SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Pacific Organic Produce has hired industry veteran Allen Bernklau as its new Senior Commodity Development & Sales Specialist.

“We’re really excited to bring Allen onboard.  His vast experience working with organic growers will allow him to make an immediate impact on our company,” said Pacific Organic President, Greg Holzman.

For the past 11 years, he has led the sales team at Del Cabo in which time it developed into a premiere organic farm company, according to a press release.

Allen has over 30 years of experience in the industry. He has worked retail, wholesale, mail order, and directly with the growers.

While not at work, Allen enjoys cooking, hiking, running, music, traveling, playing with his new grandson, and living life to the fullest with his wife of 21 years. 

Congratulations, Allen!

Pacific Organic Produce

UNITED STATES - It’s been an interesting ride for investors as of late. With news of the Dow Jones Industrial Average breaking a new record for the first time in its 118-year history before the July 4 holiday, analysts are finally seeing concrete proof that the U.S. economy is on the path of recovery. For some however, this milestone achievement might not move the needle in terms of consumer spending.

“It’s really hard to see in our business today … that it’s gotten any better,” said Wal-Mart U.S. CEO Bill Simon in an interview with Reuters, suggesting that the spur in U.S. employment growth has failed to increase consumer spending so far. Last week, the U.S. Labor Department reported that employment growth increased in June with an additional 288,000 jobs, and the unemployment rate neared a six-year low, according to NBC News. Subsequently, the Dow reached 17,000 for the first time ever.

“The headline jobs number and underlying data reinforce the fact that the domestic economy is thriving,” said Todd Schoenberger, managing partner at LandColt Capital, during the historic day, according to USA Today. “The markets will enjoy this data, which should push the broader averages to higher highs today.”

“People like to chase trends, and people are more likely to buy when they are thinking about the market than thinking about something else such as the World Cup,” said Odean, according to Wall Street Journal’s MarketWatch.  

For the week so far however, the Dow has lost 161.64 points, or 1 percent. On Tuesday, the Dow closed at $16,906.62. Check out how the Dow has been performing over a five day period...

"We've reached a point where it's not getting any better but it's not getting any worse - at least for the middle (class) and down," said Simon.

Though it appears that the domestic economy is starting to hit its stride, Simon says that the recovery is not giving ordinary consumers the confidence to increase spending. Wal-Mart is continuing to find ways to gain positive same-store sales and positive traffic in an increasingly competitive environment, but will these adjustments in strategy be enough to give the company a financial boost?

“We’ve reached a point where it’s not getting any better but it’s not getting any worse – at least for the middle (class) and down,” continued Simon, Reuters reports.

"They're adapting to what has been a difficult macroeconomic situation," explained Simon.

Shopping habits for lower- and middle-income consumers have changed, Simon suggests, which may “not be the best thing in the world for a retailer.” Back to school events and holidays like the Fourth of July had shoppers splurge on items, but pulling back in between.

“They’re adapting to what has been a difficult macroeconomic situation,” explained Simon.

It hasn't been difficult for Wal-Mart alone. June sales at Costco and Target stores open for at least a year also fell below expectations, according to Reuters.

While it remains to be seen if the Dow will make a rebound again, it looks like it’s going to be a tough fight all around to keep shoppers shopping. 

CASHMERE, WA – Crunch Pak is featuring multiple cuts and package sizes for its sliced apples at the PMA Foodservice conference expo in Monterey.

“Apples are a kitchen staple and our products eliminate the prep time for foodservice operators, which saves them time and money,” said Tony Freytag, Crunch Pak Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.  “Crunch Pak sliced apples are the best choice for restaurants, schools – any large group that values freshness, flavor and convenience. These are the same quality apple slices we use in our gourmet party trays. Our apples are crisp, fresh and easy to use in salads, sandwiches, snacks and desserts.”

Crunch Pak will be offering sliced apples in 2-pound trays with a peel and reseal lid.  It will also sell a 1-pound bag to foodservice customers as well as 3-pound bags and mini 2-ounce bags in a 64-count carton, according to a press release.

Crunch Pak will have all of these items on display at the Foodservice Fresh Produce Exposition on Sunday, July 27 in booth #109.

Crunch Pak

WEST COAST, U.S. - Labor issues in California grew increasingly complicated over the course of the previous few days, with a set of the independent truck drivers who service the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach going on strike in protest of the actions of the trucking firms operating out of the ports. Although the number of strikers represent only a minority of the workforce which services the southwestern ports, any spread of the labor actions could have a dramatic effect on U.S. trade as the LA and Long Beach locations are key to America's import trade with Asia.

