TUCSON, AZ – Fresh produce wasn’t the only thing stuffed in these boxes.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers in Arizona found a stash of marijuana – worth millions – inside a shipment of Grey Squash coming through the Mariposa Commercial Facility in Nogales on March 1. Approximately 5,700 pounds of marijuana were seized from the shipment and were valued at $2.8 million.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection press release states that officers found the drugs co-mingled within a shipment of Italian Squash in a tractor-trailer driven by a 45-year-old driver from Guaymas, Sonora, Mexico, after being alerted by a narcotics-detection canine. A source close to AndNowUKnow later clarified that this shipment appears to be better known as Grey Squash, however.
The tractor-trailer has now been seized and the driver has been arrested.
NEW ORLEANS, LA - As part of the pair’s ongoing and growing partnership, Bayer joined the National Watermelon Association (NWA) at its annual convention held in New Orleans, LA, and was woven within the 3-day event agenda.
“This year’s NWA event was an extremely interactive convention, where all members of the watermelon family came together to celebrate success,” explained Rosie Aguirre, Account Manager for Watermelon and Melon at Bayer. “Not only were we able to be educated regarding how to better serve our industry, but we also were able to spend quality time with our customers. We cannot replace the camaraderie we have as a team; working together to continue to build strong working relationships. In addition, to be able to show case one of our newest varieties to many customers at once is irreplaceable.”
Touching on various educational topics and major concerns of the watermelon growing community, the convention focused on things like labor issues, food safety, and bee health. Roy Morris, Bayer’s Sales Specialist for Florida District represented as a Bee Ambassador, and delivered the positive message of how the company is investing in this issue through its Bee Care Program.
The NWA convention’s traditional events were back in full swing as well. Events included the Watermelon queen program, where Georgia’s Carla Penney took home the title, and a Watermelon seed spitting contest, where Bayer’s Sales Specialist for Watermelon and Melon Rob Beets, showed off his 40-foot range.
According to Bayer, the company’s vegetables seeds were also well represented in carrying the team’s message “Strength in Nunhems.” Russ Beckham, Bayer’s Sales Specialist for Watermelon and Melon addressed the audience through a welcome speech during the Saturday night awards banquet, with Bayer showcased as primary sponsor. Beckham noted strengths within the industry, strengths within the company’s customers, and strengths in innovation—in which together, he says, supports a healthy watermelon community.
Also represented at the trade show, Bayer incorporated samples of new variety, SuperSeedless® 7197HQ F1 within the display. Bayer was the only represented company to provide fruit samples to its customers, which the company says was a great way to garner interest and potential for 7197HQ F1 and other varieties.
ROGERS, AR - Walmart has announced the rollout of its “fresh angle” format, currently in 180 of its stores, to about 3,300 locations by the end of this year.
“It's a huge priority for us because it's a big traffic driver and it's very important to our customers,” Steve Bratspies, Chief Merchandising Officer for Walmart U.S., commented at the Raymond James 37th Annual Institutional Investors Conference when discussing why the company is looking to start with fresh. “And we know when we get fresh right the entire box benefits from that business as we go forward.”
The retail giant reports it has already seen success in its growth in fresh, with 52-week produce market share up 44 basis points and anticipations for the trend to continue up. Organic has also been a plus for Walmart, with market share up 80 basis points in the last 52 weeks.
And to ensure that its service is as fresh as its produce, the company is also adding a fresh operations manager at the market level in each market to teach, train, and build capabilities in the stores on an ongoing basis for the department.
“Freshness is the key. It's how you actually judge the product and we've taken a full day at inventory out of our supply chain over the last year to make sure that we continue to provide that fresher experience,” Bratspies said.
Changes the company has made, or is planning to make, to the produce department include:
- Lead off with fresh bulk vegetables
- Expanded space for cut fruit
- Changing the assortment mix between bagged and bulk product
- Flipping the wet wall
The CMO added that the produce department will have reoriented fixturing and a lower profile. “So you're going to be able to come in, you're going to have more space, you're going to have more sightlines, able to see the wet wall, see the deli, easier to shop, it's going to change dramatically the look and feel of our produce department.”
With a change in the fresh layout, more assortment in fresh items, and bulding of the produce and deli business as far as capabilities in thousands of stores, it will be interesting to see what influence this plan has on the grocery industry.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Over the past several weeks, the AndNowUKnow staff has been using Slack, a new business app that bills itself as “team communication for the 21st century.” Slack has quickly become an integral part of our daily lives at work and has made correspondence between team members and other departments more productive than ever before. But what does that even mean, and why should the produce industry start using Slack too? Read on or check out this brief walkthrough video to find out…
Developed by Stewart Butterfield, the same co-founder behind photo sharing website Flickr, Slack is designed as a free instant messaging platform that can be used on-the-go via mobile devices or on desktop computers. After experimenting with it a bit and combing through its wide assortment of features, I’ve come up with three reasons why it has become such an essential part of our workflow.
