NOGALES, AZ - Sofia Arreola can now add an official SunFed sponsorship to her long list of accomplishments, which include two 2013 World Championships silver medals, 27 national titles and 6 gold medals from her participation in the Junior Pan-American games. SunFed decided to sponsor this National Track Champion's quest for the gold at the 2016 Olympics after seeing how her commitment to athletic perfection mirrored SunFed's own daily drive to grow, pack and deliver Perfect Produce®.

“I met Sofia about a year ago,” shared Brett Burdsal, SunFed’s Director of Marketing. “I was immediately impressed, not only by what she had accomplished on the bike, but with her attitude and outlook on life. She is an incredibly bright and articulate young lady. She is giving everything she has to a very demanding sport. To me, she embodies the healthy, active person that, regardless of age or gender, we should all strive to be. Sofia, who resides in Colorado Springs and races for Team TWENTY16, will be competing in the upcoming UCI track World Cups, which will include stops this year in Mexico, Great Britain, Columbia and France.”

For her part, Sofia looks forward to incorporating SunFed's wide line of fresh products into her daily training regimen.

“Fruits and vegetables are such an important part of my day, my week, and my life,” she stated. “Being able to partner with SunFed is great. I look forward to enjoying all of their incredibly fresh produce they will be sending. Absolutely nothing beats enjoying full flavored fruit or fresh vegetables as I am training, recovering or just hanging out. I am so excited by this partnership.”

This certainly looks like it has the makings of a world-class team and I know I'll certainly look forward to watching Sofia compete in the 2016 Olympics. Congratulations on the new partnership, SunFed and Sofia!

SunFed

OXNARD, CA – San Miguel Produce, Inc.™ is celebrating 20 years of its fresh-cut packaged greens with new packaging for its Cut ‘N Clean Greens.

Even after 20 years, the company continues to expand the brand by offering unique single varieties such as Rainbow Chard and Tuscan kale; delicious blends including Country Greens and Euro Greens; and nutrient dense salads like SuperKALE Salad Slaw, IRONman Spinach and Beet Greens Salad and EnerCHI Asian Salad, according to a press release.

The company has more than 20 varieties now available in retail or foodservice which will be available in the new packaging.  Some of the new features of the Cut ‘N Clean Greens bag include:

• Smaller bag size of 10 oz.  Specifically targeted to meet the growing mainstream consumer preference/demand
• New varieties like Tuscan kale
• Bright, easy to read, fresh graphics
• Enhanced prominent color coding for variety recognition
• Consumer friendly information about the benefits of nutrient dense greens
• Super Easy and fun new contemporary recipes to promote consumption
• Quick tips on how to incorporate flavorful greens into any diet or dish
• Taste profiles by variety
• Expanded nutrition facts
• 100% Recyclable micro perforated bags

San Miguel will be celebrating its anniversary throughout 2015 with both customers and consumers through new, interactive and innovative marketing and promotional programs.

Check out this timeline that highlights key points in the company’s history:

• 1976 San Miguel Produce started by growing commodity produce like celery, broccoli and lettuce.
• 1995 Cut ‘N Clean Greens was launched as the first washed and ready-to-use cooking greens.
• 1999 San Miguel Produce shifted its focus 100% to specialty greens.
• 2007 Cut ‘N Clean Greens launches its first full line of organic specialty greens.
• 2010 Jade Asian Greens is launched as the first ready-to-use line of Asian greens.
• 2012 SUPERGreens salads are launched as the first nutrient-dense ready-to-use salad greens.
• 2015 Cut ‘N Clean Greens introduces bag redesign and new pack size for 20^th anniversary.

San Miguel Produce will be introducing the new bags at Fresh Summit booth #3023 in Anaheim in the Oxnard Grower Shipper booth.

San Miguel Produce

BAKERSFIELD, CA - Grimmway Farms is introducing TRUE organic juices, a new product line designed to meet the growing demands of consumers looking for new options in the super premium organic juice category. TRUE blends Cal-Organic vegetables from Grimmway's farming operations with a mix of organic fruits to create a product that Grimmway is confident consumers are going to love.

“Given the increased popularity of organics, we believed that it was time to develop a juice that combines our home farm grown vegetables with premium fruits to offer a unique and great-tasting organic fruit and vegetable blend,” shared Steve Roodzant, General Manager of Beverage at Grimmway Farms.

