WATSONVILLE, CA – With Tour de Fresh making huge strides to meet its fundraising goal, the event has announced a new partnership to boost donation incentives even further. Stuppy, Inc. has announced that the rider who raises the most money for the event can gift one of the company’s Aqueduct aquaponics systems to the school of their choice.
“We are excited for the donation of an aqueduct aquaponics system because it shows how the industry is committed to making a difference in the lives of the next generation,” said Cindy Jewell, Vice President of Marketing for The California Giant Foundation. “It is so important to educate students about food that is grown in order to build an appreciation for agriculture – this appreciation will last a lifetime when it comes time for students to choose the food that they put in their bodies.”
This donation from Stuppy is valued at $5,000, according to a recent press release. Stuppy is a manufacturing and construction company of greenhouse design that offers schools one-semester’s worth of curriculum and equipment necessary for students to house their own self-sustaining horticulture program.
Stuppy will provide a donation of its complete aqueduct aquaponics system for a 14-week experience for students to see an entire ecosystem in action. This donation will include seeds, fish, fish food, and equipment. Stuffy also offers consultation services to aid in seed selection based on environment so educations can most effectively teach about horticulture.
“As an extension of our own fundamental belief that schools across the nation should not only be educated in nutrition, but be able to grow and eat their own fresh produce, it feels like the perfect opportunity for us to support Tour de Fresh by offering this incentive to riders,” said Ryan Willcott, Vegetable Project Specialist for Stuppy, Inc.
The partnership will also further both Tour de Fresh and Stuppy’s mission to bring fresh produce to schools across the country, and teaching schools and professionals about the worldwide importance of horticulture.
In addition to the donation from Stuppy, Wilcott also stated that he will ride in the Tour de Fresh on behalf of Uplift Infinity Preparatory School in Texas.
“We’re excited to see how this propels fundraising efforts, knowing that one of this year’s Tour de Fresh riders will affect multiple schools by providing at least one salad bar and an aquaponics system,” finished Wilcott.
As of this morning, Tour de Fresh riders have raised $69,649 of their $175,000+ goal to benefit the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools campaign, according to its website. As there is only four weeks left until the event, now is the perfect time to support riders and their personal goals to raise $3,100 for their individually-selected school districts.
STELLARTON, CANADA – Empire Company Ltd., the parent company of retail chain Sobeys, has released its 2016 Q4 results and cited a net loss of $942.6 million.
This decrease is a loss of $3.47 per diluted share, compared with a net profit of $55.4 million, or $0.20 a share, from last year’s fourth quarter.
“The previously reported challenges in Western Canada that have had a negative effect on our results over the past three quarters, deepened through the fourth quarter, with impacts felt across additional banners in the West and which have led the Company to incur an impairment charge of $1.3 billion dollars in addition to the charge recorded in the third quarter,” said Marc Poulin, President and CEO, Empire Company Limited, in a recent press release.
The company's integration of Safeway operations was the main driving factor behind the loss, according to Empire, although the Q4 report also listed that Sobeys’ same-store sales also decreased 1.8 percent. The company cited fuel sales and West business retail unit as having a negative impact on the chain’s numbers, and if not for those factors, same-store sales would’ve increased 0.2 percent.
Other highlights from the Q4 report, when compared to the same quarter from 2015, are as follows:
- Sales up 8.9 percent to $6,283.2 million from $5.7 million
- EBITDA decreased $1,283.5 million to $(1,047.2) million from $236.3 million last year
- Adjusted net earnings, net of non-controlling interest, of 95.3 million, decrease of $998.0 million from $55.4 million
- Free cash flow generation of $82.5 million, decrease of 39.3 percent from $136.7 million
“Management is also seeing early evidence of a softening sales trend in other regions of the country. Although management remains focused on reversing these negative trends by continuing on our core strategies of cost reduction, network renewal, and relevant pricing for our customers, the stabilization of our business will take time,” finished Poulin.
Empire’s Board of Directors also announced an increase to the annual dividend per share to be paid quarterly, from $0.40 per share to $0.41 per share, an increase of 2.5 percent.
