NEWARK, DE - Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) Research Center has been conducting quarterly surveys to measure the success of the eat brighter!™ campaign, and the second quarter is in.
The results? An average incline upwards of three percent in sales self-reported by participants, with some reporting increases as high as 11 percent, according to a PMA press release.
“This is an encouraging sign, and we’re thrilled that participants are able to take the eat brighter! assets, available through an unprecedented program agreement with Sesame Workshop, and turn it into results like these,” Cathy Burns, PMA President, commented in a letter to members. “Now that the program has been extended through 2018, we look forward to seeing positive growth in this trend as more kids and families experience eat brighter! in stores.”
The eat brighter! campaign, which allows members of the produce industry to include popular Sesame Street characters royalty free in any go-to-market strategies, has garnered a lot of attention from the media, having gone viral when Big Bird, First Lady Michelle Obama, and comedic sensation Billy Eichner created a Funny or Die Video. In fact, PMA reports, they were recognized with an Emmy nomination for their work on the eat brighter! comedic video, which can be seen below.
This put the eat brighter! program in front of the eyes of about 13 million Emmy viewers.
“With produce sales rising three percent on average for participating companies -- and with some reporting increases as high as 11 percent -- it's very clear that the eat brighter! campaign is working brilliantly,” First Lady Michelle Obama commented on the data results, according to PMA. “I am so thrilled to see Sesame Street and produce suppliers and retailers coming together to get our kids excited about healthy eating, and I look forward to seeing more companies come on board to grow the momentum. Thanks, Elmo and Big Bird!”
Since the program was launched, the PMA Research Center has conducted three quarterly surveys; a compilation of results include the following:
- Of the suppliers in market, 75 percent have reported an increase in year-over-year sales.
- Of the suppliers who have been in market for three quarters, the average increase is 5.3 percent.
One supplier reported that the ability to put a character and figure so well-known for a minimal fee has allowed for an increase in sales volume and merchandising capabilities with several retail outlets. “Customers participating in the program are anxious to continue building their collection of 'eat brighter!' items and other customers are anxious to take 'eat brighter!' labeled product and monitor its ability to increase engagement and sales."
PMA noted that it has heard from participants that full supply chain collaboration is essential in making a program like eat brighter! succeed, and President Cathy Burns expressed enthusiasm in her letter to talk to anyone who has not yet joined about how this movement can impact your business in the positive ways listed.
“Thank you to the 110 participants of this movement. Your courage in changing the way we market fresh fruits and vegetables is inspiring and appreciated,” she wrote. “Without your leadership, we wouldn't have the pleasure of reporting these recent successes.”
For those interested in learning more, or joining the eat brighter! movement, can click here to learn more. Cathy Burns will also be in Monterey, CA, this weekend for PMA’s Foodservice Conference & Expo, and happy to discuss the program and answer any questions.
LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, CA - Allen Lund didn't start out with nothing, but pretty close. Having turned $1,000 into a multi-million dollar company that is run like family by family, AndNowUKnow's sister publication, The Snack Magazine, wanted to know what fuels this industry innovator and how an office manned by his children turned into today's Allen Lund Company.
Check out the full article in The Snack magazine by clicking here, or continue reading the full piece below.
Allen Lund's Ride to the Top
It all started with $1,000 in his pocket, the dream to make a better life, and six children at the home office answering the phone “Allen Lund Company.” Thirty-nine years later, Allen has grown his company from a small 3PL business headquartered adjacent to the LA Produce Market, to a company brokering 300,000 shipments a year with revenues in excess of $475 million.
“My love at the end of the day is produce - besides my family of course,” Allen laughs from across his oak desk in La Cañada Flintridge, California. “When I started this, it was the Wild West. There were a handful of brokers that controlled the market. And besides that, I had to do it without the ‘Internet, computer, fax, copier-type luxuries’ of today. It was your reputation and the telephone.”
Allen’s youngest child was only a year old when he went out on his own, and his wife Kathie had to take a night job in a plastics factory to keep the kids in Catholic school. His parents had been through the Great Depression and deeply instilled their values and concerns in Allen, which were ever present in him as he made the decision to take a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
“I told my wife that if I could book four loads a week, then the kids could eat."
"And that was my goal when I started. It was a huge leap of faith. I bought out a guy who was retiring and in the first month I had sold 100 loads,” Allen tells me. “When your goal is to feed your family, your true work ethic will reveal itself.”
Allen has come a long way since those first days in the home office and currently holds the post of President & CEO of Allen Lund Company, LLC, and Allen Lund Corporation. The company footprint has grown with 30 offices spread throughout 22 states.