The new line comes in six flavors: Bunched Greens, Bananaberry Crush, Wild Berry Blend, Tropical Mango, Blended Blue, and Pure Carrot.

“We analyzed the top seven selling flavors that account for the over half of the category sales, omitted Pomegranate, and developed the remaining six flavors,” said Melissa Pine, VP Beverage Sales. “Our goal was to focus on the flavors that appeal most to the consumers. Despite the huge growth in the demand for organics, we knew that being organic wasn’t enough – the product must taste great too.”

All six vibrant, full-bodied varieties can be purchased in either single serve 12oz or multi-serve 28oz bottles. The price point of these juices is comparable to the organic fruit and vegetable category.

According to a press release, Grimmway Farms has a team of sales representatives and in-store merchandisers in place to collaborate with its customers and retail partners in order to facilitate a seamless launch for TRUE organic juices in retail, foodservice, and convenience stores.

Based on the tremendous amount of support and excitement around the initial launch of the new TRUE organic juice line and the praise Grimmway has received, the company is predicting great things for TRUE organic juices.

Congratulations on this exciting launch, Grimmway Farms!

Grimmway Farms

IRVING, TX (October 6, 2014) –

WHO: Tour de Fresh is a four-day cycling event that raises funds for the United Fresh Foundation’s Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools (LMSBTS) campaign founded by the Food Family Farming Foundation, National Fruit and Vegetable Alliance, United Fresh Produce Association Foundation and Whole Foods Market in support of First Lady Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! Initiative.

WHAT: Participants have raised over $100,000 to date; their goal is to raise $120,000 to purchase 40 new salad bars to donate to school districts across the country.

WHY: Today, more than 38 million of U.S. school-aged children are obese according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention. The number of obese students has tripled since 1980.

WHEN & WHERE:

Sunday, October 12th

6:00 p.m. Welcome Dinner Event sponsored by Tanimura & Antle

Location: The Wharf Marketplace, 290 Figueroa Street, Monterey, CA 93940

Monday, October 13th

8:30 a.m. Starting Line Ceremony and Media Event with U.S. Congressman Sam Farr

Location: The Lafayette Bakery, 3672 The Barnyard Suite #E22, Carmel, CA 93923

7:00 p.m. Dinner Event sponsored by California Giant Berry Farms and SUNSET Produce

Location: 1890 W. Stowell Road, Santa Maria, CA 93458

Tuesday, October 14th:

7:00 p.m. Dinner Event sponsored by Mission Produce

Location: The Courtyard by Marriott, 600 E. Esplanade Drive, Oxnard, CA 93036

Wednesday, October 15th

8:00 a.m. Breakfast Media Event - Salad Bar Donation to Conejo Valley School District - Sponsored by Deardorff Family Farms

Location: 400 N. Lombard, Oxnard, CA 93032

7:00 p.m. Dinner Event sponsored by QSI Produce

Location: Abigaile Restaurant, 1301 Manhattan Ave, Hermosa Beach, CA 90254

Thursday, October 16th

12:00 p.m. Media event – Official Finish Line Ceremony and Check Donation to United Fresh Foundation – sponsored by SUNSET Produce, IFCO, Ocean Mist, TSAMMA Juice and Chipotle Southern California

Location: 777 W. Convention Way, Anaheim, CA 92802 (Breezeway between Anaheim Hilton and Anaheim Convention Center at the SUNSET Produce Flavormobile)

RSVP: Press are invited to all events; RSVPs are strongly encouraged for breakfast and/or dinner. RSVP to [email protected].

This text was pasted verbatim from a press release.

Tour de Fresh

LOS ANGELES, CA – Giumarra is launching a redesign of its consumer brand, Nature’s Partner, which the company will be debuting this month for fall and winter products like Argentinean blueberries and Mexican melons.

“Our brand refresh truly came from within the company,” says Hillary Brick, Senior V.P. Marketing of Giumarra. “We surveyed our employees and growers and heard an overwhelming sense of pride in the service Giumarra represents. We feel our new look represents this visually and will inspire our stakeholders.”

Nature’s Partner was founded in 2003 as a unifying brand under which Giumarra’s family of growers could pack their product, according to a press release.  The brand’s new look builds on the 2003 groundwork and features a renewed emphasis on service.  The visuals of the brand convey the foundation of the company, which stands alongside the new growth with modern, fresh colors and elements.

