World traveller, passionate foodie, and “ball of energy,” Sarah Pau has quickly become a force to be reckoned with in the produce world. As she began her new role as Director of Marketing at Pure Flavor this year, we had to ask her: what are some of her favorite things?
Check out the full article in The Snack magazine by clicking here, or continue reading the full piece below.
Sarah Pau, Director of Marketing, Pure Flavor: My Favorite Things
1.) Cana China, Forest, ON
"My family's restaurant started my passion for food."
2.) How To Walk in High Heels by Camilla Morton
"An ultimate girl guide."
3.) MarketingMag.com
"Stay ahead with marketing, advertising, and media."
4.) What The Font App
"A great on-the-go tool for finding beautiful fonts."
5.) Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals
"I love Jamie Oliver's 15 Minute Meals!"
6.) World Best Whiskey 2014, Yamazaki
"My favorite whiskey!"
7.) Bubble Soccer
"Bubble soccer is a great stress reliever."
8.) Ramen Noodles & Bibimbap
"Japanes Ramen noodles and Korean Bibimbap are my ultimate favorite!"
9.) 3D Printer
"3D printers are a lifesaver for developing new packaging."
OCEANSIDE, CA - Exclusively marketed by Oppy, West Coast Tomato Growers is kicking off its harvest of its Oceanside Pole vine-ripe round and roma tomatoes.
Grown by Harry Singh, Jr., both tomatoes are now being shipped everywhere by Oppy and are ripe for “grown in California” local promotions.
“This season, Mr. Singh is growing his signature Sweet-10 variety, as well as a new variety that he’s trialed for the last four years,” said Mark Smith, Senior Sales Representative at Oppy. “It is testing off the charts for size, yield, flavor, and shelf life.”
In a press release, Smith praised Singh for his expertise in achieving “authentic tomato flavor.”
“Producing tomatoes on poles is a complex process that takes time, resources, and expertise,” Smith continued. “A lot of passion and care goes into every step, and you can see it and taste it in every tomato.”
Singh is joined by his son, Priya, who will oversee the season. Priya Singh will act as General Manager following the passing of Dick Keim late last year.
“Priya brings new perspective along with a deep understanding of what it means to grow tomatoes in the Oceanside Pole tradition,” said Smith. “He and his father are a great team to work with.”
Oppy is also marketing BC organic beefsteaks and tomatoes-on-the-vine from OriginO and conventional tomatoes-on-the-vine and cocktail tomatoes from SunSelect in California.
BENTONVILLE, AR - Wal-Mart has current plans to open a new warehouse and distribution facility in Polk County, Florida.
According to The Ledger, the retailer plans to invest $206.8 million into the project, occupying about 188 acres of space and providing over 600 jobs for the area.
The county commission was scheduled to have a hearing earlier this week to vote on a tax incentive planned for the move, which would give Wal-Mart a 10-year, $12.4 million property tax break under the area's economic development tax break ordinance.
"That's a heck of an incentive," Commissioner Todd Dantzler said, according to The Ledger’s report, during Monday's agenda study session. "I just wonder at some point whether we need to get something [in tax revenue] out of it."
The incentive is based on Wal-Mart’s large investment plan, granting the corporation a 100 percent tax break for what the facility could bring to the area.
"This will be a magnet for the whole area," Paul Senft, a Business Consultant for Haines City, told The Ledger. "You're within a 2 1/2- hour drive of 13 million of Florida's 19 million residents.”
The completion of the buildings are expected by the end of 2016. According to the report, if the approval goes through the tax incentives will initiate in 2017.
Final approval for the matter is currently scheduled for August 18th, needing a yes vote from a super majority of the commission in order to go through.
MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - The Australian Bureau of Meteorology is now reporting that the current El Niño climate pattern building in the Pacific Ocean is on track to be one of the strongest on record, partially due to recent cyclones in the area acting as a turbocharger.
“Several tropical cyclones, including a rare July cyclone in the southern hemisphere, have resulted in a strong reversal of trade winds near the equator,” the Bureau reported this morning. “This is likely to increase temperatures below the surface of the tropical Pacific Ocean, which may in turn raise sea surface temperatures further in the coming months.”
As we’ve previously reported, El Niño is a warming of a certain patch of the central Pacific that changes weather patterns worldwide. El Niños affect weather in different regions in different ways, and typically increases the likelihood of drought in Australia, increases rain across South America, and brings cooler summers and rain to North America. Australia, for one, has been dealing with drought condition for much of the 21st century, from 1996 to as recent as 2009.
While this is not expected to have a substanital impact on California’s drought conditions yet, any extra rain El Niño may bring could be beneficial to the state. The Australian Bureau has noted previously that it isn’t possible at this stage to determine exactly how intense this event will be, and the strength of a system doesn’t always correspond to its impact.
