FARMINGDALE, NY - The industry has lost one of our own and while we honor the loss, we also celebrate the life. It is with heavy hearts that the Gray family shares the passing of industry veteran David Gray of Bushwick Commission Co., Inc., and Farmingdale, New York, who passed away on Friday, July 3, 2020, in Delray Beach, FL, after courageously battling cancer. David was 81 years old.
The passionate produce advocate was the Co-President of Bushwick Commission Co., Inc., and a potato industry veteran for over 60 years. David began his career in September 1960 at the age of 22. From the beginning, David’s dedication and devotion to the industry he loved were strong. He joined together with his brother-in-law, Jack Hyman, and father-in-law, the late Jack Koondel, to bring Bushwick to a new level in growing, packing, and shipping premium potatoes. David was part of the third generation at Bushwick, along with Jack Hyman, to strengthen the company’s local growing operations and distribution to satisfy the needs of their customers all over the country.
“My Dad, David, really loved the produce and potato business, developing such strong relationships with our growers, customers, and transportation teams. He leaves us with such a proud legacy that I feel so lucky to be a part of. As a member of the fourth generation now at Bushwick, I will honor and follow in my Dad’s footsteps, ones who embody providing our customers with the same level of honesty and integrity that he encouraged throughout our company,” Ken Gray, David’s son and Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Bushwick Commission, expresses.
That passion and commitment carried through many of David’s roles and efforts in the industry. He was a lifelong member of the Eastern Produce Council and active in many philanthropic causes such as the annual Cerebral Palsy Farmer’s Market Food Drive and Play for P.I.N.K. (Prevention, Immediate diagnosis, New technology, Knowledge) breast cancer research.
“My Dad taught me a strong work ethic at an early age and pushed me to work hard and achieve. Qualities such as leadership, strength, courage, compassion, empathy for others, the meaning of kindness, and giving to others who are less fortunate, are just a handful of the gifts he bestowed on us all. He taught me what mattered most in the produce industry: Your word was your bond. Dad took immense pride in developing and maintaining lifelong relationships throughout the industry. He was well respected and truly cared about people, their families, birthdays, and joyous moments in all their lives,” Ken shares.
We offer our deepest condolences to David’s family, friends, and all those who have been touched by his life. Thank you for allowing us to honor him.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - This year alone, GrubMarket has made six acquisitions across the United States. Now, the wholesaler has two more to add under its belt—this time in cherries. GrubMarket continues to bolster its nationwide food supply chain presence with the acquisition of two prominent produce wholesale companies, Growers Produce and Cali Fresh Produce, and becomes a major sourcing platform of California cherries nationwide.
“The Growers Produce and Cali Fresh teams are prominent components of the California local food ecosystem. They work with an incredible variety of California farmers and move an enormous amount of fresh produce for those farmers every day. They are some of the most grass-rooted, ambitious, and hardworking people I have ever met in this space,” Mike Xu, CEO of GrubMarket stated. “Together, we will build a greater customer base and a stronger supplier network in the food ecosystems of California and nationwide.”
According to the press release, these two recent acquisitions will solidify GrubMarket’s presence across the West Coast, East Coast, Midwest, and other parts of the U.S. including its Pacific Islands. Both companies have established deep relationships with producers of California cherries and other seasonally grown California produce.
Now with Growers Produce and Cali Fresh Produce’s strength, GrubMarket will become a major supplier of California cherries nationwide and also strengthen its sourcing power in a broad array of California fresh produce especially fruits.
“We are excited to join the GrubMarket family and embrace the new growth opportunities that GrubMarket's technology and network will bring,” said Ibrahim Al-Aeli, Co-Founder of Growers Produce and Cali Fresh Produce. “We source a rich variety of fresh produce from numerous California farms, and take great pride in supporting those farmers. We were thrilled to learn that GrubMarket shares this same mission of supporting farmers on their platform. We sincerely look forward to joining the GrubMarket Team. Together, we will grow Growers Produce and Cali Fresh to the next level of scale and success across the country.”
Cali Fresh Produce was founded in 2008 by Adnan Awnallah and Al-Aeli and is based in Oakland, California. In 2012, they launched a Cali Fresh Produce San Francisco division which was subsequently merged with Growers Produce in 2018. Since then, Grower Produce has been managed by Al-Aeli and is based in South San Francisco City. Both companies will continue to be managed by its current leadership teams in their respective operating cities.
