ONTARIO, CANADA - Like the curious vine of a cucumber plant, Mucci Farms continues to expand its footprint across the continent. Most recently, the company announced it is adding two new U.S.-based facilities in Romulus, Michigan, and San Antonio, Texas. Furthering its rapid expansion efforts over the last several years, the company is adding the new locations to increase efficiencies and service more regions.

“We’re very excited about these two new locations because they will improve our ability to service retailers and consumers in the U.S.,” said Gianni Mucci, Vice President of Operations. “Not only will we be able to service a larger area of the United States, we will significantly reduce our carbon footprint and food mileage which will serve retailers and consumers with high-quality fruits and vegetables with an emphasis on environmental responsibility.”

As with all of Mucci Farms’ new builds and expansions, both facilities will be equipped with state-of-the-art automation and technology, and serve as cross docks to maximize efficiency. A press release noted that the Romulus, Michigan, warehouse has a 66,300-square-foot footprint and will primarily service the Midwest and Northeast United States.

“This location will help us pack, repack, and distribute our full lineup to the region in a timely manner,” Mucci explained. “Romulus is a great location for us as it allows us to avoid wait times at the border and quickly redirect product to several states.”

The Texas warehouse is a 54,000-square-foot facility strategically located to serve as a cross-dock primarily during the winter months. San Antonio is a central location that will help the company service southern states in the U.S. and addresses an industry-wide labor challenge.

“The San Antonio area has a population of 2.5 million people, and the labor market is particularly experienced in produce,” said Ronnie Alvar, Director of Operations. “This helps us onboard a knowledgeable team of people that understand the nuances of the produce industry and can efficiently manage the supply chain.”

Additionally, this warehouse is equipped with a unique feature in the loading docks. Alvar continued, noting, “With hot temperatures in Texas, our dock allows trucks to back into the warehouse in a manner that doesn’t break the cold chain. The doors actually open up right inside our pre-cooled loading dock, so we are able to preserve product quality as there is no temperature fluctuation transferring product from the truck to the warehouse.”

With a large focus on U.S. expansion, this announcement supports Mucci Farms’ first U.S. project in Huron, Ohio, a 75-acre greenhouse/warehouse operation. Being built in 3 x 25-acre phases, the first phase has been harvesting and servicing retailers since 2018 and phase 2 is currently under construction with a goal to harvest its first crop this fall. The entire project is equipped with supplemental grow lights allowing for local production 365 days a year.

Growing fresh produce for over 60 years, Mucci Farms is a vertically integrated greenhouse farming company with over 1,700 acres of lettuce, tomato, pepper, cucumber, and strawberry farms in Canada and the United States between itself and a global grower partner network. Headquartered in Kingsville, Ontario, the award-winning company is dedicated to continual investments in automation and technology along with a high level of research and development to offer consumers the most flavourful fruit and vegetable varieties in the world.

Where will Mucci’s proverbial cucumber tendrils reach next? Stick around as we investigate.

Mucci Farms

DEERFIELD BEACH, FL - When it comes to growing a brand in a competitive market, positioning is everything. Freshmade specializes in identifying opportunities in the fresh perimeter by focusing on what it calls "true brand relevance." I recently got in touch with Vanessa Doll, Director of Client Services, to get a sneak peek into how the agency creates a winning design for its fresh produce clientele.

“Our core principles lie in the belief that there is a sweet spot between disruption and relevance, and tapping into that spot is the key to successful growth,” Vanessa tells me. “A winning produce brand must differentiate itself while still maintaining broad appeal. It’s our mission to identify that spot for every brand we work with.”

The agency uses a simple approach that keeps communications easy and encourages client participation. Freshmade’s process includes steps such as brand assessment, intelligence gathering, and competitive analysis, to define unique selling points and category consumption insights to best market to consumers.

“When developing a positioning strategy, we aim to pinpoint the spot in a consumer’s mind where we can create a unique impression that’s distinct in the marketplace,” continues Vanessa. “In the end, all roads of our process lead us to an overarching ‘big idea’ that will create an unforgettable brand. Anything that makes ‘the final cut’ must ladder up to this idea, and communicate it very clearly and concisely.”

Consumers are becoming savvier about produce brands and unique varietals, which is a great opportunity for fresh.

