WASHINGTON, DC - United Fresh Produce Association gathered its exhibiting community for the first time since announcing its return to live events this June 24–26 in Los Angeles, California, to kick off a four-event education webinar series that will guide exhibitors through the benefits of this year’s online and in-person experience.

“United Fresh does an excellent job developing solutions to ensure our business is visible with buyers,” said Rachelle Schulken, Marketing Event Manager, Renaissance Food Group. “We learn so much from their webinars which help us build the best online and in-person experience possible. Working in partnership with United Fresh has really been a game changer.”

During a year of uncertainty and virtual-only engagement, United Fresh worked with its exhibitors through pre-event education to ensure a successful transition online for United Fresh LIVE! held in June 2020. This year, the association will once again usher exhibitors toward success of the hybrid event through a series of webinars as it plans to bring the industry together once again, in-person and online, for a choose-your-own-adventure experience.

Leading trade show expert Jefferson Davis of Competitive Edge, will host the monthly webinar series, presenting a digital-first strategy that will drive success of the in-person experience in June.

United Fresh 2021 Exhibitor Education Webinar Series:

• Wednesday, April 7 – United Fresh 2021: You Built Your Presence; Now What?
  You have built your profile and you know your targets. Learn how to bring your sales team along in order to have maximum success across the company at United Fresh 2021
• Thursday, May 6 – United Fresh 2021: Driving the Exhibitor Matchmaking Experience
  Explore strategies and tactics to make the most productive use of United Fresh’s new matchmaking feature. From requesting meetings with buyers and attendees to confirming requests for meetings, both the online and in-person experience will rely on matchmaking. Prepare for success
• Tuesday, June 8 – United Fresh 2021: Hosting Your Prospects to Drive Your Bottom Line
  After months of planning and scheduling meetings through the online matchmaking platform, the in-person show is upon us! What KPI’s are in place to measure value and performance during the trade show and how can you ensure that you’ve taken advantage of all the opportunities to have success?

These webinars are free of charge and all interested parties are invited to participate and learn about United Fresh 2021. Registration for each webinar is available by visiting www.unitedfreshshow.org.

United Fresh Produce Association

GRAND RAPIDS, MI - Key executive transitions will be taking place later this month as SpartanNash makes multiple strategic shifts. The retailer has named Jason Monaco as its new Executive Vice President (EVP) and Chief Financial Officer (CFO), effective March 22. Mark Shamber, the current EVP and CFO, will remain with the company through the end of April to assist with the transition. As CFO, Monaco will direct finance, mergers and acquisitions, treasury, internal audit, real estate, and risk management and will report to SpartanNash's President and Chief Executive Officer, Tony Sarsam.

Monaco most recently served as CFO for Dallas, Texas-based Cornerstone Chemical Company. He also served as CFO of Dallas-based Borden Dairy and held increasing executive leadership positions with Kimberly-Clark. During his tenure at Borden, Monaco was responsible for planning, implementing, managing, and controlling all financial and technology-related activities.

According to a press release, his strategic initiatives drove volume growth and execution of a critical supply chain productivity program resulting in significant cost savings. At Cornerstone Chemical, Monaco guided acquisition integration planning, facilitating 50 percent sales growth through capacity, fulfillment, customer transition, inventory management, systems integration, and organizational design.

"We look forward to having Jason join our team," noted Sarsam. "Jason has a proven track record of partnering with cross functional teams and digging deeply into the business to build systems, processes, and teams to develop and drive operational efficiencies. His extensive food distribution expertise at Borden Dairy, coupled with his deep financial background leading multiple global teams with Kimberly Clark, align with SpartanNash's future growth plans. On behalf of the board of directors and all of us at SpartanNash, I want to thank Mark for supporting this transition and for all his contributions over the last three years. We wish him well in his future endeavors."

SpartanNash also announced the promotion of Todd Riksen to Vice President, Corporate Controller, effective March 14. Riksen is assuming the position as part of the company's succession plan. In his new role, Riksen will oversee the company's retail, distribution, and corporate accounting and financial reporting, SEC reporting, tax compliance and tax planning, financial shared services, and will support the quarterly earnings reports, shareholder calls, and required filings.

Prior to joining SpartanNash, Riksen worked in the assurance practice at Ernst & Young serving publicly traded companies while based in the U.S. and in the Netherlands. Riksen is a certified public accountant and joined the company in April 2018 as Director of Financial Reporting and Corporate Accounting.

During his time at Ernst & Young, Riksen held roles of increasing responsibility, culminating with his role as Assurance Senior Manager.

