SANTA MARIA, CA - One of the most overwhelming experiences for consumers during the holiday season is arriving at their local grocery store to stock up on ingredients for their celebratory feasts, only to find it filled to the brim with other shoppers. Luckily, Gold Coast Packing has a solution for retailers and consumers alike as it recently introduced new value-added SKUs to maximize convenience, and therefore, repeat purchases.
“Gold Coast’s new 2 lb Value-Added Vegetable Packs feature a larger serving of fresh vegetables, giving consumers the versatility of cooking from home with fewer trips to the grocery store before the holidays,” Crystal Chavez, Marketing Coordinator, explains. “The 2 lb packs make preparing holiday dishes big enough to feed a crowd easy; whether you are making a Classic Broccoli and Cauliflower Casserole or Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon, our pre-cut and pre-washed items bring shoppers’ holiday meals together in a snap. And, for those not feeding a crowd or simply preferring smaller quantities, our new 12 oz items offer all the convenience in a reduced bag size.”
Catching consumers’ eyes with its classic, sea-blue packaging, the easy-to-spot products are the newest additions to Gold Coast’s portfolio. While the 2 lb offerings become available at the start of 2021, with the company shipping out its first orders in February, the 12 oz products were just recently made available to the supplier’s customers in the last few weeks.
“We are now offering 2 lb and 12 oz value-added vegetable packs including Broccoli Florets, Cauliflower Florets, Broccoli and Cauliflower Floret blend, Garden Blend Brussels Sprouts, and Broccoli Slaw. Also available in a 12 oz pack is our Caulifornia™ Snow Riced Cauliflower,” Crystal adds. “All of these products are now available to ship nationwide and offer a 16-day shelf life.”
Gold Coast’s 2 lb items come in 6x2 lb packs size and its 12 oz items are offered in a 9x12 oz pack, giving buyers more bang for their buck.
On top of its 2 lb and 12 oz packs, Gold Coast also has another secret holiday weapon up its sleeve in the form of its Vegetable Ceviche, which made its debut this past summer. Providing a substitute for the popular seafood dish, the company’s produce-forward take on the recipe includes a blend of cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, cilantro, Serrano peppers, onions, garlic, and, of course, lime juice.
“Our newly released 26 oz Vegetable Ceviche is not only keto-friendly, vegan, and gluten-free; it also has a 42-day shelf-life, maximizing retailer value and giving shoppers a store-and-serve dish when they need any easy addition to a recipe or as an appetizer,” says Crystal. “Cauliflower was the obvious substitute for seafood because of its popularity with consumers and because it’s the culinary chameleon, taking on the flavors of whatever it’s cooked with.”
Give yourself, and your shoppers, an easy solution for holiday cooking demand by adding Gold Coast Packing’s newest offerings to your shelves—trust me, there is no better gift this season than that of extra time.
UNITED STATES - It’s the highly anticipated time of year when retailers wait with bated breath to find out who has made it onto Fortune Magazine’s coveted list of Best Workplaces in Retail™. This year, Wegmans, Publix, Nugget Markets, and Target were among the grocery names to make the cut.
“The family feel across our company defines who we are at Wegmans, and continues to help us earn this special recognition,” said Colleen Wegman, President and Chief Executive Officer of Wegmans Food Markets. “We are extremely grateful to our people for all they do for each other and our customers. This award means the world to all of us.”
Wegmans earned the distinction of the #1 Best Workplace in Retail, making the top of the list for the 6th consecutive year, according to a press release.
To determine the list, Great Place to Work® analyzes confidential survey feedback representing 1.3 million employees working in the retail industry in the U.S. Employees responded to over 60 survey questions describing the extent to which their company creates a friendly environment, with 85 percent of the evaluation based on what employees say about their experiences of trust and reaching their full potential within their organization.
Following Wegmans on the list is Target in second place, Nugget Markets in third, and Publix coming in fifth place on the list of 15 total companies.
