LOS ALAMITOS, CA - Frieda’s Try This Not That® campaign is challenging retailers, wholesalers, and foodservice distributors to add a splash of color to their produce departments or holiday menus. The effort aims to help Frieda’s clients brighten otherwise drab Fall holiday produce sets with stunning fruits and vegetables to drum up greater attention and sales.
“On the consumer side, we are encouraging shoppers with our Try This Not That® campaign to use new ingredients in their traditional holiday dishes, like Stokes Purple® Sweet Potatoes instead of orange sweet potatoes, or Meyer Lemons instead of conventional lemons,” said Karen Caplan, President and CEO of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “Not only are shoppers coming to stores and restaurants looking for specialty items, retailers and foodservice also benefit from the gorgeous colors of these fruits and vegetables in their holiday displays and menus, attracting shoppers and diners alike.”
According to a press release, some of Frieda’s more colorful holiday offerings include:
- Purple: Stokes Purple® Sweet Potatoes (conventional and organic), Purple Snow Peas, and Purple Cauliflower.
- Red: Red and Chioggia Striped Beets, and Organic Black Arkansas and Winesap Heirloom Apples.
- Yellow/Orange: Gold Beets, Orange Cauliflower, Cape Gooseberries, Meyer Lemons, Fuyu Persimmons, and Organic Crimson Gold Crabapples.
- Bright Green: Green Dragon Apples, Organic Calville Blanc Heirloom Apples, Romanesco, and Green Cauliflower.
When I imagine the holidays I think of bright colors, so it’s great to see Frieda’s taking the initiative to help bring more color to produce displays!
AMERICA - Weather forecasts predicting an approaching “polar vortex” across most of United States have the nation's shippers thinking back to last year when unplowed highways, traffic congestion, snow covered railroads, and mountains of ice and snow posed significant challenges for logistics companies.
"The polar vortex is a large pocket of very cold air, typically the coldest air in the Northern Hemisphere, which sits over the polar region," explained AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. "Occasionally, this pocket of very cold air can get dislodged farther south than normal, leading to cold outbreaks in Canada and the U.S."
According to AccuWeather, only the Southwest, Hawaii, Alaska and South Florida are expected to be unaffected by this cold front. This year, however, logistics companies like C.H. Robinson and Allen Lund are prepared for the icy conditions.
"We work with very experienced drivers, especially those that run regular lanes through Colorado,” Brodie Donaldson, Manager for Allen Lund Company, Denver. “They know what to expect and we expect them to be prepared to face the challenges, weather related or otherwise to meet their delivery requirements."
"Customers are very specific with their pick-up and delivery schedules. Polar Vortex or not, what we experienced last year was that our customers expect that we will find a way to get the job done no matter the difficulty or associated cost, and that’s what we do," agreed Lenny Sciarappa, Manager for Allen Lund Company, Boston.
Peter Goldstein, Executive Director of Global Sales for C.H. Robinson has, in fact, published a blog post sharing 8 top tips to help growers adapt to the winter weather conditions.
"Like death and taxes, bad weather will occur sometime this year,” he shared. “Rather than leave things to chance, you can use these 8 tips to help you develop a plan to deal with the most common issues that arise with capacity and rates.”
These tips are:
- Don't try to time the market.
- Maintain a stable set of service providers from year to year.
- Understand what drives ongoing fluctuations in the market.
- Shipper-receiver relationships can have a significant impact on the carrier’s engagement and satisfaction.
- Be sure the transportation providers you are using are flexible.
- Look for a link between your inbound and outbound transportation strategy that wasn’t there before.
- Be flexible.
- Communicate within your own organization.
As Peter explained, harsh weather conditions are just another fact of life for logistics companies. It is, however, reassuring to see the extensive preparations companies like Allen Lund and C.H. Robinson have in place to make sure everything runs smoothly this holiday season.
KINGSVILLE, ON – SUNSET® has been named Leamington’s Best Home Grown Business of 2014 by the Leamington District Chamber of Commerce. Winners were announced at the 20th Annual Business Excellence Awards, which included categories ranging from Innovation to Youth Excellence to Agriculture.
“We’re very honoured to have been chosen as Leamington’s Best Agricultural Business, especially in an area full of experienced growers,” stated CEO Paul Mastronardi. “It’s extremely rewarding to be recognized in our community, which we are so grateful to be apart of.”
According to a press release, SUNSET® was nominated for the Home Grown category, which focuses on research and development, innovative marketing and food safety in the agricultural sector.
As we previously reported, SUNSET® was also the official sponsor of the Leamington Tomato Festival this past year, a longstanding tradition for the town.
“This year was an important one for the community and SUNSET® truly stepped up to the plate to become the official sponsor of the Leamington Tomato Festival,” said Wendy Parsons, General Manager of the Leamington District Chamber of Commerce. “Not only does SUNSET® lead the industry but they’re leaders in our community as well. Whether it’s healthy snacks at local schools or supporting the MS Society, SUNSET® is always involved.”
