DUBLIN, VA - With growing customer demand for the company’s premium produce lineup, Red Sun Farms is counting down to the first-ever harvest from its recent greenhouse expansion in Virginia. Harvest of conventional TOV is slated for September 25, 2014, while the first Virginia Grown, Organic TOV will be harvested in mid-October.

Carlos Visconti, COO, tells me, “Red Sun employs proprietary, cutting-edge technology to provide a continuous supply of the best hydroponically grown greenhouse vegetables. In addition to being strategically located to limit food miles and therefore extending the shelf life of our tomatoes, Virginia offers optimal climatic conditions for high-tech greenhouse operations.”

The first phase of the Virginia project will create 95 jobs and after a successful Job Fair in June, Red Sun is ready and excited to welcome this first crop with the company’s new team in place.  

“We are the first 100% high-tech greenhouse organization to own farms in all 3 NAFTA countries. Our vertical integration spanning all 3 countries is one-of-a-kind in North America today,” Carlos notes.

Phase 2's expansion of 12 additional acres to the operation will be underway soon, followed by phase 3’s additional 18 acres that will bring Virginia’s Red Sun footprint to 48 acres in 2017. Once complete, the three year project will create jobs for 205 people and boast 48 acres of locally greenhouse grown tomatoes, organic, and specialty lines of produce.

Red Sun Farms

MORGAN HILL, CA - Sakata Seed America rallied with fellow health advocates at the American Heart Association's Northern Central Coast Heart & Stroke Walk on September 13th at the Custom House Plaza in Monterey, CA. According to a press release, over 600 Northern Central Coast residents and 61 teams attended this great event emceed by Dan Cianca, meteorologist for KION-TV. Altogether, the participants raised over $60,000 towards heart disease and stroke research, advocacy, outreach and education.

“Corporate giving is one important way that Sakata works to enrich the communities where we conduct business,” said Dave Armstrong, President and CEO of Sakata Seed America. “Through financial contributions, in-kind donations, employee engagement and organizational leadership, our goals are to assist those who are working to better their communities and to educate individuals on the benefits of a healthy life-style, to which our products contribute.”

Team Sakata alone raised $4,980, the most by any team at the event. Leading the charge was Sakata employee, Jamie Kitz, who raised $2,225, the most of any participant who attended.

According to the American Heart Association, heart disease and stroke are the #1 and #4 causes of death for all Americans, with nearly 2,400 Americans dying from a cardiovascular disease every day.

Sakata and the AHA want to raise awareness about these deadly ailments, as well as what people can do to lower their risk factor. The latest research has found that for every hour of vigorous exercise one does, one's life expectancy, on average, increases by two hours.

In addition to supporting this great event, Sakata is also throwing its support behind the AHA's Go Red for Women Luncheon this coming May, 2014 as well as the AHA’s National Eating Healthy Day on Wednesday, November 5, 2014. Further Sakata events centered on healthy eating and living are also in the works.

Congratulations on making this impressive contribution, Sakata! This is certainly a cause which everyone can get behind.

Sakata Seed America

SALINAS, CA – Coastline Family Farms has promoted Alison Pilcher to the Sales Professional position.

“We are so pleased to promote Alison to Sales Professional,” said Linda Kivlehan, Sales Manager.  “Alison has many years of experience in the produce industry and customer service and will make a great addition to our Sales Professionals Team.”

Alison has worked with Coastline for 14 years as a Sales Assistant, according to a press release.  Her dedication, positive attitude and work ethic paved the way for this promotion.

Alison says, “I’m very much looking forward to supporting my team in continuing to offer the highest levels of customer service, ensuring our clients get the best results and the best products.”

In this new role, Alison will continue to serve the existing customer base while developing new accounts.  She is also a part of the commodity management team.

Congratulations on the promotion, Alison!

Coastline Family Farms

IDAHO FALLS, ID - Kingston Fresh is welcoming industry veteran Sandy Gatanio to oversee the company’s new categories and markets. In his new position as Product Manager, Specialty Vegetables and Berries, Sandy will leverage his more than 35 years of industry sales and marketing experience to help further expand Kingston’s product lines.

“Sandy has a broad wealth of knowledge as it relates to specialty vegetables like sugar snap, snow peas, French beans, and asparagus, but we are particularly excited in utilizing his experience in berry programs,” said Ken Nabal, Kingston Fresh President. “Kingston has a growing imports division and these programs fit perfectly in servicing our customer base. I have known Sandy for some time and he has an excellent track record and is a tenacious salesperson. His experience in selling these products compliments our continued growth.”

Kingston CEO David O. Kingston echoed these comments. “By expanding our product portfolio and adding talented produce professionals like Sandy, we take yet another step towards achieving our goals.”

Prior to joining Kingston, Sandy held various key sales and product management roles at other major produce firms in South Florida, including Fru-Veg Marketing, Southern Specialties, and Harvest Fresh International. Before moving to Florida in 2002, he worked for a number of companies on the Hunts Point Terminal Market in New York, according to a press release.

