WATSONVILLE, CA - California Giant Berry Farms is spreading both holiday cheer and spirit as it takes its Zero Waste Certification to the next level. The California Giant Food Safety Team took to the roads and delivered office supplies that were no longer in use or needed and donated them to Creekside Elementary School in Salinas, California. This helped saved more than 400 pounds of goods from the local landfill.

“We have three pillars at California Giant focused on sustainability; people, planet, and profit. We also have three areas of focus where we are implementing those pillars,” stated Eric Valenzuela, Director of Food Safety and Sustainability. “We have an on-farm pilot program approaching Sustainably Grown Certification, our Corporate Offices are approaching true Zero Waste Certification, and we are conducting an extensive assessment and investment in our cooling operation to help realize greater energy efficiencies. We are extremely pleased with the support we are receiving every day by staff and our grower community and continue to be inspired by each step closer to certification.”

According to a press release, the list of items included floor mats, file folders, office chairs, and assorted electronics. California Giant has been on a sustainability journey for over a year and continues to recognize many cost savings along the way. As the company finds they no longer need filing cabinets, folders, storage units, and paper, it looks at eliminating items differently today. With each action, the staff considers the potential of reuse, reduce, and recycle.

Reducing and recycling are very important in achieving Zero Waste, but reusing is also a key component. California Giant is currently at 90 percent by eliminating plastic cups, utensils, and dishes at the office, converting hauling containers to be more efficient, becoming paperless, and repurposing supplies or donating them to others in the community. In fact, all company trash cans will be donated next week since staff no longer has them under their desks.

California Giant Berry Farms is expecting to see true Zero Waste certification in spring 2020 for the corporate offices and Sustainably Grown certification on farms with its grower participants.

Cheers to California Giant on this initiative!

California Giant Berry Farms

MEXICO - Occasionally, you hear people say they don’t like chocolate or some other coveted treat. Never, though, do you hear people say that they don’t like strawberries. In my opinion, it’s a universally-loved fruit. And we’re lucky to have growers like Western Veg-Pro and Bobalu to bolster the category on retail shelves. I tapped the company’s Strawberry Salesman, Grayson Olliver, to see how the category is shaping up this time of year.

“We are currently in the Central Mexico strawberry growing region,” Grayson told me. “However, there are still shippers harvesting in Santa Maria, Oxnard, and Florida at this time with limited volume. We will slowly start to increase production going into January, but will not look to promote strawberries for another month or so as volumes continually increase in Florida and Mexico.”

A handful of severe weather events this year caused some disruptions in production, but even so, Grayson and the team at Western Veg-Pro and Bobalu are strategically approaching the tight market with a premium supply of strawberries.

“We ran into some severe heat and rain overlaps in the summer months, which decreased overall production in certain growing regions,” continued Grayson.

While tight supply in a popular category like strawberries is rarely a concern for some, those waiting for the market to steady shouldn't be waiting too long for weather conditions to level out. For more categorial updates, keep reading AndNowUKnow.

Western Veg-Pro

ELGIN, MN - The old adage “how do you know you don’t like something if you haven’t tried it” might work well coming from Mom, but it’s a little hard to literally sell in the grocery store. It has taken a combination of untapped demand, a winning product, and strong partnership between the supply-side and buy-side to help dissolve those walls, and the still-new Pazazz apple is among those looking to help the category break barriers that have existed for decades.

“When you look at the apple category right now, it’s been riding a 20-, 30-, and in some cases even 40-year-old flavor profile, dominated by a few varieties. Honeycrisp disrupted that, but about 60 percent of offerings is still Gala, Fuji, Granny, and Red Delicious,” Don Roper, VP of Sales and Marketing for Honeybear Brands, tells me. “We have a whole new generation of shoppers who are looking for new and exciting flavor profiles and a great eating experience. The apple industry has recognized this, and the level of investment being made into developing new varieties and enhancing the eating experience is second-to-none in any other category.”

One of Honeybear’s own contributions to the renaissance, the Pazazz apple, is already helping answer that demand in kind.

