EDEN PRAIRIE, MN - C.H. Robinson has announced that employees Paul “MO” Moline and Jim Round have been named to Fortune magazine’s prestigious “Heroes of the 500” list. Fortune’s list identifies the employees of Fortune 500 companies whose extraordinary acts of bravery, kindness, and selflessness are changing people’s lives. Paul and Jim, who have each worked at C.H. Robinson for more than 20 years, were recognized this year for their long-term support of cancer research organizations.
Moline and Round used their shared history of having parents who each had cancer at the time to create the MJ Event in 2001, a way to raise funds for cancer research. What started as a small golf tournament in the Dallas-Fort Worth area has evolved into a weekend long spectacle with a two-day golf tournament, Texas Hold’Em event, silent auction, concert, and rides around the Texas Motor Speedway with professional NASCAR drivers. According to a press release, the MJ Event has collected more than $5.5 million over the past 15 years.
“Our parents were our heroes, mentors, and best friends. We really wanted to do something to give back, with a passion to cure cancer knowing what both of us had been going through,” said Round, Regional Director of Global Forwarding at C.H. Robinson. “Our goal is to make this a huge event that can draw in different parts of the community and make a large impact on people’s lives.”
For the past five years, the proceeds of the MJ Event go to CureSearch for Children’s Cancer, a national non-profit foundation that works to accelerate the cure for children’s cancer by driving innovation, eliminating research barriers, and solving the field’s most challenging problems. As part of the MJ Event, CureSearch coordinates a fundraising walk at the Texas Motor Speedway,which attracts hundreds of attendees, including children fighting cancer.
Despite all their work to find a cure for cancer, Moline and Round were diagnosed in 2013 with the disease eight days apart from one another. Each has gone through treatment and continue to run the MJ Event each April.
“Thankfully today, Jim and I are both doing better,” said Moline, General Manager of C.H. Robinson’s Fort Worth, TX office. “We have too much left to do, so we were fortunate to beat cancer and get to this point. There are a lot of people who have helped us to get to this level, and we know we’re making a positive impact to a wide range of individuals who have been touched by cancer, but we know the mission has just begun.”
Moline promised that until the two men find a cure, their goal is to not stop.
As someone who has had cancer before, this story touched me personally, and I congratulate Moline and Round on their achievement.
AUSTRALIA - Gone are the days when you’d see a mug of orange comfort and know it as pumpkin ale. Two men around the Scenic Rim have decided to combine two of their favorite carbs: carrots and beer.
"Not only do we love carrots, we also like a beer every now and again," Richard Gorman, part Owner of Kalfresh, said in an Australian Broadcasting Corp. (ABC) News report. "Mixing those two together was just the perfect combination."
And now folks in the local area are forgoing the V-8 in favor of a brewsky to reach their veggie requirement.
"I've had a lot of people saying 'is this my daily serve of vegetables,' which I don't think one schooner is but probably two might be close, who knows?” Queensland Craft Brewer Wade Curtis told ABC.
The Wabbit Saison (a hat tip to Elmer Fudd) is the brainchild of Gorman and Curtis, born after Curtis visited Kalfresh with his family and had an idea.
"I saw the carrots and I thought 'it's a vegetable, it's got sugar, it can be converted to alcohol, wouldn't it be great to pair with beer?'" Curtis said in the report.
And if there is anything we like better than mixing beer with produce, it’s making beer with produce that would have otherwise become shrink. According to Curtis, the brew is composed of about 16 percent carrot juice from crop that Kalfresh would not have been able to sell, adding value and interest to the area of fresh produce that can be most challenging.
"That's one of the things that does annoy us as a producer - to go out to the waste bin and have a look at some of the things that are perfectly edible but don't get sold," Gorman said, adding that this year would produce more than 1,000 acres of carrots - about 20,000 tons.
Wabbit Saison evidently tastes like beer, but with a signature bright orange tint, which were the duo’s two main parameters. It is already on tap at the Four Hearts Brewing Company in Ipswich, west of Brisbane, part-owner of the brewery.
While Curtis said that the carrot beer being produced on a grander scale depended on economic viability and the all-important taste test, they have also delved into the area of carrot beer ice cream.
Yes folks, we went there.
