EAST MIDLANDS, U.K. - Aldi is going all in on growth this year, recently locking down multiple Lucky’s locations in the U.S. and setting its sights on another acquisition in France. Most recently though, the grocer opened its newest and largest distribution center (DC) in England. The facility was a roughly $83 million (£64m) investment and spans over 600,000 square feet. It is the United Kingdom’s eleventh Aldi DC and is expected to make the region’s supply chain more efficient than ever.

“Our new Sawley distribution centre significantly increases our capacity and allows us to open even more stores across the East Midlands to cater for the growing number of shoppers switching to Aldi,” Giles Hurley, CEO of Aldi U.K. and IRL, said. “Although some of our newest and most popular stores are situated in the East Midlands, there are still many towns and cities where we have a limited presence or none at all. This is something that we are looking to address in the coming years.”

According to East Midlands Business Link, the new DC is part of a $1.3 billion (£1 billion) investment strategy that Aldi announced. This plan includes new stores and store upgrades in addition to significant time spent refurbishing DC’s. The new facility will employ over 400 individuals and service more than 80 stores.

Will Aldi’s growth strategy continue ramping up in the U.K., or will it turn its attention Stateside? In any case, you can count on ANUK to give you the latest.

Aldi

IRVINE, CA - Good morning, AndNowUKnow readers!

Today, I am bringing you some of the category and weather news from around the industry. Check back twice weekly to see the latest around all growing regions.

RAIN LEAVING ITS MARK, NEXT COMES COLD TEMPERATURES TO CULIACÁN

Culiacán and the other growing regions of Sinaloa received between 1.25” to 1.50” of rain Sunday night through Monday. Today, there is still a 60 percent of an additional .25” or rain. This rain halted harvest yesterday and will most likely today as well. As the rain finally moves out tomorrow, expect cold temperatures on the backside of the storm. Expect Wednesday night’s low to be 40° with an occasional tempearture in the high 30°s in isolated areas. Thursday night will have a low of 44° and Thursday a low of 49°.

Expect volumes to drop, markets to tighten, and prices to rise this week in Nogales on all items as a consequence of this rain and colder temperatures. Also, look for quality issues due to rain damage on all items. If you can still pick up some cheap fruit today, you might want to buy an extra load or two.

COLD TEMPERATURES ACROSS THE WEST TONIGHT THROUGH THURSDAY

The same storm system that hit Sinaloa will also bring cold temperatures to major growing regions throughout California, Arizona, and Baja CA, Mexico.

The Coachella Valley had a minimum temperature last night of 38° and tonight will be 33°. It won’t be until Thursday that the lows are back in the 40°s. The maximum temperatures are also very cool, reaching only into the low 60°s. Yuma is also cool but not as bad as Coachella with temperatures about 5° warmer across-the-board.

Oxnard had a minimum temperature last night of 38° and will see 39° tonight. Maximum temperatures these last two days were only in the upper 50°s. Look for a dip in production.

Strawberry regions of Vizcaíno in Baja CA will dip into the mid 30°s tonight and tomorrow night. Look for daily highs to reach only to 66° for the next few days. Look for a dip in production from this area.

FREEZE WARNING FOR CITRUS REGION OF SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY

Same storm system as mentioned above will bring freezing temperatures to the San Joaquin Valley of California tonight and tomorrow.

Last night was the coldest night of the week dipping into the upper 20°s in the citrus regions of Bakersfield, Visalia, and Orange Cove. Tonight will also be in the upper 20°s and low 30°s for tomorrow.

You should check with shippers to see if harvest or crop will be affected.

Thank you as always! We will be back later this week with another report.

Weathermelon

SELAH, WA - Long-standing partnerships like the one between Rainier Fruit and Allan Bros. Fruit are hard to come by, but the two managed to lock down a mutually beneficial relationship in 1995. The two most recently teamed up to create a new demand-based packing line that can easily transition to different customer’s needs. Allan Bros. invested in a $35 million apple packing facility, which is where this ambitious initiative blossomed.