“To start, we have seen strong sales with key retailers that kicked off recently, and we are looking forward to our promotional programs that are helping drive really strong performance,” Don said, explaining that this year’s Pazazz season started early enough to catch some New Year resolutions with a flavorful yet healthy food. “Fruit flavor is fantastic, the orchards have grown up, so to speak, so we are seeing consistent quality and an exceptional eating experience.”

He explained that the team’s Pazazz marketing program coordinates in-store promotions and product positioning with ancillary tools, including social media programs and local community engagement, to drive awareness and consumer trial. One of those partners is Brian Porter, Regional Director of Corporate Produce for Safeway NorCal.

"To start out, we made sure to merchandise Pazazz aggressively in high-traffic areas right out in front of the customer and saw it grow from there," Brian said when I asked about how Safeway helped get consumers out of their routine and into Pazazz apples. "This is our second or third year of offering the Pazazz apple and we’ve been very pleased with it. It wasn’t something that was on our radar—it was recommended we give it a try, and we had a lot of success on it our first year. Now, this year, we are being a bit more aggressive, increasing promotions and really strengthening the partnership. Honeybear is a great company to work with, and we’ve been very happy with them."

Don, too, speaks to how crucial being a strong partner is for new items and how the apple industry as a whole has really stepped up in this area.

“Because the apple industry recognized we haven’t addressed these new consumers’ needs, everyone decided to make investments in new varieties. The new varieties coming to market offer a huge improvement in flavor, texture and eating experience never seen in this quantity before, and they all serve as new tools for retailers to implement in their stores. Pazazz has a complex flavor profile, suiting the heavy apple users out there that are striving for more than the usual apple experience, give the consumer great flavor and we win,” he says.

Don concludes by explaining to me that the apple category is one of the most profitable in the produce department due to its high gross margin, broad appeal, and minimal shrink, but new apple products are necessary if retailers want to maintain those benefits.

“Retailers should make sure they are doing ads at least once a month with bulk SKU, pouch bags, or totes. You want to build cart stopping displays and make sure you’re demoing products. The key is to get it into the consumers’ mouths, percentages show that’s where the win is,” he advises.

We look to more versatility to continue keeping consumers excited about fresh produce, apples and beyond, and I for one can’t wait to see what 2020 brings us.

Honeybear Brands

OVIEDO, FL - Duda Farm Fresh Foods is bringing back its annual promotion for its Dandy^® Celery line, Dip It 2 Win It. For the fourth year in a row, the sweepstakes is elevating healthy snacking and driving in-store sales during peak football season with a grand-prize sweepstakes. From now until January 10, loyal fans will have a chance to win an exclusive prize ahead of the Big Game: a Weber^® SMOKEFIRE™ wood fired pellet grill along with a name-brand 65-inch LED Smart TV.

“Purchase data has shown us that nearly 14 million pounds of celery is sold during the week of the Big Game. Celery sticks sell higher volumes during this time period and at a higher price average, even more than during the holidays, generating more dollars for the category,” said Dan Duda, President. “We wanted to thank our Dandy fans by launching another year of our popular Dip It 2 Win It sweepstakes. We hope this inspires more game watchers to incorporate healthy snacking in their game time spread.”

The campaign will include targeted email marketing, national TV segments, as well as new marketing tactics to encourage more engagement amongst consumers. This will include a special flash promotion series on Instagram, which, according to a press release, will be put on in conjunction with the larger sweepstakes and will include special gift packages sent to select influencers for additional shares on social media.

Duda Farm Fresh Foods also partnered exclusively with Weber Grills, who will help push the promotion on its social media platforms on top of publishing relevant grilling recipes and more.

In addition to the grand prize, Duda Farm Fresh Foods will be giving away five secondary prizes of name brand 55-inch LED Smart TVs to the remaining winners. For gameday entertaining inspiration or to learn more about the Dip It 2 Win It Sweepstakes, visit www.DipIt2WinIt.com.