Hillary also noted that Giumarra has greatly increased in size since 2003, with a much broader product range, and its new technology platform is designed to be the foundation for the future as the company expands globally.  “It was time for our brand to represent both our growth and our emphasis on service,” she says.

“We look forward to introducing the new Nature’s Partner to our industry partners in the coming weeks,” says John Corsaro, CEO of Giumarra. “We deeply appreciate the support from all of our customers and growers which has allowed Giumarra to enjoy substantial growth. The new brand represents our commitment to providing best-in-class service to our partners, mutually expanding our businesses into the future.” 

Giumarra will be launching the brand across company collateral on a rolling basis, showcasing its partnerships, technology, logistics and marketing.

Giumarra

CASTROVILLE, CA – Ocean Mist Farms will be completing a year-long celebration of its 90^th anniversary in the produce industry growing artichokes and premium fresh vegetables out of Castroville, CA. In honor of this milestone acomplishment, Ocean Mist will be celebrating with a variety of activities at this year's PMA Fresh Summit.

“Our annual participation in Fresh Summit is something we plan for year-round as it is a unique opportunity to interact with our customers,” shared Joe Feldman, Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

The festivities will start at the finish line of the Tour de Fresh on Thursday, Oct. 16. Ocean Mist's award-winning mascot, Arti the Artichoke, will be on site to greet riders and open Fresh Summit weekend.

Ocean Mist Farms is also debuting four items during the Fresh Summit Expo: Lacinato kale, sweet baby broccoli, Heirloom artichokes and Kalettes™. It will also be showcasing the feature article published on the company and its relationships with Chef Tony Baker in Food and Wine magazine's October issue.

“You can imagine how excited we were when the Food & Wine magazine team contacted us to do a story about artichokes, sponsored by the California Grown program,” said Kori Tuggle, Director of Marketing and Business Development. “They wanted to share the story of our relationship with Chef Tony Baker of Montrio Bistro restaurant located 10 miles from our ranches. This was an incredible opportunity for us to educate their readers about Ocean Mist Farms’ Heirloom artichokes.”

The story also includes a feature and short video on Troy Boutonnet, the owner of Ocean Mist. It conveys the joint passion Boutonnet and Baker have for working with fresh artichokes, a vegetable recognized on April 10, 2013 as the official state vegetable of California. Check out the video for yourself below:

According to a press release, when Ocean Mist Farms was founded in 1924 by Italian immigrants, it grew only artichokes and Brussels sprouts. Today, the grower farms more than 30 different vegetables in its operations spanning California, Arizona, and Mexico.

Congratulations on reaching this milestone year, Ocean Mist Farms!

Ocean Mist Farms

CHAROLTTE, NC – Chiquita has launched an eight-week national recipe contest, which started September 29 and will run until November 23, 2014. 

The Chiquita Cooking Lab will also be celebrating the versatility of the banana by promoting new uses of the fruit including health focused recipes, creative snack ideas and kid-friendly combinations during the contest.

Every week, company participants will discover a list of three predetermined ingredients to incorporate in their Cooking Lab creations via Chiquita’s new FanFun App or at www.ChiquitaBananas.com/CookingLab.  The new interactive app gives consumers a fun new way to interact with the Chiquita brand while being rewarded with branded merchandise, according to a press release.

Throughout the contest, five first prize winners will be awarded Chiquita kitchen prize packs each week, and a grand prize winner will be awarded $4,000 each week.  Additionally, the grand prize winners will have their recipes turned into a stop motion video, and all winning recipes will be shared on social media and on Chiquita’s website.

To help educate and motivate consumers to make healthier choices, Chiquita’s Cooking Lab contest will act as a source of additional encouragement for Americans to become more conscious of what goes into family recipes.

To learn more about the contest, contest rules and the Chiquita Fan Fun app, click here.

Chiquita

COLUMBUS, OH - Winn-Dixie is closing 23 stores throughout eight states in an effort to reduce its underperforming locations and increase the efficiency of its retail operations. According to the Ledger-Enquirer, the closures represent less than 3% of the 827 locations owned by Winn-Dixie's parent company, BI-LO.

“Obviously, closing underperforming stores is never easy for any retailer,” said Winn-Dixie Spokeswoman Della Barber. “But we have 25 new and remodeled stores that we plan to open during the remainder of fourth quarter 2014.”