“Our company was founded over 90 years ago on philosophies and principles that still guide us today,” said Publix Director of Communications Maria Brous. “We care about the well-being of our associates by providing them with the tools they need to be successful and thrive, in their jobs and lives.”
Part of earning the distinction this year came from retailers’ efforts to overcome challenges caused by the pandemic while also supporting its associates through the difficult time. Publix did that by issuing Publix gift cards several times and accelerating its annual pay increases. The company also enhanced its benefits to meet its associates’ needs and hired thousands of new associates and provided a gift card incentive for employees to get the COVID-19 vaccine.
“The Best Workplaces in Retail have used the COVID-19 pandemic to inspire much-needed change in the industry. These companies pivoted to new ways of working while putting the health and safety of their employees and customers first,” explained Michael C. Bush, Chief Executive Officer of Great Place to Work.
To see the list of Best Workplaces in Retail in its entirety, click here.
With this coveted distinction added to these retailers’ belts, how will they further bolster the workplace to support their labor force? Stick with us to find out.
WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has imposed sanctions on three produce businesses for failure to meet contractual obligations to the sellers of produce they purchased and failing to pay reparation awards issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA). In total, the three businesses allegedly failed to pay $112,345.
Direct from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service:
The following businesses and individuals are currently restricted from operating in the produce industry:
- Marlon Abarca, doing business as New Water Co., operating out of Rancho Cucamonga, California, for failing to pay a $20,967 award in favor of a California seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Marlon A. Abarca was listed as the sole proprietor of the business
- Mike’s Bulk Dist. Inc., operating out of Irvine, California, for failing to pay a $33,796 award in favor of a California seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Michael Eugene Feliz III. Ortega was listed as the officer, director, and major stockholder of the business
- OTC Produce LLC, operating out of McAllen, Texas, for failing to pay a $57,582 award in favor of a California seller. As of the issuance date of the reparation order, Jorge A. Mardones Lopez was listed as the manager, member, and major stockholder of the business
PACA provides an administrative forum to handle disputes involving produce transactions; this may result in USDA’s issuance of a reparation order that requires damages to be paid by those not meeting their contractual obligations in buying and selling fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. USDA is required to suspend the license or impose sanctions on an unlicensed business that fails to pay PACA reparations awarded against it, as well as impose restrictions against those principals determined to be responsibly connected to the business when the order is issued. Those individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, members, managers, officers, directors, or major stockholders, may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee without USDA approval.
By issuing these penalties, USDA continues to enforce the prompt and full payment for produce while protecting the rights of sellers and buyers in the marketplace.
For more information, and to read the press release in its entirety, click here.
SOUTH BEND, IN - Many shoppers experience tunnel vision as soon as they step into the grocery store. Busy schedules demand they collect the items on their lists quickly and go. This is exactly why Pure Green Farms has rolled out updated packaging that is sure to capture the attention of today’s busiest shoppers. With subtle but effective changes to its lineup, the company is harnessing the demand for sustainably and locally grown products with its latest design refresh.
“Our consumers and customers were the inspiration behind our new packaging,” said Joe McGuire, Chief Executive Officer. “By using 35 percent less plastic in our packaging, people can connect with our brand and our efforts to be more sustainable.”
The updated packaging was made to both Pure Green Farm’s 4 oz and 9.5 oz offerings and will be showcased in retail stores throughout the Midwest this winter, according to a press release.
“We are excited to give our packaging a fresh new look to reflect the same fresh product inside each package,” said Jim Marcum, Vice President of Sales. “Our intent is to connect with our consumers on a more personal level through the composition and design of our new packaging.”
The newly adapted packaging is made using 35 percent plastic and features the phrase “Locally Greenhouse Grown” in large lettering at the top of each package to capitalize on the rising demand for local products. The product descriptors on select varieties were also changed to further educate consumers and increase brand recognition.
In addition, the company renamed its Baby Romaine to Crispy Romaine to highlight the premium eating quality of the variety.
AndNowUKnow is always here to report on the latest supplier strategies to collect shopper dollars, so keep reading.
