MCFARLAND, CA and YAKIMA, WA - Sunlight International and Pink Lady America are bringing Pretty Lady® Grapes and Pink Lady® Brand Apples together this holiday season in order to cook up Dulcich Baby Grape-Apple Mini Skillets. This holiday promotional recipe highlights the “Dutch Baby” concept for breakfast in a dish that is sure to bring consumers coming back to the produce aisle over and over throughout the season.

“I’ll never forget the day I saw a story in the produce press featuring Pretty Lady Grapes,” said Alan Taylor, Marketing Director, Pink Lady America LLC, in Yakima, Washington. “I knew instantly these two great products with similar names would someday find a way to work together, and it would be tasty.”

“We couldn’t be more excited to bring these two premium products together, and in such a delicious way!” agreed Nick Dulcich, President of Sunlight International. “The consumer and retailer feedback on our Pretty Lady for the Holidays program has been fantastic the last two years, and now combined with Pink Lady® Apples, there’ll even be more to love!”

The companies share that the timing for this promotion couldn't be better. Pink Lady®'s season reaches prime form from late November through early December just as Pretty Lady® for the Holidays arrives in grocery stores, featuring Premium California Table Grapes grown by Dulcich & Sons.

“Timing is perfect!” Alan shared. “The Pink Lady season is just starting to ramp up and Pretty Lady for the Holidays with its eye-catching packaging is holding a major position in supermarket produce departments.”

Nick and Alan hint that there are already plans in place for more promotions for next year. The two companies are currently discussing the possibility of combining the two products in a retail display program. Sunlight International has a wealth of experience in this department, having been recognized industry wide for its innovation and success in produce promotion.

“It all started with our Harvest Hobgoblin point-of-sale materials created over five years ago," Nick said. "Today our family of programs also includes Pretty Lady for the Summer, the Incredible Grape Patch, Pretty Lady for the Holidays, and the latest introduction of Pretty Lady Green Emerald, based on our patented grape variety just introduced this fall. Customers love them!  And we look forward to a fresh program with the Pink Lady® brand next year.”

Congratulations on coming together for this exciting holiday promotion, Sunlight International and Pink Lady America. I'm hungry already!

Sunlight International

Pink Lady America

DENVER, CO – Earthbound Farm has continued to see growth after it was acquired by WhiteWave Foods Company earlier this year.  For this quarter, Earthbound’s net sales totaled $141 million, a 7% increase over the previous year. 

According to the company, those sales were driven by growth in organic packaged salads, which comprise the majority of Earthbound’s business.  The organic packaged salads category also continued to grow.  It increased 14%, which brings organic packaged salads’ share of the total category to 25% this quarter.

As we previously reported, WhiteWave Foods Company completed its acquisition of Earthbound Farm for $600 million in the beginning of this year, and it is proving profitable. For this quarter, Earthbound Farm helped bring WhiteWave’s total net sales to $857 million, a 34% increase over last year’s Q3 total of $639 million.

Also for this quarter, the addition of Earthbound Farm helped drive WhiteWave’s adjusted operating income for the North America segment to increase 43% to $84 million compared to the same period in 2013.

In the financial report, Gregg Engles, Chairman and CEO of WhiteWave Foods Company said, "We reported another quarter of strong financial results, with record net sales and strong operating performance leading to further earnings growth. Our organic net sales growth of 12 percent in the third quarter is the highest rate we achieved this year. Impressive results by our market-leading brands in North America and Europe powered another strong quarter as consumers across continents are increasingly looking for great-tasting, healthy and responsibly produced foods and beverages.”

At the close of the market yesterday, WhiteWave stock was up $0.49 to $36.49 for a 1.36% increase.

Congratulations on the excellent quarter, Earthbound and WhiteWave!

Earthbound Farm

WhiteWave Foods Company

PHILADELPHIA, PA - Ahold USA is testing a new retail concept in Center City Philadelphia called Everything Fresh. Interestingly, this new store clocks in at only 3,700 square feet, less than a tenth of the size of the median U.S. supermarket which is currently 46,000 square feet.

Everything Fresh will sell a range of products, including organics and prepared foods, according to Philly.com.

An Ahold USA spokeswoman shared that the company has a team in place exploring “new formats.” She cautioned that this experiment "may not be representative of a new format, which is expected to be deployed in the future," however, the company must surely be deeply interested in the results of the test.

