ST. LOUIS, MO – Doorsteps were left mysteriously empty after everyone’s favorite Halloween squash seemed to sneak off in the middle of the night in the suburbs of St. Louis. Was it ghosts, ghouls, or perhaps the angry neighborhood witch? Shockingly, this Halloween mystery is just another case of teenage shenanigans.
U.S. News reported that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch began tracking down the vanishing pumpkins disappearing from subdivisions of Maryland Heights last week. Police have since caught the three pumpkin perps orange-handed with over 48 pumpkins and one gourd in their possession–their pumpkin-crammed SUV notably “top-to-bottom orange,” according to Captain Scott Will.
Hoping to restore Halloween and return pumpkins to their proper place as kings of the stoop, police posted a “pumpkin lineup” online for St. Louis residents to identify. After posting the lineup on Facebook, Captain Will said the police have been “inundated” with people coming to track down their Halloween décor. However, twelve pumpkins remain unclaimed and ready for carving.
Two 18-year-olds were charged with misdemeanor stealing, while a 16-year-old was referred to juvenile court. I guess that’s what you get when you mess with Halloween.
EDEN PRAIRIE, MN - Will SuperValu be taking its store count to the chopping block in order to boost its value? If activist investor Blackwells Capital has anything to say about it, that could be just one of the proposed changes that come to fruition.
In a letter made public early this morning, Blackwells has called for the sale of around 30 percent of its stores, the divestment of several real estate holdings, and a “refreshment” of its leadership. Blackwells, which currently owns about 4 percent of SuperValu’s shares, is in the top 10 of the retailer’s shareholders.
“Supervalu is one of the country’s largest publicly held grocery distributors and retailers. We were initially attracted to the Company’s durable wholesale distribution cash flows, compelling acquisition strategies and real estate value of its owned distribution centers and stores. Despite these advantages, SuperValu’s stock price performance is abysmal,” wrote Blackwells Managing Partner Jason Aintabi in the letter. “It has underperformed all relevant benchmarks, including its closest peers, over 1, 3 and 5-year time periods.”
Furthermore, Aintabi outlines four potential initiatives in the letter that he believes would reposition SuperValu and “unlock value”. The four points are as follows:
Owned real estate
Aintabi suggests the company sell some of its 17.3 million-square-feet of owned real estate. Its analysis suggests SuperValu’s real estate value alone is worth multiples of its current market capitalization.
Retail grocery
Blackwell suggests the company steer away from some of its direct retail exposure and sell some of it’s “struggling” locations. Aintabi’s plan would see a sale of approximately 30% of the stores, while using the remaining ones to roll out delivery and meal preparation services.
Leadership refreshment and commitment
Aintabi is calling for SuperValu to supplement its leadership with new expertise, including filling the current CFO vacancy with a seasoned industry executive.
Capital allocation
Blackwell is suggesting SuperValu must begin paying a dividend and commit to growing that dividend over time, as well as implement a share buyback plan that will be “immediately defending shareholder value.”
"We take seriously all input from our shareholders," a spokesman from Supervalu told CNBC in a statement. "As we have publicly stated, we continue to evaluate and execute on various initiatives as part of our efforts to transform SuperValu and create value for our shareholders."
Blackwells and Aintabi are seeking to immediately meet with Supervalu's board and discuss its proposal. There has yet to be word if a meeting has been set, but as this story continues to develop, stay tuned to further updates from AndNowUKnow.
SACRAMENTO, CA – Ready your pointer fingers, the Snack Contest is on now!
If you received your October issue of The Snack Magazine featuring the amazing Chef Jet Tila on the cover, get it out and race to win $100 cash. If you haven’t, click here for the digital cover and try your luck.
Make Sure Before You Send:
- Are you pointing at the ANUK Apple Logo?
- Can we see your face?
Once those markers are checked off, race your friends and industry mates to emailing that photo to [email protected] and claim the $100 cash prize!
And remember, we select not one but TWO winners: the first overall entry from the industry and the first buy-side member of the industry.
Join the ranks of previous winners like:
- Joe Soe of Sobeys
- Lisa Kacur and Stephanie Cutaia of EarthFresh Foods
- Jennifer Velasquez of Golden Sun Marketing
- Kate Reeb of Veg-Fresh Farms
- Mimmo Franzone of Longo’s
- Scott Hakes of Ciruli Brothers
So snap your Snack and see who wins in tomorrow’s ANUK Newsletter.
