LOS ALAMITOS, CA - Frieda’s authentic Hatch Green Chiles are back this season with good volume and supply expected for the rest of Summer. Hatch Chiles will be available from August through September.
“We have worked with many of our retail partners on their Hatch Chile roasting events in the past few years, and shoppers just love them,” said Karen Caplan, President and CEO of Frieda’s. “In addition to the ‘Chile Heads’ who bust the door for them every year, new fans are showing up and curious foodies are stopping by.”
Hatch Chiles are grown exclusively in the Mesilla Valley near Hatch, New Mexico, according to a press release. They’re well known for their robust flavor and the zesty fragrance released when they are roasted over an open flame, according to a press release.
Frieda’s will offer four heat levels of Hatch Chiles – mild, medium, hot, and extra hot – in 25 pound cases.
To find out more about Frieda’s Hatch Chile Program, call (714) 826-6100 today.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - With the contracts for 20,000 dock workers due to expire at midnight on Monday night, The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU) and the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) are sounding positive about their efforts to reach a new labor agreement.
"Dockworkers are looking forward to negotiating a fair agreement that protects the good jobs and benefits that support thousands of families and dozens of communities around West Coast ports," ILWU President Bob McEllrath said in a report by the Wall Street Journal.
Echoing him, ILWU spokesman Craig Merrilees said, "In fact, the negotiations are proceeding normally with talks characterized by both sides as 'positive' and 'productive.'"
Retailers and economists across the country certainly hope for a speedy resolution of this conflict which threatens to further disrupt an already fragile U.S. economy. This is because any closure of America's western ports, especially those at Seattle, Los Angeles, and Long Beach, California could have dire economic consequences. According to a study by the Interindustry Forecasting Project at the University of Maryland, the results of even a 5-day shut-down would be estimated to reduce GDP by $1.9 billion a day, disrupt 73,000 jobs, and reduce the purchasing power of the average American household by $81. These costs would only grow with the length of the strike.
"If there's a strike or a walkout that lasts for five days, it would be approximately a $2 billion per day loss to the economy. If it goes on longer than that, it could be as high as $2.5 billion a day," said Matthew Shay, CEO of the National Retail Federation, to reporters at CNBC.
Realizing the stakes, both parties remained committed to continuing talks even past the midnight deadline. "Negotiations will continue on Monday and likely to continue into mid-July," a spokesman for the PMA told CNBC.
Retailers nonetheless have been preparing themselves in the event of a worst case scenario. A recent survey by Wolfe Research showed that 30% of the 50 shippers questioned reported increased port shipments coming in during the 2nd fiscal quarter as retailers stocked up for summer. A survey by Buckingham Research of railway shippers revealed similar findings.
Kelly Kolb, Vice President of Government Affairs at the Retail Industry Leaders Association, said, "While the retail community remains hopeful that a deal can be reached before the current contract expires, memories of the challenges from 2002 are still fresh in the minds of many. During the work stoppage of those negotiations, the American economy lost nearly a billion dollars a day, as goods passed out of season and produce rotted on the docks."
For now however, all industry insiders can do is wait for news of an agreement and hope for the best.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for developments on this ongoing situation.
HOUSTON, TX – Sysco Corporation has responded to a recent unidentified report which the company says contains "unfounded, inaccurate and irresponsible rumors” regarding the FTC’s review of the proposed Sysco-US Foods merger.
Bill DeLaney, Sysco President and CEO, said, “In light of this recent misleading report, it's important to convey that Sysco continues to cooperate closely with the Federal Trade Commission in its review of the proposed merger of Sysco and US Foods. We are engaged in a productive dialogue with the FTC, and the review is proceeding as expected.”
“We continue to believe that the Commission, once it finishes its investigation, will conclude that our industry is -- and will continue to be -- fiercely competitive. Our proposed merger will benefit customers and help us become more efficient in this rapidly evolving marketplace," DeLaney added.
