LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, CA – ALC Logistics has been named a “2014 Great Supply Chain Partner” by SupplyChainBrain, an information resource for supply chain management.

Brad Berger, SupplyChainBrain Publisher wrote: "Our prestigious list highlights a select list of companies whose solutions and services have been so impressive, that their customers took the time to write and let us know."

To receive a place on the list, a customer has to first nominate an outside vendor or service provider whose technology, logistics, transportation or consulting solutions have made a significant impact on their supply chain efficiency, according to a press release. 

Paul Demmink, Chief Financial Officer of Bottomley Evergreens and Farms, nominated the Allen Lund Company for its TMS system. "ALC has provided on-site staff and technology to completely manage our logistics needs...Our partnership with them has allowed us to focus on growing our business, knowing our logistics needs are being taken care of," said Demmink.

Gerald Ebert, Manager of the Allen Lund Company Richmond office said, "The nature of the Bottomley Evergreens and Farms shipments demand a robust, yet very customizable TMS system. They were instrumental in ensuring that our company is the true pioneer of designing each system it sells around the customer's needs rather than the other way around."

ALC Logistics provides web-based Transportation Management Software designed and customized to meet its customers' unique transportation management needs. 

Allen Lund Company will appear in the July/August 2014 issue of SupplyChainBrain magazine.  Congratulations ALC! 

Allen Lund Company

ALC Logistics

DORCHESTER, MA - Every year millions of pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables are thrown out by growers and retailers because they don't pass the so-called “eye-test.” Some innovative thinkers however see a way to turn this loss into a new source of profits for retailers, one which would both help financially struggling families access fresh produce and slash food waste at the same time. Why not sell those misshapen fruits and vegetables at a discount customers can afford, asks Doug Rauch, former President of Trader Joe's and the thinker behind Daily Table.

According to the USDA roughly 31% of the food produced in America every year is wasted. In total this loss amounts to $161.6 billion. Rauch finds such waste appalling.

“Grocery stores routinely trash produce for being the wrong shape or containing minor blemishes...yet one in six Americans is going hungry,” he told reporters at The Atlantic.

Part of the problem is the economy. Families making at or near the federal minimum wage, $7.25 for non-tipped employees, are put in the position of having to make difficult decisions between buying more expensive fresh produce and paying the bills for other important family needs. Often unwilling to accept the social stigmas that are associated with “handouts” and government programs, these families can be priced out of the fresh produce market.

“Dignity is a major issue,” Rauch says. “People want to be normalized; they want to shop like a customer and feel like they have provided for their family.”

The path has already been paved before by overseas French retailer Intermarché, the 3rd largest grocery store chain in France. As AndNowUKnow previously covered, when Intermarché debuted its line of misshapen or disfigured fruits and vegetables, its Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables line sold 1.2 tons of Inglorious produce in the first two days of the program alone with a 24% increase in overall store traffic.

Rauch plans on bringing this same business model to the United States with Daily Table.

The first Daily Table location will open this fall in Dorchester, Massachusetts. If it succeeds he says there will be plenty more to follow.  

For more on Daily Table, you can read our previous article on the new retailer here.

Intermarché 

Daily Table

BROOKS, OR - Curry & Company is appointing Boris Manz as the new General Manager of Santiago, Chile-based Curry Fruit Chile SA. He will be responsible for the company’s import and export Chilean Fruit Program.

“Boris brings a level of excitement to our team that is contagious,” said Matt Curry, Curry & Co. President. “He has helped develop programs around the world for the past three years and he’s going to be a real asset to Curry Fruit Chile SA. He understands what customers want and knows how to communicate those messages and needs to our team.”

During the West Coast’s North American blueberry season, Boris works closely with Curry & Co.’s team which is currently harvesting in Oregon and Washington, according to a press release. Prior to joining the company, he worked for Vitalberry Marketing (VBM) in Chile where he helped establish and develop retail and wholesale programs for blueberries and cherries in the United States, Canada, Argentina, Peru, and the United Kingdom.

“I like produce because it is very dynamic and the industry continues to grow worldwide,” said Boris. “Over the past three years, I’ve really learned how consumers around the world expect good quality and consistent product, every market is looking for the right piece of fruit for their customer base. I also see large growth opportunities in markets we are exploring such as the Middle East, India, and China.”

Boris studied Agribusiness at the Universidad Catolica de Chile and graduated college from Colego Suizo in Santiago, Chile. He is an avid soccer player and enjoys skiing and bicycling.

Congrats on joining Curry & Co., Boris!

Curry & Company

NIXA, MO - Market Fresh added a new face to its Florida campus team yesterday with the promotion of Adam Faust to Operations Coordinator. In his new role Faust will have a variety of responsibilities such as entering product, sales, and logistics data into Market Fresh's computer system and monitoring the daily activities of commodity investors. He will also now be responsible for analyzing market trends and working directly with Market Fresh's customers to expand its customer base.

