NEWARK, DE – Recognizing his commitment and leadership as an association executive, the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) has announced that its CEO Bryan Silbermann will receive the Key Award from the American Society of Association Executives (ASAE).

Silbermann is being recognized as the 67th person to receive the Key Award by ASAE for “exceptional qualities of leadership in his… association and displays a deep commitment to voluntary membership organizations,” according to the Society.

The Key Award is the highest ASAE honor which can be presented to an individual, and is presented to CEOs who are Certified Association Executives (CAE), according to a PMA press release. Silbermann will receive the award in August as the Society’s annual convention in Salt Lake City, UT.

“This is a significant and well-deserved honor for Bryan, highlighting his leadership at PMA. We are proud beyond words,” stated PMA President Cathy Burns.

Silbermann first earned his CAE designation in 1989. The ASAE said that this program works to elevate professional standards, enhance individual performance, and distinguish association professionals who demonstrate knowledge to managing associations in today’s environment.

“During his career here at PMA, not only has Bryan given back to the association community and profession at large, he has also grown association leaders within PMA, stressing staff education and excellence in association management,” said PMA Board Chair Russell Mounce of Sam’s Wholesale Club. “PMA continually has a significant number of CAEs among its staff. This dedication to the association profession is the foundation of PMA’s service to its members.”

Silbmermann first became an ASAE fellow in 1992, chaired the Fellows Committee from 1995-96, and has served on the ASAE Board of Directors and a number of its committees. 

Congratulations to Bryan Silbermann for this honored anointment!

PMA

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has cited Chieftain Harvesting Inc., Salinas, CA, for failure to pay for produce.

The company failed to pay $1,465,307 to four sellers for 510 lots of produce, according to a recent USDA press release. This is in violation of the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA). As a result of these actions, Chieftain Harvesting Inc. cannot operate in the produce industry until May 23, 2018, at which time it may reapply for a PACA license.

The company’s principals, Joseph G. Esquivel and David G. Mills, may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee until May 23, 2017, and then only with the posting of a USDA-approved surety bond.

USDA is required to publish the finding that a business has committed willful, repeated, and flagrant violations of PACA as well as impose restrictions against those principals determined to be responsibly connected to the business during the violation period. 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.

In the past three years, the USDA resolved approximately 3,700 PACA claims involving more than $66 million. Its experts also assisted more than 7,100 callers with issues valued at approximately $100 million. These are just two examples of how the USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.

Agricultural Marketing Service

PHOENIX, AZ - Sprouts Farmers Market is looking to hire upwards of 2,500 employees as it continues its fast-paced growth spurt, having held events across the country earlier this week.

“As the fastest growing retailer in America, we have to get some good quality people to continue to grow our stores,” Jaysen Pauley, Store Manager for a Kansas City Sprouts, told KMBS-TV.

As we previously reported, the retailer announced its intent to add 11 new stores in the second quarter of this year alone, ending this month, and announced last year that it was looking to grow to 1,200 stores in the next decade.

“Two years ago this was the only Sprouts in Kansas City, and we’re opening our seventh location tomorrow,” Pauley said. “We need good people.”

As to what has helped foster that growth, Pauley said, “Customers have loved our message, love what we do, and they’re excited to be a part of it.”

Sprouts began with one store in Arizona in 2002, according to its website, and has since grown to a chain of more than 200, already employing about 22,000 people. With plans to multiply that six times over, we'll keep our ear to the ground for more about its team growing by leaps and bounds as well. Keep checking in as we continue to report on this and other chains in the retail market.

Sprouts

CHICAGO, IL - The Windy City continued to live up to its name, as thousands of the produce industry's finest blew into Chicago for the exciting whirlwind that was the United Fresh 2016 conference. Whether you missed a moment of this year’s events or want to relive them in all their glory, AndNowUKnow has your highlight reel right here. 

“We are very pleased with the innovations showcased at this year’s United Fresh Convention & Expo,” United Fresh President Tom Stenzel, told AndNowUKnow, adding ”examples were all over the show floor representing advances in food safety, convenience-focused products and new varieties that represent the industry’s drive for taste and quality to satisfy consumer demands."  

