BAKERSFIELD, CA - Growers worldwide will not soon forget their experience at the ARRA Open Field Days this past week. International participants convened in Bakersfield, CA, as Giumarra Vineyards held their annual field days event from August 14-16, culminating in a final symposium on the 17th.

“The ARRA Open Field Day gives growers from around the world the opportunity to see, taste, and evaluate the ARRA varieties on the vine. It also provides a valuable forum for growers to network, compare techniques, and learn about updated protocols and growing technologies,” said Mimi Corsaro-Dorsey, the VP Marketing and Director of Export Sales at Giumarra Vineyards Corporation.  

Held at the GIUMARRA Experimental Vineyards, the event helped growers understand and license unique ARRA grape varieties, the most commercial being the ARRA 15, 27, 28, 29, and 32. Attendees visited tasting stations to judge the flavor, sweetness, and crunch of the fruit, and were able to evaluate the latest innovations from the company in both the field and cold storage facilities. The breeder, Mr. Shachar Karniel of ARD provided information on the different varieties, including production data and protocols. The sensory activities provided participants an in-depth experience to improve their understanding of the product.

Additionally, representatives from South America, South Africa, and Europe held sessions to discuss protocols for their individual regions, allowing attendees to walk away from the memorable event with insight on improved farming practices and marketing opportunities worldwide.

Giumarra Vineyards is a major breeder of new patented table grape varieties, and one of the largest employers in Kern County, California. Its grape varieties are bred to create table grapes which are highly-productive, labor-free, have a long shelf-life, and provide unique taste experiences.

Giumarra Vineyards

WASHINGTON, D.C. - What are your rights and responsibilities if the Department of Justice (DOJ) shows up at your door? This is the question a session at the United Fresh Produce Association’s Washington Conference is hoping to answer for you and your business.

On the heels of the DOJ launching its new approach to investigating and enforcing laws under the Food, Drugs, and Cosmetic Act, “The Food Police Are Coming – Liability Concerns and DOJ Enforcement,” gives industry members a chance to hear from agency officials directly to see how they choose cases to investigate, and what factors determine whether criminal prosecutions are pursued. The session will take place on September 13, from 9:45 a.m. – 10:45 a.m.

“This session is one of six educational workshops on critical industry issues being offered during the produce industry’s annual march on Capitol Hill,” shared Robert Guenther, Senior Vice President, Public Policy, United Fresh Produce Association. “Join hundreds of your fellow industry leaders from across the country in Washington to meet with your representative and discuss how current legislation impacts your business.” 

The DOJ session features a panel with both Jeff Steger, the DOJ's Assistant Director of the Consumer Protection Branch, and Doug Fellman, Partner, Hogan Lovells US LLP. The moderater will be United Fresh Produce Association’s own President and CEO, Tom Stenzel. According to Guenther, Steger will focus his words on the department’s approach to enforcement, while Fellman plans to translate what that means for the fresh produce industry.

The Washington Conference will also offer the other five following educational sessions: 

• Does the Farm Bill Really Matter to Me?
• Environmental Stewardship Vs. Overwrought Federal Regulations
• Labor Shortages Threaten Future Growth
• Restoring Support for Fair Trade for Fresh Produce
• Fighting for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables on Capitol Hill

For more information on the 2016 United Fresh Washington Conference and to register for yourself, click here.

United Fresh Washington Conference

JAPAN – A trio of tropical weather systems are circulating around Japan, bringing transportation and travel in and out of the country to a halt with more severe weather on the horizon.

The first of the storms, Typhoon Kompasu, landed on Hokkaido late last night, bringing heavy flooding and rains to the area. The storm brought upwards of 6 inches of rain to some areas, according to CNN.

Typhoon Mindulle landed today on the east coast of Japan, around 50 miles south of Tokyo. AccuWeather reported that torrential rains and strong winds gusting at 78 mph caused the rare closure of the Narita Airport in Tokyo. 

As heavy rain totaled 3-6 inches in Tokyo, and 12 inches in the greater metropolitan area, over 400 flights were canceled in Tokyo airports, with roads also closed for flooding. 

