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ISSAQUAH, WA - After less than a year partnering to provide branded meal kit offerings in club stores across the United States, Costco and Blue Apron are suspending their pilot program.
Blue Apron CEO Bradley Dickerson announced the indefinite suspension of the program during the company’s third quarter earnings call. The call followed a press release in which Blue Apron announced sweeping changes to the company’s strategy—including a 4 percent reduction in workforce.
“As the holiday period approaches, our presence in Costco locations has paused due to the seasonal cadence of their business,” said Dickerson, according to a MarketWatch report. “As we enter 2019, we are targeting to resume in Costco as well as expand into new retailers, leveraging lessons learned from our pilot and evolving our product offerings to complement this environment.”
Blue Apron and Costco first announced their partnership this May—after the meal kit provider declared its intent to enter retail markets as early as March. It was one of the more high-profile of a number of partnerships—including one with Walmart’s Jet.com.
The meal kit maker has been struggling to regain ground since June of 2017, when Blue Apron launched its IPO.
Will Blue Apron’s later pivot bring profitability? Will it rekindle or renege on its partnership with Costco? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
SALINAS, CA - With great dinner options comes great responsibility, and perhaps no one feels the weight of this burden more than the mighty Brussels sprout. Come holiday season, these tiny bulbs are a vegetable standout, transforming into both stand-alone dishes and magnificent sides. I talked to Katie Harreld, Ippolito International’s Sales Commodity Manager, to learn more about the state of the veggie superstar’s season.
“Overall quality has been good this fall and heading into the winter production,” she tells me. “The plants look strong and healthy, and we continue to see growth in the category across all packs, both value-added and bulk, for retail and foodservice.”
Current production of Ippolito’s Brussels sprouts is coming out of California, with Mexico production starting up in mid- to late December. Katie tells me that the market has been strong, with holiday demand driving up prices.
“We plan our planting schedule based on our sales projections and growth as a company and are on track to keep up with the demand,” she says.
As the company keeps up with the surge in Brussels sprouts consumption, it offers several marketing tools to its retailers to keep product moving, namely ad programs to help promote in-store and online sales. And due to the multipurpose nature of Brussels sprouts, they’re easy to incorporate into holiday dishes—a perfect way to get consumers excited about them!
“Although Brussels sprouts are available year-round, they are a great accompaniment to any holiday meal,” Katie concludes. “This is due in part to their versatility, ease in preparation, and great taste. Brussels sprouts complement a variety of holiday fanfare; although traditionally roasted with a little olive oil, they can be shredded into a salad or added to casseroles and soups.”
For the latest in fresh produce updates like this, keep reading us here at AndNowUKnow.
WATSONVILLE, CA - Around the holidays, you’ll be sure to find mushrooms on most plates, and Monterey Mushrooms has the perfect way to get consumers talking about mushrooms even more! The company created a holiday-themed seasonal package for its product line, Let’s Blend™, which are finely diced mushrooms ready to blend with ground meat.
“People want to eat better without giving up flavor and texture,” said Lindsey Roberts, Marketing Manager. “Let’s Blend works well with ground beef, chicken, lamb, pork or turkey. It makes meat juicer without adding fat or cholesterol.”
According to a company press release, Let’s Blend comes in an 8 oz package and is available in three pre-seasoned flavors: Classic, Mexican, and Italian. Let’s Blend packages are available now next to the fresh mushrooms in the produce department of select grocery stores nationwide.
The seasonal package can be found for the Classic version and offers consumers blended versions of recipes for holiday favorites, such as stuffing and green bean casserole.
Monterey Mushrooms noted that Let's Blend is a time saver during the busy holiday cooking season. Because the mushrooms are pre-chopped and seasoned, all the user has to do is open the package and blend with their preferred ground protein.
“We hope people make Let’s Blend finely diced mushrooms part of their holiday celebrations,” Roberts concluded.
I certainly will be!
For the latest in fresh produce news like this, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
ISSAQUAH, WA - This time of the year, everyone is trying to get a piece of pie—and in this case, the pie is not just a slice of heaven you shove in your mouth to avoid conversation with your weird Aunt Sally at holiday gatherings. We’re talking about the lucrative pumpkin sales pie folks, and one retailer that has grabbed one of the biggest pieces is warehouse chain Costco. According to an article by Business Insider, Costco sells a whopping 3.4 million pumpkins every year. Its secret? It’s all about the pie, baby.
