AUSTIN, TX - You’ve heard it a million times. It’s going to be Austin. And guess what? It was.
Last weekend, we got a chance to check out the sights, sounds, and sweet smells of Austin, TX during the Viva Fresh Produce Expo and not once did I feel homesick.
Below, we compiled a list of some of our favorite places to check out in Austin from the bold and flavorful to the weird and hip. Next time you’re in the city, don’t miss these must-see places.
Franklin Barbecue
Believe the hype. This is truly one of the best barbecue joints in town. The brisket was moist and smoky, the pulled pork savory and tender, the sausages flavorful… I could go on forever. Just a few words of warning: Get there early and be prepared to wait in line. You don’t want to miss out on the ribs.
The Driskill
Built in 1886, this classy, extravagant hotel is full of ambient charm, history, and of course, live entertainment. Situated next to the infamous Sixth Street, The Driskill is next door to some of the most prolific bars and restaurants in downtown Austin. Every room in the hotel has a story to tell, including the supposedly haunted Room 525… I even had my own eerie experience in the business center.
Sixth Street
Words don’t do this street justice. It’s an experience in and of itself. Sixth Street is home to good eats, live music, funky entertainment (midget wrestling, anyone?), and all the bars you could ever ask for, each with their own vibrant and distinct personality. Honorable mentions include:
- The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema
- Dine-in cinema by movie lovers, for movie lovers
- The Jackalope
- The Chipotle Bacon Cheeseburger was named one of the Best Burgers in the U.S. by Food Network.
- Recess Arcade Bar
- Old-school arcade games and drinks? I’m in.
Baylor Street Art Wall
All the artistic flavor of Austin in one place. There’s something new to see every day, and it’s the perfect place to leave your mark. Climb the walls, check out the art, and catch an awesome view of the city. In this case, pictures speak louder than words.
Craft Pride
Looking for Texas craft beers? This is the spot to be. Cozy atmosphere, an inviting backyard with regularly rotating food trucks, and craft beers galore. Though we didn’t have enough time to try more than a couple varieties on tap, this is a place I could see myself coming back to on the weekends to conquer the board.
The Contemporary Austin Art Museum
The Contemporary Austin Art Museum brings an eclectic mix of exhibitions and a wide collection of some of Austin’s most engaging visual arts. During our stay, the museum spotlighted Tom Sachs’ Boombox Retrospective, which featured a bodega, roving luna explorers, and a presidential bar/DJ booth, and more, all created using boomboxes from the late 90’s and early 00’s.
The Contemporary Austin Art Museum
Whether it was the world-class barbecue, the live music, the eccentricities of downtown, or all of the above, you could feel the youth and energy of the city wherever you go.
We loved Austin, and we’re looking forward to visiting again!
AUSTIN, TX - If you missed the Viva Fresh Produce Expo last weekend, my condolences. The energetic show was full of life and jam-packed with exhibitors from A-Z debuting and re-introducing some of their latest products to high profile buyers throughout the Southwest U.S. to get them excited about what’s to come. If you were unable to attend this year, check out some of the products that we caught at the show…
Pure Flavor – Living Lettuce
Pure Flavor is stepping foot into the living lettuce category with this all-new product, debuting in five varieties: Boston Green, Boston Red, Green Oak, Red Oak, and Spring Mix, which includes two different types of lettuce in a single growing medium. According to the company, everything from the lettuce to the growing medium is 100% compostable, while the innovative bouquet-shaped packaging is recyclable. Consumers can continue watering the lettuce to keep it fresh and nourished until it is consumed.
J&D Produce – HoneySweet® Onions
During the Virtual Field Tour and on the show floor, J&D Produce presented what it calls the most “eatable” onion anywhere. It says exactly what it is on the tin. Available year-round, this unique, extremely mild onion takes on a pleasant signature sweet flavor that took some attendees, including me, by surprise.
Yerecic Label – Safety Reseal Label
Yerecic Label recently launched its new Safety Reseal label, which helps keep clamshells closed during transit, ensures product safety through tamper evident features, and allows customers to reseal packages to maintain freshness, all while providing companies ample room to feature important product information. With food safety as a number one priority, the new label assures consumers that the product has not been altered or touched during transit from the farm.