Authorities report that Japan can expect further rain and flooding with Tropical Storm Lionrock, which is currently hovering off the southwest coast of Japan. CNN reported that meteorologists expect the storm to be upgraded to typhoon status by Thursday. Lionrock is expected to avoid much of Japan’s land mass, but will pass by Japan’s southern islands as it heads for Okinawa. 

Since their landfalls, Kompasu has been downgraded to a low pressure system on the northern coast of Japan, and Mindulle has been weakened to just a tropical storm.

As the storms continue to swirl off the Japanese coast, and transportation remains on a temporary halt, AndNowUKnow will continue to have the latest.

ISSAQUAH, WA – Costco members saw another hiccup last weekend as the retailer makes for a transition with Citi’s Visa program.

A number of members received an email on Friday informing them that their credit cards accounts were closed, in a mixup that Citi told Business Insider was due to a systematic error.

Originally the card carrier had intended the emails to be sent to those whose Costco memberships had lapsed to alert them they could no longer use their Costco Anywhere Visa cards, according to the news source, but the error sent it to other cardholders who are still active.

As a result, some members reported emails not addressed to them with the last four digits of another account number listed, causing concerns of an account hack.

Costco responded Saturday with an email to all affected customers, stating "Your account and the cards for any existing authorized user(s) are open and available to use. We apologize for any concern or inconvenience this may have caused and please be assured your account has not been compromised."

While it has been a struggle for members, with some threatening to cancel due to long waits and difficulties in obtaining information from Citi, Costco continues to perform and looks to be continuing a slow-paced gain in previous months.

As of this morning, the company’s stock is trading at $168.05 USD, up .02%.

As for the issues that have been occurring, Citi reports that, to date, it has seen more than 337,000 new account acquisitions, far exceeding expectations since Costco made the switch in June.

AndNowUKnow will continue to follow the retailer’s progress, as well as other fluctuations in the market as they pertain to fresh produce.

Costco

RENO, NV - A new cloud-based transportation management system (TMS) is launching at PMA Fresh Summit this year. Nevada-based Progistix® is excited to launch Freightflow®, a TMS designed specifically for the produce industry.

“Freightflow combines critical business components and key capabilities into a unified, easy-to-use platform that ensures reliability, security and scalability,” remarked Kyle Jaster, Chief Technology Officer at Freightflow, according to a statement. “We believe the tools and data we’re offering can help any business succeed— without any start up investments.”

Freightflow began as a shared vision between two logistics and produce veterans, Butch Peri and Bud Floyd. Born of a desire for a more efficient platform to reduce repetitive tasks and reconcile incompatible business systems, the goal was simple: to develop an easy-to-use TMS solution accessible to small and medium businesses.

Peri and Floyd assembled a team of software experts to develop a scalable system using the newest cloud-based technology. Freightflow’s overarching platform integrates ERP business software with transportation tools to provide complete supply chain visibility from a single platform. Features include load management, customer billing, document storage, and analytics.

According to Jaster in the release, a recent partnership with Truckstop.com will provide customers direct access to carrier contact and policy information, certificates of insurance, limits and expiration dates, along with DOT safety ratings and authority data on more than 200,000 carriers. “Combining the power of Freightflow with Truckstop.com will make it even easier to add qualified carriers to your preferred providers,” he said.

Freightflow experts will be on hand at PMA Fresh Summit in Orlando, FL, to provide demos and discuss the benefits of its cloud-based solution to those interested in managing their complex, dynamic logistics and trade operations. For an appointment, contact Bud Floyd at 1-845-TMS-2345.

Frieghtflow Progistix

FRESNO, CA - With the company’s late peach program in the Central San Joaquin Valley reaching its peak, Gerawan Farming is highlighting its proprietary item, the Prima® Gattie peach. Having had expanded its production over the past several years to keep up with a growing demand, Gerawan has been well-prepared to tackle the season.

“Our Prima® Gattie peach is unique in that it gives opportunity to retailers and wholesalers alike to extend the summer stonefruit program into fall,” Owner Ray Gerawan tells me about its flagship item. “Over three decades has proven this out, with more and more receivers seeing top line growth in the stonefruit category by including the Prima® Gattie in their fall sets.”

