KINGSVILLE, ON - The week of PMA Fresh Summit is officially here and if you do not already have booth #4385 marked on your target list, you should! SUNSET will be debuting its newest on-the-vine tomato bomb at the tradeshow and expo, and we’re relishing the sweet anticipation.
“SUNSET dominates the on-the-vine snacking category, which is the fastest growing tomato segment,” says Paul Mastronardi, President and CEO, and the fourth-generation family member to lead Mastronardi Produce. “We’ve built a massive fanbase for the Bombs™, and we can’t wait to share this new addition to the line-up.”
Curious? So are we! The sweet-like-honey golden snacking tomato follows the success of Flavor Bombs® and Sugar Bombs™. These items are both ripened and packed on the vine for optimal flavor, according to a press release. The new addition offers the same high-impact Bombs™ taste experience that consumers have grown to crave.
Additionally, the company has a vast array of new items to showcase, including Organic Wild Wonders®, a certified organic offering of the number one tomato-mix brand in the United States.
Have a great show and keep checking back with AndNowUKnow for details, flavors, and more!
PLEASANT PRAIRIE, WI - The ANUK team’s excitement has only risen in fervor every time an industry leader sends a PR detailing a new produce variety our way. With PMA literally this week, we’ve been positively bouncing out of our orange chairs thanks to a slew of new variety announcements hitting our inbox. The latest new product announcement was from Good Foods, who revealed it will be unveiling a delicious way to dress up all those new varieties coming down the pipeline in the way of a clean ingredient salad dressing line!
“Good Foods is answering our consumer’s call for delicious dressings with the clean labels they crave,” said Danyel O’Connor, Executive Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We chose to elevate the most sought-after salad dressings with bright, fresh flavors by harnessing the power of cold pressure.”
According to a press release, Good Foods’ products use high pressure processing (HPP), which wields the power of water to keep the food and ingredients fresher for a longer period of time while also maximizing nutrition and eliminating harmful pathogens.
The line will include six gluten-free salad dressings, each containing fresh fruit, vegetables, and herbs without any preservatives or additives. In fact, the ingredients list only includes easily recognizable items, like avocados and lemons, in order to offer a transparent label to consumers. The six plant-based flavors include: Harvest Apple, Asian Ginger, Avocado Goddess, Blue Cheese, Avocado Ranch, and Caesar—with the last three containing dairy.
To try the Blue Cheese and Avocado Goddess dressings for yourself, stop by booth #2319 at PMA Fresh Summit—with a few of its neighboring booths’ new produce varieties in tow to dress up, if you’re picking up what I’m putting down!
For more pre-PMA coverage, stay right here with ANUK.
ROCHESTER, NY - Many of us in the industry got our start by bagging groceries and stocking shelves. For some, it may have even been your first job in high school that somehow blossomed into an executive role. No matter the journey, these humble beginnings are often what forges great leaders. Jack DePeters of Wegmans Food Markets is one of such individuals, retiring from his position as Senior Vice President of Store Operations at the year’s end, and capping off a career that spanned over 52 years.
“Jack has played an immeasurable role in the success of our company by bringing our values to life and always putting people first,” said Danny Wegman, President of The Wegman Group. “His career has set an example of continuous learning and leadership for the many generations that followed.”
Like many, DePeters’ first job was at Wegmans as a 16-year-old part-time employee. After graduating from Aquinas Institute, he received a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Administration from St. John Fisher College in 1973. DePeters then became a full-time employee, serving in many capacities, including as a Store Manager and a Buyer. He eventually moved from store operations to the merchandising side of the business, starting as Head Grocery Buyer and Director of Wegmans’ brand in 1982. Four years later, in 1986, he was named Director of Grocery, Dairy, and Frozen, a position he held until 1999 when he was named Senior Vice President of Store Operations. Over his long career, DePeters has implemented a number of important initiatives that kept Wegmans on the leading edge of the industry.
