CASTROVILLE, CA – As the industry gears up for another year of innovation and leading displays at the upcoming PMA Fresh Summit, Ocean Mist Farms has its own offerings to debut at the event. Ocean Mist Farms will unveil the newest addition to its Season & Steam line, Sweet Baby Broccoli. 

“Our Season & Steam bag addresses multiple culinary and consumer trends,” stated Diana McClean, Director of Marketing. “We want to meet consumer demand and make Sweet Baby Broccoli easy and convenient to cook at home.” 

In addition to answering that demand for convenient and healthy vegetable options, the company stated in a press release that Ocean Mist Farms is looking to shake up the broccoli category with value-added success, as it previously did with the Brussels sprouts category. 

The newest extension to the value-added fresh vegetable line is packaged in the innovative Steamfast microwavable pack. This packaging provides consumers with a convenient option to pre-season the broccoli right in its packaging, reseal the lock, and steam in the microwave. 

The SteamFast packaging is also designed for ideal stand-up, face-forward presentation on the shelf. The 8 oz package is bilingual, in French and English, for export opportunities, and also includes cooking instructions and usage ideas on the bottom gusset. 

That’s not the only highlight Ocean Mist Farms has planned for the event, as the company will host retail registered dieticians, through the Produce for Better Health Foundation, at its booth for a portion of the show, to demonstrate the fast and easy ways consumers can prepare fresh artichokes. 

“We are looking forward to educating these important group of influencers about artichokes so they in turn can educate their shoppers,” McClean finished.

The new Sweet Baby Broccoli Season & Steam will be on display at Ocean Mist Farms booth at PMA Fresh Summit, and is also a finalist for the annual packaging innovation awards. Ocean Mist Farms also intends to showcase its more than 30 freshly grown vegetables and organic line, Ocean Mist Organic, at the event as well. 

Need to see the new Sweet Baby Broccoli product for yourself? Stop by Ocean Mist Farms booth 642 at PMA.

Ocean Mist Farms

SALINAS, CA – Taylor Farms is keeping its eyes to the future as the company utilizes leading technology and partnerships to further invest in renewable energy, and the growth of its company. Taylor Farms has most recently helped REC Solar surpass 100 installations for the agriculture sector with its latest installation at one of its facilities.

“Taylor Farms is a leader in the agriculture industry, and now in sustainability, because we know it’s the right thing to do,” said Nicole Flewell, Director of Sustainability at Taylor Farms. “Not only are we taking care of the environment but we’re also providing ourselves with reliable and cost effective energy sources.” 

The installation to push REC Solar over the milestone mark was a 1 megawatt (MW) project at the Taylor Farms facility in Gonzales, California. As the company stated in a recent press release, this latest addition, combined with the energy generated from the company’s wind turbines, enables Taylor Farms to offset more than 25 percent of its energy consumption during peak periods. 

Previous to this installment, REC Solar had also completed solar projects for Taylor Farms in its Salinas, California, location and is working on additional projects for the company’s facilities in Tracy, California, and Dallas, Texas. 

“Over the last 15 years, some of our most innovative solar solutions have been developed for members of the agriculture community. Farmers were some of the earliest adopters of solar because they quickly saw the business and environmental benefits,” said Alan Russo, Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing at REC Solar. “We are proud of the work we are doing to help such a critically important industry thrive in California, Hawaii, and across the nation.” 

REC Solar’s installations in the agriculture sector now account for 45 MW of the total 200 MW that the company has installed. REC Solar has helped around 70 agricultural businesses within the past 19 years manage energy costs and improve the stability of their business with clean solar energy. The company has worked with growers, vineyards, nurseries, food and beverage processors, and cold storage facilities.

As Taylor Farms keeps pushing for innovation, both in its products and its energy use, AndNowUKnow will continue to update you with the latest in forward-thinking announcements.

Taylor Farms

TAMPA, FL - Harvest CROO Robotics’ continues to grow, with Naturipe Berry Growers now joining as an industry investor.

“The lack of availability of labor to harvest strawberries is one of the great challenges facing our industry,” Rich Amirsehhi, President and CEO of Naturipe Berry Growers, said, according to a recent release. “Harvest CROO Robotics’ technology to harvest berries has tremendous promise to solve this critical problem.”

As we have reported previously, Harvest CROO presents a first-of-its-kind option in strawberry-picking technology, picking on traditional strawberry beds with no change necessary on the grower’s part by way of its autonomous and continuous picking wheel, “the Pitzer Wheel.”

Now Naturipe, one of the largest strawberry growers in North America, has joined on to make for more than 20% of the U.S. strawberry industry investing in the program.

