YAKIMA, WA - ‘Tis the season for cherries, and Sage Fruit is gearing up for another busy summer this year with promotable volumes in store for retailers.
While they had an anticipated end of May start, weather pushed the date back by a few days and Sage Fruit will kick off its cherry harvest this week. All signs are pointing to a fantastic crop. Demand is especially hot this year due to the earlier season. For retailers looking to get the most out of this season, now’s the time to promote, promote, promote.
“Quality should be great this year and we will be seeing lots of bigger sizes,” Kaci Komstadius, Social Media Director for Sage Fruit, tells me. “This year, the northwest is looking to pack right around 20 million boxes.”
To keep consumer demand churning for the rest of the summer months, Sage Fruit is offering retailers a way to generate even more excitement for the category with its Spider-Man pouch bags. The goal of the packaging is to attract the younger demographic and to encourage healthy lifestyles in children.
“We wanted to incorporate some kid-friendly packaging into our summer fruit program – try to attract them to cherries when they go grocery shopping with mom, dad, grandma, grandpa,” continued Komstadius.
Sage Fruit offers cherries in a 2.25 lb. size in both its Sage and Spider-Man pouch bags, and will also pack cherries in its normal slider bags. The POS material and in-store promotional items will include display ready bins, as well as unique cardboard character cutouts. Spider-Man will include a voice box that encourages consumers in the supermarket to make healthy choices.
“We’re looking forward to a great cherry season, and then heading right into the new apple crop,” Komstadius tells me. “We will continue to roll out different Disney/Marvel/Lucas packaging, while also offering Sage label items to customers too.”
It’s looking to be another exciting cherry season coming up, so stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for the latest upcoming news.
BENTONVILLE, AR - Rob Walton, the 23-year-long Chairman of Wal-Mart’s Board of Directors, officially ends his term this week, and the retailer has announced that it will continue to keep the company within the family.
Greg Penner, grandson-in-law of Wal-Mart’s founder Sam Walton and son-in-law of his successor, officially stepped into his role as the new Chairman today after the company’s Shareholder’s Meeting this morning, according to a press release.
“It would be impossible to overstate Rob Walton’s impact on Wal-Mart and how personally committed he has been over the years,” Penner said in the release. “I’m deeply honored to follow in his footsteps and recognize the deep responsibility I have to our associates, all shareholders and the Board. I’ve admired this company since my first Saturday morning meeting more than two decades ago. I believe in its mission and the positive role it plays throughout the world. I am excited about continuing to work with our outstanding senior management team and talented Wal-Mart associates at all levels of the company.”
Penner previously served as the Board’s Vice Chairman, but began his career as an analyst at Goldman & Sachs Co. specializing in corporate finance and has been a general partner of Madrone Capital Partners, an investment management firm, since 2005. Within Wal-Mart he has served in several managing and leadership positions, including Senior Vice President of Finance and Strategy for walmart.com, Senior Vice President and CFO, and has served on the Wal-Mart Board of Directors since 2008. In that time he has held positions like Chair of the Technology and eCommerce Committee, and been on the Global Compensation and Strategic Planning and Finance Committees.
“This transition demonstrates Wal-Mart’s commitment to long-term succession planning and keeping high caliber, capable leaders at the head of our company,” Walton said. “Greg’s service to Wal-Mart spans more than 15 years, and during that time he has had a significant impact, both as an associate and as a Board member the past seven years. Greg has done an outstanding job as our Vice Chairman over the past year, and he has provided strong leadership and guidance as the Chairman of our Technology and eCommerce Committee since it was formed in 2011. He brings an ideal blend of finance, technology and international business expertise – as well as a deep knowledge and love of Wal-Mart – to this role.”
According to the company, it is also re-aligning the composition of its Board committees so that most independent directors serve on at least two Board committees, including governance and strategy committees.
“This adjustment is consistent with Walmart’s approach to continuous improvement of our Board practices and sound corporate governance,” James I. Cash, Jr., Lead Independent Director for Board of Directors, said, stating that the changes made will reinforce the company’s commitment to having exclusively independent directors on those committees.
LUDWIGSHAFEN, GERMANY - BASF SE has joined Monsanto in the ring of bidding wars for Agribusiness and seed Company Syngenta AG.
As we’ve previously reported, Syngenta has already rejected a $45 billion dollar offer from Monsanto, claiming that the bid “fundamentally undervalues Syngenta's prospects and underestimates the significant execution risks.” Bloomberg Business reports, however, that the two companies are continuing talks to work on resolving antitrust concerns.
According to Reuters, BASF is now also speaking to investment bankers about the possibility of an offer for Syngenta. As of yet, BASF has made no decision and no bid may materialize, confidential Reuters sources said.
BASF has been developing improved plant characteristics, including drought tolerability, but the company still relies on its partners like Monsanto to bring finished seed products to market. According to Reuters, BASF’s €5.4 billion crop chemicals division commands about 11 percent of the global crop chemicals market, third behind Syngenta and Bayer. This potential bid, along with Monsanto’s, is expected to cause a number of antitrust related issues.
BASF could also be potential buyer of only Syngenta's seed business, analysts suggest. If Monsanto agreed to a deal with Syngenta, they may then sell its seed business to a company like BASF to allay antitrust concerns, sources tell Reuters.
DuPont Co. and Dow Chemical Co. have been mentioned as other possible bidders for Syngenta’s seed operations, Bloomberg Business reports.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for any developing news on this matter.
LOS ALAMITOS, CA - Frieda’s Specialty Produce has premiered its 2015 YouTube video series with the debut of “Specialty Produce 101: Angelcot®,” just in time to kick off Frieda’s exclusive white apricots season. Third-generation Caplan family member, Alex Jackson, daughter of President & CEO Karen Caplan and granddaughter of founder Dr. Frieda Caplan, returns as the host of the company’s video series.
You can watch Frieda’s Angelcot video below:
These one-and-a-half minute videos produced in-house in Frieda’s test kitchen offer interesting facts and recipe ideas for specialty items such as Jackfruit, Dragon Fruit, Fennel, and Pine Nuts. According to a press release, the videos are also used by Frieda’s clients to train their produce managers.
Four more videos are planned for this season. Watch more of Frieda’s Specialty Produce 101 videos at www.YouTube.com/FriedasProduce.
SAN LUIS, OBISPO, CA - Precision irrigation company Hortau Corp. has now secured financing from Advantage Capital Agribusiness Partners, LP (ACAP) in the amount of $5 million.
Hortau’s soil tension monitoring system is an agricultural technology that endeavors 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.
“This investment will help us grow the business during a critical time here in California and the U.S., where water issues are becoming the norm,” Jocelyn Boudreau, CEO of Hortau, said in a press release. “Agriculture is currently going through an evolution phase, using data-driven technologies to bring more precision and insight to the daily decision processes. Our technology is right in line with this trend, enabling growers to make better use of water resources and of various ag inputs while optimizing their return. This new partnership with Advantage Capital will allow us to make our system more affordable and accessible to our growers, accelerating adoption and creating a true win-win situation for the industry.”
Boudreau noted that this investment will allow the company to continue growing its operations in the U.S., in areas like its technical support team and “best-in-class service” for the company’s in-field irrigation management systems and mobile platform.
“Hortau’s proven soil sensing technology provides farmers with a tremendous value proposition in terms of both crop yield improvements and water conservation, which is driving strong growth in the business,” Timothy Hassler, Principal at ACAP, said. “We are very excited about partnering with Hortau and supporting its continued growth.”
The partnership is with ACAP, a $154.5-million fund licensed by the USDA as a Rural Business Investment Company (RBIC), and nine Farm Credit organizations that are part of a nationwide network of banks and lending institutions that are federally chartered to serve the agriculture and U.S. economy.
“We’re excited to be working with Advantage Capital Partners, and align with the fund’s mission to create more jobs in agriculture and improve irrigation technologies in the field,” Boudreau said. “The Advantage Capital team has been a great partner to work with. They’re well connected, know what it takes to be successful in the agriculture sector, and bring a lot more than capital to the table.”
Hortau’s soil tension monitoring system comes with full-service installation, maintenance, and technology support throughout the life of the product. According to the company, it is a proprietary, plant-centric approach that allows growers to cut back on water use while still achieving growth.
As the western states continue to experience the longest drought on record, this and similar practices are ones to keep top of mind.
CALGARY, ALBERTA - Sobeys is buying a 1.3 million square foot Target distribution center for $50 million, reports The Calgary Herald, and is the product of Target Canada divesting its interests as it exits the country. The deal is expected to close this month.
“We knew automation was an option we were exploring in Alberta. So we were looking at an option in north and southern Alberta. This one obviously became available... This one ended up being the right option for Sobeys,” said Keri Scobie, Communications Manager for Sobeys West.
While Scobie did specify that the facility will be used primarily for dry groceries, the purchase of the large grounds and expansion in automation is a large move for the chain from a retail perspective.
The distribution center is currently set to be operational by mid-2017. It is too early to tell how many people will be employed at the facility, as the company has just received court approval for the purchase, but the facility will be used to serve all of the company’s stores in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.
David Kalinchuk, Economic Development Manager at Rocky View County, said the county is pleased that Sobeys is going to take over the facility.
“The whole transportation, warehousing, logistics sector has really taken off for Rocky View as you can imagine. CN Rail being probably one of the largest and most significant of those investments with that Calgary Logistics Centre in Conrich,” said Kalinchuk. “So Sobeys, of course, having the depth and breadth in their retail really it’s a great fit. It involves additional investments as well, specific to the food side. That’s fantastic. We take what is a fairly unique property in its size with a good user that will be adding to that investment.”
Prior to being bought by Sobeys, the building was the distribution center for about one-third of the 124 Target stores across Canada.
YAKIMA, WA - Just in time for the peak of cherry season, Domex Superfresh Growers® is expanding on the success of its “Sweeten Up Your Summer” #EATCHERRIES social promotion with the addition of even more consumer-focused cherry content that will be made available to retail partners.
In honor of the program, I spoke with Howard Nager, Vice President of Marketing for Domex Superfresh Growers, about the company’s cherry program and the rest of the upcoming season.
“Domex Superfresh Growers packs and ships cherries grown on almost 9000 acres. We also ship to over 50 countries around the world,” says Nager. “Domex Superfresh Growers currently is growing both conventional and organic cherries in Washington, Oregon, and Flathead Lake, MT. Some of the varieties are Bings, Sweethearts, Lapins, Chelans, Skeenas and Rainiers.”
During the 2014 cherry season, Domex was able to drive over 20 million consumer impressions to their #EATCHERRIES summer social campaign and the cherry category on their Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest and consumer blog.
“Domex Superfresh Growers is focused on creating more meaningful consumer connections and building a more powerful social partnership with our retail partners both in-store and online with delicious fruit and great content,” Nager said in a press release. “Through social promotions like “Sweeten Up Your Summer” and delicious recipes we are fueling an active online dialog with our consumers, generating excitement for the cherry category and helping prepare our retail partners for the changing demands of the modern marketplace.”
For 2015, Domex Superfresh Growers will again offer retail partners a suite of in-store and online “Sweeten Up Your Summer” cherry promotional materials as well as cherry social media content kits that will contain vibrant new cherry recipes, product photography, variety educational information and inspirational usage ideas.
When I asked Nager about the current cherry season, he noted a considerable decrease in volumes over last year.
“The industry is now estimating a 15% decrease in the 2015 crop, with an estimated volume of 19 to 20 million boxes (2 million of which will be Rainier cherries) down from 23 million boxes in 2014,” added Nager. “The majority of the shortage is occurring in growing regions in Oregon. We will also have a small program very late in the season, with fruit grown in Flathead Lake, MT. These cherries have created a special niche in the market place with their local address being promoted by many retailers in the region. Domex Superfresh Growers is approximately 12% of the industry supply of cherries.”
Domex has also recently implemented new electronic sorting and packing equipment in both its Selah and Wenatchee cherry packing locations that helps the company maintain great quality and sizing.
“What this will enable us to do is to pack a consistent color, size and quality pack of cherries,” Nager said. “It will be especially efficient for the equipment to select larger size fruit for retail promotions.”
The equipment includes optical sizers that ensure accurate sizing, and four camera, five view optical sorting to see a larger percentage of the cherry. Each cherry is scanned both externally and internally for a total of up to 96 photos for accurate and consistent color, then sorts them by the presence of surface blemishes and softness.
Stay tuned as AndNowUKnow continues to follow Domex Superfresh Growers’ “Sweeten Up Your Summer” campaign, and update you on everything this company has to offer.
KINGSVILLE, ON - Mucci Farms is moving on up with an additional 30 acres in its greenhouse portfolio.
The company will be breaking ground on new state-of-the-art greenhouses in Canada, and a portion of the expansion will include lit culture/grow lights to help offer year-round production of locally grown and vine-ripened products, according to a press release.
“By increasing the number of months of local production, Mucci Farms will increase the efficiency of energy and decrease food miles,” the company said.
Upon the completion of this expansion, Mucci Farms will own and operate 180 acres of greenhouses, while marketing for over 400 acres. This latest addition comes soon after the company’s greenhouse, warehouse, and corporate office expansion in 2013.
Mucci Farms has expanded more than just its facilities. Its latest additions to its line of greenhouse-grown products include Smuccies Sweet Strawberries, Naked Leaf Living Lettuce and Herbs, Hotshots Mixed Hot Peppers, as well as the recent introduction of Natural Organics.
The expansion is expected to be completed this coming fall.
PASADENA, CA - Sun Pacific is inviting San Joaquin Valley area citrus growers to an open industry update meeting this June 17 from noon to 2 pm. The company is also inviting investors and any other interested industry parties to the meeting which will take place at the Holiday Inn Visalia at 9000 West Airport Drive.
Attendees will see Berne Evans, Sun Pacific’s Chief Executive Officer and citrus industry pioneer, along with other leaders from the company for a discussion on the long term outlook for the citrus industry. The panel will also discuss Sun Pacific's partnership opportunities, designed to grow citrus to be marketed through the company’s highly successful retailer relationships.
Sun Pacific is perhaps best known as the grower and marketer of Cuties®, as well as Navels and Valencias. Evans and key Sun Pacific executives will also specifically detail the marketing support behind the Cuties brand, as well as the future of export Navels.
The agenda for the Sun Pacific meeting includes:
- 11am to 12pm — Registration
- 12pm to 12:45pm — Welcome and Lunch
- 12:45 to 2 pm — Presentation
According to a press release, registration is appreciated but not required. Attendees can register with, or request additional information from Tamara Adams at 559-592-5168 or [email protected].
VERO BEACH, FL - With continued growth in the North American market, Seald Sweet International is looking to its latest initiatives to focus the company's efforts and execute its strategies. One of Seald Sweet’s recent program highlights has been in its deciduous commodity division where the company plans to boost its Mexican grape program’s production, particularly in the Hermosillo and Caborca regions.
The company is currently running its Mexican grape program from early May through the 4th of July with grapes also sourced from both Peru and Chile from mid-December through early May.
“We are in full swing with our Mexican grape program,” Mayda Sotomayor, CEO of Seald Sweet tells us. “Our product supply is fresh, consistent, with reliable quality, and ample volume for retail promotions.”
“This will be our 7th-year marketing table grapes from Mexico,” states Seald Sweet’s Grape Category Manager, Chris DeSana. “This category is a major growth item in our three-year plan. Our volumes are scheduled to double over last year and are expected to double again by the 2017 season.”
In regards to Mexico, Seald Sweet markets all colors from the beginning to the end under the Seald Sweet label and Melo Premium. As social responsibility remains top of mind, Seald Sweet is continuing its efforts to implement and continue to support programs to take transparency and worker well-being to the next level.
“But the best part of our program in Mexico is our grower partners. Unlike some of the negative press that Mexican agriculture has received lately, these growers are very well-established, third-generation family operations and are extremely reputable,” Mayda tells us. “They have a long-term, sustainable vision at the forefront of their company, which includes giving back to their workers and communities through programs and practices they have engrained in their operations and culture. We are fortunate to be aligned with them and partners with their ethically produced fresh product supply.”
Seald Sweet’s grower partners include Campos Borquez, who is Fair Trade accredited, Agroison, Empresas Heras, and Proagro. All of these growers are focused and dedicated to high CSR standards and are constantly working to enhance the lives of their communities and workers.
“Our grower partners take fair labor standards and social responsibility very seriously and give back to workers through community development, education, social programs and health and wellness resources,” Kim Flores, Seald Sweet’s Marketing Director adds. “This level of ethical standards is a priority to Seald Sweet as well as our global network of UNIVEG Companies.”
Stay tuned as we follow Seald Sweet’s expanding grape program and the social responsibility efforts of the company’s family of growers.