ELGIN, MN - PMA Fresh Summit is just around the corner, and the entire industry is gearing up for a memorable and productive show. Honeybear Brands is ready to turn heads this year, showcasing several of the company’s show-stopping varieties, products, and developments. Looking forward to the professional and personal connections forged during the event, Honeybear Brands views the opportunity as an idea incubator, where produce mavens from all walks of life can gather and elevate the entire industry.

“The show is the catalyst for bringing the industry together and showcasing the important and exciting ways companies throughout the supply chain work to put fresh, healthy food in the hands of a global population,” commented Don Roper, VP Sales and Marketing. “It’s good to feel like you are part of something as big and critical as providing nutritious sustenance. At the same time, it challenges us as suppliers to keep innovating.”

When it comes to showcasing product, Honeybear Brands will be featuring its newest variety of apple—Pazazz. The new variety has been on the market for the last three years, and with its Honeycrisp heritage, Pazazz is heating up the category with its fantastic crunch and exceptional sweetness.

“Pazazz is a flavor standout,” Don mentioned. “It’s bold, bright, and incredibly juicy. There is complexity in the flavor that is both tart and sweet. Folks tell me all the time it tastes like a Jolly Rancher candy. What sets it apart is the fact that it holds its flavor so well—it tastes great from November all the way through August!”

And Honeybear Brands has kept a close eye on retail marketing for the new variety with its Life Gets More Flavorful with Pazazz social media campaign that encourages consumers to share their love of the new variety. The company is also offering retailers a set of in-store tools to coordinate with social media ads.

There will be two other new varieties that Honeybear Brands plans to feature at PMA Fresh Summit, including the company’s Pink Lady/Honeycrisp cross and unique Butter Cream Yellow variety that sports tropical fruit and nutty flavors. But Don explained that with new varieties come different retail challenges.

“For new varieties, the key point we stress and support with our retail partners is product trial. For these new varieties, price is very important to help drive trials,” he said. “Price the apple at a good entry point, sample aggressively, and drive multiple impressions at the consumer level—those are all key. It’s also important to keep the new variety on the deck for extended periods of time to create the consumer exposure in order to gain trial and adoption.”

Honeybear Brands will also showcase its latest packaging line extensions—the Honey Cubbies pouch. The new pouches have been so well received that the company is offering its apple varieties in three-pound pouches.

“The Cubbie and Organic Pouches ‘wear the bear.’ Customers and consumers alike know that they are getting an exceptional piece of fruit when it comes in a Honeybear bag. Providing that uncompromising, premium experience is what we have built our business on,” Don said.

With the evolution of the apple category moving at full speed, getting consumers on board can sometimes be tricky. For Honeybear Brands, it’s all about working closely with suppliers and retailers to reshape consumer perception—and what better place to do that than at PMA Fresh Summit?

“Changing consumer behavior to adopt new products is perhaps the single hardest thing to do in the produce aisle,” Don stressed. “This takes concerted efforts by both supply partners and retailers—it is also a huge opportunity for all stakeholders. We will see big changes in the apple category in the next several years. Many of the legacy mainline varieties are not meeting the new flavor demands of our consumers in the stores today—they are switching apples out for other commodities. There is a very simple reason why—we are pushing too many varieties that don’t meet their expectations, so they walk away. As an industry, we are all working to bend this curve and it starts with providing a product that gives them a great eating experience and matches their pocketbook spend. At Honeybear, we are doing that today and are excited about changing the trend line we see today.”

Curious about Honeybear Brands’ exciting new varieties and offerings? Swing by booth #3957 to learn more about what the company has in store.

Keep reading AndNowUKnow for exclusive produce industry event content.

Honeybear Brands

ATLANTA, GA - Meijer is no stranger to bold moves and innovation, as the retailer has experimented with new concepts, new markets, and new technologies to better enhance its customers’ shopping experience and boost its bottom line. Now the retailer is turning to the tech world to bring its distribution operations and capabilities to new heights, recently inking a deal with Dematic for a micro-fulfillment solution.

