing ripe fruit from trees at the stunning rate of one apple per second.
Easily manipulating its arm-like body around the branches of trees, Dan Steere, CEO and Co-Founder of creating startup Abundant Robotics, told Tech Crunch that the automated machines were designed to be able to remove fruit with lightning speed and ease, while still maintaining the delicate requirements of the fruit.
“Seeing fruit and picking it without damaging it is the big engineering challenge. If you bruise or cut the fruit it loses its value,” stated Steere.
The robots use computer vision to view and mark apples on a branch that are ready to be harvested. Then, using a retractable vacuum, the yet nameless robot uses a vacuum to gently remove the apples from the tree. Abundant Robotics stated that the robots are powered by plugging into small tractors which are already widely used by fruit farmers. To see the robots in action, view the video below.
Responsible for bringing the ag robots to apple orchards, SRI Ventures, a development arm of SRI International, recently invested in Abundant Robotics Inc. to allow it to spin off and bring these robots to life. SRI Ventures stated that most of the intellectual property of the project was created at SRI, supplemented by a partnership with the robotics lab at Carnegie Mellon University.
“You direct this robot to go someplace, see and pick an apple, and go again. It’s a very non-trivial engineering challenge,” said SRI Ventures President Manish Kothari. “To detect apples very precisely you have to see down at the millimeter level in real time. That requires software, and on the hardware side, chips that allow you to do real time image processing on the fly.”
Kothari also stated that this apple-sucking robot only became a reality recently, due to recent technological breakthroughs in computer vision and image processing. To see more footage of how the robots work, watch the video below.
Abundant Robotics was founded by Steere and the company's other partners a year ago, after recognizing the sizeable market opportunities in agriculture, particularly that of the apple segment.
Abundant Robotics plans to have its robotic pickers in orchards within the next two years, in addition to expanding the company’s 8-person team even further. The company has already completed field trials with Washington and Australian orchards, with plans to conduct more.
TechCrunch reported that Abundant Robotics did not disclose how much funding it has raised, but Kothari and Steere both confirmed that the company has closed an equity seed round in addition to grant funding.
Will the industry soon see a pair of robotic arms to pair with its human pickers in the orchard? AndNowUKnow will keep you updated as the news ripens.
SALINAS, CA - As part of the growing trend of focusing on food safety, Mann Packing has announced that its former Quality Assurance Manager, Greg Komar, is returning to the company as its Director of Food Safety and Product Quality.
In his new role, Komar will be responsible for all food safety and product quality systems for the company, according to a press release. Komar is bringing experience from his position as Director of Food Safety at SCS Global Services and seven years as Technical Manager at NSF Agriculture. Prior to that, he was Director of Food Safety at Growers Express/Green Giant Fresh, Senior Quality Assurance Plant Manager at Earthbound Farm, and Quality Assurance Manager at Mann Packing from 2001 to 2003.
“His work experience in dealing with our produce food safety and quality requirements in this ever-changing regulatory environment makes him a very welcome addition to the Mann’s team,” commented Mann’s Chairman & CEO, Lorri Koster.
Komar holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Applied Plant Biology from UC Davis.
SALINAS, CA – Smiling faces were abound in the fields of Taylor Farms yesterday, as the company awarded two crews of automated romaine harvesters with surprise gifts in connection with Labor of Love.
“At Taylor Farms people are the key to our success,” said Christina Barnard, Director of Marketing, Taylor Farms Retail. “Showing appreciation and support for their dedication and hard work is the foundation of our family culture.”
Partnered with Labor of Love, company employees and program representatives surprised each 34-person crew during their morning break. Each worker was given a breakfast burrito, thank you letter from Taylor Farms, and a $20 Walmart gift card.
Taylor Farms stated in a press release that it wanted to give thanks to its workers for their service to the agriculture industry in bringing quality vegetables to consumers all the way at the store shelf.
The automated romaine harvester was initially introduced by the company in 2009, and provides an ergonomically correct working environment to its crews.
To see more of how Taylor Farms showed its hard-working harvesters thanks from the company, why it picked the automating harvesting crew, and the subsequent crew reactions, watch the video above.
“Labor of Love is dedicated to thanking farmworkers for their service to the agriculture industry within our community,” explained Jenna Hanson Abramson of Mavelle Media. “We've had the opportunity to thank thousands of fieldworkers and share their stories with millions...way beyond Yuma and the Salinas Valley. It feels great to be able to partner with companies like Taylor Farms to show gratitude for these men and women because they work so hard and are always so appreciative when we surprise them in the fields. They deserve it."