“This is just one example of how Rainier Fruit and our family of growers like Allan Bros. are looking ahead and utilizing technology to drive sales opportunities,” remarked Andy Tudor, Vice President of Business Development at Rainier Fruit. “Our customers around the world are asking for more on-demand services and these past few years we’ve accepted that challenge to make capital improvements that are some of the best in the world and on-trend with the expectations of new packs and new varieties.”

Allan Bros. specializes in growing premium apple varieties such as Honeycrisp, Envy™, Jazz™, and Pink Lady®. According to a press release, this upgrade allows Allan Bros., and in turn Rainier Fruit, to keep up with the needs of the ever-changing apple category and the demands for custom packs that drive retail sales opportunities.

“Our new packing warehouse and line will equip us with predictive analytics and very precise handling of our fruit,” said Miles Kohl, Allan Bros. Fruits' CEO. “We inaugurated the new facility and modern technology with the fall harvest and we couldn’t be more thrilled with the results that are yielding new efficiencies in our final outputs.”

The new apple packing facility includes a hybrid line that maximizes output by utilizing its capability of pre-sizing fruit. This line allows for a reduction of fruit handling and labor, which in turn avoids bruising or damaging the fruit. Additionally, the state-of-the-art technology also includes proprietary operational analytics software and Compac LED color and defect sorting, as well as near infrared internal imaging that helps gather additional information on every apple.

What other great initiatives by Rainier and Allan Bros. will come to fruition? Follow along with us at AndNowUKnow as we continue to report.

Rainier Fruit Allan Bros. Fruit

WATSONVILLE, CA - The fresh produce industry is always working to reduce our environmental impact, and one of the most prevalent ways to do so is to make our operations more sustainable. Major North American fresh berry producers recently partnered up in order to make the berry category more sustainable, announcing their commitment to use 100 percent recycle-ready packaging by 2025.

The California Strawberry Commission, the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), Asociacion national de Exportadores de Berries (Aneberries, Mexico), members of the National Berry Crops Initiative, and South American exporters are teaming up to maintain industry leadership in sustainable packaging.

“Berry farming has a long history of innovation and leadership that once again came together to make this ambitious pledge,” said Rick Tomlinson, President of the California Strawberry Commission. “Achieving 100 percent recycle-ready packaging represents the type of continuous improvement that is common among farmers as they strive for ever improving efficiency.”

According to a press release, the cornerstone of this collaboration is a commitment to new label standards, which will optimize the recycle readiness of all berry clamshells throughout North America. The groups aim to encourage consumer recycling of clamshells and establish new purchase specifications for packaging manufacturers. By working together as competitive collaborators, these actions will create economies of scale to reduce costs and stimulate a closed-loop circular economy that recycles berry clamshells back into new berry clamshells.

"The North American Blueberry Council (NABC) is pleased to join this coalition of berry industry leadership to help achieve this important and ambitious initiative,” said Kasey Cronquist, President of NABC. “This commitment to 100 percent recycle-ready packaging reflects a team effort and our continued focus on helping our growers, shippers, and industry partners attain a goal that no one organization could accomplish alone.”

This commitment to 100-percent recycle-ready clamshells complements existing actions that use recycled content to make berry clamshells. For over a decade, berry clamshells have been among the food packages that use the most California post-consumer recycled content in the U.S. For example, it is common for California berry clamshells to contain more than 50 percent recycled content.

“Mexico plays an important role in creating value in the world supply of fresh berries, including the U.S. market. Our members are committed to forward-thinking sustainable practices and we are aligned in the collaboration efforts to collectively make a difference with more sustainable packaging," stated Aldo Mares Benavides, President of Aneberries. “This reflects our mission as an organization where profitability can’t be separated from the responsibility of sustainability.”

Many berry farmers have shifted to the use of clear plastic packaging shaped as a vented box with a hinged lid, also known as a clamshell. This type of packaging created a market to convert recycled plastic water bottles into clear, lightweight containers that protect the fruit from damage and contamination, thus reducing food waste. This type of packaging decreases greenhouse gas emissions by reducing the amount of raw resources needed to make the packaging, and reducing fuel use as lighter packaging makes lighter shipments.