Allen has also expanded the company’s value proposition with a software division, ALC Logistics, located in Charlotte, North Carolina. To support that venture, ALC Logistics entered into an agreement last year with Locus Traxx Worldwide to integrate real-time visibility, load temperature, and location tracking into its produce-industry designed TMS solution. The company continues to evaluate additional software options as customers’ needs present themselves.
From where Allen is standing, there seems to be no end in sight. And I think he is fine with that.
But Allen’s beginnings started long before his leap of faith. Allen originally cut his teeth as a truck driver in Utah, then through a church connection, he joined C.H. Robinson, which allowed him the know-how to work at every level of his own company whether it was tweaking the mechanics of the trucks to building relationships throughout the produce, food, and manufacturing industries.
While the company’s significant growth in the sector has been critical to Allen, his desire to maintain the family-run and family-owned atmosphere has always been essential. Bringing his sons Kenny, Eddie, and David into the fold along with his son-in-law Steve Doerfler has helped, not only to elevate the business, but also to extend the value of family into all facets of the operation.
It may not have been in their initial plans for the future, but somehow, they all found themselves tethered willingly to the family business.
All of Allen’s sons have a similar story. David had been working for Allen Lund since high school and though he left to attend Cal Poly Pomona, David tells me he always knew that he would return to Allen Lund. Kenny taught and coached for three years after graduating from LMU, but also found that his passion lay in the family business. Eddie went to Notre Dame, captaining the baseball team and was drafted by the Dodgers, but in the end it was Allen Lund that was his calling. Steve joined the family after he met Allen’s daughter, Christina, at the University of Portland. After a one-year exchange program in Austria they fell in love, got married, and Steve jumped on board with Allen.
“In reality, all of my kids have been in this since the beginning. Whether it was Saturday morning breakfasts before they came with me to the office, or summer jobs during high school, my success has not been achieved without them,” Allen tells me.
A third generation of Lund family employees may be in the works with Allen’s grandson, Kevin Peterson, whose current role is with ALC Logistics in sales and implementation.
“All the kids started at the bottom, working on the desk,” Allen says.
“It has given them more than just credibility, allowing them to see the inner workings of the business at so many levels.”
Allen’s ‘pick yourself up by your bootstraps’ mentality has paved the way for his hard working family of employees who are comprised of more than just his sons. With an eye always fixed on the future, Allen is continuing to build a legacy and a reputation, even more firm than his handshake.
“My dad can see the big picture faster than anybody I know,” Kenny Lund, VP of Support Operations, tells me. “He is great at reading people and situations, and that’s been key to his success.”
Luckily, Allen didn’t have to do it on his own. In addition to help from the kids, Allen’s wife Kathie also stood strong behind the entrepreneur and did the company’s accounting for years as the broker worked to gain momentum.
Kathie met Allen when he was a ride operator at an amusement park in Utah and Kathie was selling tickets to that ride. They had no idea that it was a ride they wouldn’t be getting off of for some time. Years later, a carrier that Allen had shared the story with, travelled to that roller coaster and took a picture with the carrier’s truck positioned in front of the roller coaster. He sent the picture to Allen and his wife. The memory now sits framed at Allen’s home in Utah as a fond reminder of just how far they have come and as a testament to the strong relationships they have built.
“Dad could sell ice to Eskimos,” Eddie tells me. It’s a phrase I have heard often when Allen’s name comes up.
“Dad defines what it means to have great relationships with your carriers and your clients.”
“He would always visit the carriers, always gave them Christmas gifts, and he kept driver gifts around just in case one came into town," Kenny says. "They never left our office without something.”
When the trucks were tight Allen could find them, and that was the result of the relationships he cultivated and maintained.
“He has always had a great understanding of the industry and how relationships weren’t just maintained during the good times, but the challenging ones as well,” David tells me.
And times were tough during the early years, especially before deregulation took hold in the 80’s under Jimmy Carter, then Ronald Reagan. Up until then, brokers could only handle exempt commodities. But before the sweeping reduction in price controls, entry controls, and collective vendor price setting in the United States transportation industry, small companies looked to their relationships to bridge the gaps in opportunities. As Allen Lund grew through the 80’s so did its portfolio of commodities that always included fresh produce. Now, about 45 percent of the business is produce.
“I used to say, ‘give me your hardest loads, your most difficult and cantankerous receivers, and I would find a way to make it work,’" Allen says.
"You have to earn the trust of the trucker, receiver, or company."
And in those years Allen booked more loads than he could handle, with only just three years in the market.