Additionally, Tammy Hurley, Vice President of Finance and Chief Accounting Officer, is retiring on April 23 after 20 years with the company.

"As part of our people-first culture, we are grateful for Tammy's leadership, talent development, as well as the succession planning that will enable us to seamlessly make this transition," said Sarsam. "Todd is a key contributor and we are excited to have him overseeing our accounting group. He is well respected by our executive leadership team, co-workers, and customers; and we look forward to his future contributions."

Congratulations to all on these next steps in their careers!

SpartanNash

LOS ANGELES, CA - Thirty-five years of produce industry experience and advocacy is quite the legacy to leave. I'm speaking of Progressive Produce Chief Executive Officer Jim Leimkuhler, who is set to retire effective March 31. The last 25 years of his career have been spent with Progressive Produce in Los Angeles, California, where he was instrumental in building the company into one that serves national and regional grocery chains and foodservice companies.

"My life and career at Progressive Produce have meant so very much to me," stated Leimkuhler in a company press relesase. "I feel so blessed to have been given the opportunity to come here in 1995 as the Chief Financial Officer, to be named its President in 1996, and to become a part Owner of the company in 2003."

Leimkuhler began his career in the newspaper business after getting his degree in journalism from the University of Missouri in 1977. At his first job with The Packer, he was sent to Wisconsin to work with another writer that was reporting on potato fields that were soon to be harvested. Fast forward through a seven-year career in the book publishing business in Iowa, an MBA in accounting from Drake University, and a role as a Certified Public Accountant, fate stepped in and led him back to produce. In 1986, he joined Chiquita's finance department. He was then transferred to Miami in 1989 to work for John Thatcher, as Vice President of Finance for Banana Supply, a newly acquired subsidiary of Chiquita.

"John Thatcher taught me so much about humbleness, hard work, integrity, and how to be a leader. It was all through an example of how he lived his life. I will always be grateful for that opportunity," said Leimkuhler. It's been 26 years since he picked up his family, moved to Los Angeles, and began using the leadership skills he learned from Thatcher to build Progressive into what it is today.

"I could never have imagined how much Progressive, and the produce industry, would evolve over the next 25 years and I feel fortunate to have been part of the journey," Leimkuhler added.

Even though the company is now much larger, it still maintains a small business mentality. Leimkuhler would always emphasize to his team that the way to success was to always get better.

"Getting better was an easier goal than saying we had to grow by 15 percent every year, which is tough in a commodity business," he said. "I just boiled it down to getting better. And if we got better, we would get bigger. And if we got bigger, well we just had to deal with it."

With this philosophy, Progressive grew from a local Los Angeles produce company into a year-round grower/packer/shipper. Today, Progressive's product line consists of organic and conventional asparagus, potatoes, onions, sweet potatoes, citrus, and chili peppers grown throughout North and South America with sales offices in Los Angeles, Washington, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Texas.

Leimkuhler and other company leadership sold a majority interest in the company to TOTAL PRODUCE plc in February 2016. Subsequently, one year later, the company merged with its longtime sweet onion and asparagus business partner Keystone Fruit Marketing of Greencastle. Marty Kamer, who was previously President of Keystone, was named President of the Progressive business in October 2018. Kamer will continue to lead the company into the future, together with a well-respected team of industry veterans.

"My first and lasting impression of Jim is leadership personified. His inspirational leadership is rooted in his integrity and his relentless pursuit of excellence," said Kamer.

Scott Leimkuhler, VP of Sales at Progressive, also commented on his father's retirement.

"It has been a special time in my life to get to work with and learn from my dad," he said. "He cares deeply about the people at Progressive and the produce industry as a whole. I will miss working with him. His legacy of integrity, leadership, and kindness makes me proud."

When asked about what he will miss most, Leimkuhler was quick to reply that he'll miss the people of Progressive, who have always been his motivation to work hard. He often said that people are what makes this industry great and to never lose sight of the fact that we need people and we need to keep relationships strong in everything we do.

"Jim is one of the most inspirational people I have ever met," said Jeannie Berger, Vice President of HR and Administration. "He is a true visionary with a compassion to make everyone's life better."

As Leimkuhler prepares for retirement, he offers some advice to the next generation of leaders and those starting their careers in the industry: "Always look for where you can add value and make a difference. If you love your job, 'own it' and grow with it. And don't forget to take some risks. I started out in a journalism job, became a CPA, and ended up in produce. It's rarely a straight line for anyone. Go out there and follow your dreams."

We wish Jim Leimkuhler the best of luck as he embarks on this next stage of his journey.

