WASHINGTON, DC - It is amazing what our fresh produce trade can learn from other industries and vice versa. Innovation begets innovation, and when it comes to brand building, United Fresh is bringing together thought-leaders across industries for its sixth annual BrandStorm™ event taking place online March 9–11, 2021. Heading up a coveted keynote affair is brand strategist Lindsay Pedersen, bestselling author of Forging an Ironclad Brand: A Leader’s Guide. Lindsay brings a scientific, growth-oriented approach to this type of brand messaging and communication.
“Brand is a way to connect with the customer in a way that transcends price and features and meets them on a relationship level. When a business connects on this level, they can be truly different, and therefore insulated from commoditization,” Lindsay shares with me. “Any food, but especially fresh produce, is an inherently, emotionally rich product. We put it into our bodies. We nourish our children with it. We connect with others and find belonging through food.”
Then Lindsay says something that makes me chuckle.
“I believe that if you can brand bottled water, you can brand anything,” she says, before adding, “The fact that this grocery segment has been historically brandless is fascinating, and I find this really exciting. For a fresh produce brand seeking sustainable differentiation, I’ll be showing the audience why brand is so powerful, and how they can build one for their businesses."
Lindsay has a wealth of experience in her portfolio, advising companies from burgeoning startups to national corporations which include Zulily, Starbucks, T-Mobile, Coinstar, and IMDb. As we previously shared, Lindsay’s background as a P&L owner at Clorox fostered in her a deep appreciation for the executive’s charge: increasing the company’s value. There, she led mature, billion-dollar businesses and newly launched categories, from Clorox Bleach to Armor All to Brita.
Taking stock of this 40,000-foot view of brand building, I wonder what the common pitfalls are or where the barrier to entry lies with many. So, I asked Lindsay, as a starting point, what does she believe are some common misconceptions about brand and brand-building?
“The most common misconception about brand is that it belongs solely in marketing. Brand is the North Star for the business,” she tells me. “It is a promise, as well as the delivery of that promise. So, brand comes to life through everything the customer experiences of your business, from the product itself, the packaging, and the way it’s displayed to the merchandising and even customer service. It is not a veneer you apply at the end with a logo and a package, but the very fabric of what you are offering.”
Looking to register for the event? Take a gander here.
With such passion, it is no wonder that Lindsay took her insights and expertise to the page in Forging an Ironclad Brand: A Leader’s Guide.
“I was driven to democratize brand strategy so that companies without the wherewithal to hire a brand strategist could build a brand themselves. Brand strategy is ultimately a technology for leading a business. Any business that wants to be differentiated in its market will benefit from brand strategy. So, I wanted to pull back the covers and show my methodology for building a brand strategy so that anyone could apply this essential leadership tool,” Lindsay reflects.
Are your calendars marked as “busy” for March 9–11, yet? You know mine is. I’ll meet you with a virtual handshake as we sit back to take in the digital stage.
WASHINGTON, DC - When I think of industries that rest on their laurels, fresh produce does not even grace the periphery of the issue. You can say it is the nature of perishables or the pace of change across fresh today, but I think it has more to do with our values and those that advocate for them. The Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) is one such group of advocates. This year, the EFI team is responding to our industry’s commitment to the Ethical Charter on Responsible Labor Practices and the desire for shippers to demonstrate to their customers how they are proactively keeping forced labor out of their company’s workforces by relaunching its online Responsible Recruitment Scorecard.
The new interactive version of the scorecard features a digital self-assessment to help growers identify their risk factors in the recruitment process and pursue recommended action steps.
“As the demand for foreign labor rises rapidly, there is a greater likelihood of riskier recruitment practices because the incentives have become: to deliver workers by any means necessary,” Kenton Harmer, Managing Director for EFI, shares. “Regardless of whether these workers are directly employed or are provided by farm labor contractors or foreign-based recruiters, in the eyes of customers, consumers, and regulators, the grower/shipper owns the risk that comes with substandard recruitment practices. This free tool can be used as an internal audit to assess and understand their risk and take steps to mitigate it.”
With new and improved functionalities integrated into the scorecard, EFI hopes to streamline the user experience while allowing operators to perform a self-assessment and uncover risks in their foreign labor hiring and recruitment process.