“Naturipe Berry Growers sees joining this collaborative effort as an important step in ensuring the sustainability of the U.S. strawberry industry and putting our growers in a position to be early adopters of the technology,” said Amirsehhi.

And according to the Harvest CROO team, there is more innovation on the horizon as the company continues to develop and test the latest technology for agricultural robotics.

“The technology is prepared to make a major leap this coming season,” Bob Pitzer, Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer of Harvest CROO, said. “We were at commercial speed, last March, at a rate of 8 seconds to pick a plant. Now, by using embedded processors and a streamlined picking head design, we expect to easily cut that time in half.”

Watch this technology in action below:

With plans to test its latest prototype during the Florida strawberry season, kicking off in November, improvements include harvest speed and development of an autonomous mobile platform. Berries will be transferred overhead to the platform level once picked, ready for inspection and packing into consumer units by delta robots, according to the company.

The packing robots, a development slated for next year, is the next key milestone Harvest Croo lists on its moves for technological advancements.

Harvest CROO is currently fundraising for its next round of prototypes, to learn more about joining the growing list of investors, contact [email protected].

Naturipe Berry Growers Harvest CROO

OXNARD, CA - Peruvian avocado exports to the U.S. market have ended for the season, and Freska’s Jimmy Lotufo took the time to share with me where the market currently stands.

“Chilean Hass have made their presence known on both the East and West Coast recently,” Jimmy says, explaining that this is tightening up that market as the market continues in an extended transition period. Right now, Jimmy explains that volumes are lower than last year, with exporters anticipated to ship approximately 75 million lbs this season.

“California continues to decline as the end of the season is very near,” Jimmy adds, explaining that Chile continues to develop other markets like Asia and Europe for its fruit. “Looking ahead, this leaves Mexico as the only major source country of Hass avocados for the next 5 to 6 months.”

Mexico is currently exporting approximately 33 to 35 million lbs per week to a market that demands over 45 million lbs, Jimmy explains, with weather having presented a challenge in the season.

A plus, however, is both pricing and promotion.

“The highlight at this point of the season for Hass avocados has to be the price elasticity of the fruit,” Jimmy tells me. “Field pricing for both domestic and imported avocados have remained high and sustainable over extended periods of time, leading to higher sustainable FOBs for marketers and handlers. Even with higher prices downstream at the consumer levels, demand continues to push the category forward into new uncharted waters.”

This, he adds, is also the challenge the category is facing today: Worldwide demand for Hass avocados growing at a rapid pace, with the industry learning how to balance and maintain the U.S. market.

With that, we move into the fall sports season and the time of more promotion. 

“Football is our favorite time of the year to enjoy guacamole with friends and family. Fruit will always be available, as long as price elasticity for hass avocados holds. With the season in an extended transitional period, promotional opportunities will come from the consumers who are demanding more avocados,” Jimmy says.

Currently, the 2016/2017 fiscal season total hass avocado volume for all countries of origin stands at 2.1 billion lbs, but will be reassessed and updated in December when Mexico will give new guidance on the "regular" crop estimates.

AndNowUKnow will keep you up to date as we continue to keep our ears to the ground for all the latest new for avocados and beyond.

Freska Produce

NEAR SAN JOSÉ, COSTA RICA - Costa Rica’s Turrialba volcano erupted on Monday, spewing ash as high as 13,100 feet into the air, and temporarily closing two of the country’s nearby airports.

In two separate eruptions, Turrialba volcano, located around 50 kilometers east of the San José capitol, launched ashes, gases, and rock into the air. The first eruption occurred at 2:53 AM and lasted about 15 minutes, while a second, larger explosion occurred at 11:32 AM and lasted 13 minutes. 

A Volcanologist for National University's Volcanological and Seismological Observatory of Costa Rica (OVSICORI), María Martínez, said that after the second explosion, reports were received of ash falling in the areas north and west of San José, including Coronado, Moravia, Tibás, Guadalupe, Escazú, and as far away as Alajuela province.

According to the Tico Times, operations at the country's main air terminal, Juan Santamaria International Airport, were suspended indefinitely. Since closing, 52 inbound flights and 68 outbound flights have been canceled, delayed, or rerouted, affecting around 3,000 passengers. Operations were also suspended at the Tobias Bolanos airport until conditions improve, Chief of the Civil Aviation Directorate, Ennio Cubillo, told the news source.

“The particles are not only in the airspace but also on the surfaces of taxing and takeoff," Cubillo reported to media outlets. 

While there have been no reports yet on the volcano’s effects on the country’s local agriculture, expect travel and shipping delays in and around the area of Turrialba. Keep watching AndNowUKnow as we continue to report on natural disasters in the industry’s growing regions.

