PHOENIX, AZ - Developing its strategy on the sustainability front—one of the hottest discussions in retail today—Sprouts Farmers Market published its 2023 Impact Report. This report takes a deep dive into how the retailer curates healthy products and works toward a healthier planet.
“Our company purpose to help people live and eat better is brought to life by our 32,000 team members every day,” said Brandon Lombardi, Chief Sustainability Officer. “I’m honored to share some of the ways our teams across the business cared for one another, our communities, and the planet in 2023.“
Highlights from the report were broken down into four categories: Impactful Products, Thriving Planet, Purposeful People, and Healthy Communities. We’ll go through the ones that stood out most to us.
Under Impactful Products, the retailer noted that part of its success stems from fresh produce. In fact, as a press release explained, 19 percent of total sales come from healthy fruits and vegetables. Additionally, the retailer reported $225 million in local produce sales from a network of 170 farmers.
Under Thriving Planet, the company reported a 25 percent per square foot carbon emissions intensity reduction target in its operations by 2033, signaling an overarching company strategy.
The retailer also keeps growing its network of associates, reporting 21 percent of its team members were promoted and 3,000 new jobs were created.
To see more highlights, click here.
AndNowUKnow will continue to cover the latest in retail news.
SANTA MARIA, CA - Key advancements in strawberry production were recently uncovered as the California Strawberry Commission (CSC) hosted its Production Research meeting in Santa Maria early this month. As more than 80 industry members gathered at the event, the organization dove into a broad range of topics such as strawberry disease diagnostics, disease-resistant cultivars, integrated pest management, weed science, and production automation.
“Through partnerships with the Cal Poly Strawberry Center and the University of California, Davis, the CSC's research and automation program is putting industry assessment dollars to work to generate knowledge and create solutions and products the industry needs to address both short- and long-term issues,” said Bill Turechek, Vice President of Research, CSC. "We're striving to provide resources to manage soilborne diseases, continuing to innovate in the area of integrated pest management and water conservation, and bring new disease- and insect-resistant cultivars to our growers to assure an economically and environmentally sustainable California strawberry industry.”
According to a press release, Turechek welcomed growers, pest control advisors (PCAs), industry representatives, and agricultural researchers with an update on the current state of the California strawberry industry—which produces 90 percent of strawberries grown in the United States.
Nearly 220 million trays were harvested in 2023, making strawberries the fourth most valuable California crop, the release explained.
In addition to regulatory updates from the Santa Barbara County Agricultural Commissioner, Jose Chang, the meeting also addressed:
- An update on strawberry disease diagnostics from the Cal Poly Strawberry Center
Strategies to optimize irrigation management - Progress toward the development of disease-resistant cultivars from the University of California, Davis (UC Davis)
- Background and strategies for combating pests like Lygus and Spotted Wing Drosophila
- Industry automation program updates, including the strawberry decapper, lygus bug vac, UVC application for powdery mildew and two-spotted spider mite management, and the hoop house arch remover
Turechek also shared updates on the current research underway in pathology and entomology and the top research priorities for 2025.
ANUK will continue to showcase the industry’s progress in farming and innovation, so stay tuned.
REEDLEY, CA - Shoppers are rejoicing as fresh, delicious, California stonefruit starts lining the shelves. Mountain View Fruit Sales is gearing up for a fruitful stonefruit season, announcing availability in four central categories backed by increased retail support.
“Quality is slated to be great this year with a higher volume than the past few seasons,” shares Krista Beckstead, Director of Marketing, providing some updates into the season’s kickoff. “We are starting to get some warm weather during the days, that coupled with cool nights are optimal growing conditions which will lead to excellent quality fruit.”
With optimal conditions in Central California, the growers started off the season with conventional yellow and white peaches but have expanded to include white nectarines and will start yellow nectarines this week. On the organic side, Mountain View is currently harvesting yellow peaches and nectarines, as well as white peaches. Volumes will start picking up over the next couple of weeks, with plums and plumcots also becoming available.
And as the season gets underway, the provider upped its retail support to ensure strong sales for its partners.
“We have compiled a digital retail toolkit so our customers can go to a designated page on our website and download content such as grower information, fruit imagery, packaging content, and picking/packing action shots, as well as downloadable point-of-sale material and a variety of recipes featuring our fruit,” Krista explains.
More exciting things are on the horizon as Mountain View embarks on its 30th stonefruit season alongside its retail partners and consumers. This includes some fun giveaways scheduled over the next couple of months, as well as a unique collaboration with Tea With Tae featuring the brand’s peach/nectarine iced tea product and Mountain View’s stonefruit.
