SAN FRANCISCO, CA - After more than 20 years in providing high-quality organic fruit, Pacific Organic Produce has announced a partnership with Mexus Produce, serving as a platform of growth for both companies.
“We have been in the fruit business for 21 years or so, so we thought it was certainly time,” Founder of Pacific Organic Produce and Purity Organic Fruits and Juices Greg Holzman tells me of the partnership and the company’s new venture into organic vegetables.
Mexus Produce, which just broke ground on a new packing facility in Ensenada, Baja, has been producing high-quality organic vegetables in Baja and Western Mexico for six years.
In that time, it has created a network of year-round supply on many items, including all the following certified organic vegetables:
- Cucumbers
- Zucchini
- Eggplant
- Peppers
- Brussels sprouts
It is a meeting of minds that point-man Allen Bernklau describes to me as mutually coordinated and beneficial.
“We chose each other,” Allen, Pacific Organic Produce’s Senior Commodity Development and Sales Specialist, tells me. Allen was brought on to help Pacific Organic grow into the organic vegetable segment, and shares that this is a deal that needed to happen. “We were looking for a good company to partner with south of the border, and they were looking for a partner north of the border to grow. Luckily, we are backed by a very strong company so we can help them do that.”
According to Pacific Organic, Mexus complements its existing Hope branded warm weather vegetable program and Purity Organic tree-fruit program, making Pacific Organic a complete one-stop experience for the best in organically raised fruits and vegetables.
Congratulations to both on this new venture and step towards further growth. AndNowUKnow will continue to report on all the latest partnerships and expansions within the produce industry.
MATTHEWS, NC - Harris Teeter is poised for growth in the coming months. The company has announced it will be hiring for 3,000 new positions, and for 2016, adding 10 new locations.
“We owe our company’s success to our valued associates,” said Communications Manager for Harris Teeter, Danna Robinson. “We are growing, and we invite full-time and part-time job seekers to grow with us as we expand Harris Teeter’s footprint, creating jobs throughout new and existing markets.”
The company says it has already created more than 1,050 new jobs this year, throughout its stores in North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Maryland, Delaware, Florida, and Washington, D.C. For this new batch of positions, the company says new hirees can expect:
- Weekly paychecks
- Flexible schedules
- Fun, fast-paced environment
- Profit Sharing – paid two times a year
- Tuition Assistance based on eligibility
Available positions range from part-time cashiers and department clerks, to full-time department heads and assistant store managers, according to the press release.
No information on the locations of the new stores has been revealed as of yet, but they will likely be in the same areas targeted for the new hires. Late last year, the company announced a new 1.5 million square-foot distribution center in Virginia, signaling a focus on future growth in the area.
As more information on the expansion is revealed, AndNowUKnow will dish you up the details.
THE WORLD – As athletes, sports enthusiasts, and citizens of every country on Earth turn their eyes towards Rio for the 2016 Olympics, Google is putting another segment of performers at the forefront of international attention; fresh produce.
In tandem with its comprehensive coverage of the 2016 games, Google also launched the 2016 Doodle Fruit Games. Or rather, an innovative way which merges our industry-wide obsession with fruits and vegetables with the riveting displays of athleticism in Rio.
If you haven’t downloaded the app yet, Google unveiled a new Olympic fruit-based game in the series for us non-Olympians to partake in today.
“Today marks the 8th day of the 2016 Doodle Fruit Games! We’re journeying to an otherwise unassuming fruit stand in Rio, where produce from all over the market competes for the title of freshest fruit,” said Google on the 2016 Doodle Fruit Games website. “We're off to the races! Strawberry starts out at the back of the bunch, but we've seen Strawberry get out of jams before.”
Who will take gold, and what will tomorrow’s Olympic games bring for the world of animated fruit? Only you can decide by downloading the Google app, tapping on the doodle, and bringing Strawberry to the finish line.
Learn more about the Google Doodle Fruit games in the video below, and download the mobile game for iOS and Android to play yourself.
As the world keeps its eyes turned to the Rio, and now fresh produce as well, AndNowUKnow will have the latest commentary on shakeups and crowned champions in the industry.
MCLEAN, VA – Continuing to expand its U.S. footprint of farmland, Gladstone Land Corporation has announced the acquisition of 70 acres of land for $1.7 million, about $24,200 per acre, in Hillsborough County, FL.
"We are excited to add to our farmland holdings east of Tampa, a great growing region with significant development pressure," said Bill Frisbie, Gladstone's Managing Director for the Eastern United States. "We now own 49 farms across the U.S., and we seek to continue building and diversifying our high-value agricultural portfolio. This property is farmed primarily for strawberries."
The company stated in a press release that as part of the acquisition Gladstone also assumed a lease agreement with a tenant. The lease, whose tenant is a leading global berry operator, runs through 2021 and includes a 5-year extension option.