Both businesses will now be able to utilize GrubMarket's innovative proprietary WholesaleWare software suite, the company's Software-as-a-Service platform providing food industry suppliers and vendors with seamless financial management, easy-to-use online ordering and sales, precise inventory management, and engaging CRM tools.
Previous acquisitions made by the wholesaler this year include EJ Food Distributor and Eating with the Seasons, Organic Harvest Network, Boston Organics, Chasin Foods, and Hung San Foods.
How will GrubMarket expand next? Keep checking back to AndNowUKnow as we follow the newswire.
TEXAS - Lidl recently hit 100 stores here in the U.S., but it looks like that number may momentarily drop as the retailer prepares its next expansion move. The German grocery store chain is making an unusual next step in its expansion strategy by putting 15 locations in North Texas up for sale—but ANUK has confidence in its retail plans.
According to the Dallas Business Journal, the retailer quietly began marketing most of its North Texas properties for sale with Dallas-based DuWest Realty. After matching several listings with parcels owned by Lidl, the Business Journal identified 15 sites that the company is selling in North Texas. Sale prices have not been listed for any of them.
“I do not have information to share regarding our real estate portfolio. What I can tell you is that our strategic focus is our expansion along the East Coast, where we are opening new stores and warehouses, and further developing our operational infrastructure to support our growth within this geography,” stated Will Harwood, Lidl’s Director of Communications in a response to the news source.
The locations for sale include six sites in Dallas County, four in Tarrant County, four in Collin County, and one in Denton County. The land being listed for sale totals more than 83 acres. While the land being listed for sale represents a majority of Lidl’s North Texas footprint, it is not all of it.
How will the retail landscape change as Lidl develops its strategic expansion plan? AndNowUKnow will stay hot on its trail.
SALINAS, CA - The arena of fresh is rich with expertise that not only raises the bar for produce but for food categories across the board as they strive for excellence. With growth on the consultancy front, FreshXperts has welcomed Dan Avakian to the team with a passionate eye on the future of the industry.
“The decision to join FreshXperts was an easy one for me. After learning more about the group and speaking to many of the consultant members, many of whom I know well, I decided it would be a great fit not only for me but for my business and family,” Avakian said. “Our value alignment and the collection of complementary experience of the other members of the team make perfect sense. I am proud to be joining a consortium of experts that share my broad-based experience to create bottom-line results for our clients.”
Avakian brings a wealth of experience to his role with FreshXperts, having made industry strides in California’s San Francisco Bay Area for his expertise in retail merchandising, quality assurance, operations, foodservice, and much more, according to a press release.
The FreshXperts team is over the moon to have Avakian join the team as he holds the keys to over 43 years of expertise and experience in the industry.
“Dan has tremendous experience in the fresh food industry and has an entrepreneurial spirit unmatched,” Founder Anthony Totta said. “Dan expands FreshXperts consulting offerings by with a skill set that is highly complementary with the other members of our team.”
Avakian's passion for produce took root in 1976 when he started working at an open-air produce market in Alameda, California, where he began to build is repertoire with his mentor in the business, 50-year veteran Frank March. Avakian worked at the market for more than nine years and then moved on to a supermarket chain in 1985. While working as a produce manager he also cut his teeth as a Rock Jock on KCFM Radio in the Bay area. In 2006, Avakian established Dan’s Fresh Produce, a retail-wholesale market at the same location where he started in the mid-1970s. His love and commitment to local and small family farms became his signature tagline, “It’s Like a Farmer’s Market Every Day!”
Today, Avakian focuses on sharing the joys of fresh fruits and vegetables. Using his television and radio experience, he creates videos promoting fresh produce on his YouTube Channel, websites, social media, and live events, as well as consulting in several fields of the fresh produce industry.
A huge congrats to Dan Avakian for joining the FreshXperts team and we look forward to watching you pave the consultancy road ahead!
SALINAS, CA - If nothing else, the challenges created by COVID-19 have united the industry on multiple fronts, from the seed to the store, as we look to the betterment of tomorrow. In an effort to protect farm employees while allowing healthy employees to return to work more quickly, the Grower Shipper Association of the Central Coast (GSA) teamed with Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas (CSVS) to provide COVID-19 testing with more timely results and, on top of that, more convenient locations for those essential workers keeping the industry thriving.
