GREEN BAY, WI - This summer has been quite eventful on the management and the employee side of many retailers in the U.S. as companies look to find the middle ground in disputes across the country. On August 24, 2019, drivers and warehouse workers of the UNFI/SuperValu warehouse in Green Bay, Wisconsin, voted to reject the company’s proposed contract and authorize a strike.
"UNFI prides itself on being a good neighbor and providing healthy, sustainable food to their customers, but they need to apply these same values to how they treat their own workers," said Teamsters Local 662 Business Agent Tom Strickland. "Attempting to replace quality health care is neither healthy, nor sustainable."
Green Bay joins a growing list of UNFI/SuperValu distribution centers engaged in labor disputes around the country, according to a press release. Unions at several UNFI/SuperValu locations have either authorized strike action or are locked in major legal battles with the distributor.
"This vote is a wake-up call to UNFI that we will not just roll over and accept a reduction in our health care benefits," said Craig Vandenheuvel, a 20-year UNFI/SuperValu employee and Chief Steward. "Our health care is very important to all of us and our families. We've given up wage increases over the years to keep our high-quality health care and there's no way we're going to let the company take it away."
Teamsters Warehouse Division Director Steve Vairma also threw his hat in the ring.
"UNFI/SuperValu is the second-largest wholesale grocery distributor in America, with net sales of over $10 billion last year and is the largest distributor for Amazon's Whole Foods. They can absolutely afford to provide family-sustaining jobs and quality health care to all of the people who work hard to make this company function," said Vairma.
How will the strike play out? AndNowUKnow will continue to report the latest so check back as the discussion heats up.
KENT, ME - While the daylight hours decrease as we move towards the fall, one thing that will not be on the decline are supplies of Maine broccoli. For those operations looking for flavor and consistency as we move into the holiday push, Fresh from the Start’s Maine broccoli crop has ramped up and is now in full swing.
“Warm days and cool nights make Maine an ideal spot for growing broccoli,” Category Manager Lauren Keenan shared as she reflects on the program.
Fresh from the Start plants more than eight varieties across 2,800 acres, dependent on the time of harvest.
“This involvement results in the highest quality product for our customers. When you buy from us, you are buying directly from the grower,” Keenan continued. For its East Coast customers, crops can arrive days fresher than more distant operations since they can deliver to most major East Coast markets in 24 hours.
This season, the company is shipping both crown-cuts at 40-45 ct. per case and bunches at 14 ct and 18 ct and anticipates shipping will continue into October, according to a press release. In addition to broccoli, Fresh from the Start offers a seasonal cauliflower program that will run through mid-October, and also offers a wide variety of fruits and vegetables on a year-round basis.
As the grower, Fresh from the Start has a hand in the entire process whether it is controlling all inputs of the crop starting from seed selection to harvesting with their own crews or post-harvest trucking to customers. With a promise of value and quality, the company ensures USDA inspection on each load at the farm level before shipping.
Crown or bunch, I'll take them all! Keep checking back with AndNowUKnow on continued crop updates across the broccoli category and beyond.
U.S. & CHILE - We may be out of the clementine season now, but we’re in the heart of the mandarin, navel, and lemon season. The citrus spree continues as we dive in with Karen Brux, Managing Director with Fruits from Chile.
“North America is the primary market for Chilean Citrus,” Karen starts. “Nearly 100 percent of Chile’s clementines, mandarins, and navels are sent to North America. Lemons are also an important item for Chile, and while North America is its largest market, East Asia—primarily Japan—and Europe also take considerable volumes of lemons.”
Total volume across all citrus is expected to be down by eight percent this year, from 358,452 tons in 2018 to 329,000 tons in 2019 (see chart below). Despite the dip, the category has seen phenomenal growth over the past several years, especially in mandarins, the highest volume shipped to North America from Chile.
The “easy peeler” category of clementines and mandarins saw the highest growth—not to my surprise; they’re pretty addicting and easy to snack on. Marketing strategies in North America also contributed to those numbers, along with the strong, steady supply from Chile for the summer and fall demand. Riding off of that success, the navel and mandarin promotions are coming in hot—or cool—with developments such as a social media contest, kids cooking classes, digital coupon, in-store demos, or even a combination of all four.
“We have a large range of promotion materials, but we offer custom design items for retailers,” Karen continued. “There are a number of Southern Hemisphere countries exporting citrus to North America, but Chile not only has consistently high-quality fruit, we also have strong marketing to help retailers drive sales. This is key.”
