FRESNO, CA - The fresh produce industry showed up in Fresno in full force yesterday, ready for the sixth annual installment of the Fresno Food Expo. AndNowUknow was on the floor as well, spotting new showcased products across every segment and meeting new friends along the way.
Showcasing the offerings of the Central Valley, the Expo boasted a fresh mix of 132 food growers, manufacturers, and processors to deepen their existing or budding relationships with the nearly 950 national and global-level retail, foodservice, and distribution buyers in attendance.
I spotted Paul Huckabay from Duda Farm Fresh Foods, who told me that the company was excited to attend in order to reach out to a new regional segment. "We find great value in supporting local shows," Paul told me from Duda's colorful citrus booth. "And connecting with new retailers on all levels."
The floor kicked off with an opening statement from Fresno Mayor Ashley Swearengin, who heralded the show, amongst several cheers, as truly representing the Central Valley as one of the food capitols of the world.
New varieties and well-honed classics overran the floor as the flavor profile of the region stood out amongst the booths. From several selections of innovative grape varieties, like that of AMC North America's, to The Lochinvar Company's packaging innovations for the pro-longed life of fresh produce, the Central Valley community gave buyers plenty of new considerations in addition to steady foundations for new and lasting relationships.
"Fresno Food Expo is a great venue to feature our versatile product lines, which are our organic fresh and freeze dried produce," Cherie France, Marketing Manager at Homegrown Organic Farms, told me as we discussed the company's versatile offerings for the show and its expectations for the event. "We're looking forward to coming back next year!"
Exhibitors from a majority of booths displayed their products, new and old, and told me they were keeping their heads turned toward strengthening local relationships with foodservice and retailers, while still looking to new ground for international distribution and export opportunities.
“The international buyers really love the fact that they get to meet the owners behind each company, as they don’t get that experience at other trade shows,” said Alicia Rios, Director, California Centers for International Trade Development, in a press release. “It helps them to better understand the processes behind their products and allows them to connect on a deeper level.”
Celebrity chef and author Simon Majumdar, could also be seen bobbing through the crowd, visiting booths to establish connections and experience regional taste; calling the Central Valley a "hidden gem" and a "chef's haven."
As the floor came to a close for an exhibitor break, and attendees geared up for the consumer-focused follow-up portion, Expolicious, retailers and growers mingled with the satisfaction of another successful event; AndNowUKnow included.
Make sure to stay tuned for our upcoming Fresno Food Expo Yearbook!
NORFOLK, NE and KANSAS CITY, KS - This has been a busy year of mergers, acquisitions, divestures and more, and as we move toward August, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG) and Affiliated Foods Midwest Cooperative, Inc. (AFM) are revealing that they have reached an agreement to combine the two distribution businesses. The members of both cooperatives going forward would be members of a larger AWG.
“This exciting endeavor is exactly what we need to allow our retailers to compete, grow and be profitable,” Martin Arter, President and CEO of AFM, stated. “The synergies between our joint cooperatives will help our retailers thrive. Our members benefit with a substantially lower cost of goods. Much credit is due to the vision of both AWG’s and AFM’s Board of Directors to see the possibilities of what we could become.”
Retailer-owned cooperative AWG’s supplying members operate over 3,000 stores in 30 states, according to a press release, while AFM is a retailer-owned cooperative supplying members that operate more than 800 stores across 15 states.
The President and CEO of AWG, David Smith, also responded to the great benefits that this alliance will have for both companies.
Speaking of this excitement about joining forces and combining the two cooperatives, Smith said, “Expanding our collective distribution areas into several new adjoining states and adding over 800 new member stores will make our unified cooperatives stronger together, leveraging not only the additional scale and buying power but also employing and implementing the best practices of each that have been developed over the 80 to 90 years that our respective cooperatives have been in business. Combining our distribution center networks and support infrastructure will allow us to more effectively serve our growing numbers of independent member-retailers. This unified business will further strengthen our relationship with the vendor community, reduce operating expenses and subsequent cost of goods, and enhance our ability to support and serve our growing membership.”
The alliance was unanimously approved by the board of directors of both AWG and AFM. While still subject to certain conditions, including the approval by AFM shareholders, it is expected to close in 2016.
SANTA PAULA, CA - In my opinion, every produce item should have their own designated day, week, or month, and in the case of Limoniera, lemons are snagging a spot this summer. While every day is lemon day at Limoneira Ranch, this August will host some delicious, zesty dessert days to celebrate the popular citrus item.
