PLANT CITY, FL – Monday morning Wish Farms announced that long time produce veteran Chuck Hollenkamp will be stepping down from his current role as Executive VP of Fresh Sales in order to transition to a new seasonal role with the Wish Farms' grower relations team. As an adviser to the grower relations team, he will be focusing largely on his company's deals with Florida strawberry and Kirby cucumber growers.
“Chuck has been with us for almost 30 years and has become a part of our family,” President of Wish Farms Gary Wishnatzki said. “His field experience and established grower relationships will transition nicely into his new seasonal role. We are grateful he will remain a part of our team.”
With Hollenkamp leaving, James Peterson will now be stepping up to head the Wish Farms sales department.
Hollenkamp first signed on with Wish Farms in 1985 as a warehouse manager. He would wear many different hats during his career with the company, eventually finding a home in sales. According to a press release, Wishnatzki considers Hollenkamp's expertise to have been essential to Wish Farms' growth into one of the leading berry marketers in the industry.
AndNowUKnow would like to wish Chuck the best in his new role with Wish Farms.
IDAHO FALLS, ID - Fans of America's favorite web-slinging superhero are going to love this latest promotion by Potandon Produce. North America's largest marketer of fresh potatoes is teaming up with Sony Pictures Home Entertainment to help customers save big on the soon to be released Spiderman 2 on Blu-Ray™ Combo Pack and DVD when they buy a specially marked bag of Green Giant® Fresh 5lb Russet Potatoes.
Starting Tuesday, August 19 when the Spiderman 2 DVD and Blu-Ray release begins, customers can save $5 off the cost of the movie as long as they purchase it along with a sack of Potandon Produce's much loved potatoes. The promotion will run through October 31st, giving movie-lovers an excellent window of opportunity to take advantage of this great deal.
According to a press release, Potandon Produce will be promoting their program at the store level through point of sale materials in conjunction with an aggressive email and social media program.
SHERMAN OAKS, CA – Sunkist Growers has released the findings of its S’alternative® research conducted by Master Chef Karl Guggenmos, WACS, AAC and Chef Michael Makuch from Johnson & Wales University.
The research showed that the use of Sunkist® lemons may allow for significant salt reduction while boosting flavor in recipes. According to a press release, the study concluded that lemons could reduce salt by as much as 75%.
"While Sunkist has put a lot of energy behind informing consumers about our sodium reduction strategies using lemons, this research gives us exciting results that show just how effective Sunkist lemons can be in reducing people's salt intake without compromising flavor," said Sunkist Advertising & Public Relations Manager, Joan Wickham.
Increased use of lemons could play a major role in reducing Americans' dependence on the salt shaker. The average American consumes twice the recommended amount of sodium, and high sodium intake has been linked to high blood pressure, cancer and osteoporosis, according to a press release. Sunkist has encouraged consumers to choose lemons over salt as part of its Sunkist S’alternative program, which provides low-sodium tips and recipes using Sunkist lemons.
"The results of this research show that flavor and health considerations do not have to be mutually exclusive," said Global Master Chef Karl Guggenmos, WACS, AAC. "Since the use of lemon juice and zest is such a simple tip for chefs of all skill levels, this information could go a long way in combating our excess sodium intake."
The taste tests were used to test the use of Sunkist lemon juice and lemon zest in dishes including meat, grains, soups and salads. The recipes were re-created using salt in decreasing amounts with lemon juice and zest to find the ideal combination. Most participants actually preferred recipes made with reduced salt and added lemon juice and zest, according to a press release.
Additional research results include:
- Using lemon juice and zest in vegetable recipes allows for a potential 75 percent reduction in sodium per recipe
- Incorporating lemon juice and zest in recipes for pork tenderloin, tuna, halibut and salad dressing allows for a potential 50 percent reduction in sodium per recipe
- Adding lemon zest to dry rubs for meats like chicken and beef allows for a potential 30 percent reduction in sodium per recipe
New recipes were created by Registered Dietician Nutritionist, Cordon Bleu-certified Chef and best-selling author of “Clean Eating for Busy Families,” Michelle Dudash to incorporate the optimal blends of Sunkist lemon juice, zest and salt discovered from the taste tests. For those recipes, additional tips and more information about Sunkist S’alternative, click here.
