LEGRAND, CA - With harvest season kicking off in the Coachella, California, region, Live Oak Farms has announced two-fold growth as it is bolstering its pepper team and the category’s program. Recently, the supplier hired Pete Aiello as Vice President of Pepper Programs and Prescott Leyba as Vice President of Pepper Sales, both of whom will support the sales and marketing of the pepper program that now has longer availability and additional organic production.

“I’m excited to work for a company that takes such pride in its history but has thrived and succeeded for generations because the family recognizes the importance of evolving and changing to meet the challenges of farming and take advantage of new opportunities,” Aiello said.

Aiello has decades of experience, having served as General Manager and Owner of Uesgui Farms, a release explained. With his expertise, he will lead the strategic growth of the organic and conventional pepper programs of the company.

Joining Aiello on the team is Leyba, who most recently was Director of Sales at Country Sweet Produce. There, he marketed both organic bell peppers and sweet potatoes to customers across the United States.

Leyba commented that he is impressed that an important success component has stayed the same over the decades at Live Oak Farms, saying, “They remain a family-owned company with many of the original founding values still in place, and I’m looking forward to being a part of that.”

These hires come as Live Oak Farms is expanding its organic pepper production from LeGrand and Coachella into the Central Coast region in order to extend the California growing season.

“Aiello and Leyba will be integral to executing this expanded program and providing the type of customer service we can be proud of,” Ed Beckman, Chief Operations Officer, commented.

To read more about the expansion, click here.

Congratulations to both leaders on their new roles!

Live Oak Farms

IRVINE, CA - Here in California where the AndNowUKnow team resides, spring has kicked off in full force, and so has California avocado season. As a result of heavy winter rains and early spring showers, an estimated 257 million pounds of California avocados are projected for the season, and to bolster the success of the fruit, the California Avocado Commission (CAC) has announced an in-depth marketing strategy to offer buy-side support.

“California avocado marketing support this season takes all the best from last year’s campaign and strengthens it with new tactics,” said Terry Splane, Vice President of Marketing. “Retailers who merchandise California avocados are enthusiastic about the Commission supporting customized direct-to-consumer promotions designed to boost retailer business.”

To boost fruit sales, the commission is continuing its successful advertising campaign, the best avocados have California in them, according to a release. CAC’s consumer media program will be targeted at avocado shoppers in California and the West who are willing to pay more for premium brands, as well as avocado “super users.” Media plans focus on the best-performing channels and streaming services from 2022 in addition to social media and search advertising.

This year, CAC is putting even more emphasis on these direct-to-retail promotions that support in-store merchandising, demos, social and digital consumer communications, and more. The 2023 season’s consumer media began this month and will continue through July, at least.

To read more about CAC’s marketing strategy, click here.

For more category updates and unique marketing approaches, keep an eye on AndNowUKnow.

California Avocado Commission

SALINAS, CA - A newly created Director role is sparking operational development for Church Brothers Farms. The fresh produce provider recently announced the hiring of Mishalin Modena as its new Director of Sustainability and Corporate Engagement.

Modena has over 16 years of experience in the produce industry, covering both business development and marketing positions. Most recently, she held the title of Senior Business Development Manager at Bunzl USA/Destiny Packaging, where she worked closely with customers and her supply chain to source and develop innovative and sustainable packaging solutions.

According to a press release, Modena will now be responsible for leading the supplier’s Seven Pillar Sustainability Program, which includes:

• Crop Protection and Integrated Pest Management
• Material Management and Waste Reduction
• Ecosystems and Biodiversity
• Water Management and Conservation
• Soil Management and Conservation
• Energy and Emissions
• People and Culture Vitality

As the release noted, this newly created role is critical to minimizing Church Brothers Farms’ overall company carbon footprint and positively impacting both internal and external stakeholders through strategic initiatives.

“Mishalin will be a great addition to our staff, leading our Sustainability efforts. Her years of experience in our industry will allow us to develop more sustainable programs to help Church Brothers, the economy, society, and the environment,” said Steve Church, Chairman at Church Brothers Farms.

Mishalin has a degree in Nutrition from Santa Monica College; she also studied Business Marketing at the University of Montana.

Congratulations to Mishalin Modena on this newly established role!

Church Brothers Farms

LOUIS, MI - A great sadness can be felt across our industry as we mourn the passing of Farrell Cole “Dutch” Gay. Before retiring from the industry in 1997, Gay served as President and Chairman of the Tom Lange Family of Companies, playing an instrumental role in building the company into what it is today.

