SALINAS, CA - Markon held its fifth annual Chef Summit last month, giving participants the chance to experiment with plant-based foods. The event invited 26 chefs from Markon’s seven foodservice members and operators to participate in produce activities and compete in The Mushroom Council’s blended burger recipe contest and the Green Box Challenge.
“The Markon Chef Summit continues to be one of the most enjoyable culinary journeys of the year,” shared Sam Blackburn, Executive Chef with Sodexo. “From getting to experience Markon’s ‘boots on the ground’ and spending one-on-one time with the students at Rancho Cielo, to working together to create new culinary masterpieces, Markon has found a unique and special way to highlight the important role produce plays on menus. Markon’s Chef Summit is an eye-opening experience and I enjoyed learning more about the amazing way Markon Cooperative operates on a daily experience.”
According to a press release, participants included chefs from Ben E. Keith Foods, Gordon Food Service, Gordon Food Service Canada, Maines Paper & Food Service, Nicholas & Company, Reinhart Foodservice, and Shamrock Foods Company. Alongside their efforts to produce original recipes, the group attended produce field tours, participated in roundtable discussions about the produce industry, and connected directly with suppliers and growers about produce innovation and new products.
Prior to the summit, The Mushroom Council partnered with Markon to bring a unique challenge to its participants. As a sponsor of the James Beard Foundation’s Blended Burger Project, The Mushroom Council introduced the contest to challenge chefs to create new blended burgers that contain at least 30 percent mushrooms. Recipes were submitted before the event, and the top four were served for lunch. The winner was named Darci Kropp of Darci’s Bacon Bleus, whose burger featured ground chuck blended with Florida-grown Monterey mushrooms and cherries, topped with arugula, brie, jalapeño bacon, and a spicy cherry ketchup, all served on a brioche bun.
"We couldn't be happier with our partnership with Markon around the Blended Burger—the chefs were incredibly creative, and the burgers were amazing! Blending, which combines 70 percent meat with 30 percent mushrooms, has become a part of our culinary culture as this plant-forward approach is appearing on more menus and now on retail shelves,” said Steve Solomon, Menu Strategist for The Mushroom Council. “Consumers view blending as a better way to enjoy iconic foods like burgers without sacrificing flavor. Markon has embraced this blend concept with their distributors. They are a force in the industry, and their partnership is helping bring chefs new opportunities.”
The Chef Summit also featured the Markon Green Box Challenge held at the Rancho Cielo Drummond Culinary Academy. At-risk students assisted the chefs in this challenge, teaching them culinary skills while challenging chefs to produce recipes alongside an inexperienced team. Teams split and created a variety of product usages for Markon and its platinum sponsors Church Brothers, Ippolito Produce, and Taylor Farms. The team led by David Cunningham, Center of Plate Sales Specialist and Culinary Consultant of Reinhart Foodservice, and Jesse Edmunds, Owner and Chef at Seven Hills Hospitality Group, won by developing a scallop and shrimp lettuce bisque. The recipe showcased Markon’s Ready-Set-Serve Heritage Salad Blend, featuring colorful lettuces blended together and topped with skillet-roasted fish.
Other Summit activities included:
- Produce field tours: Chefs saw firsthand the growing and packing process for a variety of produce.
- Produce trends and toolbox session: Flavor & The Menu Publisher/Owner, Cathy Holley, took a deep dive on staying creative with flavor.
- Supplier focus groups: Cal Giant, Ippolito Produce, HMC Farms, Fresh Origins, Taylor Farms, and Church Brothers discussed regional culinary trends.
- Grower panel Q&A: Chefs interacted directly with growers such as John Pattullo, from Church Brothers, and Dennis Johnson, from AW Johnson and Sons Farming
Congrats to Markon for another successful Chef Summit! Follow AndNowUKnow for more produce innovations.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Like many retailers, Target is looking to grow its selection of in-house private label products. Albertsons and Fresh Thyme have already expanded their own signature brands by hundreds of products, and now Target is looking to follow suit, introducing a new private brand called Good & Gather. The new line is set to debut later this fall, and will feature hundreds of new products, with an emphasis on affordability, convenience, and health.
