AUSTIN, TX – Looking to use deep industry experience to boost its retail, consumer goods, and brand identity on a global level, Whole Foods Market has announced three new vice presidents to its team.

Sonya Gafsi Oblisk joins Whole Foods as Global Vice President of Marketing, Martin Tracey as its Global Vice President of Team Member Services, and Brooke Buchanan to serve as Global Vice President of Communications. 

“We are thrilled to welcome Sonya, Martin, and Brooke to our senior leadership team,” said Walter Robb, Co-CEO of Whole Foods Market. “They are accomplished leaders who bring deep retail and consumer experience, valuable perspective on both internal and external communications strategy and will play an integral role in supporting the company’s culture of innovation and team member empowerment as we continue to grow and evolve.” 

Bringing over 15 years of experience to the Whole Foods team, Sonya Gafsi Oblisk will focus on leading marketing, advertising, and brand development efforts in her duties as Global Vice President of Marketing. These efforts will include the following:

• Digital
• Brand marketing
• Consumer relationship strategies

Oblisk’s experience spans consumer products and affinity marketing in retail, including eight years spent with Walmart. Most recently, Oblisk served as Vice President of Marketing for Sam’s Club. 

Stepping into her new role as Global Vice President of Communications, Brooke Buchanan comes to Whole Foods with several executive positions to flush her professional experience. Buchanan will use this experience to spearhead the following endeavors for Whole Foods Market: 

• Public relations
• Internal communications
• Government affairs efforts 

Buchanan previously served as Vice President of Communications for Theranos, Vice President of Public Relations at Williams-Sonoma, in addition to holding multiple leadership and senior positions at Walmart. Buchanan also spent over eight years in political and government communications. 

Martin Tracey comes to Whole Foods Market as Global Vice President of Team Member Services (HR) to cultivate strategic responsibilities for the entire company team member experience, according to a recent press release. This includes focusing on the following for more than 87,000 team members:

• Recruitment
• Compensation and benefits
• Talent analytics
• Learning and development operations
• Payroll operations

In his most recent roll as Chief Talent Officer and Vice President of People Development at Starbucks, Tracey was responsible for leadership development, talent analytics, and organizational development.

As retailers continue to appoint new executives to leading positions within their companies, AndNowUKnow will have the latest in leadership positions and their impact on the industry. 

Whole Foods Market

WATSONVILLE, CA - As the organic segment continues to trend, Sambrailo Packaging announced that it has partnered with CCOF (California Certified Organic Farmers) to promote "certified organic" produce.

In an effort to help small organic farms promote certified organic right from their fields, Sambrailo is now offering a new stock print row crop box with a clearly defined label on the sides declaring “Certified Organic Fruits and Vegetables."

"Just like at retail, I felt that it was important for growers to promote organic at all levels in the supply chain," said Sambrailo's Marketing Manager, Jennifer Evans.

Evans explained that the idea came when she toured coolers of large organic wholesale distributors and quickly realized a lack of distribution of boxes with organic produce. "If our efforts help small organic growers promote 'certified organic produce' and grow their businesses because of it, then there is a huge benefit to everyone in the organic growing community."

Fitting a 5-down pallet, the 23x15x12 inch box can be used to pack romaine, green or red leaf lettuce, butter lettuce, kale, chard, carrots, or beets, and has up to a 35 lb. weight capacity.

Due to its popularity among CCOF-certified growers, additional sizes are currently in production. To find out more about ordering this new offering, contact Jennifer at [email protected].

Sambrailo Packaging

SOLEDAD, CA - The organic sector is taking off, and with it, new innovations in the flavor-forward, value-added category. Taking these trends by the horns is Braga Fresh, debuting its new Organic Chopped Salads under the Josie’s Organics brand. Recently I spoke with President of Braga Fresh Foods and salad industry innovator, Nicholas DaCosta, as well as Todd Linsky, who shared the latest on the company’s evolving portfolio and the new Josie’s Organics Sweet Kale Chopped Salad and Asian Chopped Salad. 

“The two main sales drivers of the retail salad category over the last couple years have been organics and conventional chopped salads,” Nicholas tells me. “The retail conventional chopped salad business is now a $400,000,000 business and there is a need for an organic offering that appeals to both convenience and the changing consumer palate. This is our point of entry–where organics and chopped salads converge.”

