WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has announced that is has imposed sanctions against Oak Hall, Virginia-based company Benny F. Hall & Sons LLC for violating the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) after failing to pay $503,744 to eight produce sellers. The sanctions include barring the business and the principal operation from engaging in PACA-licensed business or activities without USDA approval.
Direct from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service:
BHS failed to pay $503,744 to eight sellers for produce that was purchased, received and accepted in interstate and foreign commerce from July 2016 to August 2017. This is in violation of the PACA. BHS cannot operate in the produce industry until October 7, 2022, and then only after they apply for and are issued a new PACA license by USDA.
The company’s principal, Benny Hall, Sr., may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee until October 7, 2021, and then only with the posting of a USDA approved surety bond.
USDA is required to publish the finding that a business has committed willful, repeated, and flagrant violations of PACA as well as impose restrictions against those principals determined to be responsibly connected to the business during the violation period. 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.
To learn more, and to read the release in its entirety, click here.
MILL VALLEY, CA - Produce Marketing Association’s (PMA) long-awaited Fresh Summit event is finally here, and our team over at ANUK has been lucky enough to get the inside scoop on all things fresh produce. One industry friend I had the chance to talk to was Misionero and its sister company TerraFresh Organics. The brands have garnered a loyal shopper following from their Earth Greens Organic label, and are rolling out even more industry innovations at Fresh Summit.
“TerraFresh Organics recently passed the one year mark as a company! We’re pleased to be exhibiting under our sister company, Misionero, and are excited to show our expansive organic fruit offerings,” said Greg Holzman, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of TerraFresh Organics. “Fresh Summit participants will have access to our recently launched line of California heirloom Deglet Noor dates. The new brand, Oasis Date Gardens, is bringing snack packs and resealable stand-up pouches of Deglet Noor dates to the marketplace for our retail customers.”
Misionero’s organic, pitted Deglet Noor dates come in multiple ready-to-eat pack sizes. The line includes a new option with eight individual 1.16-oz packs inside a master bag that allows the nutritious snack to be consumed on-the-go. The line also includes 8- oz and 32-oz family-style resealable stand-up pouches. The dates are pitted; feature less than 100 calories per serving; and are grown, harvested, packed, and shipped from the southeastern region of Southern California.
“Fresh Summit is a reunion of sorts for our industry. It’s a great opportunity to maintain industry relationships and cultivate new ones,” Greg continued. “We’re most excited to make connections with buyers and growers at the show.”
Organic fruit sales continue to grow, meaning the category remains Misionero’s number-one focus. The company seeks to build year-round programs of all offerings as it works with growers in California, Mexico, and South America.
Be sure to swing by the Misionero booth before the event wraps up!
BROOKLYN, NY - PMA Fresh Summit is hitting its third and last day today, and the fresh produce buzz just keeps on rolling in. Ark Foods debuted a new line of packaged salads at the virtual trade show recently, and its Clean Label Salad lineup is sure to bring in the consumer crowd hungry for clean and plant-based offerings.
“Launching our Clean Label Salads at this time became even more important to us as we saw how customers adjusted to a new normal,” says Noah Robbins, Founder and CEO. “We’re proud to offer two full product lines to choose from when it comes to eating clean without steep costs or effort in the kitchen. We can’t wait to introduce these salads to customers.”
According to the press release, Clean Label Salads are made entirely from ingredients your great-grandma would recognize and will join Ark Foods’ lineup of best-selling heat-and-eat Veggie Bowls. The new line serves as an easier, healthier, affordable lunch option amidst a 40 percent rise in home cooking seen from the COVID-19 pandemic, as stated by The Food Industry Association, 2020 in the release.
The line will consist of four SKUs featuring updated nods to classic salads, with vegetables rarely seen in ready-to-eat salads, like watermelon radish and golden beets. The bowls range from 330—410 calories and deliver between 13—18 grams of protein for consumers focused on fueling up while achieving their health goals.
- Crunchy Kale Ranch - Plant-based ranch dressing, chickpea croutons, pepitas, brussels sprouts, and sun-dried tomatoes
- Bright Pesto Greens - Vegan pesto dressing, chickpea croutons, cashews, sun-dried tomatoes, and golden beets
- Cashew Kale Caesar - Plant-based Caesar dressing, chickpea croutons, red cabbage, and watermelon radish
- Ginger Sesame Greens - Ginger sesame dressing, pepitas, cashews, red carrots, and red cabbage
Clean Label Salads will be available starting in early 2021 at $4.99 MSRP per salad.
For the latest releases and updates pertaining to all things fresh produce, keep checking back to AndNowUKnow.
