SANTA MONICA, CA - Today we received word that US Foods will participate in inTEAM's Nourish to Flourish (N2F) Data Sharing and Analytics Initiative as part of an 18-month pilot program that started this July. This joint effort is intended to yield more healthy food sales for the youngest grades in U.S. schools. US Foods’ Harold Fowler, Director of Health Systems, will join the N2F Advisory Group to help monitor the process and refine data standards, along with Premier’s Stacy Lofton, Director of Food and Nutrition Support.

“Our members can benefit from using Premier and US Foods’ integrated menu planning with pre- and post-costing, production records, inventory, and business analysis tools to better manage the supply chain and reduce waste,” said Lofton.

School foodservice operators will benefit from less paperwork due to electronic sharing of data and analytics among school operators, state agencies, distributors, and hundreds of K-12 suppliers. Tens of thousands of K-12 product specification data records are now being published in real time to a single unified N2F database. The integration of Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN) data will help suppliers develop, refine, and market products for this sector and ultimately enhance the school meals experience for the schools and the students.

“Accurate menu planning forecasts will enable us to produce and deliver the right product to the right place at the right time,” stated Andrew Williams, Advisory Group member and Senior Financial Analyst for Tyson Foods. “Data collection and analytics designed for K-12 that includes trade and consumer feedback is essential for us to best serve specialized K-12 market needs.”

According to a press release, inTEAM will provide prototype menu planning and production records software developed in collaboration with stakeholders at no cost to pilot participants. Open source data standards for industrywide use will also be published at the end of the pilot period.

“This is why the NDC and the Urban School Food Alliance convened the first stakeholders’ meeting over two years ago,” added Scott Dissinger of the National Dairy Council. “We envisioned innovation would occur when each work group’s initiatives mature with industry support to discover and implement best practices. The Data Sharing & Analytics Initiative does just that.”

Don’t forget to keep checking in with ANUK for the latest and greatest industry news.

US Foods Premier inTEAM

NEWPORT BEACH, CA - GreenFruit Avocados is expanding its reach into Colombia in a big way. Throughout 2018 and 2019, the company has planted over 450 acres of the Hass variety in Colombia, with additional plans to build out that acreage in 2020. I spoke with Brian Gomez, President, to learn more about GreenFruit’s growing practices, upcoming packing house, and more, and how these plans further its commitment to offering its foodservice and retail partners more options.

“Currently, we have adapted the same growing practices we mastered in Mexico for more than three generations,” Brian explained to me. “Additionally, 50 percent of our crop will be organic and Bio-Dynamic certified, which we feel is important for our retail partners.”

Working alongside a consortium of local growers, GreenFruit is helping those in the region develop their groves. Throughout this process, GreenFruit has cultivated deep relationships, which provides the grower, packer, and shipper to market this fruit in the United States.

As GreenFruit leans into expanding both its footprint and its distribution capabilities, I asked Brian how this state-of-the-art packing house will help support these plans.

“The packing house will help us expand into emerging markets where we are seeing the biggest growth happen. We will also help growers in Colombia by giving them the option of letting us market their fruit under our GreenFruit brand,” Brian remarked. “The packing house will allow us to supply our retail and foodservice programs year-round.”

Given that Colombia is the newest country to gain access into the United States over the last few years, the industry is relatively new. A few months ago, Brian shared that GreenFruit brought in Hass Colombian avocados from neighboring growers whose trees were a little over six years old. After sending the fruit to foodservice and retail partners, the positive feedback was immediate.

“Colombian avocados are an ideal investment for GreenFruit since we want to give our customers an alternative country of origin that will soon be able to supply the global markets 52 weeks out of the year. We are the grower, we are the packer, and we are the marketer, which for us is the best model to have in these growing years of the avocado industry,” Brian concluded.

For the latest on what’s happening in the ever-exciting world of avocados, keep reading AndNowUKnow.

