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NEW KENSINGTON, PA - Yerecic Label has revamped its Easy Fresh Cooking® label line, incorporating key consumer information collected through The Power of Produce 2015 research.
“A decade of consumer research tells us that the opportunity for impulse purchases in the produce department is high and over 50 percent of shoppers get their produce information from within the department,” Art Yerecic, the company’s President, in a press release. “These facts alone give growers and retailers a unique opportunity to connect and engage at the point of purchase.”
Published by Food Marketing Institute, The Power of Produce 2015 was conducted by 210 Analytics, LLC, and sponsored by Yerecic Label. In it, the company said that research reflected 23 percent of produce shoppers found information/recipe ideas greatly influence thier purchase decision.
“One of the biggest assets to the refreshed Easy Fresh Cooking® program is that it connects strongly with Millennials,” Yerecic Label Marketing Manager Kristin Yerecic said. “Millennials are less influenced by things like appearance and seasonality, but more concerned with aspects like preparation time and recipe ideas. Easy Fresh Cooking® connects with these ideals.”
Incorporating shopper insights, the company added that the Easy Fresh Cooking® both informs and inspires consumers to purchase more produce, meeting demand for things like:
- The desire for quick, easy preparation ideas
- Digital connections
- Creating a strong message on-pack encouraging shoppers to learn more about produce
Yerecic Label emphasized that its Easy Fresh Cooking® concepts can be applied to any custom label. Featuring two lines, one specific to produce items and one reflecting cooking methods, each is designed to still reflect popular design trends, kraft paper, and chalkboard.
With the launch of the Power of Produce 2016 set to be released at FMI Connect 2016, stay tuned for even more in depth marketing and consumer insights.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has filed an administrative complaint under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) against Sandia Distributors Inc, according to a USDA press release.
The company, operating from Arizona, allegedly failed to remit net proceeds to four produce growers in the amount of $1,769,070 from May 2014 through May 2015.
Sandia Distributors Inc. will have an opportunity to request a hearing. Should the USDA find that the company committed repeated and flagrant violations, it would be barred from the produce industry for two years. Furthermore, its principals could not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee for one year and then only with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.
In the past three years, the USDA resolved approximately 3,700 PACA claims involving more than $66 million. Their experts also assisted more than 7,100 callers with issues valued at approximately $100 million. These are just two examples of how the USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.
ISSAQUAH, WA - Costco, who last year sold $6.1 billion worth of produce, is looking to expand its organic game to keep up with demand with an entirely new strategy.
How does the retailer plan to do so? By assisting growers in buying land and equipment to produce more organics.
“We cannot get enough organics to stay in business day in and day out,” CEO Craig Jelinek told investors at a recent shareholder meeting, according to the Seattle Times.
Assistance from retailers to incentivize organic growing is not unheard of. Offering to help farmers buy land, however, to meet increasing demand of this rapidly-growing facet of the produce industry is a much more unique concept that Costco is employing.
“A few years ago, Craig came to me and said: ‘Fresh food — we need to have sustainable lines of supplies into the future,’” Jeff Lyons, Costco’s Senior VP of Fresh Foods, told the Seattle Times. According to Lyons, each initiative was fueled by the following questions:
- What do we see down the road that could be a challenge in terms of supply?
- What can we put in place today to grow that particular scarce resource?
The land necessary is both scarce and pricey, something that Costco saw and began to brainstorm around when touring longtime supplier and San Diego-based grower Andrew and Williamson Fresh Produce.
Seattle Times reports that while on the tour, the supplier told Lyons it had heard about 1,200 acres of land in San Quintin, Baja California, that Seminis wanted to sell and was an immediate candidate for organic farming. But finances presented a problem.
“By helping them with financing, we got access to and purchased about 145,000 cases of organic raspberries that we normally would not have access to,” Lyons commented. “Because they normally would not have done the deal or could not have done it. Or, if they could have, we may not have gotten first dibs.”
Now Costco has first right to anything off those 1,200 acres that meets its requirements, and both it and A&W have a bigger stake in supply for the organic industry.
As one of the U.S.’s largest retailers in providing organics, that is a significant security for Costco to have.
While A&W is currently the only partner in Costco’s new program, the Seattle Times reports that the retailer is looking to expand it to widen its net of organic supply.
With organic having made leaps and bounds in the last two years, growing into an industry worth more than $60 billion globally, it will be interesting to see if other retailers follow.
CARLISLE, PA - Ahold USA has announced the appointment of Andrew Iacobucci as the company’s new Executive Vice President of Merchandising. Effective April 11, Iacobucci’s new role will focus him on leading a merchandising team that supports Ahold USA and its four retail divisions—Stop & Shop New England, Stop & Shop New York Metro, Giant Landover, and Giant Carlisle.
To aid in his new position with Ahold, Iacobucci brings with him his extensive background in merchandising, P&L ownership, and retail experience. Over the last decade, he has held several leadership positions at Loblaw, according to a press release, including President of the $17 billion Discount Division business.
“We are delighted that Andrew is joining our team, and he brings outstanding merchandising experience to help us on our journey from good to great,” said James McCann, Chief Operating Officer of Ahold USA, in a statement.
Beginning in 2005, Iacobucci has held senior leadership roles in Loblaw’s Grocery Discount Division, Drugstore Business Unit, Central Store Operations team, Superstores team, and Corporate Development function. Prior to his employment at Loblaw, Iacobucci spent several years at Monitor Group, a global strategy consulting firm, focusing on U.S. retail.
Iacobucci holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Queens University in Ontario and a law degree from the University of Toronto. He will be relocating to the United States from his home in Canada.
VANCOUVER, B.C. - Village Farms is returning to the 4th Annual Ag Con in Las Vegas, Nevada, participating in each year consecutively since the event’s initial launch.
