INDIO, CA – With the completion of DiMare Enterprises’ 331-kW solar panel system in its Indio, California service and distribution center, the company held a ribbon cutting event to usher in the new sustainability initiative. 

More than 50 people attended the event, including two prior Mayors and the current Mayor of Indio, Lupe Ramos Watson. Several city officials and state representatives attended as well.

As we previously reported, the new system is made up of 1,068 panels that have been installed on the roofs of DiMare’s packing house and carports, the result of a three month installation process.

AndNowUKnow spoke with DiMare Enterprises CEO, Tom DiMare, about the new solar panel system and all things sustainability.

I asked Tom about what this new solar panel system means to DiMare, and he told me that with this system, “We avoid and mitigate peak load charges. In so doing, we reduce the utility’s peak load burden.” That is good for DiMare and the environment.

This system will produce 544,00 kW hours per year and will help to offset 90% of the company’s cooling load used to pack and store fruit.

This certainly isn’t the end for DiMare in terms of sustainability. Tom added, “We are seeking more ways to reduce energy usage and where we can be more sustainable in other areas of our business. One option that we are looking at is the use of fuel cells.”

When I asked Tom if sustainability is a key aspect of DiMare’s 2015 plans and initiatives, he gave me a resounding yes, saying, “It always has been and always will be. Ag is about sustainability.”

It is clear the DiMare is committed to finding new ways to improve sustainability. Congratulations on the ribbon cutting!

DiMare

IRVINE, CA – California avocado season is getting going, and the California Avocado Commission (CAC) has announced its new Research Program Director.

Dr. Timothy Spann has returned to the Commission staff and is now taking on this role. Spann, who has a Ph.D. in plant biology from University of California, Davis, served as CAC’s Research Project Manager for two years before becoming an Associate Professor at Fresno State University.

“We’re very pleased to have Tim back on the Commission staff,” said CAC President Tom Bellamore. “He is leading production research activities that support California avocado grower productivity and contribute to delivering premium quality California avocados to the market year after year.”

The Commission also reported a strong opening to California avocado season in support of select California retailers’ Big Game promotions, according to a press release. 

“Some crop damage due to cold weather did occur around the New Year, but its impact is expected to be less than five percent of total production,” said Bellamore. “We have been sampling the early season fruit and the appearance and flavor are outstanding.”

California avocado volume is expected to build into March with promotable volume beginning in April. Because of this, CAC has updated its production forecast to 327 million pounds for FY 2014-15.

California Avocado Commission

DELAWARE – Dole Food Inc. CEO David Murdock is now facing a trial over the company’s 2013 privatization.

Bloomberg Business is reporting the Delaware Chancery Judge Travis Laster refused to dismiss a case challenging the privatization that was led by Murdock.

Murdock, members of the Board of Directors, and Deutsche Bank AG, which helped to structure the deal, all sought to have the case thrown out instead of facing the trial.

Bloomberg speculates that Laster must have believed that the Dole deal required greater scrutiny. In his ruling he said that investors raised legitimate questions about how the deal was negotiated by Murdock and if officials of Deutsche Bank AG helped him structure a deal that hurt shareholders.

The judge wrote that investors uncovered evidence that raised doubts about whether Dole Directors “were sufficiently independent from Murdock to bargain with him at arm’s length.”

“Murdock had previously threatened and taken punitive action against Directors who did not accede to his wishes,” Laster added.

The trial is now set for February 23. Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for the latest on this developing story.

Dole Food Inc.

CANADA - One small step for apples, one giant step for Okanagan Specialty Fruits (OSF) Incorporated. The company is the developer of Arctic® Apples, which are the first non-browning genetically modified fruit to gain USDA approval for planting and distribution. 

"The commercial approval of Arctic® apples, our company's flagship product, is the biggest milestone yet for us, and we can't wait until they're available for consumers," Neal Carter, President and Founder of OSF, said in a press release.