Slack organizes your team’s communication
What’s great about Slack is that it keeps all of your company’s important messages in one convenient place, cutting down on the clutter of internal work emails. You can communicate with your team via Channels or Direct Messages.
Channels can be organized by department, by project, or by anything really, and they can be set to be either public or private so you can only invite relevant team members. Here, you can send messages to your team, drag-and-drop files to send and share, and lots more.
On the other hand, Direct Messages work like any other instant messaging platform. Click on someone’s name to send them an instant message or invite them to a group chat.
Plus, if you ever need to find an important file, website, or message a colleague sent you, you can use Slack’s super easy-to-use, filterable search function to find exactly what you’re looking for.
Integration with Google Drive, Dropbox, Twitter, MailChimp, and more
You can use other apps in tandem with Slack as well, and you would be surprised to see just how many are offered on the platform. There are plenty of productive tools you can find on Slack, and a ton of fun ones as well. Gif Keyboard or CatFacts, anyone?
Click here to see the full list of apps that are compatible with Slack.
Slack is mobile
Slack provides apps for iOS, Android, and Windows smartphones. Now you can get access to all of your company’s archived messages and files on-the-go.
Download the mobile app for your platform of choice by clicking one of the links below.
Download Slack for Windows Phone (Beta)
There you have it. But don’t just take our word for it. Since its launch two years ago, Slack has grown to over 2 million users a day.
Slack can be used either on your web browser, as a desktop application, or on your mobile device. Click the blue button below to be directed to the Slack website to learn more or sign up.
LEAMINGTON, ON & PA, USA - As Westmoreland-TopLine Farms continues to expand its product availability, the company is announcing its new USA Grown Tomatoes on the Vine crop, grown in New York with seasonality running from March through November.
Jimmy Coppola, Account Marketing Manager, took a few minutes to speak with me about this new venture and how growing the program is a response to increased demand across all greenhouse produce categories.
“Demand in the U.S. is strong on TOV, and across multiple greenhouse-grown vegetables, and we feel there is incredible growth potential, so investing in this program makes sense.” Jimmy says. “These USA Grown TOV will be marketed under our premium TopLine Farms brand. The carton will be very similar to our existing look but will be emblazoned with our Grown in the USA stamp logo.”
This USA Grown TOV program complements Westmoreland-TopLine Farms’ current program and allows retailers on the East Coast to take advantage of the “Grown Close to Home” message.
“In addition, this expansion within our TOV program aligns nicely with our goals and initiative of having offerings from Canada, Mexico and now the U.S.,” Jimmy adds.
Westmoreland-TopLine Farms also added a new seedless cucumber expansion to its program this year, with operations in Pennsylvania and a goal of creating a year-round seedless cucumber program.
SALISBURY, NC - Food Lion has announced a massive remodel of 142 stores in the busy Charlotte, North Carolina market.
The project, which is an added aspect of its “Easy, Fresh and Affordable” campaign, will be an investment of about $215 million.
"We're proud to have been a part of the greater Charlotte community since 1957, and are excited to bring our newest format to our hometown market," Meg Ham, Food Lion President, commented in a press release. "As we near our 60th anniversary in this market, we look forward to making significant investments in our stores, our customers, our associates and our communities to offer a new grocery shopping experience. We want to ensure our customers can easily find fresh, quality products to nourish their families at affordable prices every day, delivered with caring, friendly service every time they shop."
The planned remodels for each of the locations include fresh designs intended to be easier to navigate and shop, as well as an expanded variety and assortment of items relevant to consumers in each store, such as more local products, natural and organic selections, and healthier snack options.
Other enhancements the grocer has brought to stores with the campaign have included:
- Product expansion
- New registers
- Price investments
- Enhanced service
The Charlotte Observer reports that, as of late, many retailers in the area have been testing new ways to differentiate themselves as the market has continued to fill with grocers. Ham, however, appear to see this as an opportunity to improve.
“There’s competition everywhere we look, and I think that’s good and it makes us better,” Ham told the Observer.
The remodels are expected to be completed in stores on a rolling basis, according to Food Lion, between May and October, 2016.
The retailer added that it will continue to launch enhancements across all of its nearly 1,100 stores in 2016, as well as remodel additional markets over time.
HAMMONTON, NJ - The future of produce might be in our midst—on March 6, 2016, Frank Donio, Inc.’s Lauren Del Rosario traveled to Glendale, AZ, to participate in the PMA Emerging Leaders Program. Run by the newly rebranded “Center for Growing Talent,” PMA’s program accepts those with a high potential to occupy leadership roles throughout the produce and floral industries.
“The caliber of participants in this program has created a highly-charged educational environment where I am able to push my knowledge and experience to a new level,” Del Rosario shares about her experiences in AZ.
For the company, Del Rosario is currently tasked with dynamic sales, marketing, and business development roles. After being one of two recipients of the “Tip Murphy Scholarship for Leadership Excellence” in 2015, a scholarship that recognizes promising industry individuals, Frank Donio Inc. says her acceptance into the Emerging Leaders Program was no surprise.
