LINDEN, CA - Sanguinetti Family Farms is currently harvesting this fall’s Red Walnut crop in Linden, California.
Celebrating the start of harvest season, Ron and Chris Sanguinetti, cousins and growers, were featured on “Good Day Sacramento” to discuss the crop and what the company has to offer. Check out the video here:
“We came across these walnuts when I was working about 10 years ago and realized no one else has them,” the cousins shared. The two were immediately struck by their uniqueness and amazing potential for consumers, chefs, and bakers of all stripes, as well as the potential Red Walnut could have during Christmas time.
Rex Lawrence, President of Sanguinetti’s sales and marketing partner, iFresh Sales, appeared on a later airing and discussed the company’s growing domestic and international sales in retail and food service. Check out that video of Rex on the show here:
"Yields appear to be good this year, and the quality and color of the nuts are beautiful," Lawrence shared. “Based on customer feedback and sales, we expect a good selling season. Our peak selling period starts in mid-November and extends through Valentines Day in order to take full advantage of the winter holidays, January's salad season, and Valentine's Day baking. As our crop grows, the season will continue to extend.”
According to a press release, Red Walnuts are all-natural, non-GMO and have a less bitter taste than regular walnuts. The company has limited supplies and will continue selling this season’s crop until supplies are sold out.
ORLANDO, FL - Darden's shareholders have spoken, and based on the results of the preliminary vote count at the Company's 2014 Annual Meeting, all 12 Starboard-nominated directors to Darden's Board of Directors have been elected. According to a press release, with their appointment, Darden has now overturned its entire Board, placing the company's future in a number of fresh faces, which include:
- Betsy S. Atkins
- Margaret Shan Atkins
- Jean M. Birch
- Bradley D. Blum
- Peter A. Feld
- James P. Fogarty
- Cynthia T. Jamison
- William H. Lenehan
- Lionel L. Nowell, III
- Jeffrey C. Smith
- Charles M. Sonsteby
- Alan N. Stillman
“Darden's future is bright. The new Board is prepared and excited to immediately begin working alongside Darden's management team to put Darden on track for long-term value creation for all shareholders,” shared Starboard CEO Jeffrey C. Smith on behalf of the new Board. “The new Board wishes the departing directors well, and we thank them and their advisors for ensuring a smooth and seamless transition process that will allow us to immediately focus on the priorities at hand, including the selection of a transformational leader to be Darden's CEO."
The outgoing Board agreed with this optimistic assessment of Darden's future. On behalf of the rest of the former Board members, Charles A. Ledsinger Jr., former Independent Non-Executive Chairman of Darden's Board, shared his gratitude to the company and the people he had worked with during his time there.
"We are extremely grateful to Darden Restaurants' talented and dedicated management and employees who, day after day, serve our customers with distinction and are the backbone of what makes Darden the preeminent casual dining company,” he said. “We give our best wishes to the incoming directors, welcome the reconstituted Board and look forward to seeing continued progress at Darden. On behalf of the outgoing Board, it has been our privilege to serve."
"I am incredibly proud of our employees for their energy, passion and focus,” agreed President and Chief Operating Officer of Darden Gene Lee on behalf of Darden's employees. “Despite the recent distractions, our terrific employees remained focused on our priorities in the restaurants...We are grateful that there is clear resolution at the Board level and very much look forward to working with our new Board to continue to drive improvements throughout the organization."
In the wake of this decision, Darden's stock is down $0.09, or 0.18% to $49.18/share, as of 10:19am PT.
SALINAS, CA - Green Giant™ Fresh has created a new Box Tops microsite and is also introducing its first recipe eBook.
“Today’s consumer values convenience and healthy living,” said Jennifer Fancher, Director of Marketing. “Our recipes and serving suggestions on-pack and online provide family friendly meal and snacking inspiration.”
The microsite features printable Box Tops clips collection sheets, a full list of Green Giant™ Fresh’s Box Tops products, and a link to redeem Box Tops for a selected school, according to a press release.
The recipes included in the eBook include offerings such as Zesty Vegetable Salad, Cajun-Lime Grilled Corn, Asian Glazed Brussels Sprouts Skewers, Thai Sweet Chili Chicken Salad Skewers, and Triple Berry Spa Smoothie.
Sounds tasty!
NEWARK, DE – Students from the Walker Junior High School in LA Palma, California will be putting 10 produce-centric recipes to the test at the 4th annual PMA Fresh Summit Sensory Experience Contest on October 17.
The contest features the top 10 recipes submitted by exhibitors that will be judged by the students and 15 buyers including Delhaize America, Pro*Act and SUPERVALU. Disney Consumer Products is also supporting the event, according to a press release.
