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MONTRÉAL, CANADA - With the greenhouse sector soaring, the need for smart solutions to keep it evolving are essential. To support this growth, Sollum Technologies has announced a key investment from Fondaction that will help the company to develop, market, and distribute its cutting-edge smart LED lighting technology to revolutionize greenhouse crop production.
“We are pleased to be able to count on Fondaction’s financial support and its expertise in the agri-food industry to help us grow and speed up the marketing of our dynamic LED lighting solution for greenhouse growers,” said Louis Brun, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Sollum Technologies. “We have the privilege of having a solid group of investment partners, and we appreciate the confidence that the Fondaction team has chosen to place in us and our unique solution.”
Sollum’s lighting technology currently makes growing peppers in the winter possible, according to a press release. Additionally, the light fixtures have several other advantages as it relates to life cycle, energy efficiency, productivity, and product quality, offering growers a myriad of benefits when implemented on their farms. Based on data collected by Sollum, greenhouse growers who use this new technology have seen energy savings of over 40 percent and productivity efficiencies of up to 40 percent.
Unlike the light spectrum of HPS lamps and traditional horticulture LED light fixtures, Sollum’s LED lighting is universal. Through its SUN as a Service® cloud platform (SUNaaS), it is possible to change light recipes based on the specific needs of different fruit and vegetable varieties being grown, thereby increasing crop productivity and quality while decreasing energy usage and providing flexibility for crop scheduling.
All of these are reasons that Fondaction has decided to invest in Sollum, according to Claire Bisson, Deputy Chief Investment Officer for the company.
“The investment meets a number of our impact goals: the fight against climate change and the development of a sustainable agri-food industry,” she explained. “On the one hand, greenhouse production has a positive effect on local sourcing and food security. On the other hand, a study led by Enviro-Access determined that the light fixture’s life cycle and its energy performance reduce by 30 percent the GHG emissions normally generated by this activity. Furthermore, the smart lighting solution makes it possible to compensate for extremely cold weather during peak periods without affecting crop growth.”
Backed by this new investment, how will Sollum further develop its lighting and expand its reach in the greenhouse sector? Keep reading AndNowUKnow for answers.
IRVINGTON, NY - I may be packing my bags and heading to Illinois sometime soon, as the state will be the first to feature BrightFarms’ new salad kit line on store shelves. The company recently launched its Crunch Kits™ line, which features two initial varieties: Chickpea Caesar and Sunny Bacon. The offerings will be available in Illinois supermarkets this January, followed by additional regions throughout 2022.
“We’ve been listening closely to what our retail partners and consumers are asking for, and heard the need for a higher quality, more premium salad kit,” said Abby Prior, Chief Commercial Officer. “Our research shows the largest barrier to purchasing a salad kit is the quality of the greens. BrightFarms Crunch Kits offer the fresh, crisp, high-quality salad greens that our customers want, with the convenience of a prepared kit that includes premium toppings, cheese, and dressing. It’s more affordable than a fast-casual salad and ready to go at home in your fridge.”
BrightFarms Crunch Kits are made with sustainably grown salad greens and delicious, premium toppings, according to a press release.
The two varieties are sized to be eaten on their own or as a shared side and include:
- Chickpea Caesar Crunch Kit: This kit starts with fresh BrightFarms Sunny Crunch® greens, topped with crispy chickpeas, organic quinoa, shaved parmesan, garlic crouton crumbles, and a vegan Caesar dressing
- Sunny Bacon Crunch Kit: This kit starts with fresh BrightFarms Sunny Crunch greens topped with uncured bacon bits, shredded white cheddar cheese, sunflower seeds, crispy onions, herb croutons, and a vegan Ranch dressing
The $2.8 billion salad kit segment represents 33 percent of total packaged salad offerings with a three-year CAGR up 12 percent, the release noted. The indoor grown segment, on the other hand, has seen a three-year CAGR up 23 percent. The new Crunch Kits provide fresh and tasty alternatives as indoor-farmed leafy greens continue to grow in availability nationwide.
BrightFarms currently has greenhouses located in Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Illinois, and New Hampshire and products in over 4,000 stores nationwide. The Crunch Kits are available at retailers including Roundy’s, Sullivan’s, and Caputo’s for now.
