Duda Farm Fresh Foods has launched into its New Zealand Meyer Lemon season with promotable volumes through September.  This is the second year that Duda has supported its Meyer Lemon program in New Zealand’s citrus growing region.  As demand continues to rise for the category, the company is continuing to build on a near seamless, year-round program.

“Last season was a test run for Duda.  With a grower partner as dedicated to the same level of quality and consistency as our company, we knew this was perfect fit,” Paul Huckabay, Western Citrus Sales Manager, tells AndNowUKnow.

Packaging for the company’s Meyer Lemons will remain consistent through the New Zealand and California seasons.  Duda will again be offering the popular 1 lb. grab-and-go, high graphic pouch bags, as well as its 33 lbs. pack with PLU stickered fruit and 19 lbs. bulk carton.  Also available are 2 and 4 lb. clamshells.

“What began as a seasonal item, has matured into a year-round favorite for citrus lovers.  We are constantly evolving our program to meet the needs of our customers and consumers,” Huckabay notes.

With a more steady supply and demand of Meyer Lemons, Huckabay tells us that retailers should look to start promoting early.  “Looking ahead towards the holiday season, New Zealand will wind down at the end of September and California will gear up shortly afterwards around the middle of October.  Retailers should start looking at their ad programs now as Thanksgiving will be upon us in no time.”

Duda Farm Fresh Foods

IRWINDALE, CA – Ready Pac is bringing a new taste to lunch with the new Caprese Bistro Bowl Salad.  The fresh-tasting Caprese brings the flavor of Italy to consumers.

“We have built a reputation for delivering inventive new flavors, but we also have a soft spot for the classics,” explained Tristan Simpson, Vice President of Corporate Communications at Ready Pac. “We’re eager to provide consumers with a flavor that didn’t previously exist in this category. The Caprese Bistro Bowl Salad takes customers out of their busy week for a moment, which is fantastic because everyone deserves some time to slow down.”

The bowl salad features cool mozzarella over ripened tomatoes with a tangy balsamic drizzle and only has 210 calories, according to a press release. 

Ready Pac expects its latest offering to become a customer favorite.  This single-serve complete meal is based on the latest restaurant trends.  According to Technomic, Caprese salads have been growing on menus for five years, are that trend is still growing.

The Caprese Bistro Bowl Salad has a recommended MSRP of $3.99 and is currently available in Safeway with national distribution coming soon. 

Ready Pac

BENTONVILLE, AR - Wal-Mart has annouced that it is adding fresh produce to its Savings Catcher price match program. Now just like with general merchandise, customers can use the receipt number from a recent purchase on Wal-Mart's website to compare the prices of the produce they purchased with that of Wal-Mart's competitors. According to WRAL, if the system finds that the shopper could have saved more money elsewhere, an eGift Card for the balance is issued to the customer.

When Wal-Mart first rolled out its Savings Catcher program, Duncan Mac Naughton, Chief Merchandising and Marketing Officer for Walmart U.S., told investors in a press release that “our customers are savvier than ever when it comes to finding the best deals – they are using technology to do their research and spending hours clipping coupons. We knew there had to be an easier way. Savings Catcher offers customers yet another reason to trust us when it comes to helping them save. It brings greater price transparency to the market and gives our customers confidence that they are finding some of the best deals available in retail.”

Adding produce to this already impressive program just underscores Wal-Mart's commitment to offering the lowest price point on the market.

It is also a nod to the increasing importance that the produce aisle is playing in the retail game. American consumers want to eat healthier and are turning more and more each year to fresh fruits and vegetables to feed their families.

AndNowUKnow previously covered how Wal-Mart implemented its Savings Catcher program to combat increasing pressure from competitors. This pressure has only increased since Dollar Tree and Family Dollar announced their merger. Wal-Mart executives are confident however that their company has what it takes to retain its spot atop the retail market and produce could be paving the way.

Wal-Mart

Baloian Farms' patriarch, Ed Baloian, has passed away at the age of 92.  Even despite health issues over the last few years, he was a constant presence at the office every day until the last few weeks.