“When we listen to those closest to the work, we always find ways to get better,” said Jack. In response to that adage, he created Ask Jack, a program that allowed Wegmans employees to reach out directly to him with comments or suggestions. Since Ask Jack began in 2002, more than 16,000 employees have sent messages to Jack and received a response. Comments and responses that are deemed to be of broad interest are shared through Wegmans intranet on a page that receives about 130,000 ‘hits’ each year.
DePeters points to the words of the late Robert Wegman as inspiration: “Never think about yourself; always help others.” DePeters says, “Those words motivated me to create opportunities for our people to learn and grow, provide them with meaningful work, and deliver incredible service to each other and to our customers.”
DePeters has been on the St. John Fisher College Board of Trustees since 2007 and is the current Chairman. He has worked with the United Way of Greater Rochester since 1987, serving on a number of committees and as a member of its Board of Directors from 1999 until 2002. DePeters and his wife Donna have been Tocqueville members since 2010, and they jointly served as Tocqueville Chairs in 2017 and 2018.
When asked his proudest achievement, DePeters doesn’t hesitate: “The day I learned we were #1 on Fortune’s list of the ‘100 Best Companies to Work For,’ and seeing how much this meant to our people.”
As the praises are aplenty, so too are the sentiments of those who will miss DePeters when he retires.
“Counting the number of people and families Jack has impacted throughout his professional career and through his community efforts would be an impossible feat,” added Wegman. “Our family is grateful for all that he has contributed to our company and our community.”
Bob Farr, who joined the company in 1980 at the age of 16, will succeed DePeters as Senior Vice President of Store Operations. Farr has had a long career in store operations, including as a Store Manager at several Rochester locations, and more recently as Virginia Division Manager and Senior Vice President.
From all of us here at ANUK, thank you to Jack DePeters for all you’ve done to support the industry.
ANAHEIM, CA - For the 8th consecutive year, the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) will bring more than 20 influential retail dietitians to its 2019 Education2Action Retail Dietitian Event, hosted alongside PMA’s Fresh Summit, October 16-19 in Anaheim, California. As part of PBH’s commitment to bridging the gap among food retail, the produce industry, and most importantly the consumer, this event provides retail dietitians with access to the latest produce innovations, new research and insights as well as tools to inspire increased fruit and vegetable consumption in-store and online.
“Retailers have significant impact on the shopper path-to-purchase, and we know retail dietitians are natural promoters of produce, playing a critical role in moving fruits and vegetables at the point of sale,” says Annette Maggi, MS, RDN, LD, FAND, PBH’s Retail Accounts Manager. “The goal with this event is to provide retailers with education and networking experiences that inspire them to get creative with fruits and vegetables and take back actionable ideas to help drive produce purchases in their stores and in digital communications.”
PBH’s signature retail dietitian event continues to put “Education2Action” by offering an array of educational and experiential programs throughout four days. Education sessions offer timely topics like podcasting—a popular communications platform that can inspire shoppers with creative ways to enjoy fruits and vegetables. During an agriculture innovation session, retail dietitians will address shopper interests and become well-versed in the often-misinterpreted plant-to-plate story. Retail attendees will also get an up close look at agriculture through a field immersion experience sponsored by the California Strawberry Commission. PBH’s Powerful Produce Pairings program is the theme for delectable culinary experiences and tastings throughout the program, showcasing the taste, flavor and cravability of produce when creatively paired with other nutrient-rich foods from sponsors like Kellogg’s, California Walnuts and Chelan Fresh. The event wraps on Friday and Saturday with scheduled booth visits with produce industry leaders on the show floor.
“This year’s event is particularly exciting because it immerses a new group of retail dietitians into the world of produce with the very companies fueling the plant-forward movement. Uniting these two groups drives collaboration—and profits—with meaningful promotions that inspire life-changing habits and behavior change among today’s shoppers,” says Sharese Roper, PBH’s Member Engagement Director. “Our popular booth visits on the PMA show floor allow sponsors to unveil new products and share the most relevant messaging and insights that will directly influence shopper decisions. This is a win-win for sponsors and retail dietitians as they promote healthier lifestyle solutions for shoppers nationwide.”