This year’s Ag Con will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center both today, April 5th, and tomorrow, April 6th.
“I am pleased to have been asked to again be part of this seminal conference that seeks to further the stakeholder relationships in an amazing growth industry,” Michael A. DeGiglio, President and CEO, commented in a press release. Speaking at an ‘Ask Me Anything’ open forum, DeGiglio will lend more than thirty years of industry expertise to conference attendees.
Village Farms’ Corporate Chef Darren Brown will join DeGiglio for the Con to speak on a panel of contributors called, “What do Produce Buyers Wish to see from Indoor Growers?”
“Considering global food resources are in decline and populations are on the rise, we have to be constantly looking to innovative ways to adapt and I'm intrigued at the potential for indoor agriculture to be one of the key solutions for our food supply for future generations,” Chef Brown said.
This year’s Ag Con features exhibitors in all facets of controlled environment agriculture (CEA), according to Village Farms, as well as a full conference agenda.
Indoor Ag Con host events about indoor agriculture using hydroponic, aquaponic, and aeroponic technologies to grow all kinds of crops is in a variety of ways, including:
- Greenhouses
- Warehouses
- Containers
Uniting farmers, growers, chefs, technology geeks, suppliers, investors, and advocates, this is sure to be an enlightening and entertaining event.
SCOTTSDALE, AZ – National produce marketer, Amerifresh, has announced long-serving industry veteran Jim Richter as its new President and CEO.
“Jim has proven success in all of the areas we know are important to help drive Amerifresh’s business forward, we are excited to have him join the SGA Family of Companies,” said Slade Stewart, Services Group of America (SGA) Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Officer, in a recent press release.
A wholly-owned subsidiary of SGA, Amerifresh cited Richter’s industry experience with large grocery and retail chains as paramount to his placement within its company. Stewart said that Richter’s breadth of experience supports the company’s model for providing high quality produce in a demanding industry.
A 32-year veteran of the industry, Richter has held previous leadership roles in store operations, produce, and perishables at big name companies such as HEB, Marsh Supermarkets, and Randalls/Tom Thumb. Most recently, Richter served as CEO for Wilcox. Richter also served 10 years on Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Boards, for Exposition and as Convention Chairman.
“His ability to provide exceptional customer service, build teams and coach Associates is a great fit with our culture,” finished Stewart.
From all of us at AndNowUKnow, congratulations to Jim Richter on the new position.
SAN ANTONIO, TX - The second annual Viva Fresh was one for the books, breaking its premier record of 800+ attendees by almost double and offering an easy-to-navigate setting to browse—perfect for noticing what’s new around the industry.
While there was so much to take in and a lot of fun moments that stood out, here are some of the items that made their mark on my first Viva Fresh experience.
Hollandia’s Living Baby Romaine
Just launched last month, this new addition to the live gourmet pipeline comes with roots attached to keep it as fresh as possible when it reaches its final destination - the hands of the consumer. The key focus, which you can see by the clear packaging’s note of “more taste, less waste,” was to ensure that there is as much leaf and little stock for better eating.
Mucci Top Seal Packaging
The recognized Top Seal from Mucci instantly caught my eye and my aesthetic appeal on the floor. The necessary messaging looks clear, crisp, and fun, while still leaving plenty of room to actually see the product and let the tomatoes speak for themselves.
Apio’s New Asian Sesame and Southwest Vegetable Salads
After having just heard Dr. Drew Ramsey speak about the importance of the superfoods, this is a new launch that drew the eye. Not only does it keep a well-rounded diet of plants by incorporating several greens dubbed with the power of “superfood,” but the number on the package even conveys how many different superfoods are in each item. By the numbers displayed on these latest additions to the Eat Smart line, both the Asian Sesame and the Southwest pack quite a punch.
Love Beets’ New Smoky-BBQ Shredded Beets
Now I know we were in Texas, where barbecue is the way of almost all preparation, but this was not an item that had occurred to me before trying it at Love Beets’ booth. Not only was it memorable, it was also unique to me as far as both flavor and texture, making the list of things that stood out on the floor.
U Gottabee Nutz
Was it the name? Was it the tiki-decorated packaging? Or perhaps the on-trend flavors? Whichever you choose, this struck me as a fun way to shake up the nut category. The colorful scheme and the promise of more flavors to come made it easy to believe this could stand out to consumers in a store for snacking or as an addition to their salads.
Thank you to all who helped make this such a memorable show, and I can’t wait to see you again (and meet those who missed out) in Austin, Texas next year for the third annual Viva Fresh Expo.
Check in with AndNowUKnow for more coverage from the show floor, including another round of first-hand picks to come.
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WASHINGTON, D.C. - In a press release issued by the the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the department has announced its citation of Sun Produce Specialties LLC, Phoenix, Ariz., for unlawful employment of an individual under PACA employment restrictions after being given notice by the USDA that the company was not permitted to employ that individual without USDA-approval and the posting of a surety bond.
According to a press release, USDA and Sun Produce Specialties entered into a consent decision and order finding that the company violated section 8(b) of PACA and revoking the company’s PACA license. However, the finding and revocation are in abeyance so long as the company pays a civil penalty of $20,000 no later than July 29, 2016. If the company satisfies the terms of the consent decision and order, the finding of violation and license revocation will be permanently abated without further process and the case will be closed.
USDA is required to publish the finding that a business has committed willful, repeated, and flagrant violations of PACA as well as impose restrictions against those principals determined to be responsibly connected to the business during the violation period. Those individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, members, managers, officers, directors, or major stockholders may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee without USDA-approval.
In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,700 PACA claims involving more than $66 million. Its experts also assisted more than 7,100 callers with issues valued at approximately $100 million.