CAMARILLO, CA - 18-year horticultural operations expert, Arie van der Giessen, is joining Houweling’s as Corporate Head Grower, bringing in a wealth of greenhouse experience and a penchant for innovation.
“Ultimately, it is the opportunity,” Arie says about what makes him so excited to join the Houweling's team. “I’ve had wonderful experiences in my career in both Europe and North America. The opportunity to use that experience and join a dynamic business that has long been at the forefront of innovation in the greenhouse industry internationally is very exciting.”
Born and educated in the Westland of Holland, Arie has worked in management from 1980 until he immigrated to the United States in 1998. For the following 18 years, he has led greenhouse horticultural operations for several North American operators.
“Arie brings a pedigree in greenhouse growing that is all about excellence in every facet, the superb technical skills, the rich industry experience and the leadership qualities to deliver results through teamwork,” shares Kevin Doran, President and COO of Houweling’s, on the new addition.
According to a press release, Arie will be relocating to Houweling’s greenhouse farms in Camarillo, California, where he will be overseeing the horticultural management of the more than 200 acres.
Company Owner Casey Houweling added, "I’ve known Arie personally for years, and we are strengthening our management team with a person of character, who is committed to product quality excellence."
For more on strategic new hirings in the produce industry, AndNowUKnow will continue to be your number one source.
IDAHO FALLS, ID – As the company looks to invest and bolster its leadership, Potandon Produce L.L.C., has announced a new addition to its Senior Management in a newly created position for Carter Bray.
Bray will join the staff as Director of New Product Development, based from the Idaho Falls office. In his position, Bray will oversee key development of projects and their related marketing strategies.
Bray has held developmental and managerial roles at both General Mills and The Pillsbury Company, and has an MBA from Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
“We are looking forward to Carter’s input in new product development as well as with our entire business,” said Mel Davenport, one of the company’s original founders and current CEO.
Bray brings 25 years of sales and marketing experience to the Potandon team, with 16 of those years with a focus on the food industry. Potandon stated in a press release that this experience brings an added dimension to its team.
Congratulations to Carter Bray and Potandon, and keep in tight with AndNowUKnow for more announcements on executive shakeups and newly created positions in the industry.
ENUGU, NIGERIA - In our latest look into the seedy underside of produce as drug mules in illicit activity, officials have arrested six people for concealing marijuana and cocaine in vegetables and shoes.
The suspects, and later the arrested, were stopped by officials of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency (NDLEA) at the Enugu Airport in Nigeria. Hidden within the folds of vegetables and the soles of their shoes, the traffickers concealed a total of 62.663 kg (a little over 138 pounds) of drugs.
Of the traffickers, Kenechukwu Ujunwa, a 27 year-old woman, had tried to conceal her roughly 25 pounds of marijuana in dried, bitter leaf vegetables, in a not-so-cunning attempt to portray her load as innocent. Ujunwa was reportedly headed to Dubai.
All of the suspects, some of whom were headed to the strictly anti-drug territory of China with shoe soles laden with drugs, confessed to the crime when stopped, and stated they needed the money for basic needs.
“NDLEA will continue to invest in public enlightenment to guide people in taking sound drug-free decisions. Life is precious and I urge you to shun drug trafficking and criminal acts capable of subjecting you to prison custody and untimely death,” NDLEA Chief Executive Colonel Muhammad Mustapha Abdallah stated of the incident, according to National Mirror Online.
Stay wrapped up in AndNowUKnow as we continue to report on strange yet enticing mix of the produce world and thwarted traffickers.
WENATCHEE, WA - Now is the time to book those Rainier cherry orders, according to CMI, with harvest reaching its seasonal peak this week.
Steve Lutz, Vice President of Marketing for CMI, reports that over 85% of CMI’s Rainier cherries will be harvested by June 26.
“Right now—today if possible—is the time for retailers to book their orders in for Rainier cherries,” said Lutz. “Otherwise, you just might have to wait until next year.”
As one of the largest Rainier cherry producers in Washington State, the company just released an inside look into its operations featuring grower, Brian Sand, who talks about what it’s like to grow Rainier cherries.