Village Farms – Cherry No. 9 Fall in Love Again™ and Cabernet Estate Reserve™
Two of Village Farms’ latest cherry tomatoes were presented on the expo floor, both of which are branded toward consumer demands, wants, and needs. Excellent for snacking, Cherry No. 9 delivers exceptional quality with robust flavor, while the versatile Cabernet Estate Reserve offers a remarkably unique eating experience. During the show, Texas retailers expressed great interest in adding these new Village Farms exclusive varieties to their sku mix. In addition, they meet the value-added consumer demand for Locally Texas Grown product.
Calavo Foods – AvoMayo
Calavo Foods is re-thinking avocados with this new product. AvoMayo is a true mayo that helps consumers get the nutritional benefits of avocado with less bad fats and calories than the leading traditional brands, the company tells us. AvoMayo is currently available in an 18 oz. bottle for retail, but is also available in a foodservice packed 12/24 oz. pouches or 2/1 gallon jugs.
RPE – Bite-sized Potatoes
Packed under its Tasteful Selections label, RPE has introduced six varieties of bite-sized potatoes, including Honey Gold, Ruby Sensation, Sunrise Medley, Golden Temptation, Purple Passion, and White Delights. Honey Gold, in particular, offers a buttery, sweet taste with an attractive gold flesh and is available in 24 oz. 1-bite; 28 oz. 2-bite; and 40 oz. 3-bite poly packages, and 24 oz. 1-bite and 28 oz. 2-bite mesh packages.
If you missed it, we also looked back at some of the highlights from the show. Check it out by clicking here.
For more coverage on the Viva Fresh Produce Expo and our visit in Austin, TX, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
SACRAMENTO, CA - California Governor Jerry Brown has announced actions that will save water, increase enforcement to prevent wasteful water use, streamline the state's drought response, and invest in new technologies to make California more resilient in drought conditions.
Brown’s Executive Order mandates substantial water reductions for all urban Californians statewide. In his announcement, the governor acknowledged that agriculture has “borne much of the brunt of the drought to date, with hundreds of thousands of fallowed acres, significantly reduced water allocations and thousands of farmworkers laid off.”
Western Growers President and CEO Tom Nassif said in response to the order, “Through these actions, Governor Brown acknowledges the seriousness of the drought all Californians face. Although much of the population has been relatively unaffected by the natural and man-made causes perpetuating the drought, no one has been more affected than California farmers."
Nassif continued by noting that Western Growers is pleased that the governor has acknowledged the plight of the state’s farmers and the sacrifices they have made by fallowing acres and laying off farmworkers due to the lack of water.
In total, the Executive Order aims to accomplish four things:
Save Water
The State Water Resources Control Board will implement mandatory water reductions in cities and towns across California to reduce water usage by 25 percent. The savings will equal to approximately 1.5 million acre-feet of water over the next nine months, or nearly as much as is currently in Lake Oroville.
Increase Enforcement
Local water agencies will adjust their rate structures to implement conservation pricing and agricultural water users will be required to report more water use information. Water districts will be required to develop water management plans and require the filing of permanent monthly reports of water usage.
Streamline Government Response
The government will be prioritizing and streamlining the permitting process and the process for reviewing water projects in the state.
Invest in New Technologies
The Executive Order will incentivize new technology that will make California more water efficient through new programs administered by the California Energy Commission.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for continuing updates on the California drought.
Don Santa never did things the same way as everyone else, calling himself a rebel spirit as he discusses how Woodlands Market came to be in the latest edition of AndNowUKnow’s print publication, The Snack Magazine. Turning a grocery store into an extension of his own home kitchen, Don put a new spin on the grocery experience.
Check out this story in The Snack by clicking here, or read the full article below:
Don Santa, Owner of Woodlands Market - Blind Faith
Sometimes you just have to go with your gut. “I knew three years in, that rooting myself into a career as a stockbroker wasn’t going to be for me,” Don Santa, Owner of Woodlands Market, tells me. “So I took a chance.”