POMPANO BEACH, FL - Hitting the 30-year mark is an incredible achievement in any industry—and one that should be celebrated! Southern Specialties recently announced it has joined the 30-year club, marking a huge milestone on top of an incredible history of growth and innovation.
“I’m proud of what we have accomplished over the last 30 years and excited about our future. Our success is the product of an amazing team.” President and CEO Robert Colescott said. “Years ago, we created a tag line for our company, ‘Let’s grow something special;’ it’s as relevant now as it was then. In addition to growing our product line, we have grown enduring relationships with our customers, our farmer community, our suppliers, and our team.”
Recently, the company completed an expansion project for its Pompano Beach, Florida, facility. The facility is now 150,000 square feet and includes new sales and executive offices, additional cold storage, forced air cooling, additional value-added packaging capabilities, and receiving and shipping docks.
The company was founded by Colescott in 1990. According to the press release, Colescott and members of the company were instrumental in pioneering specialty vegetables, working with chefs and foodservice distributors to develop year-round sourcing for products ranging from French beans to baby zucchini.
Today, the company grows and imports quality assured specialty produce grown in 10 countries throughout the Americas and offers more than 300 different SKUs. Southern Specialties is a leading grower and importer of fresh green, white, purple, and organic asparagus marketed in bulk and value added presentations.
Cheers to 30 years and many more!
CORAL GABLES, FL - As operational transparency becomes more dire and a company’s brand and actions are held hand in hand, no milestone is too small to ensure all components—especially human ones—are upheld. Fyffes is doubling down on its own commitment to respect human rights with multiple milestones this year. The company completed its first-ever corporate-wide Human Rights Impact Assessment in January 2020, aligning with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, through its partner BSR. Additionally, Fyffes published its first-ever Global Human Rights Policy and Statement.
“We would like to thank BSR for conducting the Assessment and all those employees and stakeholders who contributed to the Assessment through interviews. Fyffes has started work already on implementing our human rights mitigation plan and will provide annual updates of the Human Rights Impact Assessment,” Julie Cournoyer, Fyffes Global Director of Sustainability, commented.
The full scope of Fyffes Human Rights Mitigation Plan outline is as follows:
- Establish and circulate Fyffes Global Child Labour Remediation Protocol
- Continue to engage with existing trade-unions and workers committees in good faith and train all managers on freedom of association
- Implement Fyffes Gender Equality Program, targets and gender-related training; provide training on security and community programs to reduce security threats; conduct community-needs assessments to identify environment and health-related issues and solutions
- Facilitate capacity-building in smallholder and own farm climate resilience
- Continue to engage with and support the Living Wage initiative
- Increase worker training and awareness of the Fyffes Ethics Hotline and extend to suppliers and stakeholders
- Partner with NGOs to reduce Haitian migrant worker vulnerability in Dominican Republic
As a result of the assessment, Fyffes Global Sustainability Steering Committee recently endorsed the Company’s Human Rights Mitigation and Management Plan, according to a press release, which provides a framework to manage, mitigate, and help resolve identified human rights risks.
“Companies are now expected to conduct thorough due diligence on human rights to identify, prevent, and mitigate the human rights-related risks or eliminate human rights risks across their supply chain and remediate any adverse human rights impacts they cause or to which they contribute,” Jenny Vaughan, Human Rights Director at BSR, said.
Vaughan continued, “BSR is pleased to have supported Fyffes in conducting its first company-wide human rights impact assessment and five country-level risk assessments, in accordance with the criteria and requirements of the UN Guiding Principles, which today provide the foundations for Fyffes overall Human Rights policy, strategy and management. Fyffes is leading the way by bringing forward a deep knowledge of its salient human rights risks and has established a detailed action plan to mitigate residual risks and prevent human rights violations related to its activities.”
To read more details on Fyffes commitment and assessment, click here to see the full release.
Congratulations to the Fyffes team on these key steps in its business.
YAKIMA, WA - In order to honor the memory and service of the influential legacy left behind by leader Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Superfresh Growers has announced that it will be adding MLK Day as a paid holiday for its employees starting in 2021. As the grower takes this pivotal step in remembering the life and achievements of Dr. King, Superfresh encourages other companies across our industry to join in.
“We want to ensure that our teammates and their families have time on this important day to reflect on Dr. King’s legacy, whether they do that through community service, personal reflection, or spending time with their families,” said Robert Kershaw, CEO. “To me, one of Dr. King’s most meaningful quotes is, ‘Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.’ This reminds me of another popular saying, ‘Justice will not be served until those who are unaffected are as outraged as those who are.’ Justice is such a core tenet of the freedom and equality we enjoy.”