“At PBH, we are focused on elevating fruit and vegetable consumption as a national priority. We know eating more fruits and vegetables is the single most important action Americans’ can take to live happier, healthier lives,” says Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RD, President and CEO of PBH. “We can’t do this alone though; and that’s why we’re proud to be a collaborative partner on this event and others where we can connect influencers with the produce industry in order to make an impact. Together, through our Have A Plant™ Movement, we can truly instill life-long habits that include fruits and vegetables at every single eating occasion, every single day.”
2019 PBH Education2Action Retail Dietitian Event Participating Retailers:
- Big Y
- Coborn’s Inc.
- Compass Group
- Fareway Stores
- Fresh Thyme
- Giant
- Giant Martin
- Hannaford
- Harmon’s Grocery
- H-E-B
- Kroger
- K-VA-T
- Kwik Trip, Inc.
- Loblaws
- Natural Grocers
- Sobey’s
- Wakefern
- Wegman’s
- Weis Markets
2019 Education2Action Retail Dietitian Event Sponsors include:
- Avocados from Mexico
- Bayer Crop Science
- California Avocado Commission
- California Strawberry Commission
- California Walnut Board
- Chelan Fresh
- Chilean Fresh Fruit Association
- Dole Food Company
- Duda Farm Fresh Foods
- Frieda’s Specialty Produce
- Kellogg Company
- Marie’s/Ventura Foods
- Michigan Apple Committee
- Naturipe Farms
- Produce Marketing Association
- Robinson Fresh
- Stemilt Growers
- Sunkist Growers
- Sun-Maid Growers of California
- The Wonderful Company
- healthyAisles/Vestcom International
PBH staff will also be onsite at the PMA Fresh Summit to discuss member benefits and services with those interested in engaging for 2020 business success. For more information about PBH’s events and programming, contact [email protected] or fruitsandveggies.org/engage.
CENTURION - AFGRI Technology Services (ATS), the strategic innovation and growth division of AFGRI Agri Services, has partnered with Aerobotics, the Cape Town based start-up that processes data from drone and satellite imagery through its proprietary artificial intelligence software to bring the latest technology to a broader section of South Africa’s farmers.
The partnership aims to provide critical tools to support the growing market of tree crop farmers to ensure they are optimising how they make decisions, manage risk and operate their farming business.
“Our customers stand to benefit from Aerobotics’ tools, which are used for general farm management and to discover and analyse problems affecting individual trees, to proactively manage pests and disease outbreaks as well as monitoring tree crop health and optimising their yields,” says AFGRI Agri Services CEO, Jacob de Villiers.
According to Niki Neumann, GM for Strategy & Innovation at AFGRI Agri Services, Aerobotics has seen good traction and growth in the tree crop market in South Africa and abroad. “Their focus on a superior product experience and customer service has put them strides ahead of their competitors. We look forward to working with dynamic, disruptive companies like Aerobotics to bring only the best-of-breed solutions to our farmers.”
Neumann adds that the Aerobotics tool was introduced to AFGRI Agri Services employees during August, and that some farmers have already been introduced to the company and its capabilities through ATS’ Future Farmers Forum, an initiative aimed exclusively at forward-thinking early adopters in the agricultural sector with the sole goal of connecting South Africa’s farming community with the latest in agricultural technology.
“By working with start-ups like Aerobotics, we can encourage a truly tech-enabled sector in South Africa that promotes sustainable, responsible and efficient food production, with a focus on increased productivity and data-driven decision making.”