Don took his personal savings, secured a loan, and convinced his father, Larry Santa, to join him in a new venture in the high-end zip codes that make up Marin County, California. The Santa family is deeply embedded in the grocery industry. Having arrived in San Francisco from Italy around the turn of the century, the Santa family looked to establish their roots. By 1910, the Santas had started the grocery store Hyde Street Market, which the family ran in the Nob Hill neighborhood for more than 60 years.
“It was blind faith really, that drove me to revive our family’s grocery history. Now we’re one of the top grossing grocers per square foot in the country,” Don notes.
During the 1960s, the supermarket industry in California began to heat up, pushing smaller independents into the periphery of many competitive communities. Around this time, Larry Santa and his brother moved across the Golden Gate to Marin County, and opened an automotive repair business instead of continuing the family grocery business. The business blossomed for 25 years until they retired in 1983.
Enter Don. “I have always had a bit of the rebel spirit,” he laughs. “Without it, I probably wouldn’t have taken such a risky chance, especially in a place like Marin where the palates, expectations, and demands of the community are at such an elevated level.”
As if the limited amount of real estate available in Marin County, California isn’t enough to keep this grocer on his toes, there is also the 2,000 to 3,000 people a day that come through Woodland’s Market locations and its intimate aisles of local and regional goods.
“We have learned to adapt to a very specific type of consumer with a smaller format grocery store in key locations within the county,” Don notes. “As we strive to ensure that the Woodland’s experience is right, we learn more about our demographics and the shopping styles of higher-end area codes.”
The point is to continuously evolve, he tells me. In the past couple of years, Don has made it his new ambition to rework Woodlands’ brand identity. The logo alone is constantly being revised and improved upon as Don works to revitalize the format and create a familiar and lasting impression within the community, both aesthetically and emotionally.
"I have always had a bit of the rebel spirit."
The company recently expanded to three locations with a rebranding effort in place. Don made a move to rework the flagship Woodlands location with a new full service café, while also expanding in Tiburon and looking to develop the Woodlands farm to offer a truly local and sustainable agricultural program to supplement its current vendor relationships.
“For so many years, Woodland’s has been a local institution in a region without a true town center,” Don tells me. The first location, in Kentfield, is taking on the atmosphere of a town piazza, with a flower shop and café wrapping around the edges of the store itself. Growth in Kentfield has increased as the area around the store has become available, allowing for the location to branch out at an organic pace.
Each step along the way has been piecemeal, but taken with the utmost concern and purpose. “We aren’t looking to evolve for the sake of evolving,” Don tells me. For Don, it’s about creating greater efficiencies that he can then communicate to the consumer. Quality over quantity.
“I’d like to develop Woodland’s in a way that the locations become a hub where people can meet and greet, and are organically drawn to the atmosphere and character of our people. We are trying to replicate the spirit of family in our stores,” Don notes.
From the beginning, it’s been about family for Woodland’s. Family integration and involvement has created a thread that continues to carry throughout the stores and communicates Woodlands’ care and concern for the people. Interaction is huge for Don, who tells me the family is nothing without their staff.
“Woodlands is an extension of our pantry and my family. We are taking what is typically a mundane and, at times, a sterile experience, and elevating it to a place where it feels like we are opening our homes to the community.”
How does someone do that? Textures, lighting, scents, music, people at the door… it’s an ambience that is second to none and drives both the character of Woodlands and the culture.
“My family rolled up their sleeves and decided not to take a day off for the first couple of years,” he laughs. “I think I worked 1,000 straight days once the doors opened. But it’s what I love about this business - being present and involved in the range of operations that make Woodlands tick.”
To paint a picture for you, Don basically slept on a small ledge in his office above the store when Kentfield first opened, allowing him to spend even his sleeping hours at his new venture.
Woodland’s has a bountiful, organic flavor to it, and that has come through Don’s efforts to keep the store simple yet detailed, as well as colorful, eclectic, functional, and streamlined. Don has been involved, along with his sister Joanne, in every inch of the store’s design. From the family photographs of the first generation of Santas in the Bay Area, to the craftsman-like architecture of the building and vibrant, rich landscapes in both paintings and décor… Don has truly brought Marin within the woodwork and wonder of Woodlands Market.
“I took what I call a ‘glorified convenience store’ and attempted to make it a staple throughout Marin County,” Don tells me. “Or rather, a second home.”