“All international climate models surveyed by the Bureau of Meteorology suggest El Niño will persist until at least the end of 2015. Models also indicate that further warming is likely,” the Bureau continued, meaning conditions persisting into 2016 is expected.
Historically, El Niño reaches peak strength during late spring or early summer, so stay tuned as we continue to follow this strengthening weather system.
WENATCHEE, WA - Stemilt Growers Marketing Director Roger Pepperl took the time to tell AndNowUKnow why its Kyle’s Pick and Half Mile Closer to the Moon programs are worth getting excited about as it digs into the cherry season.
“If you’re looking for a true, high-quality cherry experience, now’s the time,” Roger tells us right out of the gate, expressing how positive the season is looking.
With select cherry varieties that are measuring upwards of 21 brix, Roger also tells me that many of the cherries are currently measuring at 23 brix right now.
Stemilt's Kyle’s Pick program is based on the specifications of fourth generation grower Kyle Mathison. Following closely behind is the Half Mile Closer to the Moon program, just ten days after Kyle’s Pick finishes up.
To hear everything Roger had to say about cherry quality and Kyle’s cherry-picking philosophy, listen to the short recording above.
CALIFORNIA - With water conservation being one of the biggest issues in agriculture today, it’s no wonder that precision irrigation is moving to the forefront of many farmers' minds.
Hortau, like a number of other precision irrigation companies of late, has caught the eye of investors, and earlier this month received $5 million in financing from Advantage Capital Agribusiness Partners.
As we’ve previously reported, John Bison, Hortau’s newly appointed Irrigation Specialist said, “Hortau is really changing the game,” adding that most clients using the company’s soil tension monitoring system have changed their way of watering of using Hortau.
Hortau’s soil tension monitoring system seeks to achieve maximum results with minimal water amounts by acting as a “mechanical root,” according to the company. As it measures how hard a crop’s roots are working to extract water from the soil, the system reports precisely how much water is necessary to growers in real time.
For farmers like Will Gerry of Coastal California Blueberry Farm in Camarillo, precision irrigation practices have become an integral part of his growing operations. Gerry points out to Tech Crunch that blueberries are extremely sensitive to dry or overly wet conditions, so he uses Hortau’s precision technology to monitor plant stress and soil moisture levels in real-time. The wireless, solar-powered stations are equipped with soil and temperature sensors that report to the web in real time how his crop is faring.
Using a smart phone, tablet or computer, Gerry is able to make irrigation decisions based on the live soil tension/moisture/temperature data. Tech Crunch reports that by using an online dashboard that graphs out plant stress thresholds, Gerry knows exactly when he needs to turn on his computer-automated drip irrigation system and when to turn it off once an optimal amount of water and nutrients have reached the root zone.
For more on Gerry's work using Hortau's system, watch the short video below.
California is expected to lose about 33 percent of its surface water supply this year, Tech Crunch writes, and even is expected to fallow 6-7 percent of the state’s annual irrigated cropland. If these conditions continue, more and more growers may have to start adopting precision irrigation practices.
In addition to precision irrigation, famers also have access to the following precision ag practices:
- GPS-guided tractors and harvesters
- Weather data monitoring
- Automated irrigation systems
- Variable speed pumps
- Aerial imagery
- Drip irrigation
“By using precision irrigation management tools, local growers are able to be more proactive in the field and not only reduce water consumption but improve crop health and production,” Gil Luera, an Irrigation Management Specialist for Hortau told Tech Crunch. “It’s a critical part of the industry right now, finding innovative ways to grow more with less, and a lot of our local growers should be commended for the precision irrigation practices they’ve adopted.”
Even before we get into the hottest summer months, the drought has already led to economic losses of an estimated $2.7 billion and 18,600 jobs, according to results published in “Preliminary Analysis: 2015 Drought Economic Impact Study” by the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences.
AndNowUKnow is always looking out for the latest agricultural technologies, so stay tuned as we continue to report on future innovations.
CARLISLE, PA - Ahold USA announced yesterday that its Executive Vice President of Fresh Formats, Bhavdeep Singh, is resigning.
“It has been a real pleasure working with Bhavdeep over the last four and a half years and we thank him for setting the Fresh Formats team up for success,” James McCann, Chief Operating Officer for Ahold USA, said in a press release. “Personally, I wish him every success in his future endeavors.”
Singh has been with the company for nearly five years, but is resigning from his Executive Vice President title just over a year after being promoted into the position. According to the release, he has had a very successful career with Ahold USA since joining the team in 2011. During his time with the company, Singh has led not only the Fresh Formats team, but Human Resources and Operations teams as well.
The sudden announcement comes on the heels of Ahold officially announcing having reached a merger agreement with its former competitor and fellow Europe-based retailer The Delhaize Group.