“I am excited to be joining our team in Florida, where we have a beautiful facility and a great staff,” Faust said. “I look forward to earning our current customers’ trust and helping gain new customers. I have lofty goals, both personal and professional, as well.”

Faust has seven years of experience working in the produce industry, something that Market Fresh appreciated when making its decision to promote him to this new role.

“We knew when the position opened in Florida, Adam would be a great fit as his background has prepared him for his new position,” said Market Fresh CEO and owner, Steve Phipps. “We are confident he will thrive at our Florida facility!”

Before the promotion, Adam Faust worked as Market Fresh's Manager of Field Operations and Packaging. Prior to this position he spent time with Crossroads Fresh Connection and as a Inventory Control and Assistant Warehouse Manager for Martinous Produce, according to a press release.

Congratulations on the promotion, Adam!

Market Fresh Produce

Jim Grabowski, Well-Pict Director of Marketing, joins AndNowUKnow to discuss the company’s Summer strawberries and Display Wars promotion. Grabowski notes that proprietary raspberries are on the way as the category is in preproduction now.

Well-Pict’s Summer strawberries have excellent quality, sizing, color and aroma, and there are plenty of berries for retail. To promote them, Well-Pict is currently running an advertising promotion across the country called Display Wars.  All retailers have to do is build a Well-Pict strawberry display and send in a photo of it to be entered for a chance to win an iPad mini.  The promotion hopes to remind retailers that strawberries are a valuable part of the Summer season. 

For more on Well-Pict's Display Wars contest, click here.

CALIFORNIA - With 4^th of July festivities approaching, grapes have been in high demand as growers are making the transition from Coachella/Mexico to the San Joaquin Valley.

There is currently a high demand for reds that has kept prices around $20 - $22, and greens around $22 - $24. With prices at such high levels, we’ll still have to wait and see if the transition will have any effect on pricing.

Rob Spinelli of Anthony Vineyards tells AndNowUKnow that they finished harvest in Coachella around the 25^th and started Arvin harvest in time for the 4^th of July pull.  “Mexico and Coachella finished early so everyone made the switch to Arvin,” Spinelli said.  He expects to see steady demand even after the holiday.

Jim Llano of Castle Rock Vineyards tells us that they are currently finishing their last variety in Coachella, but have already started at Arvin to stay ahead of the high demand for Flames, Summer Royals and Sugar Ones.

Randy Giumarra from Giumarra Vineyards is optimistic that demand will remain strong and sees pricing staying in the $18 range through the entire month of July. “With fewer Sugraones in the market than past years and good demand for Flames we’re looking for the market to settle in that range. Going forward, with all of the new varieties of table grapes filling shorter windows than with the older conventional varieties, we hope to see consistent demand right through fall and into the winter months.”

With the transition fully underway, growers are already looking at what will come next.  

Llano says that Castle Rock is looking forward to the volume of Sweet Celebration this season as it enters its 2^nd year.  With good volume and quality, they should be even more accessible to retailers.

For Anthony Vineyards, Spinelli tells us that they are looking forward to a strong crop of organic grapes to help satisfy a large demand.

With the question of any changes in pricing still up in the air, we’ll continue to keep an eye on the season. Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for the latest updates.

Anthony Vineyards

Castle Rock Vineyards

Giumarra

MILWAUKEE, WI – Roundy’s, Inc. has announced the closure of its Stevens Point, WI distribution facility just months after it announced its planned departure from the Twin Cities area.

In a mass layoff notice sent to officials in the state of Wisconsin, the company stated that the closure will result in the loss of 196 jobs by September 13th, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Roundy’s says that the closure is in connection with its recent announcement of the divestiture of its Rainbow stores in the Twin Cities area, according to a press release.

In that divestiture, Roundy’s sold 18 Rainbow stores to a group of local grocery retailers, including Supervalu, in a $65 million deal in attempts to fully exit the Minneapolis/St. Paul market. Supervalu’s aggregate purchase price across its multiple purchase agreements is approximately $35 million.  If it cannot find buyers for its remaining 9 stores, the company plans to close them as well.

For more information on this process, check out our previous story by clicking here.

The company will now consolidate its operations to its Oconomowoc, WI and Mazomanie, WI distribution facilities.

The Stevens Point facility will follow a gradual phase-out plan before operations cease entirely by September 30, 2014.

Roundy's

SALINAS, CA - On Friday, July 18th, Tanimura & Antle's mascot, Captain T&A, will be racing against other mascots from a host of other Salinas produce industry leaders in the California Rodeo Salinas Vegetable Race to support the Ag Against Hunger non-profit. Since the 1990's, Ag Against Hunger has been coordinating deliveries of surplus produce from growers to 30 food bank partners locally and throughout the West Coast, and to schools through the More Produce for Schools program.

“Ag Against Hunger is an incredible non-profit organization that without a doubt every produce company can and should contribute to in some way or another,” said Ashley Pipkin, Junior Marketing Project Coordinator with Tanimura & Antle. “In the first year alone 400,000 lbs of produce was distributed.”