Looking to soothe worried onlookers, Port of Los Angeles spokesperson Phillip Sanfield said that the strikes would have a “minimal impact” on the Port's operations.

“There have been a handful of informational protesters at two Port of Los Angeles container terminals, but there has not been a disruption in cargo operations,” the port statement said. “Two cargo container terminals have elected to close their gates for reasons unrelated to the truck driver labor dispute. Ships continue to be worked at those terminals. Los Angeles Port Police continue to monitor activities at Port of Los Angeles container terminals.”

Reporting done by Roll Call suggested that a key player in this ongoing situation could be the International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), who could face the tough decision of whether or not to honor the picket lines if the strike continues. According to ILWU spokesman Craig Merrilees, that is “a hypothetical that I’m steering clear of for now...[we] will deal with this when and if it happens.”

As AndNowUKnow reported in an earlier article, the ILWU is currently in the midst of a labor dispute of its own. These workers have been engaged in talks with the Pacific Maritime Association (PMA) since their labor contract expired at the beginning of this month. Talks between the two parties seemed to have been going well, although there were still issues to settle before any agreement could be reached.

Due to an unrelated dispute between northwestern dock workers and the grain terminals in Vancouver and Portland however, these talks have had to be temporarily tabled. According to The Columbian, during the 3 days which the ILWU will need to settle the grain terminal dispute, the former contract between the PMA and the ILWU will be reinstated so as to keep America's western ports in service.

Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for any updates on this ongoing situation.  

TRACY, CA – In the month of August, GloriAnn Farms and its partner Five Crowns Marketing will be featuring their “Support Our Troops” campaign to support the Fallen Heroes Fund. 

"This marks a third exciting year partnering with the Fallen Heroes Fund. We are so fortunate to be involved with a prominent organization that supports the men and women of the Armed Forces and their families. We have been able to consistently contribute approximately $18,000 to the fund and are eager to make a larger contribution this year," stated Mark Bacchetti, one of the principals of GloriAnn Farms.

For every retail case of corn sold to participating retailers in August, GloriAnn will make a donation to the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund, which helps the families of military personnel lost or injured in the line of duty, according to a press release.

The GloriAnn tray packs for August will include a sticker highlighting the Intrepid Fallen Heroes Fund.

“The sticker is an insignia to promote a worthy cause, which is also a unique merchandising opportunity for customers,” said Daren Van Dyke, Director of Sales and Marketing for Five Crowns.

To learn more about the program or to become a participating retailer, click here.

GloriAnn Farms

WASHINGTON D.C. - Today, Western Growers is taking a stand for what it believes in, joining together with other leading American business, manufacturing, and agricultural leaders to take part in a “Day of Action for Immigration Reform.”

Western Growers President Tom Nassif has long been a strong proponent of immigration reform. Over the 4th of July weekend he remarked to Wall Street Journal reporters that even "if we can't have comprehensive immigration reform, we still have to do something to solve the problem: We have too many people here on false documents."

Western Growers farms grow about half of America's fresh fruit and vegetables according to the Journal. Without a way to hire more documented workers, Nassif has noticed some farmers moving away from labor-intensive produce and towards crops that demand less human capital. If this trend continues "we will find that the cost of produce is going to be going extremely high, because people will not be able to afford to grow them," he said.

For the Day of Protest, Western Growers will be joined by:

• Thomas Donohue, President and CEO of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
• Jay Timmons, President and CEO of the National Association of Manufacturers
• John Engler, President of Business Roundtable and former Governor of Michigan
• John Stineman from the Partnership for a New American Economy. 

According to a press release, there will also be events staged in more than 60 congressional districts across 25 states in support of the Day of Action.

Those interested in learning more can follow the protest on Twitter through #ActOnImmigration.

Western Growers

CHARLOTTE, NC – Chiquita is bringing produce straight to your smartphone with the announcement of a big expansion to their consumer loyalty app: Chiquita FanFun. Chiquita worked closely with FunMobility, the leader in the mobile web promotion software industry, to craft an app for consumers where produce lovers can play numerous mobile games, customize photos, test their brains with fun quizzes, and look up hundreds of recipes featuring Chiquita produce, all the while earning Chiquita reward points which can be exchanged for exciting prizes.

