CHICAGO, IL - On the metaphorical chess board that is the grocery retail market, Amazon just moved another of its pieces into a strategic position. As the e-tail giant continues to expand its brick-and-mortar grocery footprint, Amazon announced that it will be opening another grocery store in the Chicago area.
According to Crain’s Chicago Business, an Amazon spokeswoman confirmed the company is indeed opening a new store in a former Babies R Us location in Schaumburg, Illinois. The news source noted that Amazon’s latest move continues its plan to open dozens of grocery stores around the United States—grocery stores that tout the perks of a traditional supermarket, including a non-Amazon Go checkout system.
The new 43,000-square-foot grocery store is believed to be slated for a summer opening, according to a report by The Daily Herald.
How will Amazon’s newest brick-and-mortar location in a competitive market help its grocery strategy overall and build out new relationships with the supply-side? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on the metaphorical retail chess board.
LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA - Companies like LIV Organic Produce are always keeping it fresh—adapting new growing technologies, building on strategic business models, and continuously investing in its people and performance across the entirety of its operations. This spring, the company welcomed Brent Portell to the team as its new Operations Manager, a move that supports LIV Organic’s expansion efforts while helping to drive success into the hands of its retail partners.
“I am incredibly excited to have joined the LIV Organic Produce team. The company has a fast-paced environment and I knew the opportunities to work as a team would be endless,” Brent shares with me. “LIV brings both integrity and passion to the organic space. Looking downfield, we have many advantageous projects on the horizon, giving our retail partners even more of a reason to seek opportunities with our growing, marketing, and sales experts.”
In his role as Operations Manager, Brent will be responsible for providing guidance and direction to all packing house employees, suppliers, and growers and ensuring the company adapts to the ever-evolving dynamics of the produce industry. Brent will also help LIV exceed in responding to the needs of the customer and consumer as well as the demands in the organic sector; all while upholding employee safety measures in an efficient manner.
“At LIV Organic, we have a great model for self-motivated team members such as Brent, which is why he is such a great fit for our team,” Co-Founder, Anthony Innocenti, reflects. “Our vision for the future is grounded in the individual success of everyone on the team and, in that respect, we offer autonomy which brings a greater sense of ownership and maximizes results through all our collective efforts. We take great pride in what we have created at LIV Organic.”
Communication will be key for Brent as he helps to execute LIV Organics’ goals and vision. Lucky for the team at LIV Produce, communication is in his background.
“With my masters in Business and undergrad in Structural Engineering, communication has always been essential to my success,” Brent shares. “I have quick roundtables with my team regularly to ensure all team members are on the same page and in the same book. In addition, I have the ability to dissect information and transpose as needed to the proper party and project. A little bit of knowledge makes an employee feel appreciated and respected. I want the team to come to work knowing they play an important role in what we seek to achieve here at LIV Organic.”
It is easy to see that Brent has a love for fresh produce and an unmistakable drive in the sector. The up-and-comer started in produce repacking in 2009 at Green Thumb Produce and specialized in food safety before being moved into the sales/procurement office in 2013. Within a few years, Brent became the General Manager. He modified many different policies and procedures to ensure maximum efficiencies, therefore, profits during his time at Green Thumb Produce.
With a decade under his belt, Brent’s excitement for his new role is palpable. Congratulations, Brent, on joining the LIV Produce team. We are thrilled to see what you and the company do next!
WENATCHEE, WA - Two apples are gearing up to hit the buy-side, and Stemilt Growers has the tools to help them take the category by storm. The category innovator is ready to help retailers rock apple sales by providing high-quality, flavorful Piñata® apples for the summer season, while also detailing how its Rave® apples will continue the momentum in early August.
“Fortunately, we can bring this apple to consumers all summer long thanks to Piñata’s great storing capabilities,” noted Brianna Shales, Senior Marketing Manager. “We reserve fruit with high starch reserves, color, and great quality indicators for this time of year as we know they will provide consumers an excellent eating experience. It will taste like the apple just came off the tree!”
