NANJING, CHINA - They say that sex sells, but one fruit vendor in China might have taken that phrase a bit too far. Just one warning – don’t let your boss catch you looking at these peaches at work! They look a bit cheeky (no pun intended), if you ask me…
A fruit vendor in Nanjing, China is selling these peaches to celebrate the arrival of the Qixi Festival tomorrow, or essentially the Chinese version of Valentine’s Day. Be warned though, these peaches don’t come cheap! One box of nine will set you back 498 yuan, or $80 U.S., according to Kotaku. I know the term “produce lover” gets tossed around a lot, but this is just too literal.
The peaches come from Yangshan in Wuxi, an area known for its lingerie and garment industry, and the vendor slips on each garment by hand. Imagine reading that job description. Where do people sign up?!
The vendor’s profit margins must be skyrocketing by now because apparently other vendors in China have started taking a similar approach to selling peaches. According to Kotaku, the fruit vendor reportedly filed for a “panty peach” patent a month ago and is now filing for infringement with the intellectual property bureau. You might want to be careful about how you sexualize your produce…
Who’s the target audience for these sexy peaches? Secondly… how can I get my own box? And finally, what's next - two watermelons in a bra?
Washington D.C. - IFCO's Youth Produce Ambassador Kid Chef Eliana was at United Fresh this year to share with conference attendees both her culinary creations as well as her message about the importance of families cooking together.
“I'm trying to encourage kids to get in the kitchen and cook and especially kids and families to cook together and eat healthier and that's what I'm doing with IFCO and then when you're going grocery shopping and you see all these IFCO RPC's it just showcases all these fresh fruits and veggies...” Eliana told ANUK.
Her's is a message that America's growers will want to support. Kids who can cook are much more likely after all to grow into the type of adults that frequent farmer's markets and the fresh produce sections of grocery stores rather than the menu's of McDonalds or Taco Bell for inspiration for their evening meals rather.
Good cooks make good shoppers and as you can see in ANUK's above Shop Talk exclusive with Eliana, that's exactly the type of consumer she's helping to create.
DUBLIN, VA – Red Sun Farms is making a big move in America by planting nearly 30,000 hydroponic tomato plants in a new high-tech greenhouse in Dublin, Virginia.
WDBJ7 reports that the greenhouse has nearly one million square feet of glass covering almost 20 acres of tomatoes.
John Secker, Red Sun Farm’s Master Grower, is working with a small crew to do the planting by hand. “Fifteen thousand today and fifteen thousand tomorrow,” he said to WDBJ7.
“It’s very technical. All the systems here are automated other than the plant care, that has to be done with people,” Secker added. “But all my irrigation, heating, ventilation we’ll have energy screens in the winter, tried to reduce our energy costs. That’s all automated.”
According to Red Sun, the tomato plants will supply customers in Virginia, North Carolina and Tennessee.
“I think what makes this so different is that you don’t typically see a high-tech greenhouse in the Mid-Atlantic states. It can be very hot, high humidity area. But the New River Valley is really unique in its growing climate,” Jay Abbot, Director of Operations for Red Sun Farms, told WDBJ7.
Red Sun signed an agreement with several local governments, town, cities and counties that it will hire up to 205 full-time workers. The company currently has less than 10 Latin American workers on the property to show the new local employees how to start the process.
In response to a question about genetically modified foods, Abbott added, “Beyond being certified organic, (Red Sun Farms) will also be certified for the entire greenhouse as a non-GMO greenhouse. We as a company do not use GMO seed.”
The first harvest should be ready around October of this year.
LOS ALAMITOS, CA – Frieda’s Specialty Produce has once again passed its annual Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) benchmark audit and California Organic Farmers (CCOF) organic audit.
“Food safety is of highest importance here at Frieda’s,” says Jackie Caplan Wiggins, Frieda’s Vice President and COO. “Not only do we apply the strictest of requirements to our own facility, our supplier-partners all must adhere to the same high standards.”
Frieda’s received a near perfect score of 99.35% on its PrimusGFS Packinghouse Audit, the highest global standard and more comprehensive and detailed audit than the Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) food safety audit, according to a press release. This score was higher than its 2013 score of 99.26%.
