MONROVIA, CA- While Trader Joe’s continues its growth across the U.S., the company is focusing one of its new openings on the ever-evolving New York City grocery scene. The retailer recently announced plans to open a second store on the Upper West Side.
This latest growth comes on the heels of previously announced plans to open a new store in Kips Bay this summer, according to the New York Business Journal. The new stores will bring the retailer’s New York City locations to six. And as DNA Info reports via the Journal, that count could be bumped up to seven as it is also eyeing an East Village locale on 14th Street between Avenues A and B.
For this most recently announced Upper West Side location, Trader Joe’s has signed a lease for the ground floor and lower level of 670 Columbus Ave., which will put in right in the vicinity of a Whole Foods just four blocks away, DNA Info reports. Paired with another store it already operates in the neighborhood at 72nd and Broadway near Fairway’s flagship store, this neighborhood is sure to feel the competitive retail heat. Expected to open within the first six months of 2017, the new location will be approximately 12,100 square feet.
The New York Business Journal also adds that the local grocery scene has been in flux over the past year, with notable instability including the A&P bankruptcy that left a third of stores unsold, Fairway’s financial troubles, and the additon of online grocers, meal kit services, and food delivery startups into the mix.
Where will Trader Joe's expand to next? Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow to find out.
IRVING, TX – As the company continues to hire new talent, expand and add service offerings, and promote executives within the industry, DMA Solutions, Inc., says that fresh produce marketing as a whole is a catalyst for growth within the industry at-large.
Some of these growth-centric team expansions within the company include the promotion of Megan Zweig to Vice President. Zweig’s position will ensure that clients’ goals and objectives are met, while supporting business growth and development.
Brock Nemecek and Marci Allen were also promoted in the company to Account Directors with DMA Solutions. In this position, the two will manage day-to-day marketing efforts for each brand, and build teams to support inbound marketing strategies, partnerships, campaigns, and promotions.
The company stated in a press release that in the last 18 months DMA Solutions has increased its talent pool by 40 percent and expects to continue growing over the next five years.
“Fresh produce marketing is in the midst of a renaissance and our company’s evolution is a direct result of an industry that is rapidly recognizing that marketing can be as much of a catalyst for growth as sales,” said CEO Dan’l Mackey Almy. “We are progressively adapting our business and services to support the growing needs of fresh produce companies as they seek to be present in a meaningful way by connecting with the people consuming their products.”
The company has also restructured and fully integrated its social media within the company’s team of experts to be relevant and accessible 24/7. DMA Solutions has also expanded its portfolio of public relation services, supported by the company's previous appointment of Beth Atkinson as its Public Relations Manager.
These recent changes and successes at the company, said DMA Solutions, have been driven by advanced marketing techniques and solutions, which have led to increased sales amongst brands who work with the agency.
“Long gone are the days when marketing was an extra task for someone in sales,” finished Almy. “The type of measurable marketing that focuses on driving sales and profitability requires a dedicated team, which is why we have added four new team members in 2016 in order to support the brands we represent.”
Check in with DMA Solutions, Inc., and learn more about its expandings at the upcoming United Fresh Convention.
Congratulations to the DMA Solutions team, from everyone here at AndNowUKnow!
SOUTHEAST, U.S.- While the National Hurricane Center declared Colin as "post-tropical" late Tuesday morning and all tropical storm warnings for Florida had been cancelled, flood watches still remained in effect for 24 counties as of yesterday. According to The Weather Channel, Colin's center of circulation became elongated and not well defined as it moved off the Southeast coast, meaning it will no longer be considered a tropical cyclone over the western Atlantic Ocean. The storm was downgraded early Tuesday at which point it then swept across Georgia on its path to the Atlantic, also affecting parts of South and North Carolina, according to a report by Reuters.
While the storm has let up, some growers and shippers in the area tell me they will need more time to assess the damage, if any.
Frank Paone, Director of Marketing for Procacci Brothers, tells me, “We're keeping an eye on North Florida where most of the tomato production has shifted - obviously if the amount of rainfall being discussed pans out, you're going to see setbacks from your initial projections and susceptibility to quality issues that can result from it.”
More than ten inches of rain fell North and Northeast of Tallahassee, Florida, in Bradfordville and near Wadesboro, The Weather Channel added, with nearly 11 inches of rain reported at one location near Micanopy (south of Gainesville) Tuesday early morning. As of Monday, Gainesville reported its second wettest June day on record with 5.65 inches of rain.