“Disney continues to be a leader in inspiring kids and families to eat more nutritious food and live a more active lifestyle, and it’s truly rewarding to see our efforts create real change,” said John T. King, Vice President, Licensing, Disney-branded Consumables. “It’s exciting to see the kids’ reactions, and we celebrate the industry for creating both inventive and healthy recipes.”
Over 55 recipes were submitted, and the top 10 recipes were selected by buyer judges. They can be sampled at the Fresh Ideas in Action Reception at 4pm in room 303AD of the Anaheim Convention Center. The winners of the “Buyers’ Choice” and “Kids’ Choice” categories will be highlighted during the reception and in the Innovation @ Work area in Lobby B/V.
Finalists and recipes are:
Alsum Farms & Produce, Inc.
Ball Design
Fresh Fruit Nachos with Honey Yogurt Drizzle
Church Brothers LLC
Giorgio Fresh Co
Mushroom Sauce Pizza with Mozzarella & Cheddar Cheese
Green Giant Fresh
Cauliflower & Avocado Croquettes with Honey Dijon & Avocado Aioli
Mucci Farms
Cool Summer Treats Made with CUTECUMBERS™
Sage Fruit Company
Skinny Breakfast Apple Turnovers
Sunkist
Sunkist® Orange Asian Chicken Lettuce Wraps
Wholesum Family Farms
WHOLESUM HARVEST® Eggplant Vegetable Balls with Roma Tomato Sauce
Wish Farms
Wish Farms Strawberry Blueberry Hazelnut Chocolate Flatbread
Make sure to check out these fresh takes on family favorites for yourself in Anaheim.
ANAHEIM, CA - Cal Poly San Luis Obispo College of Agriculture, Food and Environmental Science (CAFES) is hosting its Alumni and Industry Friends event at Fresh Summit.
Mission Avocados, Urban Produce, Tanimura & Antle and Renaissance Food Group will be sponsoring the event, according to a press release.
Dean Andy Thulin and the department heads from Horticulture & Crop Science, Food & Nutrition, and AgriBusiness as well as Alumni and industry friends will be in attendance.
The reception will take place Saturday, October 18, 2014 from 4:30 to 7:00 pm in the Elite Ballroom at the Anaheim Marriot, and feature complimentary Cal Poly wine, Cal Poly chocolates, beer and light hors d’oeuvres.
Click here for the official invitation. If you are attending, please RSVP to Ryan Lau at [email protected].
IRVING, TX – Over the course of the last two months, Dan’l Mackey Almy, CEO and President of DMA Solutions, has spoken with audiences at marketing and business related events outside of the industry.
Last month, she presented at INBOUND 2014, a marketing conference held in Boston, MA with 10,000 marketers in attendance, according to a press release. Last week, she joined Dave Ramsey, Gary Vaynerchuk and Seth Godin on stage at the Business Gets Personal Conference in New York, NY, where she gained advice from well-known business leaders on how to better reach consumers in marketing efforts surrounding the promotion of fresh fruits and vegetables.
Almy chose to attend events outside of the industry to help share our story and better learn how to elevate fresh produce in the food marketing space.
“It’s an honor to have the opportunity to share the fresh produce story with audiences of consumers, marketers, influencers and business leaders,” said Almy. “I believe that fresh produce plays a critical role in how food marketing will transform in the coming years, particularly as we address the consumer’s growing need for healthier food options coupled with their desire to have a deeper, more meaningful connection with a product’s story. My goal is not only to shine a spotlight on the people that grow fresh fruits and vegetables, but also to establish connections with business leaders that I believe can help elevate our marketing efforts at an accelerated rate.”
DMA Solutions will be at PMA Fresh Summit, and Almy and DMA team members, Megan Zweig and Mackenzie Michel, will present their findings on competitiveness in the digital age and how to reach new heights in the food marketing space on October 18th at 8:45 am. This is an event not to miss!
COACHELLA, CA - Prime Time International has acquired an 80,000 sq. ft. packing house and distribution facility in Somis, California in anticipation of future expansion in the area.
“We reached a point where we needed to expand our operations and take control of our own destiny in this important region,” said Mike Way, Managing Member at Prime Time. “This purchase enables us to expand not only our packing and shipping operations, but also to develop a line of services for other produce industry companies including handling, cooling, consolidation, and cross docking.”
Formerly a tomato packing operation, the facility was previously owned by Gargiulo Incorporated of Naples, Florida, according to a press release. Renovations to the establishment are currently underway, with plans to convert the packing operations to be compatible with peppers, installation of new bagging equipment, converting to a forced air cooling system, and installing new storage racking to increase capacity.
Jeff Taylor, Managing Member at Prime Time, notes, “We expect to have all the work completed by the end of the year and to hit the ground running in 2015. This is part of a long term strategic plan to continue to grow our pepper business and meet the expanding needs of our customers.”