Frieda’s also received an organic audit performed by CCOF in June of this year. The company remains 100% compliant with the National Organic Program set up by the USDA.
The CCOF certifies more than 2,500 organic operations in 38 states and three foreign countries, and the GFSI is an initiative for continuous improvement of food safety management systems, according to a press release.
Frieda’s clients can request updated certificates and final audit results by contacting the company’s Compliance Department.
Congratulations on the high scores!
SAN DIEGO, CA - AmazonFresh is now expanding into the 3rd largest consumer market in California: San Diego. With this latest move Amazon has locked up a major presence in four key markets along the West Coast. Now just like their counterparts in San Francisco, Seattle, and LA, San Diego shoppers will have access to over 500,000 products ranging from onions, to cherry tomatoes, to green beans, to apples.
Amazon CFO Tom Szkutak reminded Geek Wire that this is only the beginning. AmazonFresh was designed as a pilot program, a way to test out the emerging market of grocery delivery on demand which many insiders speculate will one day be a major player in the retail market.
Already though Szkutak sees improvements. “Certainly the economics have improved through invention on behalf of the team there, as well as operating efficiencies,” he noted.
AmazonFresh isn't the only up-and-comer in this new market. ANUK previously covered Whole Foods' partnership with the grocery delivery start-up Instacart. And that is just the beginning.
The truth of the matter is that more and more people in today's economy are prioritizing eating healthier and fresh produce is a big part of this drive. Whoever engineers the quickest, most convenient way to deliver this produce to tomorrow's generation of consumers stands to take in big profits. Based on its actions up to this point, it certainly seems clear that Amazon is aiming to be that company.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for any further developments on this emerging business model.
OVIEDO, FL – Duda Farm Fresh Foods took home first place at this year's PMA Chef Demo. Chef Todd Fisher wow'ed judges with his Lemongrass Steamed Chicken Bahn Mi Bun with Dandy® Radish and Celery “Quickles,” highlighting Duda's value-added fresh celery and radish mini-stick products.
“Celery is a staple in professional kitchens around the world, adding a crunch when raw and a distinct yet mellow flavor when cooked,” Fisher said. “In this recipe, the celery and radish made this bahn mi bun delicious and vibrant and aides in the addition of fresh produce to your plate.”
According to a press release Chef Todd has more than 20 years of experience in the culinary industry and has been working with Duda for over a decade. With that kind of relationship between them, Duda executives knew Todd was the right man to represent their business and products at PMA.
“Chef Todd brought the fun and flavor to PMA Foodservice this year,” said Nichole Towell, Director of Marketing at Duda Farm Fresh Foods. “Our winning recipe was a true expression of the conference theme this year, “‘Innovate the plate.’”
If you'd like to try out Chef Todd's recipe for yourself you can check it out on Duda's website here.
Duda markets its fresh-cut celery products under its Dandy® brand. According to a press release, Dandy brand celery is available at retail and food service establishments across North America on a year round basis.
Congratulations on the award Duda!
SALINAS, CA - As of Wednesday, July 30th, Taylor Farms has taken one step closer towards a greener future with the commencement of operations of its newly installed solar energy panel system. This new system is made up of 2,250 solar panels built onto the roof of a Taylor Farms' salad processing plant in Salinas, CA. It will provide Taylor farms with one million kilowatt hours of energy every year, more than enough to power the plant.
“Taylor Farms is committed to adopting cleaner energy and reducing its carbon footprint. The launch of our solar program is the result of a four month installation and permitting process. The solar energy initiative is just the latest example of how Taylor Farms embraces sustainability,” said John Petroff, Director of Sustainability at Taylor Farms.
This solar energy system is not the first move towards green energy Taylor Farms has made either. Last September 2012, Taylor farms implemented a fuel cell power system which produces 30% less carbon dioxide and uses 99.99% less water than energy produced at conventional power plants.
According to a press release, the two systems together will provide enough energy to power roughly two-thirds of Taylor Farms' total facilities, a big step for a grower always looking to be greener.
AUSTIN, TX - Whole Foods has announced plans for its first ever national marketing campaign this fall as it maneuvers to fend off rival retailers' attempting to eat into its hold on the American organic and natural foods market. Co-CEO Walter Robb says that the campaign is designed to explain to consumers what makes Whole Foods unique and why it remains a superior choice over its competitors.