Tuesday morning experienced some flooding in Tampa as well.
MT @NWSTampaBay: Center of Tropical Storm #Colin seen on radar at 1030 PM EDT spinning over E Apalachee Bay #flwx pic.twitter.com/dESpgJGg2o
— AccuWeather.com (@breakingweather) June 7, 2016
“We won't have much else to report until we're back in the fields to assess everything, but naturally we hope for the best in these situations,” Frank adds.
Florida's Gulf Coast Monday was subject to storm surge flooding which inundated low-lying areas. Stay tuned as we follow the effects of Tropical Storm Colin.
SALINAS, CA – Forbes Media has announced the date of its second annual AgTech Summit in Salinas Valley. The invitation-only event will run from July 13-14, 2016. The summit will feature entrepreneurs from Silicon Valley and generate productive debate within the community on critical issues in the industry.
One of the pioneers and the forefront of Salinas innovation is Bruce Taylor, who will be speaking at this year's event. Additionally, the event will showcase the latest and greatest innovations for farmers, investors, and stakeholders of the global agricultural ecosystem.
"This summit is a fantastic opportunity for the AgTech community to discuss real solutions in accelerating new technologies and capabilities in farming,” said Bruce Taylor, Chairman and CEO of Taylor Farms. “We are currently in trials with eight of the participating companies we met during last year’s Forbes AgTech Summit.”
According to a press release, the first day of the event will provide tours for attendees of the following facilities:
- Field demos at Hartnell College’s Alisal campus
- Plant tours of Mann Packing
- Plant tours of Taylor Farms
- Tour of Tanimura & Antles’ farmworker housing complex, Spreckles Crossing
The Innovation Showcase will again be held under the Main Street Salinas white tents, where over 35 innovative AgTech startups will focus on solutions to result in higher crop yields and less food waste. These showcases will include the following presenters, amongst others:
- Acuity Agriculture
- Agribody Technologies
- American AgCredit
- Blue River Technology
- Edyn
- Food-Origins
- GeoVisual Analytics
- Iteris
- MagGrow
- SoliCulture
- SpecRight
- Trace Genomics
The second day of the event will feature full-day Plenary Sessions on Main Street to focus on topics such as food security, the microbe revolution, ag labor, and water use. Moderated discussions will occur between start-ups and their investment backers, such as Mark Johnson of Descartes Labs with Ron Meeusen from Cultivian Sandbox, and Dan Harbaug of Soft Robotics with Bruce Taylor of Taylor Farms.
“We are convening over 500 of agriculture’s leading voices to debate, discuss, and showcase innovative solutions to the most daunting challenges facing global agriculture,” said Paul Noglows, Executive Producer of the Forbes AgTech Summit. “We can think of no better place to do that than historic Main Street Salinas where the Salinas and Silicon Valley’s meet.”
Other speakers to participate in the event are listed below:
- Julie Borlaug, Borlaug Institute for International Agriculture, Texas A&M
- Nathan Dorn, Food-Origins
- Suren Dutia, Kauffman Foundation
- Robert T. Fraley, Ph.D., Monsanto
- Dan Harburg, Soft Robotics
- John Hartnett, SVG Partners
- Jorge Heraud, Blue River Technology Inc.
- Dan Hodgson, FarmQA, Inc & Linn Grove Ventures
- Sumer Johal, Agralogics
- Mark Johnson, Descartes Labs
- Willard Lewallen, Ph.D., Hartnell Community College
- Mike Macrie, Land O’Lakes, Inc.
- Teresa Matsui, Matsui Nursery
- Ron Meeusen, Ph.D., Cultivian Sandbox
- Sara Menker, Gro Intelligence Inc.
- Tom Nassif, Western Growers
- Thomas Schäfer, Novozymes
- Bruce Taylor, Taylor Farms
- Kip Tom, Tom Farms
- Tri Tran, Munchery
- Rob Trice, The Mixing Bowl Hub & Better Food Ventures
- Bob Whitaker, Ph.D., Produce Marketing Association
- Patrick Zelaya, HeavyConnect
Forbes Media noted that the founding partner of the summit is SVG Partners and its Thrive Accelerator. Other presenting sponsors include Western Growers, and the City of Salinas.
An expanded list of supporting sponsors for the event, as well as more information for the event at large, can be seen here. Follow the conversation surrounding the summit by keeping an eye on #ForbesAgTech.