Although a late variety, Ray says many of Gerawan’s receivers tell them that Prima® Gattie is their most profitable part of the peach deal. With desirable color to complement fall displays, great sizing, and firm juiciness, the company says it even receives write-ins from consumers each year to find out when they’ll be available. In response, Ray tells me that Gerawan has increased plantings year-over-year, expanding Gattie's market penetration by about 20%.

“Our Prima® late peach program, which features our Prima® Gattie peach, always drives demand,” Ray continues. “As the pioneer of the late peach deal, we have expanded our production to meet demand, which experience tells us, is exceeded every year.”

Gerawan expects this peak season for Prima® late peaches to last through October 15 loading, but says it will continue harvesting yellow nectarines and plums, available for shipment into the first week of September.

With excellent quality, both in terms of flavor and size, the time is prime for retailers to ramp up their merchandising efforts. Gerawan makes POS materials available to all its customers, including a 1-layer Euro box, stanchion sign posters, and POS cards.

Want to find out more about all of the varieties in Gerawan’s Prima® late peach program, and beyond? Check out www.Prima.com.

Gerawan Farming

HILLSBOROUGH, NC - Fresh produce was once again the innocent traffic victim, this time causing quite a clean up on a busy North Carolina highway.

The driver of a pepper load is now facing charges for careless and reckless driving, as well as failure to maintain lane control, after overturning his truck between the US-70 and NC-86 interchanges on southbound Interstate 85.

The incident happened around 5:30 a.m. last Tuesday, August 16th, according to a report by news source ABC 11. It took authorities several hours to clear the scene, resulting in one lane being blocked on the busy interstate.

The driver, Barry Shearin of Castalia, North Carolina, reportedly overcorrected after going off the highway initially, resulting in his running off the road again when the truck flipped. Luckily, Shearin only had minor scrapes and bruises. The produce, however, was turned over when the vehicle went on its side, causing the mess.

As we reported recently, a similar incident occurred when a vehicle carrying hundreds of pounds of broccoli turned over and workers made an effort to salvage the crop.

From all of us at AndNowUKnow, drive safely as we bring you the latest in transportation news and conditions for the produce industry.

SALINAS, CA - Not all investments come in the form of banking portfolios or new equipment—last week Taylor Farms chose once again to invest in the future, providing students backpacks filled with school supplies. In partnership with Golden State Foods and for the sixth consecutive year, the company provided the packs to every registered first grader at four local elementary schools; Roosevelt, Los Padres, Frank Paul, and Alisal Community.

“At Taylor Farms, we believe every student should have the opportunity to succeed,” said Bruce Taylor, Taylor Farms’ Chairman and CEO. “Giving back through education is a way to secure a strong future for America.”

One of the company’s most beloved annual philanthropic events, employees are involved with the local backpack program from start to finish. Taylor’s team fill backpacks with supplies and participating in giveaway ceremonies at each school. To learn a little more about the program, watch the short video clip below:

This year to date, over 600 backpacks were distributed to Salinas-based elementary schools, with Taylor Farms distributing over 7,000 backpacks since the start of the program. In addition to supporting local schools, Taylor Farms has expanded the back-to-school giving to include children of company employees, according to a press release.

“Taylor Farms is one of the key and long-standing partners of the GSF Foundation,” added Anna Lisa Biason, Executive Director, GSF Foundation. “It’s through our relationship that we are able to collectively make an impact on children and families in need.”

The partnership between Taylor Farms and Golden State Foods has provided backpacks and school supplies to children in need to help ease the financial burdens of local families since 2010.

Taylor Farms

YAKIMA, WA – As apple growers across the nation begin to pack and ship their best varieties, Borton Fruit has its own volume-filled selections it’s bringing to market, including two new varieties to tap in on further retail opportunities.

Eric Borton, VP of International Sales & Marketing, says that the company is running around ten days early for all of its varieties, with harvest already underway for its Gala apples, and Bartlett and Anjou pears.

“The first picking of Honeycrisp will be starting this week, with Golden Delicious and early Fuji right around the corner,” Eric says of this year’s season. “This spring and summer we had ideal growing conditions, which is resulting in very good sizing, great color, and outstanding quality.”

