MEXICO - Showcasing the diverse cultural landscape of Northwestern Mexico, Sinaloa Encanta kicked off last week with a blend of gastronomical abundance, regional music and a celebration that went well into the night. Situated on the picturesque grounds of the Leyson Family’s Farming Operation, the event offered guests the chance to sample the state, in one intimate location in the capital of Culiacán.
Sinaloa brings a unique range of cultures to the table, from French, Spanish and Chinese to German and Greek. All these backgrounds inform the cuisine of the state along with its musical flavor, customs and art. Thursday night’s scene was full of crate-lined paths of regional produce and brands, to tables tall with appetizers, small bites and elaborate confections. 
It's also hard to miss the volumes of bougainvillea’s lining and weaving through the property.
Esther Tseng, Founder of e*starLA, a blog about the best finds in Los Angeles food, cocktails, and nightlife, also joined the guests to highlight some of her favorite moments from the show. Seven years now in the making, Esther has brought some of L.A.'s best known and little-known locales to the forefront for her audience.
The Board of Sinaloa Encanta searched the various regions of the state for the best blend of flavors to represent Sinaloa as a whole. With a rich history in agriculture and a swath of 622 kilometers of coastline, the event showcased 10 restaurants that best spoke to the versatile flavors of Sinaloa. Rich valleys and mountain regions also help differentiate the cuisine, represented through the locales of Culiacán, Mazatlan, Guasave and Los Mochis. These restaurants showcased dishes from rustic corn soup with dried shrimp to ceviche spiced and flavored with local fruit.
And let’s not forget the wine. Tasting tables were set up throughout the evening's festivities representing vineyards from Ensanada, down into Sinaloa. Each year Sinaloa Encanta seeks to bring together retailers, wholesalers, food industry executives and independent retailers to share and promote the best of Sinaloa’s fresh produce, livestock, fishing and seafood, as well as its culinary arts. 
The Sinaloan state alone produces 30% of U.S. produce with only 2.3% of the Mexican population, representing a large slice of the agricultural pie. The many customs and traditions also helped fuel the imagination of the show with music by El Bebeto (traditional Banda music has German origins) and the Latin American jazz sensation Francisco Céspedes. Guests included the Governor of Sinaloa, Mario Lopez Valdez (Malova); Mayor of Guasave City, Armando (Kori) Leyson and Mayor of Navolato City, Miguel Enrique Calderon.
Growers and associations attended the events as well ranging from AMHPAC and SAGARPA to Campaña Growers, AGRICO, Hortifresh, and Promotora Agroindustrial y Comercial de Tamazula, and AGSA. Grupo Panama and Cafe Marino were two of the evening's culinary guests, as well as Restaurant La Encantada. 
From a diverse display of multicultural roots, influences and musical performances to a unique gathering of farmers, politicians, entrepreneurs and artists, Sinaloa Encanta is an event to be remembered, and definitely one to mark on your calendar for next year.
For a full list of sponsors, restaurants and wineries, please see below: Restaurants – Cayenna, Cevichería El Jez, Presidio, Los Arcos, Conservatorio de la cultura Gastronómica Sinaloense, El Fish Depot, Tomo, La Encantada, Banquetes Toño Cuta.
Wineries - Adobe Guadalupe, Bodegas San Rafael, Cavas Valmar, Roganto Vinos Premium, Vinícola Solar Fortún, Vinos Lafarga, Viñas Tierra Santa.
Sponsors – AMHPAC, Asociación de Agrícultores del Río Culiacán A.C., Asociación de Agrícultores del Río Fuerte Sur AC, Asociación de Agricultores del Rio Poniente A.C., Grupo Panamá, Café El Marino/Shugar Foods, Eleven Rivers, Griundag, Inverna, Kroos Corporativo Empresarial, Purp, RIJK ZWAAN. 
I would like to thank Eduardo Leyson and his family as well as AMHPAC, Esther Tseng and the guests at Sinaloa Encanta for such an amazing experience.