Braga Fresh’s goal was four fold: Make them organic, make them “cravable,” make them flavorful, and create value.

To address this vision, the company’s Organic Sweet Kale Chopped Salad (10 oz.) comes complete with dried cranberries, roasted pumpkin seeds, and poppy seed dressing, combined with kale, broccoli, green cabbage, and radicchio to truly round out the highly-demanded flavor profile.

In addition, the Organic Asian Chopped Salad (12 oz.) brings together wonton strips, sliced almonds, and sesame dressing along with green onions, cilantro, celery, carrots, and green cabbage.

Available in the Josie’s Organics signature blue polka dot, high-graphic bags, this bright color palate and friendly packaging have garnered excited feedback from retailers, consumers and the media. The packaging is also award-winning and a consumer favorite that stands out on shelf. 

“We are hitting the ground running,” Todd Linsky, with Braga Fresh, tells me. “Value-added options are really fueling the growth in the produce department and we believe the launch this month addresses the consumer’s desire for convenience, healthy meal preparations, flavor, and value.”

So, what went into the decision-making process when it came down to choosing the product combinations? Braga Fresh looked at what was happening in the marketplace in terms of flavor, and these ingredient combinations were a hit across taste panels and consumer test groups for the company. 

The new Organic Chopped Salad line is packed in the company’s new state-of-the-art facility in Salinas, California, assuring that the quality and value Braga Fresh is known for, can be traced from farm to fork. 

“Braga Fresh is committed to value and innovation from field-to-fork, and this new facility is no exception,” Nicholas says. “With a pioneering eye for food safety design, our vision was to build a facility with the latest equipment, most innovative technologies, and the right employees at the helm in order to assure that our customers and consumers receive the quality they have come to expect from us since 1928.” 

Looking to the future, Braga Fresh will continue to develop additional Organic Chopped Salad blends under the Josie’s Organics brand while creating custom blends for retail partners. The company will also be launching seven new additional Josie’s products separate from the Organic Chopped Salad line, so stay tuned!

With the same passion and commitment that has helped elevate the Josie’s Organic brand to what it is today, Braga Fresh is bringing retailers a one-stop-shop for all-things organic and all things “cravable.”

Braga Fresh

VANCOUVER, CANADA - After more than a decade at Oppy, Craig Winford is being elevated to a Greenhouse Category Manager and Business Development Representative for the company. The move will strengthen Oppy’s marketing partnership with SunSelect Produce.

Winford brings 13 years of greenhouse expertise—much of that with Oppy—into the role. His most recent position was Greenhouse Specialist, managing Oppy’s BC and California pepper crops while working closely with SunSelect.

“Craig has emerged as a leader in our greenhouse category, with proven skills at balancing our grower offerings with the needs of our customers,” said Aaron Quon, Executive Category Director for Greenhouse at Oppy, according to a statement. “He’s a team player, clear communicator, and an effective strategist, key strengths that will enable him to build our greenhouse business even further as we grow with SunSelect.”

Winford will continue to manage Oppy’s BC and California pepper portfolio. Additionally he will work with the company’s sales and marketing team to identify and execute new opportunities for all SunSelect items, which also includes tomatoes-on-the-vine as well as the signature Outrageously Fresh snacking tomato jar bag line. SunSelect produces in high tech greenhouses in BC’s lower mainland as well as in Tehachapi, CA.

Winford will also oversee special projects, like new product and packaging development, along with program business opportunities, collaborating closely with Oppy’s business development team to create retail promotions and increase distribution.

SunSelect’s Outrageously Fresh branded sweet bell peppers, tomatoes-on-the-vine, and grape, cherry and gourmet medley tomatoes are available from Oppy now.

We wish Craig the best of luck in his new role! 

Oppy SunSelect

SALINAS, CA - With a mild market and an abundance of quality product, cauliflower currently has promotional volumes as we approach the autumn season on the West coast.

“As we know, cauliflower is one of the most volatile commodities with quick growth changes and pricing, sometimes literally overnight,” Tami Gutierrez, Vice President of Sales at Ippolito International, tells me, meaning that a flat market can quickly change into a fluctuating one.

As for local crop in California, volume has been plentiful this year which Tami explains has held demand for West Coast product at a low throughout the summer. Overall there were occasional spikes in market price before turning quickly back to below normal pricing.