“When I started to develop Woodlands in the mid-80’s, the design of stores in the area included big advertisements in the windows and turnstiles that felt like they communicated a sterile and impersonal environment,” he says.
The design of Woodland’s is quite unique, ranging from weather-worn crates spiced up with vintage labels, and harvest-themed décor, to wood rakes, wicker baskets, hanging scales, and stained wood paneling aside locally painted artwork.
The produce spread is also a diverse landscape of local, regional, and international items. “We follow the seasons and the best tasting and best quality fruit,” General Manager and Produce Purveyor, Randy Salinas, says. The company has always steered its ship with a central buying platform for produce.
Randy has been immersed in the produce industry all of his life and has been managing the same department for one company for almost 30 years - Woodlands. He came on before Woodlands was Santa-owned and stayed on when the new owners took over.
Woodlands prides itself on cultivating long-standing relationships with its vendors, understanding the weight of the difference between making a purchase based on price and a purchase based on quality, Randy tells me.
While Randy tries to buy as much produce from local farmers as possible, shoppers will also find produce sourced from all over the world. The mentality is to provide choices for the consumer instead of making the decision for them.
Spot buying is also a key to differentiating the company’s portfolio, which tasks Randy and Don with making that trip to the produce terminal or to the farm and buying the best produce they can find “on the spot.” It has been smooth sailing for Woodlands, with Randy at the helm of the buying team.
Don has had grocery in his blood for generations, but he’s also had great mentors and formed lasting relationships with the retail community over the years. Take Walter Robb and the Whole Foods format for example. Though the two retailers have some markedly similar concepts, Don will be the first one to tell you that they do not necessarily compete in the same circles, regionally.
“I think about what it takes to manage a handful of stores 365 days a year.” Don tells me. “Walter does incredible work, and he has been a great mentor and friend. And yes, while we are all somewhat competitors, we respect each other’s journeys and what each brings to the table. We’ve had different trajectories but relative success.”
That drive and dedication is something that prevails in all parts of his life as one can see in his love for extreme skiing, mountain biking, and all things water. “Now that I have two kids getting involved in their own sports and activities, I have taken on the role of spectator as well. Different seat in the house, but I am enjoying it,” Don tells me.
When I ask him what’s next for Woodlands, he tells me, “We will never stop growing, especially since the demand for our store model has created a niche in Bay Area grocery.”
Woodlands has also branched into the micro-format. The Ross location, a few minutes from Kentfield, is proving to be a successful pilot and possible springboard into more smaller format, quick-and-easy locations. The store features staples like fresh-cut produce and prepared foods as well as a sandwich counter with a range of flavorful and made-to-order delights. The store also offers a friendly haven for students at the elementary school, situated kitty-corner to the destination, with doors always open to after-school explorers.
Don has always strived to make Woodlands a reflection of the diverse landscape and the people of California’s Marin County. With the goal of providing a haven to foodies and fresh food enthusiasts alike, Woodlands is truly welcoming the consumer home. And to think it all started with a need for change and a little bit of blind faith.
PELION, SC - WP Rawl has announced the results from last month's satellite media tour (SMT). The tour featured Nature’s Greens® and brand partner and healthy eating advocate, Monique Coleman.
Filmed in Los Angeles through the power of satellite, Coleman was seen live on many morning shows and news segments throughout the country, all in areas where WP Rawl’s Nature’s Greens line is available. Market coverage ranged from Washington, DC to Texas, Nebraska, Florida and everything in between. In the end, the brand reached over six million viewers, including syndicated shows such as The Daily Buzz, which airs in 149 markets, with additional viewers through online streaming.
“We’re thrilled with the results because one of our ongoing goals is to keep teaching consumers what to do with their leafy greens,” said Ashley Rawl, Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Product Development at WP Rawl. “Some people love them, but others are hesitant or even scared of them. We realized a satellite media tour was a great way to reach a broad audience.”
Coleman, a brand partner since 2014, educated viewers on how a simple salad could be their diet enemy in a segment called “Is Your Salad a High-Calorie Landmine?” She showed them how although they may think they are eating healthy, just adding a few high-calorie ingredients could turn a healthy salad into a 1,200 calorie trap, according to a press release. As a contrast, she taught viewers how to build a healthy alternative using her “perfect salad equation.”