Looking for a little inspiration? Check out Registered Dietitian, Spokesperson for Limoneira Citrus4Life™, and the Founder of Healthy Grocery Girl®, Megan Roosevelt, shares her go-to tips and recipes here. You can also check out the great ideas below from Limoneira and Megan!
Lemon Meringue Day – August 15
Both sweet and tart, there are many ways to interpret lemon meringue. It can be a pie, cookies, tarts, cheesecakes and more, but one of Limoneira’s favorite ways to enjoy lemon meringue is in the form of homemade ice cream!
Lemonade Day – August 20
Lemonade day is a great way to get creative with the kids! This cool, refreshing summer treat is easy to make and remake with different combinations of fruits. Create your own recipe or find some inspiration online!
Other special lemon dessert days on the horizon include:
Lemon Crème Pie Day – November 29
Rich, smooth and bursting with lemony goodness, lemon crème pies are easy to make and can be made with just a few, simple ingredients.
Lemon Cupcake Day – December 15
On lemon cupcake day, create and enjoy as many varieties of delightful, beautiful and bright lemon cupcakes as you care for! A few of Limoneira’s favorite cupcakes include limoncello cupcakes, honey lemon cupcakes, lemon poppyseed cupcakes, lemon drop cupcakes, and the classic lemon cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting.
Want to learn more about how the world of citrus can make your world healthier, happier and brighter? Visit Limoneira at PMA Foodservice Booth 329 this weekend in Monterey, California.
FRESNO, CA – Alyson Dias will be joining the the California Table Grape Commission as the Director of Advertising and Digital Media. She will handle the commission’s global brand message development, and oversee its use throughout the organization’s communication tools.
Dias is joining the commission after working at Fresno-based Duncan Enterprises for 13 years, most recently as the Director of Marketing Communications, where she primarily focused on digital campaign development. She has also been a speaker at California State University, Fresno, on topics related to digital marketing. Dias earned a Bachelors of Arts in Mass Communication & Journalism and a Masters of Business Administration from California State University, Fresno.
“We are very excited to welcome Alyson to the team,” said Kathleen Nave, President of the California Table Grape Commission, in a press release. “Alyson brings to the commission more than a decade of experience in consumer engagement with a focus on curating the kind of compelling stories that will support continued industry growth.”
Dias will now be focused on coordinating teams in consumer and trade campaign development, advertising, and digital media. She will also direct the advertising program for the U.S. and Canada.
NEW YORK - Former Long Island banana importer Thomas Hoey Jr. has found even more trouble with the legal system after being convicted of embezzling hundreds of thousands of dollars from employees earlier this year. A judge has added 5.5 more years to his already 12-year sentence, blasting him as as "selfish," "un-reformed" and "dangerous."
As we reported in March, prosecutors charged Hoey of stealing upwards of $750,000 from the pension accounts of those who worked for his company and using the money for his own personal uses, including travel, luxury meals, and other lavish expenses. Prosecutors report that Hoey took trips to England, Spain, Mexico and Aruba, spent large sums on fine dining and concerts, and stayed in luxury hotels in Manhattan and Long Island, according to Reuters.
"You were born if not on third base then on first base," Judge Paul Engelmayer told Hoey when imposing sentence, the NY Daily News reports. "I have no confidence, none, that you will turn over a new leaf. Simply put, the public will benefit by your being in prison."
Hoey Jr., the former head of produce distributor Long Island Banana Corp., was ordered to pay $650,936 in restitution, $763,000 in forfeiture, and a $400 special assessment.
"I want to apologize to the court, your honor, the prosecutors, my employees, and my family. I never intended to cheat anybody. I had hoped to repay (the pensions)," Hoey explained.
Prior to this ruling, Hoey was sentenced to the 12 years in prison for a prior drug related charge, and another 16 months on domestic violence counts in 2015.
GOODLETTSVILLE, TN - Continuing to increase its focus on fresh offerings including produce, Dollar General has announced it completed the purchase of 41 former Walmart Express locations across 11 states. The larger-sized layout of the newly-acquired stores will allow the company to expand its produce and fresh meat departments through its freshness-focused banner, DG16.
“Dollar General is excited to add these locations to our existing store base,” said Todd Vasos, Dollar General’s Chief Executive Officer. “We look forward to the opportunity to better serve our customers in these communities by continuing to provide the convenience and value they expect from Dollar General.”
With an anticipated opening by October 2016, Dollar General expects to relocate 40 existing Dollar General stores into the purchased sites. The remaining store will see the company entering into a new market as part of the purchase, according to a press release. Other terms of the transaction, as well as the cost of the acquisitions, were not disclosed.