Aerobotics Head of Sales for Africa, Vic van den Berg, is excited about the partnership as an opportunity to bring their farm management software to a larger market. “Our team is consistently working on product updates and features with the key objective being to save our farmers all over the world time and money through our early-stage pest and disease detection software–which gets smarter by the day. This partnership means that we will be able to add value to more farmers with our data-driven software, which ensures that farmers can make smart, data-driven decisions when it comes to their crops’ health and yields.”
NAMPA, ID; CHANNAHON, IL - As it continues to expand its reach in the retail space, Amazon has been planting roots in multiple regions across the county—Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Georgia, to name a few. But this is all in an effort to grow its footprint across the country to address increased consumer demand, and now, the retailer has set its sights on two more regions, Illinois and Idaho, opening new fulfillment centers, one of which will be Idaho’s first.
“We’re excited to open our first customer fulfillment center in Idaho and to bring more than 1,000 full-time jobs to the city,” said Alicia Boler Davis, Vice President of Global Customer Fulfillment. “Amazon is committed to creating a positive economic impact in Nampa and enhancing the customer experience throughout the region.”
The new Idaho facility in Nampa will span 650,000 square feet and is anticipated to create more than several full-time jobs, enriching the work force in the area, according to a press release. Tasked with filling orders from across the state, the state-of-the-art facility is expected to bolster Idaho’s economic activity.
The facility planned for Channahon, IL, may not be the state’s first, but is set to impress based on size alone. The behemoth will cover more than one million square feet, and is expected to create 500 new, full-time jobs.
“Illinois is a great place to do business and we are excited to continue our growth and investment in the state with our new fulfillment center in Channahon,” said Davis, in a press release. “Since 2010, Amazon has invested more than $4 billion in the state through its local fulfillment center and cloud infrastructure, research facilities, and compensation to thousands of employees in the state. We are excited to create more than 500 new full-time jobs, in addition to the 11,000 current employees across the state, who receive industry-leading pay and benefits starting on day one.”
With two new facilities in carefully chosen, transportation-friendly regions, how far is Amazon extending its reach? And where will it target next? AndNowUKnow will report.
PLANT CITY, FL - Wish Farms is taking its strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries in a new direction—a digital direction, if you will. Last week, the berry grower and marketer continued its tradition of innovation with hints of a new leading-edge technology, set to be previewed at PMA Fresh Summit on October 18th and 19th.
“I wanted us to be the first in our industry to utilize this technology,” said Gary Wishnatzki, Owner of Wish Farms. “Misty is such an asset to our brand. Bringing her to life in this fun way is just another chance for us to connect and get more people excited about being a Wish Farms berry lover.”
The new technology uses augmented reality (AR) via a new branded smartphone application to enhance Wish Farms’ refreshed labels in a fun and unique way. According to a press release, once the app is downloaded and opened on a smartphone or tablet, the viewer can hover the camera over the Wish Farms label to make the AR video appear. The app will also feature grower profiles, recipes, tips, and consumer feedback.
“This first video is a great introduction to Misty,” said Amber Maloney, Wish Farms’ Marketing Director. “In the future, we can see opportunities to do tailored videos for holidays, recipes, contests, and much more.”
The application, which was completed in partnership with Sulzer, will be hitting the consumer market in January of 2020 and will be available across the entirety of Wish Farms’ berry products.
“We’ve had a great time working on this project,” said Michelle Sulzer, Chief Creative Officer and Founder of Sulzer, “Using augmented reality to bring Misty to life is a natural choice to drive brand engagement. The possibilities with the technology are endless.”
Swing by the PMA Fresh Ideas Showcase to sneak a peek at Wish Farms’ new AR Technology as well as Wish Farms’ booth #4337 to learn more about how with each download, Wish Farms will donate a meal to those in need in its community.
AndNowUKnow will keep you the most up to date on the latest PMA Fresh Summit happenings.