The Piñata variety is grown both conventionally and organically in Washington state. Stemilt has a long-time partnership with Chilean-based Frusan and Argentina-based Patagonia Fruits to import this variety to the States, a press release explained. Frusan, Patagonia Fruit, and Stemilt each hold the fruit to the highest of standards, so retailers can rest assured knowing that each Piñata apple will have constant quality and flavor throughout the summer.
“Retailers will have a wide variety of both conventional and organic Piñata apples sizes to choose from and bulk promotions are a great way to move the category during the summer months,” remarked Shales. “We suggest running Piñata as part of multi-variety apple ads and using the apple’s fun messaging and graphics to share its uniqueness.”
High-graphic cartons can be built for prominent displays in high traffic areas of the store. A little tip that Stemilt offered is that if store frequency is down and online grocery traffic is up, ensure the product listing is up to date as it shows the consumer exactly what they are purchasing.
“It is very important that the retailers keep all product listings current, especially if their online traffic is increasing,” explained Shales. “If they need help pushing Piñata on their online platforms, Stemilt has all of the resources they need.”
Stemilt’s marketing team can provide digital banner ads, key messaging, and photos to ensure product listings have the essential information needed to create successful promotions. Stemilt can also help retailers with their digital channels and provide video, photos, and more.
“Piñata is such a fun, tropical apple with a flavor profile that many seek out,” Shales stated. “Many people can turn to this variety to use for snacking, cooking, or baking and we have plenty of digital resources that can help retailers push this apple through check out stands.”
And by the time that summer starts to end as August rolls around, Stemilt has just the apple to continue driving sales growth.
“Rave’s unique timing does amazing things for the apple category,” Roger Pepperl, Marketing Director, said. “Due to its Honeycrisp parentage, it brings a premium quality apple to the market weeks before other varieties come off the tree. Rave is in store for a limited time. And because of that, there is absolutely no time to waste when this apple hits the market. It has a high demand and incredible flavor profile, so consumers seek it out.”
Rave is harvested in late July and brought to market starting in early August, filling a gap for when Honeycrisp sales begin to dwindle. With apple crop projections as its highest yet, Stemilt believes that Rave can be carried in-store well into October. Pepperl suggested in the release that retailers run two Rave ads via both print and digital formats, with retailers starting the apple crop with an August Rave ad and following with a second ad in September. This gives the apple category momentum as it heads into prime fall apple months.
According to Nielsen data cited by Stemilt, Rave added an average of 48 lbs per store per week to an average U.S. produce department that’s already selling 854 lbs of apples per week from mid-August to the beginning of September.
“Rave is outrageously juicy with a refreshing snappy zing,” Pepperl said. “It has the same juicy bite as a Honeycrisp and carries the same quality. The data reinforces how it can fill Honeycrisp gaps, and bring a nice spark to the apple category starting in August.”
As Rave has grown in popularity across the Midwest and East Coast, 65 percent of Rave apple sales came from households that weren’t buying apples during the August-September timeframe the year prior.
“Retailers that deploy the 4 P’s of marketing with Rave see great results,” Pepperl explained. “Rave comes off the tree with great color, quality, and flavor. Build an impactful display with our high-graphic cartons, price Rave to increase trial, and promote it twice in its short season to see great results. Not only did this apple leave the consumer with a delightful eating experience, but it has helped expand the apple category as a whole. We’re so excited about what Rave has brought the apple category and will continue to bring in the future. Between the premium quality, flavor profile, and overall goodness of this variety, Rave takes any retailer’s apple category to the next level.”
With Stemilt at your back, there’s nowhere to go but up!
IRVINE, CA - It is with a heavy heart that we learned of the passing of longtime Western Growers' staffer Tom Oliveri. Affectionately known across the industry as “Tommy O,” Oliveri retired from the association in January 2018, several months shy of his 40th anniversary of service. Throughout his career, which spanned over four decades, Oliveri demonstrated uncommon dedication to the Western Growers’ membership, establishing himself as a foremost authority in the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).