The Canada-based company used biotechnology to suppress the majority of the polyphenol oxidase (PPO) in its apples, the agent responsible for the browning that occurs when apple cells are ruptured and can damage the benefits from consumption. It is because of this suppressant that the company doesn’t only believe its product is safe, but actually could be healthier than conventional apples.

“All we’ve done is reduce the expression of a single enzyme,” Carter said. “There are no novel proteins in Arctic® fruit and their nutrition and composition is equivalent to their conventional counterparts.”

With the approval of the USDA, the company is now focusing on working with growers to get Arctic® trees into the ground according to the release. Carter estimates the fruit will begin to be available towards the end of 2016 in small, test-market quantities.

Arctic Apples

Okanagan Specialty Fruits

UNITED STATES – I don’t often go to the garden to grab some ketchup and fries, but that may soon change.

The TomTato, which we previously reported on, is making its way to the U.S. market with a very appropriate name: Ketchup ‘n’ Fries™.

This non-GMO innovation in vegetable growing is a tomato plant grafted onto a potato plant. It is capable of growing more than 500 sweet cherry tomatoes with a Brix level of 10.2 while producing up to four pounds of white potatoes at the roots. 

According to Territorial Seed Company and SuperNaturals Grafted Vegetables, the companies responsible for bringing this product to the U.S., extensive trials and careful selection of both the tomato scion and potato rootstock cultivars were required to achieve properly staggered maturity. This enables the plant to focus its energy first on yielding hundreds of sweet, tangy tomatoes followed by the all-purpose white potatoes.

This marks the first time that a plant like this has been offered commercially in the U.S. Though there have been similar products on the market, the TomTato is unique because the potato and tomato is planted in the same spot, subsequently producing no potato foliage.

Another unique characteristic of Ketchup ‘n’ Fries™ is that the plants can be grown either outside or inside, so long as they are in a large pot or bag.

Territorial Seed and Garden America are currently shipping the plant to the continental U.S., and SuperNaturals expects the plant to be found in garden centers this spring.

Territorial Seed Company

Super Naturals Grafted Vegetable

UNITED STATES – After months of speculation, Sprouts Farmers Market has addressed its plans for expansion in the Southeast United States.

The specialty grocery retailer has plans to grow to 1,200 stores in the next 10 years, with many of those locations in the Southeast.

In an interview with the Birmingham Business Journal (BBJ), Donna Egan, Director of Corporate Communications for Sprouts, said that the company has ambitions growth plans.

Egan went on to say that Atlanta, which currently has five Sprouts stores, will serve as the chain’s Southeastern hub.

Sprouts currently has plans to open a distribution center in Atlanta within the next two years, which will serve as the jumping off point for a rapidly-growing Southeastern footprint.

Egan told BBJ that the Sprouts concept is doing surprisingly well in diverse markets.

“We also had tremendous success in markets that are not necessarily the healthiest,” she added. “We really do appeal to a broad audience. We go after the average grocery shopper. Healthy eating shouldn’t be limited to the affluent.”

Though there was no mention of which markets Sprouts may enter next, Egan reaffirmed the company’s commitment to the Southeast and says that expansion should come soon.

Sprouts Farmers Market

IDAHO FALLS, ID - Potandon Produce is welcoming Glen Reynolds as a Director of Business Development.

Glen brings over 20 years of industry experience to Potandon, having been previously employed as the Director of Produce at Lowes Foods and National Director of Produce Sales at Black Gold Farms. He also has extensive experience in strategic planning, merchandising, and is focused on logistics and supply chain efficiencies, according to a press release.

“We are excited to have Glen join the Potandon team,” said Dick Thomas, Senior Vice President of Sales. “His experience will further enhance the value we offer to our retail and food service customer base.”

He is currently working in the Idaho Falls sales office and will be permanently based out of Winston-Sales, North Carolina in early March.

Potandon Produce

In this AndNowUKnow exclusive, Zirkle Fruit, a grower for Rainier Fruit Company, discusses its Honeycrisp expertise and the ways that the company has found success with this variety.