While attending Coe College for art in 1951 on a scholarship gifted by a member of his church, Gay took a sales position in January 1956 with Standard Fruit and Steamship Company, a major importer of bananas based in New Orleans, Louisiana. Later in the year, he moved to St. Louis as acting Sales Manager for Standard Fruit and remained in that position before joining St. Louis-based Brown and Loe, a press release explained.

In 1960, Tom Lange, Gay, and Paul Beisser purchased the office from the retiring Brown and Loe owners and opened their first Tom Lange Company office. Four years into the venture, Phil “Rock” Gumpert joined the team.

“As a newcomer to the sales side of the business, Dutch and I would talk numerous times every day as he was a mentor to me,” said Rock. “Dutch was not only my boss, but we also became good friends. He was always a gentleman, a person full of kindness, compassion, and empathy for people, but also one with strong business ethics and integrity. Dutch and I had a very special bond. We became more like brothers than just friends. Over the years, he became my best pal. Thanks to my pal, Dutch, for all the great memories.”

In 1980, Gay, Lange, and Gumpert established an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), which was structured into a trust to ensure that no employee would ever have to pay for a share of Tom Lange Company stock; in less than seven years, the company employees were the sole owners of the Tom Lange Company and its subsidiaries.

“Dutch was a wonderful man and mentor, I could always count on him for the background on our business,” commented current Tom Lange President and Chief Executive Officer Greg Reinauer. “It is important that our organization remembers and embraces the dedication and contributions of our founders.”

Gay is survived by his two sons, four grandchildren, one sister, and three great-grandchildren.

We send our deepest condolences to all who had the privilege of knowing this beloved leader.

WASHINGTON, DC - After being in a mega drought for multiple years, California finally got some much-needed rain. However, the onslaught of winter storms caused damage across the country, with California hit one of the hardest. Recently, Congressmen Salud Carbajal (CA-24) and Jimmy Panetta (CA-19) announced they will be leading a group of California lawmakers to create and pass a disaster recovery package. The package, up for the United States House of Representatives review, can aid recovery efforts for California farms and ranches devastated by historic storms earlier this year.

“For nearly three weeks, California was hit with storms that brought intense rain and catastrophic flooding. The historic storms caused tremendous damage to thousands of acres of farms and ranches,” the lawmakers said in a letter to top House leaders and appropriators. “We, therefore, request a disaster recovery package be swiftly put together to allow the rebuilding and recovery process to begin. It is imperative Congress provide much-needed aid to California’s agricultural community to allow for a full and timely recovery.”

Central California Representatives Jim Costa (CA-21) and Zoe Lofgren (CA-18) also joined the call for an emergency supplemental appropriations package.

As noted in the release, California had nine atmospheric rivers—each holding as much water as a hurricane—producing powerful storms that dropped around 32 trillion gallons of water on the state from December 27, 2022, to January 16, 2023.

Carbajal and Panetta represent areas of California that saw more than $500 million in estimated flood and storm damage to agricultural operations in their region, which is the number-one industry in both Congressional districts and in California as a whole. California has more agricultural production than any other state in the union, with nearly 70,000 farms operating on 24.3 million acres.

The request for a disaster recovery package was sent to Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy—who also represents California farmland impacted by recent flooding—as well as Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, House Appropriations Committee Chair Kay Granger, and Appropriations Committee Ranking Member Rosa DeLauro.

The full letter can be found here.

Stick with ANUK as we cover the latest.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Economic questions, inflation, supply chain issues, and labor shortages have driven much of industry news in recent years, making it clear that buy- and supply-side margins are carving miracles out of madness. Where does control exist, and how can you apply it? According to the Afresh team, the answer lies in the tools managing fresh departments.

An artificial intelligence platform designed specifically to help retailers optimize fresh food management through intelligent recommendations and streamlined ordering and inventory workflows, Afresh offers a technology platform that is purpose-built for fresh rather than adapted to it like some legacy systems. And the AI-powered solutions provider has seen enough success to expand the reach of the control it offers the buy-side.

“We believe tools like Afresh can make a difference for grocers of all sizes. A system that’s purpose-built for fresh food is paradigmatically different from a center-store approach. As a result, we have seen a 20–25 percent increased value on average to our partners—when you think about what that means to a bottom line with typical 1–3 percent net margins, it’s transformative,” Nathan Fenner, President and Co-Founder of Afresh, told me.

In fact, on average, grocers using Afresh have reported shrink reduction by 20–25 percent and sales growth by 3–5 percent, CUB stores have shown 92 percent acceptance of Afresh’s order recommendations, leading to 8.8 percent more efficient teams. This type of impact is why Afresh has now deployed its AI-powered predictive ordering and inventory management solution across 3,000 stores and counting, spanning across the U.S. Now, after six years of solidifying its fresh produce offering, the company is taking its solution to other fresh departments, including meat, seafood, foodservice, and of course, the deli case.

