INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Following the recent momentum of the Grapery’s Cotton Candy Grapes, the company is now joining The Produce Mom Family of Partners.
"Grapery is honored to join the Produce Mom Family of Partners," states Jim Beagle, CEO of Grapery. "We focus our marketing efforts on talking directly to the consumer. The Produce Mom is a natural fit for us and a unique influencer for our industry – a true advocate and champion for fresh produce."
In this partnership, the focus will be on educating consumers about selecting, storing, and serving grapes—particularly Grapery’s popular Cotton Candy Grapes.
The partnership officially began this past Tuesday during Lori’s monthly IndyStyle appearance, according to the press release, where the Grapery’s Cotton Candy Grapes were prominently featured. You can watch her appearance on the morning show below:
Within 24 hours of the show’s live broadcast, The Produce Mom says she received over 100 social media and website inquiries from consumers wanting to know where they can purchase Cotton Candy Grapes.
"Cotton Candy Grapes are the most buzzworthy item in the produce department right now. Consumers want to try this grape, and they want to know how it tastes like Cotton Candy," says Lori Taylor, Founder of The Produce Mom.
Lori continued by saying she's excited to work with Grapery, calling it a brand dedicated to flavor and innovation.
YAKIMA, WA - Domex Superfresh Growers® is launching a new promotional campaign aimed at ramping up excitement for the apple category.
The campaign, “Your Awesome Apple Recipe Sweepstakes,” offers retailers with in-store promotional materials and new social media content to help consumers learn more about the apple varieties sourced from Superfresh Growers.
Retailers can download the apple content kit, which contains a variety of educational information, ready-to-post photography and graphics, pre-written Tweets, recipes, and inspirational usage ideas, by contacting Howard Nager, Vice President of Marketing for Domex Superfresh Growers, according to a press release.
“Our retail partners have found our content kits to be very useful in helping them accurately talk about all of our apple varieties,” said Nager. “The content is designed to easily plug-in to a retailer’s social content calendar and workflow, saving their Community Manager’s time and resources. We can also create custom content based on the needs and goals of our retail partner.”
“Your Awesome Apple Recipe Sweepstakes” utilizes the Superfresh hashtag #EatApples and the company’s Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest to connect consumers to apple recipes, new usage ideas, and messages about health, wellness, and the benefits of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
The sweepstakes invites consumers to upload an original photo to social media showing off their favorite apple recipe or usage idea. The image caption should include the hashtag #EatApples and the tag @Superfreshgrowers. The photo sharing sweepstakes begins on September 1, 2015 and ends on October 31, 2015.
Three winners will be announced during a random drawing in mid-November. One grand prize winner will receive $1,000, one first prize winner will receive $500, and one second prize winner will receive $250.
LEAMINGTON, ON - With its sights set on educating consumers on greenhouse vegetables coast-to-coast, NatureFresh™ Farms is bringing its mobile greenhouse to its home region of Windsor-Tecumseh this weekend.
The Greenhouse Education Center (GEC) is designed to give consumers a first-hand, up close and personal experience with greenhouse vegetables. The GEC is a 38-foot custom built trailer that has six different cassettes that hold a variety of products, including three different colors of bell peppers, English cucumbers, cocktail tomatoes, and cherry tomatoes.
Now in its third month of touring eastern North America, Chris Veillon, Director of Marketing, said NatureFresh’s GEC has been met with rave reviews by both retail partners and consumers.
“They get to not only see real vegetables growing but also learn how we grow with a non-soil based growing medium, how we use a pressurized irrigation system to feed the plants, and learn why we use energy screens to protect the plants and their environment,” said Veillon.
The GEC comes equipped with big screen televisions airing different videos about the GEC and how NatureFresh grows, according to a press release. One of the biggest attractions for kids is the live bumble bee eco-system the company created as part of the mobile greenhouse.
