ATLANTA, GA - With the recent announcement of Duda Farm Fresh Foods adding a complete celery snacking line, I had to check out some of these products first hand. I caught up with Sammy Duda, V.P. Western Operations for the company, and he gave me all the details on what makes Duda’s line so unique in the growing trend of snacking.
“The new items we’re launching fit into that convenience category and snacking category, but we’ve added additions to it,” Sammy tells me. “It’s one thing to have snacking, but what addition to that do you have? What appeals to millennials, consumers, and so forth?”
Including six ready-to-snack items, the Dandy® Celery Snack Line encompasses Celery Sticks in a 1.6-ounce single serve package; Dandy® celery and peanut butter packs in two sizes—2.3 ounce and 4.15 ounces with Naturally Sweeter and Crispier™ celery and a squeezable peanut butter pouch from Peanut Butter & Co®; and Crunchables™ a grab and go cup that contains celery sticks with three variety of Ranch-flavored dips from Marzetti’s® - Ranch, Light Ranch, and Southwest Ranch.
“We’ve done a lot of research about the flavors and the different dips—even southwest ranch—different flavors like that to enhance that snacking experience,” Sammy explains. “We’ve think we’ve accomplished that and we’re happy with what we have.”
For more on what Sammy had to say and for my first-hand look at the line, watch the full video at the top of the page.
ATLANTA GA - No matter how many members of the industry told me “just wait until you see the Fresh Summit,” I was still shocked by the sheer size of the show when I first saw the floor. While there were so many products being prepared, showcased, and offered, a few stood out in this memorable marker of my first experience at the PMA Fresh Summit Convention and Expo.
SunFed - Melonheads
When we first got wind of Melon Heads being introduced at Fresh Summit, I had to visit SunFed’s booth to check them out. After all, one thing that catches the eye on a produce package is a fun mascott and a catchy name. Plus, not only are these seedless watermelons available both in conventional and organic, but packaged in a pair that are easy for consumers to pick out when shopping.
Lipman - Zucchini Packs
Something about Lipman’s zucchini packaging, and its Grown True line in general, is that it is both eye-catching and still conveys a message of sustainability, and fresh zucchinis being cleanly packaged is a refreshing site. Overall, this is something that stood out to me among over a thousand booths in tens of rows, so why wouldn’t it stand out in the aisle of a grocery store?
Classic Salads - Kalettes
As I said before, there is nothing like a catchy name or mascot to spice up a produce package, and Classic Salads’ Kalettes and Supermix feature of a leafy runner that definitely catches attention while getting the “super food” message across.
A blend of the produce underdog-turned-champion kale and the continually up-trending Brussels sprouts for an extra kick in nutrients, these products are organically grown, making it a well-rounded composition of everything consumers are looking for these days.
Pero Family Farms - Sweet Pepper Rings
Sweet peppers are fascinating by flavor alone, and are a snacking item that is catching on quickly. This item, to me, offers the next step in convenience. Already chopped into rings, this can easily be poured onto a salad without my having to grab a knife, or just brought along in the car to munch on!
Little Potato Company - Grill and Microwave Ready Potato Packs
I think we can agree that if there is anything that catches a consumer wave, it’s convenient preparation. The Little Potato Company’s latest offerings have the magic word “ready,” meaning less work in the kitchen with both the same flavor, and same benefits of a home-cooked meal.
This is the third installment from our reporters on the floor. To see Jessica's Picks click here, and to see Jordan's Picks click here.
EL SEGUNDO, CA – It appears that even supermarket mogul and billionaire Ron Burkle wasn’t enough to save Fresh & Easy.
The retailer has filed for bankruptcy today, just a little over a week after it began an “organized wind-down” of its business. As we previously reported, Fresh & Easy spokesperson Brendan Wonnacott confirmed that the company was unable to obtain financing and the liquidity necessary to continue to fund the business going forward.
Fresh & Easy's website now states, "All stores closing!" and "Everything Must Go!" with price cuts up to 40 percent off on every item in stores, including fresh produce.
According to Reuters, the company listed debt between $100 million and $500 million in its chapter 11 petition filed with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Wilmington, Delaware.
Two years ago, Fresh & Easy sold virtually all of its assets to Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Companies, citing “poorly located stores and intense competition” in its Southern California home market. The firm went on to later acquire approximately 150 Fresh & Easy stores, as well as its Riverside food production and distribution center. Tesco, Fresh & Easy’s parent company, loaned the new business £80 million (approximately $120 million U.S.) as part of the deal, but the additional finances weren’t enough to turn the company around.