“In every other category, consumers are poised to find brands they can devote themselves to, and I see produce as no exception,” Vanessa explains. “Produce brands will quickly need to carve out a distinctive position and carefully hone their messaging to succeed.”

As we see this shift in marketing directly to consumers, that means packaging design in produce needs to catch up with other categories. One way to target a new consumer is to introduce an idea that has familiarity.

“Consumers shop the whole store, and they learn to recognize key assets in isolation—those indicators can carry over to the produce category with the right strategic thinking. This concept opens up a world of possibilities in food packaging!” says Vanessa. “With SUNSET®’s WOW™ berries rebrand, for instance, we used black matte and gold foil to indicate premium, borrowing from luxury haircare and gourmet chocolate."

With talent hailing from global CPG design firms who managed P&G and Kraft brands, Freshmade brings more than 15 years of experience and a highly curated team to branding in produce. That knowledge is then harnessed to spur ingenuity for its clientele such as Publix, Mastronardi® Produce, and Frieda’s Specialty Produce.

“We understand the unique challenges brands in this industry face, as well as their distinct advantages. This helps us quickly identify key differentiators when designing for produce,” Vanessa remarks. “We are a full-service agency that is solely focused on food, and that expertise comes to play across all of our capabilities. Everything a brand needs for a successful redesign is done in-house, and we have a fully equipped kitchen for recipe development, food photography, videography, and social media content creation.”

As consumer habits change, Freshmade will stand at the ready to spot the next innovation to take place. Will we be ready for it? ANUK will continue to report.

Freshmade

NEWARK, DE - We may feel physically farther from our community, but virtually we’re closer than ever. This is, in part, due to leaders like PMA's Center for Growing Talent (CGT), whose latest program includes a Virtual Wellness Walk and Run Challenge that is bringing together the produce and floral industry to participate in a healthy opportunity.

“The idea of the Virtual Wellness Walk and Run Challenge is first to bring together our industry since we have not been able to gather in person in some time,” said CGT Contributor Relations and Fundraising Manager, Kelsey Palandrani. “Secondly, each contribution and registration supports our education programs, designed to attract and develop talent on behalf of the industry. With traditional events on hold and university students going remote, we know that it’s more important than ever that we’re working to reach potential talent in new ways and the Virtual Wellness Walk and Run Challenge helps us accomplish that.”

Following stay-at-home restrictions, the Virtual Wellness Walk and Run Challenge serves as an outlet for healthy competition and team building (many organizations are using the event to bring their teams together even if they’re far apart), all while supporting the attraction and development of the next generation of industry talent.

Among this year’s 490 registered participants and 39 teams include supply-side leaders like Naturipe Farms, Sun World International, and Renaissance Food Group. Other leaders like Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Volm Companies, Catania Worldwide, Progressive Produce, Lakeside Produce, and Mucci Farms also helped to sponsor the event. And, according to a press release, participants have already clocked more than 5,500 cumulative miles.

“We are so happy to see the miles and the participation grow,” said Director of Business Development, Jamie Kitz. “We have all been walking untraveled paths over the past several months and we’re grateful that the industry has chosen to walk those paths with us. For those of us who have been out of the office for several weeks, this type of program is perfect for some healthy competition and connection with colleagues. We challenge all of our industry members to join, challenge their teams, and challenge their industry partners to take a social distance walk with their friends, families, and pets, record those miles and time, all while contributing to the industry and CGT programs.”

Thus far, two thirds of the participants have signed up for the 30-mile cumulative challenge and have been submitting their results regularly, with the top performer in the cumulative challenge leading the way with 140 miles. Participants can also run or walk 1 mile or a 5K.

If you haven’t joined the challenge just yet, there are still two weeks left to go—the Virtual Wellness Walk and Run Challenge will continue through June 21. So, what are you waiting for? Register now for the CGT Virtual Wellness Walk/Run Challenge today to get your health on!

Center for Growing Talent PMA

NOVA SCOTIA, CANADA - It’s been over two years since we reported on Empire Company’s plans to convert its Sobeys and Safeway stores in Western Canada into the new FreshCo banner. Since then, FreshCo has managed to make some significant waves in the Canadian market. This week, Empire released more news on its banner expansion, teasing the first FreshCo locations in Alberta and four new stores in Manitoba.