David Arena, the company’s President said, “We are proud that Lauren is continuing her growth not only for the value it adds to our company, but to foster her personal development within the industry as well.”
According to a press release, during Del Rosario five-day intensive learning program she was able to hone her skills, add valuable knowledge and make connections, on top of her already 10-year wealth of industry experience.
“This would not be possible without the Center for Growing Talent’s Tip Murphy Scholarship,” continues Del Rosario. “I am humbled to be awarded this honor and greatly value the opportunities it allows at this stage in my career.”
This wont be the last you hear from Del Rosario either. The company says her completion of the Emerging Leaders Program and receipt of the “Tip Murphy Scholarship for Leadership Excellence” are just small pieces of her continued journey in the produce industry.
CORAL SPRINGS, FL - It looks like Lucky’s Market, which focuses heavily on fresh local, organic, and sustainable foods, is fully invested in its recent venture into the Sunshine State. Having just opened its first Florida store at the beginning of last year in Gainesville, the company now has its sights set on the competitive South Florida market.
March 23 is the slated opening date for the company’s Coral Springs, FL, location. Just outside of Pompano Beach, this 32,000-square-foot store will be the company’s first Southern Florida location, according to news source the Sun Sentinel, and expects to employ around 160 people.
"I have a passion for healthy living, fitness and cooking, and I'm proud to lead our new Coral Springs store and help make natural and organic food more affordable to people in the area," said Jason Falcone, Manager of the Lucky’s in Coral Springs.
Boulder, CO-based Lucky’s Market, has 16 stores nationwide currently, with two currently open in Florida—Naples and Gainesville. Along with the new Coral Springs location, Lucky’s Market’s website lists locations in Plantation, Melbourne, Orlando, Neptune Beach, and Tallahassee, FL, as, “coming soon.”
AndNowUKnow will be continuing to cover the developing South Florida retail market, so stay tuned for more.
MONTEREY, CA - Robinson Fresh is taking its next step in social responsibility in the organic produce industry.
Sustainability is an industry-must throughout the produce scene, and to help create a lasting impact, Sustainable Harvest International has officially teamed up with Robinson Fresh’s organic brand, Tomorrow’s Organics, for a three-year partnership in hopes of improving the longevity of family farms. Tomorrow’s Organics will help fund these efforts through an annual donation supported by carton sales of its organic produce.
“Tomorrow’s Organics’ alignment with Sustainable Harvest International is an essential mechanism to bring about positive economic change to these hard-working but impoverished families. It’s widely understood that healthy, thriving rainforests are imperative to keeping the air clean and healthy for every single one of us, around the globe,” said Hunter Winton, General Manager of Robinson Fresh, West Region. “Each purchase of Tomorrow’s Organics will help improve living and working conditions for those whose natural environments are compromised.”
Since 1997, Sustainable Harvest International has restored 15,000 acres to farmable land, increased its program members’ agricultural income by an average of 23%, and worked with over 2,500 farm families, according to a press release.
“While our organization is small, we are making a big impact in the lives of individual farmers and on the planet. We commend Robinson Fresh for stepping up in a way that most companies don’t – by using their profit for good on a global scale. We urge consumers to see the value of this charitable partnership and in turn, choose the Tomorrow’s Organics brand when given the opportunity,” said Renée Johnson, Executive Director of Sustainable Harvest International.
Ray Griffin, Director of Strategic Sourcing at Robinson Fresh, complimented Sustainable Harvest International on this honorable undertaking.
“One of the most compelling aspects of Sustainable Harvest International is their commitment to increase these families’ standards of living through training and ultimately, self-reliance,” said Griffin. “Families are able to learn new skills and apply them daily on their own farm.”
We look forward to the advancements these companies may contribute to the industry over the next three years!
WATSONVILLE, CA - Spring has nearly sprung, and, with it, the berry season.
Well•Pict Berries produces year-round strawberries, as well as seasonal raspberries, through the natural process of cross-pollination with non-GMO proprietary varieties, and is gearing up for the spring promotion season like fast-approaching Easter.
“The crop has responded favorably to a recent run of warm, sunny days, and cool nights,” said Dan Crowley, VP of Sales and Marketing, in a press release. “Their fruit flavor is outstanding, size is large, and the color is full. Easter production will be prolific and now is the optimum time for promotions.”
This season’s berries will begin their migration to the store shelf from the nutrient-rich Oxnard Plain. Well•Pict says that the prevailing flavor, size, and color is attributed to the quality of its berries and land, adding that the climate in the region provides optimal growing conditions 354 days of the year.
The company added that its dedication to superior service, quality, and meeting its customers’ needs surely emanate through its premium strawberries.
Well•Pict Berries are available throughout the United States, Canada, and other international markets, so keep an eye out when planning your Easter Brunch this month!