MOUNT MAUNGANUI, NEW ZEALAND - As the 2019 New Zealand kiwifruit season draws to a close, Zespri is celebrating its stellar crop that is in its final stages. The company’s full crop has been shipped, including four containers of Zespri Green leaving Tauranga bound for North Asia, unloading in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Approximately 70 tonnes (77 tons) were loaded onto the APL Denver at the end of November and expected to reach the first port in early December.

“Our premium Zespri SunGold and Green Kiwifruit are more popular than ever, and over the course of the season we’ve moved 44 full charter shiploads and 17,160 containers, or more than 500,000 tonnes in total, to our markets,” Blair Hamill, Chief Global Supply Officer, commented.

Zespri reports that 147 million trays of kiwifruit were shipped offshore this season to over 50 countries to satiate the unprecedented levels of demand from record numbers of consumers.

The number of containers shipped was slightly down from the previous record year, but the 2019 season was the second-largest crop ever harvested by New Zealand kiwifruit growers. This was also the first season that Zespri exported more of its popular SunGold variety than Green.

“This was a significant milestone for the industry,” Hamill said in a press release. “Zespri SunGold was developed through Zespri’s partnership with Plant and Food Research, after many years of research and significant investment by New Zealand growers. Owned by Zespri, it’s generating strong returns to New Zealand communities and to our licensed growers offshore and we’re excited about the international demand for it.”

Throughout the busy season, fruit arrived in Europe and China earlier than the previous year, helping the company meet growing demand for kiwifruit.

“The 2019 season saw our kiwifruit mature earlier meaning we could ship our kiwifruit to consumers earlier in the year and get the season started with a lot of momentum, delivering for consumers around the world,” Hamill said. “We’ve also received feedback from the markets that the fruit is one of our best-ever tasting crops.”

From New Zealand, over 74 million trays of Zespri SunGold and 73 million trays of Green were supplied to global customers and consumers.

“As we come to the end of the sales programme for New Zealand fruit we’re transitioning to Northern Hemisphere production. With that crop harvested and being packed we’re forecasting a total of just over 19 million trays through our partnerships with growers in Italy, France, Japan, Korea, and Greece driving strong returns to those communities,” Hamill commented.

Though this season has closed, Zespri is ready and eager for the next, and has already begun planning for the start of next year’s New Zealand crop, with the first vessel expected to export next season’s fruit starting in March 2020.

“Demand for our fruit continues to grow faster than our ability to meet it and we’re working hard to boost our production so we can continue to supply the world’s leading portfolio of branded kiwifruit all 12 months of the year,” concluded Hamill.

Zespri holds a sweet opportunity for many, and we look forward to bringing you more on the innovative company as we move into 2020!

Zespri

NEW YORK, NY - 2019 has been the year of following along with the Smart & Final acquisition. Reports began circulating in February of the possibility of the retailer exploring a sale—a sale that didn’t come to fruition until April and then wasn’t completed until June. Now, it appears Smart & Final’s warehouse business is back on the market, rounding out the grocer's acquisition year.

According to a report by Nasdaq, the private equity firm that acquired Smart & Final, Apollo Global Management, is considering selling the warehouse store business of Smart & Final. People familiar with the matter disclosed to the news source that Apollo is seeking more than $1 billion for the 70-warehouse-store-strong business—the firm originally purchased Smart & Final for $1.1 billion.

The news source also noted that Apollo is trying to catch the eye of major grocery retailers and distributors by putting the more lucrative division of Smart & Final up for grabs—the sale would exclude the retailer’s grocery store business. The firm has recruited Credit Suisse Group and Deutsche Bank to run the auction of the division.

Who will snap up Smart & Final? And how will this billion-dollar acquisition affect the grocery retail market? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.

Smart & Final Apollo

GREENSBORO, NC - When I think of specialty food curators, I picture a group of robed health advocates strolling through grocery aisles with magical fruits and veg radiating from their fingertips. These all-powerful folks harness their weapons months in advance, predicting food trends with what I can only assume is sorcery. Specialty grocer The Fresh Market has got these sorcerers in droves, recently partnering with 25madison in order to predict the hottest trends in the industry.

“Our mission is to inspire our guests to make everyday eating extraordinary, and to uphold this, we have extremely high standards for the products or brands that ultimately make it into our store,” said Dwight Richmond, Director of Center Store Merchandising at The Fresh Market. “Some examples of new products that were big hits in 2019 based on trends were Beyond Burgers and Caulipower Pizza (plant-based), Haku Shoyu and Fillos Sofritos Beans (authentically ethnic), and a host of functional beverages, like kombucha and keto protein drinks.”

