CASTROVILLE, CA - It's one thing to write about the remarkable companies in our industry: those driven by excellence, a commitment to quality, and a deep desire to be good stewards of the land. It's a completely different experience to be part of an exclusive group invited by the Castroville, California, team to witness the operation of Ocean Mist® Farms. From field to value-added facility and everything in between, this was a unique opportunity to see Ocean Mist Farms' Gold Standard in action.

Walking the fields of artichokes, broccoli, and Brussels sprouts and observing the team members who grow, care for, and cultivate each plant, one gets a sense that the clock never stops on an Ocean Mist Farms day. This beautiful experience was shared by a diverse group of food influencers and registered dietitians, each stepping into their boots and learning what it means to go in search of gold.

Please join me as they share a few words from their unique experiences.

Kermilia White, Editor and Creator at The Millennial Stay-At-Home Mom, @themillennialsahm

“It was a true privilege to get an exclusive, behind-the-scenes glimpse of where our produce comes from! From the meticulous care that goes into preparing the land to the extremely skilled and hard-working laborers who harvest our vegetables, it was evident that providing high-quality, nutritious products was their top priority! The passion of the team at Ocean Mist Farms is truly palpable, giving me a newfound appreciation for fresh produce and all of the hard work that makes it possible for my family and me to enjoy it!”

Erika Wong, MS, RDN @wongmsrd

"Learning about the entire process from farm to fork was an amazing, eye-opening experience. I was reminded of the incredible amount of labor, time, and expertise required to produce our food supply. My favorite parts were seeing the artichoke harvest in action and touring the value-added facility. I have the utmost respect for the hard-working people in ag. As a dietitian and mother of three, I will absolutely take these learnings and continue to spread the story. I am so grateful for this opportunity and for being welcomed with open arms into the Ocean Mist family!"

Liz Della Croce, The Lemon Bowl® @thelemonbowl

“As a food blogger who reaches millions of followers every month, I believe it is crucial to take the time out from my busy everyday life to connect in person with my clients, learn more about where our food comes from, and say thank you to the hard-working farmers who feed our nation. Spending a few days with the incredible team at Ocean Mist Farms was hugely impactful because it allowed me to better tell the story of why fresh produce consumption is so important for our health. As a recipe developer, I am hugely inspired by all of the delicious vegetables and meals I sampled throughout the week. I can’t wait to get in the kitchen to try and recreate some of the amazing dishes I enjoyed.”

Mascha Davis MPH, RDN, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and author of Eat Your Vitamins, @nomadista_nutrition

“As a Registered Dietitian who works with the media on a regular basis, touring Ocean Mist Farms and learning about the process of planting, growing, harvesting, and transporting product to consumers was extremely helpful and enlightening. I’ll use this information to educate the public about the exemplary work our growers put into every fruit and vegetable that ends up on their plate, and hopefully inspire them to be even more appreciative and trusting of the high quality and good stewardship that goes into growing their food.”

Tati Rodriguez, Tati Vegan Cooking​, @tativegancooking

"Touring Ocean Mist Farms' headquarters and fields was an eye-opening experience for me. Witnessing firsthand the dedication they put into every stage of the farming process, including harvesting and distribution, was very enlightening and inspiring. While touring their facilities, I noticed how the environment throughout all the stages is simply impeccable, highly collaborative, and supportive. This reinforced my admiration for Ocean Mist Farms and their commitment to maintaining the Gold Standard quality they're known for and their leadership in the agricultural industry."

Artichokes are nearly synonymous with companies as innovative in their growing practices and care as Ocean Mist Farms.

In the words of Chef Adrienne Biliske-Meier, a Professional Home Cook and Recipe Developer who walked us through the nutritional, versatile, and spiritual side of the amazing artichoke: “In the center of every Ocean Mist artichoke is an irrevocably beautiful heart... At the core of all Ocean Mist employees is that same heart!”

Perfectly, put, Chef.

There are still so many stories left to tell. Thank you, Ocean Mist Farms, for welcoming us into the fold.

FRESNO, CA - The strength of a company is often determined by the strength of its employees. Famous Software values the knowledge and expertise of each of its team members and invests heavily in their growth with its Famous Academy. To explore the ins and outs of this comprehensive program, I recently gained insight from Support Manager Carolyn Craft and Director of Marketing Ella Peterson.

“We invest a tremendous amount of time and effort into the onboarding of our new staff. The Famous Academy is our opportunity to not only teach our team about the solutions we provide but also about the industry and customers we serve,” shared Carolyn, who is one of the instructors for Famous Academy and is an integral player in its success. “This intense training lays the foundation to honor our commitment to provide top-tier support, services, and solutions for our customers. Touring the sophisticated operations run by our customers helps bring the Famous Academy to life, and the partnerships we have with those customers help to ensure successful onboarding of new staff.”