Interested in receiving a copy of The Snack to give you a leg up in future challenges? Subscriptions are valued at $129 per year, click here to subscribe.
IRVINE, CA – The California Avocado Commission (CAC) is taking the produce industry by storm these days. At this year’s PMA, the Commission addressed goals such as engaging retailers, supermarket dietitians, the media, and avocado stakeholders.
“The Commission held some very productive meetings with retailers and avocado stakeholders in our Fresh Summit booth this year,” said Jan DeLyser, Vice President of Marketing, in a recent press release. “The opportunity to network with industry leaders and key accounts at Fresh Summit provides remarkable value.”
The Commission is meeting with retailers and stakeholders to take on its ambitions. More specifically, the CAC worked with the nationally recognized and award-winning registered dietitian-nutritionist Manuel Villacorta. He is also the author of three books, with a fourth book on its way. Titled Flat Belly 365, this new addition to his published works will be available in January of 2018. Villacorta is also a health blog contributor for The Huffington Post and an on-air contributor for Univision. With 18 years of experience backing him, Villacorta’s involvement in CAC’s direction is an effort to engage supermarket dietitians who visited the booth at PMA.
“We all look forward to having a larger crop next year,” said DeLyser. “We’re returning from New Orleans energized and ready to build out our marketing campaign with a focus on those customers who support the California brand.”
As expressed at PMA, the Commission’s mission includes developing programs for supermarket dietitians as a customized marketing strategy for retailers.
For more news on developing strategies within the industry, stay tuned into AndNowUKnow!
SALINAS, CA – With 20 years of produce industry experience in tow, John Landa is ready to tackle Ippolito International’s sales.
“I’ve enjoyed the fast pace of this industry and am looking forward to continually learn as I ramp up with the growing Ippolito product line,” said Landa in a recent press release.
His experience spans from his early years on Fresh Network's brokerage side to his most recent position at Dole in Salinas, California, where he started working in vegetable sales before moving on to covering the full line of berries. Other roles he has taken in between have been at New Star as the Sales/Leaf Commodity Manager and Tanimura and Antle as the Cauliflower and Broccoli Commodity Manager.
“We are extremely fortunate to have John join our expanding sales team," said Dan Canales, Senior Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Processing, in a recent press release. “John has handled accounts in all arenas of the industry and areas of the country. He brings a wealth of experience that will complement our expanding needs.”
With a degree in food nutritional science from Fresno State University, the Stockton native has not only gone into the business aspect of his degree, but also leads an all-around health-conscious life. His interests include running, attending hot yoga classes, and spending quality time with his two sons when they ride their mountain bikes or do any other outdoor activities together.
The undertaking of his new role at Ippolito will include tasks such as handling sales and commodity management. Landa’s experience will only further establish this second-generation farming company.
For more news on Ippolito's growth and the produce industry, check back with us at AndNowUKnow!
LEAMINGTON, ON - Celebrating the golden anniversary mark, The Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers met with more than 130 members and guests at the Pelee Island Winery in Kingsville, ON, earlier this week.
The 50th Annual General Meeting also saw a required election for District 1 of the over 200 growers, representing nearly 2,900 acres of high-tech hydroponic greenhouse production.
Following a vote, Kevin Safrance and Hilco Tamminga were elected for a second term, according to a press release, while Bill Heeg, Marco Hoogenboom, and James Neven acclaimed seats in District 2.
The new Board of Directors for the 2017-2018 fiscal year per OGVG are:
District 1
- Paul Mastronardi (1 year remaining) - Hazel Farms
- Jason Whitcher (1 year remaining) - Cecelia Acres
- Peter Quiring (1 year remaining) - Nature Fresh Farms
- Kevin Safrance - EnviroFresh Farms
- Hilco Tamminga - Truly Green
District 2
- Jan VanderHout (1 year remaining) - Beverly Greenhouses
- Mike Vanderzwet (1 year remaining) - St. David’s Hydroponics
- Bill Heeg - Sunchoice Greenhouses
- Marco Hoogenboom - Hoogenboom Family Farms
- James Neven - Foothill Greenhouses
District 1 growers who have acclaimed a seat as Committee Persons for the 2017-2018 fiscal year, with one vacancy, are:
- Albert Mastronardi
- Jim Slater
- Rodney Wright
- Jordan Kniaziew
Trish Fournier claimed a seat as Committee Persons for the 2017-2018 fiscal year for District 2, while four seats remain vacant. The Board said it will appoint members to fill vacancies as a Committee Person at the next Board meeting, currently scheduled for November of 2017.