WASHINGTON, DC - Earlier this week, the National Restaurant Association (NRA) sent a letter to President Biden. The content of the letter highlighted how supply chain challenges and inflation are weighing down restaurant industry rebuilding efforts. The association then went on to suggest long-term solutions.
“Faced with these very challenging times, our industry is doing its level best to protect employees and customers, while restaurants are struggling to keep their doors open,” said Sean Kennedy, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs. “Taken together, these recommendations can work to help our nation’s restaurants that are being crippled as the pandemic rages on and supply chain challenges grow.”
According to a release, the letter highlights the current state of the industry, and how the drop in consumer confidence brought on by the delta variant this summer halted the small gains restaurants made earlier this year. Faced with this complication, restaurants are also facing massive supply shortages and delays amidst soaring food costs.
The association outlined several possible solutions:
- Facilitating impactful solutions to workforce challenges through comprehensive immigration reform and expanded employment opportunities
- Addressing transportation and shipping constraints by allowing more young people to enter the trucking industry as drivers
- Using trade and import capabilities, including removing burdensome tariffs on food and beverage products and equipment used in the supply chain
The NRA also noted that with nearly 95 percent of restaurants experiencing significant supply delays or shortages, operators have had to make menu changes to mitigate the issue. The association explained too that wholesale food prices increased sharply in September, posting the highest 12-month increase since 1980.
To see the letter in full, click here.
We’ll continue to be on the lookout for how the federal government will address these challenges.
ISSAQUAH, WA - At the end of September, Costco announced its plan to rent three container ships alongside thousands of containers to mitigate supply chain challenges. Although the company did not draw a direct correlation to the strategy in its most recent October Sales Results release, we here at AndNowUKnow are left to ponder whether the plan helped facilitate more sales for the retailer.
In the month of October alone, Costco reported net sales of $16.47 billion for the four weeks ending October 31. This is an increase of 19.2 percent from $13.82 billion last year.
For the nine weeks ending October 31, 2021, Costco reported net sales of $35.97 billion, an increase of 17.3 percent from $30.66 billion last year—a solid $5 billion increase.
For the entirety of the release, click here.
As retailers across the nation continue to address the challenges brought on by global supply chain disruptions, AndNowUKnow will keep an eye out for the strategies employed to chase down the challenges.
In the meantime, stay tuned to us here for the latest.
BRIDGEVILLE, DE - What if there were a way to minimize food waste while also enjoying a mouth-watering tasty treat? Well, The Frozen Farmer may have found the answer and it comes in the form of its Shark Tank-featured product, Frobert™. The farm-crafted frozen dessert uses fruit that would have once been wasted and turns it into a delicious offering that everyone can enjoy, and its already gaining a following nationwide.
“We are farmers first and foremost, tilling more than 3,000 acres of fruits, vegetables, and grains to feed our family and others across America. But not every fruit we harvest from our fields meets the size and specs of grocery store standards, so that’s where we came up with the idea of putting this otherwise wasted fruit to use,” said Katey Evans, Founder of The Frozen Farmer, to our sister publication, Deli Market News.
Led by Evans and her family, the frozen treat purveyor is a Women-Owned Small Business with the original goal to fight against food waste. The Frozen Farmer was a natural extension of the family’s mission to provide field-grown fruits and veggies, harvested at the peak of perfection to feed not only their family but families around the country.
More than 20 percent of the fruits and veggies in America don’t make it off the farm because they aren’t perfect enough for the grocery store shelves. This results in billions of pounds of wasted produce each year. And with the grower’s main customers being grocery stores, this was resulting in a major loss of profit for Evans Farms.
“That’s why we established The Frozen Farmer,” commented Katey, who, along with her husband Kevin and her mother Jo Ellen Algier, opened The Frozen Farmer in 2015, a farm creamery where they use upcycled fruits in their line of Frobert—a part ice cream, part sorbet blend—and dairy-, gluten-, and fat-free sorbet.