Duda Farm Fresh Foods

WALTHAM, MA - Alltown Fresh™ only recently hit the retail scene, opening its first store in August of this year. Its second store, located in Ayer, Massachusetts, will also feature organic, natural, gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian products, as it continues to up the stakes in the fight for healthy food fast.

"We're excited to open our second location here in Massachusetts as we continue to bring fresh food choices to those on the go. At Alltown Fresh, we have created a farmstand atmosphere where each item on the menu has been thoughtfully developed to fuel our customers' healthy needs," said Eric Slifka, CEO of Global Partners LP, the parent company of Alltown Fresh. "We're looking forward to serving the Ayer community with locally sourced items to ensure that guests have plenty of fresh and organic choices."

According to a press release, Alltown Fresh was born out of a desire to deliver fresh food to consumers seeking convenience—an ever-growing sector. The new 4,830 square foot market is set to open to the public on December 20, 2019. It offers indoor and outdoor seating and is focused on providing guests with healthy, fresh food and beverages on-the-go.

As the retail landscape continues to evolve, AndNowUKnow will be on the lookout for all things involving fresh, organic, and grocery.

Alltown™ Fresh

BENTONVILLE, AR - If you’ve ever wondered how grocery giants like Walmart, Amazon, and more seem to always be one step ahead of the grocery retail market, you’re not alone. The ANUK team was beginning to think retailers just constantly keep their heads on a swivel to stay ahead of the trends. This week, Walmart let slip one of the key strategies it uses to always be moving forward—and it’s pretty unique in the world of retail.

Every year, Walmart aims to fully remodel 500 of its stores around the country. This includes thousands of special projects geared toward updating its brick-and-mortar shopping experience. In a press release, the retail giant revealed how it accomplishes this feat: teams of full-time associates (dubbed SWAT teams) responsible for receiving and assembling store fixtures and moving and setting merchandise.

“The underlying intent for these positions is for them to be a training and development program that helps to put talent back into stores,” said John Clarke, Vice President of Real Estate, disclosing that the positions were temporary before Walmart realized the teams were a strategic way of retaining its workforce while still gunning full speed ahead with its expansions plans.

Since this program’s inception, more than 1,000 associates have been hired to work on 30-people teams in key urban markets. Now, Walmart plans to hire over 400 more remodel associates in 15 markets early next year, with the goal of finishing 100 remodels in 2020.

As Walmart continues to innovate the inner workings of its operations, how will this keep it ahead of the grocery curve? AndNowUKnow will continue to keep an eye out for intriguing movements in the retail space.

Walmart

FRESNO, CA - The California Fresh Fruit Association (CFFA) recently announced the appointment of Caroline Stringer as its new Director of Trade, effective January 6, 2020.

Having previously served as the Public Affairs Representative at Pacific Gas & Electric and the Senior Specialist on Global, Technical, and Regulatory Affairs for the California Almond Board, Stringer brings a wealth of experience to this new role.

She is a graduate of San Francisco State University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in International Relations. She also earned a Master of Arts in International Trade Policy from the Monterey Institute of International Studies.

“We are very pleased that Caroline has agreed to become a part of the team at CFFA,” stated Randy Giumarra, Chairman of the Board for CFFA and Vice President of Sales at Giumarra Vineyards. “Her personal background and education, as well as her extensive experience working in the area of trade will bring immense value to our membership.”

Ian Lemay, CFFA President, added, “We are extremely fortunate to have Caroline joining the CFFA team. The issues of trade and access into foreign markets is of paramount importance to our membership, possibly now more than ever. Caroline brings an extensive educational and professional background to this position and we are excited to see the work she does on our member’s behalf. We believe that Caroline is a natural fit, along with our current staff, to continue to bring value to CFFA members and to serve the California fresh fruit industry.”

Congratulations to Caroline on this new position!

California Fresh Fruit Association

CALIFORNIA - The Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA) is continuing to fight the good fight, with Dr. Oz enlisting the association to join his show's discussion around food safety. In a recent episode, the talk-show host featured a conversation about romaine safety that included statements and information from the LGMA.

