MILWAUKEE, WI - Kroger and Ocado are making headway on their 20 distribution centers, with the sixth one officially in play. This week, the partners named Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, as the home for their next Customer Fulfillment Center (CFC).

"Kroger is incredibly excited to construct one of our industry-leading Customer Fulfillment Centers in Pleasant Prairie, Wisconsin, in relationship with Ocado to bring fresh food to our customers faster than ever before," said Robert Clark, Kroger's Senior Vice President of Supply Chain, Manufacturing, and Sourcing. "Through our strategic partnership, we are engineering a model for the region, leveraging advanced robotics technology and creative solutions to redefine the customer experience for our customers in Wisconsin and Illinois."

According to a press release, the Pleasant Prairie CFC will measure 350,000 square feet and is expected to create up to 400 new jobs. The facility will also serve customers in Wisconsin, northern Illinois, and northwest Indiana.

"We are excited to bring Kroger and Ocado's latest automated warehouse to Pleasant Prairie. As this site develops and goes live, it will be instrumental in delivering fantastic grocery experiences and exciting job opportunities to households across Chicago, Milwaukee, and beyond," said Luke Jensen, CEO of Ocado Solutions. "Today's announcement marks another big milestone on the road to developing a seamless fulfilment ecosystem for Kroger customers across the United States. Ocado's proven technology will allow Kroger to achieve the lowest cost-to-serve in the market, combined with the best freshness, accuracy, and service."

Thus far, Georgia, Ohio, Texas, and Florida have all been chosen to house CFCs, with some states, like Ohio, even housing two. All of the distribution centers are part of Kroger’s and Ocado’s plan to bolster the supply chain and stay on top of consumer demand.

"This project expands Kroger's commitment to continued investment in Wisconsin and Illinois. With this cutting-edge technology, Kroger is confident our partnership with Ocado will play an integral role in the continued commerce growth of this dynamic region," added Michael Marx, Kroger Roundy's President. "This transformative fulfillment center will create local jobs and accelerate Kroger's ability to expand our products and services to a larger footprint, providing customers with anything, anytime, anywhere."

While Kroger didn’t disclose the specificities of when it will be breaking ground and opening the doors on its CFC in Wisconsin, it did note that the facility will be operational 24 months after the project begins construction.

AndNowUKnow will continue to bring you the latest in fresh produce news.

Kroger

MYERS, FL - Plant Breeders are the rocket scientists of the produce industry. Without their expertise, we would not have the chance to enjoy such a wide variety of high-quality fruits and veg. A well-known industry plant breeder, Brian Just, was recently nabbed by Sakata Seed America as its new Sweet Pepper Lead and Senior Plant Breeder. Just brings over 15 years of sweet pepper breeding to the role, previously working with companies like Seminis, Monsanto, and Bayer. He joins an already robust team of passionate personnel leading Sakata’s sweet pepper program. With the addition of Just, Sakata will continue to build a strong sweet pepper program at the forefront of innovation and quality.

“I am very excited to join a company with a reputation like Sakata’s. It takes pride in what it does and invests in the future of our industry. I believe the success of a breeding program is driven by the creativity and the vision of the breeding group and the support of the wider commercial team. I look forward to what we can accomplish together,” stated Just in a press release.

Just boasts 19 issued germplasm and trait patents with several industry-leading products worldwide in the sweet pepper category. His work in markets including the U.S., Mexico, South America, Central America, Australia, Europe, and Israel will help Sakata solidify and expand its role as a global leader in the sweet pepper segment and beyond.

“Brian is well-known and greatly respected in the industry for his influential work driving breeding efforts forward in a highly collaborative way. We are excited to welcome Brian and look forward to his contributions to the team as we continue to strive to breed and produce the best genetics in the market,” said Jeff Zischke, Senior Director of Research and Development.

Brian Just obtained his Ph.D. in Plant Breeding and Plant Genetics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2004 and holds a Master’s Degree in Plant Breeding from Cornell University.

Congratulations to Sakata Seed America and Brian Just on this exciting opportunity!

Sakata Seed America

KLAMMOTH, OR - As one of the oldest crops cultivated across the world, potatoes are a fundamental life force that is essential to so much of what we consume. Maybe I’ve developed potato brain in anticipation of Thanksgiving, but I can’t seem to get the spuds off of my mind. I tapped Anthony Innocenti, Co-Founder of LIV Organic, to satisfy my curiosity about the category. He reported that the company is currently packing Oregon-grown organic russets, reds, and yellow potatoes, both in bulk and bagged, in anticipation of the potato-centric festivities.

