FOWLER, CA - Winter in California brings with it the domestic citrus season, so much so that the Wall Street Journal recently published fashion trends with colors described as “blood orange,” “mandarin,” and “lemon.” Clearly these fruits are on the brain as the days get shorter, and Bee Sweet Citrus Sales Representative Jason Sadoian shares with me that this year’s harvest is running like clockwork.

“The weather is getting colder at night, which is helpful to the fruit. Quality is good, and we’re hoping to see rain in the forecast this month,” Jason says.

It is tempting to learn a rain dance as we look to help Southern California shift toward winter weather. But the days are certainly darkening and holiday lights are coming out, offering that seasonal spirit that never ceases to help boost demand.

“Holiday promotions are helpful in aiding with supply,” Jason adds, commenting that consumption will be high to welcome the season and help combat winter colds and flus. “The sugar in our citrus really hits it stride during the holiday season, we’re hoping for as many promotion opportunities as possible.”

Currently the markets are steady and on their way to promotional, depending on the item.

“Oranges and lemons seem to be plentiful, and mandarins are shaping up to have a strong year as far as movement is concerned,” Jason shares.

So keep a weathered eye on the horizon for a possible tightening in those holiday favorites, namely mandarins, and check back with AndNowUKnow as we look to keep you up on the latest.

Bee Sweet Citrus

ARVIN, CA - Sometimes, even the most lilliputian of bites can boast grand flavors. Tasteful Selections^® is bringing new inspiration to the bite-sized potato category with the next theme of its Small-Bite Campaign, Comfort in a Small-Bite, which speaks to the comfort food-status of potatoes, both during and outside of the holidays.

“As we move into the last theme of our Small Bite Campaign, we want to provide comforting recipes and flavors that our consumers can share during the holiday,” said Tim Huffcutt, Marketing Director for year-round potato and onion shipper, RPE. “Offering eight new recipes that are comforting and highly flavorful. These recipes include, but are not limited to, Roasted Potato Poutine, Mediterranean Pot Roast, and Cheesy Potato Fondue.”

For the last 12 months, Tasteful Selections has brought consumers happiness, wellness, creativity, inspiration, and adventure all in one small bite. Now, with the end of 2019 (and the decade!) in sight, the company is ready to bring comfort back to the kitchen with its Comfort in a Small Bite campaign, a press release states. Providing eight new recipes, cooking tips, and prizes on its website, the campaign encourages consumers to indulge in the flavor of each bite-sized variety and take comfort in their quick cook times and consistent sizing.

“We hope that this campaign has highlighted the versatility and ease of preparation our bite-size potatoes bring to the table,” Huffcutt said. “As a perfect way to transition to a new year, we want to close on the truly comforting flavors Tasteful Selections bite-size potatoes provide.”

Through the campaign, consumers can enter to win a prize package that will help them create comforting recipes for their friends and family. Some of the prizes up for grabs include a slow cooker, an immersion blender, a 10-piece bakeware set, and more.

AndNowUKnow will keep you apprised of the products and campaigns that bring out the best in the season.

Tasteful Selections^®

WASHINGTON, DC - As part of its efforts to enforce the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) and ensure fair trading practices within the U.S. produce industry, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has filed an administrative complaint under the PACA against Versa Marketing Inc. The company, operating from California, allegedly failed to make payment promptly to three produce sellers in the amount of $792,939 from February 2018 through August 2018.

Direct from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service:

Versa Marketing, Inc. will have an opportunity to request a hearing. Should USDA find that the company committed repeated and flagrant violations, it would be barred from the produce industry as a licensee for three years, or two years with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond. Furthermore, its principals could not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee for two years, or one year with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.

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

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

For more information, contacts, and to read the full press release, please click here.

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service

THE INTERWEBS - Like the allusive treasure many great questers have chased after in mythology, literature, and tales of old, so too is the industry perusing the interwebs for official Trader Joe’s news. Official news from TJ’s doesn’t even happen once in a blue moon—that’s how rare it is to hear from the cult grocery icon itself: i.e. never. You might be wondering at this point how Trader Joe’s promotes itself and its products? We had a similar question, which led us on a wild goose chase to unravel the tightly spun web Trader Joe’s weaves.

Unfortunately—or fortunately, depending on how you look at it—Vox beat us to the punch in uncovering one of Trader Joe’s allegedly unbeknownst secret weapons: Instagrammers. According to the news source, dozens of Instagram accounts lay in waiting for new products to grace their lord and savior’s shelves and then report on said products to their thousands and thousands of followers (we're talking upwards of 50K!).