Corporate Chef Henry Furtado is also on hand at each event to serve consumers samples of fresh tomatoes in various raw and prepared recipes. Chef Furtado discusses how each recipe is made and its various nutritional benefits, and even helps consumers pair together fresh tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers in the store aisles for flavorful recipes.
The GEC has enjoyed a wealth of media coverage, ranging from features on GlobalTV, The Weather Network, and CityTV’s “Breakfast Television” show in Toronto a few weeks ago.
Check out the full schedule of events happening this weekend in the Windsor-Tecumseh region:
- Zehrs (Friday, August 14)
- Kingsville Zehrs (Saturday, August 15)
- Sarnia Real Canadian Superstore (Sunday, August 16)
The #GreenInTheCity Tour is scheduled to continue in the fall season visiting major cities and retailers across the mid-west.
To learn more about the GEC, check out my interview with Chris Veillon by clicking here.
MONTREAL, QC - Metro Inc. has reported its Q3 2015 financial results, showing an increase in profits that the company accredits in part to fresh food products.
“We are pleased with our third quarter performance, which was driven by continued strong sales growth, especially in fresh food products,” said Eric R. La Flèche, President and Chief Executive Officer for Metro. “Our teams executed well on their business plans across all banners to deliver a good shopping experience to our customers. We are confident that our merchandising strategies and investments in our store network will continue to sustain our growth and create value for our shareholders.”
The company saw its net earnings grow to $163.5 million in the third quarter of 2015, highlighting an increase of 13.1% over $144.5 million for the same period last year. Fully diluted net earnings per share reached a high of $0.64, as opposed to $0.54 in 2014, an increase of 18.5%. According to the report, the increase in the third quarter is attributable in part to the acquisition of Première Moisson and to higher sales of fresh products.
“The market environment remains highly competitive, still very promotional. Inflation levels have come down from the previous quarter, mostly in fresh, but we are starting to see some inflation pickup in the center store,” said La Flèche in a conference call with investors. “While the weakness of the Canadian dollar will likely continue to generate inflation in produce, we expect lower levels of overall inflation in the coming months as we cycle through the strong meat price increases of last year and previous quarters.”
Other highlights from Metro’s Q2 2015 report include:
- Sales of $3.8 billion, up 6.1% from last year
- Same-store sales up 4.3% from last year
- Fully diluted net earnings per share of $0.64, up 18.5% from last year
- Declared dividend of $0.117(1) per share, up 16.7% from last year
AndNowUKnow will continue to update you on all the latest fresh produce industry financial news, so stay tuned.
USA - Reports continue to assure that El Niño’s strength keeps building, but it’s hard not to get excited/anxious when scientists start to compare the growing weather pattern to characters like Godzilla.
"This definitely has the potential of being the Godzilla El Niño," Bill Patzert, a Climatologist with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in La Cañada Flintridge, told NPR.
Patzert said in the report that right now this El Niño has already surpassed the one that occurred in 1997, which is the strongest on record.
As we previously reported, scientists have been solidifying their evaluations of both the strength and amount of time El Niño will be impacting the Northern Hemisphere.
Now, according to the National Weather Center’s Climate Prediction Center, there is a greater than 90 percent chance that El Niño will continue through Northern Hemisphere winter 2015-16, and around an 85 percent chance it will last into the early spring of 2016.
“All models surveyed predict El Niño to continue into the Northern Hemisphere spring 2016, and all multi-model averages predict a strong event at its peak in late fall/early winter,” the CPC stated in an alert system status, issuing an El Niño Advisory.
"If this lines up to its potential, this thing can bring a lot of floods, mudslides and mayhem," Patzert said, according to NPR.
As we previously reported, El Niños tend to have a greater effect on the U.S.’s winter weather than its summer, with a tendency to lessen hurricane season in the Atlantic hurricane season and contributing to an above-normal hurricane season in both the central and eastern Pacific hurricane basins.
While previous El Niños show a pattern of an increase in rainfall, it’s not an exact science, which could explain the hesitancy in reports guaranteeing as opposed to forecasting a wet winter.