“We're driven to make shopping at Meijer easy and convenient, so micro-fulfillment is another way our company is leaning into the future of retail,” said Sid Handa, Director of Strategic Supply Chain Initiatives for Meijer. “This micro-fulfillment technology will allow us to maximize space in our stores, help us expand our online shopping options, and ultimately keep pace with consumer demand for personalized shopping solutions that puts their shopping preferences first.”

Dematic’s new micro-fulfillment technology is designed to help retailers respond to increased consumer demand for rapid online order fulfillment, while taking up a smaller amount of space than traditional fulfillment centers. A combination of automated technology and proprietary Dematic iQ software, the tech company’s new offering allows retailers to maximize space, advancing its omni-channel distribution strategy to achieve one-hour order fulfillment.

The new micro-fulfillment solution can be built and installed in as little as 12 weeks and is designed to fit into footprints as small as 10,000 square feet, making it perfect for fitting into the back of stores or in a nearby dark store or urban fulfillment center.

There are other factors that differentiate the new solution, including:

• Cold zone environment capabilities with ambient, chilled, and frozen temperature zones
• A global footprint that enables implementation at scale, making it possible for customers to install multiple micro-fulfillment solutions at once, at locations worldwide
• Unmatched 24x7x365 customer service with local operations in over 25 countries, supporting scale at speed

“Dematic has been leading intralogistics innovation and invention for 200 years. We’ve helped automate some of the world’s biggest distribution centers, and now we have a creative solution that truly optimizes the smaller footprints found in the backs of retail stores—our expertise in automation and our scale gives us a real advantage,” said Hasan Dandashly, CEO, Dematic. “The global effort to bring a Dematic micro-fulfillment solution to life in less than six months is proof of that. Micro-fulfillment is a demonstration of our mission to power the future of commerce, and we aim to set a new standard for order fulfillment, together with our customers.”

Meijer is leading the pack in technology with the implementation of this new micro-fulfillment solution. The retailer has already initiated a deal with Dematic, and the new installation is already under way.

Will this new tech direction put Meijer ahead of the curve? Which other retailers will jump on Dematic’s new offering? AndNowUKnow will report.

Meijer Dematic

IRVINE, CA - Good morning, AndNowUKnow readers!

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

PALMETTO/RUSKIN SAW HEAVY RAIN YESTERDAY

This Floridian fall tomato growing region saw heavy rain yesterday. The unexpected storm dropped over 3” of rain in less than three hours last night. There was no wind associated with this storm. Please check with tomato shippers in the area to see if rain caused any issues to the upcoming crop.

Approximately 100 miles south, in the growing region of Immokalee, they received some rain last night, but not nearly as much as in Palmetto.

COOL DOWN COMING TO CALIFORNIA TOMATO GROWING REGIONS

The mature green tomato growing regions of California will experience some cold nights later this week into next. The SJ Valley regions of Tracy, Newman, and Firebaugh along with the coastal regions of Hollister and Soledad will all see minimum temperatures drop into the mid 40°s starting this Thursday and lasting at least through Tuesday of next week. Firebaugh will see the coldest nights of all locations with minimum temperatures dropping down to 42° this Thursday.

Expect volumes to slow down toward the end of the week. With this region still being the biggest shipping point of mature greens in the nation, be aware that overall volumes may tighten next week as a result of cooldown.

REMAINDER OF COUNTRY EXPERIENCING AVERAGE TEMPERATURES

There is not much else to report around the country today. All other major growing regions appear to be experiencing normal weather conditions for this time of year.

HURRICANE CENTRAL

There is some unsettled weather in the Atlantic just off the coast of Florida, as well as Georgia, causing some sporadic showers, but nothing major enough to report.

In the Pacific, there is no activity at this time, at least for the next 48 hours.

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

Weathermelon

ISSAQUAH, WA - I can remember the time my parents first got a Costco membership card, even the detail of my mother not looking properly into the camera. For those who count themselves among Costco’s members, it’s easy to tout the benefits of being one. As the retailer relayed in its latest earnings call to discuss Q4 2019 results, membership is at an all-time high—denoting how popular shopping with the wholesaler really is.