“Our CMI Rainier cherry growers are incredibly passionate about what they do,” Lutz said in a press release. “The goal of this video is to show our customers how dedicated we are to getting them the highest quality Rainier cherries in the industry.”
CMI commented that few retailers or consumers will ever have an opportunity to see the harvest in person. In the footage, Sand goes through the trials and triumphs of growing Rainiers, which CMI explained are among the most fragile items in the produce department, as well as one of the sweetest.
“It’s not uncommon for our Rainier cherries to have sugar levels above 25%, making them among the sweetest fruits in the produce department,” added Lutz, calling Rainier cherries a wonder of nature.
With tender skin and light coloring, they are susceptible to orchard and harvest bruising, necessitating being picked delicately by hand and placed in small buckets. The cherries then go into picking lugs and are transported immediately to a refrigerated packing facility.
Few fruits can match the flavor intensity and brix levels of a ripe Rainier cherry, Lutz said. As we move through its peak for 2016, AndNowUKnow will continue to bring the latest on the season and beyond.
THE DALLES, OR – With a six to eight week harvesting season, and already into its second week of packing, Orchard View Cherries is riding the intensity of the season with a new branding, new machinery, and even bigger volume to this year’s crop.
As Oppy’s Executive Director of Northwest Cherries, David Nelley, recently told me, Orchard View Cherries, formerly known as Orchard View Farms, is seeing its biggest growth period in many years. “We’re pulling off of 2,400 acres now,” David says. “Essentially Orchard View has doubled the land size over the past six or seven years, but is also bouncing back from the October 2014 frost that occurred in Oregon.”
Orchard View was able to expand its reach and fields by picking up a number of new farms in the area, starting around six months ago. David says that these new partnerships came from long-standing relationships the Bailey family has in the area, and unique situations that saw some families wanting to lease their orchards, but not wanting to sell their land, farms, and legacies completely.
“Through these relationships, we’ve not only expanded our acreage, but the quality of production,” David explains. “We’re running at roughly about 70-80 percent of all our cherries being grown under their own farmers under their own control. They know exactly how those cherries are being treated, handled, and grown.” The company’s specialty varieties are provided from outside growers.
On that note, David says, Orchard View Cherries saw a great start to its first week of packing, “Crop is big in volume, we started with packing out the Chelans, closely followed by the Rainiers. So far, it’s great. The Chelans are nice, dark cherries with fresh green stems.” The company began its production of Bing cherries earlier this week.
Key to this jump in volume, is a simultaneous debut of new equipment at the company’s facility. Orchard View Cherries now boasts a new Unitec Optical sorter, which is able to sort through the company’s crop at a much finer degree of quality control than the human eye can deliver, with much faster speeds as well.
“With the new sorter, and new cooling tunnels in our facility, we can now pack much faster at 48 lanes,” David says as we discuss the company’s growth and expanded ability to provide volumes for export. “It’s also much quieter, because a lot of the decisions are pre-made for the machinery. In an intense six-eight week season, we now have a calm and thriving workplace.”
Retailers can see these results not only in Orchard View Cherries’ increased volumes and quality, but also in the company’s new packaged branding. Bags filled with cherries will feature the company’s “Pick Your Moments” slogan, which David explains, keeps the focus right where Orchard View wants it; on the cherries.
“This theme is all about packing and picking in the short season, but doing it well and picking the right size at the right time. It not only keeps the consumer focused on our only commodity, 2,400 acres of cherries, but it’s a call for the consumer to pick their own moments to kick back and enjoy the fruit,” finishes David.
With that kind of excitement and cherry-picked focus, Orchard View Cherries is bound to have an energy-filled, sweet season.
YUMA, AZ – To continue a drive towards consumer demand, Bard Valley Medjool Date Growers has announced a new consumer sweepstakes through its brand, Natural Delights™, titled “My First Date.”
The video sweepstakes will call on consumers to create and submit a story about their first experience with Natural Delights, or one related to Medjool dates.