Though there has not been a guaranteed connection to this El Niño bringing some much-needed rain to the western portion of the U.S., the strength of the pattern itself continues to grow.
As soon as experts begin comparing it to the Hulk, AndNowUKnow will let you know. So stay tuned.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Target Corporation has announced that former Safeway CEO Robert L. Edwards will be joining the company’s board of directors, effective immediately.
“Robert has held leadership positions in the grocery industry for more than a decade and will offer a fresh perspective on our food reinvention, in particular,” said Brian Cornell, Chairman and CEO of Target.
Edwards served as CEO of Safeway from May 2013 until April 2015 and as President and Chief Financial Officer from April 2012 to May 2013. He began his tenure at Safeway in 2004 as Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer.
Prior to joining Safeway, Edwards served as a Senior Executive at Maxtor Corporation, Imation Corporation and Santa Fe Pacific Corporation. He has served as a Director on KKR Financial Holdings, LLC and on Blackhawk Network Holdings, Inc., a subsidiary of Safeway. Edwards holds a Masters in Business Administration and a Bachelor of Sciences in Accounting from Brigham Young University.
Also announced by Target, Donald R. Knauss, Former Executive Chairman and Former Chairman and CEO of The Clorox Company will join the board as well.
“Don and Robert each bring a deep understanding of the consumer and a wealth of relevant expertise to Target,” continued Cornell. “Don and Robert will be important additions to our board as we continue to transform Target and elevate the guest experience.”
Lately, Target has been refocusing its efforts on the grocery and food aspects of its business. Target has previously reported that it would like to become a leader in “wellness,” and expects to revamp the food aisles in 2016.
CHARLOTTE, NC - Chiquita’s profits more than tripled in the second quarter of 2015, ended June 30, 2015, thanks to an improvement in operating income in the company’s core businesses.
Operating income for Chiquita’s bananas segment improved 52.3% to $66 million for the quarter, while its Salads and Healthy Snacks business improved 284.9% to $28 million.
“In the second quarter of 2015, our core Bananas and Salads and Healthy Snacks businesses both performed above the same period of 2014,” the company said of its operating income in the SEC filing.
According to a document filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), Chiquita, now privately owned, earned profits of $59.6 million compared to $17.8 million during the same time last year.
For its three business segments, Bananas, Salads and Healthy Snacks, and Other Produce, Chiquita posted net sales of $776.6 million, with a decrease across all three segments. The following is a breakdown of each business in net sales:
- Bananas: $502.2 million, compared to $537 million in Q2 2014
- Salads and Healthy Snacks: $248.1 million, compared to $249 million in Q2 2014
- Other Produce: $26.3 million, compared to $39 million in Q2 2014
“Our Salads and Healthy Snacks segments results reflected increased volume in our retail value-added salads, packaging efficiency, and pricing actions that took effect during the second half of 2014,” said Chiquita. “This resulted in increased retail value-added salad pricing inclusive of product mix, partially offset by lower sales volume in our healthy snacks and foodservice segments. The segment also benefited from lower fuel costs and reduced SG&A costs further bolstering strong results.”
As a result of Chiquita’s failed merger with Fyffes, the company also incurred $12 million of costs during the second quarter. As we previously reported, Chiquita has plans to set up a new division headquarters in Orlando, FL following its merger agreement with the Cutrale and Safra Groups.
Other highlights from Q2 2015, compared to Q2 2014, include:
- Net sales decreased on a consolidated basis by 6.0%. In Chiquita’s Bananas segment, the decrease in net sales was driven by lower volume in North America and the impact from foreign exchange offset slightly by higher banana pricing
- Salads and Healthy Snacks segment sales remained flat, year-over-year, as a result of increased retail volume, improved product mix, and more efficient use of trade spend, offset by a decline in sales volume for the healthy snacks, food service, and processed fruit ingredient businesses
- Other produce sales decreased primarily as a result of lower volume
- Cost of sales decreased 10.9% on a consolidated basis. The primary drivers of lower costs were reduced weather impacts as compared to the second quarter of 2014, lower fruit volumes in 2015, and lower fuel costs
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to follow Chiquita’s financial performance in Q3 2015 and beyond.