Labor of Love is made possible through the Yuman Fresh Vegetable Association, and aims to show appreciation and support to farm workers and harvesters throughout the Salinas Valley. The program will run through September, reaching millions of people in the surrounding communities as each company and workers are featured every week.
As companies across the industry recognize the value and efforts of all of their employees, AndNowUKnow will cover all the surprises and grateful representations along the way.
MONTEREY, CA – To continue its ever-present goals of strengthening strategic client relationships, PRO*ACT has announced that Kristie Water has joined the company as Vice President of Client Development.
In her new position, Kristie will continue to build her reputation for identifying customer needs in the industry by working with the client development team to both ensure awareness of the benefits of PRO*ACT, as well as cultivating relationships between existing and prospective clients.
“We needed someone to fill this role who understands the industry, has business development experience and relates well with customers. Kristie fits that bill,” said David Peterson, Senior Vice President of Sales, in a press release. “She has held positions in sales, marketing, and business development and has had years of experience interacting with customers. We are happy to welcome her to the team.”
Kristie first cemented her foothold in the industry in 2002, and was most recently the Director of Sales for Gulf Coast Produce in Biloxi. Kristie also has experience in Sales and Marketing for The Garden Produce in Jacksonville, FL.
PRO*ACT stated that Kristie also has experience working with high-profile clients, such as Foodbuy, and retail customers. In her position, Kristie will report to David.
Congratulations to Kristie in her new position, and AndNowUKnow will continue to have the latest in hiring announcements and strategic appointments in the industry.
RIO RICO, AZ - As part of the company’s efforts to grow its one-stop-shop for retail partners, SunFed has begun shipping vine-ripened Perfect Romas®, setting its sights on adding both Grape and Beefsteak Tomatoes to the Perfect Produce® lineup in the fall.
“We are constantly working to improve and elevate our year-round program across the U.S. and Canada,” explains Eduardo Herbst, Tomato Sales Manager. “With our recent expansion in McAllen, Texas, and long-time headquarters in Nogales, Arizona, we are able to reach our East Coast and West Coast partners with ease, less travel time, and a high-quality product with maximum radiant freshness.”
These items will be complementing SunFed’s established line of Perfect Produce® offerings, which include squash, bell pepper, eggplant, cucumbers, limes, and specialty melons.
According to a press release, cooler temps caused on lower yields for the beginning of the season, but now the longer and warmer days have shot volumes back up. The company notes that its tomato quality this year is amazing, with incredible flavor across the board for all Perfect Produce® items.
While packaging for the grape and beefsteak tomatoes is still under wraps, VP of Marketing, Brett Burdsal, has designed its high-graphic Perfect Romas® concept.
“Produce is bought with the eyes and Romas have a firm, radiant appearance that we wanted the packaging to showcase while also highlighting the SunFed branding that is all the rave across North America’s produce departments,” Burdsal shared. “SunFed has long been known for quality and delivering just-picked freshness, so I had room to go beyond the picture of the product that you can see in the bag.”
Brett shared that the concept was inspired by the advertisements of Bernard Villemot and the fashion illustrations of Rene Gruau. Designed to be simple, easy-to-reproduce, clean art, the packaging both grabs the attention of consumers, while complementing the Roma tomatoes.
To learn more about new Perfect Romas® and the entire Perfect Produce® line, visit SunFed’s website at www.sunfed.net.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - On the heels of a positive second quarter filled with hints of new growth opportunities, SpartanNash CEO Dennis Eidson is now doubling down on his comment that he expects the company to seek strategic acquisitions.
In a conference call with investors last week, Eidson said SpartanNash is leveraging its improving financial position to set the company up for growth, new customers, mergers, and supply chain optimization.
“With a strong balance sheet we will also proactively pursue financially and strategically attractive acquisition opportunities,” Eidson explained further to investors, reconfirming his statements from the second quarter report. He added that with the current market headwinds and economic conditions likely to persist, SpartanNash will remain focused on operating its business “with a disciplined approach.” Eidson noted the company’s gains in its western geographic areas as being particularly strong.
Eidson continued in the report, “We will continue to implement our initiatives to enhance our merchandising, pricing and promotional strategies, including expanding our organic and private brand product offerings, improving our produce offering, and driving greater customer engagement through our loyalty program.”
Most recently in terms of growth, SpartanNash took over as the primary wholesaler for all 21 Gordy’s Markets in Wisconsin in February. Will the new proposed acquisitions be more on the distribution side of the company’s business, or is a retail acquisition in its crosshairs? Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to look in depth in the company’s plans.