The Famous Academy is a rigorous, university-style course that includes lecture lessons, homework, two midterms, and a final exam. Each of the lectures are delivered by current Famous employees who work in a variety of different departments, including sales, analysis, support, admin, and more.

Nearly 30 different lesson modules guide participants through the inner workings of the Famous ERP system, while also providing information on other systems, the nuances of the fresh produce industry, competitive dynamics, partner profiles, and beyond. Regardless of their role, every single Famous Software employee participates in the academy.

“Because we view our software development process from a team perspective, it’s important that everyone knows how the software functions, the core benefits, and the value it brings to our customers and the fresh produce industry overall,” adds Ella. “The Academy also creates camaraderie within the cohort. In many ways, the Famous Academy is a rite of passage for new hires. It is a very challenging course with a lot of information and detail. We encourage Academy participants to work together on their homework so that they can learn from each other. It helps create a meaningful team environment that reflects the values of our company.”

Famous Academy also includes enjoyable and engaging experiences, adopting Cal Poly's "Learn by Doing" approach and taking the academy class on customer site visits. These visits give new staff a better understanding of fresh produce operations and how customers use Famous Software products in real time.

To really maximize their understanding of Famous ERP, participants create their own companies within Famous, populate maintenance, generate transactions, and run reports, allowing them to experience the platform in a simulated “real-life” environment.

“The goal of the Academy is to prepare new hires to understand Famous ERP at a deeper level than even customers who have been using it for years do,” Ella adds. “That way, we can make it better, stronger, and more intuitive for our customers.”

In addition, every new employee is paired with a dedicated mentor to guide them through their first six months to a year. This mentorship program aims to ensure new employees feel welcomed and supported with one-on-one connections, team-building activities, lunches, and more—paving the way for their success and integration into Famous’ company culture.

The current Winter 2024 Famous Academy started in January 2024 and will be ready to take their final exam in July.

More insights on this valuable training program are coming soon, so stay tuned.

PHOENIX, AZ - A multi-year sponsorship agreement has been signed by Sprouts Farmers Market. The retailer has been named as the “Official Grocer of the SEC” by the Southeastern Conference and SEC Network. Kicking off on July 1, the deal will surround the SEC’s marquee women’s sports properties, including women’s basketball and gymnastics.

“Sprouts’ sponsorship of the Southeastern Conference is our latest example of furthering equity in sports for women, while also expanding the reach of our brand to new audiences,” said Alisa Gmelich, Sprouts’ Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer. “Our commitment to promoting healthier lifestyles within our communities remains steadfast, and supporting college athletics, and specifically empowering women in sports.”

The new sponsorship began with Sprouts’ presentation of a first-of-its-kind television mini-marathon of SEC women’s sports on SEC Network as a celebration of the Anniversary of Title IX. The marathon featured top women’s sports highlights from women’s basketball, softball, and gymnastics championships.

The sponsorship includes the integration of Sprouts Farmers Market on SEC Network programming and within the SEC footprint through SEC Nation. Sprouts will also activate on-site at SEC FanFare at the football championship in Atlanta and will have a presence at other major SEC championship events.

“We are pleased to welcome Sprouts Farmers Market as an official sponsor of the Southeastern Conference, and we are particularly excited about Sprouts’ commitment to the support of women’s athletics in the SEC,” said SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey. “Our sponsor program is important to the mission of supporting SEC athletics programs and the addition of Sprouts adds to a robust family of sponsors for the Conference. We look forward to Sprouts’ participation in our programming and championship events.”

The brand has already engaged within the ESPN and Disney portfolio, signing on to become the title sponsor of the Sprouts Farmers Market Collegiate Quad. The first year of the event saw record viewership on ABC, and year two promises to be exceptional with five of the eight National Semifinalists from the 2024 NCAA National Collegiate Women’s Gymnastics Championship.

For more retail alliances like this, stick with ANUK.

CANADA - We must extend hearty congratulations to Loblaw’s Greg Palmer! He will be extending his expertise within the industry with a newly created role within the Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA). As the association’s new Vice President of Trade and Market Development, Palmer will strengthen CPMA’s membership offerings and help it expand into new markets both domestically and beyond Canada. He joins the CPMA team on July 15.

Palmer has held roles with major Canadian retailers, such as his current position as Procurement Director, Produce, for Loblaw Companies Limited. He is passionate about advancing the produce industry, as evidenced by his track record of serving on several boards and committees including the Greenhouse Vegetables Industry Advisory Committee, CPMA’s Diversity Equity and Inclusion Working Group, and the Ontario Produce Marketing Association Young Professional Network Committee.

