UNITED STATES - The south is due to see some heavy rains this week, thanks to the weather patterns in the Gulf of Mexico, while Tropical Depression Eleven developing in the western Atlantic could bring rain to parts of New England.
According to weather reports from NBC and AccuWeather, the Gulf system doesn’t pose any threat to Southwest Florida, but does bring possible flooding across from Louisiana to Northwest/Western Florida.
The Weather Channel reports that the Altantic occurrence could also bring enhanced rainfall to eastern New England later this week. According to Roland Clark of the Weather Advisory Service, the system should be located approximately 200 miles southeast of the New Jersey shore by 8:00 a.m. Friday morning.
Combined with the possible developing tropical storm we recently reported on over the Gulf of Mexico, the east side of th country can count on considerable moisture, according to AccuWeather, as well as possible flash floods in certain areas. The chances for a hurricane still reportedly remain low, however, due to wind shear.
"Wind shear is the changing of wind direction and speed at various levels of the atmosphere,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski said in the report. “In order for tropical systems to form or strengthen, wind shear must be weak. While convection should flourish, it will likely be pushed well east of the center of circulation, which would prevent any development."
Heavy rain fall first began yesterday, when Mobile, Alabama, and Pascagoula, Mississippi, both got over 7 inches of rainfall. The pattern is expected to continue throughout the deep southern region through the middle of the week, with areas including:
- Galveston and Port Arthur, Texas
- New Orleans and Slidell, Louisiana
- Gulfport and Biloxi, Mississippi
- Mobile, Alabama
- Pensacola, Panama City
- Tampa, Florida.
AccuWeather warned that any travel along Interstate 10 from Florida into Texas could be seeing wet roads as well.
CINCINNATI, OH - Kroger’s Scot Hendricks is the company’s new President of the company’s Delta Division, it announced, effective the first of October. Hendricks replaces Tim Brown, who we recently reported has been named President of Kroger’s Cincinnati/Dayton division.
Kroger's Delta division is based in Memphis, TN and operates stores throughout the Western portion of the state, as well as locations in Kentucky, Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri, according to a press release.
"Scot is a strong leader with extensive experience in both merchandising and operations," said Fred Morganthall, Kroger's Executive Vice President of Retail Operations. "Scot lives our values and brings out the best in our associates. We look forward to his leadership of our Delta division."
Hendricks began his career with Kroger in the Nashville division management training program starting in 1981, quickly climbing to Grocery Buyer in 1983. After serving in several leadership roles in the Atlanta division from 1986 to 2000, Hendricks was promoted to Kroger's general office, serving in several roles of increasing responsibility, including Vice President of Grocery Merchandising and Procurement. Hendricks was promoted to Vice President of Merchandising in the company's Cincinnati/Dayton division in 2011, where he served until he was appointed to his current role as Vice President of Operations in 2014.
Hendricks and his wife, Jill, will relocate to the Memphis area.
SAN LUIS OBISPO, CA - With the drought in California looming and ag tech becoming increasingly popular, it’s no wonder the field of precision agriculture has had everyone talking in recent days. One company, Hortau Inc., has been mentioned in the news again and again for its contributions to the field, and has been recently featured on the popular technology publication Tech Crunch, French Canadian television series La Semaine Verte, and California newspaper the Ventura Country Star.
Hortau’s irrigation technology uses a soil tension monitoring system to achieve maximum results with minimal water amounts. By acting as a “mechanical root,” according to the company, the system measures how hard a crop’s roots are working to extract water from the soil, and then reports precisely how much water is necessary to growers in real time.
In an article entitled “Spurring Investments And Innovation In Agriculture,” Tech Crunch heavily featured technologies created by Hortau. Hortau's CEO Jocelyn Boudreau also spoke with the publication about how investments in technology and irrigation could help the industry and beyond.
“These types of investments not only help ag tech companies grow, but create the high-value jobs we need in rural communities,” Boudreau explained in the article. “With the water and other resource issues we’re seeing throughout the country, we need technology more than ever. Investments in data-driven technology will help improve the decisions being made in the field, and that in return will improve production, make operations more sustainable, and can help revitalize rural communities.”