GreenFruit Avocados

NASHVILLE, TN - It’s time to #flavorUP. This is the resounding message that arrived on my plate when I asked Chris Veillon, Chief Marketing Office for Pure Flavor®, what the team’s vision is for SEPC’s Southern Innovations Organics and Foodservice Expo. With an innovative and colorful company like Pure Flavor, I am far from surprised and always intrigued.

“Our campaigns this year have been straight to the point; the message of #flavorUP is to infuse fresh flavors into everything you eat,” Chris tells me, adding that as a vegetable grower that contributes to healthy lifestyles, Pure Flavor has been very successful this year in honing its message across key regions throughout the U.S. to further build its brand. “In doing so, we are increasing consumption across key segments and are experiencing a positive lift with all of our items.”

For the company, it is all about consistency, quality, year-round availability, and bringing a complete line of greenhouse vegetables—most importantly organics and foodservice items—to Southern Innovations and the buying crowd.

“Our company continues to increase its organic product offering year over year. This past spring, we launched Canadian-grown Organic TOV’s as well as Canadian-grown Organic. At Southern Innovations, Pure Flavor® will be launching Organic Sangria Medley Tomatoes. Bursting with a medley of flavors, colors, types, and sizes, these candy-like organic sweet-snacking tomatoes are great sprinkled over a summer salad,” Chris shares with me. “Much like a box of holiday chocolates, with every color and flavor you can think of, the Sangria Medley Tomato provides a unique eating experience. The product will be grown year-round and will be available starting this fall.”

Pure Flavor’s Organic Aurora Mini Sweet Peppers will also be available starting this fall.

As a vertically-integrated greenhouse vegetable grower with facilities and a family of growers strategically located throughout Canada, the U.S., and Mexico, Pure Flavor has the ability to ship year-round to meet the increasing needs of retail and foodservice partners. Along with a number of foodservice focused items on top of organics, Pure Flavor is excited to be attending the show for the first time.

“With an interesting mix of both organics and foodservice, this will give us the opportunity to network with key accounts that are trying to grow their business,” Chris says. “Our investment in the Southeast has been a significant one with the construction of our new greenhouse complex in Fort Valley, Georgia. With Phase 1 complete, and about to start another growing season shortly, we continue to build awareness for regionally-grown product during periods of the year where product sometimes traveled significant miles to get to store shelves.”

Under the Georgia Grown brand, Pure Flavor has been able to deliver fresher product faster so that consumers can enjoy locally grown product including Tomatoes on The Vine, Luna Sweets Red Cocktail Tomatoes, Juno Bites Red Grape Tomatoes, and Sweet Red Cherry Tomatoes on The Vine.

Check out Southern Innovations booth #316 for the full spread in response to this Pure Flavor teaser. I hope everyone enjoys another great show by SEPC!

Pure Flavor

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.

HEAT WAVE TO HIT CALIFORNIA THIS WEEKEND

San Joaquin Valley

The cooler weather in the San Joaquin Valley will continue through tomorrow with maximum temperatures in the mid 80°s. Starting Thursday, temperatures will begin to warm day over day reaching a peak of 101° on Saturday in the cities of Fresno and Bakersfield. The northern end of the valley near Modesto and Sacramento will reach 99° on Saturday.

On Monday, the heatwave will break and maximum temperatures will be back down into the mid 80°s for the remainder of the week. These cooler temperatures are about 10° below normal for early September.

Coastal Regions

Salinas, Santa Maria, and Oxnard will all see much higher temperatures this weekend. These three regions, which are currently experiencing normal high temperatures in the low to mid 70°s, will see temperatures jump 10-15° Thursday through Saturday. Friday will be the hottest day of the heat wave with Salinas reaching 88° while Oxnard and Santa Maria will peak out at 85°. Maybe a bump in production?

MICHIGAN TO SEE HOTTEST TEMPERATURES IN LAST THREE WEEKS

Could we see a rise in volume of bell peppers?

Temperatures in Michigan will jump 10-15° today, getting into the upper 80°s with an isolated 90° temperature in the Southwestern part of the state. These warmer temperatures will last through Thursday. Could this lead to more volume of certain crops such as bell peppers toward the end of the week?