The Winn-Dixie Marketplace in south Columbus will be closed by November 19th, 2015, according to the Ledger-Enquirer. The 45,000 square foot grocery store has been serving the local community since it opened in March 1994. Its closure stems from the same root cause as the other 22 locations BI-LO will be phasing out over the coming months: low sales.

“It was just their [grocery sales] numbers were low and have been,” explained Owen Ditchfield, President of the South Columbus Concerned Citizens.

Despite the closure of the south Columbus location, Winn-Dixie has invested considerable resources in the Columbus community recently. Just last June, the retailer finished a major remodel of the 60,000-square-foot store it operates at 6770 Veterans Parkway in north Columbus. Another $1 million was recently spent on renovations for the North Columbus Crossing Shopping Center which it co-anchors with Lowe's.

The south Columbus store closure will leave 5 other Winn-Dixie locations in the Columbus area.

Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for any future updates on Winn-Dixie and the operations of its parent company.

Winn-Dixie

ORLANDO, Fla. (Oct. 7, 2014) – Central Florida families gathered for a free event, hosted by Produce for Kids and Publix, on Saturday, Oct. 4 at the Orlando Publix Aprons Cooking School to kick off the third annual Healthy Families, Helping Kids campaign. Publix resident chef, Anthony LoGerfo, guided families in the assembly of their own “healthy caterpillars” made with fresh fruits and veggies. The Very Hungry Caterpillar™ was on hand for a meet and greet with families.

More than 100 Central Florida families attended the Orlando event along with local bloggers and media. Several fruit and vegetable companies supporting the campaign were in attendance and sponsored products were displayed for families. Goody bags filled with partner coupons and promotional items were handed out to attending families.

“We are truly excited to have been able to introduce our Publix Aprons Cooking School to more than 100 families with an event that encourages families to eat healthier,” said Dwaine Stevens, media and community relations manager at Publix. “Publix is dedicated to educating shoppers on the benefits of eating healthy and our partnership with Produce for Kids supports that mission.”

The Healthy Families, Helping Kids campaign is educating Publix families on the benefits of healthy eating and raising funds to support local health and wellness classroom projects through DonorsChoose.org. To help Publix increase its donation, shoppers are encouraged to add more produce to their grocery carts through Oct. 22.

“As a parent, I understand the pressure to get a healthy meal on the table,” said Amanda Keefer, director of marketing communications at Produce for Kids. “Our goal for this event was to provide Orlando families with additional resources to help make this process a bit easier as well as introduce them to our fruit and vegetable partners’ healthy products.”

Shoppers should be on the lookout for Produce for Kids signage, featuring The Very Hungry Caterpillar, in the produce section of all Publix stores to find out more information on the Healthy Families, Helping Kidscampaign. The signage will direct shoppers to www.produceforkids.com, which features more than 170 RD-approved and family-tested recipes, meal planning tools, campaign information and healthy tips from real parents. During the event, shoppers were encouraged to share their photos on social media using #HealthyCaterpillar.

The Orlando Aprons Publix Cooking School, located at 7524 Dr. Phillips Blvd., opened last December and offers a variety of classes that are entertaining and informative for beginners or experienced cooks looking to expand their repertoire. The school also offers children’s cooking classes. Chef LoGerfo has an impressive resume and as a dad, he has a true passion for making meal prep and dinnertime a family affair.

The interactive fun for Publix shoppers doesn’t stop just yet. During the Healthy Families, Helping Kids campaign, shoppers are encouraged to snap a photo near a sign located in the Publix produce department and upload it to Instagram using the #ProduceforKids hashtag for a chance to win a gift basket from The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Funds raised during the Healthy Families, Helping Kids campaign benefit DonorsChoose.org, an online charity aimed at helping public and charter schoolteachers across America obtain the supplies needed for their classrooms. To date, 190,000 public and charter schoolteachers have used DonorsChoose.org to secure $247 million in books, art supplies, technology and other resources to enhance student learning.

All eight participating fruit and vegetable companies supporting the campaign will make a donation to support local classroom projects. These companies include: Apio, Inc. – Eat Smart® Fresh Cut Vegetables; Buddy Fruits® 100% Blended Fruit Pouches; Del Monte Foods® – Fruit Naturals® Cups; Chiquita Fresh – Fresh Express® Packaged Salads; Florida Department of Citrus – 100% Florida Orange Juice, Florida Oranges & Florida Grapefruit; Evolution Fresh® Juices & Smoothies; Ventura Foods – Marie’s® Refrigerated Salad Dressings; and Paramount Farms – Wonderful® Pistachios.