COACHELLA, CA - California’s Central Valley is reportedly shifting to a cooler, more temperate climate, to which the peppers are responding gratefully.
Mike Aiton, Marketing Director for Prime Time Produce, took the time to tell us that the company has a lot of volume headed its way, stating that the time to promote peppers is fast-approaching.
“Production for Prime Time has now switched to the cooler, more temperate climate on the Central Coast of California and a tsunami of peppers is heading our way,” Mike tells me. “Thankfully, the growing conditions have been ideal, for a change, and the pepper plants have responded. They are now carrying a big set of high quality peppers.”
Mike explained that the weather has been more of a challenge than an aid in general for most row crops across the country, California included. “Extremely high temperatures and periods of heavy rain have disrupted supplies for the past months, and markets have reacted accordingly,” he said, adding that California weather has induced supply peaks for a time and then followed up with a short period of limited volume.
Now, however, it looks like peppers are bouncing back.
“We are looking at peak supplies of red, yellow, green, and mini sweet peppers from about August 20th until the first of October,” Jeff Taylor, Managing Member of Prime Time, said. “This is an excellent time to write those ads and take advantage of the seasonally low prices we are now offering.”
Additionally, as we previously reported, the company is the exclusive marketing agent for Pacific Gold Farms, growing throughout Southern California. Available to load in Fullerton, Pacific Gold will be coming in around the same time and add even more volume to the category.
With expectations for peak production to meet the heavy pepper demand that is coming from around the country, Prime Time is going to be putting its new Somis, California, packing facility to use over the next couple of months.
Keep checking in with AndNowUknow as we continue to keep you up to date on all the latest produce industry news.
PANAMA - The question of whether or not the Panama Canal’s $5.5 billion expansion would see further speed bumps in its progression has been answered.
Rumors circulated of a possible strike when 6,000 construction workers demanded an eight percent raise in wages. After negotiations between the main contractor for the Third Set of Locks Project, Grupo Unidos por el Canal (GUPC), the Panama Canal Authority (ACP), and the National Union of Workers of Construction and Similar Industries (SUNTRACS), a mutual agreement has been reached, the Maritime Executive reports.
Though protests to the expansion didn’t ensue until August 8th, Maritime reports that the Panamanian government and the GUPC have been in negotiations since June for both sanitary improvements and transportation for workers. The workers, who currently earn between $2.90 and $3.37 per hour depending on skill, claimed that the Panamanian Construction Association contract lists that they were due a raise on the first of July.
The details of the negotiated terms have not yet been announced, however any strike call will be superceded, the ACP stated in an announcement, adding that it hopes this marks a continued harmonious relationship between all parties involved.
The strike call was to be in the construction of new locks works for both the Atlantic and Pacific sides of the canal, which should now be completed on schedule, according to the report.
Already having been stopped twice in 2014, unless worker demands were met the project would have seen labor action beginning yesterday, August 12th.
Currently about 90 percent complete, the project is expected to be completed in April of 2016.
DELANO, CA - While grapes are easy and satisfying on their own, Columbine Vineyards (CoVi) is compiling a video series to showcase that there is so much more consumers can do.
As we previously reported, the company has recently unveiled brand new small grape packaging and have been showcasing the promotional value in technology with its fun, creative grape recipe videos.
“The recipe videos are another facet of Columbine’s marketing and social media efforts, targeting retailers and end consumers to promote and increase consumption of these tasty sweet treats in different and easy-to-create recipes,” CoVi said in a press release.
Now the series is up to ten videos and counting. Here are some of our faves:
Grape & Berry Crumble
Savory Rosemary Grape Pizza
Baby Kale & Arugula Grape Avocado Salad
Garlic Roasted Cauliflower with Grapes
To take a look at the full series, go to the company’s YouTube page here.