WENATCHEE, WA - While they may be around all year long, there is a reason October is National Apple Month. As the time of pies, fritters, and other apple-centered options approaches, Stemilt’s Communications Manager, Brianna Shales, took the time to tell me how the harvest is currently looking.

“We’re at about the midway of our apple harvest, we had an early start in Washington this year so things are running slightly ahead of normal,” Brianna shares with me, adding that the time of the company’s signature Piñata variety is quickly approaching. “We’re getting finished up on honeycrisp and moving into varieties like our signature Piñata, goldens, grannies, and soon we’ll be working on the fuji harvest as well.”

In comparison to this time last year, Brianna tells me that sizing is trending up with excellent apple quality coming off of the trees.

“We have great quality being packed fresh from the field as we speak. It’s been an incredible growing season in Washington, as a whole it hasn’t been too hot and currently it’s very picturesque for apple harvest,” Brianna shares.

On the buy-side, she adds that this is a huge time for apples in the produce department, and to assist you Stemilt has a fun spin on campaigning for the fruit of knowledge: There’s an Apple for That.

“Our There’s an Apple for That campaign is an online resource you can find on our website, which provides recommendations for the best apple variety for anything you might want to make,” Brianna explains, adding that it is not just a promoter for Stemilt, but for the entire industry as a whole. “It will suggest whatever variety is best, even if we don’t grow that variety. We really just want the site to be seen as an expert resource for consumers across the country.”

And the reach of the campaign goes beyond cyberspace. “It’s an all encompassing program spanning the web, social media, and in-store to educate everyone in a fun way that there really is an apple for everything,” Brianna laughs.

Brought to the buy-side by offering display bins, apple concierges in-store, and more, you can learn more about There’s an Apple for That by clicking here.

Stemilt Growers

ATLANTA, GA – With a focus on fresh produce and the use of pooled pallets, bulk containers, and reusable plastic containers (RPCs), Kroger has named IFCO and CHEP in its 2016 Sustainability Report as key components to the retailer’s zero waste strategy. 

“We are committed to providing our customers with sustainable solutions that help them make their supply chains more efficient and environmentally friendly,” said Juan Jose Freijo, Global Head of Sustainability for Brambles, the parent company of IFCO and CHEP. “Kroger is a valuable partner and we are pleased to contribute to their zero waste vision. Those companies working together on common goals will be the ones with the greatest impact on environmental sustainability.” 

By the year 2020, Kroger plans to replace more single-use packaging and platforms with resusables in order to divert 90% or more of its facilities’ waste threshold from landfills, according to a recent press release. This guideline was set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. 

CHEP and IFCO’s supply chain solutions provide numerous environmental benefits for Kroger. The companies stated that Kroger’s utilization of CHEP pallets avoided more than one million pounds of solid waste which then eliminated 430 tons of carbon dioxide. This is equal to the growing more than 41,000 trees for 10 years, according to CHEP’s Sustainability Calculator. 

“Kroger is committed to being a positive force for change when it comes to sustainable business practices, and CHEP and IFCO play an important role in our effort to meet our zero waste goals and continuously improve the sustainability of our supply chain,” said Suzanne Lindsay-Walker, Kroger Director of Sustainability. 

IFCO’s RPC production uses 65% less water and 34% less energy than one-way packaging. Use of IFCO RPCs results in an 85% reduction of solid waste over single-use cardboard boxes, and a 31% percent reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, as stated by a Franklin Associates study from March 2016. 

Kroger also stated that the use of RPCs specifically for its fresh produce, has both improved product quality and reduced waste by eliminating the need and use of more than 73,000 tons of waxed and corrugated boxes. 

As stated by Kroger’s sustainability report, “Kroger partners with CHEP and IFCO, which both contribute to global sustainability through their ‘shared’ business models of pooled pallets, bulk containers and reusable plastic containers (RPCs). These packaging solutions bring both operational efficiencies and environmental benefits. Compared with one-way packaging, reusable platforms and containers offer a lower carbon footprint, reduced water consumption and less waste.” 

All three companies, Kroger, CHEP, and IFCO, are members of the Consumer Goods Forum. Members of this organization have pledged to reducing food waste by half within retail and manufacturing operations by 2025, and simultaneously contribute to the United Nation’s 2030 food waste reduction goals.

“We look forward to continuing our partnership with Kroger and other retailers and manufacturers to reduce the environmental impact of the fast-moving consumer goods supply chain and to help preserve our natural resources for future generations,” finished Freijo.

As eyes are set industry-wide on sustainable initiatives, AndNowUKnow will continue to report as new announcements, contributions, and recognitions roll in.  

