ONTARIO - There is a new promotion concept residing in Longo’s produce department, made with a promise that what consumers find there will set the bar for natural taste.
The Flavour Corner by Longo's, a collaborative idea between Longo’s Director of Produce and Floral Mimmo Franzone and Grapery’s CEO Jim Beagle, is a place in the store for customers to have a flavor experience like no other.
From the unique grape varieties like Witch Fingers, to Cotton Candy, to Moon Drops, the Flavour Corner is a flavor promise Longo’s and Grapery have teamed up to deliver directly to their customers.
“We’re just way out there in terms of our focus on flavor,” Jim tells me. “If you talk to any farmer about how they determine quality in grapes their answers will vary. Ours is flavor, and we are so passionate about it.”
This focus has a direct impact on the kind of company Grapery is, fitting into what Jim defines as a specialty branch of the grape category. “We’ve really built a reputation with consumers that we have consistently great flavor.”
But the focus on quality versus quantity necessitated a different approach in retail displays and sales for the company’s products. That is where Longo’s comes in.
“Mimmo came up with a great idea that we’ve never tried before to set up a semi-permanent display, which we can rotate with quality supply as they are available and will always be a place for consumers to get that premium flavor.”
And so the concept for the Flavour Corner was born.
“We met with Jim and the team in the off-season and wanted to find a way to communicate our objective of delivering a flavor experience to our customers like no other,” Mimmo tells me. “Between what Grapery can offer when it comes to variety and flavor and what we here at Longo’s can bring to the program, we figured if we create a destination in our stores with the proper messaging and execution, we would be able to satisfy all areas of the objective and, most importantly, our needs of the Longo’s customer.”
This dedicated location where customers can easily shop varieties that they can depend on for flavor incorporates custom POS highlighting the program, as well as promos and demo support throughout the fall.
“Working with Jim and Madeline has been a great experience,” Mimmo tells me. “It’s a relationship that has been getting stronger by the day and we are looking forward to continuing it for years to come.”
With the promise of a sensory eating experience, as well as the trending taste for specialty, quality seasonal produce, the Flavour Corner by Longo’s is sure to be a hit.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - The Produce Mom® is joining US Kids Magazines as contributing food editor for Jack and Jill and Humpty Dumpty.
Both publications are designed to educate and entertain readers and to promote good health and fitness among children, according to a press release.
Jack and Jill and Humpty Dumpty are published by the nonprofit Saturday Evening Post Society.
“The Produce Mom is honored to join The Saturday Evening Post Society’s efforts to provide information and encouragement to parents, teachers, and health professionals in their efforts to educate the general public on the fundamentals of good health,” said Lori Taylor, Founder of The Produce Mom. “Jack and Jill and Humpty Dumpty are respected and award-winning publications. This is a great opportunity for the produce industry as well as The Produce Mom Family of Partners.”
Patrick Perry, Director of Development for The Saturday Evening Post Society, said that each issue presents healthy, great tasting recipes and that he welcomes The Produce Mom to help accomplish that goal.
The Produce Mom will debut in the November/December 2015 issues of Jack and Jill and Humpty Dumpty, with an anticipated publication and distribution date of November 1, 2015. The magazines are distributed throughout the United States and Canada.
PLANT CITY, FL - Wish Farms is anticipating its blueberry volume in Argentina to double over last season, thanks in part to a new collaboration with a significant grower.
From the beginning of October to the end of November, Wish Farms estimates it will be marketing close to 1.5 million pounds of Argentinean blueberries, according to a press release.
The first significant volume coming out of Argentina will be around the first week of October, but there will be a light trickle of fruit beginning in early September.
“Our blueberry team continues to focus on steady, controlled growth,” said Teddy Koukoulis, Wish Farms’ Director of Blueberry Operations. “This season, our new partnership with a significant grower helps solidify our Argentina program and stabilize volume for our customers.”
Weather in Argentina has been favorable so far with adequate chill hours and no harsh weather events. Fruit quality and volume is expected to be excellent.
As a precaution, most of Wish Farms' Argentinean blueberries are grown under hoops to provide protection from inclement weather.
“The majority of our Argentina crop will be grown under tunnels, providing cover and protection from weather elements such as rain, frost, and hail,” said JC Clinard, Executive Vice President of Wish Farms. “Rain can cause a serious interruption to the Argentina blueberry harvest. The hoops protect us in these circumstances and ensure our customers have a consistent supply of quality berries.”
Following the Argentina season, Wish Farms anticipates another strong Chilean season. Stay tuned as we continue following any further updates.
NOGALES, AZ - The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas (FPAA) in conjunction with Southwest Folklife Alliance, a nonprofit folk arts organization, and the University of Arizona are working together on a new oral history project, The Crossroads of Confianza: A Study of The Fresh Produce Industry in Nogales, Arizona.