Aside from the Tomato Festival, SUNSET® also joined the Chamber of Commerce and will be participating in the Leamington Christmas parade, which will be held on November 29.
Congratulations on this honor, SUNSET®!
BRAMPTON, ONTARIO - In a $10 million rebranding project, Loblaw will be bringing its Save Easy locations throughout Atlantic Canada under its Your Independent Grocer banner.
Mark Boudreau, Director of Corporate Affairs, shared that in all, 41 Save Easy locations will be undergoing this conversion process: 13 in Nova Scotia, 20 in New Brunswick, 4 in Newfoundland, 4 in Labrador and 4 on Prince Edward Island.
“It’s an unprecedented investment and commitment by the franchisees and by Loblaw in these small rural communities,” Kirk Collicutt, Atlantic District Manager for Loblaw, told The Chronicle Herald. “The conversions will add to the quality of the shop and provide the retailer with a competitive advantage in the local market.”
Kirk explained that Loblaw will share the costs associated with this project with the Save Easy franchise owners, including expenses on renovations, equipment and new store fixtures. These costs are expected to range from $250,000 to $350,000 or more per store, depending on the age of the store in question.
According to The Chronicle Herald, a key part of this rebranding process will be increasing the fresh products and meat selection available in the former Save Easy stores. Loblaw is planning on keeping local ownership, management and staff unchanged at these locations throughout the project.
“This will allow operators and franchisees in different parts of the business to connect and share ideas and opportunities to grow their business and to better serve their customers,” Kirk explained. “The conversion and the renovation of the stores will give consumers the confidence that the local market stores will remain a viable part of their communities for the foreseeable future.”
With the completion of this project, Save Easy's network of stores will evolve from the smallest in Canada into the second-largest franchise chain operated by Loblaw.
SALINAS, CA – Mann’s Mediterranean Style Snap Pea Sensations™ Kit has been named a Supermarket Star by Women’s Health magazine and is featured in the November issue out now.
According to a press release, this is the second year in a row that a Mann product has been named a Supermarket Star by the magazine, which is sold in the U.S. and Canada and has a circulation of 1.6 million.
This is good news for Mann Packing as the magazine’s demographics match up well with its target market with the readers being college-educated females with a median age of 38.
“Mann’s snap peas outsell the competitors’ five to one; we know consumers love them and we also know time-starved parents are looking for creative and healthy meal solutions that are quick and easy to prepare for their families,” said Kim St George, Director of Marketing and Innovation.
The 11-ounce Snap Pea Sensations kits come in two flavors, Asian Sesame and Mediterranean Style. Check out our previous article for a new detailed look at this versatile product.
“We’re very excited about these first-of-their-kind snap pea kits,” St George said. “There are no other vegetable kits on the market with this versatility.”
To help consumers, Mann’s produced a video showing the easy prep involved to produce a Snap Pea “Sensations” cold salad or sautéed dish. Check it out below:
Starting on November 1, the company applied over 125,000 instant redeemable coupons for $1 off of purchase to packages of the kits through the U.S. and Canada. That offer will be good through December.
Congratulations on the recognition, Mann Packing!
LOS ANGELES, CA - For the 9th consecutive year, the Allen Lund Company will be playing a key role in Navidad en el Barrio's annual holiday charity campaign. This outstanding non-profit organization has been working with the growers, shippers, and carriers in the produce industry for years in order to provide food baskets to over 20,000 in-need families across Southern California. Allen Lund will be donating the cost of transporting the donated produce and providing logistics to move it into place for this campaign.
"We are so proud of the ALC employees who take their time and expertise to help out in this very important charity work," stated Kenny Lund, Vice President of Support Operations at the Allen Lund Company. "We are happy to be a small part of a big project to help feed so many and want to especially thank our customers who donate so much to make it all work."
“Every year, the growers, shippers, and carriers in our industry come together for this cause in a way that's simply inspiring,” Nora Trueblood, Director of MarCom at the Allen Lund Company, told AndNowUKnow in agreement. “Navidad has been operating for over 30 years and with each one the donations continue to grow and grow. The reception this cause has achieved among produce companies and the numbers of families Navidad en el Barrio has been able to help over the holiday season really shows you the best of our industry. We're very proud to be a part of this wonderful cause.”
Navidad will be accepting deliveries of donated produce in Los Angeles from December 9th-12th and delivering the finished baskets n Saturday December 13th, according to a press release.
"We invite our industry friends to join us in providing a healthy Christmas dinner to these families,” Nora shared.
Want to get involved? Nora shares that any growers that may be interested in joining the 2014 Navidad team, should contact the Allen Lund Company to learn more.