Yucaipa owns a stake in a number of retail companies, including Food4Less, Fred Meyer, and A&P, which also filed for bankruptcy earlier this year.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to follow this developing story.
ATLANTA, GA - Attention Walmart shoppers, you may soon notice a homier atmosphere when you visit the produce aisle.
As we previously reported, IFCO and Walmart, two companies that have partnered in produce since 2000, are teaming up to refurbish the retail giant’s produce aisle with IFCO’s new woodgrain patterned Reusable Plastic Containers (RPCs). This past weekend at PMA Fresh Summit in Atlanta, GA, Vice President of Produce for Walmart U.S., Dorn Wenninger, and Daniel Walsh, President of IFCO North America, sat down with us to tell us more about this next big step.
To see all that Daniel and Dorn had to say, watch the full video above.
“I’m excited to have this wood look RPC in all of my stores,” Dorn tells us, adding that Walmart has been trialling the new design for last several month. “With the entrance of IFCO, I look forward to fast tracking that rollout so that it can be across the stores everywhere in North America.”
Daniel conveyed his appreciation on behalf of IFCO to Walmart’s role, both as a partner and as a key driver of RPCs in the initial stages in North America.
“It looks like we’re headed into another phase of growth in partnership and I’m delighted to have the opportunity,” he added.
Keep an eye out for these new wood look RPC to decorate a Walmart produce aisle near you, and continue to check in with AndNowUKnow for all the latest produce and retail innovations.
BRUSSELS, BELGIUM - Delhaize has announced its Q3 2015 financial report, and with it, its current progress on the company’s merger with Ahold.
“We continue to make progress with the proposed merger with Ahold and we are on track to complete the transaction by mid-2016,” Frans Muller, President and Chief Executive Officer of Delhaize Group, commented. Mueller also touched on the merger during a call with investors in which he discussed the Q3 financial results.
“Different work streams are working on topics like finance, legal, and operating models in order to pave the way to a smooth transition,” Muller told investors. “We have a number of key milestones ahead of us in the coming months, on which we plan to update you in due time. We also planned a number of road shows later this quarter during with [Ahold CEO] Dick Boer and myself will meet with investors together.”
In these shows taking place at the end of November and December, Mueller says he and Dick Boer will be sharing with the market how they will prepare for day 1 of the merger. In addition to the added progress of the company’s merger with Ahold, Mueller commented on Delhaize’s success in its U.S. stores.
“We continue to report robust sales in this third quarter,” said Mueller of the company’s U.S. performance. “We made significant progress with our key strategic initiative ‘Easy, Fresh & Affordable´ at Food Lion by further fine-tuning Wilmington and Greenville, relaunching 162 stores in the Raleigh market two weeks ago and preparing for our next market in 2016.”
In Delhaize’s Q2 2015, revenues for its U.S. operations increased by 3.2 percent to $4.5 billion. Comparable store sales increased by 2.5 percent, and both Food Lion and Hannaford experienced positive comparable store sales following their announcement they would lower prices for several categories, including fresh produce.
As of October 29 at 5:16pm EDT, Delhaize's stock was up 2.34% to $23.15.
Other highlights from the company’s Q3 2015 financial report include:
- Delhaize Group’s revenues increased by 14.5% and 2.3% at actual and identical exchange rates, respectively
- Comparable store sales growth of 1.7% in the U.S., 1.7% in Belgium and 5.1% in Southeastern Europe
- Group underlying operating profit of €218 million, underlying operating margin of 3.5%
- Gross margin was 24.3% of revenues, down 3 basis points at identical exchange rates.
Stay tuned as we continue to follow the Delhaize and Ahold merger, and follow AndNowUKnow for more industry financial news.
ATLANTA, GA - The industry has been building bridges this year, to create new ways to drive fresh produce consumption and elevate our industry's presence across multiple platforms. At this year's Fresh Summit in Atlanta, Georgia, PMA announced a new strategic alliance with the Entertainment Resource & Marketing Association (ERMA), which will bring together the produce industry and entertainment marketing professionals to make fresh produce center stage in television shows, movies and online entertainment.
PMA’s President Cathy Burns tells me, “I’m very excited to add this strategic alliance to our existing efforts to use marketing—in its broadest terms—to create greater demand for fresh produce. This effort joins eat brighter!™ and FNV as new ways to put produce in front of consumers and ultimately drive fresh produce demand for our members.”