“Tommy was a rare breed, an expert in his craft who brought a fierce determination to protect our members when disputes arose between parties in commerce,” stated Western Growers President and CEO, Dave Puglia. “Among the WG membership, Tommy probably had the highest name identification of any WG employee; at some point, just about every WG member turned to him for help and he always jumped to their aid. He absolutely loved going to bat for our members and his tireless work boosted many bottom lines. His passing comes as a shock to us all. We join with so many in our industry today in offering our deepest condolences to Tommy’s family.”
From a young age, Oliveri was drawn to agriculture. Throughout high school he worked summer jobs in the industry and became an inspector for the California Department of Food and Agriculture’s Standardization Program in college. After earning his degree in agricultural biology from Cal Poly Pomona in 1977, Oliveri answered an advertisement to be a Grower Field Representative for Western Growers, earning the position over stiff competition in March 1978.
After several years as a Southern California Field Representative, Oliveri joined the marketing services department under the head of another recently-retired, longtime Western Growers staffer, Matt McInerney. As the Director of what is now known as the Trade Practices and Commodity Services Department, Oliveri filed countless PACA claims and helped recover millions of dollars for WG members, and became an invaluable resource on issues related to inspections, arrival issues, trade disputes and unpaid claims, a press release explained. Over the years, Oliveri also provided seminars for all Western Grower members educating the industry on their rights and remedies under PACA law.
Even though he retired from the association in January 2018, Oliveri couldn’t stay away from the fresh produce industry for long, and joined the law firm of Rynn & Janowsky as a PACA consultant, where he remained engaged up to his passing.
He was devoted to his children, and is survived by his son, Matt, and his daughter, Marci. In his recreational time, he enjoyed boating, fishing, and was known as quite the baseball player in his younger days.
The passing of Oliveri will leave a Tommy O-shaped hole in the hearts of everyone who knew him, admired him, and considered him a friend. His quick wit and sense of humor will be missed.
We here at AndNowUKnow extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones.
ALABAMA & SOUTH CAROLINA - Grocery expansion never seems to stop as retail chains across the globe continue to press the gas on growth. Publix is one of the names that’s been circling our expansion radar as of late, recently revealing two new locations in separate states are in the works.
According to AL.com, the grocer has officially announced that it will open a new store in Liberty Park, Alabama, on June 3. Standing at 48,100 square feet, the new store will create 135 new jobs in the community.
“Our customers have been looking forward to having a new Publix in their neighborhood,” Brenda Reid, Community Relations Manager for Publix’s Atlanta Division, said. “Our associates will continue to offer the best shopping experience possible for our customers by following recommended guidelines outlined by the CDC and the State of Alabama.”
In addition to the new Alabama-based store, Publix has also confirmed that a new location is coming to Moncks Corner, South Carolina, according to Live5News.com.
Publix Community Relations Manager Kim Reynolds disclosed to the news source that the company has officially signed a lease for the facility. Although we can confirm that the store will stand at 48,000 square feet, no official opening date was disclosed.
As we continue to circle the newswire for grocery expansions, keep checking in with AndNowUKnow.
KEENE, NH - Investments come in all shapes and sizes, especially as more retailers and wholesalers look into bettering their communities. C&S Wholesale Grocers recently invested more than $300,000 in supporting a relief initiative against the COVID-19 pandemic. This money will help in the donation of 100,000 KN95 masks to hospitals in hard-hit regions, as well as financial support for food banks and other charitable organizations across the country.
"The coronavirus has devastated lives in communities across the U.S., and C&S stands united in the fight against this pandemic," said Mike Duffy, Chief Executive Officer. "As part of our relief package, C&S is proud to donate 100,000 KN95 masks to hard-hit hospitals in support of those on the front line fighting to save lives. Additionally, we are extending financial support to food banks in communities throughout the U.S. as well as key charitable organizations who are working tirelessly to feed individuals and families who are faced with an economic consequence from this health crisis."
Hospitals and state governments across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, California, and Massachusetts, will receive allocations from the retailer’s donation of 100,000 KN95 masks. According to a press release, contributions of the personal protective equipment (PPE) will be distributed to: New Jersey – Hackensack University Medical Center and Holy Name Medical Center; Pennsylvania – Lehigh Valley Health Network; California – Valley Medical Center; and in Massachusetts – Massachusetts Emergency Management for as-needed frontline disbursement.