To help identify and showcase innovative food and beverage products, The Fresh Market has tapped New York City-based venture studio, 25madison, which is a business builder, incubating companies from the ground up and investing in early-stage businesses. 25madison will keep The Fresh Market on the pulse of early-stage consumer companies that are poised to disrupt or create market trends.

“We are excited to partner with The Fresh Market to help identify, build, and invest in disruptive businesses,” said Steven Price, CEO of 25madison. “By teaming up with The Fresh Market, we can create a competitive edge for our companies, leveraging unique consumer insights and distribution in 159 stores. This strategic partnership will help The Fresh Market’s customers discover and shop for new and innovative brands.”

Here are some of The Fresh Market’s early predictions based on top trends in the food industry:

Sugar Smarts

Consumers are becoming more aware of how much sugar is added to foods, thanks to new food labeling requirements becoming mandatory in 2020 which include a callout for “added sugars” under the carbohydrates section.

Seeds: As Mighty as Nuts

Hot on the heels of the nut snacking trend is a rise in seed-based products (think quinoa, hemp, sesame, pumpkin, flax, sunflower, and chia). Not only are seeds allergen-free, but they are loaded with fiber, protein, antioxidants, essential minerals, and fatty acids, like omega-3.

Plant Based 2.0

Consumers have embraced plant-based meat alternatives and cauliflower pizza crusts, but now food manufacturers are taking it to the next level with plant-based alternatives that pump up the protein using legumes and vegetables.

Sober Celebrating

The rise in functional beverages has also extended to happy hour, with sober-curious consumers choosing to celebrate sans alcohol.

Transparency and Traceability

“We are entering a phase where consumers want to understand the full lifecycle of a food product, from where and how it was grown, why it is better nutritionally and better for the environment,” said Richmond.

As I said, I’m pretty sure these specialty food curators are using sorcery to their advantage, so I advise industry folks to hop on these trends while they’re hot. To see what else is budding amongst health-conscious consumers, keep reading ANUK.

The Fresh Market

THE NETHERLANDS AND USA - Apeel Sciences and Nature’s Pride—at first glance, you wonder, are they now together? The answer is yes, yes they are. Apeel has announced recently that Apeel supported avocados are now on store shelves in Europe thanks to Nature’s Pride. A small skip over the pond, but a major avocadostone for the company. Nature’s Pride is now integrating the Apeel solution across its expansive avocado value chain to bring Apeel avocados to Edeka and Netto in Germany, and Salling Group stores Føtex and Bilka in Denmark.

“Approval of Apeel’s technology in Europe demonstrates the European Commission’s commitment to addressing our planet’s massive food waste crisis, which is now understood to be a top contributor to climate change,” said James Rogers, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Apeel Sciences. “Our U.S. partners are realizing the value of Apeel and are halving their food waste in many cases. Our next critical step is assisting retailers across Europe in their efforts to reduce waste, while simultaneously improving profits and enabling customers to enjoy fresh, high-quality produce with a longer shelf-life and ripe time.”

Apeel and Nature’s Pride joined forces to take on the European food waste crisis earlier this year. According to the press release, Apeel’s plant-derived coating has already demonstrated a greater than 50 percent food waste reduction on average at the retail level in the United States. Due to the partnership and the success, the European Commission authorized the use of the ingredients in the coating for use.

“Every day we work across the entire chain to create innovative solutions that will make the world healthier and more sustainable. Apeel allows us to significantly reduce food waste, so we are extremely proud that the result of our intensive cooperation has now reached the shelves. We look forward to reaching more consumers in Europe with our products with Apeel,” said Adriëlle Dankier, Chief Commercial Officer of Nature's Pride.

Food waste in Europe has reached a staggering 88 million tonnes (U.S. 97 million tons) annually, with associated costs estimated at 143 billion euros, that’s 158 billion USD for us over here on the stateside. In German households, for example, every eighth grocery item is thrown away. This means that 6.7 million tonnes (7.4 tons U.S.) of food goes to waste in homes every year. Calculated per person, this means wastage of two fully packed shopping carts weighing about 82 kilograms (181 pounds) with a merchandise value of 234 euros (259 USD).

“Food waste is a major challenge that puts a strain on the environment. This is why this is a high-priority area in Salling Group, and we are investing in solutions and initiatives to ensure that we reach our goal: a 50 percent reduction in food waste leading up to 2030. We are certain that Apeel can help make a difference, not only for us but also for customers and households. Therefore, we look forward to introducing the solution in Denmark,” said Stephan Bruhn, Director at Salling Group.