NEWARK, DE - The PMA Foundation’s Women’s Fresh Perspective Conference has announced a dynamic lineup, including Academy Award-winning actor and female advocate Geena Davis. The event is scheduled for April 26-28 in San Diego, California.
While you may know her as a small-town wife shouting Beetlejuice or a fighting assassin in The Long Kiss Goodnight, Davis has a lot more to share as she speaks to you about how to transform your leadership.
A world-class athlete, member of the genius society Mensa, and founder of her non-profit advocate for women and girls Geena Davis Institute on Gender in Media, this powerful woman is a pillar for fresh perspectives.
During her segment of the conference ‘Geena Takes Aim: Empowering Women’ you can hear her share her own leadership principles while sharpening your business acumen participating in other sessions designed to help those in the industry.
And for a limit of 35 registered atendees, Executive Vice President & General Manager for Advantexe Learning Solutions Rob Brodo will deliver a Finance Boot Camp.
Other speakers include:
- Colette Carlson
- Aimee Cohen
- Jenny Evans
- Kym Harris
- Deborrah Himsel
- Cheryl Jordan
- Ken Tucker
This is a collective conference you don’t want to miss.
CASHMERE, WA - The Produce for Better Health Foundation has recognized Crunch Pak as a Fruits & Veggies—More Matters® Industry Role Model for 2014.
“I’m pleased to recognize Crunch Pak for its efforts to increase the familiarity of the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters national health campaign, brand messages, and logo with consumers, specifically with Moms and their children,” said Elizabeth Pivonka, President and CEO of PBH. “Crunch Pak placed the logo on approved packages, linked to FruitsAndVeggiesMoreMatters.org, included the logo in promotions and are strong advocates for PBH’s mission and the Fruits & Veggies—More Matters national health campaign.”
Crunch Pak was one of 62 industry Role Models selected to be formally acknowledged at an awards luncheon during PBH’s Annual Conference: The Consumer Connection in Scottsdale, Arizona, according to a press release.
“We support PBH; it’s a strong program that generates awareness for fresh produce and increase consumption of fruit and vegetables overall,” said Tony Freytag, Crunch Pak’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.
Crunch Pak has been a part of the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) foundation since 2000.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Industry veteran and 4Earth Farms leader Dave Hewitt is the company’s new Director of National Sales.
Hewitt has been a part of the 4Earth Farms team for about 12 years, according to a press release. Mark Munger, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, commented that Hewitt is one of the company’s most experienced and engaged leaders.
"While the title may be new, Dave has always been a strong leader and team builder in our sales department,” said Munger. “He has certainly earned his new title through his stellar performance and the respect he has earned from everyone in our office."
Munger added that Hewitt has worked for the last several years to grow 4Earth Farms’ retail chain business, and that its growth has been successful enough to necessitate a central leader to coordinate the procurement, value-add, and forecasting departments as they continue to expand.
“Dave’s leadership has really brought everyone together and made us greater than the sum of our parts,” Munger continued.
With with such teamwork and confidence, there is no doubt Hewitt will thrive in this new role.
BAKERSFIELD, CA - Tasteful Selections has celebrated its grand opening of the new 200,000 square foot state-of-the-art facility in Bakersfield, California. The celebrations kicked off yesterday with a ribbon cutting ceremony, press conference, luncheon and tours of the facility, and will continue for the rest of the week.
“For the past five years, Tasteful Selections has been proud to lead the specialty potato category,” stated Bob Bender, Co-Owner and General Manager of Tasteful Selections. “Our new facility is 200,000 square feet of dedicated space just for Tasteful Selections, which means endless possibilities for our future.”
Milt Carter, Co-Owner of Tasteful Selections and President of CSS Farms, continued, “We pride ourselves on everything Tasteful Selections potatoes have to offer: fantastic flavors, uniform cook times, and less preparation time with pre-washed, thin skins. Today, we get to celebrate being able to bring even more of those special baby potatoes to our consumers.”