Here are some of the new features:
- Feedback on risk, actions to take, and relevant EFI Standards are provided after recording an answer for each question. There's no need to finish the tool in one sitting to get the feedback—now users can learn about their risks as they go through the tool
- Questions can be answered in a variety of ways—sequentially, as previously available in the Excel prototype, but also by category (EFI has identified 11 broad categories) and by document. For example, if you'd like to answer questions pertaining to the contract between the grower and farm labor contractor (FLC), you can filter all questions to only those that involve items that would be in that contract
- Store all FLCs in one place to make easy comparisons and connect multiple users in your business to your account for visibility
- Filter completed scorecards by the level of risk to take action on the highest-priority items fast
- Completed scorecards can generate a Certificate of Completion, which signals to EFI auditors that the scorecard requirement in the EFI Ethical Charter Addendum has been completed without revealing scores. This is important for growers in the EFI Program who use the tool because their data remains an internal and trusted source
Check out more on our deep dive into the new Responsible Recruitment Scorecard here.
“After using the previous version and having a test drive of the new version, I found the EFI Responsible Recruitment Scorecard to be a user-friendly, online tool that will help growers or labor providers ask the right questions and implement practical steps to improve their labor supply chain. I especially like how the scorecard lists relevant documents to create or check for and categorizes topics into high, moderate, and low risk,” Matt Rogers, Co-Founder and General Manager, AgSocio. “The Recommended Actions at the end are a helpful summary to plan your next steps.”
When I inquired as to whether the scorecard was strictly for EFI partners, the team shared that the Responsible Recruitment Scorecard is available to anyone at no charge.
“Of course we would love everyone to be on a pathway to EFI certification. However, because the issue of getting recruitment right is critical to the long-term sustainability of the industry, we are making the tool universally available. We received funding from the Walmart Foundation for its development and intended to provide it as a resource to the entire industry,” Kenton adds.
The Scorecard is now available here.
The time to align company and industry values is now. And EFI is here to help, one scorecard at a time.
DUBLIN, CA - In order for its customers to be more successful, iTradeNetwork has implemented a Walmart-compliant ASN on its platform. This solution allows for perishables suppliers to seamlessly adhere to Walmart’s new SQEP protocols, which are consistently updated.
“iTradeNetwork knows how important it is for many food suppliers to be able to sell their products to Walmart. Complying with Walmart’s SQEP is critical for them, and it is iTradeNetwork’s job to provide that certainty to suppliers,” explained iTradeNetwork’s CEO Rhonda Basset-Spiers. “Our trading platform connects perishables growers, manufacturers, and distributors to retailers large and small. It makes it easy for both sides of the transaction to meet their needs.”
According to a press release, iTradeNetwork implemented changes to its platform quickly to meet Walmart’s previous round of SQEP updates in 2017 and 2018.
As a result, participating suppliers increased their Walmart trading volumes on average by 55 percent within 12 months—with some suppliers increasing Walmart trading volume by as much as 300 percent on the iTradeNetwork platform.
"At Red Blossom we always strive to stand out as a best-in-class supplier for our customers,” said David Lawrence, President of Red Blossom, a grower of berries and customer of iTradeNetwork. “Partnering with iTradeNetwork has helped our efforts to be an industry leader, improve traceability, and meet ever-changing buyer compliance requirements. This allows us to be a preferred supplier for many of our clients. Since partnering with iTradeNetwork, we've seen significant growth in the volume of our business with large customers like Walmart."
As we continue to shed light on solutions to help you, the grower, keep reading us here at AndNowUKnow.
OWATONNA, MI - I have a sneaking suspicion that Revol Greens got its name from the word “revolutionary,” since the company continues to break barriers in the greenhouse sector. It recently launched a new proprietary plant-based organic nutrient source that marks the next step in a nationwide organic greenhouse program. The newly developed Plant Fed™ organic fertilizer is behind Revol’s newest line extension, which includes USDA Certified Organic Spring Mix, Green & Red Duo, and Romaine Crunch.
“The path to organic is a natural evolution for Revol Greens,” says Mark Schulze, CEO. “Our high technology facilities are designed to optimize Mother Nature while eliminating the need for pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides. The plant-based, natural fertilizer developed by our research and development team is an extension of our goal to provide the healthiest, most natural leafy greens to our customers. We’re proud of this significant innovation for our industry and our ability to expand more of our healthy leafy green products made from our Grown Clean and Green process to American tables.”
