NORTH AMERICA - Two tropical storms are predicted to bring heavy rainfall to North America this week—Tropical Storm Joaquin on the East coast and Tropical Storm Monty off the coast of Southern Mexico.
The newly formed Tropical Storm Joaquin, the 10th named storm of the season, is currently about 385 miles northeast of the central Bahamas, The National Hurricane Center in Miami reports, but forecast models are showing the system will strengthen slowly as it parallels the East Coast over the course of the next few days.
“There is some consensus among several models that this low will impact the DC Area this weekend, while others take the system northward into Long Island and Connecticut instead,” reports Roland Clark of the Weather Advisory Service. “There is also the possibility that the low will get entrained into an approaching frontal boundary and become swept out to sea.”
In the eastern Pacific, Hurricane Marty, now downgraded to Tropical Storm Monty, has been moving slowly toward the south-central coast of Mexico bringing heavy rains from Zihuatanejo to Acapulco.
Hurricane watches were put in effect for the areas between Tecpan de Galeana and Lazaro Cardenas, while a tropical storm warning was put in effect from Acapulco to east of Tecpan de Galeana and from west of Lazaro Cardenas to Punta San Telmo.
The Hurricane Center said Marty was expected to be just offshore of the southwestern coast of Mexico on Tuesday and Wednesday, while "only a small deviation" would bring the center onto shore. Forecasters from the center also warned of significant coastal flooding.
AndNowUKnow will continue to update as both of these storms continue to develop, so stay tuned.
DUBLIN, CA - iTradeNetwork, Inc., a leading provider of supply chain solutions for the foodservice and retail industry, is taking part in this year’s 2nd annual Tour de Fresh, which will be held Oct. 19-22 for a 325-mile, four-day bike ride. Benefiting the Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools campaign and presented by The California Giant Foundation, riders will navigate the roads from North Carolina to Atlanta, Georgia for PMA Fresh Summit 2015.
Ray Connelly, iTrade’s VP of Traceabilty & Merchandising, will be helping to coordinate the event and will also be riding his bicycle and rallying the troops.
“My goal is to raise funds to place at least one salad bar in a school. I’ve chosen the Mt. Diablo School District as the recipient of my fund raising efforts,” Ray tells me.
When I ask Ray why he is so passionate about the event and why it is so beneficial to the industry, he tells me that healthy eating is a something he takes very seriously and promoting good habits with our young people is very important during their early years.
“Many kids today may not have access to nutritious, fresh fruits and vegetables. Placing a salad bar at school offers healthy eating choices for our kids and can start the process to create good habits for lifelong benefits,” he says.
The industry has been fantastic at supporting this effort. The riders are raising money for this cause, and tax deductible donations can be made directly to any of the riders on the Tour de Fresh website.
Ray’s personal fund raising page for the Tour de Fresh can be accessed at www.crowdrise.com/rayconnelly. Also, follow Ray on Twitter @RayTrac.
“I will be making posts about the event and during the ride. My Twitter followers will be able to track my GPS location in real time as I ride through the Smoky Mountains from North Carolina to Atlanta, Georgia,” Ray says.
iTrade is an innovative company that provides a unique and essential service to numerous companies in the fresh food supply chain, and as Ray tells me, “iTrade shares a deep connection and commitment with the fresh produce industry and supporting the Salad Bar program was a natural choice. This is why iTrade has become an anchor sponsor for the Tour de Fresh.”
iTrade is a critical system, providing tools for supply chain efficiency across the global food and beverage industry.The company is a partner with the fresh produce industry and assists the grower/shipper, retail grocery, and food service communities to expand sales, facilitate better communication and is a key sales/procurement/logistics channel for approximately $300B of fresh food annually.
IRVINE, CA – The California Avocado Commission (CAC) has unveiled its PMA Fresh Summit plans for this year’s show in Atlanta, Georgia, and they include Top Chef Judge, southern-style restaurateur, and author Hugh Acheson.
“CAC is gearing up for 2016 with exciting plans and looking forward to meeting with retailers in our booth and at show events,” said Jan DeLyser, CAC Vice President of Marketing, in a press release. “Early indicators point to an excellent California avocado crop next season and Fresh Summit provides an opportunity to discuss planned harvest size, timing, and marketing support.”