“But yes, the early days were quite an adventure. From the winos, drunks, and drug addicts creating an obstacle course around our first office down at the LA Produce terminal, to the intense competition from brokers much larger than we were at the time… It was a constant challenge,” Allen notes.
Allen moved the company to its current office building in La Cañada in 1979, and though the LA Produce Market location holds a place in Allen’s heart, he hasn’t looked back.
As the company moves into a new phase of growth with an expanding footprint and new relationships in mind, Allen tells me that he won’t be slowing the pace anytime soon.
“We need to hold our carriers and drivers to a higher standard and elevate the transportation industry for the benefit of the whole,” he says.
“Remember, the most important thing is the customer. Reputation is everything.”
As Allen looks to the future he aims to uphold one goal that influences the many. “I want to maintain that family-feel of this company, no matter how far reaching our footprint spreads. We’ve only come this far because of our greatest assets, our employees. I want to give them a good reason to walk through our doors, every day.”
With his foot firmly pressed on the gas pedal, I think we can all envision the direction that Allen Lund is headed.
And from where I am sitting, I don’t see them running out of diesel anytime soon.
MONTVALE, NJ - Even before A&P announced its most recent bankruptcy, Kroger has been a name that some analysts have tossed around as a potential buyer for the 125 or more locations the retailer is selling.
Having already signed deals to sell locations to both Stop & Shop and ACME Markets, Brian Sozzi, CEO and Chief Equities Strategist of Belus Capital Advisors called Kroger the most logical candidate to buy some of the A&P stores that are still up for grabs.
Kroger doesn’t currently have stores in the Northeast, where A&P is located, and the company has not been shy about wanting to expand into new markets. Another 150 or so locations may still be on the chopping block, The Cincinnati Business Courier reports, most of which are located in New York, including New York City, Connecticut, and New Jersey. Sozzi says it could be a lucrative move for Kroger to enter New York, in particular.
Not all analysts are convinced the duo would make a good match, however. CEO Rodney McMullen has reportedly told The Cincinnati Business Courier that Kroger “doesn’t like acquiring supermarket chains that need to be fixed.” Kroger instead prefers to focus on acquiring already well-running companies. This can be evidenced by its 2014 purchase of North Carolina-based Harris Teeter.
Joseph Agnese, an analyst at S&P Capital IQ doesn't expect Kroger to buy many, however.
“I think of Kroger as more likely to be attracted to a stronger performer than a struggling chain,” he told The Cincinnati Business Courier. “I don’t see them going into a new market by buying a weaker franchise. They like to spread best practices from the companies they buy, and I don’t see that happening here.”
If Kroger acquired such a weak chain in the Northeastern market, the company may have a difficult time maintaining its success, Agnese suggests, adding that perhaps a better strategy for the company would be to buy a few fringe A&P stores to begin making inroads in that region.
As always, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to update you on this story.
CINCINNATI, OH - Kroger is hosting its own job fair across Ketucky and Southern Illinois to fill nearly 1,000 full-time and part-time positions.
According to the Courier-Journal, the retail chain has openings in almost all departments and will provide training to all new employees. Those that do work for Kroger will reportedly be eligible for benefits, in-store discounts, and career advancement opportunities.
As we previously reported, Kroger is in the midst of a growth spurt, with investments in Ohio, Texas, and plans to split its Southwest Division into a separate Dallas Division and Houston Division.
These jobs are in the southern but also midwest regions, including stores in the Louisville and Lexington areas, as well as Frankfurt, south Central Kentucky, and in Southern Illinois.
In total, 98 stores will be hiring on new staff, according to reports, and while the fair is being hosted this Saturday, July 25th, those who apply online before 11:59 p.m. on July 24th will receive a $5 Kroger gift card when attending their interview. It is requested by the company that those seeking to apply do so before the day of the fair.
According to WUKY, Kroger managers will be holding interviews on Saturday between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. at several stores, including Kentucky stores in all of the Lexington locations, Nicholasville, Georgetown, and more. Applications can be filled at jobs.kroger.com.
SACRAMENTO, CA - The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) saw the lowest amount of citations on record for the 2014/2015 year, according to its Annual Report.
“It’s our strong belief that the combination of comprehensive training, frequent audits and the requirement that all citations be corrected is what’s behind the high rate of compliance and continued improvement LGMA members have experienced over the years,” Scott Horsfall, LGMA Chief Executive Officer, said in a press release. “The number of citations issued has continually been falling since the inception of the LGMA in 2007.”
Representing less than half a percent of the total checkpoints verified during the entirety of LGMA’s audits for the year, the report showed only 370 citations were issued total of the nearly 75,000 food safety checkpoints audited at California leafy greens farms.
