VENTURA, CA - Freska has announced a new addition to its sales team, Hector Soltero. Soltero will now be Freska’s Avocado Sales Manager and tasked with further developing the company’s growing portfolio of regional and national accounts.
“I am excited to start a new challenge within Freska Produce and look forward to working with the team to further develop their already extensive products and customer base,” Soltero commented. “I am fortunate to be joining such a respected company that prides itself on top quality and service.”
Soltero brings a wealth of experience within the industry to Freska, having spent the last eight years with a national, Los Angeles-area produce company where he was responsible for representing the avocado category and was instrumental in acquiring numerous accounts.
At Freska, Soltero will continue the company’s success in providing mangos year round, according to a press release. Freska is now adding avocados on a year-round basis to many of the top retailers in USA, Europe, New Zealand, Japan and Australia.
Jesus “Chuy” Loza, Managing Member, added, “Hector’s wealth of experience and industry knowledge has already made him a key addition to the Freska Team. We view his hiring as a sign of our commitment to being a leader in our industry.”
Loza continued by saying Freska’s innovations and the increasing demand from its customers is what led the company to look for an addition to its sales team, and Soltero was a great fit with the existing sales staff who could provide innovation, motivation and exceptional service.
EAST COAST - A frontal weather system is slowly making its way down the East Coast into the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Southern states, and it has not been passing quietly.
"The storms are moving, just not very fast and that will raise the risk of flash flooding,” AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Bernie Rayno stated in a report.
According to Accuweather, strong to severe isolated thunderstorms, gusty winds, and heavy rain passed from the northern Appalachians to the Atlantic and Gulf coasts yesterday.
While Lansing, Michigan, parts of Wayne County, and New York, received between 2 to 5 inches of rain Monday afternoon and evening, Accuweather reports that the following locations could still see a couple more rounds of thunderstorms and rain:
- Burlington, Vermont
- Boston, Massachusetts
- New York City, New York
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Washington, D.C.
- Norfolk, Virginia
- Charleston, South Carolina
- Savannah, Georgia
- Pensacola, Florida
- Mobile, Alabama
- New Orleans, Louisiana
In New Jersey the severe weather knocked down utility poles, causing more than 5,000 people to lose power, according to a South Brunswick Patch report. The report also listed that downed poles, wires, and flooding caused numerous accidents and traffic delays.
Yesterday’s late afternoon and early evening downpours were the strongest as far as concerns for flash flooding, rates of rainfall, wind power and lightning, though Accuweather did report that the Eastern to Southern range will likely remain wet through tomorrow, August 13th.
Right now the forecast is a surge of warm temperatures and humidity to follow the storms’ push of cooler, less humid air making its way through the Eastern states. The lower Great Lakes may still see colder air and showers through the rest of the midweek, while sunshine should return to most areas by the weekend.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Is there anything as enjoyable as drinking a cold beer with your Mexican food on a hot summer’s day? Well, now there is, with Angel City Brewery’s Avocado Ale, brewed with real, locally sourced avocados.
While Avocado Ale originally made its debut back in 2012, Angel City Brewery just whipped up another batch for last weekend’s 3rd annual Avocado Festival in Los Angeles, CA. The beer, inspired by guacamole, turned out to be a hit, and it's been making an annual comeback ever since.
For this year’s batch of Avocado Ale, the company released the following stats:
- Approximately 37 pounds of avocados were used
- It took 4 of its employees 3 hours just to prep the avocados and cilantro.
- Avocado Ale is brewed with garlic, lime juice, red pepper, and honey.
- Avocado Ale isn’t green. It’s a light, kolsch style beer with a slight haze.
Kegs of this year’s batch were first tapped at the Avocado Festival, where $1 from every Avocado Ale purchase went to Food Forward, a local non-profit whose mission is to rescue fresh, local produce that would otherwise go to waste, and provide it to people in need, while inspiring others to do the same.
Green Earth Produce, who sold fresh avocados and distributed fresh guacamole at the Avocado Festival, also donated all its proceeds to Food Forward. Gahl Crane, Managing Director at Green Earth Produce, commented, "Angel City Brewery is committed to making delicious beer while also helping the local community. We were glad to get the opportunity to be a part of this event and give back to the community. Food waste and hunger are two social issues that everyone in the fresh produce industry should be concerned with."
The Avocado Ale will also be available at Angel City Brewery’s Public House for a limited time. So fly down to Los Angles, pick up some nachos and dive into a nice cold pint of Avocado Ale while supplies last.
ISSAQUAH, WA - Two years ago, we reported on Costco’s plans to debut its first warehouse in France. Now that dream may soon become a reality, according to the Seattle Times.
The Seattle Times reports that Costco’s first French warehouse will possibly open next spring in a Parisian suburb known as Villebon-sur-Yvette. Regulators previously approved a 120,000 square foot warehouse in the area in May 2014, but opposition from rivals had pushed the estimated opening date from late 2015 to spring 2016.