Considering the risks of food-borne illnesses associated with animal byproducts, Revol landed on the patent pending new Plant Fed organic solution to further enhance the safety and integrity of its packaged lettuce. As with all Revol Greens products, the new plant powered nutrient source and organic line are non-GMO.
No chemical cleaning or chlorine is used in Revol’s organic packaging process, according to a press release. From seed to packaging, no human hands touch Revol Greens’ baby lettuces or greens, which further mitigates the spread of contaminants.
“This new organic nutrient source means that our lettuce is fed by plants. We’ve devoted years of research and testing to perfect this solution,” said Marc Vergeldt, Director of Research and Development. “We are the first grower, indoor or outdoor, to use such a source at scale.”
Consumer interest in plant-based foods is at an all-time high, which further inspired the choice for Revol Greens to pursue an organic nutrient source. Recent U.S. retail sales data shows plant-based foods have outpaced total food sales during the pandemic, up 90 percent year-over-year, as noted in the press release.
As this revolutionary company continues to make strides across the supply chain, keep clicking back to AndNowUKnow.
FARIBAULT, MN - Living Greens Farm (LGF) has upped its retail distribution with the addition of UNFI Produce Prescott, a division of United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI). This new retail partnership will help LGF expand its product reach to independent, specialty, and co-op retailers throughout the upper Midwest.
According to a press release, LGF’s proprietary vertical indoor farming method yields high-quality, fresh produce. No pesticides or chemicals are used during the growing process. Throughout the growing, cleaning, and bagging process, LGF reduces handling and time to the retail shelf. All of these benefits continue to attract new users and new retail distribution.
Beginning this month, LGF’s full line of products featuring ready-to-eat bagged salad products, such as Caesar Salad Kit, Southwest Salad Kit, Harvest Salad Kit, Chopped Romaine, and Chopped Butter Lettuce will be carried by UNFI Produce Prescott (formerly Alberts Fresh Produce).
Across the nation, UNFI has eight warehouses, and LGF’s products will be carried by its upper Midwest location, located just across the river from the Twin Cities in Prescott, Wisconsin.
As indoor farming becomes more popular, who will Living Greens Farm partner with next? Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we cover the latest.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Forbes has just announced a prestigious recognition for this industry player. Lori Taylor is being honored for her work in creating and building The Produce Moms® brand by being chosen to join the first-ever class of Forbes Next 1000.
“I feel like I’ve arrived as an entrepreneur with this recognition by Forbes,” Taylor said. “As I read about all of my other ‘classmates’ on the Forbes Next 1000, I feel so proud to be a part of small business and start-ups in America, and I feel especially honored to represent the produce industry and the farmers that feed not only the U.S. but the globe!”
In December of 2020, Taylor was identified as a noteworthy entrepreneur for her role as Founder and CEO of the popular blog, according to a company release, and was recommended by The Boardlist to participate in the Forbes Power Women Summit. Taylor also participated in The Forbes Culturally Accountable Summit, which is a one-day event centered around inclusion and diversity. Now as a member of the Forbes Next 1000, Taylor will be able to participate in more programs exclusively crafted to help successful businesses grow.
Taylor has been chosen to join the first class of 250 out of the 1000 entrepreneurs who will be recognized at the event, which honors small business owners from around the country on their road to success, explained Forbes Senior Editor Maneet Ahuja in a welcome letter to Taylor.
A large panel of A-list judges from all channels of success will be present at the event, including Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook and Founder of LeanIn.org and OptionB.org; Russell Wilson, NFL Quarterback and Super Bowl Champion; Ciara, Grammy Award-winning singer and songwriter; Alex Rodriguez, World Series Champion and baseball legend and Founder and CEO of A-Rod Corp; Jean Case, Chairman of National Geographic Society and CEO of the Case Impact Network; Ayesha Curry, Entrepreneur, Restaurateur, and New York Times Best-Selling Author; Carla Harris, Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Morgan Stanley; Mellody Hobson, Co-CEO and President of Ariel Investments, and Vice Chairman of Starbucks; Reid Hoffman, Co-Founder of LinkedIn and Partner at Greylock; Aileen Lee, Founder and Managing Partner of Cowboy Ventures and Board Member of All Raise; and Lilly Singh, Comedian and Television Host.