Shrinking floorspace has become something of a trend in recent years. Companies like Target and Wal-Mart have already opened their own lines of smaller format stores and the successes of these Neighborhood Market and TargetExpress are surely an encouraging sign for competitors. In an industry as competitive as retail, companies are always in search of the next big thing. With more consumers than ever searching for a local, regional shopping experience, smaller format stores offer tantalizing advantages.

According to Philly.com, the new store is expected to open at 1222 Walnut St. in Philadelphia's Center City. Ahold USA has yet to disclose an official grand opening date for the new store, however company representatives did tell Philly.com that it would be “opening soon.” I know I will surely be interested in seeing the results of this new test for Ahold and whether it will be the sign of more to come from the company.

Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for future updates on Ahold USA and other relevant updates on the retail industry.

Ahold USA

WENATCHEE, WA – After over 20 years of experience with Kroger, Don Patella will be joining Columbia Marketing International (CMI) as the newest member of the company's skilled marketing team. In his new role, Don will be responsible for CMI's key retail accounts, the development of timely marketing promotions and helping CMI's partners to grow their produce categories.

“Understanding the dynamics of optimal selling performance is critical to both our growers and our retail customers,” stated Steve Lutz, Vice President of Marketing for CMI. “We’re excited about Don joining our team because he brings nearly 25 years of retail experience to CMI. We’re confident that he will be a terrific resource in the years to come in working closely with our customers to identify strategies and opportunities to drive sales of CMI apples, pears and cherries.”

Before joining CMI, Don worked in a variety of management and supervisory roles in the retail industry, serving most recently as a Regional Merchandiser for Kroger. In this position he was responsible for four Kroger divisions spanning 14 states with a primary focus on local suppliers, products and marketing across all departments within the store. Don will bring this wealth of experience with him to CMI, helping to promote the company's advance customer initiatives.

According to a press release, he will telecommute from his home state of Arizona for this position.

Congratulations on beginning this exciting new phase of your career, Don!

CMI

DEERFIELD BEACH, FL - Agritrade Farms has hit a home run with Gumbo-Licous brand okra this season. The grower is enamored with the potential of this staple crop from the American South, Southern Asia and Africa. Could it emerge as the next big name superfood in the American consumer market much in the same way that kale gained national notoriety for its range of significant health benefits? Agritrade is looking to use okra's growing superfood status as a way to turn this ethnic favorite into a category with nation-wide appeal.

“We think we've found the next big thing in our Gumbo-Licious brand okra,” Paul Boris, President, shared with me. “While okra's appeal has traditionally been limited largely to the American South, Southern Asia and Africa, we envision this changing over the next several years as more people wake up to the tremendous array of health benefits which okra provides. Going forward we will be focusing heavily on working with our retail partners in order to communicate these benefits to the American consumer while continuing to strive to raise the highest quality, best tasting okra on the market.”

Agritrade Farms grows its Gumbo-Licious brand okra year-round on its farms in Honduras and the Dominican Republic. Together with year-round availability, the grower sees its policy of constant innovation as key to growing the category.

“Whether it's eliminating the use of pesticides on our Honduran fields, or experimenting with new types of packaging in order to extend shelf life and eliminate shrink, we're constantly innovating to provide a better product for our retail partners,” Paul explained. “We have developed some of the most stringent post-harvest practices in the industry. For example, in addition to pre-cooling, we are implementing extended shelf life box liners and some other proprietary practices.  Once pre-cooled, the cold chain is never broken from our packing houses right on through to the trucks loading at our warehouse in Florida, ensuring the freshness to the end user.”

Agritrade also has a new retail pack available for distribution this year. This pack will be available in either 1lb or 2lb sizes, both featuring top-seal MAP technology in order to maximize the shelf life of the product.  “In trials, we’ve been able to obtain over a week of extra shelf life to the product!”

How big okra could become is still unknown, but a year-round superfood crop backed by the talent of Agritrade's skilled growing and marketing team should certainly be a tantalizing value proposition for the members of our industry. I will look forward to watching how this category grows as we move into the future.  

Agritrade Farms

MIAMI, FL – AgroAmerica has launched its latest venture: ONE. The Better Banana Company.  ONE BANANA is available in major retailers across the United States, Canada and Europe starting this month.  José Galvez, Vice President of AgroFruit, spoke to AndNowUKnow about this new brand and how it came about.

AgroAmerica started with a small banana plantation in 1958, and by 1978, the company was working solely with bananas and developing partnerships with companies like Fyffes, Dole, Del Monte, Chiquita and others.