For the latest product releases at retail and beyond, stick with us here at ANUK.
ROSEMONT, IL - US Foods is making moves to increase its geographical footprint, bolstering its prowess in one market while establishing its presence in another. The distributor recently announced it is expanding with the announcement of two new US Foods CHEF’STORE® locations in Visalia, California, and Lynchburg, Virginia.
“We are excited to bring CHEF’STORE to the growing communities of Visalia in south-central California and Lynchburg in the Southeast region,” said John Mathews, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for CHEF’STORE. “Whether you are an industry professional looking to fill in between your regular delivery orders or an at-home chef seeking restaurant-quality products, our teams look forward to welcoming all customers to CHEF’STORE for all of their culinary needs.”
US Foods’ CHEF’STORE is a one-stop retail format for restaurant operators, food industry professionals, community groups, and at-home chefs to quickly stock up on ingredients and supplies in a variety of sizes and offerings, as explained in a press release. Both of the new stores will include a vast selection of restaurant-quality products at wholesale prices, including fresh produce, meat, dairy, deli items, and more. In addition, customers will have access to baking ingredients, beverages, catering essentials, janitorial supplies, and other restaurant essentials.
With this expansion, US Foods will bring its first CHEF’STORE to the state of Virginia. Set to open in the spring of 2022, the 24,000-square-foot store will offer over 4,500 unique products.
The new 30,000-square-foot store in Visalia marks the 15th location in California. The location is set to open on February 19, 2022, with a grand-opening celebration, and will offer over 5,000 restaurant-quality products.
With these two new stores in the pipeline, the company has 82 CHEF’STORE locations across the continental United States.
For the latest expansion strategies and more, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
WENATCHEE, WA - Education is a very important pillar of this industry, creating the building blocks of each luminary’s expanding knowledge base. The Washington Apple Education Foundation (WAEF), which works to bring educational opportunities to young people raised in tree fruit districts, recently announced it has appointed Dr. Faviola Barbosa as its new Executive Director.
“I am so excited about the opportunity to promote access and support to students from the tree fruit industry pursuing higher education,” Barbosa stated in a recent release. “Furthermore, I look forward to working with such an amazing team and industry, continuing to strengthen the WAEF mission.”
Barbosa migrated from Mexico to the United States with her family at the age of two, the release noted. A first-generation Latinx, she grew up within the farming industry in Orondo, Washington, and earned a BA in Business Administration from Washington State University, an MS in College Student Affairs from Nova Southeastern University, and a Doctorate in Leadership in Higher Education from Capella University. Working with the Washington State Community and Technical Colleges system for over 18 years, Dr. Barbosa has always had a passion for promoting higher education to students.
“On behalf of the WAEF Board of Directors, I am thrilled to welcome Faviola Barbosa as the new Executive Director of WAEF. Her excitement and passion to work with students is easily conveyed when she shares what it means to be able to impact lives through access to educational opportunities,” shared WAEF Chairman Laurie Knebusch. “When the selection committee met Faviola and learned about her deep ties in the tree fruit industry paired with her career background working in education, we knew we had found WAEF’s next Executive Director.”
Barbosa is the fourth person to hold the Executive Director title in WAEF’s 28-year history. She takes over for Jennifer Witherbee, who served in the role for over two decades.
As Barbosa takes on the role, Witherbee will remain on staff in a support role for a few weeks to assist with the transition.
For more updates from across the fresh produce industry, keep clicking on AndNowUKnow.
WASHINGTON, DC - Inflation is the word on most everyone’s lips in the food industry, with rising costs nationwide posing greater challenges to the supply chain. As we reported in a recent interview with California Fresh Fruit Association, the produce industry is no exception. In a recent report, we learned that January marked the biggest annual inflation increase in 40 years.
According to Reuters, an interest rate hike of 50 basis points may be coming down the pipeline from the Federal Reserve. Increased costs across rent, electricity, and food are posing challenges to consumers, and those increases are impacting growers and producers as well. In fact, the food index rose 0.9 percent and the cost of food consumed at home rose 1.0 percent, with fruits and vegetables being strong contributors.