"We worked to create an option that prioritizes testing for agricultural employees, whether they have symptoms of COVID-19 or not, with shorter turnaround times," explains Chris Valadez, GSA President. "After hearing that test results could take up to six days, for the benefit of farm workers and farm employers, we joined with CSVS to expedite results. This new program provides results within 48 hours."
This latest move by the groups is addressing the challenges of test results that previously took so long that farm employers faced labor shortages while agricultural workers quarantined after a potential exposure, according to a press release.
"Farm workers have two weeks of paid sick time; however, it is still frustrating and unsettling for them to quarantine for so many days while awaiting test results," Valadez says.
In addition to faster results, GSA and CSVS are also providing more convenient locations for testing where a farm employer can fill out a form supplied by GSA with the number of farm workers requiring testing, along with their preferred time and location. CSVS supplies the staff to conduct the testing. Additionally, all test results are reported to the local health department.
"The agricultural workforce is an 'essential workforce' and must be protected to make sure that our nation's food supply is abundant and secure," says Dr. Maximiliano Cuevas.
With even more efforts in mind, GSA has partnered with local hospitals to provide onsite COVID-19 prevention training for agricultural workers, establish quarantined housing where workers—who have symptoms, test positive, or are exposed to the virus—can rest and recover with daily health checks where over one million masks for farm workers have been secured, the release adds.
"As we move through the pandemic, we continue to learn more about how to protect farm workers and, at the same time, how to continue to harvest and ship healthy fruits and vegetables to consumers," Valadez says. "This new testing program is another step toward evolving programs developed during COVID-19."
As the industry continues to come together around the events created by COVID-19, keep checking back with AndNowUKnow for updates and more.
Grower Shipper Association Clinica de Salud del Valle de Salinas
SALINAS, CA - This past weekend, it was all about red, white, and blueberries both at retail and in kitchens across the country. Blazer Wilkinson, however, ushered in an all-new way to celebrate Fourth of July this year. Debuting another premier product to the Foxy brand, the grower-shipper has announced the iconic launch of Foxy blueberries.
“As we continue to aim to meet the needs of our customers and consumers, we are thrilled to add Foxy blueberries to our line of Foxy berries,” said Kiana Wilkinson Amaral, General Manager.
According to a press release, Blazer Wilkinson is now selling Foxy brand blueberries grown in California, Washington, and British Columbia, Canada, so the launch of this new berry will be spread far and wide.
Packs of the new product include dry pints in 6 oz, 18 oz, and 2 lb clamshells, giving retailers plenty of options for produce aisle success. This new product will pull in a plethora of sales in the berry category and is available until mid-September with ad opportunities starting July 15.
Act quick before this first-ever opportunity passes you by! And for all the industry’s latest, keep coming back to AndNowUKnow.
BIRMINGHAM, AL - Specialty retailer Fresh Thyme Farmers Market is teaming up with Target-owned Shipt to expand its offerings and its market share. Customers in 30 metro areas across the Midwest region will have access to this new offering from Shipt and Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, giving more than 10 million households this option for same-day delivery.
“We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Shipt,” said Ramesh Reddy, Chief Information Officer of Fresh Thyme Farmers Market. “Its delivery solution provides a convenience—one our customers are looking for in their shopping experience.”
According to the press release, this new partnership with Fresh Thyme Farmers Market provides Shipt members product offerings that follow vegan, paleo, keto, vegetarian, or wheat- and gluten-free diets.
To celebrate the announcement, new Shipt customers who sign up between July 7 and July 11 will receive an annual membership for $49 (regularly $99).
“Fresh Thyme Farmers Market is a staple for healthy, convenient, and budget-friendly living,” said Joe Manning, Chief Business Officer of Shipt. “Partnering with Fresh Thyme Farmers Market gives us the opportunity to provide an additional layer of ease by bringing fresh and healthy goods to members across the Midwest.”
Additionally, customers now have the option to pay per delivery with a one-time fee, no obligations or commitment. With a variety of delivery options, customers have the flexibility to order same-day delivery from Fresh Thyme Farmers Market, as much or as little as needed.
Will we see new partnerships take place as online delivery continues to expand? ANUK will report on the latest.