This partnership builds on the momentum started by eat brighter!™ and FNV, and is one of several ongoing demand creation efforts by PMA to increase produce consumption and combat childhood obesity. First Lady Michelle Obama even participated in a video thanking the industry for its outstanding work to promote produce and acknowledge those leaders participating in both the eat brighter!™ and FNV initiatives.
"This effort joins eat brighter!™ and FNV as new ways to put produce in front of consumers and ultimately drive fresh produce demand for our members.” - Cathy Burns
"The ERMA committee is made up of commercial product placement members from the entertainment industry whose goal it is to get produce items into multiple mediums," Mark Munger, 4Earth Farms' Vice President of Sales and Marketing, tells me as we talk about the possibilities of introducing more produce into entertainment. "Imagine a movie scene that is being filmed in a supermarket. With this alliance, we will be able to influence where in a location, scenes are filmed. And of course, we suggest the produce department if your screenplay calls for say, your local retailer."
The alliance is working to creatively find multiple avenues to make produce relevant. Where FNV may be most relevant to teens and eat brighter!™ for the younger generation, ERMA can envelop multiple demographics.
"Our daunting task has always been, how do we get produce onto the screen? For ERMA members, their daunting challenge is how do they find good quality, flavorful produce to bring to the set. That is here we come in," Mark adds. "It is a perfect marriage."
"Imagine a movie scene that is being filmed in a supermarket. With this alliance, we will be able to influence where in a location, scenes are filmed. And of course, we suggest the produce department if your screenplay calls for say, your local retailer." - Mark Munger
Connecting these two dots and having the associations collaborate and drive this initiative will be a win-win for all sides.
"We want to see produce, not only in the background, but at the forefront," Mark notes.
Jin Ju Wilder, Director of Corporate Strategy at Valley Fruit and Produce, spoke to me about the new alliance and how she was happy both as a PMA Board member and a member of the industry to help PMA solidify its relationship with ERMA.
“This strategic alliance with ERMA is about showing produce consumption as a norm. We know that viewers absorb what their favorite characters are doing, even subliminally. When popular characters eat or choose fresh produce, even if it’s not part of the plot, they send the signal that this is the normal way people eat, the normal foods they choose. This is subtle, and it’s more like public service than it is like branded product placement. But it’s important to have these characters model this behavior,” she tells me.
PMA is taking the lead on this platform and provides a neutral meeting ground for all companies to get involved. Industry members tell me that, at its heart, it isn't about branded produce, but produce in general.
“When popular characters eat or choose fresh produce, even if it’s not part of the plot, they send the signal that this is the normal way people eat, the normal foods they choose.” - Jin Ju Wilder
Jin Ju adds, “In any initiative undertaken by PMA, both the staff and the volunteer leaders are cognizant of the need to report back to membership on the results and the efficacy of the initiative. In this case, the alliance with ERMA is not anticipated to require significant capital investment by PMA or PMA’s members, but it is still important to be able to report back to membership on ROI. ERMA’s membership includes the studios, the placement agencies, and the brands that use product placement. ERMA members have the experience, expertise, and commitment to provide the metrics for this initiative. They will be able to track fresh produce placement in movies and TV shows and provide PMA with a formula so we can properly valuate those instances where fresh produce appears. As in the Sesame Street ‘Eat Brighter’ campaign and our support of Team FNV, we want PMA members to know how we are using a multi-prong approach to build consumption and that they are making a difference.”
Stay tuned as we follow the progress of this incredible alliance and the growth of produce center stage.
LOS ALAMITOS, CA - Frieda’s Specialty Produce is adding some extra flair to citrus retail with new one pound Meyer and Seedless Lemon bags that it says are ready to increase retailers' specialty sales by attracting the consumer eye.
“We see the demand for Meyer Lemons grow every year and we are excited to offer our popular lemon bag in our new branded look,” Karen Caplan, President and CEO of Frieda’s, said in a press release. “One of our retail clients recently switched over to the re-branded Meyer Lemons and saw an immediate increase in movement at the store level.”
The new specialty citrus bags, which uses both a fun, eye-catching design and wordplay like, “Don’t pucker up, we’re sweet,” for Meyer Lemons, this new look seeks to attract both new Meyer consumers and seasoned ones.
“Shoppers are in love with Meyer Lemons—just search Twitter for the #MeyerLemon hashtag and you’ll see these sweeter lemons are quickly becoming the new holiday cooking staple,” Karen added. “It only makes sense to stock your produce departments according to this trend.”