To enhance and emphasize this opportunity, the commission has welcomed Chef Acheson to provide his signature by showcasing what California avocados can do when fusing them with southern cuisine for attendees to sample.
Chef Acheson is a partner and chef for several Georgia restaurants, including:
- 5&10 (Athens)
- The National (Athens)
- Empire State South (Atlanta)
- The Florence (Savannah)
In addition to currently starring on Top Chef as a judge, Chef Acheson competed in Bravo’s Top Chef Masters, authored the James Beard Foundation award-winning A NEW TURN IN THE SOUTH: Southern Flavors Reinvented for Your Kitchen, and has received a number of other accolades.
According to the commission, Chef Acheson is is a perfect fit for its Fresh Summit booth, where he will both engage with industry members and showcase California avocado recipes he created with the fresh flavors of the south at select times during Saturday and Sunday’s expo hours.
In his latest book, THE BROAD FORK: Recipes for the Wide World of Vegetables and Fruits, he even mentions California avocados.
CAC will also be able to share the latest category sales data and research with retailers, plus updates on the California avocado label project and some of its 2016 marketing program.
“The Commission also is excited that a California avocado recipe has been chosen as one of the 10 finalists in this year’s PMA Fresh Summit Sensory Experience Contest, which will be judged on October 23,” DeLyser added. “Our recipe also will be featured during the Fresh Ideas in Action reception following the judging.”
Supermarket Registered Dietitians, educators, and the media are all invited to visit CAC’s booth for all this, as well as to learn about avocado nutrition qualities, promotable programs, and more.
So while you’re at the PMA Fresh Summit in Atlanta, Georgia, on October 23-25, don’t forget to stop by booth #2647.
POMPANO BEACH, FL – Kristen Francisco, former Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Gourmet Trading, has joined Southern Specialties.
Starting in October, Francisco will be employed as Director of Sales working out of the company’s Pompano Beach, Florida headquarters. She will be responsible for leading the sales team, developing pricing, inventory management, and coordinating promotions with Southern Specialties’ procurement department, according to a press release.
Geno Valdes, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, was thrilled to welcome Kristen aboard.
“We have known, and respected, Kristen for years,” he said. “She enjoys an excellent reputation in the industry. Her deep experience with many of the products Southern Specialties grows and markets, and great leadership skills, will be a significant asset to our company.”
Francisco has held several positions at other produce companies. Prior to her over ten-year stint at Gourmet Trading, she was employed on the sales team at A.M.S. Exotic and also served Tanimura & Antle as its Regional Business Manager, according to her LinkedIn profile.
Southern Specialties recently launched its "Fresh Generation" print ad campaign, which seeks to target millennials. The new campaign promotes the company's vegetables and fruits as being "perfect for today's Fresh Generation." A 36-second look into the campaign can be seen in the video below.
To meet Kristen and learn more about Southern Specialties' new campaign, visit booth #2365 at the upcoming PMA Fresh Summit expo in Atlanta.
Southern Specialties is a grower, importer, processor, and shipper of a variety of specialty products grown in Central America, South America, Mexico, Canada, and the U.S. The company distributes from its Pompano Beach, Florida headquarters, and facilities in McAllen, Texas and Los Angeles, California.
MONTVALE, NJ - Despite recent deals with Albertsons and Wakefern Food, as well as multiple potential bidders, A&P has issued yet another round of layoff warnings that will dampen the Thanksgiving holiday for its employees.
North Jersey reports that the chain, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in July, issued warnings of coming layoffs to 319 employees at its Montvale headquarters.
As we previously reported, the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) requires by law that an employer file notices with Department of Labor. As a result, this latest round of warnings, if solidified, would go into effect on November 23rd.
This is the latest in a series of pink slips the retailer has dealt, previously having issued similar warning notices of coming cuts to thousands of store workers. The first round was to those at 94 New Jersey locations, totalling in 8,648, followed by additional 10,000+ to employees at stores in five other states.
A&P told the state that these 319 employees, which account for the majority of its headquarter workforce, will be idled because the company is ceasing its operations, according to the report.
AndNowUKnow will continue to report on further developments with this retail story and beyond as they potentially impact the produce industry.