“Up to date, we are still packing for most of them.  For the past 10 years AgroAmerica started working on building strong partnerships directly with retailers in USA, and since then has grown to other markets like Canada, Europe and Asia,” Galvez tells me.

The company started selling bananas directly to retailers packaged under the label Wattafruit! as well as customer private labels, making its way up to this new brand.

“Each day the market is more aware of quality and wants to know in what circumstances the fruit is produced.  ONE fulfills the expectations that consumers demand and is at the forefront in these areas: high standard and consistent quality, cultivated by a company with good social and environmental practices,” Galvez added.

The company has sold its Guatemalan and Ecuadorian grown fruits in the U.S. and Europe for 40 years, and currently, AgroAmerica grown bananas account for 22 million boxes annually.

According to the company, ONE BANANA is currently the only family-owned, vertically-integrated, from farm-to-store, banana company doing business in the United States where consumers will be able to see bananas branded with the same company that farmed them, transported them to retailers and marketed them.

“Since our company’s founding we have been committed to producing top quality products, farming sustainably and fostering an environment that values workers’ welfare,” says Fernando Bolaños Valle, CEO of AgroAmerica. “With the launch of ONE BANANA, we hope to offer North American and European consumers the first truly transparent, great-tasting, and socially conscious banana alternative. Today, it may be ONE BANANA, but ONE small change can make a difference tomorrow.”

The company is currently focused on conventional and organic bananas and plans to grow with the market demand in North America, Europe, the Mediterranean and Asia.

ONE BANANA

AgroAmerica

SCHENECTADY, NY – Price Chopper is changing its name to ‘Market 32 by Price Chopper.’  This change comes as the company in investing over $300 million over the next five years in a major renovation and rebranding campaign.

“Market 32 represents the next leap forward for our company.  We have evolved from the Public Service Market to Central Market to Price Chopper by responding to customers’ changing needs over time and Market 32 in the next natural progression for us,” said Neil Golub, Price Chopper’s Executive Chairman of the Board.  “Early learnings gleaned from our Market Bistro concept store have put our next generation in an excellent position to make this move today.”

In a press release, the company says that the new brand will change food shopping for its customers by modernizing its stores and offering new services and products.  To start, three Price Chopper stores, two in New York and one in Massachusetts, are being converted into Market 32 stores, and the first ‘ground up’ Market 32 store will be built in Massachusetts beginning tomorrow.

A second wave of conversions are planned to begin over the next 18 months and will encompass 10-15 stores.  More than half of the 135-store chain will be converted in the first five years.

“Market 32 combines what we are hearing from our customers and what we are learning at Market Bistro with some of the best thinking in the retail industry, and will focus on delivering a distinctively different shopping experience to our customers.  Our stores will meet customers’ needs today and for decades to come.  Most importantly, though, we will continue to offer great value for great food and service,” said Jerel Golub, Price Chopper’s President and CEO.

The new stores will have expanded food service options, an enhanced product mix and a re-emphasis on customer service.  Key elements of the savings platform currently in Price Chopper stores will also be incorporated into Market 32, like Price Chopper brand products, AdvantEdge card savings, weekly features and spherical promotions and more.

“This is not merely about beautifying our Price Chopper stores. It is a complete refocus of our company on the core values that our customers are looking for in a store. We will be re-engineering nearly every facet of the store, beginning with the name but extending into our marketing, product selection, services offered and customer focus,” said Jerry Golub. “Our investment in this transformation reflects not only the position of strength from which we take this calculated risk, but our determination to set a new and higher more customer-focused standard that will engage and inspire shoppers for decades to come.”

The Market 32 stores will start rolling out across the chain’s six-state footprint this spring.  Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to track this rebranding campaign.

Price Chopper

LOS ALAMITOS, CA - Frieda’s Try This Not That® campaign is challenging retailers, wholesalers, and foodservice distributors to add a splash of color to their produce departments or holiday menus. The effort aims to help Frieda’s clients brighten otherwise drab Fall holiday produce sets with stunning fruits and vegetables to drum up greater attention and sales.

“On the consumer side, we are encouraging shoppers with our Try This Not That® campaign to use new ingredients in their traditional holiday dishes, like Stokes Purple® Sweet Potatoes instead of orange sweet potatoes, or Meyer Lemons instead of conventional lemons,” said Karen Caplan, President and CEO of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “Not only are shoppers coming to stores and restaurants looking for specialty items, retailers and foodservice also benefit from the gorgeous colors of these fruits and vegetables in their holiday displays and menus, attracting shoppers and diners alike.”