“Our guests are incredibly busy and want great-tasting food they can feel good about feeding their families,” commented Stephanie Lundquist, Executive Vice President, Food & Beverage. “We saw this as a huge opportunity for Target to help. So our team got to work on our most ambitious food undertaking yet, reimagining our owned food brands to serve up convenient, affordable options that do not cut corners on quality or taste. Good & Gather is our way of helping even the most time-strapped families discover the everyday joy of food.”
The new line will hit Target’s shelves on September 15, starting with 650 new items, to expand to more than 2,000 products by the end of next year. According to a press release, the idea behind the new Good & Gather brand is "great food made for real life," whether it be fresh produce, dairy, ready made pastas, meat, and more. The line claims to be free of artificial flavors, synthetic colors, high fructose corn syrup, and artificial sweeteners.
Extensive research and testing went into every product in the new lineup, as the retailer’s food scientists and culinary experts sought to concoct fresh, nutritious, and tasty offerings, like an avocado toast salad kit, beet hummus, heat-and-serve roasted poblano mac and cheese, and more.
Good & Gather is part of Target’s efforts to cement its place in the food and beverage industry, bolstered by the new brand as well as strengthening the retailer’s supply chain, revamping in-store displays, and adding new fulfillment options and services, like same-day delivery.
From its September 15th launch date, Good & Gather products will be rolled out in phases, but the retailer ultimately plans to incorporate the new line as its “flagship” brand of products. As the new products are released, Target will be streamlining its private-label brands, phasing out its Archer Farms and Simply Balanced brands, and reducing its Market Pantry line. The retailer asserts that many previously-existing product recipes will be transferred to the new line, some of which will be reformulated and improved.
For more news on retail brand transformations, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
RICHMOND, VA - Legacy Foodservice Alliance opened its doors to the variety offered by six new distributor members. The company sought out new distributor locations to introduce in the second quarter of 2019, following a wave of new members brought on in the first quarter. The addition of these industry contributors puts Legacy on track for a record number of new members this year.
“When we started Legacy, the vision we had in mind was a place where different types of companies could become members of a place that felt like home,” said Steve Push, CEO. “We are excited that this vision has resonated with so many people and that we are able to bring that feeling to individuals both across the country and outside of it.”
Chasin Foods of Los Angeles, Mr. Grade A of Amityville, Acme Steak & Seafood of Youngstown, TCI Distributors of Turks and Caicos, Asa H. Pritchard of Nassau, and Core-Mark International of Minnesota are the newest additions to Legacy’s lineup. The company strategically chose these entities to expand the breadth of its impact on the industry. These six new members occupy a variety of niche markets, two of which represent areas outside the US. Legacy is determined to continue pursuing international opportunities.
Independent distributor members offering specialty items are of top priority for Legacy. AndNowUKnow continues to report on the supply chain’s endeavor to provide the best products at the best price.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - AgroFresh Solutions' Vice President of R&D and Regulatory, Dr. Ann Beaulieu, will soon be lending her expertise to the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research (FFAR), an advisory council focused on improving access to nutritious foods, developing crops with high nutritional value, advancing production systems for better nutrition, and reducing food waste.
“Reducing food waste is a central tenant of AgroFresh’s mission and has been a focal point of my career,” Beaulieu commented. “I look forward to collaborating with other experts to seek solutions to the important challenges facing agriculture and health.”
FFAR is a non-profit organization, established by the 2014 Farm Bill to develop unique partnerships that fund innovative research in food and agriculture. According to a press release, Beaulieu will leverage her decades of experience and extensive knowledge of chemistry, agriculture, and food supply chain systems as part of FFAR’s Health-Agriculture Nexus advisory council.