Also mentioned in the press release, more Apeel produce categories are expected to roll out in the future for Europe.

“We constantly deal with innovations in the fruit and vegetable segment, since fruit and vegetables are the calling card of our stores, and we look forward to cooperating with Apeel Sciences,” said Rolf Lange, Head of Corporate Communications at Edeka Zentrale AG & Co. KG.

For more innovative solutions in the produce industry, keep reading ANUK.

Apeel Sciences

VICTOR, NY - How can retailers make sure that consumers are loving apples throughout the winter season? Why, by taking a page out of the New York Apple Association’s (NYAA) book and promoting Apples from New York™. Throughout the beginning of the fall season, NYAA captured the taste that consumers love on video and posting these experiences on social media—driving home the point that New York apples are satisfyingly crunchy, delectable, and perfect for winter snacking.

“The videos are unscripted and random passersby are thrilled to crunch into a New York apple and be part of the fun,” said NYAA President Cynthia Haskins. “Our tour included several locations as we sampled New York apples.”

According to Haskins, NYAA is using social media platforms in a greater way this year to assist in building awareness of New York apples. These videos are being made available to retailers to place on their social media platforms and websites.

Working closely alongside one of their marketing partners, Escape Makers, NYAA reached over 16,000 consumers during recent Applepalooza events in New York City. Festival attendees enjoyed locally grown New York apples, apple cider donuts, and fresh and hard cider.

In addition to taking part in events like Applepalooza, NYAA had a commercial air during the TCS New York City Marathon.

The commercial, featuring New York apple growers, won a Bronze Telly Award for Local-TV in the Business-to-Consumer category. It aired on programs such as The Today Show & Saturday Today, The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, Dateline, Saturday Night Mystery, The Voice, This is Us, Chicago Fire, Bluff City Law, New Amsterdam, and Law & Order all throughout New York State.

This is the twenty-second year that the association has sponsored TCS NYC Marathon, which took place November 3. More than 50,000 people from across the state, the country and around the world are expected to finish, and hundreds of thousands more watched the event on TV and online.

Not only did its commercial play, NYAA had a presence in the swag section as well. Its materials included: ‘Health to the Core’ in the Marathon virtual goodie bag, ‘Love a Strong Finish’ ad in the Marathon Program, and a fresh New York-grown apple in the Runner Recovery Bag that was received by all runners. It also had an ad in the 2019 TCS New York City Marathon Official Results Magazine.

This year, NYAA was represented by many runners in the marathon including Cailin Kowalewski, Account Manager for NYAA, along with Doug Grout, NYAA Board of Director and apple grower; brothers David Grout and Derek Grout and their mother Jayne Zinke, a seasoned marathoner, and others.

Keep reading AndNowUKnow for the latest in all things produce.

New York Apple Association

OTTAWA, ON - Reduce; Resue; Recycle. Those are the famed ‘three R’s’ that have long represented sustainability efforts. The Canadian Produce Marketing Association (CPMA) is adding a new ‘R’—Review—as it rolls out a new initiative aimed to educate the produce industry. The CPMA recently announced the release of a technical report entitled “A landscape review of plastics in the Canadian fresh produce sector” developed by Value Chain Management International (VCMI). In addition, the two published a subsequent roadmap addressing plastic packaging in the produce industry. Both of these documents are a result of the CPMA Plastics Packaging Working Group.

“These publications are a manifestation of CPMA’s efforts and vision for a green economy that identifies concerns around fragmented systems, unnecessary and problematic plastics, the benefits of plastics when used within the appropriate system, and the need to reduce food waste and ensure food security in our efforts around sustainable packaging,” said President Ron Lemaire. “Together with our members and partners across the fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain, and with our colleagues throughout the food system, we hope to be a catalyst for positive and viable change that enables businesses to thrive, communities to flourish, and consumer preferences and demands to be met.”

The technical report details the results of months of research on Canadian and global plastic use, focusing on the fresh fruit and vegetable supply chain’s impact. The purpose of the study is to aid the development of a pragmatic roadmap that will assist the industry in navigating the highly complex, multifaceted topic of utilizing plastic packaging in the most economically and environmentally responsible means possible over the short, medium, and long term. These documents can be found on the CPMA website.