This is truly a great cause and one I'm proud to see so many of the companies in our industry throw their support behind. My hope is that the support for Navidad en el Barrio will continue to grow.
WASHINGTON - The USDA has filed an administrative action against Bissett Produce Company Inc., a Spring Hope, North Carolina-based company, for failing to pay for produce under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).
The company allegedly failed to pay nine growers in the amount of $1,637,414 for 72 lots of produce it purchased in interstate and foreign commerce from September 2010 through June 2013, according to a USDA press release.
Bissett Produce Company Inc. will have an opportunity to request a hearing. Should the USDA find that the company committed repeated and flagrant violations, it would be barred from the produce industry for two years. Its principals, which were not named in the release, could not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee for one year and then only with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.
In the past three years, the USDA resolved approximately 4,600 claims filed under PACA involving more than $87 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.
NOGALES, AZ – The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas (FPAA) held its 46th Annual Convention in Tubac, Arizona from October 30 – November 1. More than 800 industry representatives from the U.S. and Mexico attended.
This year’s conference started with “Moving Social Responsibility Forward – Lessons from Mexico,” a bonus learning lunch featuring industry and government leaders.
According to a press release, the lunch event was moderated by Martin Ley, President, Fresh Evolution, and panelists included: Guillermo Martinez, Del Campo Supreme; Alicia Martin, Wilson Produce; Juan Laborin, Hermosillo Grape Growers Association (AALPUM), and Berenice Martinez from Mexico Calidad Suprema.
Ley began by saying that “now is the time to be more pro-active in sharing the story of our long term commitment to our employees and their development. It is the right thing to do for the employee, for the industry and for our community. They are searching for information that verifies the fresh produce they purchase for their families is grown in a socially responsible and sustainable manner.”
The panel also spoke of the importance of responsible worker treatment across the fresh produce sector. Laborin said, “Continued partnerships between the government and industry will play an important role in ensuring widespread adoption.”
At the event, panelist Alicia Martin added, “It is interesting to hear how our motivations to treat our workers fairly are so similar. At Wilson Produce, we have multiple generations of the same family working for us. They come back to our farms year after year because they know they will be treated with respect. We understand that when our workers are strong, our business prospers.”
Other notable highlights at the event were presentations by Bruce McEvoy, the former CEO of Seald Sweet, on how to build a global sourcing strategy, and former Congressman Jim Kolbe on Arizona’s success as a trading partner with Mexico.
Congratulations on the success of this new learning lunch.
John V. Shields, Jr., the former Chief Executive Officer of Trader Joe’s Company, has passed away at the age of 82.
Shields received his Bachelor’s Degree in 1954 and MBA in 1956 from Stanford University and served as an artillery lieutenant in the U.S. Army.
He began his business career with Macy’s in 1958. After 20 years, he left that retailer as Senior Vice President of Operations. He then moved to Mervyn’s in 1978, and after nine years there, he retired as the Vice President of Operations.
His retirement only lasted five weeks. According to his obituary, his former fraternity brother, Joe Coulombe, then offered him a position as President of the Trader Joe’s Company in 1987.
By 1989, John became the CEO. In his 12 years in that role, he grew the retailer from 27 stores to a national company with 158 stores in 13 states. In that time, sales increased from $127 million in 1987 to over $1.8 billion in 2001.
John was named the Master Entrepreneur of the Year in 1993 and honored as the Retailer of the Year by the Institute of Retail Management at California State University, L.A. the following year.
John is survived by son, John (Sandy) Shields III; daughters, Kathleen (Kelly) Shields and Karen (Kerry) Haake; son, Michael Shields; and five grandchildren, Courtney, Dominic, Cassidy, Michaela and Cole.
AndNowUKnow would like to offer our heartfelt sympathies to John’s family and friends. He will certainly be missed.
DELANO, CA - With the start of November, Paramount Citrus' Wonderful Halos are back in season and available for sale in retail establishments nationwide. Paramount is promoting this sweet, seedless and easy-to-peel family snack with a $100 million marketing campaign, the largest such campaign in the citrus industry's history.
The latest aspect of this campaign is a series of new commercials, which you can check out for yourself below:
Little Pony:
Duct Tape:
Tantrum:
Laser:
These commercials highlight Wonderful Halos as a perfect snack food for the whole family, capitalizing on the growing importance of the snacking category in the fresh produce industry.
In addition to these commercials, Paramount Citrus is providing a series of integrated activities for retailers to take advantage of, including digital buy, PR, out-of-home, trade and POS and promoting its interactive mobile app, “Halos Fun,” in the App and Google Play stores. Together with its new partnership with Mulholland Citrus, these initiatives are designed to grow and strengthen the Wonderful Halos brand.
According to a press release, Wonderful Halos will be available from November through April.
Congratulations to an excellent start to the season, Paramount Citrus!