This latest launch is also part of Frieda’s overall brand refresh, which we previously reported earlier this month.
Frieda’s new one-pound Seedless Lemon bag will be ready to ship in early December, and with the early winter months being the peak part of the citrus season, the company said this is the ideal time to add Meyer and Seedless Lemons to in-store holiday displays.
DELTA, BC – Village Farms is welcoming a well-known name in the CPG industry to its marketing team.
Michael Carr, a sales and marketing professional of nearly 20 years, has joined the company in a new National Field Marketing Manager role. He will be responsible for driving the tactical executive of strategic marketing initiatives, according to a press release.
Carr will report directly to Doug Kling, Village Farms’ Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer.
“We’re excited to bring Michael to the team,” Kling tells AndNowUKnow. “He is part of our growth plans to enhance our consumer-centric and brand-driven initiatives.”
Over the past two decades, Carr has worked with CPG organizations such as Quaker Oats, The Coca-Cola Company, Pepsi Bottling Company, and most recently, Applegate Farms.
His experience in integrating sales, marketing, and finance, as well as his proven expertise and solid analytics track record will be a valuable addition to the Village Farms team.
Carr holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from the College of St. Rose in Albany, NY.
NETHERLANDS – Levarht is introducing a new concept that aims to heat up pepper sales in supermarkets.
The new pick and pack “Hot Pepper Mix Box” from Levarht allows customers to choose and pick their favorite peppers, as well as the amount they need.
Levarht’s Natasja van Angeren, PR & Marketing, tells me that that “pick and pack” isn’t just a trend – it’s smart shopping. Customers can experiment with new products without getting stuck with something they might not like.
“The new Levarht’s pick and pack hot pepper mix box – the way for smart shopping – helps to increase your sales, as well as take care of the environment,” she said.
A heat index on the side of the box indicates the hotness of the pepper and illustrates which varieties can be sorted into its four separate compartments. Retailers, wholesalers, and importers can choose the hot peppers, depending on the season and availability.
To sum it all up, Levarht says that the benefits the “Hot Pepper Mix Box” provides retailers and consumers include:
- It allows consumers to get what they need
- It’s less wasteful of product and packaging
- It generates creativity in the kitchen
- Pay per unit or on weight
- Save money by paying for what is needed
The Hot Pepper Mix Box is now available from Levarht.
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND - Produce packinghouse technology company Compac has announced a new addition to its line of tech solutions—Spectrim. First debuted at this year’s PMA Fresh Summit, Spectrim is the company's new, completely automated, optical sorting platform.
“Spectrim is the most powerful industrial imaging platform introduced into the produce industry,” says Ken Moynihan, Chief Technology Officer at Compac on the company’s website. “It leverages all our learning from previous systems as well as developments in machine vision technologies from other industries.”
According to the company, Spectrim’s sensors and cameras generate up to 500 images of every piece of produce at the highest clarity through a combination of superior lighting and high-quality optics. Spectrim uses multiple wavelengths when processing images, and each wavelength can be configured to target specific defects.
According to the company’s website, fundamental attributes of the new Spectrim system include:
- Powerful Imaging
- Leveraging all Compac’s learnings from previous systems and developments in machine-vision systems, as well as research findings from other industries.
- Uniform Lighting
- Effective imaging of fruit comes from uniformity of lighting. Spectrim allows produce to be lit in a way that minimizes shadows and reflections across lanes.
- Robust Design
- Designed with future upgrades in mind, Spectrim can receive hardware upgrades as new technology becomes available and is also designed for installation on existing Compac sorters.
- Easy-To-Use Software
- Utilizing proprietary SmartSkin™ and SmartBlobs™ technology to teach the system which parts of the surface are good and bad skin areas with a simple click and drag interface. Spectrim is able to learn and classify different defect types, enabling the operator to tune the system and create sophisticated pack grades with ease.
- Training & Support
- With easy access for servicing and components mounted to allow for quick replacement, the Spectrim platform enables packers to achieve high levels of up-time.
- Hygienic Design
- Using appropriate materials and designs which facilitates easy cleaning, the Spectrim platform promotes food trust with your customers and supply chain.
Spectrim has already launched tests to customers in California, Washington and New Zealand—providing solutions for items from apples to citrus and stonefruit to kiwifruit. The company says that production spots are filling up fast, so for more information check out http://www.compacsort.com/en/spectrim.