Accounts like @traderjoesglutenfree, @traderjoeslist, @traderjoesaficionado, @traderjoeskitchen, and more have all garnered their own mass followings simply by doing what Trader Joe’s chooses not to. And while the retailer hasn’t laid claim to any of these accounts—Vox even reports that representatives from Trader Joe’s have sent letters to some influencers urging them to clarify they are not affiliated with the grocer—no one can say TJ’s isn’t benefitting from the free publicity. It’s a unique strategy, and one that only continues to stoke the flames of adoration found in the hearts of its Trader Beaus.

Like a stereotypical bad boy in any of our favorite romcoms, is Trader Joe’s mysteriousness, on the internet and IRL (in real life), one of its key promotional tactics, with its fleet of Instagrammers being another? And should more retailers look to social media to find their next taskforce of promotional manpower? AndNowUKnow will continue to be your guide to the latest movements in grocery retail.

Trader Joe's

LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, CA - The Allen Lund Company recently announced the promotion of one of its distinguished employees. Michael Patrick, who joined the company in January 2018 with nearly 20 years of experience in the transportation business, will now be known as the Director of Business Intelligence and Analytics.

“Since joining our team in January 2018, Michael has done a great job creating processes to put our data to work for us,” stated Executive Vice President Jim McGuire. “We look forward to what he and his team can do next as our new Director of Business Intelligence and Analytics. Congratulations Michael on a well-deserved promotion!”

Patrick first started out as an Account Manager, then transitioned to Branch Manager before his last role as a Business Analyst. Graduating from Winthrop University with a B.S. in Business Administration with an emphasis in Marketing, Patrick then went on to earn his Masters in Business Administration from The Citadel, according to the press release. With his background, Patrick will now lead and manage a team of business analysts that will design and create effective reports for branch offices, the sales team, as well as support groups. His team is also in charge of designing and implementing customer, carrier, office, and executive reporting as well as pricing strategy, rate analysis, and bid tool management.

“I would like to thank the entire ALC Executive Team for their ongoing support toward our Business Intelligence program,” Patrick comments on his new role. “Special thanks to Jim McGuire for taking a chance on me two years ago. I look forward to working with an awesome team in order to build an industry-leading analytics team. As a team, we will strive to build impactful reporting for offices, customers, carriers, and support departments. I have full confidence our analytics team will help lead the organization to growth for years into the future.”

Congrats again to Michael Patrick on his new role! For more exciting announcements within the industry, keep reading ANUK.

Allen Lund Company

BAKERSFIELD, CA - Was it really last month that industry members gathered to celebrate Grimmway Farms’ 50^th Anniversary in Anaheim? A big milestone calls for equally big fanfare, and as this golden year is tied not just to the company, but to it having been a part of the Bakersfield, California, community, it held two local events to mark the occasion.

LOS ANGELES, CA - Every year, PMA Fresh Summit is always a flurry of activity. From booth to booth we are looking for the latest innovations that are pushing the produce envelope forward. This year, Owyhee Produce took the cake as one grower combining a few of our industry’s biggest trends into one knock-out item.

Intrigued? So was I. To learn more about the latest from Owyhee, we chatted with Shay Myers, General Manager and third-generation farmer, to glean as many details as possible on its new sustainable packaging.

“We have a farmed-fresh packaging, which is hemp-based,” Shay began. “We started growing hemp this year for the first time on our farm. We have about 600 acres, and the idea was to try and figure out what to do with the byproduct.”

This innovative thinking ultimately led the Owyhee Produce team to go down the path of packaging—regenerative, environmentally-sustainable hemp packaging that is.

“We’re literally growing the packaging that we’re using. We wanted to make a difference,” Shay continued, before noting that it isn’t always easy to make a difference, but the Owyhee Produce team insisted on trying. This led the grower to now offer consumers, distributors, and retailers the opportunity to purchase packaging that is like no other on the market.

While Shay explained that the packaging will cost a dollar to a dollar twenty-five more than typical packaging, the pay-off is worth it for more reasons than one. Obviously, sending the earth some extra TLC in any way possible is always rewarding. This, coupled with the fact that the packaging is what consumers have been demanding, makes Owyhee Produce’s latest innovation a hot commodity.

To learn more from Shay himself, check out our exclusive video above. And for more of the most exciting produce news, keep on keeping on with AndNowUKnow.

Owyhee Produce

SANDPOINT, ID - Litehouse announced a change-up in its leadership structure as its Board of Directors promoted Kelly Prior to President and CEO, an expansion of his previous role as company President. This new move is effective immediately.

“The success of Litehouse is in large part due to the hard work and perseverance of our employee owners,” Prior, who joined the company in 2002, said in a press release. “It’s crucial we have a forward-thinking strategy to ensure we continue to build a sustainable business that provides our employee owners with opportunities for years to come. I am honored to work with my fellow employee owners to ensure that we maintain our position as the No. 1 RSD brand while also expanding our footprint into other categories of the store.”

Prior became CFO within just a few years of joining the team. In 2010, he was appointed Executive Vice President of the company and then took on the role of Interim President in 2018. Prior was officially named President in February of this year.

