ABBOTSFORD, BC - Resiliency. You must have it to succeed in the produce industry, especially as a grower. For Randhawa Farms, known for its Perpetual Vegetable Co. brand, it has been a pivotal differentiating factor that has taken the family operation from humble beginnings to partners with Oppy.

“There are so many different businesses and structures, and now you see a lot of hedge funds involved in finance and greenhouse, but we’re not one of those companies. We don’t have investors; it's a purely family-owned farm business. It’s been our family running things from one acre to a hundred acres today,” says Vijay Randhawa, Business Director, with pride. “I was nine years old when we first built our greenhouse, and we would mix fertilizer by hand because we didn’t have motorized agitators in our fertilizer tanks. We didn't have forklifts; we didn't have five-ton trucks. We would deliver our peppers in a pickup truck and take five loads daily. So, I think that makes us a little different—our whole family worked together to build the company one acre at a time.”

Vijay’s father, Kan, immigrated to Canada from India in the late 1970s. He started as a farm worker before purchasing his own land to build the greenhouse operation they have today. In 2013, the grower partnered with Oppy, and in 2019, the pair began building the company’s brand using the positioning line, “Life grows on.”

For Randhawa Farms and its Perpetual Vegetable Co. brand, its products are a continuous life cycle, growing vital energy for their community's people. The process goes beyond simply producing cucumbers and peppers and is almost spiritual in the connection between people and the earth.

This deep connection also extends to the company’s workforce, which is more like an extension of the family than employees.

“People aren't a number to us; we like to keep a family feel. So people have a sense of security when working with us. They deal with all of us like brothers daily,” Vijay explains. “Because it's a smaller company, we try to do things to make work more fun, and we like to keep the kid alive in ourselves. We want a nice, peaceful, lighthearted environment with happy people.”

Part of this stems from Randhawa Farms’ recruiting process, which brings people from countries where they face challenges, danger, and poverty to an environment where they can embrace their passion for produce.

“Our main principle is to hire people who have a connection to plants, because that’s where the majority of their efforts go,” adds Vijay. “We have great success finding them in farming communities—our team members are hard workers with green thumbs and calloused hands.”

From Randhawa Farms’ first acre to its one-hundredth, resiliency has shaped the business and workforce. This quality is not only key in produce, but in partnerships as well. For buyers, Perpetual Vegetable Co. products are not just a symbol of quality but of dedication to the plant, the people, and the planet. In other words, you can’t go wrong teaming up with this proudly family-owned operation.

BALTIMORE, MD - Just yesterday, we received word that Flashfood released its latest report. The company’s second annual Impact Report, titled The Future of Food is Waste, was announced at the ReFED 2024 Food Waste Solutions Summit. The report features interviews with a variety of expert industry voices, a case study on SNAP EBT usage on Flashfood, and more.

“There’s a tendency for technology companies in an emerging industry to be framed as competitors, rather than collaborators,” said Nicholas Bertram, President and Chief Executive Officer. “The waste tech space is critical to the future of this planet, so I think that’s irresponsible. Our people and our climate depend on us to solve this problem. The aim of Flashfood’s annual impact report is not just to communicate our progress, but to offer research and insights the industry can benefit from, and to highlight other organizations we support. Through partnership I genuinely believe that the best days of humanity are ahead of us, not behind us, and I hope the industry can join me in this optimism.”

The thesis of the report states that we don’t need more food in our food system, we need less waste. According to a press release, there are 44 million people experiencing food insecurity in the United States, but we’re throwing away the equivalent of 145 billion meals annually. We only need 48 billion meals to feed 44 million people three meals a day for an entire calendar year.

Excerpts from interviews with expert voices across the industry underline the report’s position that a collaborative approach to solving this problem is the only option. This included insights from Noreen Springstead, President and CEO of Partnership for a Healthier America; Dana Gunders, Executive Director of ReFED; and Ben Kuethe Oaks, Vice President of Customer Solutions and Success at Divert.

According to a new survey of U.S. consumers conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Flashfood, about half of Americans (52 percent) are paying more attention to coupons or sales or buying store brand products over the name brand (48 percent) as a result of rising grocery prices.

Today, fewer than one in 10 people in the U.S. eat the recommended amount of fruit and vegetables, the release continued. At the same time, we’re throwing away over 30 million tons per year. Flashfood is working to solve this problem with its No. 1 selling product: the mixed produce box.

We look forward to seeing how Flashfood continues to reduce food waste in the produce sphere.

WASHINGTON, DC - Cheers to another successful industry event! Members across the world of produce are reflecting on the insights gleaned at the International Fresh Produce Association’s (IFPA) The Mexico Conference 2024 in Guadalajara this past May.

Jose Ferrer, Sr., Director of Produce Sourcing at Walmart, and member of IFPA’s Mexican Council, shared that the conference was "A highly successful event that brought together the most important players in the Mexican produce industry, all in one place. The primary objectives of this event were to foster business development, provide value information for associates, and create the right environment for discussion on key topics for the produce industry."

The event brought together over 460 agribusiness leaders, including attendees from Mexico, Central America, the U.S., and Canada. IFPA expressed its appreciation to each participant who made it possible to reunite for this event, including sponsors, exhibitors, producers, buyers, exporters, importers, distributors, service providers, media allies, and the industry at large.

“The Mexico Conference is a unique event in Mexico's horticultural sector where the main industry players in North America intersect: the Producer, what the farmer needs to produce food (Supplier), and who buys this food, the Retailer,” shared Veggies From Mexico CEO Georgius Gotsis. “IFPA ensures effectiveness in this intersection with tools like business roundtables, among others, where all participants win.”