The company stated that this year’s Q4 encompassed 14 weeks, whereas last year’s report spanned 13 weeks.
For more in industry financials, and the effect of shifting strategies and acquisitions of popular chains, keep up with AndNowUKnow.
NEW YORK CITY, NY - Famed chef and food connoisseur Anthony Bourdain’s massive international food market endeavor has seen a hiccup in the projected timeline.
The highly-anticipated project was originally looking to come into fruition by the end of next year, but its website has reportedly pushed the date back to 2019.
Part of the setback could be the location, New York’s Pier 57, which is currently undergoing a $350 million redevelopment, according to news source Eater.
The entire undertaking of Bourdain’s vision requires a number of official sign-offs by both the government and the community, bringing together the right paperwork for the international vendors necessary to bring the market to life.
As we reported previously, developers of the project expect 20,000 visitors a day to partake in all the cuisines Bourdain has endorsed and admired over the years, collecting about 100 New York retail and wholesale food vendors, plus a number of artisan-style offerings and at least one full-service restaurant.
In a recent interview, Bourdain told Adweek that the project is “a huge, huge, huge undertaking."
The aforementioned pier renovations that add to those hurdles only just received a loan of $225 million of the needed $350 million to get underway.
While the market could be a bit longer in the making, Bourdain is launching a new mobile app to enable visitors to learn about food partners around the world.
It is a baby step in a large project that has been otherwise kept surprisingly quiet since the culinary star was rumored to be pursuing it just over a year ago.
AndNowUKnow will continue to count down with the rest of the food-loving world, so stay tuned as we bring you the latest on this and other projects bringing fresh produce to the forefront.
KANSAS CITY, MO – As Multivac, Inc., continues to accelerate its growth and offerings, the company has announced that it’s bringing Brian Walker to the team as its newest Field Service Technician.
“Brian is well-versed in automation, mechanical/electrical troubleshooting, and machine diagnostics and has worked with high-speed packaging equipment,” stated Mark Turnham, West Regional Service Manager.
Walker will bring 10 years of technician experience to the team, and will focus on making an immediate impact to the Western Region of the United States, according to a recent press release.
As a Multivac Field Service Technician, Walker will identify and resolve customer issues to allow machinery to quickly return to their production. Walker will also work with customers on new installations to ensure machinery is operational and functional from its first day. Field Service Technicians are also responsible for training operating staff before installing equipment, so customers can get the most from their product.
“His knowledge with case packers, case stackers, gallon fillers, and pouch machines will assist the Multivac Service Team in continuing the high level of customer support our customers expect and receive,” finished Turnham.
Most recently, Walker worked for a dairy processing industry for eight years as a technician, working on and repairing heavily automated machinery. In this position, Walker also performed quarterly and annual preventative maintenance functions. Prior to that appointment, Walker worked as a Hydraulic Technician, designing and installing hydraulic systems for hooklift and field service trucks.
Multivac is looking to develop new products and services to meet the ever-shifting needs of the packaging industry through both its new hirings, and new regional sales offices in California and New Jersey which have opened in the past two years. Another office is scheduled to open in North Carolina this summer.
Multivac also stated that it’s currently renovating the company’s U.S. Headquarters in Kansas City to include a new 32,000-square-foot addition as the company looks to expand on its manufacturing capabilities. The renovation will include a state-of-the-art innovation and demonstration area to give customers an interactive experience with new Multivac equipment, as well as a customer training facility.
As the industry continues its constant shifts and innovation-minded moves, stay with AndNowUKnow for the latest.
BENTONVILLE, AR – Retailers across the board seem to be clamping down on the rising consumer demand for mobile accessibility, and having groceries and other items delivered to their doorsteps hassle-free. Walmart has announced that it plans to take its pilot delivery program, ShippingPass, into the next steps as it looks to move in on Amazon Prime’s established customer base.