What began as a way to avoid food waste by using misfit produce had become the mission of The Frozen Farmer. The company is proud to create delicious, decadent, frozen desserts using recipes from its third-generation farm, committed to its goal of building a more sustainable food system. Kevin and Katey know it well, and revel in living up to the challenge every day at Evans Farms, a more than 3,000-acre grain and produce operation.
“Now that we’ve launched our product line nationwide, we are not only sourcing upcycled fruits from our own fields but others, connecting us all in the fight against food waste,” continued Katey. “Many of our grocery retail partners have awesome sustainability missions to reduce food waste, and our brand fits in with their corporate initiatives toward sustainability.”
Available at over 80 retailers nationwide, Frobert is the signature blend of sorbet and frozen dairy dessert that has all of the delicious taste of traditional ice cream but with a lot fewer calories, fat, and sugar.
Sustainability, fresh produce, and dessert? That is a combination I can get behind, and I’m sure your shoppers can too. Excuse me while I go fill my freezer.
AUSTIN, TX - Before the pandemic, consumers had only had a taste of the convenience offered by grocery delivery, but now that their shopping tastebuds are saturated, their craving for delivery and pick-up services are insatiable. To satisfy consumer demands, Whole Foods Market has introduced its new mobile app, Lunch and Dinner To-Go, giving its shoppers the opportunity to order their favorite prepared foods and have them dropped at their front door or made available for easy pick up.
“We know our customers are looking for quality, variety, and convenience. We launched this service to meet that need and deliver a great experience when they are in a hurry,” said Charlie Gabel, Senior Principal Program Manager, in a statement to AndNowUKnow. “The wide variety of offerings all in one experience sets our selection apart: sandwiches, salads, pizza, sushi, and more! With something for everyone, we make dinner an easy one-stop-shop—no matter what our customers and their families are in the mood for.”
The Lunch and Dinner To-Go app is currently available to iOS users in select stores and features a range of freshly prepared, made-to-order offerings. To use the service, consumers need only find the order tab, choose how they would like to receive their order—pick up or delivery, checkout using Amazon Pay, and track the status of their food until is ready to be enjoyed.
With other retailers having launched delivery and pick up services throughout the course of the last year and a half, Gabel explained that the thing setting Whole Foods and its Lunch and Dinner To-Go service apart from the pack is the retailer’s dedication to quality.
“Our Quality Standards have been industry-leading for more than 40 years, and our prepared foods are no exception,” he stated. “Our standards for prepared foods prohibit over 100 preservatives, flavors, colors, sweeteners, and other ingredients commonly found in food, so our customers feel good about every sandwich, salad, or pizza they enjoy from our stores.”
As Whole Foods rolls out this new service, we here at AndNowUKnow are left wondering when it will become available to all of the retailer’s locations and how it will foray into other growth for the grocer.
For more updates as they become available, keep reading ANUK.
WASHINGTON, DC - As the House Agriculture Committee convened for a hearing earlier this week, United Fresh Produce Association and other fresh produce groups issued a joint statement to voice what our industry is up against. Government leaders met to discuss current supply chain challenges, and this statement represents all North American operators facing impacts to food systems, economies, and ultimately individuals and families worldwide.
In the statement, industry members outline how in the nearly two years since the start of the pandemic, substantial increases in costs and delays have impacted the supply chain, threatening the world’s food security and the long-term economic viability of the North American fresh produce sector.
According to a press release, crippling port congestion, delays and exploding costs in container shipping, cascading effects of inconsistent product delivery, continuing labor shortages across the supply chain, growing input shortages, and stockpiling of products by consumers are some of the top concerns addressed in the statement. Jon Schwalls, the Executive Officer of Southern Valley Fruit and Vegetable, testified during the hearing about the challenges specific to the fresh produce industry.
The news comes after United Fresh joined more than 50 organizations to submit comments to the Administration’s Supply Chain Disruptions Task Force in response to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s use of information to prepare a report for President Biden on supply chains for the industrial base. The comments offered recommendations to help ensure the resiliency of the food and agricultural supply chain by addressing issues including labor, climate policy, transportation policy, and infrastructure, container shipping, inland waterways, rail competition, and service and motor carrier freight transportation efficiency.