SALINAS, CA – Mann Packing has reached a milestone – its 75th anniversary. Mann celebrated the event with a party at the Monterey County fairground. The event featured food, entertainment, activities and a walk through the Mann Museum for all the visitors, which chronicled the past 7 ½ decades since the company was established.
“We are honored and proud to celebrate our 75th anniversary in a very competitive industry often filled with trials and tribulations,” said Lorri (Nucci) Koster, Chairman and CEO. “We credit our adherence to quality and ability to adapt to changing market needs as a key to our success. We thank our employees and growers for their contributions towards helping us reach this significant milestone. Our core values of honor, quality, vision and passion are something we focus on daily. Where we come from matters; it’s important to remember the amazing people who helped build this company to what it is today. It’s our turn at the helm to shepherd Mann Packing into the future for many years to come.”
The company was founded in 1939 by H.W. “Cy” Mann and was a carrot packing operation. Soon after, it started growing broccoli for frozen food companies. Mann saw potential in the relatively unknown vegetable and began shipping broccoli around America.
Mann Packing Company funded the first market basket nutritional study of broccoli at the USDA along with the Produce Marketing Association. With the publication of that study, shipments of fresh broccoli increased 940% between 1970 and 1985, according to a press release.
Mann Packing has been a family-owned and operated company for three generations and is currently owned by the Nucci and Ramsey families. With more than 65% of its shareholders being women, it is a certified Women’s Business Enterprise (WBENC).
Congratulations on reaching this milestone!
WILMINGTON, DE - The Port of Wilmington won't be handing over its title of “Top Banana” anytime soon, with news breaking Monday afternoon that The Diamond State Port Corporation and Chiquita have reached a new leasing agreement which will allow Chiquita to continue to use the Port as its mid-Atlantic distribution hub for at least the next 5 years.
“The Port of Wilmington is an important destination for Chiquita and our customers,” said Mario Pacheco, Chiquita’s Senior Vice President of Global Logistics. “We are pleased that we have reached an agreement that will enable us to continue to call Wilmington home for many years to come. Wilmington is a great partner for Chiquita and we look forward to growing our business together in the years ahead.”
Since first consolidating its mid-Atlantic supply chain operation at the Port of Wilmington in 1988, the Port has seen more of the banana trade pass through its docks than any other port in North America. According to a press release, Chiquita leases 28.7 acres at the Port for its shipping operations. Its vessels make roughly 52 port calls every year as part of Chiquita’s immense banana, pineapple, and tropical produce shipping operations.
“We are extremely pleased that Chiquita has decided to sign a new lease with the port and continue our long and “fruitful” relationship,” said Gene Bailey, Executive Director of the DSPC. “Chiquita is a most important customer and responsible for hundreds of jobs and the resultant and significant economic impact to our Port, state and region. We are grateful to the Governor and the General Assembly for the support which has allowed us to make those capital equipment acquisitions and infrastructure improvements needed to retain Chiquita’s business despite a very competitive environment.”
According to a press release, the new leasing agreement includes two 5-year renewal options which could extend Chiquita’s lease at the Port of Wilmington to as far into the future as 2029.
UPDATE (July 15, 2:38 PM PST): The FCC has extended the comment period until midnight, July 18th as a result of overwheling traffic.
UNITED STATES - The deadline for the first round of comments to the FCC regarding the fate of net neutrality ends today, July 15th. This is our chance as an industry to ensure that our voice is heard for maintaining an open and equal Internet for the future. If we don’t submit our comments now, our access to websites we know and love, including AndNowUKnow, could be severely hindered by new net neutrality rules proposed by FCC chairman Tom Wheeler.