“ShippingPass is about half the price of similar programs out there at just $49 a year, and customers who are using it, love it,” stated Fernando Madeira, President and CEO of Walmart.com US in a post on the company’s website. “They shop on Walmart.com more often to take advantage of our low prices, fast shipping, and added benefits of no minimum order requirements, and free online or in-store returns.”
An Amazon Prime membership currently costs around $99, annually. According to The Washington Post, Walmart's announcement could be a continuation of the competition that consumers saw last summer between the brands. Amazon Prime is set to hold its annual Prime Day sale in mid-July, with Walmart’s ShippingPass deals beginning July 1. Walmart is also planning to release "lightning deals" all this month, similar to the ones which Amazon hosts on its own deal day.
“Walmart is known for everyday low prices, and when we have a special price, it isn’t just for a fleeting moment,” continued Madeira. “Our rollbacks typically last 90 days or longer while supplies last.”
To gain even more traction against an online community which is already widely familiar with the Amazon platform, Walmart also announced that consumers can now take advantage of a 30-day free trial for the program. Currently, Walmart offers the two-day shipping of ShippingPass on bestselling products only, while Amazon has widely broadened its offerings since its launch in 2005.
This announcement is also inline with Walmart’s recent moves to provide consumers with more easily accessible groceries with its curbside pickup.
Will the store be successful in garnering more attention and online customers with this latest bid?
As the company looks to navigate the highly competitive e-commerce waters, AndNowUKnow will have the latest in retail strategies.
CALIFORNIA- The debate over the construction of two large tunnels to more efficiently move water from California’s Central Valley to the southern part of the state has taken another turn. A recent ruling by a Superior Court judge could delay the project and put Gov. Jerry Brown’s controversial $15.5 billion plan to build two tunnels through the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in further jeopardy with a ruling that a comprehensive management plan for the estuary is no longer valid.
According to The Sacramento Bee, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Michael P. Kenny ruled that “the entire Delta Plan must be ‘set aside’ until deficiencies he noted in an earlier ruling are fixed.”
At this point in time state officials plan to appeal.
Here is where the ruling complicates the issue- in order for the tunnels to be built, state officials need to prove that the project “complies with the recommendations laid out in the Delta Plan for managing land use and water exports in the fragile estuary.”
With recent hurdles and an appeals process underway, the already lengthy process could get lengthier.
Keith Coolidge, a spokesman for the Delta Stewardship Council, was also reported by The Bee as saying that the ruling could delay habitat restoration work and development protections that the plan calls for to shore up the Delta’s declining ecosystem.
Coolidge said in a prepared statement that, “The Delta remains in crisis, and now isn’t the time to set aside the state’s only comprehensive management plan.”
In 2013, the Delta Stewardship Council approved its plan with the goal of resolving years of conflict among environmentalists, farmers, anglers, and south-of-Delta water agencies, The Bee reports, over use of the estuary and how it should be developed, including the amount of water that could be exported.
One of the key requirements of the legislation was that the Delta Plan balance the “co-equal goals” of protecting the rich Delta ecosystem, and ensure stable freshwater supplies for the south state.
Enter the lawsuits, reflecting objections from most of the competing interests that depend on water from the Delta. Environmental groups voiced that the plan lacked the ability to force a reduction in reliance on Delta water, while those Delta agencies to the south that rely on that exported water reported that the Delta Plan did not meet the requirement for stabilizing supplies.
This ruling came on the heels of the report that Kenny dismissed most of those challenges. A 73-page ruling made available in May, noted that he denied most of the legal claims but did recognize some central issues of environmentalists.
Kenny said the plan fails “to promote options for water conveyance and storage systems” and he also found that the plan failed to “include quantified or otherwise measurable targets associated with achieving reduced Delta reliance” for California’s water supply.
Coolidge said the council already has been working to address those issues, and that the ruling to invalidate the entire plan was disappointing; these included the areas that seem to be without issues.
What’s next for the Delta Plan? Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we follow the appeal process.