Details of what the LGMA’s Annual Report entails and what was found for the 2014/2015 year can be seen in the short video below:
According to Horsfall, the information found in the report, which provides an analysis of the mandatory government audits conducted through the LGMA program, is made public to demonstrate transparency.
“To be clear, the LGMA system requires that all citations be corrected,” said Horsfall. “So, in the end, the compliance rate for every LGMA audit is actually 100%.”
A closer look at the report numbers shows:
- Each LGMA member was audited an average of 5 times during the year.
- A total of 467 audits were conducted over the year.
- 99.51 percent of checkpoints were verified as compliant with LGMAfood safety metrics.
- LGMA members averaged less than one citation per audit.
Horsfall noted that the information allows the LGMA to focus its training efforts to the areas where it’s most needed, and that continuous improvement and vigilance are both core values for the leafy greens industry.
“The trends seen in the LGMA’s latest analysis are positive and clearly demonstrate the industry's commitment,” he said in the release. “At the same time, growers and shippers recognize they must continue to do everything possible to mitigate risks and protect public health.”
The full report is available online here, for those who wish to read more in depth, as well as more information about LGMA activities.
JAPAN - If you went to the grocery store today, picked up a tomato, and heard a gruff farmer’s voice say hello, would you be a little disturbed? Well, if you were in Japan that little talking tomato might just be what literally talks you into buying a whole bunch of veggies.
In a unique in-store promotional tool, Japanese developers Suda Lab and Hakuhodo i-studio’s HACKist creative lab have developed what they call, “the Talkable Vegetables.” With this tool, the voice of the farmers that actually grew the produce tells the consumer where the veggies are from and what makes them special.
"The vegetables, placed on a display stand consisting of specially designed wooden crates will, when you touch them, address you affably in the voices of the farmers who grew them,” Hakuhodo says in a press release. ”They will tell you the secret of why they taste so good.”
See the talking veggies for yourself in the video below:
How does it work, you’re wondering?
When the moisture in human skin makes contact with the vegetables, it creates an electrical signal for the vegetable to play its pre-recorded audio.
According to the developers, this one-of-a-kind technology makes it possible for:
- Consumers to confirm a farm product’s safety and trustworthiness by listening to the information from the farmer.
- Consumers to get a sense of the farming environment, origins, and values of the produce.
- Customers to enjoy a fun, next-generation experiences of vegetables themselves becoming part of the retail system.
By surprising customers with the Talkable Vegetable, vegetable sales also rose just as surprisingly. WhatDesignCanDo.com reports that with this innovation, sales rose as much 250 percent in some Japanese supermarkets.
Will this interesting innovation make its way over to a grocery store near you? Only time will tell, but take note next time you hear an unexpected voice in the produce aisle.
HERMISTON, OR - In a time when water conservation is being kept top of mind for many growers, River Point Farms is showcasing its latest efforts to save this precious natural resource.
Utilizing a combination of low pressure center-pivot irrigation and drip irrigation systems, River Point Farms has contributed to the conservation of about 7.6 million gallons of water per year – enough to supply roughly 600,000 people for a full year, according to a press release.
Working in tandem, these irrigation systems are controlled and monitored by radio telemetry and computer systems that can manage the volume of water being used for each crop, as well as the speed of each irrigation pump.
“As water is our most precious natural resource in irrigated farming, conservation and quality preservation are two of our primary objectives at River Point Farms,” said Bob Hale, CEO. “We’ve continued investing in the necessary tools to successfully conserve water.”
River Point Farms says that pivot irrigation systems provide “some of the most efficient and cost-effective water applications by operating on various soil types, as the pivots touch and irrigate every spot in every field every day.” In addition, drip irrigation systems use approximately two-thirds of the water as pivot irrigation systems, while still precisely watering the crop.
A reservoir tillage system is also used during cultivation to capture water from irrigation or rainfall. Small holes or reservoirs are punched in the soil between the onion rows to capture this excess water.
Each onion field utilizes real time soil moisture monitoring systems at 4”, 8”, 12”, and 20” depths. Growers have online access to actionable insights that allow them to optimize moisture levels and nutrient management for optimum crop growth on every field whether they’re in the office, at home, or out on the field.
For more information on River Point Farms' conservation efforts, check out our exclusive video here:
All of the irrigated farmland, on which onions are grown by River Point Farms, contain Certificated Water Rights, with the majority of the water being sourced from the Columbia River.
The irrigation distribution systems are state of the art systems which are privately owned by the company’s affiliated parties.