Harold Austin, Director of Orchard Administration at Zirkle Fruit, tells us that Honeycrisp is a variety that takes a lot of time and care.  It is important to determine where to plant the variety to get in right location, climate and even microclimate to bring out the best quality during harvest and production. Honeycrisp apple harvest begins early September.  Harold added that during the first years of developing the variety, the company had to learn a lot about the characteristic of the fruit to understand how to handle it properly.

Dennis Baker, Production Manager at Zirkle Fruit, spoke to us about what sets the variety apart.  According to Dennis, Honeycrisp has a unique texture and has a good crunch. It’s not actually sweeter, but the mix of acid and sugar make for that great flavor that has lead to its popularity.

Check out the video above!

Rainier Fruit Company

LOS ANGELES, CA - With the help of Elmo and Big Bird, Giumarra Nogales will begin spring Nature’s Partner melon shipments at the end of March, offering seedless watermelon featuring Sesame Street eat brighter!™ artwork.

This watermelon program is designed to get children and their families excited about eating watermelon, which is high in vitamins C and A. Each individual watermelon includes a peel-off label with information about watermelons and kid-friendly recipes.

“We are offering large Sesame Street ‘eat brighter!’ bins as an added benefit for our retail partners, and they really stand out at store level,” says Gil Munguia, Division Manager of Giumarra Nogales. “Watermelons are the perfect item for Giumarra Nogales to begin its participation debut in PMA’s far-reaching initiative, and we will have high supply to service all of our customers.”

The high-graphic bins feature Big Bird and Elmo and the Nature’s Partner brand identity. Munguia went on to explain the idea behind offering a total solution to customers by including both bins and stickers. The bins aim to first catch the consumer’s attention from across the produce department, and the peel-off labels seal the sale with a fun, informative design, according to a press release.

“It’s important to highlight the awesome nutritional benefits of watermelon, but also appeal to kids with the label,” says Ben Reilly, Midwest business development manager for Giumarra. “We decided on a recipe for a cupcake-shaped watermelon snack that families will have fun creating together.”

Giumarra worked with Pennsylvania-based Yerecic Label to produce the peel-off labels, the designs of which feature Elmo or Oscar.

“Our team is always excited to design fun and exciting labels, and Giumarra’s Sesame Street labels top the list,” says Yerecic Label president Art Yerecic. “The ‘eat brighter!’ message and Sesame Street characters help draw attention to the product and entice kids to try more fruits and vegetables.”

Giumarra anticipates increased volume this spring, in the arena of 28% up from 2014 and shipments are expected to arrive beginning in mid-March.

Giumarra Nogales

POMPANO BEACH, FL - Following the West Coast Port Strike, Kingston Cross Dock and Cold Storage (KCDS) is reporting strong storage demand and increased interest in services from importers. One of South Florida’s leading cold storage and perishables logistics operations, the company has noticed a surge in requests for storage space.

“We were fortunate to have invested heavily this offseason in our facility and team at KCDS.  We were well prepared for the extra expansion in storage demand.  It appears the mess out west with the port strike has diverted more perishable cargo into South Florida ports,” said Brian Osborne, General Manager of KCDS. “Demand for cold storage space during this period of time typically exceeds supply and we are receiving many calls for additional space.”

David O. Kingston, CEO of Kingston Companies, added,  “Along with our GFS 100% Primus Certification for Food Safety, KCDS  offers importers, marketers and distributors many advantages that include forced air pre-cooling, a 28-door truck loading dock, six individual temperature-controlled rooms, repacking and reconditioning capabilities, and transportation services.”

Kingston notes that its South Florida location is key, putting it in close proximity to key South Florida ports, the Pompano State Farmers Market, and the USDA inspection office. 

KCDS has seen a significant increase in interest for cold storage over the last several seasons, according to a press release. Outside factors like the West Coast port strike push storage capacity to new heights, Kingston says.

Continue to follow AndNowUKnow for updates on the West Coast Port Strike.

Kingston Cross Dock and Cold Storage