United Fresh has continued to urge Congress for relief and reforms to address many of the issues identified by the industry. The association urges Congress to pass the bipartisan infrastructure plan which will provide some immediate, much-needed infrastructure resources to roads, bridges, waterways, and western water infrastructure investment. Additionally, United Fresh is a champion of the DRIVE Safe Act, which directs the Department of Transportation to implement an apprenticeship program for licensed commercial motor vehicle drivers under the age of 21. The Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2021 is another supply chain program United Fresh urges Congress to adopt.
On behalf of all of us here at ANUK, I extend my thanks to United Fresh and the fierce industry advocates fighting to make our voices heard.
SALISBURY, NC - Ahold Delhaize is setting out to revolutionize the way consumers view grocery shopping. One of the company’s popular banners, Food Lion, has rolled out a new six-state strategy to remodel 87 locations across Georgia, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Virginia. The result of a $127 million investment, the remodeled stores will offer an expanded variety of new products and services and a convenient new shopping experience.
“We’re excited to welcome our neighbors in these towns and cities into their fresh, new Food Lion,” said Food Lion President Meg Ham. “Our associates can’t wait to show customers their newly remodeled store and have them experience the expanded variety and assortment of new products and services. All these changes were made with our neighbors in mind so they can nourish their families affordably and make life a little easier.”
Some of the exciting changes included in the remodeling will include:
- An expanded variety and assortment across all departments, including more locally sourced items
- An abundant selection of fresh produce backed by Food Lion's double-your-money-back guarantee
- More natural, gluten-free, and organic items
- A greater selection of easy and affordable meals for families and a wider variety of grab-and-go items
- A more efficient checkout process
- New signage and groupings of like products
By the end of this year, 23 of these remodeled stores will also offer the retailer’s grocery pickup service, Food Lion To Go, a press release mentioned. Shoppers can order their groceries for pickup or for home delivery in select areas where it is available.
To celebrate the rollout of this innovative strategy, each store will offer random giveaways throughout the next week, ranging from reusable shopping bags to gift cards.
Each of the 87 remodeled stores now recycle organic waste products and have received new recycling containers. Food Lion associates have also received additional training on sustainability efforts, which will ultimately lead to reduced waste for the company as a whole. Through the use of energy-efficient equipment, technology, and procedures, 73 of the newly revamped stores have received the ENERGY STAR certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Department of Energy.
The company has demonstrated its social responsibility with critical investments in its communities, as the retailer donated $145,000 to local Feeding America® member food bank partners through its hunger-relief initiative, Food Lion Feeds. The food bank partners who received donations include:
- Second Harvest Food Bank of Middle Tennessee (Nashville, TN) — $55,000
- Chattanooga Food Bank (Chattanooga, TN) — $30,000
- America's Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia (Savannah, GA) — $30,000
- Golden Harvest Food Bank (Augusta, GA) — $30,000
- MANNA Food Bank (Asheville, NC) — $30,000
Each of the newly remodeled Food Lion stores will be making a one-time donation of $500 to a nearby feeding agency. The retailer will also collect regular food donations through Food Lion’s pioneering food rescue program, in which every Food Lion store donates food safe for human consumption to a local feeding agency before it spoils. A full list of the organizations receiving monetary and food donations from Food Lion can be found here.
“Our associates care deeply about nourishing their neighbors, and far too many of our neighbors are forced to make difficult choices between things like gas and groceries or dinner and rent,” Ham added. “Through Food Lion Feeds, we’re committed to eliminating those difficult choices many in our communities face. We’re proud to work with dedicated community partners every day that share our commitment to support our food-insecure neighbors in the towns and cities we serve.”
If you’re looking to find out more about this ambitious multi-state strategy, a list of the 87 remodeled stores can be found online.
As the grocer continues to make plays to transform the grocery experience, ANUK will be here to report.