“Basically, three-quarters of your salad is going to include your greens like kale or collards and any other veggies you want to add, like tomatoes, onions and cucumbers,” Coleman shared with viewers. “And one-quarter of your salad is going to be your lean protein: things like chicken or tofu if you are a vegetarian. Top that off with a complex carbohydrate and up to two tablespoons of olive oil or dressing and you’ve got the perfect salad.”
The company says that as a leader in the category, it is invested in continuing to grow the greens category by promoting ideas for increased usage.
UNITED KINGDOM - Three members of a Columbian drug cartel will serve a collective term of 59 years in prison after using a banana shipment to try and smuggle over 100 kilograms of cocaine.
Leonal Hernandez-Gonzalez (37), Oscar Grisales-Cuervo (45), and Daniel Valdes Jaramillo (24) were arrested by London Police after mixing real bananas with fake ones packed with cocaine. According to a Kent Online news report, the product was 98 percent pure cocaine estimated at more than $35 million street value.
“The arrest and conviction of these individuals serves to show that the Metropolitan Police will not tolerate the distribution of Class A drugs, which has such a harmful effect on London’s communities,” local DI Paul Foreman of the special projects team said, according to the report.
In searching the warehouse where the drugs were stashed, the authorities also found about $430,000 in cash, which was linked to Hernandez-Gonzalez.
The three men reportedly used a truck to transport the drug-stuffed produce its original landing site in Dover to Oast Park Trading Estate in Hartlip over a two-day period, though the truck driver was found to not be connected with the network.
Jaramillo received a 15 year sentence after pleading guilty to conspiracy to import cocaine, while Hernandez-Gonzalez and Grisales-Cuervo received 22 years each for the same charges.
“These individuals were part of a sophisticated, well-organized, and determined criminal network capable of masterminding and resourcing this complicated international smuggling operation, and sustaining it over a long period,” Foreman reportedly commented.
All three men were found guilty, though not in the same hearings, at Southwark Crown Court in what Foreman said disrupted a well-oiled, large-scale operation.
HOD HASHARON, ISRAEL - Polymer Logistics, a global leader of Retail Ready Packaging and manufacturing of reusable containers, is debuting a fresh look at Wal-Mart locations by introducing its Wood Grain RPC for the grower supplier shipments into Wal-Mart.
After months of store display pilots and feedback from three Wal-Mart Supercenters in the Bentonville, Arkansas area, the company has decided to move forward with the roll-out of Polymer’s newly designed RPC, which continues to create a farm fresh feel.
United Fresh Produce has praised the RPC, saying, “The Polymer Wood effect RPC was voted within the 40 new product award finalists under the best packaging category.”
During the customer surveys conducted at Wal-Mart, the results showed a great preference for the “fresh look” in the Wood Grain crates, “creating an inviting, soft look, compared to the current black RPC’s.”
On the various tests recently conducted by Polymer Logistics at the European market stores, feedback from consumers was excellent, according to a press release. Switching the store set up to the new Polymer Logistics Wood Grain crates in these test stores delivered a 3 to 6% increase to produce sales.
“Therefore, we believe this exciting change will benefit the growers, retailers, and consumers,” said Susie Cuevas, Polymer Logistics Director of Sales.
The company says it is looking forward to an exciting partnership with Wal-Mart while maintaining an industry shared vision to provide safe environment-friendly, and display ready containers for continued improvements throughout the supply chain.
BENTONVILLE, AR - Wal-Mart has been increasing the pressure on its suppliers in an effort to cut the costs of its products. The retailer seeks to regain its position as the leader in low-prices and turn around its poorer-than-average U.S. sales.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Wal-Mart has been telling suppliers to forgo investments in joint marketing with the retailer and sell at lower prices instead. Suppliers of all kinds typically set aside a substantial portion of their budgets for in-store displays and online advertisements with Wal-Mart.
Wal-Mart has previously had a reputation for pressuring suppliers to cut costs to help lower prices, but the retailer’s new leadership has been especially vigorous with this practice. According to The Wall Street Journal, Wal-Mart’s price advantage against its competitors has been eroding, and the company has been losing market share in the U.S. since the recession ended. Rivals like Kroger and Costco have been gaining share, according to data from the consultancy group Kantar Retail.