"In terms of renewal rates, at Q4 end, our U.S. and Canada membership renewal rate came in at 90.9 percent, up 0.2 percent from 90.7 percent as of the end of the last quarter," said CFO Richard Galanti during the call. “And worldwide, the renewal rate was 88.4 percent, up from 88.3 percent a quarter ago, both of these figures all-time highs."

According to Galanti, the company ended its fourth quarter with 20.8 million executive memberships—an uptick of 362,000 over last quarter. Costco also saw increases in the use of its digital membership card, which it debuted in July of this year. Since then, Costco has experienced 2.5 million activations.

While its membership continues to rise, will there be enough storefronts to keep up? Galanti teased the opening of 20 or more units in the next year, so it seems likely there will be more than enough Costcos to go around.

As we plot the ins and outs of the retail landscape, stick with AndNowUKnow for the latest updates.

Costco

PHARR, TX - When growth is the target, it is first helpful for a company to look inward and take stock of its talent to identify the strengths and gaps in its teams. London Fruit is doing just that—last year the company bolstered its Retail Development operations with the appointment of Tonya Hill to the role of Retail Development Manager in Sales. Now, the company has turned its eyes to its Sales team, announcing the appointment of Amanda Horney to the role of Sales Representative in the Midwest region.

Horney brings extensive experience to the role, having worked for grower-shippers and wholesalers in the produce trade, according to a press release. She also has experience with citrus and tropical fruits—London Fruit’s bread and butter, so to speak.

We at AndNowUKnow wish Amanda a warm welcome to an already stellar team.

London Fruit

RICHMOND, VA - Litehouse knows that everything is just a little better with ranch dressing. But, since Litehouse is a company built on innovation and vision, the team has never just rested on their ranch laurels—as popular as they may be. The company synonymous with salad dressings and dips across food demographics and grocery store departments has brought a new brand to the supermarket and foodservice spread with the introduction of Litehouse’s Brite Harbor portfolio.

Alison Kellogg, Brand Manager for the company, took a moment away from Litehouse’s exciting new launch to generate some energy and flavor cravings with us and with those looking to elevate their programs with all-things dipping.

“Litehouse is best-known for our refrigerated dressings in a grocer’s produce section, but we have a wide assortment of shelf-stable products for those customers and consumers who need a convenient dressing, dip, or sauce that doesn’t require refrigeration,” Alison shares with me. “In order to alleviate confusion when consumers see a Litehouse cup of dressing sitting at room temperature and wondering if it is actually supposed to be refrigerated, Brite Harbor is our solution to more clearly differentiate the attributes of our two brands.”

As always, Litehouse maintains the goal of enhancing consumers’ eating experiences, whether that is with its core dressings that customers and consumers use right out of the fridge or with its convenient, shelf-stable product that can be thrown in a lunch bag to be eaten on-the-go.

Litehouse has a full line of staple flavors covered in its Brite Harbor assortment, but some fall and seasonal favorites include Buttermilk Ranch—a creamy, classic lunch addition (available in convenient 1oz and 1.5oz cups and packets as well as gallons for Foodservice operators) and Honey French dressing—which balances a tomato kick with smooth honey (available in convenient 1oz and 1.5 oz packets).

“We pride ourselves on providing great tasting products to meet a variety of needs,” Alison tells me as I note that traversing deli, foodservice, and fresh produce is quite a feat. “Overall, our mission at Litehouse is to make good food taste even better. In order to do so, we need to be available to consumers in the wide variety of ways that they’re eating meals these days. When creating meals at home, Litehouse is a marinade, ingredient, or dressing to give their dish a delicious twist. When on the go, Brite Harbor is the tasty, convenient packet of ranch to carry in their lunch bag. When they go out to a restaurant, Litehouse and Brite Harbor are the unique flavors used in the kitchen to create memorable dishes.”

Consumers are on a quest for convenience without sacrificing flavor, regardless of the location, Alison adds, and with the team’s variety of brands, Litehouse strives to provide solutions for everyone.

What will this powerhouse come up with next? The sky is the limit for Litehouse and its team of mealtime minds.