Temperatures will be back into the 70°s on Friday and by next Monday will see some low 80°s by early next week.

COOLER TEMPERATURES AND RAIN TO AFFECT BLUEBERRIES IN OREGON?

The storm we talked about coming to Oregon this week has brought cooler temperatures and some light rain. Maximum temperatures yesterday and today were only in the upper 60°s. High temperatures will warm again on Thursday and Friday into the 80°s but another cool form will come through starting Saturday, bringing cooler maximum temperatures back into the 60°s and daily chances of rain.

Could these cooler temperatures and rain slow down the berry harvest? Please check with shippers.

NEW JERSEY TO EXPERIENCE BEAUTFUL WEATHER THROUGH AT LEAST NEXT WEEK

New Jersey will experience its own little heatwave this week as temperatures continue to rise reaching a peak of 89° on Thursday. Temperatures will cool a bit over the weekend, but will remain in the mid 80°s all next week with minimum temperatures in the mid 60°s. There is a slight chance of rain this Thursday.

These warm temperatures will remain through at least next week.

HURRICANE UPDATE

There is a disturbance in the Pacific several hundred miles off the coast of Mexico due South of the state of Oaxaca. Currently the disturbance is not affecting any land and is moving in a West-Northwest direction. We will update you on Friday.

In the Atlantic, there are several disturbances out east of the Caribbean, but none are being predicted to turn into a Tropical Storm or Hurricane.

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

Weathermelon

SOUTH AFRICA - Early on Sunday morning an intelligence-driven, multi-integrated operation by the Ports of Entry team in South Africa uncovered a staggering amount of cocaine hidden amongst a shipment of bananas from Ecuador. Two containers were suspected of containing narcotics, which was quickly proven true when officials removed paneling from a banana fridge. The discovery was estimated to be worth over five million dollars USD (85M South African rand).

"The suspected containers were on board a vessel that had docked in Port Elizabeth at the Ngqura Port. The team, which included Customs Investigations, the K9 unit, and SAPS Border Police, were duly activated and the process initiated to trace and secure the two containers,” Lieutenant Colonel Katlego Mogale told IOL. "The inter-agency teams worked together and ensured that the targeted containers were removed to the container depot, and upon opening the containers it was found that the contents were bananas as described on the bill of loading. The bill also indicated that the container was destined for Cape Town."

He went on to explain that the banana cartons were thoroughly searched inside and outside of the container, and while inspecting a rear refrigeration unit, a hidden compartment was discovered.

"Upon removing some of the paneling, the team discovered packages wrapped in brown tape. The paneling was removed and a total of 40 packages, which tested positive for cocaine, were discovered in both the containers,” Mogale said. “Further profiling was conducted and it was discovered that there were another two containers that were linked to the product type and packaging methodology on the same vessel. The team immediately decided to secure the containers."

The team’s sniffer dog alerted them to further inspect the rear refrigeration paneling in the remaining containers. The paneling was consequently removed, revealing another 45 bricks wrapped in brown packaging tape that also tested positive for cocaine.

"There was an estimated weight of 45 kilograms in both containers. A total of 85 bricks with an approximate weight of 85 kilograms and an estimated street value of R85 million were seized," continued Mogale. “High levels of collaboration between stakeholders at the port have once again paid off. There have been breakthroughs made as a result of the ongoing proactive fight against crime, especially the proliferation of drugs coming into and through the port. Investigations are continuing."

Thanks to South African law enforcement, yet another hidden shipment of drugs was uncovered. For all instances of drugs disguised as produce, stay with us at AndNowUKnow.

SACRAMENTO, CA - Am I the only person who thought the term "heirloom" only applied to the tomato category? Admittedly, it’s a bit embarrassing, considering that I call myself a wordsmith. Nonetheless, it’s safe to say I learned something new this morning when the California Pear Advisory Board announced that heirloom pear varieties are being harvested in the state’s Mountain District areas.

“As fall approaches, consumers will be looking for specialty pear varieties and we want buyers across the U.S. to know that California has fresh-crop pears for sale now,” says Chris Zanobini, Executive Director.