SALINAS, CA- Summer is nearly here and with the warm weather at our heels, demand will continue to rise for cool, fresh, produce options at retail. John Georgalos Commodity Manager for Tanimura & Antle joined me to discuss the current state of the lettuce market and what we can expect in the weeks to come from T&A.
“We've recently experienced a planning gap as a result of rain earlier in the year,” John tells me as he updates me on T&A’s lettuce supplies. “The lighter volumes helped push the market to the levels we're seeing now. FOB's are currently in the mid-teens.”
As of this week, T&A has seen lettuce volumes normalize to levels slightly higher than planned and John sees this trend continuing for the next two to three weeks, at which point volumes should taper off to projected levels.
“Overall quality is very good and we see no issues that would interrupt quality or supply. As a result this is a good time to promote lettuce,” John adds. “The biggest influence on markets this time of year are the many regional homegrown areas which have recently started shipping product.”
Although homegrown leafs and lettuce have started on the East Coast, the previously experienced cool wet weather on the East Coast has reduced the amount being harvested. The continued demand for West Coast lettuce is welcomed, he notes.
T&A grows lettuce, romaine, romaine hearts, artisan romaine, George T Romaine, red leaf, green leaf, artisan lettuce, Boston lettuce, endive, escarole, red romaine, sweet gem, and hydroponic Boston lettuce, year-round to respond to its customer’s needs.
PORTERVILLE, CA – The Magnolia Citrus Association, a member of Sunkist Growers, has announced that the organization plans to appoint Mike Cranmer as Manager/CEO of Magnolia Citrus for the 2018 season. Cranmer will first move from his current position in the company to fulfill the transitionary role of Assistant Manager on July 1, before phasing into his executive role on September 1st.
“With 19 years of experience in the Sunkist system handling sales and packing operations for several packinghouses, Mike Cranmer will be a great leader for Magnolia Citrus,” said current Manager/CEO Frank Arcure. “I feel fortunate to be passing along my responsibilities to such a capable, results-driven sales and operations professional.”
Cranmer’s packinghouse experience began in 1995 with the California Citrus Exchange in Lindsay, CA, as a sales representative. During this period, Cranmer promoted sales for seven different Sunkist packinghouses.
Since this beginning, Cranmer has also fulfilled positions in sales and operations for Paramount Citrus Association, Baird-Neece Packing Corporation, Sierra Citrus, and most recently at Visalia Citrus Packing Group’s Woodlake facility.
Cranmer will step into his role as Manager/CEO of Magnolia Citrus once Arcure steps down from the position this fall.
Keep up with AndNowUKnow as we can keep an eye to executive promotions, and a finger on the latest in industry news.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – In celebration of the 100th running of the Indianapolis 500 Community Day, The Produce Mom®, NatureFresh™ Farms, and Sage Fruit partnered together with the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the Indiana Dairy Association for the promotion and sampling of fresh produce.
“It was a thrill to get our partners Sage Fruit and NatureFresh Farms as well as the USDA Team Nutrition messaging integrated into the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 festivities,” explained Lori Taylor of The Produce Mom. “To orchestrate the 2016 Indy 500 Community Day, which reached over 10,000 kids spanning 11 locations was a major feat and only possible thanks to the great leadership from the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IMS). The Produce Mom looks forward to continued work with the Dairy Association, IMS, and the IndyCar Series."
Community Day took place on May 25 as part of the selection of festivities planned for the 100th anniversary of the Indianapolis 500, as stated in a recent press release. The single day event took place in schools surrounding the speedway. Each participating school enjoyed a show scripted by The Produce Mom to promote USDA Team Nutrition messaging, and the following activities:
- Produce and dairy samples
- Group exercises
- Science lessons with a focus on the physics of auto racing
Also in attendance, and serving as co-stars, for the event was the entire qualifying field of Indy 500 drivers, along with the USDA mascot, Power Panther, and the American Dairy Association mascot, Buttercup.
For the event, NatureFresh Farms also featured its Greenhouse Education Center, which highlighted samples of the company’s new snacking tomato, TOMZ™.
“The 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Community Day was an incredible event and a unique addition to our Indianapolis stop on the 2016 #GreenInTheCity tour,” explained Chris Veillon, Director of Marketing at NatureFresh™ Farms. “The students, teachers, and IndyCar drivers had great feedback on the Greenhouse Education Center, as well as our new snacking tomato, TOMZ. We passed out thousands of samples in Indianapolis last week.”