The organization has identified six challenge areas that attempt to target large-scale problems in the food and agriculture industry. Supporting research on inefficiencies in the food system, the Health-Agriculture Nexus includes inquiries into the development of innovative technologies, transformational approaches, food waste reduction strategies, and predictive methodologies that inform the supply of and demand for individual crops. The rest of the advisory council is set to be filled with academic, non-profit, civic, and corporate leaders with complementary expertise across a range of agriculture topic areas, including leaders from ReFED, Feeding America, and Dairy Management, Inc.
For more agriculture industry news, keep reading AndNowUknow.
CINCINNATI, OH - Kroger and Walgreens are expanding the scope of their exploratory pilot, first launched in October of 2018. Following a successful first phase of the pilot, the two chains will be trialing Kroger Express and Kroger Pickup at 35 more Walgreens stores in Kentucky beginning this fall. The pilot will continue to bring Kroger’s Our Brands products like Simple Truth® and Home Chef meal solutions to more stores and markets.
"We continue to redefine the grocery customer experience and partner for customer value through our Restock Kroger transformation plan. Our growing relationship with Walgreens is just one more way Kroger is making life easier and better for even more customers—because everyone deserves to have affordable, easy-to-enjoy, fresh food," said Jeff Talbot, Kroger's Vice President of New Business Development. "Expanding our pilot to Knoxville demonstrates the ongoing success and future potential of bringing together the best of Kroger's food authority with Walgreens' global expertise in health and beauty."
According to a press release, launching the original pilot last year in Northern Kentucky allowed Kroger and Walgreens to test-and-learn in a retail setting and source customer feedback and insights, allowing the companies to create a more informed expansion decision. The next phase of the pilot is a continuation of this test-and-learn approach.
"Walgreens customers have responded very favorably to the Kroger Express pilot in Northern Kentucky. As a result, we're exploring more ways to offer customers an enhanced, more convenient shopping experience," said Richard Ashworth, Walgreens’ President of Operations. "Working with Kroger, we're continuing to re-invent our customer offer to meet shoppers' evolving needs, which includes offering private-label grocery and health products at a great value, through an integrated omnichannel experience."
Most of the Walgreens pilot stores will feature a full Kroger Express assortment, with 2,300 to 2,700 products lining store shelves. These products will also be available to shoppers with the convenience of Kroger Pickup.
Will Kroger and Walgreens's brick-and-mortar footprint eventually feature only hybrid stores, merging the two's goods and services for a more built out consumer experience? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
CARLISLE, PA - GIANT Food Stores continues to acquire new locations on top of its latest flagship unveiling in Philadelphia. Musser’s Markets is the latest of recent acquisitions by GIANT Food Stores, after parting ways with three locations in Quarryville, Columbia, and Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
“We were honored when the Musser family contacted us about purchasing their wonderful locations,” said Nicholas Bertram, President of GIANT Food Stores. “The Musser family founded their grocery store in 1925, and we recognize the deep roots and strong reputation they have in Lancaster and Lebanon counties. We look forward to continuing their legacy of caring for families and the community.”
According to the press release, GIANT is expected to complete the transaction by the end of October of this year. After the acquisition, GIANT plans to close the stores temporarily to do a complete remodel, which is expected to take about a week to finish. At the time of publication, GIANT hasn’t disclosed any further information about the conversion, but all Musser’s Markets associates are able to apply and interview for new opportunities with GIANT.
Will GIANT’s latest takeover bring the company closer to saturating the Pennsylvania market? Keep reading ANUK for more details and updates.
KINGSVILLE, ON - Mastronardi Produce Ltd.®, one of North America’s top growers and distributors of greenhouse produce, searched far and wide, and together with visionary John Paul DeJoria, the company has selected the Middle East as the first market in which to develop the world’s largest and most technologically advanced indoor farming project.
“As pioneers in the greenhouse industry, we are passionate about increasing access to local, sustainably grown fruits and vegetables,” said Paul Mastronardi, President and CEO, and the fourth-generation family member to lead Mastronardi Produce. “Our first location in the Middle East will allow us to reach over half the world’s population in less than 8 hours, and this is just the start. Look for more global locations as we continue to scale to meet the growing need for food security, safety, and sustainability.”