“We are ready for the holiday season without a doubt,” Anthony told me. “We chose to postpone harvesting a few weeks to let the first fields that get harvested really cure to prevent any ‘skinning’ on all potatoes. Since then, we have been adding extra packing crews to meet the holiday demand and ship 7 days a week.”

Because LIV Organic’s supply is well-positioned for the holidays, the grower took extra care to meet increased demand with the highest quality possible.

“We’re seeing steady volumes, but with demand pretty high, we should expect to see prices rise after the holidays for excellent quality product,” said Anthony. “Quality has been really good this year, and we have monitored very closely with extra levels of added quality control.”

While the company has done just about all it can to prepare for another successful potato season, the factor of weather is always something to consider for farmers.

“We’re expecting volume that’s pretty close to the same volume as last year, maybe a little less with the weather issues we had in the beginning of the harvesting season,” Anthony said. “It was abnormally cold last month right before the harvest began.”

Despite the cold winter weather looming over LIV Organic’s potato crops, it is well positioned to fulfill its mission: to produce high-quality product with incrementable growth to ensure the longevity of farming for years to come.

To see how other category growers are faring in the face of a busy holiday season, keep checking back with us at ANUK.

LIV Organic

IRWINDALE, CA - If there’s anything that I have learned in my short time in the produce biz, it’s that ‘fresh’ and ‘new products’ are key buttons to be hitting. So when Bonduelle Fresh Americas announced that it was releasing a bevvy of new fresh products, the flashing lightbulb in my head went off. Seven new products have hit the shelves, and it’s time for me to do some taste testing.

“The extension of the Bonduelle brand with the new Bonduelle Fresh Picked™ Gourmet Entrée Salads was the perfect opportunity to take what we’re known for—fresh, convenient salads on-the-go—and take it up a notch to appeal to a consumer looking for something beyond the familiar,” said Vice President of Marketing Priscila Stanton. “We wanted to challenge the status quo of prepared salads to bring a bit of indulgence to our recipes with premium ingredients you won’t find in other ready-to-eat salads, such as Manzanilla Spanish green olives, shaved aged parmesan, or crispy cornbread crumble.”

Marked by premium ingredients and a nod to time-tested recipes, these Gourmet Entrée Salads elevate the category in ready-to-eat and customizable options that crosses the spectrum of flavors and textures while still maintaining the optimum freshness consumers crave in a packaged salad. Additionally, the square bowl features the Fresh Air Seal™ process, which extends the shelf life of the salads without preservatives, so they stay fresher longer, allowing health-conscious shoppers the confidence to stock up for the week in just one grocery trip.

According to the press release, the Fresh Picked Gourmet Entrée Salads are now available in the produce aisle of Albertsons, Safeway, Vons, and Pavilions stores on the West Coast with plans to expand distribution nationally. The salads are available in five varieties:

• Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken Strips
• Spanish Inspired Chef Salad with Smoked Ham
• Sonora Inspired Salad with Seasoned Grilled Chicken
• Steak & Bleu Chopped Salad
• Apple Walnut Baby Greens Salad with Quinoa

Not only is BFA expanding its Bonduelle brand, but it’s also expanding its Ready Pac Foods brand, too. Two new Ready Pac Foods Bistro^® salads are joining the line-up in the form of the Slider and Reuben salads.

“We are always looking for new ways for people to eat healthier, and that means extending our ever-popular Bistro Salad line with exciting flavors and ingredients,” commented Stanton on the Ready Pac line. “Our two new salad recipes allow consumers to enjoy a delicious, indulgent slider or a Rueben in a healthier and guilt-free way.”

With a name like Slider or Reuben, one should expect some sliders or beef involved, and BFA didn’t disappoint—mouthwatering mini charbroiled burger patties are included in the package, sitting on a bed of crisp iceberg and romaine lettuce and topped with grape tomatoes, cheddar cheese, dill pickle-flavored croutons, and Thousand Island dressing. Meanwhile, the Reuben Salad features uncured corned beef, shredded swiss cheese, and sauerkraut-flavored pumpernickel rye croutons. The Bistro salad is also served with red cabbage, iceberg and romaine lettuce, and dressed with Thousand Island dressing. These salads are now available at local grocery stores, including Wegmans and H-E-B.

As more companies come up with more fresh and new products, ANUK will keep you up-to-date.

Bonduelle Fresh Americas Ready Pac Foods

BRAMPTON, CANADA - In retail, it's not enough to do something great and then rest on your laurels. To take your place as one of the "Big Dogs," constant innovation must be a top priority. One of Canada's Biggest Dogs, Loblaws, is doing just that—pushing ahead with its growth plan that includes its valuable PC Express service.