Tasteful Selections Co-Owners Bender, Carter, and Russell Wysocki cut the ribbon for the ceremony and provided the opening statements followed by questions from the press. The company invited all attendees to the luncheon sponsored by Valley Irrigation, featuring Tasteful Selections potatoes prepared in three versatile recipes.
Members of the press were then taken inside for the opportunity to view the unique features of the new facility, according to a press release. The tours highlighted the stainless steel facility and its improved storage, refrigeration, and humidification. Retailers and foodservice professionals will also be invited for private tours in the coming months.
Wysocki, also President and CEO of RPE, stated, “When we started Tasteful Selections in 2010, we knew we had something ‘simply amazing,’ but even we were surprised by how fully our customers embraced it, and we’ve had double-digit growth every year.”
Tasteful Selections has said it has plans to open its doors to the future and welcome all to learn more about this new phase.
COMMERCE, CA - With the release of a strong fourth quarter, Smart & Final Stores, Inc. continues full-steam ahead with its store growth and the expansion of Smart & Final Extra!
The company said in its release that it expects to open a total of 20 new Smart & Final Extra! stores, complete nine conversions of legacy stores to the Extra! format, including three store relocations, and open three Cash & Carry stores, including one store relocation.
“Performance across both the Smart & Final and Cash & Carry store banners was strong, driven by our ongoing merchandising and marketing efforts and consistent store level execution,” Dave Hirz, President and Chief Executive Officer of Smart & Final, said in a press release. “Smart & Final Extra! continues to be the key to our new store growth, and, as planned, we completed twice as many new store openings and conversions to Extra! in 2014 as compared to the prior year.”
Fourth Quarter highlights included:
- Net sales increased 13.0% to $839.3 million
- Comparable store sales growth of 7.8%
- Net income of $9.3 million, or $0.12 per diluted share
- Adjusted net income increased 50.3% to $12.3 million, or $0.16 per diluted share
- Adjusted EBITDA increased 7.4% to $41.3 million
“2014 was an exciting year for Smart & Final,” Hirz said in the release. “We delivered record financial results, continued our accelerated store expansion program and successfully completed our initial public offering.”
In the 12-week period of the fourth quarter, Smart & Final opened one new Smart & Final Extra! store and one new Cash & Carry store, bringing it to more than 250 stores at the year’s end, 98 of which are Smart & Final Extra! stores. And the company’s far from finished, according to Hirz.
“Looking ahead, in 2015 we plan to continue our accelerated pace of new store openings and believe that our strong performance in comparable store sales, competitive positioning, and real estate development pipeline provide the foundation for strong operating and financial performance.”
The outlook for Smart & Final’s 2015 fiscal year appears to be a busy, but promising one. AndNowUKnow will keep you informed as we follow how this company continues to grow.
FRESNO, CA - With an eye on continuing its success as a creative marketing agency to the produce industry, Marketing Plus has welcomed Kaysha Rajan as its new Creative Services Manager.
“I’m excited to join Marketing Plus and be part of an agency that has been in the industry for over 30 years,” says Rajan. “I look forward to further developing their existing creative services and bringing new and innovative strategies to improve their quality of work, creative processes and client relationships.”
Rajan comes to Marketing Plus with over eight years of experience in account and project management. In her most recent role as Communications Project Manager for a leading energy management company, she was responsible for managing the development of marketing assets for campaigns, product launches, sales programs, and tradeshow events.
Julie Lucido, CEO of Marketing Plus, said, “Kaysha’s extensive agency experience has already made her a key addition in our diverse team. We view her not as just another addition to our team, but as a sign to our commitment to better serving our long lasting partnerships with clients.”
According to a press release, the company was in search for someone to manage a consistent flow of exceptional and creative work and with Kaysha’s talents of strong leadership, exceptional attention to detail, high energy, and creative thinking, the hire was a simple decision for the company.