According to a press release, the CPMA Plastics Packaging Working Group was established in May 2019 and convened its first meeting shortly thereafter. The group has managed to reinvent the three ‘R’s’ by identifying a path forward to address the use of plastics within the produce sector, identifying efforts already undertaken by the industry, determining best practices, and developing an industry-supported roadmap to maintaining food quality and safety while reducing the environmental impact of plastics.

Repeat after me, folks: Reduce; Reuse; Recycle; Review. Because the best way to progress is to constantly reimagine the possibilities. Stick with us at AndNowUKnow as we uncover the many sustainable initiatives coming to fruition.

CPMA

IMMOKALEE, FL - As the popularity of fresh-cut, made-to-order produce continues to rise, Lipman Family Farms is stepping up to the plate with its portfolio of retail- and foodservice-friendly products. Most recently, the grower has been showcasing its fresh-cut line of foodservice and retail packaging options, along with its beloved Crimson tomato varieties in fresh-cut form, that have been lighting up shows and expos all year.

“The even coloring and consistency, as well as low shrinkage, is what a lot of chain stores, and a lot of buyers, are really going after,” Bo Bates, General Manager of FOB Tomato Sales, said in a press release.

The grower continues to grow its full line of ready-to-eat tomatoes and vegetable offerings, including its signature Crimson variety. The Crimson tomato has ideal characteristics for slicing evenly without bruising or damaging the tomato’s outer skin, giving the variety a reputation as one of the country’s best slicing tomatoes. These unique traits allow great volume for Lipman’s sliced Crimson tomato trays, perfect for appetizers and deli sandwiches.

Lipman’s New Jersey facility was the first of its facilities to offer fresh-cut services almost 14 years ago, making it a pioneer in the fresh-cut tomato category. Having expanded to six facilities across North America, Lipman has perfected the art of slicing and dicing, with state-of-the-art machinery and pristine food safety techniques.

The grower’s Crimson tomato variety saw an extremely successful first season, and an even larger supply is projected for next season. Lipman has also been showcasing its Crimson roma tomato which rounds out the grower’s offerings that also include its Crimson round slicing tomato and Crimson grape tomato. The Crimson roma holds the same redder brix, stronger skin wall, and more powerful flavor profile as its fellow Crimson varieties. Lipman is bringing its show-stopping varieties to the upcoming New York Produce Show, which is expected to attract 5,000 retailers, wholesalers, distributors, and restaurateurs.

“The goal of the show is for us to display the vastness of our one-stop shop,” said Darren Micelle, COO. “We are excited to showcase our Crimson tomato at the peak of its season, along with our newly established Crimson varieties.”

If you plan to attend the show, Lipman Family Farms will be featuring its Crimson tomato offerings at booth #528.

Lipman Family Farms

PROVIDENCE, RI - Back in October, we reported that United Natural Foods, Inc. was planning on divesting both its Cub Foods and Shoppers Food & Pharmacy banners. Today, we’ve received a report that the company has gone through with the sale for Shoppers and has entered into definitive agreements with three separate grocery operators interested in the banner. 13 of its 43 Shoppers stores are on the table, with the sale expected to close between mid-December and the end of February 2020, subject to customary closing conditions.

“Today’s announcement reflects progress on our commitment to reduce UNFI’s retail footprint and marks another step toward transforming UNFI into North America’s premier food wholesaler,” said Steven L. Spinner, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. “We believe that exiting the retail business will further accelerate our business transformation and allow us to more appropriately allocate resources toward long-term growth initiatives.”

According to its press release, UNFI will also close four additional Shoppers stores, which are expected to cease operations by the end of January 2020. The company made the decision to not renew the lease at three of these locations and the fourth is being cancelled pursuant to an agreement with the landlord. The rest of the Shoppers stores will remain in operation while UNFI continues to look for buyers.

“We will continue to wind down our retail footprint in a strategic and thoughtful manner to achieve the goals previously outlined,” Spinner continued. “As we do this, we greatly appreciate the loyalty of our associates and the tremendous service they have provided to our customers.”

As part of the transactions, two of the buyers will enter into long-term agreements that outline UNFI as the primary supplier of their acquired Shoppers locations under different banners.

For the list of Shoppers stores being sold or closed, click here for the full press release. Keep reading ANUK as we bring you more news in the retail sector.

UNFI

WENTACHEE, WA - The holidays provide an ample opportunity for bringing fresh produce to the forefront of the retail spread. Whether with bins of fruit that line a path for the consumer into the store, well-detailed displays, or cross-merchandising departments to bring fresh to the basket—the best suppliers tap into the season to bring more value to their retail partners.