IFCO Kroger Co.

EAST COAST, U.S. - We’ve been hearing about German retailer Lidl’s plan to take over U.S. grocery markets for a while now, but the company has been keeping relatively hush-hush about its specific plans for growth thus far. Now, in a recent interview with Business Insider, Lidl outlined plans to open U.S. locations in “dozens” of cities on the East Coast. Specifically, the company cited the area between New Jersey and Georgia as its primary target.

Having already opened its U.S. headquarters in Arlington, Virginia, and new warehouses in Cecil County, Maryland, Mebane, North Carolina, and Fredericksburg, Virginia, it’s no surprise that the East Coast is getting the majority of love from Lidl’s site planners. Lidl has not released a definitive number of new locations as of yet, but Business Insider reports that unnamed sources told real-estate firm CoStar that the company will open as many as 150 U.S. stores just by 2018.

“For over 40 years, Lidl has been a growing presence in the European grocery marketplace,” Lidl’s website shares. “Through 10,000 stores in 26 countries, we’ve precisely designed every part of our process to deliver the highest quality products at the lowest possible price and the most efficient shopping experience possible. Now, we’re bringing our unique vision for grocery to the U.S.”

The typical size for a Lidl US store is small—between 30,000 and 36,000-square-feet, and don’t expect to see several different brands to choose from on the company's shelves. Lidl mainly keeps its inventory to just a limited selection of private-label items. 

The company also keeps prices down by displaying products in its own shipping cartons and requiring customers to bag their own groceries. Lidl translates these decreased merchandising and labor costs to lower costs for its consumers.

While we’re still waiting on opening dates for the new locations and a definitive list on where they will be, there’s no doubt the retailer will be making quite the splash before 2018 is out.

Lidl US

NEW YORK, NY – As the company continues to focus on its own growth, D’Arrigo Brothers of NY is now looking to further grow its surrounding communities through a new partnership with non-profit organization, Association for a Better New York (ABNY). 

“D’Arrigo Brothers is proud of the contributions our family and business have made to New York City over the last five decades,” said Gabriela D’Arrigo, Director of Marketing. “We look forward to joining the hundreds of other New York businesses that have contributed to the vitality of our city as members of ABNY.” 

D'Arrigo Brothers, as a new member of ABNY, will now aid in the contribution to the growth and renewal for New York City residents, businesses, and communities. 

D’Arrigo Brothers will join the more than 300 other member organizations that encompass the scope of the non-profit. These ABNY members, according to a recent press release, work to cultivate new ideas and innovative plans to help manage solutions to the city’s challenges. Through its comprehensive and diverse views and actions, ABNY aims to prevent the challenges from becoming overwhelming problems. 

As we’ve previously reported, D’Arrigo has been at the forefront of new initiatives and sustaining its own growth. The company was recently recognized by the New York City for its contribution to the Zero Waste Challenge, and facility improvements to create honed strategies for growth.

Where will the 50 year-old wholesaler head next? AndNowUKnow will have the latest.

D’Arrigo Bros. of New York, Inc.

ROSEMONT, IL - To celebrate five years of product innovation, US Foods has debuted a lineup of 25 items to inspire chefs for autumn: Fall Scoop.

“Product innovation is at the core of our business and over the last five years, we’ve introduced more than 400 unique and high-quality products to help chefs and restaurateurs create crave-worthy dishes while saving time and labor in the kitchen,” said Stacie Sopinka, Vice President of Product Development and Innovation for US Foods, according to a release. “With this Fall Scoop, we continue this tradition with must-order items like beef marrow bones and pumpkin spice latte ice cream, as well as business solutions that address everything from inventory management and food cost control to server training.”

The lineup offers a full array of suggestions, from “showstopping sides” to “sweet finishes” and everything in between.

Some of the produce-friendly options on the list include:

• New Fire Grilled Artichokes
• Caramelized Sliced Onions of the finest quality and versatility
• Chef’s Line™ Natural Chip and Natural Fry, made without artificial ingredients, flavors, or colors, ready to be customized
• Chef’s Line™ Rustic Pumpkin Sweet Potato Tart, filled with candied orange zest, warm spices, and topped with praline-pecan streusel

The new lineup also offers “center of the plate perfection” with three new items from its exclusive Stock Yards™ brand to meet beef and pork consumer demand, including All Natural Grass Fed Ribeye Steak and All Natural Grass Fed Sliders.

This unveiling also kicks off US Foods Tipping Point™ server training program to help foodservice operators increase customer satisfaction, as well as check averages and tips.

You can find out more about the Fall Scoop lineup here, as well as follow the launch with the social media hashtag #Scoop.

US Foods