VENTURA, CA  - LINKFRESH reported the move of its Group CEO Robert Frost from the United Kingdom to California as part of the company’s strategy to further grow and continue to provide for current North and South American clients.

“Given the importance of the North American market I am relocating to the USA in order to be closer to this important and growing market, and to ensure LINKFRESH continues to deliver excellence in terms of service and return on investment to our clients,” Frost said. “I am excited for what the next months and years will bring for LINKFRESH.”

The United Kingdom-based software company designs ERP solutions specifically for the fresh produce and foods industry, moving more prominently into the U.S. market in the last year.

“North America is our most strategic and valuable market and I am thrilled to say that the past 12 months have been fantastic for LINKFRESH, during which time we have welcomed new customers on board, such as Wholesum Harvest and Pacific American Fish Company, to name but two,” Frost said.

According to a press release, Frost will continue to act as Group CEO, overseeing the company’s operations in both the United States and the United Kingdom from his new home base in California. He will be working with consultant and management teams on both continents, as well as with the continued support of the company’s Chief of Operations, Nikki Scarr, who remains in the UK.

LINKFRESH

CASTROVILLE, CA - Reggie Griffin, industry maven and former Vice President of Produce and Floral at The Kroger Co., is joining the Ocean Mist Farms Board of Directors.

“I am honored to join the Ocean Mist Farms board,” said Griffin. “I’ve worked with the company for several years and have long respected the professional culture and quality of excellence that Ocean Mist Farms delivers. I look forward to moving into a productive future together.”

Bringing more than 40 years of experience to Ocean Mist, Griffin’s wealth of wisdom and industry prowess will no doubt be of great value. In 2011, Griffin retired from The Kroger Co., after having overseen more than $7.0 billion in produce and floral sales for the grocery chain. He has since started a new consulting venture: Reggie Griffin Strategies.

“We are extremely excited about Mr. Griffin’s recent election to the board and look forward to benefitting from his knowledge and expertise in the produce industry,” said Ed Boutonnet, Ocean Mist CEO. “His insight and passion for the business will help guide and direct the future growth of Ocean Mist Farms.”

Griffin is the second outside director to join Ocean Mist Farms’ board, according to a press release. Dr. Roberta Cook of UC Davis was the first.

AndNowUKnow would like to congratulate Reggie Griffin on his election to the Ocean Mist Board!

Ocean Mist Farms

LOS ALAMITOS, CA – Frieda’s Specialty Produce has three tips for produce departments to make the most of the shoppers that kick-start a new, healthier lifestyle at Lent.

Beefing Up on Plant-based Protein

Meat is one of the first items that observers of Lent give up. Frieda’s recommends stocking up on a selection of meat alternatives like Tofu and Soyrizo™, ready-to-eat Organic Polenta and soy-based meat substitutes like Yves and Lightlife. Also, the produce department should feature protein-rich vegetables like Colored Cauliflower, Edamame, Sunchokes™ and Artichokes along with hearty root vegetables like Celery Root, Baby Carrots and Malanga Lila.

Satisfying the Sweet Tooth

Shoppers often turn to fresh fruits to curtail cravings for the sugary treats that they have given up for Lent. Frieda’s recommends using this time to introduce shoppers to unique and flavorful tropical fruits like Passion Fruits, Zululand Queen Baby Pineapples and Dragon Fruits. The specialty produce company also recommends carrying Young Coconut and juicy citrus like Blood Oranges and Cara Cara Oranges for a great soft drink substitute.

Offering Healthy Snack Options

Instead of not-so-healthy snacks like potato chips, Frieda’s recommends offering easy-to-eat fresh produce like Baby Kiwifruits, Rambutans, Starfruits, Kumquats, Purple Snow Peas, Mini Sweet Peppers and Jicama.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday, February 18, and continues through Thursday, April 2. With these tips, Frieda’s is sure to make your produce department a mecca for shoppers seeking healthy and flavorful Lent alternatives.

Frieda’s

CASTROVILLE, CA - Ocean Mist Farms is preparing for Spring, the peak season for its heirloom artichokes, specifically the green globe.

The green globe, according to Ocean Mist, is an heirloom artichoke because, “it is a perennial plant that is regrown from original rootstock that dates back as far as the 1924 with Ocean Mist Farms.”

The green globe is one of the original artichoke varieties that Italian immigrants brought to California back in the 1900s and has since been passed down through the 90 years Ocean Mist has been growing.

Referred to by chefs as the “red label,” the company encourages this variety of artichokes for cooking.

Ocean Mist is hosting and providing a variety of activities to support heirloom artichoke sales, including radio advertising, consumer sweepstakes, display and sales contests with partner retailers, and geo-targeted messages to more than 40,000 members of the company’s Artichoke Club.

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