Simply put, we need to make sure the Internet stays a level playing field for all companies on the web. Here are three dangers of the new net neutrality rules…and why you should get involved now.
1) Lessened competition: Bigger companies can simply pay Internet Service Providers (ISPs) more to ensure you get their content as fast as possible, while small, start-up companies would struggle to maintain traffic. Google, Facebook, or Amazon wouldn’t be where they’re at today without net neutrality.
2) Loss of access to frequently visited websites: Your connection could degrade to the point where you need to pay more just to get access to websites you frequently visit. Visiting those websites becomes a privilege, rather than a right.
3) Comcast and Time Warner Cable’s Potentially Dangerous Merger: If Comcast and Time Warner’s multi-billion dollar merger is approved, Comcast would gain control of a third of the U.S. broadband market, according to International Business Times. Comcast is still bound by net neutrality, but this condition will expire after 2018 if the merger is approved. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has gone on record to say that the merged entity would “possess even more anti-competitive leverage to charge arbitrary interconnection tolls for access to their customers.”
In a nutshell, the new proposed net neutrality rules can significantly change the way we access frequently visited websites. The new rules give your ISP the right to regulate when and how fast you receive content from certain websites. For example, if you want to watch a video on YouTube, your ISP can deliberately slow down or block your connection to the website. You would be forced to either find a different content provider or potentially even change your ISP – which, in some cases, is not always possible depending on your location. Since YouTube still wants your traffic though, it would be coerced into paying your ISP more money just to ensure that your connection to the website remains stable and reliable. At the end of the day, you’re paying more just to get the service you already expected.
Dozens of the world’s largest Internet companies, including Google, Facebook, Amazon, Twitter, Ebay, and Yahoo, have already submitted their comments and concerns to Wheeler proposing that the FCC should “take the necessary steps to ensure that the Internet remains an open platform for speech and commerce so that America continues to lead the world in technology markets.” Let’s follow in their footsteps.
As of July 11, Wheeler says that the FCC has received about 647,000 Net Neutrality comments. Let’s keep them coming.
For more information on net neutrality, you can visit the following websites...
WENATCHEE, WA - New data from Columbia Marketing International (CMI) reveals which packaging convention consumers are more likely to respond to – QR Codes or websites. To implement the test, CMI created brand new packaging for imported Ambrosia™ apples that featured a consumer contest for premium kitchen gadgets. Consumers could either enter the contest by scanning the QR code or visiting the website.
75 days into the Ambrosia™ test, CMI discovered that approximately 46% of all consumer responses have come by QR code, while 54% came from the web address.
“QR codes may have lost momentum with consumers, but our packaging data is showing that this remains a powerful vehicle for connecting with shoppers,” said Katharine Grove, Marketing Specialist at CMI.
“Use of premium packaging has been trending upward in the apple industry as well as the produce industry overall,” says Steve Lutz, Vice President of Marketing for CMI. “We’ve found high graphic packages like pouch bags create a store level billboard for products but also can entice consumers to connect with us via social media and web pages. We’re using this test to document what catches shopper attention and identify the methods used to connect to digital offers.”
According to a press release, CMI will use the findings from this packaging test to determine future messaging to include on packages. The test will conclude at the end of the import Ambrosia™ season in August.
Growers Express is opening a new 70,000 square foot Green Giant™ Fresh consolidation and shipping facility. The new Gonzales, California facility offers advantages including proximity to farming operations, ease of access, less truck congestion as well as an updated design to meet the future of its business. Growers Express President, Gary Andreasian, tells us, “As freight and freshness have become more important to our customers and consumers we aligned with Taylor Farms Retail to offer more efficient loading and consolidation across a much larger set of Green Giant Fresh products. This facility will put us in a position where customers can begin to look at Green Giant Fresh as a one-stop program for whole fresh and value added vegetables.”