Costco Connection’s most recent sales data clocks the number of pumpkin pies sold during a year at a jaw-dropping 5.3 million. And because Costco only supplies its pumpkin pies from September to December, that boils down to just over 1.3 million pie sales a month. If that sounds like a lot pie (it is), let me blow your mind again—1.75 million of those pumpkin-packed treats are sold in just the three days before Thanksgiving. Have you grabbed yours yet?
To make this number possible, Costco works with its pumpkin suppliers starting as early as spring, according to the report. It reportedly takes 3.4 million pumpkins to make those 5.3 million pies, so knowing the number of fields you need to plant as a grower is key to making sure each and every table gets graced with the seasonal delicacy.
What makes Costco’s pie so craze-worthy? Costco Connection credited the secret recipe to Sue McConnaha, the warehouse chain's VP of Bakery Operations, who created it in 1987. May I extend a personal thanks to Sue, my new personal hero and patron saint of the Costco pumpkin pie legacy.
PASADENA, CA - Sun Pacific® and New Season Market—the 14-store, Portland-based natural foods chain—recently paired up to hold a merchandising sales contest using Air Chief® organic grapes, and the results were skyrocketing category sales.
New Season Market stores increased organic grapes sales over 200 percent from the same time period last year, and the winning store led by produce manager Ashley Phieffer increased sales by over 419 percent.
"Our organic pack is a 21-pound stem up hand-selected pack,” explained Melissa Heinrich, Vice President of Vineyard Category Development at Sun Pacific. “All bunches are at least three-quarters of a pound or larger with an emphasis on having a traditional shape composed of wide shoulders and a tapering tail. These hand-selected bunches are packed on a bubble pad, followed by a liner, and lastly paper is added to ensure our organic grapes arrive in excellent condition and are display ready.”
Jeff Fairchild, Produce Director at New Season Market, noted the prodigious success of the sales contest—noting the category-boosting properties of Air Chief organic grapes.
“When the produce managers at New Season Market are given a sales challenge, you can expect to have your sales projections smashed,” said Fairchild, in a press release. “We partnered with Sun Pacific, grower of Air Chief organic grapes, and challenged our stores to ramp up their creativity and merchandising skills with a sales contest. By merchandising our organic grapes without a plastic bag or clamshell, we are satisfying our customers’ desire to sample the grapes before purchasing and supporting our core values of doing what’s right for the environment by using less plastic. Equally important, the quality, flavor, and crunch of Air Chief organic grapes are unmatched, and our customers love them.”
For more fresh produce news, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
FOLSOM, PA - Whatever blip in the system that caused many of us grocery retail reporters to doubt Lidl and its U.S. expansion efforts has since been corrected, with the retail chain picking up the pace on forward growth. This week alone, the retailer acquired Best Market Grocery Stores, expanding its network in New York and New Jersey with 27 stores, and even broke into an all-new market.
Lidl continues to bolster its brick-and-mortar presence stateside and announced this week that it was setting up shop in the Keystone State. On December 5, 2018, Lidl is giving the gift of itself to the Folsom, Pennsylvania, community and opening its first-ever store in the state.
While Lidl had halted expansion efforts in the South earlier this year, it appears Lidl has found its niche in the northeast market, as the retailer also expanded its New Jersey network with three new stores back in October.
With Lidl on an expansion roll, will the retailer return to the southern United States to set up a few shops? Or does the grocer have its sights set on a new part of the U.S. altogether? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on the latest and greatest grocery news.
CAMBRIA, WI - For some, Thanksgiving tables revolve around the perfect bird—but I have to be honest, the side dishes are what makes or breaks this holiday meal for me. And if we’re talking about holiday sides, potatoes and Thanksgiving are synonymous. While Mother Nature poured down on Wisconsin's growing regions this past fall, Alsum Farms & Produce persevered the heavy rains and weather challenges to harvest over 2,300 acres of Russets, Reds, Gold, Fingerling, and Specialty potatoes.
I caught up with Christine Lindner, National Sales, and Nikki Jedlowski, Logistics Manager and Tater Trot 5K Event Coordinator, to find out about the better-than-expected quality and yield Alsum Farms & Produce harvested despite the unruliness of Mother Nature.
“This fall has been one of the most challenging harvest seasons we have experienced to date,” Christine said to me. “Heavy rains delayed harvest at times, and we also had cold temperatures that resulted in freeze injury on some of the last loads harvested. However, the potato market is stronger this year in comparison to last year based on supply. Our overall supply as a grower is down slightly, but we will make up for this with the supplies that we bring in from other areas.”