WENATCHEE, WA - Apples are apparently a crowd favorite among the United States' youngest generation, and Stemilt Growers’ Lil Snappers® kid-sized apples are helping to make that happen.
The journal Pediatrics conducted a study incorporating more than 3,000 responses to the 2011-2012 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, according to a Stemilt press release. With it, research showed that apples account for almost 19% of fruit intake among ages 2 to 19.
“It’s great to see today’s children eating more servings of fruit, and apples in particular,” said Stemilt Marketing Director Roger Pepperl. “Apples are a great source of fiber and nutrients, and an ideal portable snack for children.”
The research also found that juices accounted for 34%, but whole fruits, like Stemilt’s Lil Snappers® kid-sized apples, accounted for 53% of fruit intake.
“These research findings support our recommendation to prominently display apples in produce departments throughout the fall and winter months,” Pepperl added. “They also support the merchandising tactic of using kid-specific products like Lil Snappers® in order to market apples to parents and their kids.”
As we previously reported, Washington experienced excessively warm temperatures that slowed apple sizing, resulting in larger volumes of smaller apples.
“Lil Snappers® apples have a lot of growth potential at retail this year, as we have a high-quality crop and the right variety mix. The coming months are ideal for retailers to bring Lil Snappers® apples in and sell them out. This great kids brand is an easy way to promote flavor, quality, and kids’ favorite fruit while giving your apple category a boost,” Pepperl said in the release.
Stemilt launched its Lil Snappers® line in 2011, with the idea to encourage children’s fruit consumption with premium quality, small-sized fruit in convenient three pound bags. After its initial success, the company expanded the line to include its pears and Sunkist® citrus, as well as jointly marketed variety bags by Sunkist and Stemilt of both apples and citrus.
“Lil Snappers® work because they directly market to the intended user, and fulfill the need parents have to provide their kids with a healthy snack in a size that fits what kids can and will actually eat,” Pepperl added. “With around 10 apples per three pound bag, a Lil Snappers® apple can be packed into two school lunches every day for a week.”
The grower recently finished its Honeycrisp apple harvest, which Nielsen Perishables retail scan data showed was the leading variety last year to drive apple growth, and is still harvesting its signature Piñata® apples. “Given the smaller fruit size this year, retailers have a great opportunity to promote new flavors of apples directly to kids through Lil Snappers® pouch bags. Promoting specialty varieties like Honeycrisp, Pink Lady® and Piñata® in Lil Snappers® pouch bags is a great way to encourage trial and repeat purchases.”
Keep checking in with AndNowUKnow as we continue to bring you the latest apple marketing and product information.
ROCHESTER, NY - Love Beets is a labor of love for husband and wife team Guy and Katherine Shropshire. The Shropshire family, known for growing salad vegetables in England, decided to purchase a small beet factory with the hopes of sharing a family favorite with others.
Knowing they wanted to find a way to attract younger people to beets, the family got to work experimenting with unique marinated beet recipes.
In October 2010, Guy and Katherine brought their marinated baby beets to New York City’s Fancy Food Show. Natasha Shapiro, Marketing Manager for the company, tells me the response was overwhelmingly positive, with virtually everyone who tasted their product said they “love beets.”
Thus a passion was ignited, and a new company- and name- were born.
From a humble inception just five years ago, when Love Beets began expanding the beet category in the U.S. by working with and importing from their family farms in the U.K., the brand has grown exponentially to incorporate several innovative products, both organic and conventional. It even re-launched with updated branding about a year ago.
“[The rebranding] was a really big step forward for us,” Natasha said. She then informed me that the company is undergoing another big move in the coming months with the launch of a 100,000 square foot production facility in Rochester, New York.
Officially operational in January of 2016, this facility will mark a huge step forward in the evolution of the company. All of Love Beets’ conventional beets will be U.S. grown, with the mission to expand to 100 percent U.S. grown for both conventional and organic offerings for the market’s beet demand.
“We’re very excited about this transition,” she said, adding that while it has been great to work with family farms back in the UK, it will mean even more to U.S. consumers to have the beets come from local growers.