“Although the show contained some concerning dramatic effects to illustrate how romaine may be contaminated in the field or processing facilities, we were very encouraged to see the show’s producers relied heavily on information provided by the LGMA to describe actions being taken by the industry to protect consumers,” the LGMA said in a statement. “More importantly, the overall point of the segment encouraged continued consumption of leafy greens—in particular iceberg lettuce.”

In addition to the television spot, the Dr. Oz Show also featured a Q&A provided by the LGMA, which is posted on the series’ website.

“Although we will continue to be measured in our response to inquiries from the Dr. Oz Show, we are pleased the show's producers are relying on the LGMA as a credible source of information for their audience,” the LGMA continued.

As industry leaders like the LGMA continue to help the ongoing investigations regarding the concurrent E. coli outbreaks, AndNowUKnow will report on the latest news.

LGMA

CHICAGO, IL - What do you get when two of our industry’s most esteemed problem solvers put their heads together? A successful trial with a bounty of results that those along the supply chain can implement, of course! This week, Hazel Technologies and the University of California, Davis exemplified just what we can accomplish if we pool together our knowledge as the two reported the successful completion of peach, nectarine, and plum supply chain quality trails.

“We are extremely pleased to report that UC Davis researchers saw significant increases in peach, plum, and nectarine firmness or color retention with Hazel^™ compared to control fruit, even after 22 days in storage,” said Adam Preslar, Co-Founder and CTO of Hazel Technologies. “Maintaining perfect stonefruit quality in the fresh supply chain can be a challenge for packers and retailers, and the consumer eating experience can suffer as a result. We are thrilled to offer both the conventional and organic stone-fruit industry products that can help packers and retailers provide top-quality fruit to the market, reduce waste, and increase sales. We look forward to partnering with UC Davis on trials in the future.”

According to a press release, researchers found that Hazel Tech® packaging can maintain post-harvest characteristics such as firmness and color retention in seven different varieties of peaches, plums, and nectarines in standard supply chain conditions. The trial was conducted on eight varieties of the aforementioned fruits, which were grown by HMC Farms in Kingsburg, California.

“In our trials, we were able to show conclusively that in seven of the eight total varieties, there was stronger skin and firmer flesh due to Hazel^™ treatment,” said Dr. Barbara Blanco-Ulate, Professor at the Department of Plant Sciences at UC Davis. “The Blanco Lab is committed to researching new post-harvest technologies related to fruit ripening and quality, and we are pleased to be working with Hazel Technologies on this new shelf-life solution for peaches, plums, and nectarines."

As part of the trial, Hazel was applied to commercial peach, plum, and nectarine varieties following harvest and packing. The fruit was then stored in simulated retail supply chain conditions at UC Davis for up to 22 days and periodically assessed by a team of researchers for standard quality traits such as firmness and color retention.

“We are always evaluating potential cutting-edge technologies that will allow us to continue to further elevate the consumer experience of the products we grow,” said Jon McClarty, General Manager at HMC Farms. “Our research with UC Davis and Hazel Tech is a testament to our commitment to innovation.”

For more updates on how our industry is pushing produce forward in all the best ways, keep reading AndNowUKnow.

Hazel Technologies

SPAIN - By now, we should all be familiar with the tired attempts to smuggle drugs hidden amongst fresh produce shipments. This week, though, we got word of a new drug smuggling strategy. And while no produce was harmed in the heist, the perpetrators did their best to use bananas as a scapegoat. That’s right. These smugglers used fake bananas in an attempt to smuggle roughly 37 pounds of cocaine.

According to Stock Daily Dish, Spanish officials seized the illicit substance during an operation in the coastal cities of Malaga and Valencia. All in all, police discovered 57 fake bananas stuffed with about 15 pounds of cocaine, which were unsuccessfully hidden among real bananas. An additional 22 pounds were found within cardboard boxes that accompanied the shipment.

Fortunately, the smugglers were met with justice as two were detained on the basis of drug trafficking and a third individual is now under investigation in relation to the operation. Another day, another crime against our fruits and veg is put to rest. For more stories of produce triumphing over drugs, keep reading us at AndNowUKnow.