According to a press release, some of Frieda’s more colorful holiday offerings include:

• Purple: Stokes Purple® Sweet Potatoes (conventional and organic), Purple Snow Peas, and Purple Cauliflower.
• Red: Red and Chioggia Striped Beets, and Organic Black Arkansas and Winesap Heirloom Apples.
• Yellow/Orange: Gold Beets, Orange Cauliflower, Cape Gooseberries, Meyer Lemons, Fuyu Persimmons, and Organic Crimson Gold Crabapples.
• Bright Green: Green Dragon Apples, Organic Calville Blanc Heirloom Apples, Romanesco, and Green Cauliflower.

When I imagine the holidays I think of bright colors, so it’s great to see Frieda’s taking the initiative to help bring more color to produce displays!

Frieda’s Specialty Produce

AMERICA - Weather forecasts predicting an approaching “polar vortex” across most of United States have the nation's shippers thinking back to last year when unplowed highways, traffic congestion, snow covered railroads, and mountains of ice and snow posed significant challenges for logistics companies.

"The polar vortex is a large pocket of very cold air, typically the coldest air in the Northern Hemisphere, which sits over the polar region," explained AccuWeather.com Senior Meteorologist Alex Sosnowski. "Occasionally, this pocket of very cold air can get dislodged farther south than normal, leading to cold outbreaks in Canada and the U.S."

According to AccuWeather, only the Southwest, Hawaii, Alaska and South Florida are expected to be unaffected by this cold front. This year, however, logistics companies like C.H. Robinson and Allen Lund are prepared for the icy conditions.

"We work with very experienced drivers, especially those that run regular lanes through Colorado,” Brodie Donaldson, Manager for Allen Lund Company, Denver. “They know what to expect and we expect them to be prepared to face the challenges, weather related or otherwise to meet their delivery requirements."

"Customers are very specific with their pick-up and delivery schedules. Polar Vortex or not, what we experienced last year was that our customers expect that we will find a way to get the job done no matter the difficulty or associated cost, and that’s what we do," agreed Lenny Sciarappa, Manager for Allen Lund Company, Boston.

Peter Goldstein, Executive Director of Global Sales for C.H. Robinson has, in fact, published a blog post sharing 8 top tips to help growers adapt to the winter weather conditions.

"Like death and taxes, bad weather will occur sometime this year,” he shared. “Rather than leave things to chance, you can use these 8 tips to help you develop a plan to deal with the most common issues that arise with capacity and rates.”

These tips are:

1. Don't try to time the market.
2. Maintain a stable set of service providers from year to year.
3. Understand what drives ongoing fluctuations in the market.
4. Shipper-receiver relationships can have a significant impact on the carrier’s engagement and satisfaction.
5. Be sure the transportation providers you are using are flexible.
6. Look for a link between your inbound and outbound transportation strategy that wasn’t there before.
7. Be flexible.
8. Communicate within your own organization.

As Peter explained, harsh weather conditions are just another fact of life for logistics companies. It is, however, reassuring to see the extensive preparations companies like Allen Lund and C.H. Robinson have in place to make sure everything runs smoothly this holiday season.

Allen Lund Company

C.H. Robinson

KINGSVILLE, ON – SUNSET® has been named Leamington’s Best Home Grown Business of 2014 by the Leamington District Chamber of Commerce. Winners were announced at the 20^th Annual Business Excellence Awards, which included categories ranging from Innovation to Youth Excellence to Agriculture.

“We’re very honoured to have been chosen as Leamington’s Best Agricultural Business, especially in an area full of experienced growers,” stated CEO Paul Mastronardi. “It’s extremely rewarding to be recognized in our community, which we are so grateful to be apart of.”

According to a press release, SUNSET® was nominated for the Home Grown category, which focuses on research and development, innovative marketing and food safety in the agricultural sector.

As we previously reported, SUNSET® was also the official sponsor of the Leamington Tomato Festival this past year, a longstanding tradition for the town.

“This year was an important one for the community and SUNSET® truly stepped up to the plate to become the official sponsor of the Leamington Tomato Festival,” said Wendy Parsons, General Manager of the Leamington District Chamber of Commerce. “Not only does SUNSET® lead the industry but they’re leaders in our community as well. Whether it’s healthy snacks at local schools or supporting the MS Society, SUNSET® is always involved.”

Aside from the Tomato Festival, SUNSET® also joined the Chamber of Commerce and will be participating in the Leamington Christmas parade, which will be held on November 29.

Congratulations on this honor, SUNSET®!

SUNSET® Produce