He has also participated in programs to support young professionals in produce.

Ron Lemaire, President of the CPMA, commented on the news.

“We are excited to welcome Greg to our team,” said Lemaire. “His expertise in produce procurement, quality control, food safety, and his involvement in our industry make him an invaluable addition to our sales support and trade development team.”

Congratulations to Greg Palmer on this next step in his career!

PALMETTO, FL - Crucial funding has been awarded to Pacific Tomato Growers, a Sunripe Certified Brands grower. The supplier will receive $1,720,000 through the United States Department of Agriculture’s Farm Labor Stabilization and Protection (FLSP) pilot grant program.

“We’re grateful under these extreme labor conditions to be awarded the FLSP grant by the USDA,” said Jon Esformes, Chief Executive Officer. “This funding will enable us to continue attracting farmworkers to our domestic U.S. farming operations while maintaining our leadership in setting a standard of excellence in the agricultural industry.”

The FLSP grant has three goals, according to a press release:

• Drive U.S. economic recovery and safeguard domestic food supply by addressing current labor shortages in agriculture
• Reduce irregular migration from Northern Central America through the expansion of regular pathways
• Improve working conditions for all farmworkers

Pacific Tomato Growers' awarded project, “Development and Improvement of Agriculture Labor Program for Domestic and H-2A Farmworkers,” focuses on comprehensive worker management and welfare. The initiative will be executed through continuing strategic partnerships with the Fair Food Program (FFP), the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), and the Fair Food Standards Council (FFSC).

This grant support will help Pacific Tomato Growers solidify its position as a preferred ethical employer within the agricultural sector, attracting and retaining a robust labor force. The initiative will extend the company’s operational capacity into Central America (Honduras, El Salvador, and Guatemala).

“We applaud the USDA for their vision and support,” Esformes continued. “This grant is not just an investment in our company, but in the lives and well-being of our hard-working people on the farms. Our partnership with the Fair Food Program (FFP), Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW), and Fair Food Standards Council (FFSC) ensures that we continue to provide a safe, just, and participatory work environment. As the first grower to sign a direct agreement with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers back in 2010, we are honored and grateful that the USDA is recognizing the model of excellence that the FFP, CIW, & FFSC have set and continue to expand.”

Congratulations to the company on this impactful funding!

UNITED STATES - Long before the first medicines as we know them were created, we had fruits and vegetables. Today’s consumers are becoming more likely to turn to the benefits of fresh produce for some medicinal needs, and prescription programs like ProduceRX are fueling this fire—proving beneficial for both consumers and the produce industry at large.

“With well-designed produce prescriptions, consumers are eating more fruits and vegetables, positively impacting their health and improving produce sales,” explains Mollie Van Lieu, the International Fresh Produce Association’s Vice President of Nutrition and Health. “Despite most Americans knowing the importance of fruits and vegetables, the majority are not consuming them in amounts that will help prevent a diet-related disease. The data is pretty clear: three-quarters of Americans are overweight or obese, half of Americans are diabetic or prediabetic, and only 10 percent are following the Dietary Guidelines recommendations on fruit and vegetable consumption.”

For many people, affordability or the perceived affordability of fresh produce is often a barrier. Well-executed produce prescription programs eliminate this barrier by providing funding for fruits and vegetables.

These health-focused produce programs grant consumers resources to spend on fruits and vegetables to achieve measurable healthcare outcomes. With eight out of 10 healthcare dollars today spent on preventable chronic diseases, developments like this are a win-win-win for the patient, the industry, and the nation.

“While we want to see action to cover produce prescriptions in federal healthcare systems, a lot of the momentum right now is at the state level,” Mollie shares. “There is a massive opportunity for additional states to adopt produce prescriptions. Industry members should be collaborating with stakeholders in their state to ensure the state Medicaid Director is pursuing this option. If you’re in California, Delaware, Massachusetts, North Carolina, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, or Washington where waivers exist, figure out how you might be able to be an implementation partner. This will look a little different everywhere, as some produce prescriptions are retail-based, and some are through home delivery or run by a food bank.”

As Mollie goes on to note, taking advantage of this development in fresh produce takes a committed yet patient approach.

“In some ways, we need to hurry to take advantage of this moment while we have momentum, but we also need patience as we are still in the early stages,” she says. “While it’s a simple concept, the execution is complex because we’re dealing with a healthcare system that has not dealt with the food system before—and that impacts everything from research and evaluation techniques to billing codes, technology delivery models, and more. It’s important that the industry stays part of the conversation and execution. If we don’t fill that role, someone else will.”

ANUK will continue to dive into the impact of programs like this, so stay tuned for more updates.