Stenzel also shared, "The new partnership with the Global Cold Chain Exposition provided a full supply chain value for attendees. We have received tremendous feedback from exhibitors who are generating excitement for the 2017 Show!” 

After a Monday night spent in the innovative energy-packed Opening Reception at Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art, Tuesday morning brought an eye-opening General Session address by President and Chief Operating Officer for H-E-B, Craig Boyan. Boyan spoke on how the industry can deal with a declining consumer income. With the rise of globalization and increased use of technology, consumers are feeling lighter pockets in recent years. Boyan argued, “We think it is possible that we are in a flat-to-declining industry for the next 30 years,” citing increased efforts in food safety, health and wellness, and investments into your own employees as ways to move forward in the new economy. 

Another major highlight of the show for me personally was the announcement of the Reception Honoring Women in Produce. This year’s honoree joining the ranks of an astounding cast of some of the most influential women in the industry was Julie Krivanek, President of Krivanek Consulting Inc., who fit right in amongst them. One particularly poignant moment from the reception for myself was when California Avocado Commission’s Vice President of Marketing, Jan DeLyser, asked attendees to raise their hands if they had either worked with or been mentored by Krivanek over the course of her last 21 years in the produce industry—nearly the whole room had a hand up. 

"To be recognized by ones peers for service to the industry is the highest honor,” Krivanek shared with our team. “I started my produce career with United Fresh and never looked back. The business relationships - networks - and friendships from that first day have been invaluable." 

Wednesday morning saw Kevin Brown, President and CEO of Lettuce Entertain You Enterprises, Inc.® (LEYE), as the keynote speaker for the General Session Breakfast. Brown, who runs more than 100 restaurants with 51 different concepts ranging from fast casual to fine dining nationwide, spoke on produce’s growing role in the foodservice industry.

The early morning gathering also saw David Offerdahl, Director of Ag Engineering, at Taylor Farms, win the 2016 FreshTech Achievement Award, honoring his career in innovating and adapting mechanical harvesting to better serve our industry. 

Offerdahl wasn’t the day’s only award recipient either—bring on the long-awaited 2016 Produce Innovation Awards Winners! Out of the five categories, the following products took home the gold: 

Best New Vegetable Product:

• Dole Fresh Vegetables; Dole Chef’s Choice Caesar Salad Kit

Best New Fruit Product:

• Mucci Farms; Smuccies Sweet Strawberries

Best New Packaging:

• Maglio Companies/The Fresh Group LTD; readyripe™ lite watermelon pouch

Best New Packing/Processing Equipment:

• PerfoTec BV; Internet Fresh-Cut Flowers Flowpack for Home Delivery 

Best New Food Safety Solution:

• NatureSeal, Inc.; NatureSeal First Step+ 10

  ---

“This year’s Produce Innovation Awards had a record-breaking number of innovative competitors,” said United Fresh Produce Association Vice President of Convention and Industry Relations John Toner, in a statement. “The exceptional creativity of these five winners helped them stand out at United Fresh 2016, the home of fresh produce innovation.” 

AndNowUKnow had one winner of its own this week as well. For those of you who played our booth contest on Tuesday, find out who ended up being the savviest later this week!

Overall, United Fresh 2016 looked to be an amazing success for all branches of the industry, and I am grateful to have been able to be a part of the flavors, the innovations, and of course, the fun. Stay tuned for even more coverage of the events to come!

United Fresh

SACRAMENTO, CA - Tradition is a signature of our industry, married with innovation to tie the past and the future together. Last week, Greene and Hemly Company, held its 49th Annual barbecue to celebrate both that successful growing history and to showcase an innovative offering for the future.

“We are happy to highlight our longtime pear and apple grower, Mr. Doug Hemly of Greene and Hemly Company, and his family that are all very active in the business,” Atomic Torosian of Crown Jewels tells me as we enjoy the company of members of the industry tied to the sixth generation treefruit growers. As for what we were sipping on as we discussed the tradition of the gathering, “The family has started a new venture, hard pear cider called ‘Hemly Cider,’ headed up by their daughter-in-law, Sarah Hemly.”