Carl Sam Maggio and Mark Nickerson, Founders and Principle Owners in the company, will oversee the transition to the new facility. Morgan Fragoso, a newcomer to the company and former Oxnard, CA-based Cal-Sun employee, has been appointed as the Shipping/Cooler Manager at the facility as well.
Congrats on the successful acquisition, Prime Time!
Florence, KY (October 7, 2014) – Legion Logistics, LLC in Florence, Kentucky is the proud recipient of both the Above and Beyond Award and the Pro Patria Award from the U.S. Department of Defense.
A service-disabled veteran himself, Legion Logistics CEO Antony Coutsoftides understands the commitment involved when serving in the military. He also understands the value of current service members, military spouses, and veterans in the civilian workplace and actively recruits them as employees. Legion Logistics is proud to count 11 past and present service members and spouses among our 37 full-time employees.
According to the Department of Defense website, the Above and Beyond Award recognizes “employers at the local level who have gone above and beyond the legal requirements of the Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act (USERRA) by providing their Guard and Reserve employees additional, non-mandated benefits such as differential or full pay to offset lost wages, extended health benefits, and other similar benefits.”
Only three Pro Patria Awards are awarded per state each year. It is the highest award given at a state level by ESGR and is awarded to those companies that “have demonstrated the greatest support to Guard and Reserve employees through their leadership and practices, including adopting personnel policies that make it easier for employees to participate in the National Guard and Reserves.”
Legion Logistics, LLC is a service-disabled veteran-owned third-party logistics provider (3PL) based in Florence, Kentucky. What all those hyphens don’t tell you is that the Legion is committed to exceptional customer service, fair dealings with trucking companies and an outstanding, veteran-friendly work environment. Founded in 2009, the Legion specializes in full truckload, less-than-truckload, government freight, hazardous materials and produce shipping.
Learn more about our employment opportunities and services at www.legion-logistics.com.
This text was copied verbatim from a press release.
SAGINAW, TX - After Wholly Guacamole released its 100-calorie minis last summer, it has become the company’s number one growing SKU. To keep up with demand, the company has released its Wholly Guacamole® Grab N Guac™ Box, which is now a PMA Impact Award nominee.
Tracey Altman, VP of Marketing and Innovation for Wholly Guacamole, tells AndNowUKnow, “The purpose of the box is to provide the consumer with a larger amount of the product they love. Convenience was a major objective for this product. The box had to be sturdy enough to hold the product, allow for the product to be removed without taking the box in and out of the fridge, as well as providing windows for consumers to see what they are buying and see when they are getting low.”
The specially designed box holds more of the 100-calorie, 2oz minis and lets consumers store the product easily in their fridge with a perforating opening that allows the box to become a dispenser. The box is currently available in 16 and 20 count minis of the Classic and Organic flavors.
The box is large enough to act as a billboard for print needs like product name, ingredient lists and suggestions on what to pair with, yet small enough to be convenient.
BARCELONA, SPAIN – A study published by the European Society of Cardiology suggests that an apple a day might do more than just keep the doctor away. The half million person study found that eating fruit on a daily basis reduced the overall risk of death by 32%. That's a number that just jumps off the page and grabs you, underscoring the incredibly important role our industry plays not just in the world economy, but in the daily lives of people everwhere.
According to the European Society of Cardiology, some other arresting results from the study include:
- Up to a 40% reduced risk from dying of cardiovascular disease (CVD).
- A 15% decreased risk of developing ischaemic heart disease (IHD)
- A 27% decreased risk of dying from IHD
- A 25% decreased risk of developing ischaemic stroke
- A 40% decreased risk of developing haemorrhagic stroke
"Our data clearly shows that eating fresh fruit can reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, including ischaemic heart disease and stroke (particularly haemorrhagic stroke),” shared Oxford's Dr Huaidong Du. “And not only that, the more fruit you eat the more your CVD risk goes down. It does suggest that eating more fruit is beneficial compared to less or no fruit."
"Our data shows that eating fresh fruit was associated with lower baseline BP,” Dr. Du continued. “We also found that the beneficial effect of fruit on the risk of CVD was independent of its impact on baseline BP."
As stark as these figures might seem, an earlier study which AndNowUKnow reported on last April suggests that the correlation between a longer life and fresh produce might be even stronger. This study revealed that eating seven or more portions of fruit and vegetables per day could reduce a person's risk of death by as much as 42%, while reducing the risk of death from specific diseases like cancer and heart disease by 25% and 31% respectively.
"We all know that eating fruit and vegetables is healthy, but the size of the effect is staggering," shared Dr Oyinlola Oyebode of UCL's Department of Epidemiology & Public Health and lead author of the study. "The clear message here is that the more fruit and vegetables you eat, the less likely you are to die at any age."
Anyone else thinking of ordering a salad for dinner tonight?