"It's about promoting the local area," Curtis said, saying that they made a 1,200-litre brew with an added 200 litres of pasteurised carrot juice, which came out “fluoro orange."
And apparently since it began flowing he has heard the locals talk more and more about the food produced by local farmers. Drinking vegetables has just gotten so much more fun.
DONNA, TX - Kingdom Fresh Farms has recently installed new tomato sorting equipment, in what they say is an effort to improve efficiencies to meet increased volumes. According to the company, the new machinery will provide not only labor and financial savings, but also increase output.
“We are very pleased with this new, state-of-the-art equipment that not only allows us to increase our daily volume, but to improve our bottom line so we can focus on quality and new business,” said Guillermo Martinez, General Manager. “This line provides for an improved product flow providing less stress points on the tomatoes which reduces the potential for bruising allowing us to offer even more consistent quality.”
The new equipment will be used for handling both beefsteak and roma tomatoes and is expected to more than double the current capacity, while offering substantial monthly operating savings.
Kingdom Fresh reports that the savings from the equipment show a tangible return on investment and are symbolic of the keen business strategy that guides facility improvements and expansions that the company expects to undertake in the future.
SEVERN, MD - US Foods has announced a tentative decision to close a distribution center in Maryland's Anne Arundel County, a move that would force a shift of operations to the company’s other area facilities.
"This tentative decision was made after a thorough review of our distribution network serving the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area revealed that we can provide the same high level of service to our customers in a much more cost-effective manner," US Foods said in a statement. "During the upcoming weeks, US Foods will be meeting with union representatives and other stakeholders to discuss the possible closing.”
With 350 people employed by the warehouse, officials with the Anne Arundel Workforce Development Corp. have told the Baltimore Business Journal that they plan to reach out to US Foods about the potential layoffs and work on helping impacted employees find new jobs.
The decision to close the warehouse comes on the heels of the company’s $3.5 billion merger with Sysco Corp. As we’ve previously reported, the Federal Trade Commission and several states are trying to block the merger, arguing it would create a monopoly in the food distribution industry.
US Foods Spokeswoman Michelle Calcagni told The Baltimore Sun that the potential closure of the Severn facility is entirely unrelated to the proposed merger.
FRESNO, CA - Flavor Tree Fruit Company has a unique hybrid in store for the stone fruit market: the Verry Cherry Plum. I spoke with Flavor Tree Sales Assistant Kaleb Smith about what makes The Verry Cherry Plum special, and the future of the unique fruit.
The Verry Cherry Plum is a proprietary and interspecific fruit introduced by the company in 2011, developed exclusively for Excelsior Farming and The Flavor Tree Fruit Company by a private plant breeder, Zaiger’s of Modesto, CA. Zaiger’s has been involved in the industry for over 40 years and is known throughout the industry for its expertise in different fruit hybrids.
The parents and grandparents of the Verry Cherry Plum include several different varieties of cherries—Bings and Stellas, to name two. Multiple different plum varieties are also included in the parentage and grandparentage of the hybrid.
"This Verry Cherry cross has been in development over the last eight years, and in 2012, most of the tress had reached commercial production levels for the first time," Smith tells me. "This interspecific fruit combines the sweetness of a cherry with the juiciness of a plum while still having a very nice crunch."
2015, however, may be the year that volumes for the product increase to more promotable levels.
"The fruit is packed into 1# clamshells, and The Flavor Tree is planning to introduce a new pouch bag for this season as well," adds Smith.
With harvest for fruit beginning in late June or early July, this is definitely an item I'll be keeping my eyes out for in the coming months.
JUPITER, FL - Locus Traxx Worldwide will be helping customers of The Oppenheimer Group in a new partnership, tracking and monitoring products in transit all over.
“We are excited to partner with Oppy, one of the leading companies in the produce industry,” David Benjamin, President and CEO of Locus Traxx Worldwide, said in a press release.
Locus Traxx monitors the temperature, location, and security of products in real time. According to Benjamin, the company’s IoT (Internet of Things) and EDI platforms made for an easy and fast integration between the two companies’ respective systems so that it could provide Oppy with the opportunity to enhance productivity and efficiency, develop new services and improve real-time decision making.