LEAMINGTON, ON - Nature Fresh™ Farms has taken the eat brighter!™ campaign directly to the intended source: kids.
According to the company, the program’s successful launch prompted it to take the label to local schools and interact directly with the target consumer.
“There is no doubt that kids love vegetables and Sesame Street!” Henry Furtado, Corporate Chef, said, according to the release.
Furtado reportedly visited St. John de Brebeuf School’s first graders in Kingsville, Ontario with a cart full of eat brighter! veggies to talk to students about healthy eating and different ways the produce items (tomatoes, peppers, and cucumbers) could be used for yummy snacks.
Among numerous young comments, Isabella of Mrs. Baker’s first grade class said, “I never thought you could use a bell pepper in a smoothie, it really tasted good. I am going to ask my mom to make me one tonight.”
The company used other interactive practices to inspire the kids, such as giving them Nature Fresh™ Coloring Sheets with eat brighter! themed veggies and Sesame Street characters, which will be distributed at a number of upcoming school functions and consumer-facing events this spring.
“We need to start educating kids at a very young age what healthy snacks look like and the different ways to make them,” Furtado said. “With an endless list of fruits & vegetables available, using the eat brighter! movement as inspiration helps reinforce the message when kids see their favourite characters on a package of bell peppers (Cookie Monster) or mini cucumbers (Elmo) like Nature Fresh™ is doing.”
According to the company, all coloring sheets will be posted in early April on its website and through various Nature Fresh™ social media channels.
JUPITER, FL - Locus Traxx's GO unit has helped apprehend a Louisville man accused of stealing a semi truck filled with Yokohama truck tires in Fort Pierce, FL.
The Florida Highway Patrol was notified that the truck had disappeared Saturday in Louisville, and that it was headed south on the Florida Turnpike. Troopers were able to locate the semi at mile marker 174, thanks to the GO's location reporting capabilities.
According to a press release, Marvin Napoles Manzano was then arrested and charged with stealing cargo valued at over $50,000 and the grand theft of a vehicle, totaling over $110k in stolen merchandise.
Small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, the GO is capable of sending temperature, location, and door security information straight to the grower via smart phone or computer, providing access to critical data at any time, from any location. With real-time data available at your fingertips, your produce deliveries can be safely monitored to prevent any potential transportation problems.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Target has plans to raise the wages of workers across-the-board to a minimum of $9 an hour starting in April. This decision comes on the tails of similar moves from stores such as Wal-Mart, signaling that competition for lower wage workers is tightening.
As we’ve previously reported, Wal-Mart said last month it would raise the minimum wage for all hourly workers to at least $9 an hour starting in April and then again increase to $10 an hour in 2016. Retail wages have reportedly been growing faster than most sectors, according to The Wall Street Journal. A report from the U.S. Labor Department has identified that this year’s average retail hourly wage of $17.33 was up 2.8 percent from a year earlier, compared with overall wage growth of 2 percent during that same period.
“Our goal is to always be competitive with the marketplace,” Target's Vice President of Communications, Dustee Jenkins, said Wednesday.
While the company has not officially announced the increase, Target store managers have been telling workers about the wage increase, according to The Wall Street Journal.
John Mulligan, Chief Financial Officer for Target, recently told analysts that it was "not reasonable" to impose a national minimum rate. Paying a minimum of $9 an hour in New York City or North Dakota would not attract workers in a tightening market, according to Reuters.
"Fixating on some single number to us, on an average number is unimportant. It's about being competitive locally at a store level within a marketplace. That is important, and we're going to be competitive," he said.
There are approximately 347,000 Target workers and 1,800 Target stores in the United States. The company had previously said that it already pays its workers higher than the $7.25 an hour federal minimum wage in all its stores, but Jenkins declined to say how many workers make less than the proposed $9 an hour.