As we previously reported in 2013, Costco hoped to open 15 stores in France within a decade, with up to 6 in the Paris region. Other areas of interest included Bordeaux, Marseille, Toulouse, Lyon, and Nice.
In 2013, Gary Swindells, President of Costco France, stated that he foresees 5 to 6 stores in five years, then 10 to 15 in ten years, and around 25 in twenty years. Whether those plans are still in motion will remain to be seen.
Jim Murphy, Costco’s head of international operations, told the Seattle Times that the company would wait “until we have something firm to discuss” before discussing any details regarding its French operations.
How Costco will fare in a market where there’s not quite any other retailer like it will be interesting to see. Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to follow Costco’s plans for France.
SANTA CLARA, CA - RedLine Solutions, provider of whole chain traceability solutions for growers, packers, and shippers, has welcomed Adrian Down as its new Marketing Director.
Down worked most recently as the Vice President of Sales and Marketing, as well as General Manager, for VIPColor Technologies USA Inc. He has both worked and lived in multiple countries, including the USA, Germany and the UK, and recently received an MBA in Marketing from the Keller School of Management, bringing a versatile range of experience and knowledge in barcode and product labeling systems.
“RedLine Solutions’ continued growth and leadership position as a supplier of powerful software solutions for the fresh produce market, is based on team members who share our culture of business ethics, innovation and service,” Todd Baggett, CEO of RedLine Solutions, said in a press release. “We are excited to have someone of Adrian’s caliber leading our marketing efforts. We are confident that Adrian will play a key role in elevating awareness of RedLine Solutions to Grower Shippers and the value our systems and services can provide their organizations.”
RedLine Solutions has integrated both barcode and wireless technologies to help increase productivity in the field, packing shed, and coolers for more than ten years.
DELANO, CA - Sunlight International is promoting its highly successful Harvest Hobgoblin program for the popular fall season.
Harvest Hobgoblin for Halloween will offer red, green, and black seedless table grapes in Sunlight’s grab-and-go colander-style bags. Featuring graphics playing off the Halloween theme, the bags offer an eye-catching, colorful display to entice consumers.
Speaking on the current season, George Galloway, Sales for Sunlight International, tells me that grapes of all colors are looking top-notch with high brix, good sizing, and great flavor.
“We are excited to be promoting our Halloween program this year,” said Galloway. “Over the course of the season, we have been able to maintain the consistency and flavor consumers are looking for when they turn to Sunlight. Quality and volume have been strong, and production is keeping pace with demand.”
Sunlight has been continuing to grow in the Central California area, with supplies currently being harvested in Delano and Maricopa.
Harvest Hobgoblin offers POS materials on request, such as display cards, posters, and display bins.
Harvest Hobgoblin for Halloween will be getting underway this September in time for Halloween promotions. The programs will last through October.
KINGSVILLE, ON - Red Sun Farms is boosting its consumer engagement efforts with a new campaign aimed at rewarding loyal retail partners and followers.
From now through January 3, 2016, loyal Red Sun Farms customers are invited to “Like” the company’s Facebook page and enter for a chance to win a $100 grocery gift card, according to Red Sun Farms. Each week, one lucky consumer will be selected to win a $100 grocery gift card.
"We felt that hosting a weekly Grocery Gift Card Giveaway was a great way to reward our loyal retail partners and their customers," Sabrina Pokomandy, Marketing & Public Relations Manager, tells me. "Engagement on our social media channels has been wonderful, consumers love to interact with us by sharing their recipes, participating in our Twitter parties, and overall they take a keen interest in interacting with the team at Red Sun Farms. The Giveaway provides us with the opportunity to further interact with them and encourage the purchase of fresh and healthy produce."
After following Red Sun Farms’ Facebook page, the entry form, found below, asks consumers to fill out their name, email, where they buy groceries, as well as which Red Sun Farms products they purchase, to enter the sweepstakes.
The sweepstakes entry period begins every Monday at 12:00 am and ends every Sunday at 11:59 pm. Winners will be notified per email, and consumers are limited to one entry per person per week.
The official rules can be found by clicking here.
Good luck to all who enter!
UNITED KINGDOM - Could the stoops of London soon be decorated with the bright green bags of AmazonFresh?
The chain has taken over a warehouse located in Weybridge, Surrey, according to The Guardian, that was previously leased by Tesco and could potentially serve as a Fresh facility. While this will mark Amazon’s 15th site in the UK, it would be the first for its grocery delivery service.
The location has definitely been leased by Amazon and could serve as its first Fresh location to that market, but the company itself declined to confirm that this is, in fact, the plan. When asked to comment, according to the report, the chain referred to these particular details as “rumor and speculation.”
The online retailer just launched its Prime Now, which promises one hour delivery for over 20,000 items, in London at the end of June, showing a key focus on the international market.