In December, Sysco announced that it would pay $3.5 billion for US Foods and will assume its $4.7 billion in debt, according to the Houston Business Journal. This merger will give the two companies a combined total of 27% of the market and is expected to receive government scrutiny over competitiveness. For more information on the merger, check out our previous article by clicking here.
The Wall Street Journal reports that in February, Sysco said the FTC requested additional information on the merger. This was the beginning of the potential lengthy review of the deal’s impact on the food-distribution sector.
According to Sysco, this merger will help it trim $600 million in yearly costs and allow for lower prices to its customers.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for more information as this story continues to develop.
WASHINGTON D.C - Despite staunch opposition from House Republicans to allow a vote on a comprehensive immigration reform bill, President Obama had remained optimistic until now that a bipartisan compromise could be reached. In the wake of House Speaker John Boehner's most recent refusal to allow a vote on the previously passed Senate immigration reform bill however, President Obama has reportedly decided that if change is going to come this year, it will have to be through his executive authority.
“For more than a year, Republicans in the House of Representatives have refused to allow an up-and-down vote,” the President said. They are “unwilling to stand up to the Tea Party to do what’s best for the country...America cannot wait forever for them to act.”
According to Bloomberg, Obama has ordered Attorney General Eric Holder and Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson to use American troops to reinforce the U.S. southern border and increase efforts to deport undocumented immigrants who have been convicted of serious crimes.
While the President acknowledges most reforms “will still require an act of Congress,” Obama is nonetheless conferring with his advisers over the extent to which he can constitutionally direct his executive authority towards further reform.
The United Fresh Produce Association greeted this news from the White House warmly. “We appreciate President Obama’s commitment to try to address our broken immigration policy through executive action...If the House continues to disregard its responsibility to address this issue, the produce industry has no choice but to work with the Administration on short-term administrative patches that will be appreciated, but are ultimately unsatisfactory,” said United Fresh President & CEO Tom Stenzel in a press release.
Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif echoed his collegues' sentiments in a statement released Monday morning. “The House leadership’s refusal thus far to allow a vote on an immigration bill puts all U.S. industries, especially agriculture, in a desperate situation... Clearly the U.S. economy would benefit from immigration reform.”
According to Nassif, the Obama administration has so far declined to give any further details of what the President specifically plans to do as his next step. Immigration activists, retailers, growers, and American consumers will have to wait, it seems, to find out what will happen next on Capital Hill.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for updates on this ongoing situation.
Bee Sweet Citrus is kicking off its import program from Chile, Peru, and Australia this summer. From now until October, the company will be offering a wide range of citrus items including Navel Oranges, Clementines, Murcott Mandarins, Minneolas, and Lemons. Quality is fantastic this season, with the bulk of the items coming in from Peru and Chile. For retailers, there’s a number of packaging options available, including 3 pound bags or 5 pound bags and boxes. Look forward to the company’s mandarin season this fall! Joe Berberian, Sales, tells AndNowUKnow, “Quality and volume is going to be great this season. We look at all of the products coming in on arrival and re-pack it to ensure it’s fresh and safe for all of our consumers. We’re a one-stop shop for year-round fresh citrus!”
Tiffany Gate is offering retailers the chance to give consumers the freshest in prepared foods. With its unique “kit system,” the company can provide supermarkets with fresh, locally grown produce shipped daily coast to coast. Each kit is customized with various vegetables and other ingredients that retailers can use to create salads, soups, and other prepared food items. Kits are customized to each supermarket chain, so exclusive programs are available. President Adolph Zarovinsky tells AndNowUKnow, “We can bring the point of creation much closer to the point of consumption for the consumer. We recommend retailers assemble our kits in front of the consumer to show them just how fresh the food is prepared.”
WENATCHEE, WA - Stemilt is bringing back its premium cherry program, Kyle’s Pick®, a week ahead of last season’s timing to meet popular demand. The company expects Kyle’s Pick cherries, named after Stemilt co-owner and 4th generation grower Kyle Mathison, to be an even bigger hit this summer with greater volumes and ideal growing conditions in 2014.