Green International Ventures (GIVE), the newly formed company, will make locally-grown fresh produce more widely available around the globe through its proprietary Advanced High-Density Farming System. This project will be the first for the groundbreaking GIVE venture and will reduce the Middle East’s dependence on imported food, create a sustainable source of local employment, and significantly increase the region’s non-petroleum-based exports.
GIVE will also support the region with the integration of modern AgTech initiatives into the local farming community and expand knowledge of sustainable agricultural techniques by establishing a permanent Research and Development facility in the region.
“It has long been my passion to help feed the world’s population,” said John Paul DeJoria. “The introduction of this revolutionary model in the Middle East is the first step of many towards increasing global access to sustainably grown fruits and vegetables.”
GIVE projects will employ proprietary Advanced High-Density Farming Systems that incorporate several cutting-edge growing systems, including water-saving irrigation and energy-efficient lighting, and utilize advanced automation and robotic devices, AI processes for predictive analysis, and real-time crop and soil monitoring.
The fresh produce grown in these innovative AgTech systems will be marketed under the SUNSET® brand. SUNSET’s many exclusive labels, which include Campari®, the world’s first branded tomato, and the uniquely colorful Aloha™ pepper, are all well-known for their award-winning flavor, innovation, and packaging. SUNSET of Holland® will be the first distributor for the GIVE partnership.
Want to know more about this exciting new venture’s impact on the industry? Keep reading AndNowUKnow.
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA - Fresh Gourmet Company has announced the launching of its new sourcing program, Grower Direct, offering retailers a simpler and more efficient process for ordering premium packaged produce. This program streamlines the ordering process, allowing retailers a one-stop option for order placement, while increasing the efficiency of their shipping, accounting, and storage.
“Our team is excited to bring this program to retailers to ease stress caused by changes in the industry,” says Andrea Brule, Senior Vice President and General Manager. “Transportation prices have increased, and retail storage space has decreased, making the profitability per square foot of the produce department space critical for retailers.”
Through the wide assortment of high-quality products from premier growing regions and by sourcing exclusively domestic produce, Grower Direct is able to promote domestic sourcing and encourage bundled ordering—retailers will save by having their products ordered, shipped, and managed from one vendor. The new program will focus on transparency, safety, and continuity from USA family farms and co-ops. According to the press release, this ensures strict consumer protections and labor standards are followed throughout the growing, storage, transportation, and sales steps.
Fresh Gourmet Co. also offers a broad assortment of merchandising and in-store promotion solutions to encourage impulse purchases. By bundling products under one umbrella, categories that may otherwise get lost in the department are more actively supported with sales-driving initiatives. With warehouse space declining and retailers shrinking their backrooms, having superfluous SKUs takes up critical square footage, so the program will also aim to address these issues along with minimum order requirement waste by offering a variety of products aimed to reduce shrink, making purchasing more efficient. Bundling and reducing category sizes reduces shipment costs and trucks on the road, allowing for more efficient transportation.
Keep reading AndNowUKnow for more advancements in the retail industry.
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO, CANADA - In an effort to grow its grocery delivery presence, Walmart Canada and Instacart have recently announced the expansion of their relationship and distribution footprint in Canada. Consumers will now have the opportunity to have their groceries delivered from nearly 200 Walmart stores across the country in as little as one hour.
"Instacart is proud to have grown its partnership with Walmart Canada to help make it even easier for valued customers to get the groceries and household essentials they need quickly and easily," said Nilam Ganenthiran, Chief Business Officer for Instacart. "Our expanded collaboration shows that demand for online grocery delivery continues to grow in Canada, and we're proud to work with Walmart Canada to extend their delivery reach into new regions and give customers more ways to access Walmart Canada's everyday low prices."