When asked about his decision to join Kingston, Sandy said, “Kingston’s strong reputation in the produce industry for both product quality and customer service made me immediately interested in the opportunity. I am excited to join the team and utilize my industry knowledge and relationships to help further expansion plans.”

Sandy graduated with an Associate’s Degree in Business Management from Bergen Community College in Paramus, NJ. He currently lives in Ft. Lauderdale, FL, and will work out of Kingston’s Pompano Beach sales office.

Congratulations on joining the Kingston team, Sandy!

Kingston Fresh

MAINE, UNITED STATES - Hannaford has announced that it will be bringing three new stores in northern Maine into its retail chain after completing a purchase agreement with Paradis Shop ‘n Save. According to the Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel, the three new stores are located in Houlton, Caribou and Calais, Maine. So far, no specific price information has been released by either retailer.

“Paradis appreciates the opportunity that we have had to serve these communities but the time for us to sell to a great organization like Hannaford is right,” said Craig Paradis, Treasurer of Paradis Shop ‘n Save. “We have enjoyed the many friendships that we have made and wish all the customers and associates well in their new endeavor with their new employer.”

Hannaford has announced that it will be converting the Houlton and Caribou locations into Hannaford-branded supermarkets, complete with fully-equipped pharmacies. The Calais location will be operated by an independent company on behalf of Hannaford, although the Paradis family will continue to run the store on an interim basis while Hannaford searches for a suitable company.

According to the Kennebec Journal & Morning Sentinel, the Houlton and Caribou deals will close later this Fall. No timeframe for the Calais transaction has yet been confirmed however.

Congratulations on this latest acquisition, Hannaford!

Hannaford

Paradis Shop n' Save

WASHINGTON - With apple season here again, Washington State's growers are excited about the state of their crops this year. Volume is up at Stemilt, Columbia Marketing International (CMI), Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers, and Domex Superfresh Growers this season, and reports from all parties indicate that the quality of the fall fruit is excellent.

Brianna Shales, Stemilt's Communications Manager, shared with ANUK that “Color, size, and fruit quality are looking great and we're really excited about our varietal mix that features consumer favorite varieties like Honeycrisp, Pinata, Pink Lady, Fuji, and more. Our new, high-tech apple line has one of the longest sizers in the world and will deliver great consistency and high quality to every box.”

This combination of consistency and quality is a large part of what has made products like Stemilt's Lil Snappers kid-sized fruit program, an important component of the grower's back-to-school lineup, such a huge hit at the retail aisle.

Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers' Director of Marketing Scott Marboe wholeheartedly agreed with this assessment. “Our new apple packing lines are working as well if not better than we had planned and our new trees are producing great fruit,” he told me. “We have some fantastic growers and customers worldwide as well as a great team in place here at Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers to support them. We're looking forward to a fantastic season for all. We are sure consumers will be exceptionally happy.”

In addition to the quality of this year's fall crop, overall industry volume is also looking outstanding.

"As an industry, we are looking at a record crop of around 140 million cartons, up over 20% from last year’s harvest. Overall the crop is sizing up nicely, and color is coming along nicely as well as we begin to experience cooler Northwest nights that are needed for color and overall flavor," CMI's Marketing Specialist, Katharine Grove tells us.

Organic varieties at CMI have also risen in the past year, with the amount of fruit coming out of Washington state up 33%, according to Katharine.

Scott seconded this statement, explaining that “Volume this year is way up and as a company, we're expecting to harvest roughly 15.5-15.8 million cartons of apples. This is up about 2.5 million from our harvest last year.”

Over at Domex Superfresh Growers, we hear more of the same great news.

“We're expecting to be able to ship out about 20 million cartons of apples this season, a 40% increase over our harvest from last year,” shared Vice President of Marketing, Howard Nager. “Looking at the size and quality of the harvest we have on our hands this year, you really see why people are calling it a vintage crop.”

One reason for the uptick in volume we are experiencing this season is the expansion of the acreage these growers are devoting to apple cultivation. Oneonta, for example, has “continued to acquire new land throughout the previous year,” according to Scott Marboe.

Not everything can be attributed to acreage however, as Howard explained to me. While Domex has increased the amount of farmland used for apple cultivation by about 8-10% this year, he credits use of some of the latest high density planting techniques for the magnitude of year's yields at Domex.

“Domex has been leading the way with the latest in high density planting technology, something which has really allowed us to make the most out of every acre of land we farm here in Washington,” Howard explained. “This has really allowed us to capitalize on the amazing growing conditions we have enjoyed this year.”

With this kind of momentum behind them, this year's back-to-school season is shaping up to be a strong one for Stemilt, CMI, Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers, and Domex Superfresh Growers.

Stemilt

CMI

Oneonta Starr Ranch Growers

Domex Superfresh Growers

CINCINNATI, OH – Kroger Co is testing online grocery shopping in the Cincinnati area.  Customers will be able to order groceries online and then pick them up in the store.

The Cincinnati Business Courier reports that this test program is based off of the click-and-collect online ordering system that has been successful for Harris Teeter stores.