Karen then goes on to state that the strong social media campaign has more than 350,000 Facebook fans and almost 20,000 on Instagram. Fruits from Chile easily (and actively) engages consumers with great usage videos, nutrition tips, beautiful recipes, and lots of promotions/giveaways. The high percentage of lemons being sold through foodservice channels has also led Fruits from Chile to run digital ad campaigns with a few key foodservice publications. With such high popularity, Fruits from Chile also exhibits at a number of foodservice events.
To hear more about these Chilean varieties, watch the video above featuring Karen herself. For the latest in all citrus news, keep reading ANUK.
BRENTWOOD, MO - September is known as the month for a lot of things: Better Breakfast Month, Classical Music Month, Hispanic Heritage Month, Honey Month. Now, it will also be known as National Fruits and Veggies Month™ (NFVM). The Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) is celebrating all things fruit and veg during the month of September to encourage consumers to eat more every day.
“We know many industry stakeholders and consumer-facing influencers look forward to September as a prime time to focus on categorically promoting fruits and vegetables to consumers, ultimately for the public good, and this year, PBH has an invigorating story to share with the new Have A Plant™ Movement,” says Wendy Reinhard Kapsak, Registered Dietitian and President and CEO. “The time is now to celebrate food rooted in a better mood with everyone’s favorite plants—fruits and veggies.”
Traditionally known as National Fruits and Veggies – More Matters™ Month, the organization is refining the title to elevate fruit and vegetable consumption as a national priority and to encourage a less-prescriptive approach when talking about and enjoying fruits and veggies, according to the press release.
The NFVM theme, Have A Plant™—Food Rooted In A Better Mood, ties directly to the PBH’s new behavioral science-based call-to-action, Have A Plant. Through its transformational research and consumer insights platform, PBH further established Americans’ need for creative, yet simple advice to help them enjoy more fruits and vegetables each day. The new consumer movement, Have A Plant, aims to inspire Americans with actionable, realistic, and FUN steps to connect eating fruits and vegetables with feeling happier and healthier. And, with more people trying to enjoy plant-packed meals more often, Have A Plant reminds them that all fruits and vegetables are delicious, nutrient-rich plants.
PBH is amplifying that reminder by providing seven steps for consumers to show their support for National Fruits and Veggies Month:
- Join the Have A Plant Movement: Enjoy all the fruits and veggies that you know and love—fresh, frozen, canned, dried and 100 percent juice—that taste great and are proven to support your health and happiness!
- Rock the Have A Plant T-shirt: Click here to purchase a limited-time edition of PBH’s Have A Plant™ t-shirt for yourself, your friends, family, and colleagues.
- Follow PBH’s Social Channels: Learn more about National Fruits & Veggies Month, get creative tips/tricks from PBH’s Fruit & Vegetable Ambassadors in Action (FVAA), and more on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or LinkedIn.
- Take the Have A Plant Pledge: Whether it’s something you’ve been meaning to try, or just experimenting with adding something new to foods you already love, commit to adding one more fruit and/or vegetable to your routine everyday this month. Take the Have A Plant Pledge and download the graphic to share on your social media channels using #haveaplantpledge.
- Spread the Fruit and Veggie Love on Social Media: Challenge friends, family, colleagues, and your community to get involved in National Fruits & Veggies Month. Doing so makes them more likely to engage in and win PBH’s social media contests but isn’t required. Include the hashtags, #haveaplant, #haveaplantpledge, and #NFVM2019 in any social media posts related to National Fruits & Veggies Month. Download sample posts and graphics here.
- Chat It Up with PBH FVAA Members: Join in PBH’s September Twitter chat with PBH Fruit and Vegetable Ambassador in Action, Beau Coffron, Lunchbox Dad on Tuesday, September 17 at 2:00 p.m. ET to learn and share creative ways to pump up fruit and veggie intake using the hashtag, #NFVM2019.
- Enter Weekly Contests and WIN! Participate in PBH’s weekly social media contests throughout September for a chance to win up to four $150 Amazon gift cards! At the start of each week in September, PBH will release a contest across their social channels.
- Week of 9/2: Take a selfie with or picture of your colorful, plant-powered shopping cart while at the grocery store.
- Week of 9/9: Take a selfie with or picture of a new fruit you tried.
- Week of 9/16: Take a selfie with or picture of a new vegetable you ate.
- Week of 9/23: Take a selfie with or picture of your plant-packed plate.
How will retailers take advantage of this campaign for more rings at the register? Stay with ANUK as we report more in the industry.