The expansion plan follows a 17-store pilot in Winnipeg and the Greater Toronto Area, which received an overwhelmingly positive response from consumers. Instacart’s delivery capabilities can provide millions of Canadian customers with a wide variety of Walmart products, including fresh fruits and vegetables, meat, seafood, and other various grocery and household items.
"Canadian families are busy. By introducing more online shopping options at Walmart, we're helping make life easier and more convenient for them," said Lee Tappenden, President and CEO of Walmart Canada, in a press release. "Expanding our relationship with Instacart provides our customers with even more time-saving ways to shop at Walmart in their community."
According to the press release, Instacart’s on-demand delivery option is one of a range of services offered by Walmart Canada and third-party partners, allowing Walmart Canada customers to shop in the way that works best for them.
The suite of services offered includes:
- Grocery Pickup in-store at 175 Walmart stores, set to expand to 190 stores by the end of January
- Grocery Pickup at nine urban PenguinPickUp locations in the Greater Toronto Area
- Next-day grocery delivery anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area by ordering through Walmart.ca
- In-store shopping at 340 Walmart Supercenters
- General merchandise available for home delivery and in-store pickup by ordering through Walmart.ca
The service is now available to customers in communities throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Newfoundland, and Labrador, Ontario, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, and Prince Edward Island. Customers can shop through the retailer’s website or through the Instacart app, select their city and store, and begin adding groceries and household items to their Instacart grocery cart. Customers can then choose a delivery window spanning from one hour to up to five days. After the order is placed, an Instacart personal shopper will pick, pack, and deliver the order within the designated time frame.
With this level of expansion, will Walmart edge out the competition? Keep reading AndNowUKnow for updates.
YAKIMA, WA - It is no secret that many people desire a college education in their pursuit of a career that they are passionate about. Superfresh Growers® is responding to this desire and doing its part to see that people of all ages can obtain their degree. Superfresh awards scholarships of $5,000 per year of undergraduate studies to employees and their children. At its annual Washington Apple Education Foundation (WAEF) luncheon this year, the company named Joselin Marin as their newest scholarship recipient.
The company dubs its awards as the Kershaw Companies Scholarships. Each year, a new individual is chosen in addition to the students currently completing their undergraduate degrees. 2019 recipient Joselin Marin is the daughter of employees Arcelli Badillo Islas and Oscar Marin Flores. With a 3.9 high school GPA and a passion for education, Joselin plans to study at University of Washington. As stated in a press release, she would like to have an impact on students similar to that which her own teachers bestowed upon her.
In addition to Joselin, three other students continue to receive their scholarships from the company: Adilene Badillo Hernandez, Imelda Andrade Anguiano, and Ilse Manzanarez Leyva. Adilene has worked as a Sales Assistant for Superfresh Growers during the first two years of her scholarship, and plans to transfer to a university and pursue international business.
“All the help I’ve received, big or small, means the world to me,” she said. “I really could not be doing any of this without the love and support from my friends, family, and awesome coworkers.”
Imelda is in her third year at the University of Washington, studing psychology in hopes of working for a nonprofit after graduating. She is the daughter of employee Marisol Anguiano Diaz. To reduce financial stress even further, Imelda closely monitors her budget so she may stay focused on her studies.
Ilse is receiveing her final year of scholarship in her fourth year at Heritage University. Throughout her career as an undergraduate, Ilse has lived at home with her mother, Marissa Manzanarez, an employee at Superfresh, to help pay rent and other expenses. She will graduate next spring with a degree in business administration, hoping to obtain a managerial position.
The final scholarship awarded this year was the Brian Kershaw Memorial Scholarship, given to Carli Short. Carli is the daughter of employees Jay and Keishia Short. She committed to attending George Fox University with plans to pursue a marketing degree and compete on the track and field team.
“I am incredibly honored to receive this award. I’m looking forward to earning my marketing degree and seeing where the future takes me," Short stated at the luncheon.
From watching her parents in the industry, Carli plans to follow her family’s passion for treefruit when she earns her degree.
We, at ANUK, are so thrilled for these bright, young scholarship recipients. Stay with us to follow their journeys to success.