“We continue to enhance PC Express processes like our picking app designed to increase efficiency, accuracy, and job satisfaction of our in-store team,” Sarah Davis, President, said in a recent earnings call. “We are now building an in-store automated picking area that turns 12,000 square feet of less productive space into a high-tech order fulfillment area dedicated to PC Express orders.”

The retailer will reportedly partner with Takeoff Technologies to funnel online grocery orders through the automated warehouse, according to news source mobile syrup. The pilot will make picking up high-velocity items automated, helping Loblaws’ in-store staff fill more orders faster and more efficiently.

PC Express is aimed at in-store pickup, but the retailer continues to test out other uses. Loblaws recently unveiled a new PC Express pickup point in an urban Toronto building, Davis said in the call, a space where the retailer can offer consumers a full grocery store. The new innovations have elicited a stronger-than-expected consumer response.

Western Canada is the region where Loblaws has the highest penetration of PC Express, and so it has invested in renovations for seven of its PC Express locations to expand for the amount of volume. The retailer is also toying with the idea of having an automated picking facilities in one of its stores.

What other innovations does Loblaws have up its sleeve? You can find the full transcript of the call here. And keep reading AndNowUKnow for updates.

Loblaws

SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Trader Joe’s is a retailer that can’t be stopped—literally. Continuing to be unconventional and successful at the same time, the grocer won an exemption last week from San Francisco’s ban on chain stores. According to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle, a Trader Joe’s in Hayes Valley was approved by the city’s Board of Supervisors. This ban, the news source noted, is meant to prohibit what the city deems “format retailers” from moving in on smaller, locally-owned shops.

“The sameness of formula retail outlets, while providing clear branding for consumers, counters the general direction of certain land use controls and general plan policies, which value unique community character and therefore need controls, in certain areas, to maintain neighborhood individuality,” the Planning Department’s website stated.

San Francisco’s Planning Code notes that these formula retail chains are any establishment with 11 or more locations currently in operation. Given that Trader Joe’s—with its 488+ store units—definitely fits the bill, the question remained how it received an exemption from the ban.

“Hayes Valley is a thriving shopping district, but people forget that the median household income on the north side of Fulton is $24,041, and over one-third of the residents that live there live below the poverty line,” Supervisor Vallie Brown, whose district includes Hayes Valley, told the Chronicle. “It’s important to bring in a grocery store that’s affordable and offers fresh, organic food.”

Trader Joe’s: the (not so) little chain that could.

For all of your industry and retail updates, keep reading AndNowUKnow.

Trader Joe's

RIVERSIDE, CA - Dana Thomas, longtime Chief Executive Officer of Index Fresh, has announced his plans to retire from his role in 2020. Following the news, the Chairman of the avocado provider’s Board of Directors, John Grether, announced the commencement of a search for Index Fresh’s next CEO.

“Dana joined Index as its CEO in 1996 when it was a cooperative, successfully led it through a conversion to a for-profit enterprise, and managed the business as its stock has steadily increased in value,” praised Grether.

Thomas first joined Index Fresh twenty-four years ago. In his quarter of a century run as its CEO, Thomas was instrumental in positioning the company as an industry leader, according to a press release.

In addition, Thomas is celebrated for the following accomplishments:

• Assembling an outstanding staff and executive team
• Providing Index Fresh’s California growers with excellent returns
• Delivering consistently strong dividends to shareholders
• Developing partnerships with the country’s leading retail and foodservice providers
• Significantly growing the company’s market share
• Maintaining the highest ethical standards in the industry

Index Fresh, which markets Hass and GEM avocados throughout the U.S., Canada, and select markets in Asia, owns and manages packing houses in Bloomington, California, and Pharr, Texas. The company also sources fruit from its California, Mexico, Chile, Colombia, and Peru grower-base.

To help it with the search for its next CEO, Index Fresh has tapped Jeff Hodge and Neil Sims of Boyden. Who will succeed Dana Thomas as the head of Index Fresh? AndNowUKnow will report on the latest in the fresh produce industry.

Index Fresh

MONTEREY, CA - The third annual Organic Grower Summit—slated for December 4th and 5th at the Monterey Conference Center—is right around the corner and promising to bring growers, producers, and supply chain leaders from across the industry together for a unique and elite event. As part of our industry’s passion to address key issues facing the business today, an exclusive showing of the award-winning Driscoll’s documentary The Last Harvest—which shines light on the labor shortage and immigration reform—will be held at the show followed by an open forum discussion among produce industry leaders.