Congratulations to all these produce pros on their appointments.
WOLCOTT, NY - It’s a seller’s life for Crunch Time Apple Growers, as the organization prioritizes a brand refresh for SnapDragon® apples with customer engagement. The end goal? The organization wants to produce more sales than ever before. The approach the apple growers are taking is multi-tiered, creating a new website, fresh social media channels, and a new look for the apple that will replace older varieties seen in produce aisles.
“Something we discovered when we executed our online strategy, was there was an audience of SnapDragon enthusiasts out there waiting for our apple and trying to buy it before we had even started picking,” said Rena Montedoro, Director of Marketing at Crunch Time, in a recent press release.
With a honed mindset on the desires of consumers wrapped up in their active lifestyles and looking for healthy snacks, new partnerships supporting the value proposition of SnapDragon Apples are the product of its recent brand refresh.
Montedoro then pointed to fans such as Debbie Selke of Schenectady, New York. “Mrs. Selke literally drove from market to market ‘Seeking the Snap.’"
From this experience, the Seek the Snap Campaign was born. The driven campaign will run from October 23rd through the end of December, said Montedoro. Facebook users can share where they purchased their SnapDragons to be entered in to win a tote bag and some of the organization's apples.
“We want to further engage our online fans as well as show retailers that consumers are demanding our product and sometimes go to great lengths to get their ‘Snaps,’” continued Montedoro.
As the official Apple Sponsor at the nationwide Tough Mudder events that tap into a 3 million viewer audience, the company is well on its way to creating a relationship with active consumers. The apple growers are also teaming up with Schwinn bicycles, which opened October 5th, for a prize-rich promotion. The partnership will be giving away a bike a week throughout November.
Promotions for SnapDragon Apple have proven to be fruitful as they have run throughout this season, with a reported 8,000+ people signed up within the first week for the bike promotion with Schwinn on SnapDragon’s website. Views have also jumped from 15 to over 85,000 within just 60 days for Facebook and Twitter.
“People love this apple. Our consumers tell us SnapDragon has replaced every other apple for them–including Honeycrisp,” said Montedoro.
While boosting posts has helped the organization, conversations with core consumer Facebook users has proven to be the real story, according to Montedoro.
SnapDragon has not lost sight of more traditional methods of marketing, as it returns to a variety of retailers for in-store demos for a personal touch with its fanbase. This has allowed consumers to discover the crunchy deliciousness of this artisanal apple variety.
For the 145 farmers growing SnapDragon Apples, who farm under the name of Crunch Time Apple Growers, this marketing exposure has been invaluable.
“Our most important marketing objective is to build our consumer base and share our exceptional apples with as many people as possible,” said Montedoro.
With attentive highlights specifically shed on the carriers of SnapDragon, Crunch Time hopes to drive consumers to its doors for purchasing.
For more bites into the the fresh produce industry, stay tuned into AndNowUKnow!
LONGVIEW, TX – Project Bald Eagle has taken flight in Longview. After years in the making, Dollar General’s 17th distribution center, dubbed “Project Bald Eagle” by state officials, might be underway in Longview, Texas.
“We are honored Dollar General has selected Longview as a potential location for their newest distribution facility,” said The Longview Economic Development Corp. President CEO Wayne Mansfield, in a statement released last week. “We look forward to positive and continued discussions with Dollar General as this project would support additional diversification of our local economy, which is expected to realize a $700 million economic impact to the community over the next 25 years.”
For years, local and state officials have made efforts to build solid relationships between government and economic development officials, find sufficient land available, and strategize cooperative spending to improve transportation in order to collaborate on the package that led Dollar General to declare Longview as its sole finalist.
“We all know Longview is a great location to handle major distribution operations, and I am very proud of the staff at LEDCO for coordinating this major project in partnership with the city, the county, and the Dollar General Team,” said Mayor Andy Mack.
The Longview News-Journal affirms that the project will have a positive ($700 million) impact on the area as it continues the trend towards diversifying Longview’s economy beyond energy. At 1 million-square-feet and an initial investment of $70 million, the distribution center, planned to be housed in North Business Park, could create as many as 400 jobs, with other areas of the city, like facilities, housing, and food, also reaping the benefits of this project.