Christine also noted that due to Thanksgiving, demand is peaking right now, with prices dipping during the holiday and returning to market pricing after the Thanksgiving ads are finished.
Because potatoes are basically celebrating their own holiday right now, Alsum Farms & Produce decided to kick promotions up a notch this season in the spirit of promoting the nutritional benefits of potatoes and hosted the 2nd Annual Tater Trot 5K Run/Walk on October 27, 2018.
“Alsum Farms & Produce was elated to host the 2nd Annual Tater Trot 5K to help support local FFA Chapters and provide a unique opportunity to learn about the nutritional and economic benefits of Wisconsin potatoes,” Nikki told me. “Potatoes fuel performance and the Tater Trot 5K promotes the healthy, flavorful, and fresh attributes of the spud targeting everyday athletes to perform at their best and fuel their active lifestyle.”
More than 100 runners, walkers, and local FFA supporters participated in the spud-tastic event and more than $1,500 was raised for the Local FFA Chapters. Due to this year’s success, Alsum Farms & Produce is already looking forward to the event’s third year, which will take place on September 14, 2019.
For more crop, market, and fresh produce updates like this, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
LOS ALAMITOS, CA - Frieda’s Specialty Produce is continuing its three-generation family-business success story with the promotion of Alex Berkley to Sales Manager. The eldest daughter of CEO Karen Caplan and the granddaughter of Founder Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, Berkley will now be responsible for the sales functions of the company.
“Alex brings her deep knowledge of the produce industry and experience in both sales and marketing to this leadership position. She uniquely bridges the older and younger generations of produce, making her a perfect fit for the job. We can’t wait to see her impact,” Karen Caplan said.
Berkley first joined the company in 2011 after graduating from George Mason University. She began in Frieda’s marketing department before joining the sales department in 2014 as an Account Manager. In 2017, she was promoted to Assistant Manager.
In addition to her role at Frieda's, Berkley serves on the Produce Marketing Association’s Women’s Fresh Perspectives Advisory Committee and was Co-Chair from 2015 to 2017. She has also served on the Board of Trustees for Westerly School of Long Beach, a California K-8 non-denominational private school.
According to a press release, at age 24, Berkley was the youngest produce professional to be accepted into the United Fresh Leadership Program Class. That same year, Alex also earned a certificate of Produce Executive Development from Cornell University’s Food Industry Management Program.
Congratulations to Alex Berkley on her new role! For more produce promotions, hires, and team expansions, keep following AndNowUKnow.
MONTEREY, CA - The topic of this year’s educational session at the upcoming Organic Grower Summit (OGS), slated for December 12-13 in Monterey, CA, will be “Organic Data Dive: A Look at the Numbers Driving Decisions of the Farm.” This examination and analysis of consumer and retail reports will provide OGS attendees an inside look at consumer behavior surrounding the purchase of organic fresh foods. The session will be moderated by Robert Lambert, publisher of AndNowUKnow, with panelists Laura Batcha, CEO/Executive Director of the Organic Trade Association, and Brian Lechner, Vice President of Nielsen.
“As the availability of relevant and timely data becomes more readily available, organic growers from all-sized operations have the ability to make better and more cost-effective decisions about their business. The consumer landscape is continuously evolving, and having leaders from a pair of respected marketing and research organizations discussing how the changes can impact those involved in growing organic fresh food items is a session not to be missed, “said Tonya Antle, Co-Founder of the Organic Produce Network.
According to a press release, some of the topics of discussion will include organic opportunities and supply gaps, trends by location across the U.S., and an overview of pricing on organic and conventional items.
Participating grower attendees will also have an opportunity to meet with a team of Costco buyers as part of a special "Meet the Grower" opportunity. This unique session provides certified organic farmers and grower representatives the opportunity to meet face to face with Costco organic produce, dairy, meat, and wine buyers to discuss their operations and products.
The press release noted that over 60 sponsors have confirmed their support of OGS and the tradeshow floor is sold out. Exhibitors include soil amendment, bio-pesticide, seed, packaging, food safety, ag technology, and equipment manufacturers who will be connecting with organic field production staff, supply chain managers, pest management advisors, and food safety experts.
For further information about OGS 2018 and how to register, please visit www.organicgrowersummit.com.