As a press release shared, this year’s conference format included:

• Learning: Educational sessions delved into industry challenges, the market state in Mexico, new developments in food safety policies and product training programs, climate change and water scarcity, consumer trends, and the future and challenges that will shape the Mexican labor force over the next decade
• Product and Service Exhibition: Thanks to all the exhibitors who framed the space, filling it with color, flavor, and business opportunities, growing toward a healthier and more sustainable world
• Connection: The Mexico Conference is about creating an ideal environment to stay updated in the industry and find new growth opportunities

Another key element was the Business Roundtables dynamic, which was very successful in connecting producers with buyers and resulted in over 250 effective business meetings.

“The Mexico Conference was an excellent opportunity to learn more about Mexico's floral and produce industry,” added Ron Lemaire, President, Canadian Produce Marketing Association. 
“The event provided a vibrant atmosphere for connecting with industry leaders and decision-makers, deepening my understanding of the dynamics and key players of the Mexican produce industry.”

For more insights and testimonials from attendees, click here. As we await the announcement of the dates for The Mexico Conference 2025, ANUK will be here with more industry updates.

ORLANDO, FL - What could make the long-awaited world premiere of Disney and Pixar’s Inside Out 2 even more exciting? Fresh and flavorful mangos, of course! The National Mango Board (NMB) has continued its Disney collab with a sampling event on the purple carpet during the premiere, welcoming attendees to a custom, mango-centric mocktail bar.

"The energy at the Inside Out 2 premiere in Hollywood was infectious! Our mango mocktail sampling experience on the purple carpet proved to be a fantastic way to connect with fans and showcase the incredible diversity and deliciousness of fresh mangos,” shared Dan Spellman, Director of Marketing, exclusively with ANUK. “Witnessing the fun and immersive way people interacted with mangos was truly rewarding for our team. Core memories were definitely created."

The custom mocktail bar featured three mango-focused delicacies: Mango Mojito, Mango Basil Cooler, and Mango Milk Tea with Mango Popping Boba. As the organization shared in its release, the fun and interactive experience brought the joy of mangos to all ahead of the World Premier screening of the film.

The event amplifies the mango category at a critical time, as the NMB is well into peak season, celebrating the Summer of Joy.

For more strategies fueling category demand, keep reading the pages of AndNowUKnow.

OVIEDO, FL - In many families, summertime means corn on the cob will make a regular appearance on the menu. Duda Farm Fresh Foods knows this well and is rolling out a promotion to make its Dandy® corn the star of the show. The supplier has launched its “Summer of Sweetness” Giveaway with a focus on sweet corn and some friendly pickleball competition.

“Pickleball has become THE sport to play right now, so we wanted to give our shoppers a chance to get in on the fun and win some relevant and engaging prizes,” said Nichole Towell, Senior Director of Marketing and Packaging Procurement. “Our goal with this promotion is not only to promote summertime activities and snacks, but also elevate Dandy corn as a go-to meal solution for quick and delicious summer salads and sides.”

Now through July 12, shoppers are encouraged to enter the “Summer of Sweetness” Giveaway for a chance to win pickleball inspired, three-tiered prize packs that include portable nets and court markers, carbon fiber rackets, pickleballs, and a set of themed slim can coolers. According to a press release, each of the 35 winners will also receive coupons for free Dandy products from local grocery stores.

Duda will employ a comprehensive marketing strategy to promote the giveaway that includes regional TV segments, public relations efforts, influencer support, corn recipes and application inspiration, online advertising, as well as email and social media campaigns to increase sweepstakes entries and drive demand for the product in stores.

The ANUK pickleball team will surely have our eyes on this exciting campaign!

NEW ZEALAND - Innovation is a cornerstone of this industry, which is why supply chain operators continue to test new trials. Zespri is one of the latest to do so, announcing the successful completion of a trial using biofuel in a charter vessel operating between Hong Kong and New Zealand via FCC.

“Shipping plays a critical role in New Zealand’s export-driven economy, carrying 99 percent of New Zealand’s trade by volume and around 80 percent by value. Globally, the sector is responsible for around 80 percent of worldwide trade volumes and 70 percent of worldwide trade value,” Zespri Chief Operating Officer Jason Te Brake says.

The vessel Kakariki bunkered the biofuel in Hong Kong at the end of last month before starting its voyage south, recently arriving at the Port of Tauranga. The vessel was powered by a blend of biofuel which is made from used cooking oil. If and when biofuel becomes available in New Zealand, it will present more opportunities for Zespri’s chartered ships to burn this low-emission fuel.

“Every year we ship our Zespri Kiwifruit to consumers in more than 50 markets around the world. International shipping accounts for around 43 percent of Zespri’s emissions footprint for fruit sold globally—this makes up a larger part of our emissions compared to other primary sector exporters given the low-emissions nature of our product,” Te Brake continued. “Last year, the industry used 57 charter vessel sailings during the season, plus another 13,300 containers, shipping over 619,200 tonnes of New Zealand kiwifruit to our markets.”

In a press release, FCC Director Toshiyuki Koga said FCC is proud to see the Kakariki, which is the company’s first vessel to trial biofuel, arrive safely in Tauranga.

“We have been in discussions with Zespri for a number of months about carrying out this trial and are now looking forward to further biofuel trials using other FCC vessels. We are also considering a northbound trial taking Zespri Kiwifruit to market this season,” Koga commented. “Biofuel supply chains are complex and there is still work to be done to ensure stable supply, however this trial is a first step towards decarbonization with Zespri.”

For more from the press release, click here.

ANUK has more industry news coming your way.