YAKIMA, WA- It has been an exciting season for the growers and marketers behind Opal® Apples. From social media engagement, to an exciting schedule of in-store demos and sponsorships of events in partner retailer locales, FirstFruits Marketing is helping to put the unique variety on the map with many retail stores selling out across the country.
With an eye on educating consumers about the sweet flavor and crunchy texture of this unique yellow apple, FirstFruits has been winning consumers over and those in-store demos and events have resulted in a noticeable lift in sales for Opal Apple in local communities, according to a press release.
Opal Apples are a proprietary variety grown and distributed in North America by FirstFruits Marketing, and the eating experience has been called “yummy,” “sweet,” “delicious” and, according to social media and FirstFruits, one of the “#bestapplesever.”
One Facebook fan noted, “No lie, Opal apples are so delicious, I eat them whole. Core, seeds, and all. You have no idea how much I appreciate these apples.”
Another Opal Apple fan described his experience on Facebook, writing, “So you see it went like this. There weren't enough Opal Apples left, so I blocked the display with my cart while I bagged all 14.”
A Los Angeles partner race event featured Opal Apples as a sponsor and offered attendees a chance to taste the variety as a part of participation. When officials posted to the event’s social media channels that Opal Apples would be available at the finish line, the announcement feedback almost rivaled that of a beer garden.
“I am not an apple eater,” another Opal Apple Facebook fan noted. “I don't like to bite through the hard peeling. I picked up a bag of Opals today and already ate two, peel and all.”
Between postings of pictures of well-stocked displays on social media, and constant consumer feedback, this seems to be a win for FirstFruits and Opal Apples.
VIDALIA, GA – As the company continues to ramp up its growth, Giro Pack, Inc., has announced that it has added two Sales Representatives to its team, with plans to increase its service team by two technicians.
Giro has named Chip Manuel as its Northeast Regional Sales Manager, and Jennifer Doxey for its West Coast Sales which covers Central and Northern California.
“Chip and Jennifer are passionate and successful salespeople who bring a wealth of experience and proven track records for growing the businesses they have led,” Steve Carey, National Sales Manager for Giro Pack, said in a press release. “I am delighted they are on the Giro team to take on these extremely important roles for Giro.”
In their new positions both Manuel and Doxey will oversee all aspects of their respective region’s sales strategies. These responsibilities will include the following:
- Marketing
- New technology launches
- Competitive landscape intelligence
- Growing existing client base in their regions
Both Manuel and Doxey have experience working with marketers, retailers, packers, and repackers throughout North America, which Giro stated will make them invaluable assets to the company.
Manuel comes to the company with the past five years spent as Sales Manager with BBC Technologies, a solutions provider for blueberry and cherry markets, based in New Zealand. Doxey also has a diverse background of experience from sales and management positions with Aweta, Sinclair, and Sorma.
Giro stated that by adding an additional two technicians to its service team of 25, the company plans to have the largest and most knowledgeable service network.
The Spanish-based company added that these new hirings are a direct result of the company’s growth, and moves to increase its response time, as well as sales and service presence.
AndNowUKnow will continue to have the latest in industry hirings and company strategies.
WAGENINGEN, NETHERLANDS – As scientists, politicians, and the public all keep their eyes on the sky and a long-awaited manned mission to Mars, these Dutch scientists believe they’ve found a veggie-based solution towards further space travel; crops which can be grown on Martian soil.
Ecologist Wieger Wamelink, and his team at Wageningen University, has spent the last three years growing a variety of vegetables in soil to mimic that of Martian land. So far, according to the Smithsonian, Wamelink has been able to grow ten different crops in the simulated soil.
“We had crops and harvested them, tomatoes, rye grains, radish, rocket, cress, but did not taste them yet,” Wamelink said in a statement to Gizmodo. “First we have to make sure that it is safe to eat them because of the heavy metals that are present in the soils and may end up in the plants.”
The team plans to actually eat the veggies as early as today, but first needed to determine if eating any Martian-grown veggies would lead to absorbing high levels of the heavy metals present in the soil such as cadmium, copper, and lead.