“With tech in grocery, particularly fresh, there are lots of big marketing claims, with even bigger caveats in tiny font. And the results have always failed to live up to the hype. With Afresh, on the other hand, we are demonstrating a consistent, longitudinal, and chainwide decrease in shrink while increasing sales and overall profit. We are now taking the same ethos that has driven that success in the produce department to deli, meat, seafood and more,” Nathan explained.

As an expanding tool, Afresh, sees this evolution in the company’s portfolio as further improving how it serves produce clients and retailers in addition to the new deli-related branches.

“In building our solution for Produce, we needed to handle a variety of different item archetypes—ingredient items and items transformed in the store; random weight items; longer shelf-life, UPC items, etc. As we move into new departments like Meat and Deli, it’s the same fundamental item archetypes—different departments just have different compositions of these item types,” Nathan added. “In Produce, high-velocity, random weight items are key. In Meat and Deli, there is more emphasis on ingredient/in-store transformation and UPC items. Given that, we’ve worked to evolve and improve our approach to these latter two types of items. What’s great is that those improvements will also benefit our existing produce solution.”

The company has realized such success built on a foundational belief: Fresh is a unique business that requires a unique solution. So, while the shift to built-for-fresh or AI-powered technology solutions may sound like a cost to grocers, Nathan assures me that it is an investment that is quick on return.

“Fresh departments are the most strategic for grocers. You can get cereal anywhere; how and what you offer in fresh is a key differentiator. Inventory management software typically built for center store—which is adapted to grocery from industries like auto parts and clothing—unsurprisingly, doesn't fit fresh, whether that is produce or deli,” he punctuates. “A purpose-built solution crafted from the ground up for fresh is so much better than an all-in-one solution. I think we have proven that beyond a shadow of a doubt in our expansive success. Deli is the natural next step to that success.”

With CUB, Fresh Thyme Market, and Heinen's signed on for this latest expansion, with other banners coming soon, AndNowUKnow will soon report the benefits returning to produce departments in turn.

Afresh Technologies

WASHINGTON, DC - A well-known industry luminary has entered a new role, and ANUK could not wait to report on it. It was recently announced that Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN has been named as the new Chief Executive Officer of the International Food Information Council (IFIC), effective May 1.

“While there are many challenges facing the global food system today, I see many opportunities to drive meaningful change and foster innovative solutions that will ultimately benefit the health and well-being of consumers worldwide," said Reinhardt Kapsak. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to return to my professional roots and serve the dedicated IFIC staff, Board of Trustees, partners, and stakeholder community as CEO. Together, we will advance the food systems dialogue through research and science-based communications, carrying forth the mission of this great organization and forging new paths.”

A press release explained that Reinhardt Kapsak is a visionary leader with extensive experience in food, nutrition, and agriculture business strategies. She is uniquely poised to help IFIC deliver on its mission to effectively communicate science-based information about sustainable food systems, with a focus on food safety and nutrition.

Reinhardt Kapsak previously served for the past five years as President and CEO of the Produce for Better Health Foundation where she led efforts to increase fruit and vegetable consumption through research, thought leadership, public-private partnerships, value chain and influencer connectivity, as well as innovative consumer engagement strategies.

“Wendy’s transformative and results-oriented leadership, coupled with her significant food and nutrition experience in various sectors, make her the ideal candidate to lead IFIC into the future,” said Russell Dyer, IFIC Co-Chair and Chief Communications Officer, Mondelēz International. “The Board is thrilled to welcome Wendy and looks forward to the organization continuing its important work fostering an environment where science informs food decisions.”

Reinhardt Kapsak’s experience also includes leadership positions in the Food, Nutrition & Health Partnerships and Corporate Engagement verticals in what is now collectively known as Bayer Crop Science. She is returning to IFIC after a previous tenure from 2000–2012, including service as Senior Director, Health & Wellness.

Congratulations to our friend Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak on this new position!

International Food Information Council

MISSION, TX - Sweet onions are here, and the Texas International Produce Association (TIPA) is already busy with promotions. Thanks to a USDA-AMS Specialty Crop Block Grant administered by the Texas Department of Agriculture, the good word of the Texas 1015 Sweet Onions (TX1015) will reach eager consumers and curious shoppers.