Lori’s profile featured on Forbes Next 1000 states: “While working in produce sales for the Indianapolis Fruit Company, Taylor had the idea of starting a blog to help its marketing. When the company decided to part with the blog in 2015, Taylor emptied her 401k and borrowed money to purchase it, launching The Produce Moms, an educational forum on public goods that also facilitates direct sales with farmers.”
Congratulations to the industry advocate for this honorable recognition! AndNowUKnow will continue to report on the trailblazers leading the fresh produce industry.
BENTONVILLE, AR - Walmart recently reported its fourth quarter and fiscal year 2021 results, noting an annual revenue of nearly $560 billion resulting in $35 billion of growth. Alongside this announcement, the company also divulged several strategies to keep this forward sales momentum.
“This is a time to be even more aggressive because of the opportunity we see in front of us,” commented President and CEO Doug McMillon in a release. “The strategy, team, and capabilities are in place. We have momentum with customers, and our financial position is strong.”
Chief Financial Officer Brett Biggs also weighed in on the results.
“Our associates responded unbelievably to serve customers in one of the most challenging times we’ve faced. We have tremendous momentum, having just completed a year with record sales and operating cash flow,” added Biggs. “We accomplished this while accelerating our long-term strategy of transforming Walmart into a dynamic omnichannel business. It’s now time to accelerate even more.”
According to the release, Walmart’s omnichannel strategy includes the following:
- Increasing efficient pickup and delivery, which will drive accelerated growth
- Innovating to enhance a seamless, digital customer experience designed to deepen customer relationships
- Continuing to invest in associates and create opportunities by raising wages for an additional 425,000 frontline associates after raising wages for 165,000 associates last fall
“We completed a strong year and a strong Q4 thanks to our amazing associates. They stepped up to serve our customers and members exceptionally well during a busy holiday period in the midst of a pandemic,” continued McMillon. “Change in retail accelerated in 2020. The capabilities we’ve built in previous years put us ahead, and we’re going to stay ahead. Our business is strong, and we’re making it even stronger with targeted investments to accelerate growth, including raises for 425,000 associates in frontline roles driving the customer experience.”
Other highlights from the company’s financial results included:
- Walmart U.S. Q4 comp sales grew 8.6 percent and Walmart U.S. eCommerce sales grew 69 percent
- Walmart continues to build the next generation business model, investing in automation to fuel future sales and earnings growth. FY22 capital investments are expected to be nearly $14 billion to build supply chain capacity and automation to stay ahead of demand, improve the customer experience and increase productivity
- Walmart will also invest in U.S. wages, raising the associate average to above $15 per hour
To read the entire financial report, click here.
As always, keep your eyes on AndNowUKnow as we cover the latest in retail.
PHILADELPHIA, PA - Retailers across the industry are taking the futuristic approach to their operations with the use of automation and robots. The latest retailer to hop onboard the tech train is The GIANT Company which recently revealed plans to introduce automation technology to its fulfillment center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
GIANT will be utilizing micro-fulfillment technology developed by Swisslog, according to an article from the Philadelphia Business Journal, that uses robots and bins to help process orders in its 124,000-square-foot facility.
The company is currently renovating the fulfillment center after announcing its leasing of the space in January 2020.
GIANT will reportedly use the robots to store and retrieve products across the center in tandem with human counterparts to fill online orders, as demand for the service has increased due to the pandemic. Together, the use of manual picking and automation will enable GIANT to handle approximately 15,000 online orders per week for delivery throughout the area, as explained by the company in a statement.
Through its Philadelphia fulfillment center, GIANT is planning on hiring upwards of 200 people to help run the facility.
This new partnership with Swisslog to use its automation technology comes in conjunction with Peapod Digital Labs, which is a digital and e-commerce platform from Ahold Delhaize USA.
Ahold USA and its banners are working to expand e-commerce fulfillment capabilities to create an omnichannel supply chain. It will have a total of 18 self-managed distribution centers and 28 e-commerce fulfillment centers by March 1, with plans to extend the number to 27 distribution centers by 2023.
How will automation continue to expand the retail sector? AndNowUKnow will keep a pulse on the newswire to bring you the answers.
FRESNO, CA - Collaboration is something that the fresh produce industry knows best. With the recent release of its 2021 Top Issues Survey results, the California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) is hoping that by combining efforts, progress can be made toward remedying these challenges in the coming year.