To check out the App for yourself you can download it off the iTunes or Google Play Stores, or visit Chiquita's website here for instructions on how to receive it via text download.

“We are expanding the mobile engagement of Chiquita consumers,” said Rob Adams, Director of Marketing and Channel Sales at Chiquita Brands. “This is a creative breakthrough for our category and we’ll be looking forward to building greater momentum through this new app with consumers.”

As a proud supporter of Little League Baseball and Softball, Chiquita also included a Little League® Card Maker in the app which can be used to convert a profile picture into one's very own digital baseball card.

This app will allow Chiquita to interact directly with its consumer base, letting them know of any new promotions as they are released. As an added bonus for consumers, the FanFun app will feature a store-locator which can be used to locate the nearest Chiquita Banana retailer from anywhere in country, according to a press release.

Some of the prizes app lovers can look forward to earning with their reward points are a stylish Chiquita t-shirt, a banana themed flash drive, a Chiquita banana holder, and much more.

Chiquita

Drew Schwartzhoff, Director of Marketing at Robinson Fresh®, joins AndNowUKnow to discuss what this new unified brand will bring to the industry. The launch of Robinson Fresh unifies the C.H. Robinson, FoodSource, Rosemont Farms, and Timco Worldwide entities under a new identity. Drew tells us that Robinson Fresh’s main goal is to drive understanding and awareness of the company’s broad portfolio, which includes exclusive licensed, proprietary, and private label brands. Check out our interview with Drew to learn more about the development of Robinson Fresh…

Robinson Fresh

CALIFORNIA - Fortunately for California’s Central Valley citrus industry, it appears now that that the damage incurred from the severe freeze in December may not have had the devastating impact that was originally anticipated.  Based on early reports from growers and agricultural officials in February, a 40% loss was expected for the Mandarin crop, while the more cold tolerant navel variety was anticipated to have a 30% loss.

For more information on the February predictions, check out our previous article by clicking here.

“As the season progressed into the Spring, it became increasingly obvious that we were not going to see the damage we had originally anticipated,” says Citrus Mutual President Joel Nelsen. “While this is good news overall, there was definitely some damage out there, particularly in Kern County where a significant portion of the California Mandarin crop is produced.”

Back in December, a hard freeze hit the California citrus crops with almost a dozen days of freezing temperatures falling well below the critical 28 degree mark. For a more detailed look at the freeze, check out our previous article by clicking here.

California Citrus Mutual credits the advances in freeze protection technologies such as wind machines and real-time weather monitoring capabilities for minimizing the impact of the freeze to the citrus crop.

The navel harvest was originally thought to be shortened considerably because of the freeze, but while the crop was smaller than forecasted, packing houses were still packing them until about three weeks ago.  That is better than last year at the same time.  Mandarins were better than expected as well, and with only 40% harvested so far, it is too early to tell on Valencias.

With the season coming to a close, it is evident now that the overall damage will be far less than predicted, however, an exact percentage will not be known until the season completely wraps up later this month. 

IRWINDALE, CA – Ready Pac Foods, Inc. sponsored a symposium hosted by The United Vegetable Growers Cooperative on the sustainability of organic spinach.  The event spotlighted the threat of Downy Mildew to organic spinach to help raise awareness in the industry.

The invasion of Downy Mildew has stopped growers from meeting consumer need this season despite overplanting by 10-30%, according to a press release.  Currently, organic spinach yields are down 50% with predictions that the situation will worsen.

Even with fungicides available to treat Downy Mildew for conventional spinach, there is no known solution for the organic spinach.  The mildew on one leaf of spinach can yield 10,000 spores that become airborne and spread to nearby crops.  It is increasing in some of the largest growing regions in the U.S., including the Salinas Valley in California and Yuma, Arizona, according to a press release.

Panelists at the symposium warn that options to treat Downy Mildew on organic spinach are limited and will take time. 

To counter the spread in the short term, growers can increase the acreage used for their spinach crops to prevent spreading.  Unfortunately, it can take 3 years to have new organic ground certified.  Possibly the best long-term option would be to find new resistant seeds, but that can take over a decade.

Overall, the symposium concluded that current conditions will likely continue, and solutions cannot come quickly enough.

In efforts to keep consumers safe and well-informed, Ready Pac is eager to continue its work with The United Vegetable Growers Cooperative and its efforts to raise awareness and help end this spinach threat.

Ready Pac