Observed on the third Monday of January each year, the holiday is often referred to as “a day on, not a day off,” alluding to the community service work that is encouraged to celebrate the life of Dr. King and the movement he led. According to a press release, The United States Corporation of National and Community Service describes MLK Day as a national day of service designed to improve the communities in which we live and operate. Superfresh growers agrees with this tenet, and is encouraging its employees to use this day to volunteer with local non-profits.
“Honoring MLK Day is the right thing to do,” added Kershaw. “I hope other companies join us as we honor this day.” Martin Luther King Jr. Day will fall on January 18 this coming year.
As Superfresh Growers takes this momentous step toward celebrating the legacy of Dr. King and continuing on his message of unity and community betterment, what other companies will follow suit? Keep reading AndNowUKnow as we continue to report.
REEDLEY, CA - Fall and winter are the time when domestic citrus reigns and Fruit World is entering its 2020 citrus season with a bang. The company is releasing new recyclable packaging and announcing an increased availability of 100 percent California-grown organic and conventional mandarins, along with organic oranges, grapefruit, lemons, and sweet limes.
"We’re really excited about our new fun and colorful conventional mandarin packaging design, especially because it’s fully-recyclable," said Bianca Kaprielian, Co-Founder and CEO. "We love the extension of the Fruit World brand, and how these bags add to the sustainable values which are core to our company."
All Fruit World cartons and bags, a press release noted, are bright, bold, and distinctive, making them ideal for creative retail displays.
Another way it is a supply-side stand out is that the grower is one of the few companies with uninterrupted season-long programs for both its organic and conventional mandarins.
"While orchard yield per acre across the state is expected to be on par with the past few years, we’re excited to be entering mandarin season with increased availability from our own farms and growers," said CJ Buxman, Co-Founder. ”On the conventional side, our proprietary sweet Early Dulce and Dulce mandarins will be first to market in mid-October, followed by organic and conventional Satsuma mandarins, then Clementines. We’ll go all the way into June with our Gold Nugget and proprietary Klondike varieties."
By mid-November, all Fruit World mandarin varieties will be available as either stem and leaf or bald fruit. The grower has also began shipment of its new crop organic Rio Red grapefruit, available in bright header bags and cartons. Organic navel oranges will follow close behind, shipping in mid- to late-October once the Valencia oranges are finished packing.
"Navel orange yield is expected to be down 5 percent this season," explained Buxman. "However, we have added some acreage to our mix, so our supply will increase by about 15 percent.”
Fruit World also has a year-round organic lemon program with promotable volumes starting with desert-grown lemons in early November, which follows through the end of the Central Valley harvest in March.
"We’re committed to providing the most flavorful fruit, and the best customer service possible," concluded Kaprielian. "We excel at working with our retail and wholesale partners and tailoring programs to their needs, so they can best serve their customers."
Keep reading AndNowUKnow as we cover the latest in fresh produce.
HOUSTON, TX - The holidays are upon us once again, and I think we could all use a little support as we near the end of 2020. Sysco is one company ensuring it supports its partners this season, recently announcing the addition of a Holiday Toolkit to its Foodie Solutions platform. The Holiday Toolkit is the latest in a series of carefully curated tools to help foodservice operators respond quickly to shifting business requirements and trends resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The 2020 holiday season will certainly look different than in previous years,” said Brian Todd, Sysco’s Senior Vice President, Merchandising and Marketing. “Our Holiday Toolkit offers business solutions our customers need to drive new revenue streams, support their operational profitability, and deliver holiday cheer to their guests.”
This helpful resource offers innovative ideas that are simple to execute, generating additional revenues, and providing guests with restaurant-quality solutions for easy gift-giving and holiday meals.
Some of the easy-to-execute ideas include:
- Unique takeout offerings, such as charcuterie and cheese boards with wine pairings
- Take-and-make meal kits paired with a virtual cooking class
- Cocktail kits
- Pies to-go
As the holiday season approaches, this most recent toolkit helps foodservice operators who are adapting their businesses to accommodate local social distancing guidelines, social gatherings, and an increase in to-go orders without sacrificing the consistent, high-quality products and service that guests have grown accustomed to receiving.
In addition to the Holiday Toolkit, Sysco’s Foodie Solutions resources include:
- Virtual Kitchens – Recommendations for serving guests solely through online and phone orders without a brick and mortar concept or dining room
- Grab & Go Foods - A guide to offering pre-made meals and signature dishes
- Family Style Meal Kits – Solutions to help guests save time and enjoy an at-home experience
- Patio Dining – Strategies to revamp the outdoor dining experience for guests
According to a press release, Sysco customers also receive exclusive value-added services through Sysco’s iCARE partner program and Sysco Marketing Concierge, which provide exclusive services and resources such as menu services, QR codes, and access to helpful webinars. More information about Foodie Solutions can be found on the Sysco Foodie website.