“We are hopeful the local growing regions will finish earlier than later this year, especially after their unseasonably high temperatures over the past few months,” Tami adds. “Budgeted acres are on target for our upcoming plantings and yields look solid right now.”

And come October, we should see a boost in cauliflower demand as Canada looks to supplement their programs for the Thanksgiving pull. “Our season has passed the midpoint but we are budgeted through the week of November 14th before we make our move to Yuma, AZ, for the winter.”

We will continue to follow this and other dynamic categories in the fresh produce industry throughout 2016 and beyond, so keep checking in with AndNowUKnow.

Ippolito International

WATSONVILLE, CA - A Northern California strawberry grower has been handed a $2.4 million labor fine, as well as an order to repay Mexican workers for demanded kickbacks and costs of living.

Gonzalo Fernandez, operator of Fernandez Farms Inc., was charged with charging workers hired under the federally supervised H-2A work visa program, which calls for employers to cover travel costs and housing.

The U.S. Department of Labor stated that Fernandez demanded payments of more than $1,600 apiece from several hundred foreign workers during the 2010 to 2012 picking seasons, according to the Los Angeles Times.

As ruled by Administrative Law Judge Richard Clark, Fernandez must reimburse more than 400 workers about $1.29 million, as well as an additional fine of $1.1 million.

“If you really need foreign workers, this is a cost you should be bearing,” Abigail Daquiz, Senior Trial Attorney in the Labor Department’s Seattle office, who worked on the case, said. “We’re finding that in lots of different ways, employees are having to pay that back, being forced to kick it back. [In this case] they would go and cash their paycheck at the cafeteria right on site, and they would get in another line and pay back $100 or $200 a week until their debt was paid.”

Fernandez Farms, which the report noted filed for bankruptcy protection in 2013, denied accepting or demanding kickbacks in court, argued that some of the workers were “domestic workers” not entitled to the H-2A minimum wages, and contested the amount of wages owed.

Additional charges brought against Fernandez included:

• Turning away five local workers in violation of the program
• Failure to pay proper piece rates and overtime for berries picked
• Intimidation of those who complained about conditions
• Coercion of workers to give false or misleading statements, or otherwise impeding the investigation

Fernandez and his attorneys were not available for comment, according to the Los Angeles Times, but he has been barred from participating in the federal program for three years.

BENTONVILLE, AR – As the company looks to further strategies and streamlined services, Walmart has announced that the retailer will be cutting 7,000 positions across the United States. 

The company asserted in a statement that the cuts will affect accounting and invoicing jobs as Walmart looks to implement a more modernized system for bookkeeping and tracking inventory. 

"We've seen some pretty strong success on the pilot and have decided to roll it out across all of our U.S. stores," Walmart spokesperson Deisha Galberth said of the accounting and invoicing shifts, according to USA Today. This strategy was first tested at 500 stores earlier this summer. 

These changes will involve the company moving some of its operations from its stores back to the Walmart's headquarters, as well as utilizing an automated cash recycling machine which Galberth described as “quicker, safer, and more secure.”

For those affected by the cuts, Walmart expects most employees to transition into other positions in the company rather than leave altogether. 

These new roles are expected to be more in line with CEO Douglas McMillion’s prolonged focus on boosting customer service by putting more boots on store floors, with additional positions available through Walmart’s new e-commerce endeavors.

Walmart stated that some of the transitioned roles will provide its employees with room for advancement and higher pay, like becoming an Assistant Store Manager, while others may pay less than their current positions. 

The prospective cuts and transitions are projected to extend into next year. Walmart employs approximately 1.5 million people throughout the U.S. 

As we previously reported, Walmart recently released strong results for its second quarter of 2016, due in part to its new expansions in online grocery and curbside pick-up.

What will be next in Walmart's continued strategy shifts within the competitive buy-side industry? AndNowUKnow will have the latest as more plans are released.

Walmart

LOS ANGELES, CA - Valley Fruit and Produce announced the hiring of fresh produce veteran Bill Slattery to help lead its procurement team in the Valley Fresh Produce Division.

"Over my career, Valley Fruit and Produce has stood out in their professionalism and their strategies to overcome the challenges that are occurring daily in the continuous, rapid-developing world of fresh produce," Slattery said, according to a press release. "I am excited to be in an organization that continued to adapt and learn, and puts that knowledge into action quickly for the benefit of their clients and customers."