“Clamshell packaging revolutionized the ability of berry growers to transport their fruit to consumers nationwide,” said Henry Bierlink, President of the National Berry Crops Initiative (NCBI). “Now, the industry is working together on the next phase of that revolution, one that preserves the ability to safely transport fresh berries to market while minimizing product damage, reducing food waste, and demonstrating ongoing environmental stewardship. NBCI is a committed partner in this berry clamshell sustainability initiative.”

Beyond the climate-friendly reduction in resource use and greenhouse gases, enhanced plastic recycling generates jobs and economic benefits for local communities, creating a circular economy to produce, collect, recycle, and reprocess berry clamshells. Individual berry companies are making commitments to explore more sustainable and scalable solutions that include:

• Encouraging material recycling handlers and consumers to recycle more clamshells
• Including post-consumer recycled content in clamshell packaging
• Supporting innovation of new materials that are readily recyclable and/or compostable.

Additional South American partners have also pledged their commitment to 100 percent recycle-ready packaging by 2025, including Argentinean Blueberry Committee, Chilean Blueberry Committee, and ProArandanos (Peru).

We at AndNowUKnow extend our thanks to all these major berry players for their commitment to building a healthier world.

SANTA MARIA, CA - The fresh salad kit company, EAT SMART, continues to innovate through its latest packaging. EAT SMART’s new logo and packaging now features an eye-catching design on the company’s three salad lines, including SUPERFOOD SELECTIONS™, VINEYARD COLLECTION™ and CHOPPED COLLECTION™.

“EAT SMART’s new identity has already tested extremely well,” commented EAT SMART’s Senior Brand Equity Manager, Jenny Stornetta. “The new brand identity makes it easier than ever to shop EAT SMART with a smart visual language that helps consumers find products that meet their needs.”

Shoppers are paying more attention to the store perimeters and eating plant-centered diets. According to the press release, EAT SMART believes the produce department, specifically the bagged salad kit section, is ripe for branding and the company is poised to take advantage of that opportunity to capture more retailer shelf space and consumer taste buds.

With over 3.5 million packages shipped since the innovative rebranding launch in December, EAT SMART is playing it smart. The packaged salads even caught the eye of The Produce Moms’ Lori Taylor, in her list, “20 PRODUCE ITEMS EVERYONE NEEDS TO TRY IN 2020.”

“The Produce Moms® did an enormous amount of research and vetting when we put this year’s list together,” stated Taylor, CEO and Founder of The Produce Moms. “We look at a variety of determining factors when deciding which produce items will make the cut. EAT SMART’s product line checked all the boxes; healthy, innovative, flavorful, convenient, and most importantly, the ability to get consumers of all ages to eat more produce!”

SUPERFOOD SELECTIONS flavors include Sweet Kale, Asian Sesame, Honey Dijon Kale, Strawberry Harvest, and Wild Greens & Quinoa. The VINEYARD COLLECTION is a palate of wine-country inspired salads that includes Orange Vinaigrette & Bleu and Strawberry Vinaigrette & Feta. For the CHOPPED COLLECTION, flavor profiles include Avocado Cheddar Ranch, Sesame Almond Crunch, Mediterranean Crunch, Apple Gouda, Bistro Bacon, and Southwest.

For more exciting news in the produce industry, keep reading AndNowUKnow.

Eat Smart

LOCKPORT, NY - Chef Vincent Gilliard is known as a rising talent in the industry, recently creating the recipe that made him a finalist out of 2,400 other young Chefs across the country. He made a point to feature locally-sourced food, and SnapDragon® apples were part of the dish that put him on the culinary world map.

At a recent pop-up chef event in New York City, Crunch Time Apple Growers asked Chef Gilliard to create a unique recipe—again, featuring SnapDragon apples—with his amazing talent for finding flavor combinations, but also one that home cooks could master and enjoy.

“This is the kind of event that shows everyday cooks what’s possible with just a little inspiration,” says Rena Montedoro, Vice President of Sales and Marketing of Crunch Time Apple Growers. “We’re absolutely thrilled our apples made it into the San Pellegrino contest and that Chef Gilliard used locally sourced produce from New York State. This demo event was a great way to showcase Snap in recipes and provide a hands-on experience for our consumers.”