SANDPOINT, ID - Litehouse, Inc., a 100 percent employee-owned company and the No. 1 Refrigerated Salad Dressing (RSD) brand in the U.S., is kicking off fall with a family-friendly national retail promotion. The “Do Family Night Right” promotion will support retailers across the country by driving sales with discounted pricing on a high velocity product, Litehouse 20 oz. family size dressing, and inspire consumers with content and recipes featuring delicious flavors like Homestyle Ranch, in an easy-to-use format.
According to Mintel, nearly 8 in 10 consumers want food packaging that offers product measurement or dispensing. The Litehouse 20 oz. family size squeeze bottle was developed with convenience and versatility in mind, and the product line’s strong sales performance illustrates that the value size format is winning over families nationwide.
Litehouse 20 oz. family size dressings account for 54 percent of the total U.S. value segment, and sales for Litehouse 20 oz. Homestyle Ranch are up 51 percent. The promotion is a strategic opportunity for retailers to boost sales and increase basket size, while also supporting category growth. During the 2018 promotion for 20 oz. family size dressing, Litehouse saw a 95 percent increase in sales, and 47 percent of sales came from new-to-brand shoppers.
“As employee owners, we pride ourselves on developing high-quality products that not only taste great, but also solve consumer pain points,” said Camille Balfanz, Senior Brand Manager at Litehouse. “Our refrigerated salad dressings come in an assortment of sizes and formats for any occasion, in beloved Litehouse flavors like Homestyle Ranch and Chunky Blue Cheese. Our 20 oz. dressings are available in a convenient squeeze bottle, perfect for family game nights, entertaining, and on-the-go occasions like picnics and tailgates.”
Running October 2 through November 2, the “Do Family Night Right” promotion includes an in-store campaign with signage, secondary displays and point-of-sale materials, sampling, and discounted pricing on Litehouse 20 oz. dressing at select retailers. To increase brand awareness and drive retail sales, the promotion will be supported by digital advertising, social media and blog posts, family-friendly recipes and more. Consumers will also have a chance to win $5,000 for their next family adventure with a text-to-win and online sweepstakes.
Litehouse dressings are available in an assortment of sizes and formats perfect for any occasion, including convenient family size squeeze bottles, dip tubs and glass jars perfect for snacking, as well as easy-to-pour bottles, all found in the refrigerated produce department at grocery retailers nationwide. Litehouse Homestyle Ranch dressing does not contain artificial preservatives, colors or flavors, and is made without high fructose corn syrup or added MSG.
IRVINE, CA - Good morning, AndNowUKnow readers!
Today, I am bringing you some of the category and weather news from around the industry. Check back twice weekly to see the latest around all growing regions.
EXTREME WEATHER CONTINUES IN ARGENTINA
Blueberry growing regions of Argentina continue to see extreme weather changes which may lead to production and quality issues.
The last several days has seen unusually hot weather with maximum temperatures in the upper 90°s. Tomorrow will be the hottest day of the heatwave with a high of 101° and a low of 81°.
A storm will come through the region on Sunday and Monday bringing over 2.00” of rain and dropping the temperatures. By Tuesday, temperatures will only see a high of 65° and lows in the 40°s and 50°s depending upon exact location. Temperatures will begin to warm again next Thursday, but will only reach into the 70°s.
Please check with shippers to see if weather will be an issue. These continued temperature swings over the last several weeks of 25 to 30 degrees from one day to the next is not the best for fruit production.
MICHIGAN TEMPERATURES TO DROP 25 DEGREES OVERNIGHT
Michigan’s growing season, which has continued longer than normal this year due to the unusually warm temperatures, might finally be coming to an end. Today, many growing regions in the state will see a cold front come through, bringing rain and much colder temperatures.
Regions, which only yesterday saw a high of 73° and a low of 60°, tomorrow will see a high of 48° and a low of 43°. These colder temperatures will continue through next week. Next Monday, the low will be into the 30°s.
Although Michigan has pretty much wrapped its season for all commodities, there are still a few growers still shipping tomatoes and celery. These colder temperatures could finally stick a fork in the Michigan summer season.