Hortau was also highlighted in the Canadian television documentary series La Semaine Verte in an episode that took on how some farmers are dealing with California’s historic drought.
“The documentary will focus largely on the drought in California, but will feature a customer in almonds out of Wasco, CA, where grower Ben Schroeder and Jocelyn spoke to the importance of precision irrigation in the face of the drought,” Hortau’s Marketing Director Brian Milne said.
You can watch the entire French language episode here for more details on the program.
Last but not least, the Ventura County Star went in-depth into Oxnard-based Deardorff Family Farms about its experiences using Hortau’s irrigation systems. The company utilized the information from Hortau’s irrigation systems through smartphones and computers to manage its water usage.
“The main benefit of using Hortau has been that we have the ability to monitor our crops environment closely and accurately,” Alec Martinez, Data Analyst for Deardorff Family Farms, told the paper, adding that the technology has led to well-informed irrigation decisions for a range of different crops.
With water usage and the growth of ag tech being more of a focus than ever, you can bet this wont be the last we hear from Hortau Inc. Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for more.
TORONTO, CANADA - The Longo’s family continues to diversify their retail portfolio, and with that in mind, the company recently opened The Market by Longo’s in the Imperial Plaza Building at 111 St. Clair Avenue West on September 23rd.
Delivering signature fresh food and convenience in specialized urban concept stores is one of the company’s recent initiatives and marks the fifth Market by Longo’s in downtown Toronto.
Mimmo Franzone, Longo’s Director of Produce and Floral, has long been a driving force behind the company’s evolving program. When I ask him what is key to the retailer’s growth, he tells me, “At Longo’s, we continue to look at produce as an extremely vital piece of our business. Whether it is in our Conventional formats, Urban stores - The Market by Longo’s - or our online delivery business (Grocery Gateway) we continue to provide our customers with the best that fresh produce has to offer.”
This newest shares the lobby of the Imperial Plaza condominium with a new LCBO location and is sure to be the destination for those looking for great food, passion, and expertise across the fresh food platform.
The 8,500 square foot Market Store by Longo’s features Longo’s award-winning fresh salad bar; a full assortment of fresh fruits and vegetables, including extensive local and organic varieties.
Highlights of Longo’s produce program include Produce at its Peak, where Longo’s produce experts hand select fruits and vegetables daily, to bring consumers market fresh offerings everyday. Another program, Taste Ontario, brings products from nearby farms to offer hundreds of local Ontario products and fresh-from-the-farm flavors. Longo’s also boasts 100 organic crops handpicked daily and a multitude of organic offerings throughout the store. The company also prides itself on its global flavors. Whichever continent you’re cooking up, from the well-known bok choy to the more exotic dragon fruit, Longo’s carries a variety of international fruits and vegetables.
In addition, there is a gourmet made-to-order stone pizza oven, full service deli with hundreds of cheeses from Canada and around the world, and certified cheese masters and cake decorators on site. The location will also offers a full service Starbucks coffee shop and curated food samplings to complement LCBO features.
“As we grow as a company, this will be an ongoing focus and we are looking forward to our new sites in the upcoming years,” Mimmo says.
Congratulations, Longo’s, on the new urban format store. Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as Longo’s continues to invest in its ever-widening footprint!
CENTRAL LAKE, MI - Juliette King is returning to her roots. Previously with Nielsen Perishables Group, Juliette has joined the family business, Central Lake, Michigan-based King Orchards. Her first day was Monday, September 21st.
“I couldn't be more excited about being a part of King Orchards, not only because it is my family, but also because of the entrepreneurial spirit and many opportunities available to focus on my interests. I am grateful to be in an industry that is so rewarding,” Juliette tells me.
Common to small businesses, Juliette says that she will be wearing many hats, however, Juliette will mainly be doing project management, focusing on several different areas, like cherry juice concentrate production and business organization and management.
“We are a family-owned and operated business in Northern Michigan. We have been growing high quality fruit and produce along the shores of Lake Michigan since 1980,” Juliette says.