“This will be an asset for the whole community as, it helps us understand how Nogales has developed into the city that we know today,” said Lance Jungmeyer, President of FPAA.
This initiative is being conducted by Occupational Folklorist, Nic Hartman, who will be collecting stories of the produce industry in Nogales. Hartman shared that these stories will become part of a collection of occupational studies that include Idaho firefighters, New York tugboat captains and Vermont farmers. According to a press release, eventually, the results of the project will be part of the Library of Congress, and will become part of the nation’s rich history.
“I also believe that understanding the past of the produce industry, examining its roots and knowing the key elements and stories behind this fascinating business have great benefits for us now and for the future members,” continued Jungmeyer.
Jungmeyer and the FPAA believe that this history project will both build and strengthen emotional attachments to the operations that power us to make positive changes, also sharing that he thinks this will be an opportunity to continue to demonstrate the importance of this industry in the community.
The assemblage of stories will be conducted via personal interviews, the FPAA says. Hartman encourages anyone interested in participating to contact him by phone at (812) 457-6467, or by email at [email protected].
BANCROFT, WI - RPE is introducing a new Oddball Organics™ brand to take advantage of the recent “misshapen produce” trend that’s been gaining popularity in grocery stores across the globe.
Compared to traditional organic potatoes, this new brand offers potatoes that can be considered to have odd shapes or have minor skin blemishes. RPE has embraced these imperfections to reduce waste and ultimately save its customers money.
Since last year, RPE’s cooperative growers saw a 47 percent increase in acreage for organic potatoes in Wisconsin alone. With the rise of production, more waste is often unavoidable.
“Many of these potatoes would have been discarded solely because they were misshapen,” said Russell Wysocki, President and CEO of RPE. “RPE, committed to responsible farming, is consistently working on saving our customers money as well as pushing toward the reduction of waste currently in the potato industry.”
Oddball Organics will be marketed at a discounted price from other organic potatoes.
RPE will offer several different varieties with this new brand, including russet and red and gold potatoes. Oddball Organics are offered in 3 pound poly bags, mesh bags, or bulk and display ready cartons, as well as custom programs to meet various customer needs.
MONTVALE, NJ - The A&P bankruptcy saga continues, this time with court filings revealing the retailer's millions of dollars a week in losses, as well as the commanding judge requiring a deadline for today to resolve disputes with labor unions.
A&P, which filed for bankruptcy just last month, has now said it’s “burning cash at a rate of $4.5 million a week,” as it seeks permission from courts to sell 118 of its 301 stores.
A&P’s Financial Adviser, Tim McDonagh, admitted in a filing to courts that “the gap between the debtors’ assets and liabilities is widening,” with the most recent data showing the company has about $1.6 billion in assets, and liabilities reaching as high as $2.3 billion.
Retailers Acme, Stop & Shop and Key Food have all already submitted bids totaling nearly $570 million to buy A&P’s 118 stores, but as we’ve mentioned in a previous story, each company has included prohibitions on “bumping,” or where workers at stores that close could end up displacing workers with less seniority at the stores that will remain open under new owners.
According to news source NorthJersey.com, Judge Robert Drain has given A&P and its unions until this afternoon to resolve disagreements over severance pay and the rights of senior workers to “bump,” but the retailer is still requesting relief from both severance pay and seniority rights provisions in collective bargaining agreements, arguing that the relief was necessary to facilitate the sale of some of its stores and appease creditors as it winds down operations.
“Please sharpen your pencils and see if you can reach an agreement,” Judge Drain told both sides during the hearing. “There is a lot of talent here on both sides so I think you can do that.”
McDonagh, also a Managing Director at FTI Consulting Inc., added that if A&P had to conduct a “fire sale” to liquidate those stores, instead of selling them under the negotiated purchase agreements, the proceeds would be about $213 million less.
Stay tuned as AndNowUKnow continues to update you on all developing A&P news.
VANCOUVER - Oppy is offering Italian-style prune-plums once again in its Blue Goose label.
This deep purple, free-stone fruit, which Oppy calls “sweet, juicy, and brimming with late-summer flavor,” is available in 2-, and 1.5-pound high graphic bags, as well as 30-pound bulk boxes, through mid-September, according to a press release.
The company hopes that this traditional “old world fruit” will be discovered by younger shoppers looking to try something different. Evan Myers, Executive Category Director of South American Imports, explained that because prune-plums have a “uniquely sweet and juicy flavor, they earn attention and repeat purchase.”
Myers says, “Wholesalers who serve neighborhood grocers in places like Chicago or New York can have excellent results with prune-plums.”