OXNARD, CALIFORNIA EXPERIENCING HIGH WINDS
Santa Ana winds hit the growing region of Oxnard yesterday and today. Sustained winds are above 30 mph and temperatures are warm with highs in the mid-80°s and lows in the 60°s.
Bell peppers and strawberries are coming out of this region right now. You may want to talk to shippers to see if the wind will cause any quality issues.
COLD NIGHTS IN THE SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY HAS BEGUN
The cold temperatures we talked about on Tuesday have materialized. Last night was the first night of the cooling trend with a low of 44° in Stockton and 46° in Tracy. The nightly lows will remain in the 40°s through Monday of next week, but even so, temperatures will only rise by a few degrees for the rest of the week. Expect lows to remain in the low 50°s and some 40°s through the end of next week.
Mature green tomatoes, cantaloupes, and honeydew melons are still coming from this region. Expect a slowdown of remaining production.
HURRICANE CENTRAL
In the Pacific, there is a large area of thunderstorms several hundred miles southwest of the coast of southwestern Mexico associated with a trough of low pressure. A tropical depression is likely to form over the weekend as a storm moves northwest at 5-10 mph. There is a 90 percent chance for a cyclone forming over the next 5 days.
In the Atlantic, things are quiet with no major storms on the horizon.
OTHER LOCATIONS
If you have any special location requests for which you would like an update, please email us your requests. We will include in our future reports.
Thank you as always for your support. We will be back next week with another report.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Effective November 1, Target Corporation will be welcoming a new Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer to its ranks. Michael Fiddelke will be stepping into his new role to take charge of financial planning and analysis, financial operations, internal audit, accounting, investor relations, treasury, tax, and risk. He will also oversee Target’s Financial and Retail Services, which includes guest relations and management of its financial products, like its Target RedCard.
“After concluding an extensive global search, it’s clear that Michael is the right leader for this role,” Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Brian Cornell commented in the company’s press release. “With his engineering training and his deep financial experience, Michael is extremely talented at diagnosing and solving complex organizational challenges and driving business results. He is respected as a highly-collaborative business partner and will bring a modern approach to financial and enterprise leadership for Target.”
Fiddelke has been with the company for over 15 years now at this point, and has served in various capacities across finance, merchandising, human resources, and operations. Most recently, he served as Senior Vice President of Operations, leading numerous cross-functional enterprise initiatives spanning merchandising, supply chain, stores, and guest experience. He is being appointed after an extensive evaluation of internal and external candidates. Target’s current CFO, Cathy Smith, will be planning to retire, but will stay on as a strategic advisor until May 2020.
According to the local Biz Journals, Target will also be losing its CMO to Bed Bath & Beyond. Mark Tritton, who has been the Chief of Merchandising at Target since May 2016, will be stepping in as Bed Bath & Beyond’s newest President and CEO, effective November 4.
"Mark brought a tremendous amount of energy to his role as our Chief Merchant," stated Cornell. "His focus on developing the next generation of leadership, establishing a comprehensive merchandising strategy, and re-energizing our owned brand portfolio are among his most meaningful contributions. Along with the entire Target team, I wish him the best."
With this departure, Christina Hennington and Jill Sando, two Target executives with deep expertise and nearly 40 years of combined experience with the company, will assume interim leadership of the retailer’s merchandising organization. In January 2019, Target named both Hennington and Sando Senior Vice President and General Merchandising Manager, reflecting their expanded responsibilities with the company.
"As we head into the holiday season and beyond, Christina and Jill are well positioned to lead our merchandising organization given their strong business acumen and extensive experience driving ambitious and successful merchandising strategies,” finished Cornell.
During this interim period, Hennington and Sando will report directly to CEO Brian Cornell. This operating structure will remain in place until further notice, and the company does not plan to initiate an external search at this time. Continue keeping tabs with us on all retail news. AndNowUKnow a little more.