Borton Fruit expects a very strong crop this year, with volume on par to last year’s crop. Eric says the company is planning to use this early production to maximize apple sales at store level.

“We will be able to get new crop fruit into the pipeline and in the hands of consumers early, setting the trend for a strong push here in the first part of the season and the ability to jump right into promotions earlier than normal.”

Borton Fruit is seeing exceptional quality and sizing with the newly begun season, which will provide the company with a great opportunity to start the season strong.

The company’s Honeycrisp crop, Eric divulges, is one of the highlights for Borton Fruit this year in the midst of increased production of the variety throughout the industry. Borton expects a strong projected crop ahead with its ranches currently in their peak prime maturity.

“We were a very early adopter of the Honeycrisp variety, which means a significant portion of our orchards that were planted 10-15 years ago are now in their prime,” Eric says. “This is important because the Honeycrisp variety really hits its peak quality after four to eight years of growth. A lot of production, industry-wide, is in very young orchards, so we really distinguish ourselves with the quality and consistency of our crop.”

In addition to increased consumer demand for Honeycrisp, Eric says that the Gala, Fuji, and Pink Lady varieties are continuing their upward trends into buy-side baskets. Borton Fruit is answering this call to apples with continued investments into growing the best strains to maximize quality and color for the variety.

So where is Borton Fruit headed next? Continued focus on bringing its two new varieties to market, the KORU® & ROCKIT™ apples. Originating in New Zealand, Eric says that the company is proud to grow the varieties domestically, and offer retailers imported product during the summer from Borton Fruit’s grower partners in New Zealand, to eventually reach year-round supply.

Eric says that KORU® was a uniquely discovered variety, known as a chance seedling, and not bred like most others. Boasting a fine texture, excellent pressure and flavor, with great crispness, Borton Fruit is excited to tap in on the potential of the variety.

“We have had a very successful import season this summer, with really positive consumer feedback and retail excitement over the variety,” Eric expands. “Borton Fruit will have modest domestic production this year, with big increases in volume in the coming three to five years.”

Borton Fruit has partnered with Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers and New York Apple Sales in the Coast 2 Coast Grower Cooperative in a commitment to the success of the variety.

The company is looking to tap in on a new segment of consumer demand with the ROCKIT™ variety, by offering the apple as a perfect option for snacking, kids, or “on the go” nutrition. The ROCKIT™ variety is packaged in vertical, clear recyclable tubes to match the potential of the new retail segment.

“These small and sweet apples are extremely flavorful for their small size,” Eric says. “When you compare ROCKIT™ to a small piece of fruit of any other variety, they don’t come close to the same eating experience of ROCKIT™.”

Partnered with Chelan Fresh, the companies are developing specialized orchards in Washington to maximize offerings of the variety, and what Eric sees as a promising future.

As the Northwest region ramps up for a season filled with high consumer demand for apples, AndNowUKnow will continue to have your handpicked selection of industry-wide news and announcements.

Borton Fruit

ANTIGO, WI - Packaging and equipment solutions provider, Volm Companies, Inc., marked a step in sizeable growth last week–by about 90,000-square-feet.

The company dug its shovels into Washington soil as it broke ground on a brand new, 90,000-square-foot distribution center.

"The main facility now is too small, forcing us to house our inventory in other facilities and use modular buildings onsite to accommodate our current staff," Daniel Mueller, President and CEO of the company, said in a press release. "Our goal is to strive to be the most valued partner to our customers, and this new facility will help us more efficiently meet their daily service needs from a centralized location, as well as more completely meet our customer’s increasing standards for food safety."

A groundbreaking ceremony celebrating the event was held at the site of the property last Wednesday, August 10th. Located in Pasco, Washington, this new facility will be just under two miles away from the existing location.

"At this new facility, we will continue to have manufacturing for our Leno onion bags and will have a more usable equipment staging and spare parts area as well as increased office space," Mueller said. "The business served from our Pasco location has grown, bringing value to our family of companies. I’m very excited to be able to have a facility that we can all be proud of."

The company reported that construction is expected to be finished some time in the spring of next year, 2017.

Volm Companies, Inc.