“Breaking ground in Alberta is a significant milestone in our Western Canadian expansion. We have now opened or planned locations in every province in Western Canada,” said Mike Venton, General Manager of FreshCo. “Our FreshCo expansion into Western Canada is more relevant than ever before, as economic realities continue to shift. We are seeing a strong appetite for discount grocery options as the brand continues to resonate with the Western Canadian shopper.”

Since the first FreshCo opened in April 2019, the company has opened 14 FreshCo stores in British Columbia (BC) and two in Manitoba. By the end of the second quarter of fiscal 2021, the company plans to open two additional FreshCo stores in BC and four in Saskatchewan, according to a press release.

The company will work with the union that represents impacted employees in Manitoba to ensure that all terms of the collective agreements are met. Options will be provided, including the opportunity to work at Safeway stores within the network or the new FreshCo locations.

The two Alberta FreshCo store locations announced today are both located in Edmonton, in Heritage, and Tamarack. The Tamarack location is a new construction site and the store is planned to open in Spring 2021.

The Sobeys store in Heritage will close for renovation in fall of 2020 with plans to open as FreshCo in spring of 2021. The four future Manitoba FreshCo store locations announced today are: Sargent, Niakwa Village, Pembina and McGillivray, and Henderson and Bronx. The Safeway locations will all close in fall of 2020 with plans to open as FreshCo in spring of 2021.

Keep your eye out for more of these monumental expansions as we continue to report at AndNowUKnow.

Empire Company

CHARLOTTE, NC - As animation experts continue to advance their skills and enrich the lives of children and adults alike, companies like Pixar Animation Studios tend to lead the pack. Leveraging Pixar’s iconic storytelling in its latest campaign, Dole recently kicked off an eight-month-long celebration of healthy living as well as the very real stories behind the millions of parents, grandparents, and others now building healthier, happier families at home.

“The filmmakers at Pixar have always done a masterful job telling incredibly moving human stories, even when the heroes are toys, cars, or fish. They remind us of the unbreakable bonds of families and friends, and our ability to achieve great things when we put our minds to it,” said Bil Goldfield, Dole’s Director of Communications. “We’re seeing this with all that is going on in 2020. Real courage, bravery, and strength are found everywhere and in everyday routines, and those of us at Dole can think of no better inspiration for the families and essential employees who continue to rise up to face challenges and strive for a healthier future.”

Calling upon the everyday triumphs of Pixar characters like Woody and Buzz from Toy Story, Carl from Up, and the Parr Family from The Incredibles, Dole is encouraging North Americans to make their own “healthy-at-home” success stories with original, character-inspired recipes, family-friendly activities, digital downloads, fun social activations, and nutritional tips from Melanie Marcus, MA, RD, Dole’s Health and Nutrition Communications Manager.

The in-store and at-home promotion continues through December 2020 and is part of Dole’s long-term nutritional alliance with The Walt Disney Company to make healthy eating and a diet rich in fresh fruits and vegetables more fun and accessible to busy parents, as noted in a press release.

The collaboration launched May 4 with images of beloved characters from 15 Disney and Pixar films on millions of DOLE® Bananas and Pineapples in U.S. and Canadian supermarkets. Representing the first time that Dole has simultaneously featured multiple films from the same studio, the collectible banana stickers and pineapple tags celebrate Toy Story, A Bug’s Life, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles, Cars, Ratatouille, WALL•E, Up, Brave, Inside Out, The Good Dinosaur, Coco, and the new 2020 releases Onward and Soul.

Dole also created DOLE® Banana Sticker Peel and Play activity sheets to make it more engaging for kids and families to collect all 25 stickers featuring Disney and Pixar films and characters. The fun continues with the summer launch of a special Dole initiative themed to Disney and Pixar’s Monsters, Inc., and intended to take the scare out of adding more exotic fruits and vegetables to the mealtime routine. Come this fall, Disney and Pixar’s Ratatouille becomes the inspiration for a unique Dole campaign designed to prove that there can never be too many cooks in the kitchen.

Highlights of each initiative include original, character-inspired Dole recipes, including entrees, side dishes, salads, soups, sandwiches, smoothies, and desserts made with fresh fruits and vegetables; family-friendly serving suggestions and healthy eating and living tips from Marcus; fun social, digital, and influencer executions; blogger and influencer partnerships; and many other surprises.