Gilliard kicked off the event by sampling the SnapDragon Apple Crostino, which included Goat Cheese (room temp), Minced Garlic Cloves, Chopped Parsley, Heavy Cream, Maple Syrup, Pecans, Cauliflower, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Salt and Pepper, a French baguette, and, of course, SnapDragon apples. According to a press release, this was followed by a demo where guests then learned how to prepare the SnapDragon signature recipe: an antioxidant salad with ginger dressing.

When Chef Vincent is not giving cooking demonstrations in the Big Apple, he is the Chef de Cuisine at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, NY—one of the nation’s premier golf clubs that has hosted both the Masters and the Ryder Cup.

Keep your eyes peeled for the next produce partnership born of Chef Vincent Gilliard’s expertise and talent.

Crunch Time Apple Growers

MOUND, MN - Recently, Golden Sun Marketing announced the hiring of two experienced professionals to join its roster of leaders. Jason Fuller stepped into his role as Vice President effective February 1. Tim Rogers joined the team at the beginning of January as the new Business Development Manager.

Fuller brings more than 20 years of experience to his new position. He also has a vast number of relationships across the produce industry, according to a press release, as well as deep expertise and knowledge of the buy/sell process between grower and retailer. Fuller will help clients craft sales strategies as well as execute them through the business development process.

Before Rogers joined Golden Sun Marketing, he learned his craft from The Fresh Market, a specialty grocer in the southeast.

The marketing firm, founded by President Don Goodwin in 2004, provides strategy, marketing, and business development to the fresh produce supply chain from seed to retail.

“I’m excited to have both Jason and Tim join the team; they will help us better serve our clients through effective strategy and capturing new customers,” stated Goodwin. “We pride ourselves in understanding retail, and these two will strengthen our capabilities.“At our core, we are a strategy-centric firm with a deep understanding of retail. We support our clients with business development and marketing."

“Jason brings a deep knowledge of selling produce to a wide variety of customers in our industry. He is highly respected by both his customers and his colleagues throughout the industry,” commented Goodwin. “Tim’s deep understanding of both procurement and merchandising at retail will provide our clients tremendous value,” stated Goodwin.

Congratulations to Jason Fuller and Tim Rogers on their new appointments! Keep reading ANUK for more news in the industry.

Golden Sun Marketing

PORTLAND, OR - Rico Farms recently began shipping its first crop of organic hard squash out of its newest location in Guaymas, Mexico. This new farm will supply organic acorn, delicata, butternut, spaghetti, and kabocha squash from now until early April.

“The warmer winter weather in Guaymas allows us to have a consistent supply of organic Mexican hard squash from November through May. Rico Farms had previously seen a gap in availability between the Fall and Spring season at its Hermosillo location,” stated Ben Johnson Bridges Produce President. “The addition of the Guaymas farm also fills the final gap in Bridges' year-round organic hard squash program. With supplies coming from California during the summer months, the Pacific Northwest in the fall and transitioning to Mexican supply for the winter and spring seasons.”

The Guaymas farm also leaves room for further expansion with 40 percent of the available acreage currently fallow. To better plan for this potential expansion, Rico Farms is performing numerous crop trials to determine the best options for the climate, soil conditions, and pest pressure.

Prior to this season beginning, Rico Farms in Guaymas was certified by Fair Trade USA. The Tapia family, owners of all three locations, hope to continue the success of this program in Guaymas, which allows them to make improvements to the community and the lives of the workers.

“The Fair Trade committee is assembled and ready to work with all of the employees on the next steps. We have a good plan and people are happy here,” remarked Jacobo Yanes, Operations Manager.

Ben Johnson added, “The Tapia family has created a foundation to fund education and personal development and land stewardship,” says Ben Johnson “Their larger mission of Creating wellbeing in a sustainable world is based on the three Ps, people, planet, and profit and the way in which they carry out this mission is reflected in everything they do.”

Keep reading AndNowUKnow for the latest in all things fresh produce.

Bridges Produce

HOUSTON, TX - As Sysco Corporation continues its upward growth, the company has released its second quarter fiscal 2020 results, revealing an overall increase in sales and profits. Its foodservice operations, both in the U.S. and abroad, in particular saw favorable results, indicating significant growth in the sector.