“Kyle’s Pick cherries are the perfect way to keep the momentum going on cherries after the big Fourth of July holiday,” said Roger Pepperl, Stemilt’s Marketing Director. “The Kyle’s Pick seal on every bag is a mark to signify the high-quality cherries inside, which consumers recognize. A great cherry eating experience turns into a second great experience, and Kyle’s Pick cherries are proven to drive repeat sales during an important time for the cherry category.”
Stemilt ensures that only the best varieties make it into each pack with state-of-the-art electronic packing lines that determine firmness, size, and sugar level standards, according to a press release. Premium varieties include Hill Bings, Sweetheart, Skeena, and Staccato®.
“Skeena cherries will be the featured variety in Kyle’s Pick bags in the coming weeks. It’s a variety that likes to grow large, firm, and has incredible dessert flavors. We’ve had prime growing conditions in Washington State this summer, which will add to the exceptional quality of Skeena and other Kyle’s Pick cherries.”
Stemilt will pack the random-weight Kyle’s Pick pouch bag throughout the month of July and into early August. As Mathison begins harvesting cherries atop his high-elevation orchards, called Amigos, Stemilt will pack its second pouch bag in the Kyle’s Pick program series, called Half Mile Closer to the Moon. Moon cherries are harvested into late August at an elevation between 2,800 and 3,200 feet above sea level, “literally a half mile closer to the moon,” says Mathison.
“Starting now with Kyle’s Pick cherries and then transitioning into Moon cherries in mid-August is the way to differentiate your cherry program as premium. Share the story of Kyle’s Pick cherries with your shoppers and impress them with this flavor-first program in order to boost sales,” said Pepperl.
Kyle’s Pick pouch bags in July and August help retailers differentiate premium quality and most importantly, win over consumers, who traditionally buy cherries on impulse.
AUSTIN, TX - Whole Foods used to stand alone among mainstream suppliers of fresh, organic produce, but now in a booming and increasingly competitive market it's feeling the pressure of Fresh Market, Kroger, and Sprouts Farmers Market where it hurts: its bottom line.
"For a long time Whole Foods had the field to ourselves, pretty much. That was nice. But we don't any longer," Whole Foods CEO John Mackey said.
In the most recent fiscal quarter, Whole Foods lagged behind its competitors with no net income growth and a 2.4% decrease in comp-sales growth to 4.5%, all poor figures compared to the same fiscal quarter in 2013. Compare that to Sprouts which has enjoyed a 86% increase in net income and a 12.8% increase in comp-sales or Fresh Market's 2.5% increase in comp-sales and you quickly see room for improvement. Investors this month presumably agreed, driving down the price of Whole Foods' stock 20% after the release of its most recent earnings report, according to The Motley Fool.
The question before Mackey now is what to do next. Whole Foods is no longer the only major provider of organic produce among the major American retailers. In order to continue to grow it will need to adapt and evolve in the changing market.
As Motley Fool reporter Anand Chokkavelu noted in a recent article, Whole Foods has already begun this process, with “Make-Your-Own OJ” juice bars, increased focus on their farmer's market inspired produce layouts, and street food kiosks outside of select Whole Foods locations.
Another idea tossed around by industry insiders is a policy emulating the "Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables" selections by the French retailer Intermarche. By offering this visually-imperfect produce to customers at a 30% discount, Intermarche sold 1.2 tons of food which would otherwise have been discarded in the first two days of the sale alone. While Whole Foods already strives to minimize food waste, policies such as this could help to drop it even further, and hopefully increase its net income figures in the process. Check out Intermarche's "Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables" in the video below.
The intent is to keep Whole Foods feeling unique and authentic in a market that could have over 3,000 organic retailers within the next 10-15 years, according to the Motley Fool. To put that in perspective, Whole Foods currently has just under 400 store locations nation wide.