Note: Images can be found at the following links.

http://www.produceforkids.com/sites/default/files/the_very_hungry_cater…

http://www.produceforkids.com/sites/default/files/the_very_hungry_cater…

http://www.produceforkids.com/sites/default/files/the_very_hungry_cater…

# # #

About Produce for Kids®

Produce for Kids® is a philanthropically based organization that brings the produce industry together to educate consumers about healthy eating with fresh produce and raise funds for local children’s non-profit organizations. Since its creation in 2002 by Shuman Produce Inc., Produce for Kids has raised more than $5 million to benefit kids. To learn more about Produce for Kids and healthy eating, visitwww.produceforkids.com <http://www.produceforkids.com&gt; , Facebook <http://www.facebook.com/produceforkids&gt; , Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/#!/Produceforkids&gt; , Pinterest <http://www.pinterest.com/produceforkids/&gt; or Instagram <http://instagram.com/produceforkids&gt; .

About Publix®

Publix is privately owned and operated by its 167,000 employees, with 2013 sales of $28.9 billion. Currently Publix has 1,077 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina and North Carolina. The company has been named one of FORTUNE’s “100 Best Companies to Work For in America” for 17 consecutive years. In addition, Publix’s dedication to superior quality and customer service is recognized as tops in the grocery business, most recently by an American Customer Satisfaction Index survey. For more information, visit the company’s website, corporate.publix.com.

About DonorsChoose.org

Founded in 2000, DonorsChoose.org makes it easy for anyone to help a classroom in need. At this nonprofit website, teachers at half of all the public schools in America have created project requests, and more than a million people have donated $247 million to projects that inspire them. All told, 11 million students—most from low-income communities, and many in disaster-stricken areas—have received books, art supplies, field trips, technology, and other resources that they need to learn. Visit http://www.donorschoose.org/intro <http://www.donorschoose.org/intro&gt; to hear Oprah Winfrey and Stephen Colbert tell theDonorsChoose.org story.

About The World of Eric Carle

The World of Eric Carle™ is a design-driven licensing and merchandising program based on the beloved picture books by Eric Carle. A prolific author and artist, Eric Carle has written and illustrated more than seventy books which have sold over 128 million copies worldwide. Like his books, The World of Eric Carle brand draws upon Eric Carle’s approach to creativity, discovery, play and development. Licensing and merchandising programs are ongoing in the US, Japan, UK, Australia and Europe. For more information, please visit: www.Facebook.com/theworldofEricCarle <http://www.facebook.com/theworldofEricCarle&gt; .

This text was copied verbatim from a press release.

Produce for Kids

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Tom Stenzel, United Fresh Produce Association President and CEO, has announced several staff promotions.

“Congratulations to these team leaders on their increasing responsibilities to deliver the highest possible value to our members,” Stenzel said. “These new assignments will further enable United’s talented staff to enhance and expand their service to the association in many key areas as they work to foster innovation and growth for our members.” 

Victoria Backer has been promoted to Executive Vice President of the association, with the order to lead the association in all aspects of organizational development, management and operations, according to a press release.  She will be responsible for several key areas, including staff and organizational development and volunteer leadership development.  She will also lead the new United Fresh Start Foundation.

Also supporting the new foundation, Andrew Marshall has been promoted to Director, Foundation Programs & Partnerships.  He has worked in building United’s Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative and will now lead those efforts for the new foundation, according to a press release.

Dr. Lorelei DiSogra will be continuing her collaboration with Backer and Marshall as United’s nutrition policy leader in the public health and policy community, and United Fresh Vice President Jeff Oberman will add to his portfolio in trade relations, working with Backer in fundraising to grow the Foundation and member involvement.

Miriam Wolk has been promoted to Vice President, Member Services, which gives her direct program responsibility to her membership recruitment and retention portfolio.  In this new role, she will drive member engagement in United’s core programs like Produce Industry Leadership Program, Cornell Produce Executive Development Program, USDA Inspection Training, Retail Managers and Foodservice awards and more.

Lastly, John Toner will now be leading United’s multi-disciplinary staff team that works on the United Fresh convention as Vice President, Convention and Industry Collaboration.  Through United’s partnerships with the Food Marketing Institute, the International Floral Exposition and potentially new partners, John will coordinate collaborative efforts to better serve United Fresh members.

Congratulations on the promotions!

United Fresh