This year, Oppy is packing at Orchard View Farms, its premium Oregon cherry grower partner. Orchard View has the rights to the Blue Goose trademark.
“As a result, all the expertise and efficiency Orchard View is renowned for is being applied to the plum-packing process, and it’s showing in the quality,” said Myers.
Prune-plums are grown by local small-scale farmers in Oregon’s Milton-Freewater area and enjoy popularity throughout the major eastern U.S. and Canadian metropolitan areas, including Oppy's headquarters in Vancouver.
COACHELLA, CA - Prime Time International has recently debuted five-pound boxes of peppers for restaurants and other foodservice customers.
This special pack, which is being welcomed with open arms from customers, is now available throughout the year from all of Prime Time’s shipping locations.
Any size or grade can be special packed in these new five-pound boxes.
Prime Time introduced this pack to satisfy the market's growing demand. Prime Time found that distributors often invested in labor and materials to split twenty-five pound cartons into individual five-pound boxes.
Jeff Taylor, Managing Member of Prime Time, explained, “When this is done at source it represents a significant savings, plus reducing shrink, for the distributor and ultimately the end user. We are now packing this five-pound box with red, yellow, or green peppers for an expanding list of our key customers.”
A sample box can be requested from a Prime Time sales representative.
SALINAS, CA - Taylor Farms has officially opened its brand new, state-of-the-art corporate headquarters in downtown Salinas. Clocking in at 100,000 square feet, the new facility is now home to approximately 150 employees working in all three Taylor Farms segments; Foodservice, Retail, and Deli.
Located on Main Street in the heart of the downtown district of Salinas, the building itself is artistically developed, and modeled after the architecture found in New Orleans. Large windows let in abundant natural light across all five of the building’s floors, and an underground garage provides for easy and out of sight parking. Most unexpected, however, is that the design also includes a 4th floor patio and barbecue area, giving employees and visitors panoramic views, a 50-person lecture hall, and collaboration spaces, or “huddle spaces,” where new and innovative ideas can be incubated.
According to the company, the new facility was built with a focus on innovation and collaboration, inspiring Taylor Farms to open up the first two floors to other businesses, with the hopes of creating a vibrant community gathering place. Currently, the Western Growers Innovation Center is occupying part of the first floor, but the space will also be open to restaurants and retailers. Taylor Farms hopes this venture will provide space to start-up companies with the goal of nurturing new ideas and accelerating technology and innovation in agriculture.
Bruce Taylor, Taylor Farms’ CEO added, “The idea is to get these start-up companies that have great technology but don’t know what to do with it, together with growers who have needs but don’t know where to go to meet those needs.”
Taylor was born and raised in the Salinas Valley, inspiring his desire to make the new headquarters more than just a building, the company says. Surrounding the new headquarters with graceful patios, courtyards, and ample open space, the architecture creates a sense of community that Taylor hopes will spur other economic activity downtown, and help revitalize his hometown.
Taylor says, “We want Main Street to be the living room of Salinas where the community can gather. We want to drive progress, as this city becomes an even more special place to live.”
According to a press release, Taylor Farms has purchased several other downtown buildings, which are in various stages of renovation. Some will be used for Taylor Farms’ operations; others will be leased out for retail and restaurant opportunities. The plan is to create a business and social hub.
CINCINNATI, OH - Kroger has named the Presidents of its newly formed Dallas and Houston divisions, which formerly composed the company’s Southwest division.
Dana Zurcher will serve as President of Kroger’s Dallas division, effective October 1.
Bill Breetz has been appointed as President of the new Houston division, and will maintain his responsibilities for overseeing operations in Texas and Louisiana.
As we previously reported, Kroger decided to split its Southwest division in an effort to support further growth in the region. The company planned to invest approximately $700 million in Dallas-Fort Worth and $500 million in Houston over the next three years, according to a press release.
“Kroger is committed to growing and serving our customers in the great state of Texas, and in our important Louisiana markets,” said Rodney McMullen, Kroger’s Chairman and CEO.
Kroger’s Dallas division includes 105 stores in the Dallas and Fort Worth markets and in the Shreveport and Alexandria, Louisiana area. The new Houston division includes 109 stores in the greater Houston region, as well as stores in Lake Charles, Louisiana.
Zurcher, the upcoming Dallas division President, currently holds the title of Vice President of Operations for the Southwest division. She brings 30 years of leadership experience to her new role, having had responsibilities ranging from store manager and district coordinator for the company’s Central division.
“Dana’s experience spans several retail divisions, and she understands nearly every aspect of our business,” said McMullen. “We are excited to have Dana lead our team in Dallas.”
McMullen also praised Zurcher’s ability as a leader who has a proven track record for helping associates discover their full potential.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for any further developments.