King Orchards has also been nominated for USA Today's 10 Best list for Best Apple Orchard and the voting is open for the next 4 days.
“We are the only orchard nominated from Michigan and are currently at #3, however, we are hoping to keep moving up!” she adds.
To vote, visit USA Today's contest website here.
The company grows tart and sweet cherries, apples, stone fruit, raspberries, corn and a variety of vegetables. King Orchard also has two retail locations that offer U-pick and fresh baked goods from our bakery. The company also has an online business and market cherry juice concentrate around the world.
Juliette has a BS in Horticulture and a BS in Agribusiness Management from Michigan State University. After college, she worked for Strube Celery and Vegetable in Chicago for 2 years in vegetable wholesale sales and then Nielsen Perishables Group, also in Chicago, for four and a half years doing marketing analysis and consulting in the fresh food industry.
Congratulations, Juliette, on your move to King Orchards!
GUADALUPE, CA - Apio has launched a new Eat Smart® salad kit, offering consumers a taste of Southwest flavor with a new abundant superfood-packed blend.
Available now this month in 10-ounce and 24-ounce bags, the Eat Smart® Southwest Vegetable Salad Kit combines savoy cabbage, red cabbage, radishes, carrots, and kale with crunchy corn, yellow and blue tortilla strips, cheddar cheese, and a chipotle ranch dressing for a fresh, gluten-free take on Southwest cuisine.
With consumers looking for healthy and easy-to-prepare eating options, Apio’s salad kits offer consumers a satisfying meal they can prepare in a snap. Along with this new Southwest blend, Apio also offers several other popular salads in its gourmet line, including Sweet Kale, a gluten-free Wild Greens & Quinoa, and a Beets & Greens vegetable salad kit.
In an online survey of 7,500 purchasers of Eat Smart salad kits, conducted in April 2015, nine out of ten consumers who had tried one of Apio’s salad kits said they would buy a kit again, according to a press release.
Keep your eyes peeled for this and other nutrient-rich salad kits from Apio, and stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for more new product showcases.
SALINAS, CA - Long-time Church Brothers employee Megan Chedwick has been promoted to Director of Food Safety and Sustainability.
Over the past eight years, Chedwick has held responsibility for a variety of food safety roles, including Food Safety Coordinator and Director of Food Safety. Having built and strengthened her experience during her time at Church Bros., the company is confident she is well-prepared to manage the in-house sustainability program that was customized by the Measure to Improve team over the last 12 months, according to a press release.
She will report to Drew McDonald, Vice President of Quality Food Safety and Regulatory Affairs.
“Megan brings a wealth of experience to her new role at the company,” said McDonald. “She has done an incredible job building and managing a best-in-class food safety program for our raw material suppliers and I am confident she will do the same with the newly emerging sustainability requirements from our customers. She will help tell the great story about our food safety and sustainability efforts at Church Brothers.”
Chedwick attended Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo and majored in agribusiness.
BOISE, ID - In a new filing submitted to the SEC today, Albertsons has revealed the company now expects to raise $1.82 billion through its proposed IPO. As it stands, Albertsons debt is hovering around the $12 billion range, but expects to use the IPO earnings to pay down the deficit, the company announced.
“We are one of the largest food and drug retailers in the United States, with strong local presence and national scale. Over the past three years, we have completed a series of acquisitions that has significantly increased our portfolio of stores,” Albertsons explained in its filing. “We operated 2,205, 2,382, 1,075, and 192 stores as of June 20, 2015, February 28, 2015, February 20, 2014 and February 21, 2013, respectively. In addition, as of June 20, 2015, we operated 378 adjacent fuel centers, 30 dedicated distribution centers and 21 manufacturing facilities.”
Albertsons has completed several acquisitions over the past nine years as well, beginning with its purchase of Albertson’s LLC in 2006 (the “legacy Albertsons stores”), followed by a March 2013 acquisition of NAI from Supervalu, which included the Albertsons stores that were not already owned (the "Supervalu Albertsons stores”). In December 2013, Albertsons acquired United, a regional grocery chain in North and West Texas, and in January 2015, Safeway was officially acquired.