This season in California means many suppliers are harvesting their heirloom variety pears. While the River District has wrapped up its summer pear harvest season, the Mountain District’s is now in full swing. Heirloom variety pears will be available through mid-October, with the mainstream varieties of Bartlett and Bosc available for sale into November. A press release reported that organic options are also available for many varieties.

“We are just beginning harvest of Comice, French Butter, Forelle, Seckel, and Organic Bosc varieties this week,” says Scott Fraser, Sales Manager at Scully Packing Company in Lake County. “The California Mountain District has experienced perfect growing conditions this season and the quality has been excellent!”

Not only are heirloom pear varieties versatile for use in many recipes, but they can make the perfect addition to holiday table decorations or floral arrangements. Approximately 60 farming families in the state produce pears, many of whom are farming the same land tended to by their great grandparents. California heirloom pear varieties are grown using sustainable farming practices on orchards that are up to 100 years old.

Follow along with us at AndNowUKnow as we learn about the newest produce varieties in the industry.

California Pear Advisory Board

BOISE, ID - Albertsons recently announced the promotion of its Own Brands President Geoff White to his new role of Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer.

White began his retail career with Albertsons as a general clerk at Safeway in Burnaby, BC, in 1981. Throughout his time there, he eventually became Director of Canadian Produce Operations for 210 stores. He held leadership roles in produce, dairy, frozen, deli/foodservice, produce, floral, and branded concepts at the Safeway corporate office from 2004 to 2015. In 2015, he was named Senior Vice President of Marketing and Merchandising for the Northern California Division. Shortly thereafter, in 2017, he was appointed President of Albertsons’ Own Brands team.

“Geoff is a customer-centric leader who brings a unique combination of creativity and analytics to achieve growth,” said Vivek Sankaran, President and Chief Executive Officer. “I look forward to working with him to transform our merchandising capabilities.”

According to a press release, under White’s leadership, the Own Brands penetration grew from 23.0 percent in fiscal year 2017 to 25.3 percent in the company's most recently reported quarter. O Organics and Open Nature represent 23.6 percent of the total natural and organic sales at Albertsons, a 152 basis point growth from Q1 of FY2018. In 2018, the Own Brands team also launched Signature Reserve, an ultra-premium label that features globally sourced ingredients.

Congratulations to Geoff on this new position and step in his career!

Albertsons Companies

WATSONVILLE, CA - California Giant Berry Farms aims to move forward in the organics program, gearing towards bigger growth and operations throughout the Americas and Mexico. Leading that charge will be none other than Tom Smith, currently the Director of Foodservice. Now, Smith will be adding Organics to his title as the new Director of Foodservice and Organics, cementing his position within the company after several months of working in the area behind the scenes.

“Tom has done a fantastic job leading our foodservice team and growing our foodservice business. He has also been working more closely with our organic growers. With the continued growth of our organic berry offerings, it made logical sense to make him the Director of Organics as well,” says Joe Barsi, Chief Operating Officer, in the press release.

“Foodservice is near and dear to me, and we are committed to increase our footprint in this segment. With the addition of Organics in my role, I look forward to working more with our retail team and our retail and wholesale customers to target growth of organics. The timing is perfect as I head to Nashville for the SEPC Southern Innovations Organics and Foodservice Conference this week,” says Smith.

Effective September 1, 2019, Smith is now responsible for the future direction of the foodservice and organic sales team in the development of California Giant’s strategic sales plan.

But that’s not the only cause of celebration. Thomas Taggart joined the team as the Senior Director of Operations on September 9, 2019, bringing in over 25 years of extensive experience developing and implementing quality systems, food safety programs, and new technologies both domestically and internationally. Working with the executive team, he will be responsible for quality systems, food safety, and innovation.

Taggart will also work with the operations team partnering with the sales; field operations; vendors; grower partners; and Juana Ramirez, Director of Supply Chain Management, also a recent hire this past summer. Both Taggart and Ramirez have worked together previously and are eager to be on the same team again at California Giant as the company continues to expand globally with all four berry types.