Though new to the team, Bill and the company are not unfamiliar. Valley Fruit noted that it has had a long, productive relationship with him as a supplier, and expressed confidence in this new step with Bill as its new Procurement Manager.

"Bill's FOB experience and customer portfolio will further Valley's strategic growth plan by extending our distribution reach nationally," said Caroline (Carrie) La Londe, Valley's Chief Operating Officer. "Bill's experience in FOB sales will also aid our as we further develop our global sourcing network."

As a 30-year veteran in the fresh produce industry, Slattery brings his experience in sales working with high quality growers and packers, such as Kingsburg Orchards, Red Blossom Farms, Madera Persimmon Growers, and Valley Fresh Produce in Watsonville.

As companies throughout the industry continue to boost their growth and foundations with strategic appointments, AndNowUKnow will continue to report on new hires and promotions.

Valley Fruit and Produce

YAKIMA, WA - Starting this week, apple fans around the nation will have a shot at winning $1,000 as Domex Superfresh Growers® is launching a new “All About Apples” photo sweepstakes. Aimed at driving fresh apple consumption, the contest will launch on their Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and consumer blog.

“We are seeing great benefit with our online consumer-focused contests,” said Mike Preacher, Director of Marketing & Customer Relations for Domex, according to a press release. “Social media promotions like the ‘All About Apples Sweepstakes’ creates an online dialogue with our consumers that help us stay updated on the pulse of our online community. This contest generates excitement in the apple category, helping increase sales for our retail partners.”

Superfresh Growers has updated their digital social content kit with new health-focused graphics, pre-written tweets, orchard photography, and mouth-watering apple recipes. The content kit has been designed to easily plug in to a retailer’s social content calendar and workflow, saving their Social Community Manager’s time and resources.

“Our retail partners have found great success with our content kits,” said Preacher. “We are also able to customize the kits to the needs and goals our retail partners, optimizing their social media presence.”

To enter, consumers are asked to upload an original photo to Twitter, Facebook, Instagram or Pinterest showing off how Superfresh apples are a part of their back-to-school and fall activities. The image caption should include the Superfresh hashtag #EatApples and the company should be tagged as @Superfreshgrowers. The photo sharing sweepstakes will start September 1, 2016 and end October 31, 2016.

Through a random drawing held in early November, three winners will be announced. One Grand Prize winner will receive a gift card for $1,000, one First Prize winner will receive a gift card for $500, and one Second Prize winner shall receive a gift card for $250.

Retailers who would like to find out more about the “All About Apples” sweepstakes and apple social media content kits should contact Mike Preacher, Director of Marketing & Customer Relations at [email protected].

Stay tuned with AndNowUKnow for all the latest in fresh produce industry marketing innovations!

Domex Superfresh Growers

SALINAS, CA - Mother Nature has been calm enough to balance the broccoli market in California, but we could soon see a surge in higher prices due to Mexico weather affecting supply, according to Church Brothers Farms’ Commodity Manager, Jason Lathos.

“The weather has had a big impact recently in central Mexico,” Jason tells me, explaining that while the mild weather in California made for a flatter market the last month or so, lighter volumes always seem to perk the market up.

“Last Saturday there was a hail storm that went through the growing region, and we are being told that this will impact supplies for both the short term as well as plantings that are currently in the process for mid-October and early November. The market has already firmed up and quality reports are to being conducted to see how the rain will affect quality the next few weeks.”

Up in California, Salinas and Santa Maria’s mild weather has helped see signs that the market is getting better, Jason says, adding more high quality broccoli.

According to Church Brothers, supplies on broccoli is more manageable in both Salinas and Santa Maria Valleys, with lighter supplies than previous weeks. The company reports current FOB’s are $7.25 to $8.25 on bunched; $8.25 to $9.25 on domestic crowns and $9.25 to $10.25 on Asian crowns.

“We have also had a nice increase in demand for processed broccoli due to the increase in school business. Increased pounds for value-added always decreases cartons,” Jason tells me.

He adds that keeping an eye on the weather is critical to forecast the market. “With hurricane activity being forecasted for both the East and West coast we could see an even higher broccoli market for the month of September.”

AndNowUKnow will continue to keep you up to date on the latest in this and other changing markets in the industry.

Church Brothers Farms