Though the months looming ahead may seem daunting, we at AndNowUKnow will be here to help you through it with the industry’s latest developments.
MIAMI, FL - We here at AndNowUKnow love seeing new people entering into the exciting world of fresh produce. That is why we were thrilled when Moxxy Marketing announced that it would be adding Christina Fuentes as Project Coordinator to expand its growing East Coast team. In her new role, Fuentes will use her marketing experience to help manage products for clients across the industry while based at her home office in Miami, Florida.
"All of the Moxxers, wherever we’re based, work together efficiently," said Fuentes. "I love the variety of work we do, and I’m excited to be part of a dedicated team that consistently delivers not only excellent work, but also always thinks of creative solutions for our clients and their marketing goals. I’ve been challenged and learned a lot already. Everyone at Moxxy has been supportive, and working at a really creative and strategic agency has been inspiring."
Coming to Moxxy with marketing agency experience and direct brand experience ranging from wine and cannabis to plantain chips, Fuentes will serve as a driving force behind the various projects, according to a press release.
Working alongside teammates in Florida and Georgia, as well as those on the West Coast Team, she will support clients that include Crystal Valley Foods, Generation Farms, Peterson Farms, and WP Produce.
"Christina blew me away from our first interview with her smart questions and thoughtful approach, and she hasn’t stopped impressing us since," said Karen Nardozza, President and CEO. "Besides being a digital whiz, she has quickly gained the trust and respect of teammates and clients with her good judgment, proactive follow-up, ‘get-it-done’ attitude, and ability to juggle priorities in our fast-paced environment."
In her new role, Fuentes will utilize her experience and developed passion for the produce industry to fulfill Moxxy’s marketing services. She will be assisting in managing projects that include branding and packaging design as well as advertising and email campaigns, in-store displays, public relations, website development, and a plethora of other marketing needs.
"Christina is a rising star at Moxxy," commented Vice President Molly Briseño. "Her energy and enthusiasm have already benefitted our busy team and clients, and we are excited for her career growth here."
ANUK congratulates Christina on her newly held position and we wish her and Moxxy the best of luck as they continue to serve the produce industry.
WASHINGTON - With both fall and apple season underway, T&G Global has released a forecast for its North American harvest of its Envy™ and JAZZ™ apples, while also announcing a variety of new promotions headlined by an exciting new celebrity endorsement.
“We’re excited about both the quality and quantity of JAZZ and Envy this fall, and so are our customers—for Envy in particular,” said Chris Willett, VP of Growing and Sales Operations, North America. “Envy is an apple with momentum, we have consumers actively seeking the brand out by name at their local grocer. Growers are also actively interested in adding acreage to their farming portfolio which is another true positive for the consumer and the brand.”
The New Zealand-based company’s Washington state specialty crops are expected to meet volume demand for both programs. According to a press release, T&G is anticipating excellent quality, color, texture, and an overall bountiful crop that will impress shoppers and retailers alike.
Recent Nielsen data that was collected at the end of August found that Envy apples were maintaining a strong premium price even amidst recent data that showed a trend of wholesale price deflation amongst other branded apples.
“We think this has much to do with increased brand loyalty for Envy,” explained Cecilia Flores Paez, Head of Marketing, North America. “Consumers who are buying Envy are evolving into devoted fans, coming back regularly to purchase more. They appreciate a consistently good eating experience and year-round availability. We are not only enjoying this momentum but focusing on expansion during the final months of 2020, positioning Envy as the ideal apple for the holidays.”
As T&G gets ready for the coming holiday, the company has introduced several new consumer campaigns that are ramping up to take Envy and JAZZ to the next level. The first announcement comes as a celebrity collaboration with Ellen K, a national radio personality who is helping spread the word about Envy apples. Additionally, T&G will be partnering with a renowned cable channel as part of the promotions as well as rolling out thematic packaging and bin programs across retail.
In August, JAZZ introduced its Bring on the Snack campaign to entice shoppers to add more healthy snack options to their baskets. The brand enlisted the help of Chef Joel Gamoran, cookbook author and TODAY show regular, to kick off its Snackdown competition as part of the campaign. The campaign has now reached over 3.25 million impressions, and the competition had 26,000 live viewers, showing the impressive impact of JAZZ’s promotion.
With Halloween inspiring spooky updates across the industry, JAZZ is getting on board with its Bring on the Boo transformation. The new update on the successful campaign will feature Halloween themed snacks using Jazz apples, social media influencers, and much more.
With crisp air and crunching leaves inspiring the fall spirit in all of us, make sure to get your hands on some JAZZ and Envy apples to keep the autumn vibes going for shoppers everywhere.