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LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, CA – This Thursday, March 17th, the Allen Lund Company will join National Watermelon Queen Carla Penney in Savannah, Georgia’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade.
"2016 marks our 5th year participating in this fantastic Savannah event," stated Nora Trueblood, Director of Marketing and Communications for the Allen Lund Company, in the press release.
Over 300,000 attendees are expected this year, and the event will feature Allen Lund’s mascot, Big Al. Now ranked as the third largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade in the world, the event has been a part of Savannah’s history for the past 192 years.
The holiday isn’t all the company is celebrating. As we reported previously in our interview with Kenny Lund, the company is also in midst of its milestone 40th year serving the produce industry.
"Our show truck, Big Al has been re-wrapped to signify our 40 years in business and we are thrilled that the National Watermelon Queen, Carla Penney, can join us in celebrating St. Patrick's Day,” Trueblood added.
Rain or shine, the day’s events will surely draw a crowd, with plenty of green to go around!
SACRAMENTO, CA - Today Sacramento, California, a hub of farm-to-table advocates and agriculture proponents are celebrating the industry with California Agriculture Day, kicking off on the west steps of the California Capitol building at 10:30 a.m.
The event also coincides with the 30th anniversary of California Ag in the Classroom, which strives to make knowledge of the industry as critical for the next generation as math, science, and English classes.
“Not all children have the valuable foundation of growing up on a family farm, but through our collective efforts, all children with will experience California agriculture,” Judy Culbertson, Executive Director for California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC), tells me, explaining that California Ag Day is a great platform to spread education about the industry and how it works.
While the cause is one the entire industry can push, like all things, the materials to promote what agriculture is and open children up to keeping it alive do not come without support.
“Educating the next generation of the produce-passionate has always been a cause close to my heart and the team at Raley’s. Where your food comes from, and how it arrives at your table are important concepts to promote when creating hands-on learning activities in agricultural education, conservation, nutrition, and healthy life styles,” Greg Corrigan, Senior Director of Produce, tells me as we discuss the significance of supporting agriculture in the classroom. “We have always loved sharing the stories of our valued supplier-partners and supporting efforts to equip students with what they need to continue that education in their own lives and in the community. Raley’s is 100% supportive of wonderful events like these.”
Noted partners and supporters include California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom (CFAITC), California Women for Agriculture (CWA), California Department for Food and Agriculture (CDFA), and longtime respected grower Tanimura & Antle (T&A).
“Agriculture is a huge part of California and the future success of the industry relies heavily upon the introduction of agriculture as part of education in every classroom,” Caitlin Antle Wilson, Sales and Marketing Director for T&A, says when I ask about supporting CFAITC. “At Tanimura & Antle, we are happy to continue to strongly support the California Foundation for Agriculture in the Classroom and their efforts to make ag education a reality for every student.”
And there will be plenty for hungry minds to see at today’s event, Judy tells me. Some of the lineup that AITC has planned for today’s event include:
- A debut of the latest edition of its newspaper publication “What’s Growing On?” featuring California’s Top 10 Commodities.
- The introduction of CFAITC’s 2016 Imagine this…, a story writing contest where winning student authors’ written stories are featured in a published book.
- The reception of special recognition from Secretary Ross for 30 years of service to California farmers and ranchers.
With 7 million students in California, many which who don’t know where their food and fiber come from, CFAITC materials are in more than 40 percent of the state’s schools to educate them on the huge part in their lives the agriculture industry plays. And with a need to reach even more, CFAITC asks that more of the industry help it to help them ensure its future.
“By donating you can help us have reach many more students and teachers,” Judy explains. “There are 7 million students in California. Is it a lofty goal to reach them all?”
With your help, CFAITC promises to try, challenging members to do their part in the food chain and by supporting ag education.
Today, on the west steps of the California Capitol, thousands of people will experience agriculture. But millions are still left.
To take on that challenge and donate, click here.
LOS ALAMITOS, CA- When it comes to Karen Caplan’s business savvy and marketing expertise, I would say that there are few like her. As President and CEO of the produce firm Frieda's Inc., Karen is constantly recognized for her leadership and innovation as both a woman in produce and as a trendsetter in our industry. This year, Karen is being honored with the College of Agriculture's 2016 Jim Hicks Agricultural Achievement Award from Cal Poly Pomona.
“Karen has spent her career working in the produce industry, marketing new and different types of fruits and vegetables,” says Mary Holz-Clause, dean of the College of Agriculture. “She also is an outstanding example for other women who want to become entrepreneurs or own their own businesses.”
Karen was the first woman to serve as Chair of the United Fresh Produce Association Board of Directors and also as President of the Los Angeles-based Fresh Produce and Floral
Council. She also has served as a Director on the Federal Reserve Bank Board of San Francisco, Los Angeles branch. The College of Agriculture will present Caplan with the Jim Hicks Agricultural Achievement Award at its 2nd Annual Spring Harvest Farm 2 Table Dinner on Saturday, April 9.