“We are committed to supporting our retail partners by driving consumer awareness and demand for Natural Delights products year-round. Our combination of trade support programs and consumer demand building activities have resulted in the Natural Delights brand having ten times the sales rate of all other date brands combined,” said Erin Hanagan-Muths, Director of Marketing.
The company clarified in a press release that each video must feature its packaging or product in a recognizable way, and can be no longer than 60 seconds. Prizes will include GoPro Hero4 cameras, Fandango movie tickets, and lots of Natural Delight.
Running from September 1 through October 31, the promotion will be the third in a year-long series of activities meant to generate brand preference and store traffic, while delivering over 150 million impressions through a national advertising campaign via print, digital, mobile, and social media channels.
“According to Nielsen, 92 percent of consumers believe recommendations from friends and family over all forms of advertising,” finished Hanagan-Muths. “We have found that this type of word-of-mouth promotion not only helps increase consumption, but also new trial from shoppers who have never enjoyed our products before.”
Bard Valley encourages retailers to connect with their sales representatives, or the company’s marketing team, to make sure their inventories and displays are prepared for the promotion.
AndNowUKnow will continue to provide the sweet details on running promotions and retail opportunities within the industry.
WATSONVILLE, CA - The riders for this year’s Tour de Fresh, PMA Foodservice edition, are well on their way to success before the tires have even hit the pavement.
Now just weeks away from the 173 mile ride that will take produce cyclists from Napa Valley to Monterey, California, $57,564 has already been raised towards placing salad bars in schools.
“With the Tour de Fresh event quickly approaching, United Fresh Conference offers a perfect opportunity for the industry to rally together in support of our final fundraising efforts,” said Cindy Jewell, Vice President of Marketing for California Giant Berry Farms, said in a press release. “We’re more than happy to provide a space for people to donate in person, while also encouraging a little fun at the conference.”
Just over one-third of the way to Tour de Fresh’s goal of $150,000, which would surpass each previous event and stands to place more than 100 salad bars for Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools, the team has turned its eyes to Chicago and the fast-approaching United Fresh Conference next week, June 20-22.
Show attendees will have the chance to donate to the cause in a fun, interactive fashion: encouraging friends and colleagues to ride a stationary bike for five minutes in support of those who are riding in July.
The fun starts for those who donate at least $25, and California Giant Berry Farms hopes to raise $2,500 on the floor.
“We can’t wait to send some of our Church Brothers team to ride the bike and hope that other companies are equally excited to have a little fun with their fellow fresh produce colleagues,” Jeff Church, Vice President of Sales for Church Brothers Farms, said of the event.
Tour de Fresh will also presenting limited-edition portable wine glasses to the first 50 donors in the booth, in the spirit of the ride’s starting in the heart of California’s wine country.
All this can be found when you visit California Giant at booth #1821 next week at United Fresh.
This year, 56 participants will ride the 173 mile trek next month, July 26-28, just before the Food Service Conference.
The 40 sponsors include Premier Sponsors:
- California Giant Berry Farms
- Church Brothers Farms
- Dole Fresh Vegetables
- Enza Zaden
- Fresh Point
- J&J Family of Farms
- Mission Produce
- Sunripe Certified Brands
- Tanimura & Antle
- Tsamma
Attendees can also share photos from the Tour de Fresh live ride photo booth by using the hashtag #tourdefresh and follow along via Tour de Fresh on Instagram.
Many leaders of the fresh produce industry have stepped up to the plate in committing to help bring salad bars to schools across the nation, but there is still a need for those who have yet to join in.
More information about Tour de Fresh can be found at www.tourdefresh.com, or by contacting Brock Nemecek at [email protected].
LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, CA - As Allen Lund Company continues to grow, the company has announced that 17-year-long veteran Craig Borzelliere is moving up in the ranks.
A valuable asset to the company for nearly two decades, Borzelliere has been promoted to Manager of IT, Systems Administration.
"It's an exciting time here as we build upon our solid foundational principles with new technology. I'm thrilled to help lead the IT Department into new growth for ALC," stated Borzelliere in a press release.
It has definitely appeared to have been a time of movement for the transportation company, who in the last few months has opened up new offices in both South Carolina and Ohio.