WASHINGTON, DC - United Fresh 2020 LIVE! was such a rousing success that the United Fresh Produce Association will transition its new virtual platform to United Fresh LIVE! 365. This year-round online marketplace offers buyers the chance to hunt down new products and solutions, all while discovering hundreds of vendors across the platform. The platform will also be the space in which United Fresh hosts its Washington Conference, and its educational and networking programs through the year, including the United Fresh Start Foundation’s FreshStart Conference and United Fresh’s BrandStorm™ Conference.
“Offering all of these signature events online will allow greater participation from multiple staff within a company, as well as attendees from around the world,” said United Fresh President and CEO Tom Stenzel. “And, by driving attendance to multiple educational and networking opportunities throughout the year, we’ll continue to bring a fresh audience to exhibitors on the platform, making this a year-round marketing opportunity.”
Stenzel continued, stating that, “United Fresh 2021 Convention & Expo in Los Angeles, CA, April 21–23, will bring the return of our face-to-face convention as a celebration never before seen. As the first in-person gathering of the United Fresh community, the association will organize an event not to be missed. Concurrently, some of the in-person programming will be made available online through the United Fresh LIVE! 365 platform for those who might be unable to participate in person, further broadening the reach of the event for company staff and industry members around the world.”
United Fresh LIVE! 365, according to a press release, will become the association’s year-round platform to deliver webinars, conference programming, and networking opportunities for the global produce industry. During July and August, the platform will remain free to all users, providing access to all current exhibitors in the expo and on-demand recordings of all general sessions and workshops from June 15–19. The association also will begin delivering new live webinars and networking events on LIVE! 365.
“United Fresh took a leap of faith by making the pivot to a virtual event this June and it paid off,” said Michael Muzyk, President, Baldor Specialty Foods and Chairman of United Fresh’s Board of Directors. “We all benefited from gathering our global community online. It’s only natural that we continue to rebuild our industry through this platform.”
In September, the platform will continue to be a free value offered to all employees of United Fresh member companies. A one-time annual registration fee of $100 will be required for employees of non-member companies. United Fresh LIVE! 365 will debut hosting the association’s annual Washington Conference, which is slated for September 21–25. Registration for the Washington Conference is now available here.
“The Washington Conference is a critical annual gathering for our industry,” said Mark Klompien, President and CEO, United Potato Growers of America and Chairman of United Fresh’s Government Relations Council. “We’re looking forward to meeting with our elected officials online and addressing our most pressing issues in order to continue to feed America and the world.”
Keep reading AndNowUKnow as we cover the latest in trade news.
ROTTERDAM, THE NETHERLANDS - It's a tragic story indeed when produce falls into the wrong hands, allowing drug smugglers to use it to their own ends. In this case, pineapples were the unlucky victims used to smuggle over 780 kilograms (roughly 1,720 lbs) of cocaine.
The discovery, made by Dutch customs agents in Rotterdam, had a street value of over 58 million euros (about $65.4 million USD). According to a news report from NL Times, the packages of cocaine were found inside a container loaded with pineapples from Costa Rica. So far, no arrests have been made.
AndNowUKnow has been diligently covering drug busts for quite some time, and criminals will go to great lengths to cover up their dastardly ways. Keep reading us to hear about how produce, in the end, sees justice.
VANCOUVER, BC, CANADA - Oppy continues to take innovation into its own hands. The fierce industry leader has nabbed a new partner in Flavour Fields, a company specializing in growing microgreens and edible flowers, all in a bid to develop new varieties to bring to market.
“We’re incredibly excited to explore interesting varieties that bring something truly unique to the market with Flavour Fields,” Oppy’s Senior Manager of Insights and Innovation, Garland Perkins, said. “Oppy is well-positioned to play an important role as a bridge that connects the needs of retailers and growers, with cutting-edge innovations.”
According to a press release, Oppy’s market experience, knowledge, and customer-base will complement Flavour Fields’ pioneering research projects, all while cultivating new varieties and targeting the customers that would be most interested in these products.
Introducing new varieties and innovations has long been a strength of Oppy’s as it has helped promote the launches of Granny Smith, JAZZ™, Envy™, and Zespri SunGold® kiwifruit.
“We have always been a leader of innovation for the produce industry, but our experience with the retail sector was limited,” General Manager of Flavour Fields Nicolas Mazard said. “We are therefore excited to access Oppy’s in-depth expertise in distribution and marketing. We could not have wished for a better partner than Oppy, and together we will work on bringing pioneering innovations to the industry.”
Great things continue for Oppy! AndNowUKnow will keep you up to date on the latest.