The Jim Hicks Agricultural Achievement Award honors an individual for his or her accomplishments in the agricultural industry, according to a press release. This award is named after Jim Hicks, the President and CEO of Jim Hicks and Co. in Brea, and a longtime supporter of agricultural education. He was the first recipient of the Agricultural Achievement Award. The Spring Harvest dinner is a celebration of agriculture, featuring local chefs cooking foods grown locally. The event will include some food raised by Cal Poly Pomona students using sustainable practices as well.
As Karen says, although she grew up around the family business (with Frieda Caplan as mother and mentor) a career in produce was not exactly pre-destined. “From the time I was 14 years old, vacations and weekend were spent working at my mother’s side at her stand in the Los Angeles Produce Market,” Karen said. “She never encouraged or discouraged me to join the business, but when I suddenly announced as a sophomore in college that I wanted to make the produce industry my career, my mother was thrilled.”
Karen joined Frieda’s after earning her degree in Agricultural Economics and Business Management from UC Davis in 1978. Karen has seen all sides of the business from time spent packing boxes to sales and marketing. She was promoted to President and CEO of the company in 1986. Four years later, Karen Caplan and her sister, Jackie Caplan Wiggins, now the company’s COO, bought Frieda’s Inc. from their mother. Since then, the company has become a leading marketer and distributor of specialty produce, providing 200 types to U.S. supermarkets ranging from Stokes Purple® Sweet Potatoes to Sunchokes®.
Last year, the Caplan’s family business story was highlighted in the 2015 documentary film, “Fear No Fruit,” and was an official selection of the 2015 Newport Beach Film Festival, San Luis Obispo International Film Festival, Carmel International Film Festival and the 2016 Sedona International Film Festival. 
Check out the film when you have a chance, through various online streaming platforms iTunes, Amazon, etc. as well as on DVD. I have seen in three times. You will not be disappointed.
Karen also knows how to stay in front of the industry and shares her passion for produce and her food insights via her blog, “What’s on Karen’s Plate?”, and her Twitter account. Karen is also a regular columnist for Fresh Fruit Portal, the Orange County Breeze, and The Shelby Report, where she writes about business, the produce industry, food and more.
On behalf of AndNowUKnow I would like to offer our congratulations to Karen on her recent honor, and I am sure, the many more to come.
WASHINGTON D.C. - Giant Food has paired up with grocery delivery Instacart to service its customers in the D.C. area, kicking off the partnership yesterday.
If you are wondering about the retailer’s current delivery service through Peapod, it will continue to utilize it with Instacart added to bolster that aspect of its business.
Only delivering to Giant customers placing orders with zip codes in the District, Giant Food’s Manager of Public & Community Relations, Jamie Miller, said the chain will evaluate the pilot with Instacart over time to determine how well it complements its current online ordering, and whether it will be expanded outside of just the District, according to a WTop report.
Instacart has successfully teamed up with a number of retailers in the last year as delivery continues to expand in retail. The company currently works with names like Target, Harris Teeter, H-E-B, Safeway, and Costco.
Most recently, as we previously reported, the San Francisco-based business signed a five-year agreement with Whole Foods, who touts the company’s role in the amount of produce it has sold since first signing on in 2014.
Will its latest partnership with Giant Food be equally as successful? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on the new duo as we find out.
MORGAN HILL, CA- Sakata in space? If you have seen the #SpaceFlower picture tweeted by Scott Kelly, Expedition Commander on the International Space Station, of a blooming zinnia at the International Space Station 250 miles above earth, then absolutely. The #SpaceFlower, hashtagged in Kelly’s twitter post was none other than Sakata Seed’s Profusion Orange zinnia.
“Sakata Seed is proud to have an industry-proven series that is able to go from international success to intergalactic! The ability of Profusion to grow in the most extreme, unpredictable conditions is a true testament to the vigor and flower power of this amazing plant!” Jamie Kitz, Key Account Sales Manager for Sakata said.
Profusion Orange is part of the company’s extensive line-up of ornamental offerings and an All-America Selections Gold Medal Winner. The variety, which has received accolades and gained popularity in the industry throughout the years, boasts uniformity, extreme heat and drought resistance, and disease resistance, making it easy to grow, according to a press release.
As part of the Veggies experiment which tasks astronauts with the challenge of autonomous gardening in deep space, the zinnia space cultivation began November 16th, 2015 by astronaut Kjell Lindgren. As part of the Veggie system, Lindgren activated rooted ‘pillows’ of Profusion 5 Color Mix zinnia seeds in November of 2015. The first bloom was reported on January 12th, 2016.
2016 has been a busy year for Sakata Seed, the year also marking the 10th birthday of Sakata’s innovative sun and shade-loving impatiens hybrid, SunPatiens.
SunPatiens® was commercially launched in 2006, and has grown to be recognized worldwide as one of the best performing flowering annuals in its category, especially in Japan, Europe, and North and South America, according to a press release. This variety has proved to be a solution to issues such as impatiens only thriving in shade and susceptibility to downy mildews and as the collection continues to grow, Sakata looks to provide more choice in habit, color and foliage than any other in its class.