Frey Farms has a new juice line: Tsamma Watermelon Juice. Tsamma Watermelon Juice is produced from watermelons grown locally on Frey's California farms and has a unique and delicious flavor. Together with Tsamma's mascot “Tsamma the Lamma,” the company will be widely promoting the new product. Frey Farms will be showcasing the product at the Marine Core Marathon this October. Hilary Martin, Frey's Director of Business Development, tells AndNowUKnow, “Tsamma Watermelon Juice is sweet, but not too sweet, and has many health benefits.”
SALINAS, CA – Bob Antle, Tanimura & Antle’s Board Co-Chairman, has received yet another honor. At the 76th annual Grower-Shipper golf tournament and gala events, Bob was awarded the Association’s E.E. “Gene” Harden Award for Lifetime Achievement in Central Coast Agriculture.
Bob is credited with several major industry initiatives like wrapping fresh vegetables in the field, developing distribution centers for the introduction of wrapped lettuce and other source packaged fruits and vegetables, and the production of crop transplants. Let's take a brief look at the history and legacy of this influential industry leader.
Bob began working on his father’s lettuce farm as a loader in 1949 while he was a student. His first job after graduating from Stanford was directing the Company’s carrot business “Antle Carrots.” Over time, he worked his way into Sales and Marketing and eventually became the General Sales Manager.
In 1966, he relocated to the East Coast to develop the House of Bud, a wholesaler of fruits and vegetables, according to a press release. Bob led the House of Bud to open facilities in New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Brussells, Belgium.
When his father unexpectedly passed away at the age of 58, Bob followed in his father’s footsteps and took on the role of CEO for all Antle activities. Under his leadership, he merged the Bud Antle companies with Castle & Cooke, Inc. (now Dole Foods Company, Inc.) and joined its senior management, serving on its Board of Directors until he helped form Tanimura & Antle in 1982.
According to a press release, Bob is Co-Chairman of the Leon and Sylvia Panetta Institute, President of Southern Arizona Ranch Company, LLC, President of Pinnacalitos Chalone, LP, past president of the President’s Council, at California State University Monterey Bay, and Founding President of Central Coast Water Quality Preservation, Inc. In March 2005, he was appointed to the California State Senate Commission: Agricultural Worker Housing and Health.
For a more detailed look at the life and legacy of this industry leader, be sure to pick up our upcoming edition of The Snack for an exclusive interview with the man himself – Bob Antle.
OREGON, U.S.A. - The ears of politicos in Oregon perked up when a poll of Oregon residents conducted for Oregon Public Broadcasting (EarthFix) by DHM Research showed that 77% of the 400 residents questioned supported labeling of GMO foods. These results are particularly important because this November, Oregon will likely be voting on a law that would require GMO foods to carry labels identifying them as such to consumers. Looking at the numbers, this looks like an easy victory in the making for labeling supporters. But is it? DHM Research Director John Horvick would say no.
Horvick told the Portland Tribune that early support in public opinion polls does not necessarily translate into electoral success.
“We now have two states — Washington last year and California the year before – where they saw polling numbers like this, not that far before an election, and then saw things change quickly,” Horvick said.
In Washington's case early polling data showed that 69% of residents supported the proposed labeling law. A poll conducted the same year by YouGov of 1,000 Americans backed up these findings, revealing that 82% of respondents supported labeling of GMO products. When the November election arrived however, the initiative failed to pass, receiving support from only 45% of voters.
Horvick credits large contributions to anti-labeling campaigns from industry giants Monsanto and Syngenta for the loss, but Katie Fast, Vice President of Public Policy of the Oregon Farm Bureau, told EarthFix that the question isn't so simple.
Fast says that they opposed a similar Oregon initiative in 2002 because labeling laws would just needlessly increase costs for farmers and food processors, and thereby for consumers at the checkout counter.
“This is 100 percent safe technology,” she said. “You won’t be able to find a credible, peer-reviewed study that says there’s health impacts or environmental impacts.”
What will happen come election time in Oregon will be something we will have to wait to see. No matter what happens however you can count on AndNowUKnow to keep you updated.