Organics aren't going away anytime soon and Whole Foods is going to need fresh, new ideas if it wants to continue to be an industry leader in this important market.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for further developments in this story.
LIMA, PERU – Though it is currently weak to moderate, El Niño will affect mango and grape crops in central and northern Peru, according to that country’s National Service of Meteorology and Hydrology (SENAMHI).
Wilfredo Izarra, an Agrometeorology Specialist at SENAMHI, says that the temperature increase is already affecting mango plantations that are in the process of floral induction. Andina, a Peruvian news source, reports that this process requires a minimum temperature below 17 to 18 degrees Celsius. Izarra says that there "has been an increase in temperatures of two degrees to 3.5 degrees Celsius which affects the start of the flowering process."
Warm temperatures in the central region’s Ica Valley are also affecting grape crops and could hinder pisco production as well as harming small farmers.
The director of SENAMHI’s Climatology Unit, Grinia Avalos, said that they have been observing major negative impacts in these crops since May due to rising temperatures.
“We have recognized temperature anomalies off the northern coast of the country. For now we do not know if the cold waters can reverse the mass of warm water. Everything depends on the progress of the South Pacific anticyclone to the north,” Avalos said.
Temperatures on the northern coast have increased by four degrees Celsius between May and June.
The current forecast for the next three months will maintain the temperature increase between two to three degrees Celsius above normal, according to Andina.
SENAMHI is currently monitoring El Niño and its effects on Peru. Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for more information as this story develops.
As useful as they are, smartphones can tend to be battery hogs. If you think your iPhone or Android battery life isn’t up to par, try these quick and easy tips to get the most juice out your smartphone.
iPhone
Try turning off background app refresh.
Go to Settings > General > Background App Refresh
The blue arrow icon indicates which apps use location services.
Consider only turning off unnecessary apps that you don’t want to refresh in the background.
If enabled, this feature allows apps running in the background to refresh their content periodically. For example, if you have Google Maps running in the background, your phone will refresh the app to regularly update your location in real-time. Similarly, social media apps like Facebook will refresh to update your newsfeed which can drain your battery. You can turn this feature off on an app-by-app basis or altogether.
If you can’t see this option, you may need to update your iOS. You can ensure that your iPhone is running the latest OS version by going to Settings > General > About > Version.
You can update by checking Settings > General > Software Update.
Android
Android devices have a handy feature that shows you which applications are consuming the most battery life.
If you’re running the latest firmware (4.4 KitKat), you can see this feature by checking…
Settings > Power > Usage
If you can’t see these options, you may be running an older version. Try this…
Settings > Battery
From there, you can see which apps are using up the most battery life. Try closing unnecessary apps that are running in the background and use the most battery life. Just tap on the app, and then “Force Stop” to close it.
Also, if you tap on one of those apps, your device may tell you some other options you have for conserving power. For example, if you tap on “Screen,” it will tell you to either reduce your screen brightness or screen timeout. You can get to those options by tapping “Display.”
To see if you’re running the latest firmware, go to Settings > About Device > Scroll to find your firmware version. If you need to update, go to Settings > About Device > Software Update.
More smartphone tips are coming your way. Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
KINGSVILLE, ON - Red Sun Farms is wrapping up its Hacienda Special Reserve Tomatoes in brand new packaging. The display ready box was picked as a finalist for Best New Packaging at United Fresh this year.
The display is made of a corrugate material with wood grain artwork. Retailers have the option to have it shipped with or without the aspen wood hay.
The display ready box was designed to be reminiscent of a case of fine wine in order to compliment the flavor of the different varieties of Hacienda Special Reserve Tomatoes inside.
The new varieties include the Brandy Yellow, Cherokee Green and Purple, Green Zebra, and Aurea Big Tiger. Each tomato offers a unique appearance and flavor profile sure to delight tomato lovers.