Progressive Produce

OTAY MESA, CA - Officers for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have once again stepped in to save the day when it comes to protecting our precious fresh produce. On March 10, 2021, officers at the Otay Mesa commercial facility foiled the plot of criminals to smuggle over $1.3 million worth of methamphetamine hidden with a shipment of produce.

“CBP officers continue to expedite legitimate trade and travel without letting their guard down when it comes to protecting our country,” said Rosa Hernandez, Port Director of the Otay Mesa Port of Entry. “We are aggressively combating the flow of illegal narcotics and preventing them to reach our communities.”

On Wednesday, according to a relase, officers encountered a tractor pulling a trailer with what appeared to be fresh spinach inside. As the inspection unfolded, CBP referred the trailer for X-ray imaging, during which anomalies were detected.

Upon further review and a canine team screening, detector dogs alerted to 127 packages of methamphetamine wrapped in images of spinach concealed within fresh spinach. The drugs that were removed weighed more than 580 pounds.

The driver of the tractor has been turned over to agents with with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), and the tractor, trailer, and narcotics were seized by CBP officers.

Thanks to the efforts of these agents, our fresh produce remains safe from the hands of criminals for another day.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection

CHICAGO, IL - Continuing to grow its footprint in the industry, Hazel Technologies has recently unveiled a new partnership with Migiva Group. The solutions company's new partner is a family-owned group of diversified companies in the Americas and is the owner of Agricola Andrea. In joining forces, Migiva will trial Hazel Tech^® post-harvest application for its grapes on a commercial scale.

“Our growth in Peru has been fantastic in our first year of commercial operation. Our ultimate goal is to allow our customers to provide the highest quality fruit, decrease food waste, and increase sales,” said Martin Roeder, Latin America Sales Manager, Hazel Technologies. “For post-harvest protection in grapes, there is no solution simpler than Hazel 100™.”

Migiva Group has been trialing Hazel Tech’s product over the last year in Peru, and has seen overall positive results. According to a release, the solutions offered by Hazel have the potential to deliver significant added value for Agricola Andrea in delivering the highest quality table grapes to the high-end markets it serves.

Hazel Tech has shown to prolong shelf-life of table grapes, reducing dehydration and improving the overall visual appearance of the fruit.

“In this business, and especially for the high-end markets that we serve, nothing is more important than the perfection of the fruit and its eating experience. We don’t just sell fruit; we sell an extraordinary eating experience! We are passionate about distinguishing ourselves with the best quality fruit,” explained Eduardo Mazzini, Commercial Director of Migiva Group. “Based on our trial results, we believe that Hazel Tech’s product favors the grapes post-harvest. The fruit keeps fresher for longer; the stems look greener, as if they were not long ago harvested. This is key because the condition of the stems is a known indicator of freshness in grapes.”

Following the trials of Hazel’s solutions last season, the product is being trialed commercially throughout the 2020–21 season on exports of Agricola Andrea’s table grapes from Peru that are destined primarily for Asia.

Some of the grapes will also be hitting markets in Europe, the U.K., the U.S., and Canada, among others.

For more growing partnerships and innovative solutions from across the industry, keep reading AndNowUKnow.

Hazel Technologies Migiva Group

KINGSVILLE, ONTARIO, CANADA - Taking the fresh produce industry by storm, greenhouse-grown products are continuing to make a splash in the retail sector. Staying on top of the growing demand from consumers, DelFrescoPure® has revealed Phase One of its greenhouse production expansion to 25 acres. In full production by September 2021, the project will increase supplies of high-quality Ontario greenhouse-grown tomatoes and strawberries for winter 2021–2022.

“With the demand for locally grown Ontario greenhouse tomatoes, DelFrescoPure® decided to leverage the demand with expansion plans. We’re planning three phases to keep up with consumer demand for tomatoes and strawberries,” said Carl Mastronardi, President.

As consumption of locally grown tomatoes increases, DelFrescoPure’s latest expansion will offer buyers the produce experience that consumers are searching for with reduced food miles, according to a press release. The expanded acreage will also create more product to serve both the Canandian and U.S. markets.

“We are proud to offer our retail partners and consumers high quality locally grown greenhouse tomatoes from September 2021 winter production season,” commented Ray Mastronardi, Vice President of Sales. “The decision to expand the winter tomato program was made clear from our retail partners asking for more acreage to meet the demand of the consumers."

The expansion will feature innovative technology for all-season growing. By installing energy curtains and grow lights, the grower will be able to provide over three quarters of a half million square-foot controlled micro-climate environment for growing tomatoes.