"We like being real estate partners with top-tier farmers, and we seek to buy farms that grow fresh fruits and vegetables that are healthy for people to eat," said David Gladstone, President and CEO of Gladstone Land. "We have built our farmland portfolio based on the idea that the produce and nuts sections of grocery stores are good places to base our business because consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables and nuts has been growing at a stronger pace than other areas of the food sector, and we believe that trend towards healthier foods will continue."
This land acquirement adds to Gladstone’s Florida presence as the company also acquired 401 acres of farmland in the state early last month, for a reported $5 million.
At this time, Gladstone Land owns 49 farms, with 23,927 acres spanning 7 states in the U.S. This investment into domestic farmland is valued at approximately $344 million.
WATSONVILLE, CA – California Giant Berry Farms has successfully enlisted the help of its staff to enrich its surrounding community once again. This time, California Giant and its employees served lunch to its friends in the community at an annual fundraiser, resulting in over 1,000 meals served as well as donations of $30,000 to those in need.
“We are all humbled by just how supportive the community of Watsonville is when 1,000 people all take the time to share in the opportunity to give back,” said Bill Moncovich, CEO and President of California Giant.
Staff buckled down to prepare over 650 lbs of skirt steak for the main dish of the meal, which was either served on the premises or taken off-site to attendees' offices. According a press release, each lunch cost $12.00 which resulted in a full lunch of skirt steak, garlic bread, salad, fruit, and homemade dessert.
The annual fundraiser increases in its size and reach each year, as the community continues to turn out to experience the delicious fresh meal made by the California Giant staff. California Giant said that its donations have also increased in size each year, with food donations for the meal allowing for almost all of the proceeds from the lunch to go to local charities.
This year’s food partnerships included donations from the following:
- Dole
- Watsonville Coast Produce
- Custom Produce
Community Tree Service also provided firewood for the barbecue, which California Giant said the tantalizing smell drew even more to the event to purchase lunch. Each of the charitable organizations were on hand to assist with the event, visit with attendees, and enjoy the lunch.
Some community members who were not able to attend the lunch themselves asked that a lunch still be purchased for them, with the lunches themselves donated to those in need. This allowed the company’s staff to deliver over 200 meals to Loaves and Fishes.
Thanks to the generous donations gathered from the event, $5,000 checks were made out for CASA of Santa Cruz County, Digital Nest, Grind out Hunger, Jacob’s Heart, Monarch Services, and Pajaro Valley Shelter Services.
PROVIDENCE, RI - United Natural Foods, Inc. has announced it has acquired all outstanding stock of distributor and merchandiser of fresh and organic foods, Gourmet Guru, for an undisclosed amount, in an all cash transaction.
“We are excited to strengthen our expertise in identifying new and fast-growing health and wellness brands with the strategic acquisition of Gourmet Guru,” commented Steven Spinner, UNFI’s President and Chief Executive Officer. “We look forward to working with Jeff Lichtenstein, CEO of Gourmet Guru, who will remain at the company in a leadership role.”
Gourmet Guru was founded in 1996, and mainly focuses on new and emerging brands. According to a press release, the acquisition enhances UNFI’s strength in both finding and cultivating emerging fresh and organic brands, while also further expanding UNFI’s presence in key urban markets.
“Gourmet Guru brings diverse skills in merchandising and service, targeting cities and high traffic locations, which will enhance UNFI’s unique ability to deliver on the most innovative and local brands,” said Kirsten Hogan, UNFI’s National Vice President of Retail Services.
The newly-acquired company had $50 million in net sales for the twelve months ending in June 30, 2016, the release reports. The companies expect the transaction to be neutral to UNFI’s fiscal 2017 earnings and modestly accretive to UNFI’s earnings in Fiscal 2018.
“UNFI recognizes the importance of helping exciting and new producers of fresh and organic foods and Gourmet Guru is proud to become a part of UNFI,” added Lichtenstein, Gourmet Guru’s CEO. “We look forward to helping UNFI bring exciting and differentiated products to market.”
UNFI carries and distributes more than 90,000 products to more than 45,000 customer locations throughout the United States and Canada.
BANCROFT, WI – As the company grows with the rising demand for the organic segment, RPE, Inc. has announced continuing expansions to its own organic program with increased production and new partnerships.
“Having seen a rise in the popularity of organics potatoes, we hope that our partnerships and expanded organic capabilities will provide our customers with more organic options that their consumers demand,” says Russell Wysocki, President and CEO of RPE, Inc.
RPE has expanded its organic programs in Colorado and the Northwest, and also grown its organic products line with a new partnership with organic sweet potato growers in Mississippi.
With this latest grower partnership, RPE has reached a new record with its organic growing operations spanning six states. According to a press release, since its inaugural organic pack in 2009, RPE has increased its organic land base over 6,000 percent.