The first thing I noted as Sarah shared the cider with me was the taste difference between the drier cider, which struck me more as a white wine, and the sweeter cider--one for cider fans and ones who might not know they are yet. The second was the rising trend in fresh produce mixing with adult beverages, offering another fun avenue for the industry that also delivers an option for fruit that might otherwise not make it to the shelf.

“You are looking for the same flavor in a pear for both market and for cider, but they might not look the same so this is a great way to save that food,” Sarah smiles as she tells me about the process of choosing pears for Hemly Cider.

It's a creative development to add to a the branch of a very deeply rooted grower family and partner, Atomic says. “Doug and his wife, Cathy, their daughter Virginia Hemly-Chabra, and their son Matt Hemly [Sarah’s husband], have been our growers for more than 20 years. Their family descendants have been growing pears since the 1850s on the banks of the Sacramento River in the area of Courtland, California,” he explains.

By that river, at the home and groves of the family, was a beautiful setting for the event of people celebrating both the company and the industry history.

Greene and Hemly provides not only pears, but also have a full program of California apples, including Gala, Granny Smith, Fuji, Braeburn and Pink Lady apples, some of which also make it into the cider.

Crown Jewels currently plans to start Stark Crimson Red Pears the first week of July and Bartlett pears on July 5th. After that, Atomic says, the company will get Golden Bosc pears under way the week of July 25th. Gala apples will be packed the last week of July, Granny Smith apples in late August, then Braeburn and Fuji apples in early September, finishing up with Pink Lady apples in early October.

As for its melon program, Crown Jewels’ California Cantaloupe and Honeydew program out of Mendota, California, kicks off the week of July 4th with volume kicking in by the week of July 18th.

“We will run with both commodities all summer long under the “Crown Jewels” label and finish up mid October,” Atomic says, adding that demand has been very steady on Cantaloupes and Honeydews from Mexico and the desert areas.

Crown Jewels  Greene & Hemly

CINCINNATI, OH – As the company continues its strategic moves towards providing its customers with easier accessibility to grocery and produce, Kroger has announced that more stores in both Texas and Ohio will now offer its ClickList online shopping service.

In Texas, Kroger intends to renovate 18 stores to now include the service, and expects operations to be complete as soon as this fall. Renovations to the stores will include added parking signs, knocking out walls for ClickList doors, and installing refrigeration and freezer units. 

"We're confident about investing in the service. The customer has been telling us they are very interested," said Kelly Carroll, Head of ClickList in North Texas, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Kroger announced earlier this year that it intended to expand the service in the Dallas and Houston area, but waited to announce the list until it had found locations which could service the needs of the ClickList service. Locations were selected based on their size, and how much its customers used the Kroger website and shopping app. 

The following Texan stores will be converting to ClickList at these listed locations: 

• Wylie - 2608 West FM 544
• Mansfield - 3300 East Broad Street
• Frisco - 3205 Main Street
• Little Elm - 2671 Little Elm Parkway
• Frisco - 12221 Custer Road
• Forney - 500 Marketplace Boulevard
• North Richland Hills - 9150 North Tarrant Parkway
• Denton - 5021 Teasley Lane
• Allen - 1212 East Bethany Drive
• Garland - 6850 North Shiloh Road
• Bartonville - 3400 FM 407 East
• Lewisville - 4620 State Highway 121
• Granbury - 3915 Highway 377 East
• Denton - 1592 South Loop 288
• Plano - 2925 Custer Road

Kroger moved into the Texas market after first securing its ClickList services in Ohio back in 2014. The Dallas Morning News also stated that Kroger is currently looking to expand into the Louisana markets as well.

The company is also accelerating its Ohio services with two stores becoming ClickList operational this Thursday. The two central Ohio locations will be the first in their area to offer the location:

• Columbus - 2090 Crown Plaza Drive 
• Gahanna - 300 S. Hamilton Drive

ABC6 reported that Kroger plans to expand its Ohio reach even further with the service, to eventually reach throughout Westerville, Hilliard, Worthington, Lewis Center, and Columbus.

Kroger expects each ClickList renovation to provide around 20 new jobs. The company did not state how much would be spent on the project. As Kroger continues to build new retail stores, the service will automatically be built into the location.