DelFrescoPure® brands greenhouse tomatoes under Delights Blushing with Flavor®, Mini Mixers®, Ombra®, G.R.Eat!®, Heirloom®. Additionally, the greenhouse maven offers beefsteak and tomatoes on the vine with local and national retail partners.

For more updates on the expanding greenhouse sector, stick with AndNowUKnow for the latest news.

DelFrescoPure®

TRAVERSE CITY, MI - The vegetable category is one of my favorites to explore as I am always finding exciting new varieties to switch up my eating experiences. I know many shoppers feel the same, and North Bay Produce’s dynamic vegetable program provides plenty of differentiation in the produce aisle. Sitting down with John Battle, Vegetable Category Manager, I had the chance to add another veg to my repertoire: French beans.

“All supplies of our French beans are grown in Guatemala and are available 12 months out of the year,” John began. “This variety is grown around 9,000 feet above sea level, providing our grower with cool nights and warm days for growth. The cooler nighttime temperatures bring out a sugar level that produces a unique and firm bean that snaps when cracked in half.”

John divulged that this year is the first that North Bay is offering a full organic program for its French beans. In addition to the traditional green French bean, North Bay also produces a yellow French bean. Retailers have been placing the two varieties next to each other, which has resulted in consumers picking up two bags of the beans to blend together for an exciting presentation.

But that is just the beginning of the delightful surprises from this category.

“As one of the first people to import sweet onions into North America from South America and being able to see their skyrocketing demand, I am now seeing a similar phenomenon in the bean category: French beans are outselling green beans,” John said. “Our largest retail partners who supply these have surpassed the traditional green beans category in sales, which is incredibly unique considering that we can get a larger ring at the register for French beans.”

The key to this program, John explained, is a quick turnaround from harvest to packing. During shipment, the vegetables are only on the boat for a total of six and a half days. Product is brought directly to North Bay’s Miami, Florida, warehouses and arrives twice a week.

Of course, another aspect of North Bay’s wildly successful French bean program is its precision in bringing product to market. Everything at North Bay is carefully calculated. The company implements one-year contracts with chain stores, so its growers know how much to plant and exactly what the output is going to be. As a result, there have been no shortages or delays.

“Seven months out of the year, we offer Brussels sprouts, which are also produced in the high altitudes of these Guatemalan fields,” John said as we explored the rest of North Bay’s vegetable operations. “We have the same grower who does all of the French beans, Brussels sprouts, sugar snaps, and snow peas.”

North Bay only deals in value-added product, so its Brussels sprouts are pre-peeled, triple washed, and pre-cooled, which holds in the sweetness. These high-altitude Brussels sprouts are different from California and Mexican Brussels sprouts as they are much less bitter.

As we continue to track the progress of our industry’s leading fresh produce suppliers, keep clicking back to ANUK.

North Bay Produce

WENATCHEE, WA - Back to offer buyers across the industry a leg up when it comes to stocking their produce aisles, Stemilt has released another edition of its Fruit Tracker™ Fast Facts to provide crucial insights on the U.S. apple and pear categories. February’s data showed a continued increase in apple dollars, and pears weren’t far behind. So, keep reading to find out exactly how you can maximize your sales with these staple categories.

“Retail prices of apples inched up between December 2020 and February 2021, and are up 11 cents year over year,” said Brianna Shales, Marketing Director. “This is due mostly to a shorter national apple crop this year. Apples are still competitively priced and ready for regular and big promotions as we head into the spring season.”

Based on Nielsen retail scan data from the latest 12 weeks ending February 21, the apple category saw a 1.2 percent increase in dollars compared to the 12 weeks prior. The Honeycrisp variety led the category in sales and accounted for 30 percent of apple dollars between January 24 and February 21. This variety alone was up 11 percent in dollars and 5 percent in volume compared to the same time last year.

Gala was another top competitor in the apple category, reporting a 5 percent increase in dollars compared to the year before.

“Looking beyond the top 5, we see Pink Lady^® at #6 experiencing volume and dollar declines over the past 12 weeks,” said Shales. “It’s one of the best eating apples every spring and summer with that noteworthy sweet-tart profile and worthy of upcoming multi-variety bulk promotions. The pink branding can be a showstopper in the produce department to drive impulse sales.”

Just as with apple varieties, there were subtle differences in regional performance for the category as well. With an overall sales increase of 11 percent for fresh produce, the Northeast region saw produce sales up 12 percent and moved 1 percent more apple volume during the 12-week timeframe. The South region witnessed the largest growth in apple dollars, up 8 percent from last year.