As the project unfolds, we look forward to seeing what the future holds for the citizens of Longview. For more news like this, AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
WASHINGTON, DC – A bill that looks to revitalize America’s guestworker program for farmers has passed its first major landmark. The U.S. House Judiciary Committee has approved the Goodlatte AG Act by a vote of 17-16. H.R. 4092, or as it has been dubbed, the Agricultural Guestworker Act (AG Act), is a bill authored by House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.), and if passed, would replace the current H-2A guestworker program.
“Farming is a central part of American life and fuels our economy. Although no other country in the world rivals America’s agriculture industry, our nation’s farmers face many obstacles in today’s global economy,” Goodlatte said in a statement following the bill’s passing in the House Judiciary. “One challenge in particular is access to a stable and reliable workforce when not enough American workers can be found to fill jobs. The current agricultural guestworker program is unworkable for farmers, buries them in red tape and excessive costs, and must be replaced.”
If the AG Act were to pass, the new program would increase the number of temporary farmworkers, according to source KUNC, as well as eliminating the mandate for employers to provide housing and transportation for the immigrant workers.
So far, the bill has been met with support from the agricultural committee, including Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue and the produce industry’s own Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif.
"We applaud Chairman Goodlatte and the Committee for advancing this legislation,” Nassif said in a statement. “During the committee process several changes were made to the legislation that would make this bill unworkable, particularly when coupled with expedited mandatory E-Verify. We must ensure practical and reasonable solutions are achieved for both the current and future workforce that American farmers depend on in order for our industry to remain competitive.”
Nassif also confirmed that he and Western Growers will continue to work with House Leadership, Chairman Goodlatte, and the House to further improve the legislation.
There is still opposition from some, however, with some politicians arguing that this would allow for unfair wages, displace American workers, and weaken guestworker protections.
The next step for the bill will be to hit the U.S. House. As more news comes to light about the newly proposed bill, AndNowUKnow will share the updates.
NEW ORLEANS, LA - It seemed like the entire industry unveiled their proudest work of the year for the latest PMA Fresh Summit. Between the New Orleans back drop, the latest in trends, and an onslaught of innovative flavors, my senses were in heaven—it seemed impossible to choose what resonated most. Yet somehow, here are some that echoed once my feet landed back in California.
Zespri Green Back-To-School Pack
The kiwifruit was an ideal breakfast when I let sleep get in the way of a well-rounded start to my day in junior high school and beyond. Now, kids can take their kiwis along for the ride in a safe pouch of Zespri’s Back-to-School Pack. With cute, kid-friendly characters laughing on the cover, this is sure to make it off the shelf and into lunchboxes.
Babé Farms CaliCabbage
As Babé Farms like’s to say, “It’s time to enter the Cabb-Age!” and I am on board with this cone-shaped green. CaliCabbage gives a new lease on what otherwise might have just been another leafy green. Now, with an authentic single-pack that could easily stand out on the rack, this item can spur consumer imaginations of all the cabbage-wrapped possibilities they’ve been missing out on for lack of a cylindrical vehicle. I’ve seen consumers statistically continue to lean towards impulse buys and standout brands, and this snazzy tagline is sure to make its mark.
Monterey Mushrooms Let’s Blend™ Line
It’s safe to say convenience is all the rage in produce retail, as is the ability to swap in some or most of traditional meats for a plant-based substitute. Monterey Mushrooms’ new line of finely-diced mushrooms not only brings the blending trend from restaurant plates to consumer kitchens, it spares fingers from the possible damage consumers might inflict attempting that “perfect chef’s cut.” If you didn’t get a chance to stop by on the floor, you might want to check the retail aisles ASAP.
Tasteful Selections Take & Shake
We all love a good shake-up. In this case, a flavorful potato cup mix that you can shake to your heart’s desire. RPE’s most recent introduction, Black Pepper, Rosemary & Thyme, not only meets the consistent need for on-the-go packaging, but even caters to the gluten-free consumer. Oh, Take & Shake, the places you will go...
Pero Family Farms New Fresh-Cut Organic Side Dishes
From a firsthand perspective, I can’t say enough how much of a leg-up convenience can give. And this is coming from someone without children running around in the background of their dinner preparation. Amplify that by multiple mouths to feed, and every second truly counts. Offering both cauliflower and a vegetable medley, Pero Family Farms is one of the curve leaders to take this beyond the mushroom category.
We not only survived the New Orleans craze, but came back stronger. Keep up with our team as we continue to deliver on key moments and finds from the 2017 Fresh Summit.
Babé Farms Zespri Monterey Mushrooms Tasteful Selections Pero Family Farms