Be on the lookout for all of the fresh strategies elevating the already beloved Mountain View brand! For more industry news, you know where to click.
KINGSVILLE, ON, CANADA - Bust out the platinum gifts because Mastronardi Produce® is celebrating its 70th year in business. Marking this momentous occasion is another cause for celebration, as the company is also a 2024 winner of the Canada’s Best Managed Companies Platinum Club designation.
“There is plenty to celebrate this year and we are so excited to recognize these milestones with our employees, our partners, and the community,” said Paul Mastronardi, President and Chief Executive Officer, Mastronardi Produce. “This month marks our 70th anniversary as a family-owned company, and receiving a Canada’s Best Managed Company award is the perfect way to kick off the celebrations.”
Mastronardi Produce was founded in 1954 by Umberto Mastronardi, where he began pioneering commercial greenhouse growing in North America.
Today, the leading greenhouse operator is supported by over 3,500 employees in Canada, the United States, Mexico, and the Netherlands.
“The 2024 Best Managed winners exemplify the highest Canadian business standards of innovation, adaptability, and bold leadership,” said Lorrie King, Partner, Deloitte Private, Global Best Managed Leader and Co-Leader, Canada’s Best Managed Companies program. “Their relentless ambition, determined focus, and strategic agility have led them to remain competitive on the world stage, creating sustainable economic growth in an evolving global market.”
This is the 15th consecutive win for Mastronardi Produce by Deloitte’s distinguished business awards program.
We extend a hearty congratulations to Mastronardi Produce on this win!
MOUNT VERNON, WA - There is a coming window that should be the apple of retail’s eye. This is what Chris Ford, Business Development and Marketing Manager at Viva Tierra Organic, imparts to me fresh from his trip to New Zealand.
“We are incredibly excited about the high-quality organic fruit New Zealand grows. The selling window is from June through September, which is a perfect time to have a new crop fruit in the market, just before Washington starts its season back up again,” Chris said, adding that this crop is more significant than most after the incredible challenges the region has faced the past few years. “It wasn’t until I visited with the owners of Bayleaf Organics myself that I realized the magnitude of what the area suffered not just last year from Cyclone Gabrielle, but in its having followed a still-recovering post-COVID era.”
The perseverance is in the toiled soil and cared-for trees of the company’s four orchards, family-owned and operated in the region’s Hawke’s Bay.
“Coming through such an ordeal, there is nothing but hope and premium, amazing organic fruit. It is such a pleasure to work with Owners Craig and Wendy Dowling. Viva Tierra pioneered organic imports into North America 30 years ago, and we look forward to continuing to grow in partnership by promoting incredible product, supporting local family farmers and their communities,” Chris shared.
New Zealand apples destined for the U.S. get in at 70s to 110s in sizing. While the category itself is always in season, these, he tells me, are an especially high-quality summer offering.
Bayleaf Organics offers several tasty varieties, including Cripps Pink, Fuji, Granny Smith, and Royal Gala, grown with natural practices and no chemical fertilizers or sprays and working in harmony with nature. The result, the company celebrates on its website, is great-tasting quality apples; tree-ripened, pure, and honest.
“Bayleaf is one of the last organic apple growers in the region, maintaining an important foothold in terms of access to such amazing fruit. The majority of our import and distribution will be through the East Coast, with organic Fuji coming to the West Coast later in the season,” Chris explained. When discussing the cost that comes with such a prize, he is clear and concise. “There’s always room for high quality in the market, including the pricing that comes with it.”
His sage experience not just with Viva Tierra, but navigating over 15 years on the supply-side and 30 years in the organic trade with some of the most premium-associated brands, as well as more than six years with Whole Foods Market, bolsters the truth in his statement.
As this exciting window approaches, I will patiently await the West Coast’s turn at a bite of this promising fruit experience.
SINALOA, MX - The conversation about water—access, rights, availability—is an essential part of the fresh produce conversation and an integral contributor to its success and failure. As many parts of North America experience their own unique water crises, sources share that agricultural dams have restricted access in central Sinaloa due to the region's drought conditions.
These dams supply the areas of Culiacán and Navolato and are now reserving water only for human consumption. Many rural producers, will not have water for irrigation from the Sanalona, Adolfo López Mateos, and José López Portillo reservoirs, the source adds, noting that they do not know how extensive the restrictions will be at this time.
The long-term effects of the restrictions have yet to be determined. Currently, the produce season is winding down in the region for many on tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers, typically wrapping by June and starting back up in November.