A celebration of these achievements will be present at Sakata’s California Spring Trials display this April.
“There are definitely more surprises to come this year, when it comes to SunPatiens. Our birthday celebrations will kick off at CAST, and we have a couple of exciting announcements and marketing initiatives that will come into play soon – be on the lookout for those, and come party with us in April!” said Senior Marketing Manager, Alecia Troy.
In addition to the birthday celebration, Sakata will be debuting an array of new varieties with significant new varieties added to the collection this year which include Majorette gerbera, Ping Pong gomphrena, Planet delphinium, Bloomingdale II ranunculus and new SunPatiens and cyclamen colors to suit your fancy.
PELION, SC - WP Rawl is helping families find healthy solutions with five simple and entertaining quick-fix kitchen videos showcasing the "lighter side of greens" with easy solutions to common hurdles consumers face in the kitchen.
“As we developed this year’s campaign, we began talking about small things we do without thinking that make our time in the kitchen just a little easier, whether while prepping, cooking or storing,” said Ashley Rawl, Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Product Development, in the press release. “Part of our commitment as leader in the category is to make the consumer’s cooking experience better. We hope these videos will bring those ‘ah ha’ moments to them, along with a smile or a chuckle while we are at it.”
Developed in the company’s test kitchen, videos like ‘Eat This, Not That’, as seen below, will provide both education and fun for consumers to entice those produce purchases.
“We think our ‘Eat this, Not That’ video will particularly resonate with consumers. Our goal was to be entertaining and yet share a great message too. One video poked fun at a guy making some eating choices that might not be the healthiest, and of course a girl comes in and tells him what to do,” said Christine Jackson, Executive Assistant, Marketing and Product Development in the press release. “We want to show that eating greens and getting back to fresh can be fun.”
The five video topics include:
- Hack Your Greens Smoothie
- Eat This, Not That
- Massaging Kale
- Getting Back to Fresh
- Making Your Greens Last Longer
Visit the WP Rawl’s YouTube Channel or www.rawl.net to check out all of the Back to Fresh: Make Your Plate Green in 2016 videos.
KENT, UK - A wholesaler who was charged for involvement in the smuggling of more than 100 kg (about 220 pounds) of 91% pure cocaine has been cleared of all charges.
David Mais, 50, leaned against the glass as he received hugs and support when he was cleared of charges after just four hours of a jury deliberation, according to the UK’s Mirror.
Mais accepted a shipment that, unbeknownst to him, carried more than 200 pounds of nearly-pure cocaine wrapped in plastic bananas among actual fresh fruit in July of 2014. The contraband was valued at an estimated £24 million (about $34 million).
The heist was uncovered by officials when they followed members of a smuggling group, Galacticos Gang, one of whom worked for Mais at the time.
Daniel Valdes Jaramillo, nicknamed 'Adrian' and Mais’ employee, pled guilty to the charges.
His cohorts, Leonel de Alberto Grisales-Cuervo, nicknamed 'Messi', and Oscar Jesus Hernandez-Gonzales, alias 'Tango el Cap,' were found guilty by a jury in March of last year. The three men were sentenced to a total of 59 years in prison.
According to the report, Mais previously told police of a large shipment of bananas where confusion had occurred had made him feel it was being orchestrated by someone else, and that he had observed the corners of the boxes were blue which was something he had not seen before.
"Those bananas had been found in a pallet of a consignment of genuine bananas that had been sent on or about 21 June from Colombia," Ken Millett, Case Prosecutor, commented to the Mirror. "This consignment was part of a wider conspiracy to import large shipments of drugs into the United Kingdom using this and other methods of secretion."
It is a relief to hear that, in this case, the industry member was no more than a victim and that the situation was resolved.
ZAANDAM, NETHERLANDS - Shareholder voted overwhelmingly in favor of Ahold and Delhaize’s proposed merger yesterday, March 14th.
Not only did the vote go through, but so did approval from the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA), according to the companies, so long as they divest 13 existing stores, 8 Albert Heijn stores and 5 Delhaize franchised stores.
These are terms we previously reported could be set by the authority, which the company happily stated would not result in any store closures.
Ahold and Delhaize Group today announced that they have received approval from the Belgian Competition Authority (BCA) for their intended merger, an important milestone in the process to completion.
Another term set was the divestiture of a certain number of future Ahold and Delhaize projects, though no Delhaize integrated store will be included. The BCA’s approval for the $28 billion merger is conditional upon the completion of those terms.
The two chains’ stores will operate separately until those stipulations are met, though the transaction is still reportedly estimated to be complete in mid-2016.
While this does clear the way for the marriage of the two banners for Europe, the companies have not yet released any information in regards to speculations of FTC approval and what possible store sales may be required for that, as Ahold and Delhaize combined have almost 2,300 stores in the U.S.
AndNowUKnow will continue to follow the deal as it solidifies.
- Read more about Tuesday, March 15th 2016
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