The report continued by noting that the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose 7.5 percent in the 12 months ending in January, which is the biggest year-over-year increase since 1982. January also marked the fourth straight month of annual increases in excess of six percent.
As we know, trends spurred by the COVID-19 pandemic included increased spending as well as delays due to a lack in labor. However, Reuters reported that inflation could begin to slow as supply chain bottlenecks are eased and the Omicron surge dies down. The inflation is reportedly partially attributed to a delay in rising wages as a result of scarce labor.
As to how these costs are being transferred to growers, ANUK will continue to keep our ears open and our eyes peeled. What we do know is that these rising prices for the consumer inherently mean rising prices for production, which causes increased challenges for those who grow our food.
For more information on the matter, please stick with us.
SACRAMENTO, CA - Hearts are feeling heavy across the industry today as we mourn the loss of a talented and enthusiastic leader in the produce industry. Dan Sholl, former General Manager for Wild About Sprouts® and tenured fresh produce executive, has passed away at the age of 44.
Sholl started his career in Minnesota in 2003, working in sales and marketing for the Green Giant Fresh brand. He would go on to spend most of his career in fresh produce. In 2010, he moved on to California Sprouts, before becoming General Manager for Wild About Sprouts in 2016. As explained in a release, he played an integral role in the development of the first Wild About Sprouts plant.
During his time with the company, Sholl was involved in every aspect of the business, from staffing, sales, marketing, food safety, plant operations, inventory, and KPI’s. His personal favorite, though, was networking. With a loving and generous spirit, Sholl enjoyed attending industry events and meeting others in the business, bringing his outgoing personality, smile, and dry sense of humor to many.
Sholl attended Marquette University in Wisconsin and obtained a Business Administration degree from Colorado State University (CSU) in 2003. During his time at CSU, Sholl joined the Ski Club and grew it from 20 members to over 300, turning it into the largest club on campus.
Sholl was an outdoor enthusiast who loved to ski and hike in the many state and national parks near his home in Sacramento, California, and he enjoyed sharing his passions, especially his love of the mountains and the outdoors, with his wife and children. He is survived by his loving wife Claire; three children, son Philip John and twin daughters Sylvi Grace and Cora Josephine; his father Jeff Sholl (Susan Harlander); his mother Deb Sholl; and two sisters, Abby and Kristin.
A memorial service and reception for family, neighbors, business colleagues, and friends will be held at 11:00 a.m. PST on February 26, 2022, at the Chapel at East Lawn Memorial Park located at 4300 Folsom Boulevard, East Sacramento, California. A reception follows at noon at The Greenhouse located adjacent to the Chapel. For those who cannot attend, the service will be live-streamed. There will also be a Celebration of Life this summer in Minnesota.
In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been set up for Sholl’s children as a 529 college savings plan. To contribute, please email Deb Sholl for more information.
Our hearts are with all those who had the privilege of knowing this passionate leader, father, friend, and so much more.
TARRYTOWN, NY - When it comes to picking products off the shelf, sustainability continues to be a key factor in shoppers’ purchasing decisions. Meeting their needs in the table grape category, Jac. Vandenberg Inc. has introduced new, certified home-compostable grape BIO bags through its SUNRAYS® brand.
“We’ve been exploring sustainable alternatives for grape bags for some time now,” said John Paap, Brand Manager at Jac. Vandenberg. “We are all too aware of the problems with traditional plastic packaging, so it is critical we begin to move away from this material. In our BIO bags, we have a real solution that offers something that looks and feels like traditional plastic but will biodegrade in compost, just like the fruit inside it. We are confident that these bags will help retailers achieve their targets set around zero waste, plastic reduction, and overall sustainability.”
The SUNRAYS grape BIO bags will be available in limited supply this winter. Developed and produced by Israeli-based company TIPA®, the BIO bags are made from 20 percent bio-based plastic and 80 percent fully compostable fossil-based polymers, allowing them to disintegrate within 6 months with an active and healthy compost heap.
The innovative packaging reduces methane emissions while tackling plastic waste, as no micro-plastics are left behind once the package has been biodegraded. With this launch, as explained in a press release, the supplier hopes to make composting exciting and fun for consumers.