Growers hope that more guidance for Sinaloans regarding these measures will evolve in the near future. While the hurricanes last season may have delayed the current restrictions, they were not able to contribute enough to stave off the current crisis.
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LOS ANGELES, CA - What can we expect the world of retail to look like five, 10, even 20 years from now? Looking to the future of grocery, Whole Foods Market Chief Executive Officer Jason Buechel recently explored the evolving food retail landscape and workforce during two panels at the 2024 Milken Institute Global Conference.
“We feel responsibility as a company to take a look at how we can find ways to protect our environment and support our food systems for future generations,” Buechel shared during a The Future of Food Retail panel. “Whole Foods started with climate-friendly agriculture; organics have been a part of the company from the beginning. We are pushing other levers like regenerative and continue to lead the number of items that we are carrying in this space and bringing the first exclusive brand of products in this area as well.”
The Whole Foods CEO also highlighted the chain’s ambitious goal to have 30 stores a year in the pipeline, including new formats like Daily Shop.
During The Future of Food Retail, Buechel was joined by Nancy Dalton, Amazon Access External Affairs, Marketing and Social Impact at Amazon; Rodney McMullen, Chairman and CEO of The Kroger Co.; and Leslie Sarasin, President and CEO of The Food Industry Association.
In addition, Buechel spoke alongside industry leaders like Debbie Dyson, CEO of OneTen; Lisa Gevelber, Founder and Head of Grow with Google; and Igor Tulchinsky, Chairman and CEO of WorldQuant for a conversation titled Visions for the Future: Leaders Shaping Tomorrow’s Workforce.
As a press release recalled, the panel explored critical issues facing today’s workforce, including digital transformation, talent development strategies, and adapting to the changing nature of work.
“For us, our team members are the life blood, they are the secret sauce of Whole Foods Market,” added Buechel. “If we put the right focus on making sure we can develop our Team Members to ensure they have the skills and experiences to best serve our customers, we help can create win-win outcomes. This is providing our Team Members with developing skills they can have for life.”
As the retail industry continues to evolve, ANUK will be here to report.
CINCINNATI, OH - A significant retail investment is taking place at the hands of Kroger. We recently learned that the chain plans to invest $84 million to open a new store and remodel 15 locations in the Cincinnati, Ohio, area.
"This investment is yet another demonstration of the commitment Kroger makes each and every day to the customers and communities in which we serve," Ann Reed, Cincinnati/Dayton Division President, said in a statement. "It also reconfirms our dedication to increasing career advancement for our associates, economic growth, and supporting local producers who supply our stores with high-quality products."
According to WLWT5, $39 million will be funneled into a new Hamilton Township store in Warren County. The store will feature an enhanced produce aisle among many other improvements made to its perimeter departments.
The news source went on to note that $45 million will be allocated to store renovations at 15 locations in Ohio and Indiana. We are unsure what the renovations will entail, but Kroger’s renewed focus on fresh may come into play.
ANUK will continue to keep our eyes on the retail landscape, so stick with us.
CALIFORNIA - It’s time to put those promotional plans into full swing, as a retail treasure is hitting store shelves in the form of fresh, California-grown strawberries. As Bobalu reported, the state hit a volume record for the week ending April 27, shipping more than 9.8 million trays. This means abundant retail opportunities are in store.
“The last time California hit even close to that number was back in 2018 at 9.7 million trays in late May,” explained Cindy Jewell, Vice President of Marketing for Bobalu. “Last week, we were still over 9.3 million despite a little rain hitting northern districts. We expect to see peak numbers for the next several weeks as the northern districts increase their weekly volume. This is all good news for you providing a great opportunity for promotions nationwide as Strawberry Month reigns during the month of May.”
The opportunities extend past National Strawberry Month, as the June volume will be similar. Bobalu may even see another peak in California strawberries during the month.
“Oxnard continues to see optimum weather, keeping our fruit size and volume steady,” Cindy added. “We also benefit from our on-site processing facility keeping our fields clean and diverting lesser quality fruit to the freezer when needed. We will continue to ship from Oxnard during the month of May and focus on highest quality and maintain our three-day harvest rotation. The fields still look great, the plants are very healthy, and the fruit has excellent flavor with these mild daytime and nighttime temperatures.”
The grower’s Oxnard acreage will allow the company to maintain its volume levels as its Santa Maria fields prepare to transition into peak by early to mid-June. As the supplier notes, its plants in Santa Maria are setting up to provide some excellent fruit, which will carry the brand well into the fall before its fall crop kicks in.
Stay up to date on the latest opportunities in the strawberry space with updates from ANUK!