As we previously reported, Britain is already seeing a shift on the grocery retail circuit as chains that promote lower prices like Aldi and Lidl continue to grow in popularity. This launch, The Guardian reported, could apply more pressure to the already fragmented market.
“Amazon Fresh has the potential to revolutionise grocery shopping in Britain,” Graham Ruddick, Senior Business Reporter for The Guardian, writes. “In California, shoppers use it to buy food from local shops and restaurants, while a wireless device called Amazon Dash monitors when users run out of household essentials and orders replacements.”
While the warehouse facility itself is 300,000 square feet, a size similar to its other AmazonFresh facilities, all that the chain confirmed was that it will employ 20 people directly at the site in Brooklands business park, as well as four independent delivery companies that will hire 140 drivers to work from the station.
AndNowUKnow will keep you up to date on this story as it develops.
BAKERSFIELD, CA - Sun World International, LLC has announced the appointment of four leading grape producer-exporters to grow and market its proprietary seedless grapes from vineyards throughout South America.
Included in the appointments are Exser out of Chile, Agrivale out of Brazil, and Ecosac and Agricola Chapi out of Peru. These four companies will join Sun World’s twelve existing grape marketer licensees that currently operate from Chile, Peru, and Brazil.
“Supermarkets, importers and wholesalers around the world have encouraged Sun World to broaden its South American supply base. These four new licensees, each leading grape producer-exporters, are a terrific addition to our global marketer network,” Executive Vice President David Marguleas said.
More information about Sun World’s newest marketers includes:
- EXSER
- Founded in 1990 by Andres Ureta and is managed today by Andres, his brother Pablo Ureta, and by Andres’ sons Christian and Matias. It sources grapes from its own vineyards and from others throughout Chile’s major growing regions.
- ECOSAC
- Founded in 2000 as ECOACUICOLA and today operates as part of the Costa del Sol Group. Under the direction of Commercial Director Gerd Burmeste and Grape General Manager Paulo Durate, it produces grapes in Peru’s Piura region.
- Agricola Chapi S.A.
- Founded in 1997 by a group of entrepreneurs including Augusto and Alvaro Baertl and operated today by an experienced management team, farms more than 3,000 hectares. It sources grapes from its own vineyards and from joint-ventures throughout Peru’s growing regions.
- Agrivale
- Located in Petrolina, Brazil, was established in 1996 and today—under the direction of its President Graco Farias—operates one of Brazil’s largest table grape farming and export operations.
According to a press release, along with growing many of Sun World’s new seedless grape varieties, each of the four new licensees has also been granted a license to distribute fruit from new varieties developed by Sun World and to use Sun World’s brands. These brands include MIDNIGHT BEAUTY®, SCARLOTTA SEEDLESS®, AUTUMNCRISP®, ADORA SEEDLESS® and SABLE SEEDLESS® in the marketplace. Sun World's fruit licensing program involves more than 1,500 producers and marketing companies in most of the world's major fruit-growing regions.
These four new licensees will join more than forty other Sun world grape marketers around the world. Sun World Licensing Manager Carolina Uquillas, who oversees all South American licensing activity, joined the company in January 2014 and is leading the effort to expand Sun World’s footprint in Chile, Brazil and Peru.
Currently, Sun World’s variety development work focuses on a full range of fresh grapes, the company says, with extraordinary characteristics such as enhanced flavor, distinctive taste, larger berries, and clusters, earlier and later ripening times and availability, and increased productivity. Sun World also develops new plums, peaches, apricots and nectarines for licensed growers.
Since its inception in the mid-1970s, the company's Variety Development Center has released countless varieties with improved flavor, size, color, shelf-life and extended seasonality. In addition to production on its own California properties, Sun World and/or its licensees grow these proprietary varieties in Australia, New Zealand, North America, Europe, South America, Israel and South Africa.
LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, CA - Transportation Broker Kerry Bowman has been promoted to Business Development Specialist at the Allen Lund Company’s Portland office.
Having begun his career with Allen Lund as a Broker in January 2001, Bowman has a long-standing successful track record working with a broad range of customers, shippers, and carriers.
Steve Hull, Manager of the Portland office, said he was excited for Bowman to receive the promotion.
“Over the past 15 years, he has worked with a wide variety of customers, shippers, and carriers, and has demonstrated a great ability to bring all parties together to maximize results,” he said.
David Lund, Vice President of Sales and Branch Operations, congratulated Bowman on the promotion.
“Kerry’s work experience has helped the Portland office to grow, and over the years his impeccable customer service has expanded,” said Lund. “His high level of service shows in his customer’s dedication to the company, and will help him to thrive in his new position.”
When asked about his promotion, Bowman said that he has enjoyed being a part of the ALC family for so long, and that the Northwest has tremendous growth potential. He added that he was very excited to grow the business for the Portland office.