OVIEDO, FL - Duda Farm Fresh Foods has announced its plans to unveil the new Dandy® Simple Salad in Seconds at the PMA Foodservice Conference and Expo at booth #137. Dandy® Simple Salad in Seconds, already available for foodservice customers, is petite heads of red and green frisee lettuce or red and green butter lettuce packed in an 8-pound carton.
“The beauty of the petite heads for foodservice operators is that it saves so much time; you just have to wash, rinse, and make one cut and you’re ready to toss,” said Rick Alcocer, Senior Vice President of Fresh Sales. “The leaves are the perfect size and shape for quick salads, wraps and lettuce cups.”
The new product features a variety pack of versatile petite lettuce heads with the textures that Duda believes will make culinary creations shine. These mild-flavored lettuce heads pair well with a multitude of different proteins, dressings and other toppings.
Along with the Simple Salad in Seconds, Duda’s full line of foodservice items will be on display during the PMA Foodservice Conference and Expo at the show on Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25, in booth #137.
At PMA Foodservice’s new Strolling Chefs event on Saturday, July 25, Chef Todd Fisher will be making Tandoori Spiced Chicken Breast Salad with a Tahini-Cumin Dressing featuring Dandy® Simple Salad in Seconds with Clementines and radishes. Fisher, a Monterey peninsula resident, has more than 20 years experience as a culinary veteran, restaurateur and food consultant.
According to a press release, Fisher has worked with Duda for over 10 years, and specializes in culinary education and entertainment, and at last year’s conference Fisher won the chef demo recipe contest at the conference using Duda fresh celery and radishes.
LEAMINGTON, ON - Nature Fresh continues to see success in its quest to educate children about nutrition, and is taking further steps in its educating the next generation about health by teaming up with its local Camp Wonder.
As we previously reported, the company created a Greenhouse Education Center to bring the greenhouse directly to the consumer and show them first-hand how the process works.
“We have been experiencing great success in local schools & camps throughout the mid-west talking about health & nutrition,” Chris Veillon, Director of Marketing for NatureFresh™ Farms, said in a press release. “So when the opportunity came up to support Camp Wonder which was right in our neighbourhood, we jumped at it.”
Camp Wonder hosts a Summer Learning Program in three different elementary schools for a few weeks in July, and teaming up with NatureFresh™ Farms has been a great addition, according to Program Coordinator Katherine Ketler.
During the duration of the program, NatureFresh™ donated its time and fresh greenhouse-grown produce to each school, with Corporate Chef Henry Furtado joining each site to prepare fresh bell pepper smoothies for the teachers and kids while talking about the need to eat brighter.
“The expression on kids faces when they take the first sip of the smoothie is priceless,” Chef Furtado, who uses bell peppers, cucumbers, and variety of other ingredients, said. “The taste is unique and packed full of vitamins and healthy nutrients, the smoothies were certainly a hit!”
The company also gave all those who participated in the program an eatbrighter!™ themed t-shirt, plus a reusable grocery bag full of tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers to take home to their families.
“A big thank you to NatureFresh™ Farms for not only their time involved in educating our students in making healthy food choices and about the need to eat brighter, but also for the generous donations of fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers throughout the three weeks of the program,” Ketler said.
NatureFresh™ added that initiatives like this are part of its strategy to increase produce consumption among children of all ages, as well as educate consumers on the benefits of healthy eating.
WENATCHEE, WA - It’s the perfect time to get a jump on pink apple sales with Stemilt’s premium Pink Lady apple program.
Roger Pepperl, Stemilt’s Marketing Director, joined us for a quick interview on how retailers can get the most value out of this year’s Pink Lady crop. Listen to our interview above, or keep reading for a few short snippets of our interview below.
As one of the largest domestic Pink Lady apple shippers and one of the first to plant this unique apple, Roger tells me that Stemilt has an fantastic looking crop for retailers to take advantage of this year.
“We’re running a lot of really, really nice fruit. It’s very large fruit, so we have a lot of 72s, which is a really large size for Pink Lady,” Roger says. “The flavor profile on that apple is going to be at its peak.”
To help draw consumers’ attention to the apple category, Roger recommends that retailers utilize the Pink Lady because of its high pressures and crispness, as well as its vibrant pink color. Stemilt offers retailers pop-up display bins, as well as various POS materials to garner interest and excitement for the item.
According to Stemilt, Pink Lady apples offer a tart flavor and effervescent finish. Their bright white flesh also resists browning when cut.
For more on Stemilt’s Pink Lady, check out our interview with Roger and stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.