WASHINGTON, DC - This week, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that it has imposed sanctions on four produce businesses as part of the Perishabel Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA). Each company failed to meet their contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased product from, as well as failed to pay reparation awards issued under PACA. As a result, the below listed companies have had their PACA licenses suspended and are now barred from engaging in PACA-licensed business without approval from the USDA, according to a press release.
Direct from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service:
The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry:
- Hector H. Gonzales, d/b/a Hugo Produce, operating out of Los Angeles, California, for failing to pay a $4,676 award in favor of a California seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Hector H. Gonzales was listed as the sole proprietor of the business.
- Miami Growers Inc., operating out of Jersey City, New Jersey, for failing to pay a $6,960 award in favor of a Hawaii seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Kanti V. Patel was listed as the officer, director and major stockholder of the business.
- Texas Green Grove Produce LLC, operating out of McAllen, Texas, for failing to pay a $10,312 award in favor of a Texas seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Luis F. Mejia was listed as a member of the business.
- CTA Inc., doing business as American Freeze Dry, operating out of Ferndale, Washington, for failing to pay a $114,609 award in favor of a Washington seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Jonathan Tan, Gurprett S. Cheema and Jagit S. Aujia were listed as the officers, directors and/or major stockholders of the business.
PACA provides an administrative forum to handle disputes involving produce transactions; this may result in USDA’s issuance of a reparation order that requires damages to be paid by those not meeting their contractual obligations in buying and selling fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. USDA is required to suspend the license or impose sanctions on an unlicensed business that fails to pay PACA reparations awarded against it as well as impose restrictions against those principals determined to be responsibly connected to the business when the order is issued. Those individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, members, managers, officers, directors or major stockholders, may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee without USDA approval.
The PACA Division, which is in the Fair Trade Practices Program in the Agricultural Marketing Service, regulates fair trading practices of produce businesses that are operating subject to PACA, including buyers, sellers, commission merchants, dealer, and brokers within the fruit and vegetable industry.
In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 3,350 PACA claims involving more than $63 million. PACA staff also assisted more than 8,000 callers with issues valued at approximately $156 million. These are just two examples of how USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.
For further information, contacts, and to read the press release in its entirety, please check out the link here.
ENCINO, CA - Gelson’s Markets, is bringing back a successful program to give fruit and veg growers, producers, and distributors a chance to have their products stocked in all 27 of the Southern California-based retailer’s locations. Known as “Gelson’s Local Discoveries,” the pitch event will be held at the Gelson’s distribution center in Santa Fe Springs, CA, on September 10, where 70 Center Store and 15 Fresh department product spots will be up for grabs.
"We are excited to invite local fresh purveyors and add them to our already popular local day,” Paul Kneeland, Executive Director for Fresh Operations, commented. “Some smaller- and medium-size local companies don't have the resources to come to market and we really love helping them! Looking forward to an exciting day and already have several local vendors signed up!”
According to Orange County Breeze, the event will be open to local vendors who operate within 50 miles of a Gelson’s store, which includes locations in Los Angeles, San Diego, Orange, Santa Barbara, Ventura, and San Bernardino counties. Between 8 am and 2 pm on the day of the event, each vendor will have no more than 25 minutes to pitch their products to senior Gelson’s buyers. The pitches should explain what makes the product special, including special attributes like organic, gluten free, vegan, etc., the news source reports. Winning vendors will not only gain shelf space in the retailer’s stores, but also have their products promoted by Gelson’s through in-store, online, and local media marketing.
The first Gelson’s Local Discoveries took place last year on June 6, and was enormously successful, giving several local vendors further access to consumers. Gelson’s has helped launch many local brands in the past, including Health-Ade Kombucha, Califa Farms, Chica’s Chips, Coolhaus Ice Cream, Groundwork Coffee, and BJ’s Brewhouse Beer.
“The response was so encouraging that we decided to make this a twice-annual event, and will likely hold them in the spring and fall next year,” commented John Bagan, Chief Merchandising Officer. “We look forward to meeting new entrepreneurs and are excited to be introduced to some terrific local discoveries to surprise and delight our customers.”
Which lucky vendors will stand out from the pack and earn a place in Gelson’s Markets stores across the lucrative region? AndNowUKnow will keep you posted.
GLENVILLE, GA - Bland Farms® and Vidalia Brands® is looking to expand its reach in the Northeast region by hiring Sam Burleson. Burleson will lead the sales and marketing team as the new Northeast Sales Lead moving forward, bringing in over 30 years of experience with him.
“Sam brings a great perspective to Bland Farms,” said Delbert Bland, President. “He has a great eye for new business opportunities and an exceptional ability to develop and maintain good retailer relationships. We are excited to add Sam, a well-respected veteran, and his business and product development skill set to the team.”