Stemilt Growers offers a go-to program as we get into the holidays, with vision and resources to carry the buyside into the new year.

“Lucky for us, apples, pears, and their organic versions are key holiday items in the fruit category. So for us, we promote a lot of bulk larger-sized apples and pears for the holidays as people put them out in baskets and cut them up for holiday snacks,” Roger Pepperl, Marketing Director, shares with me. “We are really featuring Honeycrisp in a big way. We also have big features on Gala, Granny Smith, Fuji, and, yes, even Red Delicious because of its brilliant color. Our trademarked variety, Piñata®, is also a great variety because of its superiority in the kitchen for baking, salads, and sauté uses.”

While I love apples just as they are, it is ideal to have a variety like the Piñata with its great culinary usages due to a parentage of Golden Delicious, Orange Cox Pippen, and Duchess of Oldenburg. The apple takes heat very well and has the acids that deliver flavor with great texture that doesn’t diminish when in use.

“We also will have Cosmic Crisp® starting to ship on December 1^st and this is the first season of Cosmic Crisp for Washington State,” Roger says. “We expect a quick sell-out period with the limited supplies, but great sales are to be had while the supplies last.”

On the pear front, Stemilt will feature Bartlett, Anjou, Red Anjou, and Bosc during the holidays. Stemilt has garnered much attention and positive feedback due to an industry-leading ripening program which makes the Anjou a delicious item like it was always meant to be. In addition, Stemilt is featuring some of its Stemilt Apple Lovers 5 lb pouch bags in Gala, Fuji, Granny Smith, and Piñata in very promotable prices. These bags are promotable in both conventional and organic versions.

When it comes to key merchandising best-practices for retailers to drive traffic through the produce department as well as sales during the holidays, Stemilt has always been a resource at the top of my list.

“Waterfall displays into colorful Stemilt boxes is a great way to feature fresh apples this season,” Roger tells me. “We also have a couple of tools such as our display-ready cartons for our Apple Lovers bags. These display-ready cartons can create a great wing display off of an existing apple section. We also have a very nice value pear bag in a display-ready carton for Anjou which is a great way to promote larger sales of pears during a heavy use period.”

When it comes down to viewing merchandising as a balance between art and science, the design and layout of a produce department can impact sales and the ring at the register. And, as Roger shares, using the colorful cartons is a very impactful and easy way to win attention. Other ideas include building displays with signage around the vast variety in the apple category. Stemilt has pop-up display units which can really be impactful.

“We also have a unit called an EZ Pallet Display which comes with 30 Euro cartons of fruit in which we can ship 10 cases of three varieties. This EZ pallet is a cardboard unit that lifts off the pallet of fruit and slips over five empty pallets and becomes a colorful display table. What a great way to build a display. We have a graphic for apples, pears, Lil Snappers^®, and organic items, all available in the same format described,” Roger expresses. “This can be very successful in building sales in items like organics. In a test program, we showed an increase of 40 percent using this display in a 10-store test market verses a control store group. 40 percent sales growth is huge as we all know in the fruit industry.”

Need some quick tips for the holiday season? Keep checking back with AndNowUKnow for a little festive cheer and insights to boot!

Stemilt Growers

KEENE, NH - Furthering its expansion plans and goals, C&S Wholesale Grocer is pushing further into the Pacific Northwest with a new warehouse set to open in the summer of 2020. The state-of-the-art facility, located in Troutdale, Oregon, will enable the wholesaler to provide exceptional service to its current and new customers in the region.

“Earlier in the year, we started evolving our C&S Commercial Excellence organization to enable growth by becoming our customers’ partner of choice,” Joe Cavaliere, Chief Commercial Officer, commented in a press release. “We have worked incredibly hard to make ourselves a company that doesn’t just procure and fulfill customers’ requests but is also a business partner that creates sustainable value. Our expansion into this key geographic area is another milestone in our evolution.”

The new warehouse is in line with C&S Wholesale Grocers’ continued growth efforts that have recently included strategic partnerships to boost the retailer’s operations and expand its offering of retail services.

“As the business behind grocery, we are always adapting to offer the most cost-efficient products, services, and solutions, where our customers need us most. We are continuously growing and expanding our footprint, and have recently opened new operations in Houston and now are excited to become a significant presence in the Pacific Northwest,” said Mike Duffy, Chief Executive Officer.

What will be the next stage in C&S Wholesale Grocers’ expansion plan? AndNowUKnow will keep you posted.

C&S Wholesale Grocers