A family friend and past employee said of Ed, “If I could use one word to describe Ed, it would be genuine.  This humble man did things because he cared.  To see his beaming smile when he shared his history, his beliefs, or his family was contagious.  He was a man who looked you in the eye, told you what he thought and would always stand by your side if you asked.”

Ed was a second generation farmer and understood the value of hard work.  He worked side-by-side with his father growing and distributing fruit and vegetables throughout the Fresno area.

After serving in World War II, Ed returned home to Fresno to continue his family business, the Charles Baloian Company.  In 1965, he created Pam-Pak Distributors to represent grower products throughout the U.S. and Canada, and in 1986, Ed and his son Tim started Baloian Farms which has grown into one of the largest pepper and vegetable production companies on the west coast.

Tim Baloian, Ed’s son and current President of Baloian Farms said, “My Dad had an enthusiasm for life and a respect for people that he instilled in us as a family and within our business.  Our business is an extension of his passion – the idea of doing something good and meaningful that helps others is what farming is about – we grow healthy food that helps people.  I am so grateful for the opportunity to work side-by-side with a man rooted in faith that showed me through his actions, the importance of honesty, hard work, and generosity.”

Visitation will be held at Whitehurst, Sullivan, Burns, & Blair Funeral Home on Friday August 8, 2014 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm and a Memorial Service will be held at G.L. Johnson Chapel at the People’s Church on Saturday, August 9, 2014 at 11 am.  In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorials be made to the Fresno Rescue Mission: PO Bo 1422; Fresno, CA 93716 or Seeds in His Garden; PO Box 919; Seaside, CA 93955.

AndNowUKnow would like to offer its deepest condolences to Ed’s family and friends.

SALINAS, CA - As Kale grows in popularity, this leafy green is taking up more acreage in California’s Salinas Valley.

This superfood is showing up everywhere.  There are now kale smoothies, kale chips, kale martinis and even kale nail polish lines.  Kale is also making its way to Hollywood with celebrity chefs and endorsements from Gwyneth Paltrow.

In a recent ABC News video, Church Brothers Produce Vice President of Marketing and Product Development, Ernst van Eeghen, is Hollywood-ready as he offers a tour of the company’s kale fields in the video below.

Church Brothers has a 10-acre ranch in Salinas Valley that grows about 80,000 pounds of kale, and the company is planting six times the amount of kale than it did three years ago.  “That’s how much people like it,” van Eeghen told ABC News.

Mentions of kale on American restaurant menus have increased 233% over the past two years according to Technomic.  Whole Foods reports that it sells more than 22,000 bunches of kale per day in its stores.

As ABC News suggests, kale’s biggest marketing ploy is most likely its health benefits and not its celebrity status.  Kale has the maximum amount of vitamins, nutrients and minerals in a single food, alongside Swiss chard, watercress and collard greens, according to the Aggregate Nutrient Density Index (ANDI) Scoring System.

Brad Gruno, Founder and CEO of Brad’s Raw Foods, also spoke to ABC about his business.  He estimates his company will bring in an estimated $20 million this year, with 70% of that from kale products.

From produce aisles to the White House garden to Hollywood, what might be kales next big move?  Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to cover this leafy green.

Church Brothers Produce

EDEN PRAIRIE, MN – C.H. Robinson has been named the #1 3PL by the readers of ‘Inbound Logistics’ magazine for the fourth consecutive year.

“C.H. Robinson’s responsive, evolving strategy helps create and maintain strong relationships with customers in all corners of the globe.  Through these connections, C.H. Robinson provides customers with adaptable business processes and strategic solutions,” said Felecia Stratton, Editor of Inbound Logistics.

The annual Top 10 3PL Excellence Awards are an opportunity for supply chain professionals to commend the logistics providers they believe offer the best service, reliability and communication, according to a press release.  C.H. Robinson has been included in the list each year since the survey launched in 1998.

“At C.H. Robinson, our people have always been one of our strongest competitive advantages,” said Ronnie Davis, Director of Account Management at C.H. Robinson.  “Being named the #1 3PL, for the fourth consecutive year, shows that our customers, contract carriers and suppliers consistently recognize our people and their dedication and commitment to them.”