Litehouse Foods

CORAL GABLES, FL - Fyffes is setting out to be the talk of the town—or, well, many towns—across the U.S. and Canada. In an all-new advertising campaign launching in North America, Fyffes is hoping to ensure it’s the name on everybody’s lips thanks to a 30-second video featuring attention-grabbing visuals showcasing just how easy and simple it is to pronounce Fyffes.

“We recognized that many people wonder how to pronounce our brand name. We’ve heard it in so many unique ways,” said Marion Tabard, Vice President of Marketing for Fyffes in North America. “We wanted to take this wonder and curiosity around our brand name to create a playful and innovative campaign that will have people saying the Fyffes name the right way.”

Over 130 years ago, in 1888, Fyffes was founded by Wathen Fyffe—a milestone marked by the shipment of two banana bunches from the Canary Islands to London. Since then, Fyffes has built up strong brand recognition in the European market through carefully crafted marketing efforts. One such marketing effort is its iconic Fyffes Blue Label, which has become a symbol of quality consumers know they can trust, according to a press release. Now, the company has set its sights on North America in order to build that same trust and brand recognition with a wider scope of consumers.

“The campaign shows how easy and simple it is to pronounce Fyffes,” said Tabard. “In a playful way, we’re showing to the retail community and consumers that Fyffes bananas are not only easy to eat, but also easy to pronounce.”

The new campaign will be revealed at PMA Fresh Summit next week(!!). Fresh Summit attendees can also be some of the first to see new print and digital ads and social media campaigns slated to roll out in the coming months.

Want a quick peek at the campaign ahead of its launch? Or maybe you’re still not sure exactly how to pronounce Fyffes? Check out the video here, or visit Fyffes social media pages: Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest.

For more talk-of-the-town produce news, keep checking back with AndNowUKnow.

Fyffes

MCLEAN, VA - If there are three things we can count on in life, it’s death, taxes, and Gladstone land acquisitions. Gladstone Land Corporation has spent millions snatching up farmland for blueberries, pistachios, wine vineyards, and more, for some time now, expanding its real estate and produce portfolio. Now, the company has acquired 3,850 more acres in Nebraska, with plans to take operations in an organic direction.

“This is an exciting acquisition for us,” said Bill Hughes, Managing Director. “We are entering a new farming region in the U.S. and beginning a new tenant relationship with Granstrom Farms, one of the leading organic growers in Nebraska. Having a presence in this area will not only give us a great new relationship with one of the top growers in the state but will also give us exposure to potential new crop types for our farmland portfolio. In addition to the 17 new irrigated circles, we will be constructing a state-of-the-art grain drying and storage facility to safely handle and protect the integrity of the organic grain on the farms. The company is making a concerted effort to acquire or develop more organic crops within its farmland holdings, and it believes these acquisitions demonstrate its commitment to farms growing healthy foods.”

The new farmland is located in the Hayes and Hitchcock Counties, and cost Gladstone approximately $14.7 million, according to a press release. The acquisition includes 10-year, triple-net lease agreements on each farm. The acquired farms currently grow corn, soybeans, and edible beans, and will be completely converted to organic farmland by 2021.

“An interesting aspect of these purchases is that the company will be assisting the farmers in their transition from conventional ground to organic certification of the farm,” said David Gladstone, President and CEO. “The organic certification is expected to result in the farmer receiving premium prices for the crops, which will, in turn, make the farm more valuable to the company. The company seeks to own farms growing healthy foods, and with the demand for organic food continuing to grow, the acquisition of these farms is evidence of its continued focus on this investment strategy.”

Where will Gladstone set its sights on next? AndNowUKnow will keep you posted.

Gladstone Land

DUBLIN, CA - With factors like food waste and safety looming in the industry, technological solutions are being implemented more and more. iTradeNetwork, one of the leading global providers of supply chain management and intelligence solutions, announced a pilot program, offering the newly-enhanced iTracefresh traceability suite free of charge to 2,000 of the food and beverage industry’s most prolific perishables suppliers. The offer is an important leap toward broad-scale, industry-wide traceability and creating the world’s safest, most transparent food supply chain.