While lowering prices by lowering marketing costs may help Wal-Mart draw more customers, it gives suppliers less control over how products are displayed or promoted, and less ability to differentiate themselves amongst rivals.
Chief Executive Doug McMillon and U.S. Head Greg Foran have implemented this strategy to turn around Wal-Mart’s core domestic business, which booked $288 billion in sales in the year ended Jan. 31, 60% of the company’s total, according to The Wall Street Journal. While U.S. sales were up 3% last year, the growth was a scant 0.5% excluding newly opened stores, and the division’s profit fell.
Foran and McMillon laid out the pricing message during a private meeting with suppliers in February. They want suppliers to operate with the same everyday low-cost model that Wal-Mart employs from top to bottom, The Wall Street Journal reports.
“We want to get back to a point where we are playing offense with price because of the way we go to market,” McMillon said, according to a transcript. “Our pricing strategy is aimed at one objective, and that is building trust.”
The effort to get suppliers to reallocate the marketing investments reinforces the company’s long-standing business strategy to keep costs low, said Deisha Barnett, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman. “It’s a proven business model that works,” she said. “We think the smart investment is to put the dollars into price.”
Wal-Mart’s U.S. division is in the process of a turnaround, having just posted two straight quarters of positive same-store sales after a long slowdown. Executives at the retailer have attributed part of the increase to falling gasoline prices, which have led some shoppers to spend more and to make the longer drive to the stores.
VERO BEACH, FL - With plans in the works to build upon its growth strategies in the North American market, Seald Sweet International has announced that its deciduous commodity division will be a focus for expansion.
Through considerable financial investments and long-term commitments, the company plans to boost its Mexican grape program’s production, particularly in the Hermosillo and Caborca regions.
“We are thrilled about this additional product supply for a number of reasons,” Mayda Sotomayor-Kirk, CEO of Seald Sweet, said in a press release. “Continued development and growth of this category has been an important part of our strategic plan. This enables our company to better serve our customers by meeting their needs in the grape category.”
According to the company, Seald Sweet’s producers in these particular southern regions commit to the company’s stance on social responsibility, and as a result are dedicated to maintaining respectable and fair labor standards with their labor workers. This concept is in line with the company’s overall vision, as is the expansion of its current supply of fresh table grapes, which Seald Sweet feels will further strengthen its position in the industry and deciduous categories.
“We are making long-term commitments to growing these programs with our customers, by delivering fresh, quality grapes, in promotional volumes, from the very beginning of the Mexican harvest, all the way to the end,” Mark Lewis, Executive Vice President of Seald Sweet, said in the release. “It’s a great program and we are excited for this growth!”
The goal of Seald Sweet and parent company UNIVEG, according to Sotomayor-Kirk, is to continue to develop product access and ties in North America, while also complementing its built-in global network with the UNIVEG Group. Seald Sweet is the gateway to the North American markets for the UNIVEG Group, and as a result feels very privileged to have these opportunities.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Vision Produce is adding another item to its extensive list of "grower direct" deals with an exclusive Mid-April shade house Cucumber program out of Caborca, Mexico. In a collaboration with the Agricola Los Chacuales partner of growers, the program will be available starting the second week of April through June and be marketed under the La Visiõn label.
John Caldwell, V.P of Sales Arizona said, "We are excited to develop another partnership in Caborca with Agricola La Chacuales and continue our growth in the region. They are a socially responsible company that offers a safe work environment, competitive wages, supports non-profit endeavors and a family orientated culture. In addition, their operation is state of the art and maintains Primus Certification."
This is the second item that Vision is developing in the Corborca growing region by partnering with Agricola Los Chacuales, according to a press release.
"Vision Produce values results but also value the strong future potential in its partners. There is an investment in people that the company is devoted to and that we don’t come by every day. This is a stronger partnership due to their vision. We see this and reciprocate," Ricardo Araiza, one of the Los Chacuales’ team members.
This relationship has led Vision Produce and its growers to explore new markets together. In 2015, this new cucumber venture seeks to enhance Vision Produce’s ability to add greater value to its U.S. customers and attain future expansion in Mexico and the United States.