Rachael Betzler, a spokeswoman for Kroger’s Cincinnati/Dayton Division, told the Courier that the test program is beginning with the employees at the Liberty Township Kroger Marketplace.  Customers will be able to place their orders online and go to the store to pick up the groceries at a drive-up window.

"Our approach with new technologies and systems is to test small and work out the kinks before scaling more widely," said Betzler. "So, we’re starting very small with our associates at Liberty Township, then we’ll open this location to customers, and once we are successfully implementing the program in one store, we’ll expand to other stores here in Cincinnati and eventually on to other divisions as well."

This new test comes after Kroger strengthened its online presence with its $280 million acquisition of Vitacost.com, an online vitamin retailer.

Rodney McMullen, Chief Executive Officer of Kroger said in the company’s investor conference call prepared remarks last week, “We are proud to welcome the incredible Vitacost.com team to the Kroger family. We are excited about the opportunity the merger creates to transform the customer experience and move Kroger directly into the e-Commerce space much faster than we could have done on our own. The merger closed last month and our teams are hard at work developing our combined business plan.“

While this is only an employee test right now, it will be interesting to see how successful it is when it opens to consumers.

Do you think that online grocery shopping is the way of the future?  Let us know by taking the survey below!

Kroger

NOGALES, CA - Rene Produce LLC has been named the 2014 Exporter of the Year by Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto, the second time the company has been presented with this honor since 2007. Company Founder Rene Carrillo Sr. and CEO Rene Carrillo Jr. accepted the award at the recent National Exporter of the Year Award Ceremony held in Mazatlan from September 3^rd-5^th.

“My father and I humbly accept this prestigious recognition today for the many thousands of hard-working people who make it all possible,” shared Rene Carrillo Jr.

According to a press release, the award also recognizes Rene Produce's parent company and farming operations, Exportalizas Mexicanas S.A.de C.V., based in Culiacan, Mexico. The “Large Agricultural” Exporter category award recognizes the company’s leadership role in social responsibilities, sustainability, farming and product innovation, job creation, food safety, and safe secure logistics/transportation services.

Family-owned and operated out of Nogales, CA, Rene Produce is also celebrating the 50^th year of its partnership as the exclusive marketing and distribution company for Exportalizas Mexicanas.

To learn more about Rene Produce's business operations, check out this great video below:

Congratulations on this impressive Exporter of the Year Award, Rene Produce!

Rene Produce

UNITED STATES - The American Southwest is likely to be the recipient of heavy rainfall and flash flooding this week due to the same storm system that struck the Coast of Baja as Hurricane Odile. Weather forecasters are warning local growers and residents alike to brace themselves.

“The remnants of Odile should continue to move toward the northeast or east-northeast, across the extreme northwestern Mexico tonight, and across southeastern Arizona on Thursday, ahead of an eastward-moving, mid-latitude trough, currently approaching western Baja California,” the National Hurricane Center said in an official statement. “Heavy rainfall and flooding associated with the remnants of Odile will continue to be a significant threat across northwestern Mexico and the southwestern United States during the next couple of days.”

“The remnants of Odile are expected to produce rainfall amounts of 3 to 5 inches with isolated totals of 8 inches across the state of Sonora in northwestern Mexico...southeastern Arizona...and Southwestern New Mexico...possibly extending into western Texas through Friday,” the report went on. “These rains could result in life-threatening flash floods and mudslides.”

In the hardest hit areas, a swath of land encompassing the area to the southeast of Tuscon, Arizona and extending into southern New Mexico, AccuWeather Enterprise Solutions Senior Vice President Mike Smith warns that, "Rainfall amounts can exceed 10 inches."

At this point in time, it is still too early to project just how large an impact this tropical storm system will have on the growers of the Southwest. I know that I speak for everyone with AndNowUKnow, however, when I say that I hope any damage done is minor and that the industry can make it through this event without serious harm coming to either farmers or their crops.

Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for any further updates on this storm, as well as future weather updates relevant to the fresh produce industry.

NEW KENSINGTON, PA – Yerecic Label is launching a new “Great for the Slow Cooker” label line to help shoppers utilize produce in their slow cooker meals.

“We are always looking for ways that our labels can help make produce consumption and preparation easy for consumers,” said Yerecic Label President Art Yerecic.  “Slow Cookers are a great way to bring out the flavor of your favorite produce and make an easy, healthy meal.”

The label, shaped like a slow cooker, features LabelBling™ sparkle ink and invites the consumer to peel open the front label for recipe ideas to entice consumers to learn more about the produce and how to best use it.

The inside of the label displays a QR code that takes consumers to a variety of recipes, a list of items that are “Great for the Slow Cooker” and general slow cooking tips, according to a press release.

“According to a NPD study, over 83% of Americans have at least one slow cooker at home already,” said Yerecic Label VP of Sales and Marketing Rich Thoma.  “Slow cooking is a great way to pull all of the delicious flavor from produce items while keeping dinner easy, healthy and affordable.”

With slow cooker meals growing in popularity, these labels showcase value and convenience while pushing sales in the produce aisle.

Yerecic Label