The number of new stores in new states is as follows:
- Alabama: 3
- Arkansas: 2
- Florida: 1
- Georgia: 6
- Kansas: 3
- Louisiana: 3
- Mississippi: 5
- North Carolina: 12
- Oklahoma: 4
- Tennessee: 1
This announcement comes just a few months after Dollar General announced a new 1 million-sq.-ft. distribution center in central Georgia, which will see six of the new locations. The company expects the center to open around the summer or fall of 2017, and service over 1,000 stores in the Southeastern region.
SANTA CRUZ, CA - There aren’t enough words to encompass what the Tour de Fresh brings to all sides of the industry, both professionally and personally. Today, the riders of the Tour de Fresh complete their circuit into Monterey, CA, to swap biking chamois for PMA Foodservice festivities and show planning.
Yesterday, on the second day of the ride, and after nearly 70 miles down the course, the cyclists stopped off to honor a few of its own. As I reported last year, the "yellow jersey" presentations, which give an opportunity to shine a light on some key moments of struggle and triumph that happen on the tour, also give me an amazing insight into the stories of these riders.
John Lukasko, Procurement Manager at Fresh Produce Partners, is one such individual with an amazing story. After riding in the premier Tour de Fresh, John took time off, in the words of DMA Solution’s Brock Nemecek and California Giant’s Cindy Jewell, to “kick cancer’s ass.”
After having succeeded in his battle, John is back and riding strong, encouraging his peers and fighting the battle for health in the future generation.
You’ve seen previously as well the story of John Frey, an active supporter and cheerleader in the Tour de Fresh who was not able to participate in the ride because of injuries he sustained when hit by car while training. Yet his face, on a stick, is being carried around as the Tsamma Watermelon team and riders for the Tour de Fresh bring him along and ensure he never misses a moment.
These stories, and more, create an atmosphere of a family reunion as we close in to the finish of the rapidly-growing ride.
This is the first time the Tour de Fresh is taking place in the summer, just nine months after it successfully raised $150,000 in the days leading up to the PMA Fresh Summit in Atlanta, GA.
“To see a steady increase in riders, sponsors, and more importantly a steady increase in fundraising, all these things point to the success of the Tour de Fresh vision of the future,” Anthony Gallino, Vice President of Sales at California Giant, tells me as we discuss the increasing reach of this important event.
When I ask C&S Director West Coast Produce Operations, Michael Deusebio about some of the highlights of this ride, and what he'd like to see more of, he recalls the second day arrival to the hotel and jumping directly into the pool.
"More pool parties!" he laughs. "Seriously though, when you suffer on a bike, (sometimes for hours), for days in a row, you form a bond with your fellow cyclists. It's something that you can't duplicate in your day to day life. The relationships you build on a bike are unparalleled, and to be doing this ride for a great cause is very special."
And it is increasing, both in quality and in quantity. Not only are returning faces bringing members to add to the program, but it has been announced that the Tour de Fresh will now have a one-day metric century event in October, a wholly new addition and opportunity in the event’s fight to push produce in schools.
“We are hoping this ride could be a model for future one-day events,” Brock Nemecek, Account Director at DMA Solutions, Inc. and an active organizer and rider for Tour de Fresh, announced at last night’s team dinner to excited ears.
More events should give further opportunities to execute the success the Tour de Fresh has demonstrated in its mission to provide salad bars for public schools, and gives more chances for interested industry members to see first hand what has these riders hooked.
AndNowUKnow will soon have more details on your next chance to promote fresh fruits and veggies in school. In the meantime, we are in the midst of the third and final leg of this amazing tour, and your window to help is closing. Every moment and every dollar counts as you help these impressive riders, your peers, reach their goal. To donate, please click here.
HONG KONG, CHINA – In another innovation to the realms of cleverly, and sometimes not so cleverly, concealed drugs in produce, authorities in China were reportedly impressed with the liquid cocaine hidden in a recent shipment of dragon fruit.
Customs Officers spent more than four hours opening 160 boxes of dragon fruit at the Hong Kong International Airport, according to the South China Morning Post. The prolonged inspection occurred this week after authorities noticed the shipment had not been picked up, as is customary, on the same day of its arrival.
An unnamed source told the South China Morning Post that this bust was more intriguing than normal, as the traffickers peeled off a layer of the dragon fruit and removed its pulp before injecting the fruit's hollow center with liquid cocaine. The layers of fruit were then glued back on before the cocaine-wielding fruits were spread out amongst the shipment.