Albertsons also revealed it will be trading under the ticker symbol ABS on the New York Stock Exchange, but no details were given about an estimated price range of its shares for the IPO or the number of shares to be sold on the market.
Goldman, Sachs & Co., Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, Citigroup Global Markets Inc. and Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC are the representatives of the underwriters for the IPO, the filing says.
GULF OF MEXICO - It looks like a brewing tropical storm could hit the Gulf of Mexico, possibly bringing heavy rains to the South and Southeastern regions before the month is out.
Though the trajectory is still not certain yet because of how far out the system is, AccuWeather reports that it looks to bring rain down from Louisiana to northern Florida and that the area near Central America is being monitored.
That area, which is seeing showers and thunderstorms, could bring on at least one, possibly more, tropical storms in coming days.
El Niño, which is warming up waters enough to support tropical storms, will also reportedly prevent those storms from developing into full-blown hurricanes.
"Because of the persistent wind shear, the chance of a major hurricane impacting the United States for the remainder of 2015 is very low," AccuWeather Hurricane Expert Dan Kottlowski, said in the report, adding that the broad area of disturbed weather on the Atlantic side will slowly move northward through next week. "Research from the Colorado State University shows that since 1878, no major hurricanes have impacted the U.S. in October and November during El Niño years."
AccuWeather reported that if the tropical system does take shape, the petroleum and coastal areas could see gusty winds, building seas, rough surf, minor coastal flooding, and severe thunderstorms.
AndNowUKnow will continue to report on any developing weather systems and occurrences that could impact produce operations, so stay tuned.
WENATCHEE, WA - With Washington's apple crop slated to peak at least one to two sizes smaller than normal, CMI is looking to help retailers tackle the unique challenges an abundance of small bagging apples can present.
“The opportunity for retailers is recognizing that this year selling bagged apples is key, since Washington State supplies over 60% of the U.S. apple crop,” Steve Castleman, Senior Vice President of Sales at CMI, stated in the release, explaining that bagged mainline varieties are going to be big this year due to the decrease in apple size. “Our retailers are already lining up really strong promotions on three and five pound apples, especially in key varieties like Gala, Fuji, Granny, and Red Delicious.”
According to the release, CMI expects to see retailers, now more than ever, using three and five pound poly bags to boost the apple category for consumers. Steve Lutz, Vice President of Marketing for CMI, stated that the bagged apple market is evolving, however, saying, “But the strong retailers will use premium bags to trade a portion of those consumers up.”
Nielsen data shows two pound bags were the fastest selling major segment for packaged apple business last year, a more than 350 percent increase in volume, with an average $2.10 per pound sales price.
“We know there is a value shopper out there and in a year like this, it’s important for retailers to promote three and five pound poly bags,” he said. “But missing the opportunity to trade shoppers up to these popular premium pouch bags just leaves dollars on the table. Every retailer needs to focus on ways to grab this business.”
CMI added that it is beginning to see retailers generate strong success when selling branded apple pouch bags, comparable to packaged salad sets. Lutz stated, “Some of the most successful retail chains are creating a complete 2 pound pouch lineup that includes branded products like Ambrosia™ and Kanzi®, Bartlett pears, Honeycrisp and even mainline apples like Gala and Fuji all lined up on a single table.”
Premium bags tend to feature organics or new branded apples, like Honeycrisp, Ambrosia™, or KIKU® brand apples, for example, with high colored graphics and product information for consumers. Typically two pounds in size, they are also composed of a stronger material.
“Three pound apples drove 22 percent of apple category dollars last year, so that’s obviously where retailers should start,” Lutz said. “But stopping with only value bags misses one of the biggest emerging opportunities in the category.”
Ambrosia™ pouch bags and the Daisy Girl Organics™ Gala both sold over a million units nationally last season, making the top sell list for two pound bagged apples nationally.
Lutz concluded that the upward growth in branded apple pouch bags is altering retail merchandising strategies, stating that the premium bags provide a great offset for retailers to trade some of packaged apple shoppers up to a more expensive product.