“Composting is really exciting because the benefits are so bountiful,” remarked Paap. “By composting, we can make a significant impact on global warming and create nutrient-rich compost soils at the same time. One of the major sources of methane emissions comes from each one of us and our trash cans at home. The average household trash contains around 35 percent organic waste, which could be composted. However, this trash gets moved to a landfill which degrades without oxygen and this process generates methane. It goes without saying then that by choosing to compost our organic waste, we can significantly reduce our methane emissions.”
Last year, Jac. Vandenberg’s citrus BIO bags were honored with BNCW Magazine’s 2021 Eco-Excellence Award™ in the Snack Category. To drive awareness for the bags, the company will be launching an interactive page on its SUNRAYS website to educate and help consumers on their composting journey.
Keep following AndNowUKnow as we keep a tab on the latest fresh produce industry innovations.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Apples are the Valentine’s treats to lean more into for both rooted and fresh approaches to this love-festooned day. Lovely by themselves as well as dipped in chocolate, caramel, or frosting, the trees that bear this fruit, according to Oxford, are originally from the rose family. How many more layers of Valentine gift traditions can you get in one item?
And the apple of consumers’ eye, T&G Global reports, is the increasingly well-known Envy™. So much so, it has even teamed up with this year’s anticipated V-Day movie Marry Me.
“The outlook for 2022 is looking to be another year of growth for Envy as they continue to show strong pull with consumers as shopper spend increases, meaning stronger numbers for retailers as well,” Cecilia Flores Paez, Head of Marketing, North America, shared with me. “Envy has, quite literally, won over the hearts and shopping carts of consumers across the country.”
Nielsen’s U.S. Market, L52Wks thru Dec. 2021, showed the branded apple topping sales charts while Panel Data (December 2021) listed the average spend per shopping trip of an Envy consumer at an almost $2 increase to $98.45 from 2020’s $96.51.
“If we want to speak to the holiday of loyalty and love, we have to speak about Envy,” Cecilia pointed out. “Consumers absolutely adore these apples, not just based on recent shopper studies, but also in numerous testimonials we have received and love to provide to anyone interested to hear what shoppers have to say.”
A sought-after everyday premium apple brand, frequency of shopping trips, spend per trip, buy rate, and average basket size are just some of the ways Envy is proving to be a love interest for consumers. This, Cecilia said, provides a great opportunity for retailers to add and expand Envy in their produce to meet customer demands.
So when wooing sales not just around this season of love, but all year round, it sounds like retailers should consider the rising numbers that have found a passionate eating experience in Envy apples.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA - Welcoming a new face to the team is always exciting, especially when that face brings along 23 years of industry experience. Discovery Organics recently announced that Lawrence Ashmead has joined the team as Senior Sales Manager, Calgary.
“I am excited to be joining the Discovery team. Discovery has been at the forefront of organic produce for over two decades,” Ashmead stated in an exclusive statement to AndNowUKnow. “This experience was built on the Discovery mantra of Truth, Trust, Transparency as a straightforward business practice. The progressive, collaborative culture is what drew me to the organization. I am happy to help usher in the next steps to continued success."
Ashmead will utilize his over two decades of expertise, wisdom, and service-oriented values to the Discovery Organics operation, helping the company foster new relationships with retailers as well as strengthen existing partnerships across Western Canada, according to a recent announcement.
“We are excited to have Lawrence join the Discovery Organics team as Senior Sales Manager, Calgary,” commented Stefan Misse, President. “His experience and knowledge serving the Canadian Prairie provinces of Alberta, Saskatchewan, and Manitoba will be invaluable in our next phases of growth.”
Recently, Discovery Organics Calgary moved to a new facility dedicated to wholesaling certified organic fresh fruits and vegetables. The state-of-the-art facility in southeast Calgary features multiple temperatures zones and banana ripening rooms to accommodate cold chain requirements for all certified organic produce items.
A huge congratulations goes out to Lawrence Ashmead on this recent appointment, and to Discovery Organics as it bolsters its operations with new leaders and facilities. For the latest news in the industry, keep an eye out for the AndNowUKnow logo.