“This is a big symbol of growth for how far Love Beets has come,” Natasha added, also stating that this will only improve the company’s vast repertoire of beet offerings, which now includes:
- Cooked Beets & Organic Cooked Beets
- Marinated Baby Beets (including Organic)
- Beet Juices (also including Organic options)
- Beet Bars (all three flavors are gluten-free, GMO-free and nut-free)
As if the company isn’t busy enough, it’s also working on the launch of its new Smokey BBQ Shredded Beets, as well as beginning to offer foodservice beet products.
“We feel that these [items] will be of particular interest to the produce industry,” Natasha tells me, saying that the new Smokey BBQ Shredded Beets will be at Love Beets’ booth next month at the 2015 PMA Fresh Summit.
To sample this latest product, as well as learn more about this rapidly growing company that is soon to be majority U.S. grown, stop by Booth #5017 at the PMA Fresh Summit on October 23 – 25, in Atlanta, Georgia.
MONTEREY, CA - Pero Family Farms' Brand Manager and Corporate Chef Scott Sedon joined AndNowUKnow to give us the inside scoop on what’s new for the company, and how it's tackling the trend of convenience-based snacking.
“We’re showing off a couple new products,” Sedon tells me. “Our Mini Sweet Ring Snacks have a half ounce Greek yogurt dip inside. That’s going to keep the calories down and the nutritional label really clean. We also have our Green Bean Snack Snips: cut into bite-sized pieces, with a half ounce Greek yogurt dip.”
Pero Family Farms is also introducing its Mini Sweet Peppers in a 16-ounce bag and a two-pound bag with a resealable zipper.
“It’s great for chefs and for anything,” Sedon explains. “You can use it on salads, soups, sandwiches, and sautés. It’s convenient and fresh from Pero Family Farms.”
To learn more about Pero’s approach to fresh snacking and see all of the company's new items, watch my full interview with Scott Sedon in the video above.
FLORIDA - Yes, Florida citrus is delicious, but is it worth going to jail over?
A Florida man, Bradley D. Reiter, allegedly stole 4 million pounds of citrus, the state’s Department of Agriculture announced—more than $530,000 worth of produce.
Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam H. Putnam said Reiter, owner of Reiter Citrus Inc., allegedly signed three contracts to harvest local citrus groves as of March 2014, but never actually paid for any of the produce he removed from the groves.
According to the department's investigation, Reiter was found to do the following:
- Entered into contract with Gabriel Family Partners to purchase citrus and removed 13,108 boxes of oranges between March 20 and April 16, 2014 without paying the business for the fruit or its rise value.
- Entered into contract with Gabriel Groves Inc. to purchase citrus and removed 1,599 boxes of grapefruit and 20,468 boxes of oranges between March 26 and April 28, 2014 without paying the business for the fruit or its rise value.
- Entered into contract with Sandlake Groves LLC to purchase citrus and removed 10,907 boxes of oranges between April 29 and May 14, 2014 without paying the business for the fruit or its rise value.
- Entered a grove owned by a Bartow, Florida, resident without permission and removed of 180 boxes of citrus. Reiter Citrus Inc. then provided the resident with a check that only represented half of the actual value of the fruit.
- Entered into a written agreement with a Bartow, Florida, resident to purchase citrus and removed 570 boxes of citrus fruit without paying the business for the fruit or its rise value.
It was not immediately clear what happened to the 4 million pounds of fruit, but Reiter was reportedly booked into Polk County Jail on suspicion of grand theft, dealing with citrus without a license, and scheming to defraud.
AUSTIN, TX - Whole Foods said in a filing that it plans to cut 1,500 jobs, or approximately 1.6 percent of its work force, over the next eight weeks.
The move is intended to lower prices for customers, upgrade technology, as well as improve its cost structure, the retailer said on Monday.
“This is a very difficult decision, and we are committed to treating affected Team Members in a caring and respectful manner,” Co-CEO Walter Robb said in a statement. “We believe this is an important step to evolve Whole Foods Market in a rapidly changing marketplace.”
Many of the reductions will come through attrition.
Laid-off employees will be offered transition pay, severance, or the opportunity to apply for other jobs. Those employees will also be paid in full over the next eight weeks as they decide which option to choose. Whole Foods expects “a significant percentage” of the displaced employees to find jobs from the nearly 2,000 open positions across the company or via new jobs created from the more than 100 new stores in development.
Whole Foods shares were down approximately 1 percent at 3:44 pm EDT on September 29.