“As we plan for the future, we need more experience in our operations team,” says Barsi. “Juana was brought on earlier in the year to assist with some of the succession plans we have in place and will lead our packaging and supply chain initiatives. Thomas has broad berry industry experience from processing, to quality assurance to packaging, which will also fill some of the roles as our leadership transitions in the future.”

We at ANUK wish nothing but success for California Giant, Smith, and Taggart in their journey!

California Giant

NASHVILLE, TN - Growing and selling apples is an art form as much as it is science and numbers. One company that can manage the balance with innovation and drive is Stemilt Growers. With SEPC’s Southern Innovations Organics and Foodservice Expo kicking off this week, Stemilt is sharing its key messaging for the show and what we can expect for this Wenatchee, Washington-based company.

“Stemilt is well into its new season for apples and pears, and that will be a big focal point for us at the show. Organics are a huge part of our overall program, with 2019 being our 30th birthday for our organic program, Artisan Organics™,” Brianna Shales, Communications Manager, shares with me. “Today, more than 30 percent of our entire apple crop is grown/certified organic with a focus on modern varieties and 40 percent of our overall Honeycrisp is organic, with other signature varieties like SweeTango® and Piñata® also topping 40 percent.”

Brianna adds that Stemilt grows lots of organic Gala, Fuji, and Pink Lady®, too—all varieties that consumers want and will help retailers grow their organic categories. Helping to raise the bar in the category, Stemilt is excited to showcase fresh-off-the-tree organics, and also its family of brands, including Artisan Organics™ Lil Snappers® kid-sized pouch bags of organic apples and pears this year.

“Artisan Organics Lil Snappers are a great way to market intent to parents with young kids, who are also seeking organics,” Brianna says. “Organics are an expectation of consumers today, especially in produce departments. There is a big opportunity to grow organic sales of apples and pears at retail. It’s not reinventing the wheel, but rather, focusing on the 4Ps of marketing—price, product, placement, and promotion—and doing it often. Retailers can differentiate by offering modern varieties and ensuring great quality and eating experiences to bring their loyal organic shoppers—and those that shop occasionally—back for more.”

For Stemilt, this is actually the company’s first year attending, so the team is looking forward to finding out what the buzz is all about.

“SEPC puts on great events, and we are excited about the organic focus this show offers. We also know the produce industry will bring lots of energy to Nashville!” Brianna adds.

Check out Stemilt’s entire spread this week at SEPC’s Southern Innovations Organics and Foodservice Expo booth #117! Enjoy the show!

Stemilt Growers

WASHINGTON, DC - The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Domanth Inc., doing business as Medoff Produce, satisfied a $9,990 reparation order issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA) involving unpaid produce transactions.

Direct from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service:

The New Brunswick, N.J., company can continue operating in the produce industry upon applying for and being issued a PACA license. Dominic R. Bellifemine was listed as the officer, director, and major stockholder of the business and may now be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee.

PACA provides an administrative forum to handle disputes involving produce transactions; this may result in USDA’s issuance of a reparation order that requires damages to be paid by those not meeting their contractual obligations in buying and selling fresh and frozen fruits and vegetables. USDA is required to suspend the license or impose sanctions on an unlicensed business that fails to pay PACA reparations awarded against it as well as impose restrictions against those principals determined to be responsibly connected to the business when the order is issued. Those individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, members, managers, officers, directors, or major stockholders, may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee without USDA approval.

Once a reparation order is fully satisfied and it is confirmed that there are not any outstanding unpaid awards, USDA lifts the employment restrictions of the previously named, responsibly connected individuals. USDA also requires any unlicensed company that fully satisfies all unpaid reparation awards to obtain a license if it continues to operate in the industry.

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 3,350 PACA claims involving more than $63 million. PACA staff also assisted more than 8,000 callers with issues valued at approximately $156 million. These are just two examples of how USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.

For further information, contacts, and to read the press release in its entirety, please check out the link here.

USDA's Agricultural Marketing Service