The company does not yet have a permanent replacement for Singh’s position, but it did state that current Senior Vice President of Operations Scott Miller will oversee the Fresh Formats team on an interim basis until one is announced.
Until then, keep checking in with AndNowUKnow.
LEAMINGTON, ON - TopLine Farms’ Specialty Greenhouse fruits and veggies are officially verified as non-GMO.
“This reaffirms our commitment to providing fresh, naturally healthy, high quality produce for all to enjoy,” the company stated in a press release. “Our goal and mission is to help promote a balanced lifestyle by providing people with high quality products that enhance their quality of life through safe and healthy food choices.”
The official verification for the Non-GMO Project, according to the company, gives its consumers peace of mind when shopping for and purchasing its greenhouse-grown produce.
According to its website, TopLine Farms has been continuously enhancing all aspects of its Food Safety Management System since the 1998 development of the On-Farm Food Safety Program.
“Our Food Safety Management System involves a systematic risk assessment of potential food safety hazards throughout all stages of the food chain,” the company states.
Among these systematic assessments, the implementation of control strategies, and now GMO-free verification, TopLine Farms also encourages its consumers to continue with the proper food safety precautions it ensures “from farm to table” by doing so as they prepare, cook, and store their fresh foods at home.
GRAND JUNCTION, MI - “First Pick” is a significant ceremony for Michigan’s blueberry season, which Naturipe Farms says is about to launch into full swing.
According to a press release, local growers are working long hours to ensure that the blueberries are picked, packed and available to consumers, retailers, restaurants, and food manufacturers, both locally and throughout the country.
“These berries will reach markets such as Hong Kong and will demonstrate the demand for our high quality products at a time when export is also a key economic driver for all of us in Michigan,” Larry Ensfield, President & CEO of MBG Marketing, said in the release. MBG is a grower-owned cooperative and a founding partner of Naturipe Farms, which manages the sales, marketing and distribution of the co-op’s blueberries.
Even South Haven, Michigan, Mayor Bob Burr was present to help the ceremonial “First Pick” kick off, visiting both Ensfield at MBG and Chris Hodgman of Hodgman Blueberry Plantation.
“I am pleased to come to the MBG blueberry fields again to participate in the ceremonial “First Pick," signifying that our Michigan blueberries are on the way to consumers throughout the country as well as to key export markets around the globe,” the Mayor stated. “The family owned blueberry farms in this part of Michigan have been a key part of our economic and community development for many generations.”
Hodgman, a third generation blueberry grower-member of MBG, said that the past two winters have put some stress on Michigan’s fruit crops, including his own, but that his family has been growing blueberries for 85-years and they always find a way to produce a good crop come July.
Ensfield, who knows well the challenges Michigan blueberry growers face, agreed, saying that it requires a tremendous amount of coordination between the growers, harvesting crews, Naturipe and MBG sales and support teams, and all other aspects of the team to keep it thriving, adding, “Somehow we manage to get it all done – every year!”
According to Naturipe, the state continues to rank amongst the top states in highbush blueberry production, with growers expected to produce nearly 90 million pounds of blueberries in 2015 for fresh and frozen markets.
SALINAS, CA – Church Brothers is enacting a new program to reduce water and farm waste, while also incorporating a growing produce trend.
“The trend is going viral in the foodservice sector due to the Compass Group helping tell the #IDP story and build awareness with restaurant operators, chefs and consumers,” Vince Ballesteros, Church Brothers’ VP of Business Development, said in a press release. “We are seeing more support and requests for these edible and nutritious fresh produce items and we’re working with our distribution partners to make the introduction and implementation of these products is successful."
Aptly named #ImperfectVeg, Church Brothers is looking to sell fresh produce that, though still perfectly edible, previously would have either been thrown away or not harvested at all because it did not meet the industry standards for cosmetic attributes.
“It’s a win-win for all involved,” Kori Tuggle, VP of Marketing, said in the release, stating that this rapidly growing trend is a gift to the produce industry. “Growers, foodservice operators and chefs benefit from the halo effect of the product’s story, and consumers want to do their part in helping reduce food waste and eat vegetables that use less water to grow.”
According to the company, the items included in the #ImperfectVeg program will be:
- Direct field-packed Romaine leaves and cauliflower
- Value-added Broccoli fines
- A by-product of florets and second crop baby kale
- Baby chard
- Clip spinach
“We are starting with a small number of items to trial first with the direction of Compass Group,” Ballesteros said. “Once we receive feedback, we will evaluate where there is opportunity to improve and expand the product list.”
Tuggle added that #ImperfectVeg could be more acceptable with the foodservice sector if the company can educate chefs on what they are receiving because consumers choose off a menu description instead of with their eyes on the retail side of purchase.
According to Church Brothers, its #ImperfectVeg product line will be on display at the PMA Foodservice Expo in booth #23.