For more ideas on how to keep the fresh produce magic alive, keep a tab open for ANUK.

Dole

UNITED STATES - If we were to speculate the soundtrack of Costco’s expansion plans, the High School Musical franchise’s iconic “Bop to the Top” has to be a contender. The wholesale giant always seems to be expanding its footprint around the world, literally bopping to the top of the global retail sector.

Last month, we reported that Costco is making plans for new store facilities in Idaho Falls, Idaho; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Belleville, Canada. This week, we’re reporting that Costco is opening new locations in ANUK’s backyard and in Verona, Wisconsin.

Sacramento, California, recently welcomed a new Costco warehouse on June 4, 2020, according to CBS Sacramento. But, unlike other recent openings, this Costco is one of 19 in the country that specifically services restaurant businesses.

Over in Verona, Wisconsin, city leaders confirmed that the big-box behemoth will be opening a brand-new, 161,000-square-foot store under its traditional format. According to a report by Fox 47, pending approval, construction will kick off in the fall of 2021 or 2022.

Where will Costco bop to the top of the retail market next? AndNowUKnow will continue moving and grooving until the fresh produce news stops.

Costco

SACRAMENTO, CA - The California Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) is appointing a special new subcommittee to investigate the role land adjacent to leafy greens farms plays in contributing to foodborne illness outbreaks.

“The role of the LGMA’s Adjacent Lands Subcommittee is to review current LGMA standards related to grazing lands and adjacent properties, gather all relevant research done by CPS or other entities and consult with stakeholders for additional input,” said Sharan Lanini, Pacific International Marketing, who serves as the Chair of the LGMA’s Technical Committee and will be leading this important effort. “As part of this effort, the subcommittee plans to look at a number of factors including distance; slope and other physical properties; the impact of weather; potential barriers such as berms, diversion ditches, or vegetative strips; and ‘good neighbor’ policies as they relate to properties located near leafy greens farming operations.”

According to a press release, the LGMA’s new committee is part of a comprehensive review of all existing food safety practices required under the LGMA program and is in direct response to findings from a U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) report issued last week. This FDA report detailed the FDA’s investigation of the three distinct outbreaks that occurred in the fall of 2019.

In the report, the e. coli strain linked to one of these outbreaks, along with other STEC strains, was detected in samples taken from cattle grazing land in proximity to where romaine lettuce crops were grown. The FDA has stated it believes ruminants, most likely cattle, are the source of contamination in these outbreaks. However, exactly how the pathogens end up on leafy greens remains a mystery.

“Current requirements under the LGMA call for assessments of environmental conditions in and around leafy greens fields,” said Scott Horsfall, CEO of the LGMA. “But it’s clear more can be done to keep pathogens out of our farms. Leafy greens farmers work hard every day to implement the best-known food safety practices. Ultimately, the LGMA is the entity charged with updating and improving these standards to better protect consumers. The input provided by the FDA report and the work being done by our subcommittees, researchers, and other stakeholders is critical to prevent future outbreaks.”

Dan Sutton, General Manager for Pismo-Oceano Vegetable Exchange and Chairman of the LGMA, added, “As leafy greens farmers, we are committed to doing everything possible to make sure our products are safe. If we knew what additional precautions could keep pathogens out of our fields, we would immediately make changes to our food safety program.”

The Subcommittee on Adjacent Lands is comprised of industry experts from LGMA member companies who will work closely with university and government researches in order to meticulously examine past and current studies from the Center for Produce Safety (CPS) and other relevant scientific research. In addition, the subcommittee will also engage with landowners of properties located near leafy greens farms. The subcommittee’s research, as with all areas of the LGMA’s required food safety practices, will provide recommendations as part of an open, collaborative process now underway for improving the safety of leafy greens—a process that is being facilitated by Western Growers.

Currently, this process is considering new standards for water used to grow leafy greens and for soil amendments and other crop inputs.

For more fresh produce news from around our industry, stick with us at AndNowUKnow.

Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement

IDAHO FALLS, ID - The key to success is to always plan ahead. For Eagle Eye Produce, that strategic planning is paying off. Major investments in new storage technology over the past few years have allowed the grower to stand out against other potato suppliers. This is due to the fact that it can supply premium Idaho-Grown Red Potatoes at the local level.