According to the press release, Burleson will step in to lead client-grower relations while also playing a leadership role in how to continue to expand Bland’s strategic retailer partnerships from coast to coast. His diverse background will be pivotal to the Bland family team, specialising in performance-driven sales and marketing executive pioneering business strategies that increase product awareness, market share, and profitability. For 20 years, Burleson has known the Bland family both professionally and personally, so he’s practically already part of the family himself.
“I have admired Bland Farms and Vidalia Brands for many years, so I’m excited about the opportunity to be a part of a premier sweet onion grower in the industry,” Burleson commented. “I look forward to creating new business opportunities and expanding our retailer relationships in the Northeast.”
Congratulations Burleson on your new adventure! Stay with ANUK for more on the latest hiring news.
SACRAMENTO, CA - As most of you know, our team at AndNowUKnow is also the creators of the fresh produce trade news print publication, The Snack Magazine. Due to heightened demand for a November presence in the mailboxes of our revered viewership, we have decided to launch a 9th issue to our annual eight-issue spread. Slated to drop for the month of November, this issue will focus on the culinary innovations of the top categories and companies across our industry as we hit that infamous, and might I say lucrative, holiday push.
From WTFs (What the Forks) and UP CLOSE pieces, to core features that will tap food trends and the arena of burgeoning culinary artistry, this issue will bring the industry’s most flavor-forward together for an issue that belongs in retailers’, foodservice operators’, and buyers’ kitchens along with their office coffee tables and bookshelves. The barrier to entry? The time you are wasting now ;)
Interested in getting involved: Give us a shout here.
One of our industry friends shared her excitement with us, so scroll below to see what she had to say...
Gabriela D’Arrigo, Vice President of Marketing and Communications, D’Arrigo New York
"The November Snack Issue comes at one of the best times of the year for produce because everyone is focused on food. Thanksgiving is the big kickoff for the holiday buying season and as distributors we look for tools to help us get our customers excited about not only the popular items, but the unconventional ones too. The WTF segment is a great catalyst for some of these unconventional produce items to get some great recognition."
The issue is filling up fast, my friends, hope to see you on the page for November and in the kitchen!
NEW YORK, NY - Am I one of the few people that stares at the Wegmans’ “Future Store Locations” page in the hopes of seeing new markets? I’m sure there are other consumers out there who do it, too, because the retailer is beloved by all. This week, though, I was able to get pumped for the shoppers of the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, because Wegmans is planning to build out its store count in Brooklyn, New York, and Raleigh, North Carolina.
Both of these stores, according to the company’s website, are due to open soon. The store in Raleigh will open September 29, 2019; the Brooklyn store will open October 27, 2019.
In addition to those stores, there were other “Future Sites” listed, which included Greenville, Delaware; Annapolis and Rockville, Maryland; Middletown, New Jersey; Cary, Chapel Hill, and Wake Forest, North Carolina; Alexandria, Arcola, and Reston, Virginia; and Wisconsin Avenue, Washington D.C.
Wegmans noted on its website that thousands of people write in asking them to build a store near their hometown. So, if I write in a thousand letters, do you think they’ll come to California? Asking for a friend.
Continue to stick with AndNowUKnow on the latest in retail news.
MOLINE, IL - Deere & Company, more famously recognized by its brand John Deere, announced the promotion of John C. May to Chief Executive Officer as well as his appointment to the Board. May previously served as President and Chief Operating Officer, but will enter his role as CEO in early November. The company is best known by farmers and blue-collar workers as many of its products are made to till the land.
"John's record of success and proven leadership skills make him highly qualified to lead Deere and guide its success in the years ahead," Samuel R. Allen, Chairman and current Chief Executive Officer, said in a press release. "His experience in precision agriculture, information technology, and overseas operations will be instrumental in driving the company's digitalization journey and extending its success in agricultural and construction equipment."
Deere & Company plans for Allen to remain a Chairman of the Board of Directors when he steps down later this year. May joined the company in 1997, which came as a surprise to me since that’s the year I was born (talk about loyalty). In 2012, he joined the Senior Management Team as President and only went up from there. Just last year, he was named President of the Worldwide Agriculture & Turf Division, responsible for global harvesting, turf and utility, crop care platforms, and intelligent-solutions group in the Americas and Australia.
May’s long and weathered path to CEO is both inspiring and exciting for industry professionals of every variety. Under this new leadership, we at ANUK can’t wait to see how the company continues to impact produce production for years to come.