“Each dragon fruit carried about 130 grams of liquid cocaine. A total of 15kg of liquid cocaine was seized inside the 98 fruits. The haul has an estimated street value of HK$15.7 million,” the source said. The value roughly translates to $2.02 million USD.
Officers had to check over 2,000 dragon fruits by hand after the shipment arrived from Colombia, as the tainted fruits were hidden in only 50 of the shipped boxes. A 36-year-old truck driver was arrested when he tried to pick up the shipment from the airport’s cargo terminal.
What methods will drug traffickers think of next, to conceal and transport their hauls of illicit narcotics within fresh produce? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on the latest.
AUSTIN, TX - Whole Foods Market has seen a fall in stock prices immediately following the announcement of its third quarter financial report, with many analysts suggesting poorer-than-expected sales to be the culprit. While total sales for the quarter increased to a record $3.7 billion, comparable store sales decreased 2.6%. Bloomberg reports that analysts had originally tried to clock in Whole Foods at a 2.4% decrease.
Co-CEO Walter Robb was not discouraged, however, releasing the following statement along with the report, “We delivered record sales of $3.7 billion this quarter along with a sequential improvement in our comparable store sales trends. We are continuing to make measurable progress on fundamentally evolving our business including the successful launch of our new 365 format, expanded value investments, and increased efforts to better understand and provide personalized offers to our customers. We are seeing some encouraging signs in terms of our sales and believe our nine-point plan will produce strong returns for our shareholders over the long term.”
Whole Foods' stock was down over 5% in after hours trading following the announcment, reaching a low of $31.90 per share, as of 8:00 PM EDT on July 27.
The falling store sales are likely due to increased competition from retailers growing their organic and natural foods sections, an area where Whole Foods has historically shined. Bloomberg reports that Whole Foods is suffering through its worst sales slump since 2009, while quietly in the background, lower-priced retailers are moving to take over the sector.
One way Whole Foods sees to take on this perception as being a “more expensive” healthy food grocer is through it’s newly implemented 365 by Whole Foods banner, which has 20 leases signed currently.
“Just two weeks ago, we opened our second 365 byWhole Foods Market store. Designed around affordability and convenience and supported by enhanced digital experiences, our 365 stores deliver a fresh new format to the marketplace,” said John Mackey, Co-Founder and Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market. “Through lower capital and operating costs, we are able to offer great values to our customers, and the response has been overwhelmingly positive.”
Other notable features from the report include:
- Net income reached $120 million, or 3.2% of sales
- Diluted earnings per share were $0.37
- EBITDA were $326 million, or 8.8% of sales
- Adjusted return on invested capital was 13.0%
- Cash flow from operations was $189 million
- Quarterly dividends returned to shareholders was $44 million
As more details about new locations for 365 banner are revealed, and the company begins to take increased competition in the marketplace, AndNowUKnow will continue to bring you updates.
CITRUSDAL, SOUTH AFRICA – Summer Citrus from South Africa is continuing to grow business with retailers in Midwestern and Gulf states, with a 300% increase in tonnage flowing through the Port of Houston this season.
“With the complex USDA regulations, we are pleased that we have been able to accommodate the South African program,” noted John Moseley, Senior Director of Trade Development for the Port of Houston Authority, according to a press release. “Our partnership is a result of the brand’s commitment to sending quality product, and we’re thrilled to be doing business for another year."
Each year, approximately 50,000 tons of South African Navels, Easy Peelers, Midknights, and Grapefruit are imported into the U.S., primarily through the ports of Philadelphia and New York. As demand for South African citrus has increased, so have efforts to secure additional entry points into the U.S. market. Now in its third season working with Summer Citrus from South Africa, the Port of Houston is the only Southern U.S. port approved by the United States Department of Agriculture for this fruit’s specific cold treatment program.
In order to support the increased volume of Summer Citrus from South Africa in Midwestern and Gulf states, the brand has partnered with regional bloggers to fuel demand at their local retailers. Paired with the new website design and social media presence, the brand is confident that shoppers will continue to seek fresh, great tasting citrus in the summer months.
“We’re confident that our consumer marketing campaign will inspire more interest in the brand,” said Suhanra Conradie, CEO of Summer Citrus from South Africa. “Coupled with our increased distribution, we expect to see positive sales growth from the elevated presence that Summer Citrus from South Africa will have this season.”
AndNowUKnow will continue to coverage the citrus crops and announcements, both domestically and internationally, as the seasons progress.