“We’re excited we are able to dedicate additional funds to retailer-centric promotions that highlight the versatility and flavor of the state vegetable of Texas,” said Dante Galeazzi, Manager of the South Texas Onion Committee and Chief Executive Officer and President of TIPA. “This year’s robust campaign is already off to a fantastic start, and we’re confident it will reach our audiences and leave an impact. Many consumers are not aware that all U.S.-grown sweet onions were bred from the original TX1015 sweets, and we’re on a mission to fix that.”

April marked the official launch of the comprehensive marketing campaign that includes print, digital, and live and in-person promotions throughout the season. As noted in the release, the grant will fund another record-breaking marketing program this spring focusing on increasing brand awareness and sales of the TX1015 Sweet Onion, aimed at both retailers and consumers.

Among new or improved retailer initiatives this season are an extensive trade advertising program and greater in-store promotions. To facilitate brand awareness about the original sweet onion, TIPA kicked off the TX1015 season with an informational virtual field tour at the Viva Fresh Expo.

The consumer-focused promotions in this year’s campaign will reach further and wider than in any previous year, continued the release. Fun promotions including sweepstakes and weekly giveaways are in store, along with a food influencer recipe program and contest with a resulting cookbook. Consumers will get to learn more about the onions through a feature story by Texas food legend David Elder of Texas Eats. Restaurant diners can experience all the flavors of these delicious onions through the TX1015 Eat Sweet restaurant week event hosted in the Rio Grande Valley.

Harvest of the TX1015 onions is well underway, and excellent quality and availability are expected to continue through early summer. Contact your TX1015 sales agent to plan your TX1015 program.

AndNowUKnow will report on the latest updates, so stay tuned.

Texas 1015 Sweet Onions Texas International Produce Association

WENATCHEE, WA - The third time’s the charm! At least, that’s what Stemilt’s seven Project SEARCH participants will be saying after completing their final internship and landing a job in fresh produce. The participants have entered their third internship positions in Stemilt’s departments. Over the next three months, they will be working to gather job recommendations, dial in job-specific skills, and prepare for employment leading up to graduation in the summer.

“We are so excited to see them transfer from their internships to employment,” says Project SEARCH Instructor Terry Brown. “It’s beyond exciting to see the progress they have made over the year. Every intern has worked very hard, and we can’t wait to see them continue to grow and become more independent. The interns have told us they are looking forward to graduation but are very excited about landing a job!”

The interns will graduate on June 6, 2023, as the first-ever Stemilt and Wenatchee Valley Project SEARCH program participants, a press release stated.

Project SEARCH is a transition-to-work program that provides education and training to young people with disabilities. The interns will work on next-level skills that will transfer to employment opportunities in the near future until their graduation.

Through the program, individuals gain real-life work experiences combined with training employability and independent living to help them successfully transition to productive adult life.

We applaud all of these interns as they kick off their third and final internship!

Stemilt

CASTROVILLE, CA - The Gold Standard. What does this mean when it comes to fresh produce? For Ocean Mist® Farms, that means producing the highest quality artichokes possible. The grower is launching its annual Gold Standard promotion, which includes an exclusive giveaway for consumers.

“Throughout each year, we are proud to share our Gold Standard artichokes,” said Mark Munger, Senior Director of Marketing. “Ocean Mist Farms artichokes are THE Gold Standard for providing immune-boosting nutrition and a top source of fiber, with one whole cooked artichoke packing nearly 7 grams of fiber—about a third of the daily minimum target. This superior nutrition profile, coupled with Ocean Mist Farms rich legacy and artichoke expertise, bring the Gold Standard to your produce department."

Ocean Mist is highlighting its artichoke expertise to ensure trade partners are aware of all that goes into the Gold Standard distinction, as well as shine a light on the nutritional qualities of fresh artichokes. The grower has cultivated premium quality artichokes—including many patented proprietary varieties—for nearly 100 years. Castroville, California, is home to Ocean Mist’s spring artichoke production, with the heaviest production in April.

According to a press release, decades of farming proficiency and excellence coupled with exceptional harvesting practices and land stewardship further define this brand as worthy of the Gold Standard designation. The company is supporting retail sales with a variety of marketing activations.

On-pack messaging will reinforce shopper awareness, and the brand will also drive visitors to the artichoke nutrition webpage and encourage shoppers to purchase artichokes at their local grocery store.

In addition to the in-store promotions, the Gold Standard Giveaway is running from April 24–June 1, giving participants the opportunity to win one Grand Prize VISA gift card valued at $1,000 or one of five VISA gift cards valued at $100.

Keep clicking back to ANUK for more fresh produce news.

Ocean Mist® Farms