“Oppy is now using our original SmartTraxx GO products on their shipments in North America and our new GO XL (Ocean) product on shipments out of Peru,” Benjamin added. “That’s worldwide control.”
Steve Roosdahl, Executive Director of Supply Chain at The Oppenheimer Group, said in the release that a single order could previously require five to ten calls, multiplied by over 80,000 orders shipped in a year, meaning the company’s call volume could be as high as 800,000 conversations.
“By giving everyone involved in the transaction access to location and temperature details, knowledge is shared much more efficiently, allowing for out-of-temperature loads to be corrected and alternate solutions to be considered long before arrival,” he said.
Roosdahl also stated that every order requires good communication between Oppy transportation, sales, and quality assurance staff and the customer, making efficiency and quality very important. Locus Traxx, he said, “makes it easier to achieve both” by providing cost effective real-time temperature and truck location updates through EDI, visible in Oppy’s in-house ERP systems.
FRESNO, CA - On Saturday, August 15, 2015 from 9am – 1pm, the 12th Annual California Fig Fest will return to California State University, Fresno, to celebrate California Figs and enjoy new features that have the locals and “foodies” world-wide buzzing with excitement, according to a press release.
Celebrity chef sensation, Fabio Viviani, television’s favorite Italian from BRAVO’S hit television series “Top Chef”, will headline at this year’s event to share his love of California Figs. A seasoned host to some of California’s most popular foodie events, such as the Sunset Magazine Celebration Weekend and the Pebble Beach Food and Wine event, Viviani will join in on the fig fun at this year’s event with a live cooking demonstration, which will be recorded for inclusion into his new television show, Global Bites. Event guests will have the opportunity to be a part of a live television audience as a production crew records Fabio’s every move.
Fabio Viviani stated, “I’m very excited to see so much enthusiasm for the California Fig - from one end of the state to the other. It’s an amazing fruit that has so many potential uses – both as a sweet and savory ingredient... cooked, baked and enjoyed fresh or dried. They are amazingly delicious!”
The event will include:
- California-Fig Inspired Gourmet Foods
- Fresh and Dried Fig Sampling
- Craft Beer, Wine and Cheese Tastings
- Over 50 Vendors – from California artisan food purveyors to local artisans – there’s something for everyone!
- A Fig Culinary Expo sampling fig-inspired dishes from some of California’s best restaurants and executive chefs
- A California Fig-Inspired Chef Competition with Celebrity Judges
- Live Television Show Taping of Viviani’s New TV Show, “Global Bites”
- California-Fig Inspired cooking demonstrations by Chef Fabio Viviani
- A presentation by the California Fig Industry leaders and local growers
- Live Music and Entertainment
The event will benefit Fresno State University’s Ag One Foundation and the Fresno County Sheriff's Department. The event is being produced and managed by Fresno based Culinary Competitions International.
"California Figs have long been adored by the culinary elite for their versatility and unique flavor," said Karla Stockli, Chief Executive Officer, California Dried Fig Advisory Board and Fresh Fig Growers Association. "And, now, figs are finding their way onto more and more menus and cooking shows, as well as into a growing number of cookbooks and grocery carts, further validating what we in Fig Country have known for years – there's nothing in the world like a California Fig!” Stockli further stated, “We are thrilled with the way the California Fig Fest 2015 is shaping up and promise it will be a FIGilicious experience for all!”
With the event’s newer and grander additions, attendance is expected to increase substantially to an anticipated 3,000 people from all over the state of California and beyond.
IRVINE, CA - The California Avocado Commission (CAC) had announced June as “California Avocado Month,” and the group is gearing up to promote the fruit with an integrated marketing campaign. All activity with foodservice operators, retailers, chefs, dietitians, bloggers and consumers throughout the month is focusing on both the California avocado season, and the origin of the fruit.
“It’s exciting to have third-party influencers and even customers tell the California Avocado Month story,” said Jan DeLyser, Vice President of Marketing for CAC. “Marketing activities like these encourage consumers to expand their consumption of California avocados.”
One promotion, by restaurant chain California Tortilla, is an example of a foodservice operator getting involved with CAC’s program. The chain is celebrating California avocados all month with flyers, social media and in-store point-of-sale material that features an open avocado, the Hand Grown in California logo and the edgy headline, “You Don’t See Kale Getting Its Own Month.” California Tortilla also invited its patrons to free chips and guac (with purchase) on June 17.