For its partnered participation, Sage Fruit hosted a pop-up market, highlighting four varieties of Washington Apples.
“As long-time sponsors of Kasey Kahne Racing, Sage Fruit has great appreciation for the opportunity to be involved in such a historic event,” stated Kaci Komstadius, Marketing Manager for Sage Fruit. “Serving Sage Fruit apples at the 100th Running of the Indianapolis 500 Community Day came our way through our partnership with The Produce Mom. We were honored to support the event and work alongside NatureFresh Farms.”
The Produce Mom participated in the event as an active partner of the Indiana Department of Education, and is an advocate for USDA programs such as the Team Nutrition, and Child Nutrition programs.
HOUSTON, TX- Aldi’s U.S. operation is expanding at accelerated rates with a footprint that spans across the country. As the company continues to build on its current momentum, Aldi has opened a new store in Houston, Texas, on Bissonnet and Beechnut. This marks Aldi’s 25th store in Houston, with more locations to emerge in the competitive Texas retail landscape.
The German-based retailer known for its discount prices, has cost-cutting measures that includes having customers bagging their own groceries, and 25 cent cart rentals, that help the store stay competitive and keep costs down.
“We don’t believe in hiding the cost of those things across all the products,” Aldi Rosenberg Division Vice President Karla Waddleton, told Houstonia. “We also have a unique buying power. We’re able to consolidate our buying power and really be stringent on [extraneous costs] in order to ensure we’ve got excellent quality at the right price point.”
Waddleton also told Houstonia that the retailer has plans for 32 stores to open in the greater Houston area, with approximately ten to twelve more by next year.
So what makes Houston such an ideal candidate for expansion? Increasingly dense population within the city for one.
As we previously reported, The Fresh Market announced that it would close all of its Texas stores by May 18th, just three years after launching in the area. Could this create additonal opportunities for Aldi to step further into the retail game within the Long Horn State?
With the fierce competition within the Texas supermarket community, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for continued updates.
CORONA, CA- The California melon deal is underway, and here to discuss the latest and greatest with Veg-Fresh Farms’ program is Dan Kerrigan, Sales Manager for the category, who shares the 411 on the company’s melon expansion.
Dan got into melon sales with Turlock Fruit 23 years ago and has now joined Veg-Fresh Farms, bringing with him a conventional and organic melon program to round-out the company’s categories.
“Our growers have been very much involved in the planning this year with the expanded product line,” Dan tells me. “We will have organic cantaloupe, organic mini-seedless melons, organic galia melons, organic orange flesh, and organic honeydews. In addition, we will have a large program in conventional cantaloupes.”
Veg-Fresh begins to plan before the first seed goes into the ground. The company has its program laid out, summer promotions are in place, and retail partners lined up.
With the summer just around the corner, expect more updates on your favorite warm weather fruits and vegetables from AndNowUKnow.
FRESNO, CA- Fresh fruit grower Verne Crookshanks, Principal of Venida Packing, Inc., has been honored by The California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) with the esteemed Lifetime Achievement Award. Recognized for both his time and accomplishments in the produce industry, Verne was honored Friday, June 3, 2016, at the Vintage Press in Visalia, California.
“We could not be more pleased that the Mentors’ Committee selected Verne Crookshanks for this recognition and award. Verne’s long-term commitment and support has been paramount to the successes of the fresh fruit industry and our Association,” said Barry Bedwell, President of CFFA, who spoke at the luncheon recognizing Verne.
As an active member with the CFFA, Verne has served on the Association’s Board of Directors for 40 years. He has also served as its Chairman in 1986-87.
The CFFA’s Mentors’ Committee, which names the recipient, is comprised of the Association’s five most recent Board of Directors chairmen, and accepts nominations from all past chairmen, according to a press release. The Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes an individual who is industry-oriented, has provided long-term, consistent service to the CFFA by serving on the Board of Directors or various committees for an extended period of time throughout their career, and is a person who has influenced CFFA and the industry in a positive way through their time and effort.
Previous Lifetime Achievement Award honorees include Sarkis Sarabian of Sarabian Farms, Herbert Kaprielian of CRJ Farming Co. LP, and George Caratan of Anton Caratan & Son and Blanc Vineyards.
Congratulations, Verne, on this incredible honor.