“In principle, there could be another problem, but the chances of that are very low and we would taste it immediately,” Wamelink continued. “Plants may form alkaloids when they are under pressure, in high quantities they could be poisonous to us. We will check on them later, to see if any of them are in the crops, together with vitamins and flavanoids.”
Recent tests on radishes, peas, rye, and tomatoes have shown the veggies were safe to eat, although the peas and tomatoes had lower levels of some heavy metals than those grown in Earth soils. Wamelink did note that radishes contained the highest concentration of heavy metals, but speculated that the remnants of the simulated soil may have not washed off the vegetable properly.
As the team prepares for its Martian taste test, they are also planning to test out grown crops of six other commodities, including potatoes, carrots, and green beans. Wamelink stated that regardless of the vegetables edibility and taste, scientists will still have to sort other issues, such as water supply and solar radiation, before a manned Mars mission results in space agriculture.
Will industry leaders soon be petitioning for their crops and varieties to be grown in the soil of the final frontier?
Keep up with AndNowUKnow for the latest.
CHICAGO, IL- We are definitely in the thick of show season and with this time of year surfaces some amazing and innovative new products both stunning to the eye and to the palate. United Fresh 2016 in Chicago, Illinois, featured 250-plus exhibitors which presented great opportunities to build relationships, make new ones… and to see some of the best products that the industry has to offer. Here are just a handful of the many products that caught my eye at the 2016 show.
Taylor Farms ® Chef Crafted Salad Blends
It seems that more and more, I’ve been noticing how food artistry is emerging in both the flavor combinations of a product and the aesthetics of new packaging. Taylor Farms’ new Chef Crafted salad line was one of those items that truly stood out to me this year. This line includes six distinctive, restaurant-inspired salad combinations of leafy greens, fresh herbs, crisp vegetables and fruit packaged together in trays that include the company’s patented technology. Try the Kale & Beet, Snappy Spinach, Summer Love, Apples and Greens, Greens and Sunshine, or Southwestern Crunch – choose one to fit your fancy.
Pure Flavor Cloud 9 Packaging
The new high-flavor Cloud 9 snacking tomato may be what tantalizes your taste buds, but it was the packaging that also caught my attention. This new packaging is an all-compostable recyclable paper tray made from tomato plants combining sustainability, flavor, and innovation in an eye-catching presentation. Like Herb-Parmesan Roasted Tomatoes? You can find that recipe on the box as well.
Stemilt’s Exclusive Skylar Rae® Cherries
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to try these straight from Stemilt itself in Wenatchee, Washington, and wow – what an impression. These new bi-colored, exclusive Skylar Rae® cherries present brix levels ranging from 23-25 on average, and a firm, unique, crunchy firmness. This variety will also be catching the eye of consumers in produce aisles during its limited-time run, in a new dome clamshell that features a high-gloss, metallic label.
NatureSweet® Constellation™
What I truly appreciate about this variety pack is its attention to usage and serving size, with four different tomato varieties that are tailored to a range of eating experiences and palates. This predetermined medley is a mix of the company’s SunBursts™ and Glorys® varieties, as well as its new chocolate grape tomato, and an orange grape tomato. The different sizes and flavors make it a great combo for addressing your sandwich, salad, cooking and snacking needs.
Fox Solutions’ Newtec QC90-2 In-Line Check Weigher
Walking down a United Fresh show floor aisle last week, this bustling beauty caught my eye. The highly accurate in-line weighing system offers visual and electronic inspection with automatic weight requirements validation, loose item detection and handling, product separation with quick and reliable quality vision control for loose objects… just a few perks on top of its graphical touch screen that links to Newtec web services. Not to mention it processes 90 units per minute. As for its sleek form and multiple configuration options – this was a refreshing piece of machinery to wrap my mind around.
If you missed part one and two of our series, check out Melissa De Leon's picks by clicking here as well as and Jessica Donnel's favorites from the event by clicking here! Hope you all had a great show and see you at the next event!
United Fresh Taylor Farms Stemilt Pure Flavor NatureSweet Fox Solutions