“Our second quarter fiscal 2020 results were driven by improved local case growth in our U.S. Foodservice segment, particularly within our independent customers.” said Joel Grade, Chief Financial Officer. “While our adjusted earnings per share were in-line with expectations for the quarter, our operating income results fell short. We remain focused on executing against all of our strategic initiatives to strengthen our long-term performance while maintaining our focus on the customer.”

Some of the highlights of Sysco’s foodservice Q2 growth include:

• U.S. sales at $10.4 billion, an increase of 3.2 percent
• U.S. gross profit at $2.0 billion, an increase of 2.4 percent
• International sales at $2.9 billion, no increase
• International gross profit at $586.0 million, a decrease of 0.7 percent

According to the financial report, the company’s organics operations were a source of growth in the foodservice sector, and though food cost inflation in the U.S. was up by 2.6 percent, it did not negatively impact Sysco’s foodservice sales.

To read the financial report in its entirety, click here.

Will this success in the foodservice sector prompt Sysco to devote more resources to its foodservice operations? Keep reading AndNowUKnow for more updates.

Sysco Corporation

SACRAMENTO, CA - While it’s a sad day to be a California native (49ers or bust!), it’s an excellent day to be a produce marketing maven. Last night, some of the biggest names across all industries put their best advertisements forward, leaving many in the business—including us trade news writers—to have a handful of notes on what to cop, what to not, and overall how to expand the reach of fresh fruits and vegetables via any and all channels of marketing.

While many of our favorites this year were outside of the produce industry, a few fresh-focused frontrunners won over our hearts, leading us to believe they won over consumers, too—a verifiable win for the produce industry as a whole.

Walmart

The big-name grocer teased its Big Game debut prior to Sunday, adding to the Super Bowl excitement in more ways than one. And even though Walmart’s ad was a play on a previous campaign, its spot in this year’s Big Game lineup was still an impactful introduction of where grocery retail is heading—because the future is now!

Avocados From Mexico

Have we ever laughed this hard at fresh produce? Avocados From Mexico came right out of the chute on game day with an advertisement to remember. While the company had also teased its Super Bowl campaign prior to Sunday, there’s nothing like seeing the real deal. Avocados From Mexico reminded us in the industry that sometimes the quickest way to connect with consumers is through their funny bones—a trick we made sure to jot down.

Snickers

The chocolate bar brand was another company to rely on humor to stay impressionable in consumers’ minds. With a song we here at ANUK were still singing into the wee hours of this here Monday, Snickers’ campaign could easily be adopted for the fresh produce industry—as we all know in the industry that the only way to fix the world is through the power of fresh produce.

Amazon

Okay, humor is obviously one of the biggest stand-out marketing strategies each and every Super Bowl. Knowing this, Amazon didn’t just utilize humor to advocate for its Alexa innovation, but wielded one of comedy’s funniest patrons to its advantage. Celebrity power couple Ellen DeGeneres and Portia de Rossi reminded us that when in doubt, Hollywood it out—there’s nothing like reminding consumers to think of fresh produce or grocery enhancements when they see their favorite celeb in the news.

Michelob ULTRA

Is John Cena a national treasure? For us K-Pop fans, yes. For Jimmy Fallon after that excruciating workout with the wrestling champ turned actor? It’s hard to say—but it isn’t hard to say that Michelob ULTRA’s campaign featuring both familiar-faced powerhouses and then some was another stand-out in this year’s advertisement lineup.

Jeep Commando

Last but certainly not least, Jeep is rounding out our list because we couldn’t help but circle nostalgia several times after watching the car company’s campaign featuring Bill Murray reprising his role from the beloved film Groundhog Day. All generations—no matter the stereotypes you might have heard—are sentimental messes, so all we could say after Jeep’s ad aired was, “Well played, Jeep. Well played.”

All right, penning this list was actually helpful in reviving us from the Niners loss. We're ready to get back to work on pumping up the prowess and the reach of fresh produce—and based off this morning's newswire, we'd say a few of you are as well. Here's to another year of produce marketing excellence and another season of a California team making it to the Super Bowl!