“The Last Harvest is just one small part of our journey to demonstrate our commitment to enrich the lives of everyone we touch across our farming communities. As one of the few brands in a typically commodity-driven agriculture industry, we have the unique opportunity to advance topics, themes and challenges that are otherwise invisible to most consumers,“ said Soren Bjorn, President of the Americas, Driscoll’s. “In many cases, strategic collaborations across public and private sectors are needed to improve these larger industry challenges. We support solving systemic issues at a legislative and policy level and continue to be active in timely discussions.”

To check out The Last Harvest trailer and get a deeper dive into the film, click here.

This 22-minute documentary was produced by Driscoll’s in partnership with studio Farm League. Attendees will have the opportunity to hear the hopes, hardships, and sense of life-purpose in harvesting berries from three independent family growers during The Last Harvest. The issues contributing to agriculture’s labor shortage are not going to take care of themselves and the film proposes possible solutions to overcoming these challenges.

Following the airing of the documentary, a panel of produce industry leaders will hold a lively discussion on the challenges and solutions around the labor shortage, immigration reform, H2A, and growing innovations. The session will be moderated by Tonya Antle, Co-Founder, Organic Produce Network with panel members including Bjorn, Dave Puglia, Incoming CEO, Western Growers Association; Hannah Freeman, Co-Founder and CEO Ganaz, and Carmen A. Ponce, Vice President and General Counsel of Labor, Tanimura Antle.

In addition to the exhibition floor and the film showing, the event will feature a series of eight educational sessions and a trio of acclaimed keynote presenters recognized for their innovative and resourceful leadership in creating new and exciting opportunities for those involved in the production of organic crops and products, according to a press release.

The series of educational sessions will touch on areas including:

• What’s Next in Organic Plant Health?
• The Growing Hemp Marketplace
• Organic Cannabis on the Horizon
• Strategies to Reduce Risk through Organic Soil Health Practices
• Organic Farming in the Era of FSMA
• Organic Sales Data Dive

So who will be taking to the main stage for the day's keynotes? The presenters include Kat Taylor, Co-Founder and CEO of Beneficial State Bank, and Founding Director of TomKat Ranch Educational Foundation; Amy Ansel, Co-Founder of Titan Bioplastics; and David Perry, President and CEO of Indigo Ag.

The OGS is produced by partners California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF) and Organic Produce Network (OPN) and is designed to provide information vital to organic farmers and ranchers, as well as an overview of the challenges and opportunities in the production of organic products.

Mark your calendars for the event, if you have not already, and point your feet toward Monterey, California!

Organic Grower Summit

MONTEREY, CA - There’s a surprising misconception that if you throw hemp seeds in the ground, they are going to grow and produce a high-value crop, but Tanya Hart and Amy Ansel, Co-Founders of Titan HempX and Titan Bioplastics, with a smile suggest otherwise. This exchange intrigued me because hemp is quickly evolving in the industry—so, what does the crop offer to growers who’ve had skin in the produce game for decades? That’s the question everyone will be asking at the Organic Grower Summit (OGS) this year, with Amy delivering a keynote speech to address transforming the unsustainable through industrial hemp production.

“The cost to do a high-value hemp crop is relative to the value of that crop after it's produced,” Amy explained. “Meaning that there will be a substantial investment into that growing operation to produce a crop that has the kind of high value that farmers would ideally like to have. For Industrial Hemp (vs. Hemp for CBD extractions), you're looking at growing a commodity crop that is typically lower in cost to produce and has experienced lower value in the market.”

OGS attendees will surely be mind blown, like I was, to digest all of the opportunities available to growers in this sector. When I asked Tanya what innovations have been developed in the hemp industry, she informed me that we are in the midst of a great technological push to support the commercialization of Industrial Hemp. According to her, technology along the manufacturing pipeline is still evolving to make it cost-efficient to compete with other materials.

I went on to question how hemp provides an opportunity to be more kind to the Earth, but quickly learned that hemp encapsulates many of the things that sustainability represents.

“We have a chance in this industry to grow something organically right from the start—and that has a dual meaning,” Tanya began. “Most hemp farmers do grow hemp organically because it's naturally resistant to pesticides. There are a few bugs that like it, but there are natural solutions to that, so you don't have to spray pesticides over hemp. Most farmers take pride in growing their material organically, and some may take the extra steps to certify themselves as organic. But the majority of material is grown naturally and organically.”

Though hemp may be a door leading to a boost in sales for organic operations, not all that glitters is gold. Tanya left me with some sage advice for growers looking to move into the hemp sector.