“Historically, the storage crop Idaho-Grown Red Potatoes during this time of year see pressure bruising and the quality dips below strict guidelines to where suppliers look to pull from other regions,” said Jared Neville, Commodity Director. “This new proprietary storage method has allowed us to better control our quality to where we can continue to sell our local product. We are proud to be able to continue to supply our customers directly with product grown, packed, and shipped by us.”

As the industry trends toward better traceability and higher quality product, Eagle Eye Produce sees this as a major stepping-stone in achieving that balance. According to a press release, Eagle Eye Produce’s red potato crops are fully integrated with its other year-round potato programs. This industry-leading structure allows for one-stop loading of russet, red, yellow, and value-added products from its facilities in Idaho.

Eagle Eye Produce offers a wide array of retail and foodservice pack styles under several proven brands with the option for private labels and a national sales and marketing team to support its global customer base.

Keep a tab open as AndNowUKnow continues to bring updates from the fresh produce world.

Eagle Eye Produce

WASHINGTON, DC - Great Lakes Packers Inc., which operates out of Bellevue, Ohio, has posted a $90,000 surety bond with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA).

Direct from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service:

The company posted the bond to employ Andrew Weingart, as required by the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).

In September 2018 the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) found that Forest City Weingart Produce Co., Cleveland, Ohio, committed repeated and flagrant violations of the PACA. Andrew Weingart was the President and a stockholder of the company during the violation period.

Any PACA licensee wishing to employ individuals who have failed to pay a reparation award, or have been subject to a USDA disciplinary action, must post a USDA-approved surety bond. The USDA will hold the $90,000 bond for four years and nine months, providing assurance to the industry that the firm will be able to pay for produce purchased and to conduct its business according to PACA rules.

The PACA Division, which is a part of AMS’ Fair Trade Practices Program, regulates fair trading practices of produce businesses that are operating subject to the PACA, including buyers, sellers, commission merchants, dealers, and brokers within the fruit and vegetable industry.

In the past three years, the USDA resolved approximately 3,500 PACA claims involving more than $58 million. Its experts also assisted more than 7,800 callers with issues valued at approximately $148 million. These are just two examples of how the USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.

For further information, contacts, and to read the press release in its entirety, please click the link here.

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service

RANCHO CORDOVA, CA - United Fresh LIVE! is the show on every industry members' lips this week, with the show kicking off in mere days. Renaissance Food Group (RFG), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Calavo Growers, is one of many suppliers taking part in the virtual expo with a series of videos highlighting the company and all its innovative facets.

“As a company who prides itself on innovation, RFG is thrilled with the opportunity to showcase our products and company at United Fresh LIVE!,” said Raina Nelson, EVP of Business Development, who will start the series off on June 15 with a video detailing the exciting plans RFG has in store to navigate the future of its business. “United Fresh has placed careful and thoughtful consideration into this expo to create rich value for exhibitors and attendees alike. This is a pioneering moment for the trade show industry and United Fresh LIVE! is shaping the future in their ability to pivot to a unique, virtual platform. It is truly cutting edge.”

The video series will also highlight RFG’s company framework, chef product demonstrations, updates on the company’s nationwide production facilities, and its comprehensive food safety and quality program, according to a press release.

As part of the chef product demonstrations, RFG’s team of certified culinary chefs will host demos featuring some of the value-added innovator’s newest product lines, including Grab & Go, Summer Grilling, Organics, Foodservice, and Premium Trays.

The Grab & Go product line in particular is one worthy of its upcoming spotlight. Featuring an assortment of pre-cut fruit, snacks, salads, sandwiches, wraps, and parfaits designed for today’s consumer, the line complements any retail or foodservice program by offering fresh convenience and an alternative to in-store cutting and build-your-own stations.

In addition, RFG’s evolved Summer Grilling product line showcases the versatility, seasonality, and dynamic uses of items such as grilling kits, pre-made kabobs, and grill-ready vegetable blends.

If you’re intrigued, then Renaissance Food Group’s virtual booth should be your first destination as soon as the trade show opens its virtual doors! Be sure to register for the event if you haven't already!

And, who knows, maybe the ANUK will virtually see you there.

Renaissance Food Group