Kroger currently has 21 stores with curbside offerings.

As retail giants continue to invest and examine consumer demand for curbside produce, stay with AndNowuKnow as we report on its impact for the fresh produce industry.

Kroger

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that National Farm Wholesale Fruit & Vegetable Corp., satisfied a reparation order issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).

The Bronx, NY, company has met its obligations and is now free to operate in the produce industry, according to a USDA press release. Farid I. Jaber was listed as the officer, director, and major stockholder of the business and may now be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee.

Once a reparation order is fully satisfied and it is confirmed that there are not any outstanding unpaid awards, the USDA lifts the employment restrictions of the previously named responsibly connected individuals. The USDA will only reinstate the license of a business to an active status if all reparation awards are satisfied and if the license is not terminated.

In the past three years, the USDA resolved approximately 3,700 PACA claims involving more than $66 million. Its experts also assisted more than 7,100 callers with issues valued at approximately $100 million. These are just two examples of how USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.

Agricultural Marketing Service

CHICAGO, IL – As United Fresh draws to a close and attendees prepare their final even farewells, severe storms are looking to move quickly into the Midwest throughout this evening.

Originating from Iowa, ABC7 stated that thunderstorms are expected to move into the Chicago area early this afternoon. Attendees of the show can expect rainfall, and then a short break before weather activity will likely increase later in the evening.

If storm activity does pick up in an un-preferred fashion, The Storm Prediction Center advised it will most likely hit between 5 and 11 p.m. tonight, local time.

Such storms could produce strong and damaging winds, large hail, possible flooding, and small risk of tornado conditions. The National Weather Service has initiated a Flash Flood Watch for the area, which is currently projected to end on 1 a.m. local time.

The weather is expected to affect flights in the area, with officials urging travelers to keep an eye on their prospective plans in case they change shift or delay from the incoming storm.

Keep up with AndNowUKnow as we continue to report on breaking weather coverage. We hope that everyone still at the event easily exits the Chicago area as the storm passes through.

LEAMINGTON, ON – The 2016 R.E.A.CH. International Produce Competition has come to a close, and with it, a whole new list of branded winners and awarded products. Westmoreland-TopLine Farms is pleased to announce that the company took home three awards of its own.

“TopLine Farms is focused on flavor,” stated Jimmy Coppola, Account Marketing Manager. “Innovation on a varietal level starts with flavor, and these three awards are a testament to our commitment on keeping focused on flavor.” 

The awards which Westmoreland-TopLine Farms took home from the event are as follows:

• Best Cocktail Cucumber
• Best Hot Pepper
• Best Overall Pepper: Westmoreland-TopLine Farms Hot Pepper 

At this year’s greenhouse competition, judges anonymously reviewed each product to select the winners. The company stated in a press release that produce items entered into the competition were judged on flavor, taste, look, and smell. 

Judges privately reviewed the entrants prior to allowing the public access to the competition tent, and each entry was marked only with a number to ensure unbiased results were achieved. Winners were selected in each category based on which received the highest score. 

All funds raised from the 2016 Greenhouse Competition will go to R.E.A.C.H. International to help provide children with wellness and living care in Uganda, Africa. 

Keep clicking back on AndNowUKnow as we continue to cover the latest and greatest produce awarded in the industry.

TopLine Farms 

DELTA, B.C. - Always on the lookout for hot trends and innovations, it was great to catch up with Windset Farms’ Director of Sales, Jeff Madu, on one of the company’s latest launches: its new Top Seal tomato line.

“We’ve had really good response to this–the branding, the look…” Jeff explains of the March, 2016, launch, available now for retailers. “Really, when it comes down to everything, it’s always about the flavor, and these are the most flavorful tomatoes we’ve ever produced.

The new Top Seal products include:

• Tango®
• Symphony®
• Cameo®
• Concerto®
• Concerto Gold®

With cold seals implemented in the packaging, Jeff added that this new Top Seal is also resealable for the consumer’s convenience.

To see my entire interview with Jeff on the new five offerings of Windset’s Top Seal tomato line, watch the brief video above.

Windset Farms