Now, in his newly expanded role, Prior will be responsible for setting the company’s strategic direction and vision.

“The past year has been a dynamic and exciting time for Litehouse,” said Curt Hecker, Litehouse Board Member. “Along with becoming the No. 1 RSD brand in the United States, we also acquired two new brands, Sky Valley and Organicville. This acquisition took us from a manufacturer in the produce and deli departments to a manufacturer across multiple categories throughout the grocery store. With this expanded scope, it’s imperative we put an individual in the CEO role who has vision and a reputation of moving the business forward. Kelly’s track record of strategic thinking, strong business acumen and outstanding relationship skills made him the right choice for the role.”

As the company’s President, Prior noted that he has made it a priority to focus his time and energy on developing a long-term business strategy for Litehouse over the past year. As he and the team enter this new chapter of that goal, AndNowUKnow congratulates both on the next step in that story.

Litehouse, Inc.

U.S. & CHINA - This past summer, we reported how the tariffs from China affected the import and export sales of cherries. Now, we have news that California Republican Representatives Kevin McCarthy and Ken Calvert want to save the citrus program by having U.S. citrus products included in the Trump Administration’s latest trade deal with China as well as in any agricultural product purchases made by China. U.S. Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) also joined the congressmen in penning an October 29 letter to U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer regarding U.S. citrus access in China, a top export destination for California’s citrus.

“Unfair Chinese tariffs on our country’s fresh citrus, however, have unfortunately caused devastating implications on California fresh citrus producers who anticipate losses of more than 50 percent in exports to China and Hong Kong this upcoming shipping season,” McCarthy noted in a separate statement following the letter.

According to The Ripon Advance, the congressmen noted their support of what the Trump Administration calls the first phase of a trade deal with China, which was announced earlier this month. Under the agreement, Beijing will make concessions on intellectual property, financial services, and agriculture. In return, the United States agreed not to implement the proposed tariffs on Chinese goods on October 15.

“The initial trade deal with China is a big step toward ending Beijing’s unfair trade practices. I commend the administration for its hard work as Republicans fight to ensure that the citrus industry maintains access to the Chinese market, which is essential for the future of the citrus industry,” commented Nunes in the statement.

The Chinese market is essential for most of California citrus growers. California Citrus Mutual reported that President Trump held a press conference on October 11 to announce a Phase 1 agreement with China. Supposedly, the deal documented that China would be purchasing $40 to $50 billion of agricultural products from the United States and would suspend additional tariffs. However, further details weren’t immediately available.

“America’s citrus industry continues to be subjected an effective Chinese tariff of approximately 75 percent. As a result, citrus producers, which are predominantly from California, are experiencing tremendous difficulty selling their products in one of their most significant export markets. The Trump Administration has made significant progress in its ongoing attempt to restore fairness in our trade relationship with China. Along with my colleagues, I strongly encourage Trade Representative Lighthizer to advocate for relief from these harmful tariffs on American citrus as these trade talks continue,” said Calvert.

McCarthy said he would continue to work with the administration to curb China’s ongoing trade abuses and fight for access to China for U.S. agricultural products, particularly those from California.

AndNowUKnow will keep you updated on more news with the citrus industry as well as all fresh produce.

SANTA BARBARA, CA - In the crosshairs of organic, category, and varietal expansion, companies are eager to grow their business with a new and competitive edge. As this extends to retailers, techies, and growers alike, the fruits of this labor often bear new partnerships. Yesterday Apeel Sciences announced a strategic partnership with Sage Fruit Company, launching itself into the organic apple category.

Apeel and Sage Fruit have teamed up to make this new offering a reality. Combining the advanced technology of Apeel with the premium quality of Sage Fruit, this new launch will bring a new kind of apple to the market. Several popular varieties will be offered, including Honeycrisp, Fuji, Gala, Pink Lady, and Granny Smith.

“This partnership marks a significant milestone for the organic produce industry. With Apeel, Sage can now offer greater availability of their premium organic apples. And because our technology keeps produce fresher for longer, retailers can sell more fruit at a greater weight while the consumer enjoys a delicious, crisp apple at home,” stated Gordon Robertson, Chief Revenue Officer at Apeel Sciences.

Apeel’s niche offering is an edible, plant-derived solution for the organic fresh produce industry to extend the freshness of fruits and vegetables, providing greater value to already premium fruit categories. Additionally, the company’s technology maintains moisture, which means less money evaporating off of store shelves and higher margins for retailers.

Because 1-MCP cannot be used on organic apples, they have much less availability than those in the conventional category. The apple industry’s adoption of Apeel, which is approved for organics, means organic-conscious consumers can enjoy this iconic fruit during times of the year that were never possible before.

Congrats to Apeel Sciences and Sage Fruit Company on this exciting partnership!

Apeel Sciences Sage Fruit Company