WESTLAKE VILLAGE, CA - Amidst the rising trend of healthy eating for kids, Dole Packaged Foods recently launched the Dole Wiggles® for Words program on National Read A Book Day, blending childhood literacy with nutritious snacking. This initiative pairs the purchase of Dole Wiggles® Gels with donations of children's books, promoting both literacy and healthy habits.

“As a trusted brand for over 120 years, families for generations have chosen Dole for its accessible, quality, and convenient fruit snacks like our Dole Wiggles Gels,” said Orzse Hodi, President of Packaged Foods, USA. “We’re proud to serve over 66 million students nationwide in grades K through 12 by feeding and fostering their development at school and at home. Now as a Scholastic Literacy Partner, we are excited to expand support with books for families in need and delicious, fruit-powered goodness for all.”

The program, which runs from September 6 to October 6, involves a book donation for every Dole Wiggles Gels purchased at select retailers. According to a press release from Scholastic, early literacy is crucial for long-term health, and access to books significantly impacts overall well-being.

In addition to this initiative, Dole is launching a mobile "Treat Truck" to engage communities. This truck will visit select Walmart and Meijer stores from September 6 to September 22, offering Dole Wiggles Gels samples, a reading pledge wall, and interactive learning activities.

“Increasing literacy is an important part of the long-term physical and mental health of young people,” said Dwaine Millard, Senior Vice President of Sales and Partnerships, Scholastic. “We’re thrilled that Dole has become a Scholastic Literacy Partnership Member to help support literacy by getting books into the hands of children that need them.”

With its innovative approach to merging literacy and snacking, Dole is raising the bar for corporate social responsibility, making a tangible impact on children's education and well-being.

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OXNARD, CA - Mission Produce™ released its financial results for the fiscal third quarter which ended July 31, 2024. Some highlights include a continued year-to-date momentum with ongoing strength of the Marketing and Distribution segment and an increase in operating cash flow for the first nine months by $62.7 million versus the prior year period.

“We are pleased to report another quarter of strong financial performance, marked by robust third quarter revenues of $324.0 million, an increase of 24 percent year-over-year, and a 49 percent increase in adjusted EBITDA to $31.5 million,” shared Steve Barnard, Chief Executive Officer. “Our team’s ability to leverage our global sourcing network to meet customer demand amid a more challenging production year for our farming operations in Peru was commendable. The result of this focus was an achievement of per-unit margins that exceeded our targeted range, which is a testament to our team's exceptional execution and ability to capitalize on favorable market conditions.

Here are a few highlights from the release:

• Total revenue increased 24 percent to $324 million, compared to the same period last year
• Net income of $12.4 million, or $0.17 per diluted share, compared to $6.6 million, or $0.09 per diluted share, for the same period last year
• Adjusted net income of $16.7 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, compared to $10.3 million, or $0.15 per diluted share, for the same period last year
• Adjusted EBITDA increased 49 percent to $31.5 million, compared to $21.2 million in the same period last year

A press release also shared how net sales in the Marketing and Distribution segment increased 25 percent to $321.3 million for the quarter, driven by avocado pricing increases. Segment adjusted EBITDA increased $10.7 million or 66 percent to $26.8 million, primarily due to improved per-unit gross margin on avocados sold.

“These efforts are a continuation of our strong performance this year and combined with our solid working capital management, they have translated into a $62.7 million improvement in our year-to-date operating cash flow performance versus the prior year period,” continued Barnard. “Looking ahead, we remain excited about our position and will continue to focus on operational excellence, strategic growth initiatives, and sound capital allocation to drive long-term shareholder value.”

Industry volumes are expected to be flat to slightly lower in the fiscal 2024 fourth quarter, versus the prior year period. The California and Peru harvest seasons will conclude and Mission will transition to a Mexico-centric source model during the latter part of the quarter.

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CAPISTRANO BEACH, CA - As the domestic citrus season quickly approaches here in the United States, suppliers across the category are anticipating an exciting program ahead as they look to reinforce their retailer partnerships and create additional value for new customers. LIV Produce is adding to the season’s promising outlook with exceptional quality across its program and expansions to differentiate and strengthen its retail customers.

“With the higher markets for citrus during import season, we are hoping that the start of domestic programs will stabilize the market for our partners,” Anthony Innocenti, Managing Partner, shares with me. “In order to meet the demand of our customers, we recently expanded into Bakersfield, California. This expansion will provide a big value to our customers as they will be able to load several different citrus varieties together at one stop, as well as conventional and organic.”

Well-known for its citrus strategy, surety of supply, high-quality fruit, and excellent customer service, LIV’s ability to provide Bakersfield loading during the fall season as well as its current Los Angeles option, will be a great addition to its partners’ programs.

As Carrie Briones, Head of Sales and Grower Relations, details, retailers can stay up-to-date and well-informed during the current market dynamic.

“We keep in close communications with our customers to create a seamless and beneficial program for their shoppers,” she says. “Crop updates are critical to keeping the retailers informed as the crop can change throughout the season, weather being a huge factor.”

New from the company, LIV Produce will be offering both conventional and organic Mandarins as well as Organic Heirloom Navels from November through April on top of its traditional program of Navel oranges, lemons, and more.

“We will have some of the earliest California Mandarins available on both organic and conventional. The overall crop this season is looking outstanding!” Carrie reveals. “Organic Navels will also have an early start. They are an heirloom variety with some trees that are over 100 years old.”

Currently, the market is experiencing higher demand and limited supplies. When I asked Carrie what is contributing to the tight market and what pricing trends she is seeing as a result, she breaks it down for me.

“On organic lemons, we are seeing a lot of imports, and the market is really off from last year, with California just about to start. It is also looking like all California crops will be up over last year, including grapefruit, Navels, lemons, and Mandarins,” she tells me. “We are only a couple weeks away from new crop California organic lemons and organic grapefruit. In addition, our fall lineup will have organic Meyers, organic Minneolas, organic Cara Caras, organic Mandarins, and conventional Mandarins.”

To say that the citrus category is a dynamic one would be an understatement. As consumers keep citrus as a basket staple, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we bring you more on the evolving sector.