RPE’s growers are also stepping up to the organic plate by expanding the production of their organic offerings. The company stated that one of its long-time grower partners, Chad Malek, has recently expanded his organic offerings with a new facility.
Malek, an organic grower since 2011, experienced an unfortunate warehouse fire in 2015. When rebuilding and investing into a new facility, Malek used the incident as further incentive to expand his organic program and provide other organic potato growers the space and capacity to wash, cool, and store their potatoes.
Malek’s new facility is now capable of handling more variety and sizes of organic products at one time. RPE said this leads to better and more consistent quality organic products.
RPE stated that organic produce is currently in record-high demand, selling more than $11 billion worth of products in 2015.
As organics continue to bloom and companies acorss the industry expand operations, AndNowUKnow will have the latest.
CHICAGO, IL - It has been a whirlwind of a summer, with new packaging and products looking to continuously improve our industry.
One company focusing on freshness and convenience in the tomato category is Triple H Produce, who just introduced two new retail-ready packaging options for Roma tomatoes.
Sales Manager Armando Alvarado, introduced me to the company’s two new packages for Roma tomatoes: a one-pound clamshell and a two-pound pouch bag.
“With these two packages we can keep more produce fresh for more time,” Armando tells me. “We have Roma tomatoes all year around, so we can have these presentations ready whenever you need.”
Already the company has received positive feedback for both packaging options, and is looking to expand its reach in the nation.
“It was a hit in California last year and we want to do it across the U.S.,” Armando shares, adding that being 100% convenient to meet the consumer’s needs for tomato quantity.
Calling this one of your best options for keeping Roma tomatoes fresh longer, see for yourself when you watch my entire one minute interview with Armando above.
PHARR, TX - Those of us in the produce industry know that no fruit or vegetable is inherently bad, but these seemingly innocent limes have certainly gotten mixed up in the wrong crowd. Officers at the Pharr International Bridge caught these little citrus bursts getting a little too close for comfort with two tons of marijuana.
With an alleged street value of nearly $813,000, according to Rio Grande news source KRGV.com, the marjiuana was found concealed alongside a large lime shipment crossing the border. The seizure took place on August 5th from a white Freightliner tractor, which drew enough suspicion to require a secondary inspection.
Along with the help of a K-9 team, border officers extracted 528 packages containing 4,064 pounds of marijuana intermixed within the limes. Both the limes and marijuana have been seized.
CBS 4 News reports that no arrests have been made as of yet, and the case is still under investigation.
What other vile villainies will these virtuous limes fall victim to? You can be certain that AndNowUKnow will continue to unearth all the bad behavior for you.
OCEANSIDE, CA - Late summer promotions have hit their prime time, with West Coast Tomato Growers (WCTG) and Oppy readying peak volumes of Oceanside Pole and Cal-Tom tomatoes for shipment. During this season, tomato grower Harry Singh, Jr. and WCTG, along with exclusive marketer Oppy, are celebrating 75 years of producing vine-ripes in Oceanside, CA.
“As the Singh family has perfected the art of selecting the best seeds and growing vine-ripes on poles over the last three quarters of a century, they’ve become known for tomatoes that consistently deliver on flavor and eating quality,” said Mark Smith, Senior Sales Manager for Oppy. “This season has brought some of the best tomatoes we’ve seen, as if Mother Nature knew this crop should be a special one.”
Priya Singh, WCTG’s General Manager, is a third generation grower at the company, which became known as West Coast Tomato Growers in 2012, and own both Oceanside Pole and Cal-Tom brands.
“My grandfather chose the San Diego area because of a microclimate that lent itself to growing the highest quality and best tasting tomatoes in California,” Priya explained. “Harry Singh Sr. passed his love and passion for farming to my father, who expanded the operation to grow various crops like round tomatoes, roma tomatoes, bell peppers, strawberries, and cucumbers along with others. Through his hard work, dedication and passion, Harry Singh Jr. built one of the most respected produce labels in the tomato market.”
According to a press release, Harry Singh Jr.’s sons and daughters are currently involved in all facets of the operation, from packaging, accounts payable, and human resources, to growing. WCTG is now focused exclusively on round and roma tomatoes.
To work closely with WCTG and assure tomatoes ship to each customers’ size and arrival color specifications, Oppy Sales and Quality Assurance staff relocated to Oceanside for the season.
“While Oceanside Pole tomatoes are perfect for “grown in California” local promotions, they are popular throughout the U.S.,” Smith continued. “Retailers seeking flavorful, meaty, clean-cutting tomatoes that are naturally ripened instead of gassed-green will appreciate the difference without doubt.”
Smith added that tomato fans should keep an eye on Oceanside Pole, because this 75-year-old brand may be sporting a youthful new look before the season is out. Oppy is offering Oceanside Pole and Cal-Tom vine-ripened rounds and romas produced by the Singh family into November.