“It’s difficult to pinpoint a single reason that the Northeast outperformed the average in February, but they had some wild weather during this timeframe which could have drawn more shoppers to purchase more food, including apples,” said Shales. “It also could be a continuation of the COVID-19 effect where consumers are eating and cooking at home more.”

In its Fast Facts episode, Stemilt also went over the pear category performance during the 12-week period. Similar to apples, pears saw a 13 percent increase in dollars and a 6 percent incline in volume.

The Bartlett variety was the star of the show in terms of the fall and early winter months, making up 40 percent of pear sales. Although, as domestic season starts to wind down, Stemilt is predicting this to change.

“We expect d’Anjou to move into that primary position for pears and have great supplies and fruit quality on Anjou’s to help continue the upward sales trend on pears,” said Shales. “Both red and green d’Anjou are great for frequent pear promotions this spring.”

For more inside tips and performance knowledge, stick with ANUK for the latest.

Stemilt

SANTA MARIA, CA - With the warmth of the spring and summer months just around the corner, there is nothing like delicious berries to draw consumers in. Anticipating this peak in demand, Main Street Produce has announced the expansion of its strawberry program, including an increase in acreage.

“Our team is very confident and proud of the quality and production we can currently produce. This added acreage will allow us to continue growing alongside our customers, while also continuing to maintain the high level of customer service they are accustomed to,” said Roger Privett III, Sales and Business Development Manager.

Main Street has increased its 2021 planted strawberry acreage by 20 percent in order to support the growing demand for its berries, the company noted in a press release. In addition, the grower will be planting off-cycle strawberries to offer additional production during the fall.

In order to support this added acreage, Main Street and its sister farming company, Freshway Farms are planning to add 300 additional employees to its year-round and seasonal teams.

“Expanding acreage would not be possible without the support of all of our farm operations leaders and team members,” added Paul Allen, President and Director of Sales.

So, If you're looking to fulfill all of your strawberry needs this season, Main Street Produce is prepared to get your shelves stocked.

For more news from growers across the industry, keep a tab open for AndNowUKnow.

Main Street Produce

MIAMI, FL - As BrandStorm™, one of the industry’s must-see marketing events, continues, Moxxy Marketing has been actively taking part. Alongside fresh produce marketing experts, Julie DeWolf and Tom Barnes, the company led two informative sessions highlighting retailer relationships and website design.

In the first session, Activating Research to Bolster Retailer Relationships and Grow Sales, Moxxy’s President and CEO Karen Nardozza joined Tom Barnes, CEO of Category Partners, and Shopper Marketing Expert Julie DeWolf, to dig in on the importance of consumer research and retail sales data.

“Building from the presentation I shared with Adam Brohimer, President of Category Partners at United re-Fresh Experience back in January, this session at BrandStorm highlighted the importance of crafting research strategies in order to boost sales and improve marketing effectiveness,” said Nardozza. “By investing in and becoming proficient at interpreting retail sales data and shopper insights from focus group and survey research, companies will be well-positioned to upgrade their marketing, strengthen retailer relationships, and become category leaders.”

According to a release, the session explored the process of obtaining and analyzing retail scan data; designing shopper surveys, consumer focus groups, and other research tools; and how to interpret and present research findings to improve retail success around new product introductions, line extensions, and increase sales of existing products.

The second session, Website Redesign: How to Plan for Success and Avoid Pitfalls, was part of BrandStorm’s special marketing firm sessions and provided a primer for brands on what necessary aspects go into a website redesign or development project. Speakers included Nardozza, alongside Moxxy’s Marketing Director Beth Adan, and Web Developer Hal Collins.

“A brand’s website is so much more than just a virtual headquarters,” said Adan. “It’s a prime opportunity to use the space for communicating with clients and customers, hosting landing pages to prequalify leads, collecting customer information, managing e-commerce transactions, providing supply chain transparency, and more. The session was well attended and participants engaged actively by asking questions and sharing information in the chat area. We’re so glad to have been able to share such valuable information at BrandStorm and appreciate United Fresh for hosting us.”

Whether a company is planning a website redesign now or in the future, it’s important to be aware of what it takes to create a successful website, as well as attention to considerations like ADA Compliance, Voice Search user behavior, and SEO.

In order to access this information, Moxxy has made downloadable PDFs of the presentation slides.

For Activating Research to Bolster Retailer Relationships and Grow Sales, click here. For Website Redesign: How to Plan for Success and Avoid Pitfalls, click here.

Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we wrap up additional BrandStorm coverage.

Moxxy Marketing