"We believe there are real and substantive differences in the company and in the values and the foods that we sell," Robb said.
Part of the new campaign will be an extensive partnership with third party delivery services to make home delivery options available to customers in 12-15 major U.S. markets. As ABC News noted, home delivery has become a focal point of many recent retail campaigns, with industry giants like Wal-Mart working on home delivery systems of their own. So far Whole Foods has declined to specify which cities will be enjoying its initial home delivery services, but company executives told ABC that plans are in place to increase the scope of the program progressively over time.
Another aspect of this national marketing campaign will be a new loyalty program, which will reportedly be ready in time for the next year's winter holiday season.
Whole Foods wants these initiatives to persuade customers to stay loyal to Whole Foods as traditional retailers like Wal-Mart and Kroger attempt to muscle their way into an organics market which Whole Foods used to enjoy a near monopoly over.
So far Whole Foods has felt the pressure of these advances, watching same store sales growth slow from 7.5% a year ago to 3.9% this most recent quarter. Its stock price has fallen 32% over the past calender year.
Whole Foods intends to halt the beginnings of this market decline in its tracks, with its national marketing campaign being the first step towards doing so.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for any further updates Whole Foods' future market strategies.
VANCOUVER, BC – Oppy has hired Donald Slot as its new Toronto-based Sales Representative. He will market Oppy’s full assortment to Eastern Canadian customers.
Walt Breeden, Director of Sales for Canada, says that Slot worked for four years as a key account executive at Westrow Food Group where he focused on that company’s imported fresh produce business since June 2010, according to a press release.
“Donald’s skills and experience are a great fit,” Breeden said. “His knowledge of the inner workings of the imported produce business, as well as his retail relationships, will immediately enhance our service in Eastern Canada.”
While at Westrow, Slot also delivered successful organic programs across various product categories. According to Breeden, organics are a growing category at Oppy, and the company welcomes Slot’s expertise.
“There’s a great deal of social interest around organics,” Slot said. “People are looking to growers and marketers to help them understand what is behind their food. I think there’s a good opportunity to make organics a larger part of the Oppy portfolio in Eastern Canada.”
Prior to Westrow, Slot worked at Global Fresh Import and Export, Inc. of Toronto in sales and procurement. He also spent five years with B.C. Tree Fruits Ltd. as a strategic account manager.
Congratulations Donald!
TRANSINNE, BELGIUM – Locus Traxx, the logistics tracking pioneer whose Smart Traxx Portable and Smart Traxx Go technologies have changed the way shippers do business, has announced a major expansion of its business operations into the European market.
Ray Hoffman, Managing Director of the European wing of Locus Traxx Worldwide and Vitrociset Belgium, Locus Traxx's partner in this new venture, spoke optimistically about his company's prospects in the new foreign market.
“After years of great success in the North American region, we decided to bring this level of shipment visibility to the EU,” Ray explained. “Launching EU operations allows us to approach a whole new market, with countries strategically positioned to have commercial exchanges with all the continents.”
If Locus Traxx has anywhere near the success in Europe that it has enjoyed in North America, then Hoffman's optimism will prove well founded. By giving logistics professionals the ability to monitor their cargo in real time, Locus Traxx has saved some of its clients more than $530,000 a year.
“Shippers and receivers often lack information on the conditions their products are transported, making it difficult for them to pin-point the weaknesses in the logistics chain. We offer total transparency of the transport, as well as the opportunity to react immediately to issues that arise during transport,” Ray said. “By reporting the status of the load in real time our customers are able to react immediately as problems arise and not after the fact. Many times a simple phone call can get a problem solved, thus avoiding damage to the product, time and resource consuming claims and even total loss of product.”
Locus Traxx offers its customers two different product varieties. First are its Smart Traxx Portable units housed in their iconic yellow suitcases. More recently Locus Traxx has debuted its Smart Traxx Go units, which like its Portable counterparts are capable of transmitting location and temperature information in real time, but add several new features.
Locus Traxx is confident that they can successfully bring this model for success overseas. And with its track record who would doubt them?