“We need to take steps to minimize the harmful effects of recalls for all parties—consumers, growers, retailers, and the industry as a whole,” commented Rhonda Bassett-Spiers, CEO. “By offering a year of traceability solution for free, iTrade will foster greater supply chain visibility, optimize product receiving, improve product shelf life and quality, enable more efficient recalls, boost brand loyalty, and ultimately usher in a supply chain we can all trust.”

According to a press release, 48 million Americans get sick every year from food-borne pathogens, and every year there are roughly 700 FDA-managed recalls. As a result, the industry suffers an average economic loss of $10 million per recall, and only 33 percent of consumers now trust the safety of their food. Everyone agrees that industry-wide traceability is a priority, but it hasn’t yet been propelled by a catalyst with the scope and reach to make it a practical reality. Enter iTrade.

“iTradeNetwork has been around for 20 years,” said Dale Slaughenhaupt, CTO. “Over the years, we’ve built the industry’s largest network of retailers, distributors, grower-shippers, food manufacturers, operators, and logistics providers. This wide reach puts us in a very unique position to take meaningful strides toward industry-wide traceability. The offer will spark real change that will produce a ripple effect throughout the industry.”

iTracefresh’s mobile application will allow growers and shippers to trace their products from field to fork, automate and speed up product receiving, improve shelf life and product quality, simplify substitutions, and ultimately ensure food safety by giving participants complete transparency into every step of a product’s journey.

This traceability data will be tied to other data on the iTrade Platform, including purchase order data within iTrade’s Order Management System, freshness analytics from the iTradeFresh module, and logistics data from iTrade’s soon-to-be-released logistics module. It will also populate directly into the iTrade Blockchain, allowing buyers and suppliers real-time access to downstream activities in the supply chain as well as the opportunity to take perishable analytics to the next level.

During the first phase of the offer, iTrade will provide its traceability suite free-of-charge to suppliers on its platform who grow commodities susceptible to food safety events. To remove any barriers to capturing traceability data as quickly as possible, each pilot customer will also receive a free hardware package of 2 mobile devices, a printer, and a field kit to get them started. They will also receive a publicity package that promotes their company as “certified safe” to buyers via press releases, case studies, website mentions, sales collateral, and more. After the pilot program, the offer will be extended to 2,000 more suppliers, ranging from small, remote farms to large farming operations.

Technological solutions like those at iTradeNetwork create endless opportunities for us to tighten up the supply chain, boosting profits and avoiding waste. To keep up with the industry’s advancements, keep reading AndNowUKnow.

iTradeNetwork

SAN CARLOS, CA - The Chilean Avocado Importers Association (CAIA) recently announced its second year of partnership with Chilean PGA Tour golf professional Joaquín Niemann. CAIA first started working with Niemann in the fall of 2018 when he had just become a Special Temporary Member on the PGA Tour, the youngest to achieve this since Sergio Garcia in 1999. The new partnership will be pivotal in Avocados from Chile’s social media and advertising programs.

“We always knew there was something special about Joaquín, but the journey he’s had over the past year has been phenomenal. We’re so happy for him,” shared Karen Brux, CAIA’s Managing Director. “In our marketing approach from Avocados from Chile, we strive to share the unique qualities of Chile that contribute to the supply of consistently great avocados, and we can’t think of a more authentic way to showcase the country than partnering with Joaquín.”

According to the press release, the 20-year old became the first PGA Tour winner from Chile, and the youngest international PGA Tour winner since 1923. While Niemann continues on the PGA Tour, he will also extend his official role as Brand Ambassador for Avocados from Chile, speaking to consumers through the association’s U.S. marketing program. The new partnership will include social media, digital TV spots, and trade advertising.

“The past year has been an incredible journey for me, and it’s been great having Avocados from Chile by my side,” commented Niemann. “I grew up with avocados, and they’re still a big part of my daily diet, so this is a really natural and healthy partnership.”

To learn more about Joaquín’s partnership with Avocados from Chile, check out the Avocados from Chile Instagram channel @avocadosfromchile. For more partnership news, keep reading AndNowUKnow.

Avocados from Chile