“The CFFA membership has provided staff a strong assessment of the issues that the industry will grapple with in 2021. As we saw in 2020, the California fresh fruit industry continues to be impacted by increasing regulatory requirements, labor and wage cost increases, and water availability, all while continuing to provide the nation and world with quality fresh produce,” said Ian LeMay, President. “CFFA will continue to act as the industry’s unified voice on these issues, and many more, in both Sacramento, California, and Washington, DC.”
LeMay went on to explain in a statement to AndNowUKnow that CFFA polls its members on 20–30 issues and then narrows the results down to a top ten list. While the issues remain pressing across the entire industry, the list is not ranked, as each challenge varies in importance depending on the sector or entity. Through the list, the association serves to show the diversity and complexity of each challenge being posed.
This year’s top ten list includes:
- Increasing Wage Costs (Base/Minimum Wages/Overtime Thresholds)
- Groundwater Management Requirements (SGMA)
- Federal Immigration Policies Addressing Current and Future Labor Forces
- Labor Regulatory Compliance
- Water Supply Availability and Curtailment
- Health Care Costs (Policy Costs/Paid Sick Leave)
- Immigration Enforcement (ICE)
- Federal and State Food Safety Compliance Requirements
- Plant Health Materials (Pesticides, Herbicides, Fungicides, Etc.)
- Workers’ Compensation Costs
In addition to the issues listed, COVID-19 is interwoven into each of the challenges. According to a press release from CFFA, due to the overarching nature of the pandemic, it will continue to influence all advocacy efforts of the association throughout 2021.
As the year progresses, LeMay stressed the importance of the collaborative work being done by all associations to solve these issues, as they are not unique to the California region, but can be seen across the industry as a whole.
While all of these challenges have been longstanding and do not include an easy resolution, CFFA hopes that, through the combined efforts of all associations, progress can be made to move incrementally forward on the issues and eventually find a solution.
As companies and associations across fresh produce continue to make strides toward resolving these withstanding challenges, AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Since the beginning of the pandemic, consumers have continued to focus on purchasing products that are both health-forward and immunity-boosting. While our industry continues to adapt to rising demands, trends show that these shopping habits will continue to persist and that fresh produce will remain a high priority. Companies like Side Delights are weighing in on this trend, revealing recently released data on the growing focus on the health benefits of foods and the impact it has on consumer behavior.
“In a time where immunity, health benefits, and food sourcing are critical aspects of food quality, Side Delights potatoes are a nutrient-rich choice for any meal at any age, grown in this country’s best-growing regions,” noted Kathleen Triou, President and CEO of Fresh Solutions Network. “Retailers benefit when they leverage this information and feature potatoes in stores and online to remind shoppers to add potatoes to their shopping lists and carts.”
The International Food Information Council issued a report, “COVID-19 Pandemic Transforms the Way We Shop, Eat and Think About Food,” based on the recent IFIC’s 2020 Food & Health Survey, noted the press release. According to the survey, 85 percent of Americans made at least some change in the food they eat or how they prepare it due to the coronavirus pandemic. Forty percent of respondents who said they were seeking food or diets for their health benefits were explicitly focused on their immune function and that plant-based items have continued to be a trend into 2021.
This connection between healthy eating and reducing disease risk is outlined in the USDA’s newly released Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2020–2025. The guidelines recommend nutrient-rich plant-based foods like potatoes for all stages of life—starting as young as six months old.
In addition to what is in their food and its health benefits, consumers are paying more attention to where it is grown. As stated in the Forbes article Food Trends Forecast 2021: Being Healthy In A Post COVID-19 World, “Shoppers have changed how they are choosing their foods with a new yearning for reading labels, understanding what ingredients are in their foods, where their foods come from, and which foods they should avoid.”
Side Delights potatoes are literally “Grown Where It Matters” to be fresh, high-quality potatoes—cultivated in the best potato growing areas, stored in high-tech storage facilities, and packed and delivered close to customers/final mile experts so that the healthfulness of the fresh product stays intact for consumption by shoppers. Once the product is in the store, Side Delights offers award-winning, eye-catching packaging and a complete category assortment to address all types of shoppers—value, convenience-oriented, gourmet, and organic.
While consumers continue to pursue nutritious and healthy fresh produce in stores, keep checking back to ANUK as we bring the latest insights on the industry.