Now to help foster that growth on the tech end, ALC is moving up a man it says has the experience and the know-how for the job.
"Craig has been with ALC for more than 17 years. He has learned every aspect of our IT systems through the years and is a proven and loyal employee,” Kenny Lund, VP of Support Operations, said on Borzelliere's promotion. “We are proud that he is taking this big step in his career with ALC.”
Congratulations, Craig, on this newest chapter in your long career with the company.
JACKSONVILLE, FL – As the company continues to keep its eye on the growth of Southeastern agriculture, Southeastern Grocers has announced a new policy which will commit the company’s brands to sourcing produce from local providers whenever possible.
“Our new Local Sourcing Policy is a commitment to local farms and growers, that will guide how we source produce from both market and farms directly,” said Ian McLeod, President and CEO.
This new policy will be instituted across the BI-LO, Harveys, and Winn-Dixie stores, to which Southeastern Grocers is a parent company. The company stated in a press release that this policy only improves on its 90 years of experience working with local growers in the region.
“The numbers clearly confirm our customers prefer locally sourced produce,” continued McLeod. “We sell more than 1 million pounds of local strawberries each month, and more than 1.1 million pounds of local red potatoes a month each season.”
Currently, the company sources up to 30 percent of its fresh fruits and vegetables directly from the Southeast, which includes over 150 varieties of fresh produce in the company’s 750 stores.
To stick to this policy commitment, the company set the following guidelines for its fresh produce standards:
- To work with growers to provide a high stander of fresh produce planting, growing, and harvesting.
- Have all produce inspected by company growers, distribution centers, and stores to provide the best quality.
- Ensure organic products are sourced from organic-certified farmers who follow USDA guidelines for organic farming without synthetic herbicides or pesticides.
“We are focused on providing our customers stunning fresh produce; which has been grown by our own neighbors, families, and communities in the Southeast,” finished McLeod.
Additionally, the company stated that Chef Curtis Stone will be celebrating its commitment to local sourcing with a 700-mile tour, visiting farms and grower partners. Chef Stone will be stopping by J&J Family of Farms and Bullard Farms in Adel, GA, and Lane Southern Orchards and Pearson Farm in Fort Valley, GA.
Customers of Harveys stores in Georgia will have a chance to meet Chef Curtis on his tour at the following locations:
- Thursday, June 16: from 2:30-3:30 p.m. at 2201 North 12th St., Tifton, GA
- Friday, June 17: from 2:45-3:45 p.m. at 1605 Shurling Dr., Macon, GA
Chef Stone has also visited Fowler’s Farms in Campobello, SC, as well as other BI-LO stores in South Carolina. Chef Stone is also supporting the company’s local grower support mission by helping educate store associates.
AndNowUKnow will continue to have the latest on buy-side commitments and announcements, and their impact on the industry.
CINCINNATI, OH - Filling the position left by retiring King Soopers' Russ Dispense, Kroger has announced that Dennis Gibson will be the new President of the Denver, Colorado-based division. Beginning the first of July, Gibson has been promoted from his role as President of Kroger's QFC division, based in Seattle.
Gibson is bringing forty years of experience in the retail industry to his new role. Beginning in 1976 at a Grand Central discount department stores in Salt Lake City, Utah, in 1984, he joined Fred Meyer, holding leadership roles of increasing responsibility for the next 27 years. From store and district management, to Regional Director and Group Vice President for Store Operations, Gibson worked at Fred Meyer until 2011, when he was named Vice President of Operations in Kroger's Columbus division, according to a press release. In 2013 he was named Vice President of Merchandising, and rose once more to his current role as QFC division President in 2014.
"Dennis is a proven executive whose passion for people and results has earned respect in our company and the industry," shareed Rodney McMullen, Kroger's Chairman and CEO. "Dennis's commitment to our associates and customers will help ensure our business continues to grow. We look forward to his continued leadership at King Soopers."
In tandem with his new position, Gibson will relocate to the Denver area, where King Soopers operates its namesake stores, as well as City Market stores in Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming.