MONTREAL, QC - Fresh, premium seasonal citrus isn’t the only thing Sunkist has in store for this year’s Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) Convention and Trade Show. The company is also introducing new point-of-sale materials to increase the ring at the register.
“Springtime is all about fresh, and at Sunkist we’re pleased to be revealing a fresh new look to our retail marketing materials at the CPMA convention and trade show,” said Julie DeWolf, Director of Retail Marketing. “Our new point-of-sale collateral makes our bright, beautiful citrus shine against a rustic background that evokes the heritage of Sunkist’s 120-year growing history.”
New fully customized secondary display bins will also be one of the highlights at Sunkist’s booth #1005 during the show.
These new quarter bins are capable of holding 60-80 pounds of citrus, can be easily assembled, and can stand alone or be used to create a waterfall display off standard produce tables, according to a press release. The inner structure is a blank corrugate bin which is then covered with a high-graphic corrugate sleeve.
“Sunkist is now able to ship customized bins for unique retail promotions extremely quickly, creating a huge marketing advantage,” added DeWolf.
The new materials help showcase specialty varieties such as Gold Nugget variety mandarins, which can also be sampled at the booth along with Sunkist’s in-season specialty varieties including Cara Cara Navel oranges, Minneola tangelos, Ojai Pixie tangerines, Meyer Lemons, and its Lil Snappers® brand.
Chef Jill Davie will be on hand serving Sunkist® Orange and Tomato Gazpacho with Sautéed Lemon Shrimp and Sunkist® Flatiron Steak with Citrus Spiked Butter Beans incorporating Sunkist oranges, limes, and lemons.
And last but not least, the cooperative will feature digital and POS materials featuring Sunkist’s growers as part of its Sunkist Family Stories program. This multimedia storytelling campaign shares the history and continual innovation of the family farmers that comprise the Sunkist cooperative.
“Consumers today are looking for a more meaningful connection with the food they purchase and feed their families,” said Joan Wickham, Advertising and Public Relations Manger. “The Sunkist Family Stories campaign allows our growers to share their rich history, values, and pioneering growing practices that have made Sunkist the leading name in citrus – building a deeper consumer connection with our brand.”
If you’re attending the CPMA Trade Show and Convention, check out Sunkist at booth #1005 to find out more information about these new POS materials.
WASHINGTON - The USDA has cited Bissett Produce Company Inc. for failure to remit net proceeds for produce.
While acting as a growers’ agent, the company had allegedly failed to remit to nine growers net proceeds totaling $1,637,414 for produce that it received, accepted, and sold on the growers’ behalf between September 2010 and June 2013, according to a USDA press release. As a result of these actions, USDA and Bissett Produce Company Inc. have entered into a consent decision barring the company from operating in the produce industry until March 31, 2017, at which time it may reapply for a PACA license.
The company’s principals, Finley D. Bissett II and Ted L. Bissett II, may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee until March 31, 2016, and then only with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.
In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 4,250 PACA claims involving more than $77 million. The USDA also assisted more than 7,000 callers with issues valued at approximately $110 million. Individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, members, managers, officers, directors, or major stockholders may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee without the approval of the USDA. The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), PACA Division, regulates fair trading practices of produce businesses operating subject to PACA.
LAKELAND, FL - Publix has made yet another move further into the state of North Carolina.
The Florida-based supermarket retailer has purchased two Lowes Foods locations that had been previously closed down, rounding up the company’s store count in the state to ten in the last twelve months.
“We’ve opened eight stores in North Carolina within the past year, solidifying our commitment to growth within the state,” Ed Crenshaw, CEO of Publix Super Markets, Inc., said in a press release. “As the largest employee-owned supermarket in the nation, our associates are passionate about serving customers, and meeting and exceeding their expectations. Our service- oriented culture is continuing to foster a loyal customer following in North Carolina and across all our market areas.”
While the financial terms were not disclosed, the agreement the two companies reached is expected to come to a close later this month. When the two new locations will open, Publix said, depends on the amount of remodeling.
"As a homegrown grocer serving our guests in the Carolinas since 1954, we continue to be excited about the future of Lowes Foods," Lowes Foods President Tim Lowe, said in the release.
Lowe also commented that the two locations sold to Publix were closed and vacant as part of the company’s strategy for comprehensive growth. Looking forward, Lowe’s Foods plans to build new stores, accelerate investment in the rebranding of existing stores, as well as evaluating strategic opportunities in the market place.
PLANT CITY, FL - It’s 2015, but the fields are not yet teeming with agri-bots. They endeavor to make life easier, as well as pay for themselves in labor cost.
And they are robots, which is automatically cool. So why, then, is this something that still tends to be more conceptual than commercial?
According to Owner of Wish Farms and Co-Founder of Harvest CROO Robotics Gary Wishnatzki, it’s the inconvenience of having to grow from a new approach to accommodate these technologies. And he seeks to change that with the Harvest CROO’s automated strawberry picker.
"I charged our engineers with the task of creating a 'picker' that does not require a grower to radically change the way they currently grow," Gary said in a press release. "That is the major reason other robotic harvesters have not yet been commercialized."
The first of its kind in strawberry-picking technology, this robo-hand will pick on traditional strawberry beds, with no change necessary on the grower’s part.
"With robotic manipulation, our biggest challenge is minimizing time," Chief Technical Officer and Co-Founder, Bob Pitzer, said in the release. Bob outlined a concept for the robot prototype after studying how human pickers work in the fields, collecting information to create a machine that would mimic the same methods and maintain traditional harvesting. "Based on our observations, our goal was to develop robots to pick as many berries as possible while utilizing conservation of motion."
Harvest CROO currently has a utility patent, with provisional patent filed, and Wishnatzki believes in the positive impact the robot will have on the industry.
“As a member of the agriculture industry, I have seen, first hand, the imminent need for an automated solution in strawberry harvesting,” Gary told us. “Once fully developed, it promises to revolutionize the strawberry industry.”
And others appear to agree. The company raised one million dollars in Phase I of the project from several qualified investors, seven of which are in the strawberry industry. With Phase II, the company seeks to raise an additional $1.5 million for the Alpha unit, the next version to the existing picker, which will be able to pack the berries as well.
Will this be what brings the vision of fields of automated aids to life? The Alpha unit will still be the predecessor to a model for production, so we will have to wait to find out.
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SACRAMENTO, CA - In an effort to educate children on the benefits of being active and eating healthy, General Produce is hosting multiple events at participating commissaries this month to celebrate the Month of the Military Child.
“These events are a highlight for all who are involved and support General Produce’s mission to educate our youngest consumers,” said Linda Luka, Marketing Director for General Produce. “The benefits of healthy eating combined with staying active will create a fit for life generation.”
This promotion will tie in with General Produce’s participation with PMA and Sesame Workshop’s eat brighter!™ campaign and DeCA’s “5-2-1-0” message, which stands for a daily regimen of eating 5 or more fruits and vegetables, reducing recreational screen time to 2 hours or less, getting 1 hour or more of physical activity, and drinking 0 sugary beverages, according to a press release.
“Kid’s Zones” at each participating commissary will allow children to sample fresh fruits and vegetables and track daily activity and healthy eating habits on a weekly worksheet. Every completed ‘eat brighter!’ form can be returned to the stores for a chance to win a bicycle at the end of the month-long celebration.
The outreach events include:
- April 10, “Feel Like a Kid Again” Health Fair at the McClellan Commissary
- April 18, “Kid’s Day Event” at the Porter Youth Center
- April 23, “Kid’s Zumba and Salad Bar Event” for more than 500 students and staff at Lone Tree Elementary School on Beale Air Force Base with a bicycle giveaway
- April 24, “Kid’s Day Event” with a free shopping experience, a sampling table and a bicycle giveaway at Lemoore Child Development Center
Come out and support eating healthy habits with General Produce!
KINGSVILLE, ON - Two decades ago, SUNSET® introduced to the world The Tomato Lover’s Tomato™, better known as the Campari®. Today, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of this misfit turned cult classic, SUNSET® is taking another look at the inception of Campari® as well as launching a new consumer sweepstakes this week to promote the brand.
“One of our customers had approached us one day and said ‘let’s throw out all the rules that say big, big, big. Let’s just focus on flavor. See what that looks like,’” said Paul Mastronardi, CEO.
Introduced in 1995, the unique European variety was uncharacteristic of its bigger counterparts at the time. It was small, comparable to a golf ball, not watery, and as you can imagine, not many people were sold on the unique size or look at first.
“It wasn’t until people tasted it, that they were truly convinced it was the real deal. Then they were hooked. We’ve never slowed down since,” continued Mastronardi.
It took hundreds of varieties, as well as countless taste tests conducted by employees, family members, and customers that SUNSET® had finally achieved perfection.
Known for its deep shade of red, unique size, and balanced sweet and acidic flavor profile, the Campari® is considered to be one of the most versatile tomatoes in the kitchen, ideal for everything from a breakfast omelette to fresh pasta sauce, according to a press release. Thousands of chefs, retailers, and consumers look to the brand for reliable and consistent flavor, as well as its juicy texture.
“Nearly everyday we receive emails, letters, or calls from consumers thanking us for growing such a fantastic product,” said Daniela Ferro, Communications Coordinator. “It’s pretty amazing when people share that they’ve always hated tomatoes until they’ve tried Campari®.”
SUNSET® is honoring 20 years of Campari® by launching a 20 week sweepstakes starting this week where consumers can win a trip for 2 to Tuscany, Italy.
You can visit sunsetgrown.com/recipes to check out some of SUNSET®’s favorite ways to enjoy Campari® and enter the sweepstakes for the trip of a lifetime.
NEW YORK, NY - “On the one side, this eating mindfully and vegan seems to be the solution to nutrition, to health, to global warming… On the other side: Corned beef. How do we bridge that gap?”
Well if that’s all that’s holding you back, Jon, you’re practically vegan!
Or so says animal activist and vegan lifestyle advocate Gene Baur, who endeavored to convince Jon Stewart when he appeared on the Daily Show last week, which you can see in the video below.
The famed comedian brought Baur on to discuss the benefits for both the individual and the world of going vegan, a decision Stewart seems only to oppose for the lack of convenience and maybe a few dishes he would have to give up.
But he might change his mind if things keep going the way Baur says they are.
“They are getting better every year, and it’s getting easier than it’s ever been,” Baur told Stewart, speaking on substitute foods that incorporate traditional flavors without the use of meats or dairies.
The rising convenience and substitutions could be part of why we are seeing a rise in vegan advocacy. As we reported previously, celebrity power couple Beyonce and Jay-Z decided to make a permanent change to vegan after successfully completing a 22 day challenge. Other big names that switched to a produce-fueled and anti-animal diet include:
- Ellen DeGeneres
- Anne Hathaway
- Tobey Maguire
- Olivia Palermo
- Joaquin Phoenix
- Alicia Silverstone
- Lea Michele
Baur also reinforced the global impact veganism could have by eating a more produce-based diet, saying it is a simple decision of what we eat and could conserve resources used to raise animal foodstock.
While Stewart did not necessarily declare himself converted to the vegan way at the end of the show, he did push purchasing Baur’s book “Living the Farm Sanctuary Life,” complete with recipes and tips Stewart said beautifully laid out how to live vegan.
Soon, John. Soon.
WASHINGTON - The USDA has lifted PACA reparation sanctions on Grambs Produce LLC, a Nogales, Arizona-based company.
Grambs Produce LLC has reportedly met its obligations and is now free to operate in the produce industry, according to a USDA press release. Mario Grambs was listed as a member of the business and may now be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee.
The company had formerly been restricted from operating in the produce industry for allegedly failing to pay a $13,954 award in favor of an Arizona seller.
In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 4,250 PACA claims involving more than $77 million. The USDA also assisted more than 7,000 callers with issues valued at approximately $110 million. Individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, members, managers, officers, directors, or major stockholders may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee without the approval of the USDA. The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), PACA Division, regulates fair trading practices of produce businesses operating subject to PACA.
JAPAN - This is a story that made those of us who love produce reconsider island living.
Apparently in Japan it’s pretty normal to spend about three dollars on an apple, and strawberries are a downright delicacy at $500 a berry. But Tokyo has really set the bar as far as what we are willing to spend on mangos.
Two of these brightly colored fruits went up for auction yesterday, and when the gavel fell one wealthy buyer reportedly spent 300,000 Yen (about $3,000).
Yes, about $1,500 a mango. And they didn’t even get to see how they taste.
According to a Japan Today report, the cherished produce was airlifted to the buyer’s luxury store in Fukuoka where he priced them down to 210,000 Yen (over $1,600). What a bargain!
The mango pair was apparently part of the “Taiyo no Tamago” (Egg of the Sun) label, considered top of the line because any mango must have a high sugar content and weigh more than 350 grams to qualify.
While our heads are still spinning for what has to be a record for mango purchases, it’s not the most outrageous spending spree the country has recorded for buying produce in general. According to CTV News, the overall champion still stands from a 2008 bid for a pair of cantaloupes that went for $32,000. Yes, dollars.
Wow.