Additionally, C&S will provide financial donations to 22 food banks nationwide, as well as national partners such as Feeding America, First Book, and the United Way Worldwide.
"C&S is a family, and we are committed to taking care of each other. By combining the company's overall national relief initiative with an employee giving campaign, we can positively impact communities nationwide, as well as our valued employees and their families," said Miriam Ort, Chief Human Resources Officer. "As so many people are coming together to support each other, we are thrilled that the C&S family is doing its part to help."
Its overall relief initiatives also include an employee giving campaign, where employees can make need-based donations to C&S colleagues who demonstrate a financial need due to a COVID-19-related crisis.
AndNowUKnow will continue to bring you news of our industry linking arms together, so stay tuned!
WASHINGTON, DC - The United Fresh Produce Association is offering an exciting new eductation resource, Leading Through Crisis: The Path Forward for the Fresh Produce Industry. Powered by professors from the Cornell University Executive Education team, this digital certificate program is tailored specifically to the fresh produce industry.
Although a separate registration from United Fresh LIVE!, it will still be hosted on the LIVE! platform. For those interested in registering, they can do so here.
Designed for all professionals in the fresh produce industry, this five-part series powered by Cornell University faculty members, covers crucial leadership topics, virtually, during the week of June 15-19. According to a press release, these topics include:
- Values Driven Leadership and Critical Thinking - led by Risa Mish, Professor of Practice and Management, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University
- VUCA Leadership (Volatile, Uncertain, Chaotic, and Ambiguous) - led by General George W. Casey, Jr., Senior Lecturer of Management and Organizations, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University
- Planning Supply Chains for Resiliency - led by Vishal Gaur, Emerson Professor of Manufacturing Management, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University; and Miguel Gomez, Robert G. Tobin Professor of Food Marketing and Director, Cornell Food Industry Management Program, Cornell University
- Communicating Through a Crisis - led by Theomary Karamanis, Senior Lecturer, Management Communication, Cornell SC Johnson College of Business, Cornell University
- State of the Industry: A Forecast of the Future - led by Edward W. McLaughlin, Robert G. Tobin Professor of Marketing Emeritus, Director of the Food Executive Program, Cornell Executive Education, Charles Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management, Cornell University
With COVID-19’s unprecedented disruption on the world economy, leadership is more critical than ever before. All attendees will earn a certificate from Cornell University upon completion of the course.
AndNowUKnow will continue to offer you the latest news in innovative industry resources.
PHILIPPINES - We recently caught wind that Del Monte Pacific Limited has finalized a deal with SEA Diner Holdings to sell a 12 percent stake in its Philippine subsidiary. Valued at $120 million, the investment company has now officially acquired the stake.
As reported by Global Legal Chronicle, SEA has purchased roughly 335.7 million shares from Del Monte.
The operations acquired focus on the production and sale of food and beverage products in the Philippines. With one of the largest pineapple operations, SEA looks to leverage Del Monte’s divestment to build out the consumer sector in China and Southeast Asia.
You will be hard-pressed to find an industry acquisition that we haven’t covered here at ANUK, so keep a tab open to stay up to date.
UNITED STATES - Some of fresh produce’s most influential partners are largely aligned with the logistics of buy and supply. With the market’s landscape currently undergoing an unprecedented shift, innovation is top of mind for companies reworking their business models. Enter FarmLink, an innovative new nonprofit that supports fresh produce growers in pivoting their operations, paying for unsold product and distributing it to food banks.
“The main benefit of partnering with FarmLink is what also sets us apart,” began FarmLink Volunteer Theo Velaise. “Unlike other nonprofit hunger-relief organizations, FarmLink compensates farmers for their unsold produce. We use money raised from donors to sponsor these payments. We want farms to see us as their customers for good.”
Another advantage of partnering with FarmLink is its innovative logistics network. Farmers do not need to worry about delivering produce from point A to point B. Once product is loaded onto the trucks, FarmLink will organize delivery and unload the supplies to partner food banks. Collaborating with this company means getting paid for unsold produce that is getting onto the plates of consumers currently facing hunger. For farmers looking to connect with FarmLink today, please click here.