C.H. Robinson invests in finding and building talent throughout the organization and around the world to provide customers with support and expertise through single points of contact, according to a press release.  The company’s new tagline, Accelerate Your Advantage®, reinforces the dedication of its employees and showcases the benefits of working with C.H. Robinson.

Congratulations on this honor!

C.H. Robinson 

SOUTH KOREA - Could South Korean dock workers become a real life Iron Man? The question sounds silly, but after reading about the technology that is already being used by these workers, it might not be so outlandish.

Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering has engineered a robotic exoskeleton suit that allows workers to comfortably lift and walk around with objects up to 30 kilograms, or 66lbs, in weight, regardless of their strength or endurance.

Although 66lbs might not seem so impressive to many in the produce industry who could probably comfortably lift that much themselves without the aid of external machinery, Gilwhoan Chu, Daewoo's Lead Engineer for Research and Development, stresses that this version is only an early prototype.

"We've been developing and applying robots and automation in shipbuilding for more than a decade,” he told New Scientist. “Our current research target of the lifting capacity is about 100 kilograms.”

That's over 220lbs for our American readers!

Daewoo is already using this technology to build enormous shipping vessels according to New Technology. Daewoo currently has a $1.9 billion contract from the shipping titan Maersk to build ten 55,000 ton container ships, each 400 meters in length. These ships would be able to hold a record setting 18,000 containers each!

The uses of the exoskeletons are not just limited to the shipyard either. Imagine the implications of a superpowered workforce that could lift weights of that amount without tiring quickly or needing bulky machinery for retail. Retail warehouses could one day say goodbye to forklifts and hello to Daewoo exoskeleton suits.

If Chu has anything to say about it, that kind of future could be closer than we think.

Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering

LAKELAND, FL – In the second quarter of 2014, Publix saw profits and sales increase.

The company earned $404.1 million during the quarter, which was up 0.8% from last year, according to the company’s financial report.  Sales saw an increase of 6.6% on an annual basis to $7.5 billion.

Publix also saw same-store sales grow 6.3%.  Same-store sales are an important indicator of a retailer’s health since they measure sales activity at locations open at least a year.

The St. Augustine Record reports that Publix’s second quarter earnings per share came to 52 cents, which is up from 51 cents last year.  Publix stock also increased to $33.85 per share, up $1.35, or 4.2%, from the last pricing in May.

“This is our eighth consecutive quarter with an increase in our stock price,” said Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw in a statement.  “Our associate owners deserve the credit for continuing to make us a leader in our industry.

According to the Record, Publix is also continuing to expand.  It has opened five stores in North Carolina and plans to open nine additional locations by the end of next year. 

Publix

SACRAMENTO, CA - In the midst of a crippling drought, California is now experiencing rain. Although light, the fact that rain is falling at all is setting new records across Southern California, according to the National Weather Service in Los Angeles. Slate reported that this year's August 3rd broke new rainfall records across counties in the LA region and was even the first time rain was ever experienced on that day in Woodland since records began being kept in 1949.

In Northern California light rain is also being felt. In fact, on the way to our office in Sacramento, AndNowUKnow reporters looked up in semi-shock at the light drizzle being felt on our faces.

This recent weather comes against a backdrop which is starkly different. The U.S. Drought Monitor says that 80% of California is currently experiencing “extreme drought” and 58% of the state is in “exceptional drought” and yet we see the approach of rain. What does this mean?

The honest answer is probably very little. Current weather forecasts do not project this brand of unusual weather to continue beyond the very immediate future although it may serve as a reminder that help could be on the way if the El Nino conditions predicted for this fall do develop to their full potential.

AndNowUKnow reported earlier this summer that the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration was predicting a 82% chance of El Nino weather patterns developing in California this coming fall. A strong El Nino season almost always bring heavy rainfall to California, although the weak to moderate El Nino weather patterns then predicted by Bill Patzert, a research scientist and oceanographer at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, only bring rainy weather about half the time.

These light summer showers may not have much predictive power in and of themselves for future weather patterns, but they may offer California growers some much needed hope that more rain is on the way.