According to a press release, California Avocado Month retail activity includes product demonstrations, in-store activity and “meet the grower” events, as well as supermarket registered dietitians’ consumer programs. For example, on Colorado’s Channel 2 news, King Sooper’s dietitian mentioned California Avocado Month as well as shared tips for using California avocados at breakfast time, in smoothies and salad dressing.
Public relations support of California Avocado Month is also kicking off, with an artisan chef media dinner taking place on June 4 at celebrity chef Curtis Stone’s Maude restaurant in Los Angeles. The event encouraged media to develop coverage around California avocados, and offered seventeen influential media representatives a chance to attend a 10-course avocado-centric meal that showcased the versatility of California avocados in various dishes.
Through registered dieticians, CAC’s public relations outreach has resulted in more than 10 million media impressions for California Avocado Month to date. Maggie Moon, author of "The Elimination Diet Workbook" went live on the Livestrong.com blog, posting on "26 Things You Didn't Know About Avocados.” Moon noted June as California Avocado Month, and provided reasons why to choose California avocados. Manuel Villacorta, author of "Eating Free," "Peruvian Power Foods" and "Whole Body Reboot," also featured California Avocados in a segment on California Superfoods that aired live on the Spanish language program "Al Despertar" on Univision 14 in the California Bay Area. Villacorta is also cross-promoting the segment on his social media channels.
LEAMINGTON, ON - Rolling out across North American retailers, schools, and consumer events this summer and fall is NatureFresh™ Farms’ mobile “Greenhouse Education Center,” designed to teach consumers how their produce is grown, from seed to cultivation.
To learn more, I spoke with Chris Veillon, Director of Marketing at NatureFresh™ Farms. Listen to our interview above, or check out some of the snippets from our conversation below.
“[The Greenhouse Education Center] was really derived from seeing a void in the industry where consumers just didn’t know how greenhouse produce was grown,” Chris tells me. “When they are standing in front of it, they get to see real live plants up and close. They see the growing medium that plants are growing in. They see the irrigation drips and how the plant is fed with water and nutrients.”
The NatureFresh™ Greenhouse Education Center is a 38-foot custom built trailer that has six different cassettes that hold a variety of products, including three different colors of bell peppers, English cucumbers, cocktail tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes.
Last May, NatureFresh™ unveiled its Greenhouse Education Center to hundreds of customers Loblaw Companies owned ‘ZEHRS’ store in Cambridge, Ontario.
“We’ve partnered with a number of retailers in Canada and the U.S. who have made it quite clear that they want to have this as part of their summer programs,” Chris continued.
To hear the latest for this exciting, innovative program, check out my interview with Chris above.
BIRMINGHAM, AL - U.S. District Court Judge Virginia Hopkins has made a determination in the case of former Adams Produce Chief Financial Officer John Stephen Alexander.
As we previously reported, the former owner of the company, Carl Adams III, sent a letter to the judge asking for leniency in Alexander’s case, and it appears his words were heard. Judge Hopkins’ final ruling is six months of home detention as part of a federal probe into Adams Produce’s contract with the military for produce, according to AL.com.
"Mr. Alexander is deeply appreciative of the court's consideration of the entire body of his life's work,” Augusta Dowd, Alexander's attorney, said, according to the report. “The judge's sentence is just and fair.”
The conditions of Alexander’s sentence also included serving five years supervised probation after his release from house arrest, an order from the judge to inform future employers of the case, and joint responsibility with other defendants from the case in paying restitution to the military.
While the sentence does reflect Adams’ apparent wishes and came as good news to Alexander and his defense, U.S. Attorney and case prosecutor George Martin reportedly objected to the ruling.
Martin, who looked for a year of prison time for Alexander, told Judge Hopkins during the hearing that a message needed to be sent to corporate officers, according to AL.com. He argued that Alexander knew it was wrong when he failed as Adams Produce’s CFO to report that company officials were committing fraud.
The sentence falls eight months after Alexander was charged with one count of conspiracy, 32 counts of aiding and abetting wire fraud, instead pleading guilty to one count of withholding information on a crime in an agreement with the U.S. Attorney’s office.