“While it is our mission to find unsold produce and deliver it to food banks, it is equally our aim to purchase this unsold produce so that farmers and their employees still earn revenue for their hard work,” Theo continued. “FarmLink also pays the wages of the truckers delivering our purchased produce from farms to food banks, to support the silent heroes of this supply chain. With the help of our sponsors and donors, FarmLink is fighting hunger while simultaneously securing jobs during this pandemic.”
FarmLink is only a month old, but in this time, the organization has delivered more than 700,000 lbs of food and paid over $70,000 in wages to farm workers and truckers. Alongside Borden Dairy, FarmLink has also planned and organized the delivery of 120,000 gallons of milk to food banks across the country. In one of its latest moves, the organization began distributing fresh food to New York City, recently delivering 40,000 lbs of potatoes to the River Fund NYC. In order to reach its goal of delivering 1,000,000 lbs of food by the end of the month, FarmLink is seeking out recurring deals with growers.
“We are farmers’ customers, taking the financial burden off of them and food banks around the country, while rescuing food and feeding the hungry. FarmLink is a grassroots, student-ran organization, not a hierarchical bureaucracy,” Theo concluded. “Getting a hold of us is as easy as calling your friend, as we are responsive and move quickly. We adapt to each situation and do what we can to get produce into the hands of those who need it most.”
You can also connect with FarmLink via its social media platforms at Instagram, Facebook, or LinkedIn.
Our hats are off to the industry innovators at FarmLink and all of the hard-working growers who continue to maintain a healthy and continuous food supply. As more industry partners like this enter the playing field, keep coming back to AndNowUKnow for the latest.
HACKENSACK, NJ - A stellar citrus category at retail is one of the true markers of a produce department’s overall quality and success. With companies like Vision Import Group driving excellence and differentiation into buy-side hands this spring and summer, it appears as if the months ahead are primed for growth. With a strong outlook for the summer months, Tony Mitchell, Vice President of Sales and Business Growth tells me that Vision Import group is presenting new elements across its citrus program to increase value for retailer partners.
“We ship limes from Texas 52 weeks out of the year as well as lemons across our different growing regions as we follow the sun and cultivate a program comprised of the best fruit the industry can find. This year, we made an investment to change our lime bags over to the Mr. Squeeze label to match the aesthetic of our lemon program and build more label continuity across our messaging,” Tony says. “Our Mr. Squeeze label is a brand that consumers can relate to, and we have plans to build this brand on the organic side as well with additional items that consumers can connect with.”
The company’s unique retail bags create valuable opportunities for retailers to set up secondary displays and cross-merchandise with other commodities within their department or throughout the store.
Vision Import Group will be transitioning to the Mr. Squeeze label on limes in early July 2020, so get the conversations started now. The program will be offering an array of packaging options in the company’s lime and lemon retail programs.
“We highly value our retail partners and work closely with them to respond to the demands and nuances that they see in their communities,” Tony says. “We have also expanded our distribution across various shipping points and continue to build excellence with our unfailing partnerships with growers—all while adhering to the highest food safety standards. We pride ourselves on our customer service. Our people have connections and relationships with the customer that make us different from a lot of the larger organizations. We inspect every load upon arrival and throughout the life of the product in our facilities. We are always looking at ways to improve and up our game.”
As we move through summer and into fall, Persian limes are also available and always top of mind as the category is Vision Import Group’s largest offering of its commodities. The conventional and organic Mexican mango season is here to boot, and the quality is outstanding, as Tony shares. The company has begun its Argentinean lemon season to bring the best of the best to the citrus destination and will be available through late July and early August.
“This will place us in a great transition period as the Mexican lemon season will begin in mid-July and go through the end of December. In addition, we will ramp up our Mexican organic lemon and the quality is expected to be very nice as we enter our third season across the category,” Tony adds.
Delivering eye-catching packaging and great flavor is the name of the game come summer, and Vision Import Group has your ticket to success.