“The advice I would give to farmers today looking to grow hemp, is start small,” Tanya said. “Don't assume that you're going to have an automatic cash cow. The market is unstable for consistent pricing. It's really about finding the type of hemp you want to grow, making sure you're near a processing facility that can actually handle the material, and start small. Test out the soil you have and find experts that really know what they're doing. Even if you're a farmer that's been growing for generations, find somebody that really knows how to grow hemp in the sector of the industry that you're interested in, and do it really well.”

It truly is the Wild West out there in terms of industrial and commercial hemp regulations as we have seen in recent news. Putting the cart before the horse is a losing game but lucky for voices like Tanya’s, the industry will be able to receive first-hand clarity at OGS where many that are not equipped to expand into the category have only found muddy water.

My conversation with the two powerhouses extended long past this page, but I’ll have to save the rest for another day. In the meantime, you can learn about industrial hemp production directly from the www.titanhemp.net and www.titanbioplastics websites. And if you’re lucky enough to attend the Organic Grower Summit this year, all of this and more will be divested to you in Amy’s keynote speech. As always, ANUK will continue investigating this agricultural opportunity, so stay tuned.

Titan Bioplastics

HERMOSILLO, MEXICO - Rico Farms, a grower marketed by its partner Bridges Produce, is putting significant effort into its social programs as a catalyst for changing its workers lives, both on and off the farm. With such a commitment to its team members, Bridges Produce-backed Rico Farms is one to watch in the industry.

“The critical role of the field workers is too often forgotten in the supply chain. Rico Farms is dedicated to improving the lives of its workers and its community,” Ben Johnson, President of Bridges Produce, commented. “Rico Farms is a wonderful example of Bridges’ greater mission, to enable all stakeholders to thrive.”

Rico Farms is owned and operated by the Tapia family, who grow organic summer and winter squash, melons, cucumbers, eggplant, green beans, and chili peppers. The grower’s 100-percent organic crop seasons run from October through May. But it is not just the exceptional produce Rico Farms cultivates that gets Bridges Produce excited, but its focus on taking care of its team members.

“We don’t just want better employees; we want the workers to be better people in our community and to provide better opportunities for all our workers,” Rico Farms’ Operations Director, Jacobo Yanes, commented in a press release.

The Tapia family makes upgrades to their facilities and adds social programs every year to reach their goal of “Creating well-being and fostering a more sustainable world.” This year, Rico Farms implemented both a Fair Trade initiative that enabled 850 workers to make repairs and upgrades to their homes and expanded its educational fast track reading and writing program to include five different levels of education and training.

Under the education initiative, workers are able to enroll in reading and writing classes and work with tutors in efforts to graduate with one of the five certificates offered: literacy, primary/elementary, secondary/junior high, leadership, and its most recent program, which was introduced this year, high school. Funded by the Rico Farms Foundation, the education program has helped 337 people graduate over five seasons.

“Their interest and willingness to learn is motivation for us,” said Yanes. “It makes us want to continue supporting them to grow as people in all aspects and to show them that they are important.”

Workers are also invited to enhance their certificate programs with regularly scheduled educational talks, theater performances, and movie screenings. Several topics are explored in the program, including fostering self-esteem, drug prevention, and promoting personal development through health and nutrition education.

“I would like to thank Rico Farms and the Tapia Family. We had the opportunity to study and work at the same time. We did not have this educational opportunity back home where we live. We are also receiving materials to fix our houses because of this great Fair Trade program. We want to continue working here so more people can benefit,” said Samuel Hernandes, a Rico Farms Employee who, with his brothers, returned to the farm year-after-year, and has now taken on supervisor rolls at the farm.

Along with programs funded by the Rico Farms Foundation, the grower is also Fair Trade Certified. The premium paid on each box of Fair Trade products is returned to the Fair Trade Committee so other projects are funded that are selected by the workers. Since late 2013, the Rico Farms facility in Hermosillo, Mexico, has been Fair Trade certified, and this year the grower has initiated its most ambitious project yet. The company is providing materials to upgrade and repair 850 employee’s homes in Oaxaca, Chiapas, and Veracruz, Mexico. The project is set to be completed by January 2020, and is made up of 600 workers from the current season with the remaining beneficiaries coming from the previous season. Over $100,000 in premium funds are used to purchase and deliver building materials including cinder blocks, cement, laminate, paint, and metal roofing sheet to the workers’ home communities. The project will benefit not only the workers, but thousands of their family members as well. These building materials are critical in southern Mexico, as many of the workers’ homes were damaged from an earthquake that hit two years ago.

AndNowUKnow will continue to bring you the latest from the produce world.

Bridges Produce Rico Farms