Each organization donates an entry fee of $1,000 in order to participate in the mascot race, funds which are then directly donated to Ag Against Hunger.

Supporting Ag Against Hunger is just a part of Tanimura & Antle's larger philosophy about community responsibility and sustainability, according to Pipkin. “We at Tanimura & Antle believe that sustainability means maintaining not only the quality of the land, but improving the quality of life in our community,” she told us.

Tanimura & Antle will also be sponsoring the Special Buckaroos Rodeo which gives children with special needs an opportunity to team up with professional cowboys and cowgirls and get a real rodeo experience over the course of the day.

“They receive hats, t-shirts, bandanas, contestant numbers, an awards bag and trophy at the end of the day. They rope cattle 'dummys,' race the barrel pattern on stick horses, get 'bucked' on a rocking horse and bull, and some even are able to ride a live horse accompanied by one of the professional volunteers,” explained Pipkin.

Tanimura & Antle got their inspiration for Captain T&A from traditional American superheroes. They hoped that he would help them bridge the gap between fresh produce consumption and the athleticism and strength which superheroes stand for.

To learn more about the Tanimura & Antle at the California Rodeo Salinas Vegetable Race you can visit the California Rodeo Salinas' homepage.

Tanimura & Antle

CINCINNATI and BOCA RATON, FL - Kroger is strengthening its online presence with its acquisition of Vitacost.com Inc., an online vitamin retailer. The $280 million purchase is expected to complement Kroger’s strategy to enter new markets, as well as Harris Teeter’s online order and pick up service.

Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen expressed his delight, noting that Vitacost.com’s “core focus on healthy living products is complementary to our fast-growing natural foods business, and we intend to grow Vitacost.com’s strong position in the online nutrition market. At the same time, we will build on Vitacost.com’s e-commerce platform by integrating it with our existing digital offerings to create exciting new levels of personalization and convenience for our customers.”

E-commerce is quickly becoming an area where big box retailers are looking to compete against existing online retailers, such as Amazon and FreshDirect. Wal-Mart especially has been gearing up for greater online presence with plans to expand its workforce in Silicon Valley. For more on that story, click here.

Vitacost.com’s e-commerce platform will enable Kroger to serve customers through ship-to-home orders nationwide, including 16 states that are currently not served by Kroger supermarkets, expanding the company’s reach into new U.S. markets as well as internationally, according to a press release.

According to Wall Street Journal, McMullen stated, “In terms of shipping to home, [Vitacost’s] infrastructure is incredibly strong for that. That’s one of the reasons we are really excited about the merger.”

Jeffrey Horowitz, CEO of Vitacost.com, said, “This transaction represents a significant premium for our shareholders and the company will benefit by leveraging Kroger’s scale and resources to further drive the online healthy living industry to new heights.”

In early afternoon trading, Vitacost.com shares skyrocketed approximately 27% to $7.99, while Kroger shares fell by 0.2% to $49.44. Currently, Kroger is limiting home delivery to shelf-stable groceries, Wall Street Journal reports. McMullen explains that the agreement “accelerates where we are by a few years, much faster than if we went and tried to build it on our own.”

Kroger will finance the transaction with debt. Following the close of the deal sometime in the third quarter, Vitacost.com will operate as a subsidiary of The Kroger Co. and will continue to operate its facilities in Boca Raton, Florida, Lexington, North Carolina, and Las Vegas, Nevada.

Kroger

Vitacost.com

CALIFORNIA, U.S. - With 4th of July right around the corner, the thoughts of most Americans are on barbeques. hot dogs, and burgers, but if industry insiders are right, the lettuce in those burgers won't come cheap. Lettuce prices rose in June to over twice their levels from last year and these higher-than-average prices could continue well into July.

Unusual weather patterns contributed to a lettuce crop this year which many growers are finding disappointing. An unseasonably dry start to the year, coupled with a recent spell of cool nights with temperatures “between 5-8 degrees cooler than their season averages...[has led to] depressed growth rates for our lettuce crops,” explained Mark McBride of Coastline Produce to AndNowUKnow.

Simply put, there is less lettuce available for sale right now than retailers and distributors are accustomed to, and this shrunken market supply has led to some massive price increases.

For example, the USDA is reporting that as of July 1st, 24s film-lined iceberg lettuce grown in California is selling for $20.35-$21.65. Last year this same product was associated with a price point of $8.50-$10.35. Romaine lettuce, also at 24s, is currently being priced at $26.00-$27.00 this July. Last year it was being priced $19.00-$20.00, $7 cheaper.

Industry members which AndNowUKnow reporters have spoken with do not expect these high lettuce prices to go away any time soon. While it is challenging to predict a specific future price point, it seems that the continued weak supply of California lettuce could hold prices at a higher-than-average price point for the next 2-3 weeks if not for the rest of July.

AndNowUKnow will be monitoring this continuing situation closely to bring you any further updates on price changes in lettuce markets.

USDA

USDA