LONE STAR, TX - It seems that Wal-Mart is on the move again, having announced in the last few days that it plans on expanding its footprint in the Lone Star State with three new additions to its line of Wal-Mart Express stores in the towns of Naples, Tatum, and Lone Star. These new Wal-Mart locations bring with them the promise of new purchasing options and job opportunities for the members of these relatively small American towns.

The residents of Lone Star in particular are excited about the proposed expansion and what the 12,000 square foot Express store could do for the town's 1,600 current residents.

“We’re excited,” City Secretary Ruth Nash told the Lone Star newspaper.

While she did acknowledge the increased competition the warehouse giant would bring with it, she remained firm in her belief the net result would be good for Lone Star. “We’re just such a small little town that the new jobs that would be coming to staff the store and the additional sales tax revenue and property tax revenue — we think it will draw enough business into our town that it will more than offset what might happen to the other stores.”

Tatum Mayor Phil Cory added, “From a community standpoint, I’ve always believed competition is good at least." He did note, however, that the plans for the new Wal-Mart were still in the early preliminary stages.

This latest building project is just a part of an overall larger plan by Wal-Mart to expand its Express store line by 300 locations during 2014, according to reporters at Omaha.

“These smaller-format stores are the result of us listening to our customers,” said Wal-Mart spokesperson Betsy Harden. “They are telling us they want new ways to shop.”

Wal-Mart's line of smaller Express stores focus largely on groceries and general merchandise with some stores also featuring a gas station. According to a news release by the National Association for Convenience and Fuel Retailing, the average Express location is roughly 15,000 square feet although West Texas locations look to be closer to a 11,000-12,000 square foot range.

Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for any further updates on Wal-Mart and its plans for expansion.  

Wal-Mart

JAPAN - Isn’t it about time that fruits become a form of currency in Japan? The latest extraordinary item to go on auction is none other than Japan’s Ruby Roman grapes, otherwise known as one of the world’s most expensive fruits.

Late last week, we reported that high demand for California grapes kept prices above average, but those estimates are pint-sized if you ask Japanese auctioneers. A single Ruby Roman grape can easily cost someone well over a hundred dollars. On Saturday, a wedding hall operator in Ishikawa won a bunch of thirty fresh Ruby Roman grapes, each costing about $180 a pop for a grand total of a whopping $5,400, according to The Japan Times. If you happen to have a wealthy relative living in Japan, send some extras my way!     

“I was surprised to see a higher price than I had originally imagined, but I would like bridal couples to savor them and have a special memory,” public broadcaster NHK reported the hall owner as saying.

The bunch weighed about 800 grams (28 ounces) total, with individual grapes sizing up to around 1.2 inches in diameter.

Having now been in the market for about six years, these top notch grapes have made quite a name for themselves in Japan. According to Wall Street Journal, a grape can only be called a Ruby Roman if it weighs at least 20 grams, exceeds 18% in sugar content, and its coloring resembles a cherry tomato-red hue. That’s just one class of Ruby Roman, however. The “premium class” Ruby Roman grapes must weigh at least 30 grams, with the bunch overall weighing a minimum 700 grams.

If there are people out there willing to buy grapes and other luxurious fruit in Japan for such extravagant prices, I gotta get in this business already! 

PELION, SC – WP Rawl is welcoming back Marshall Sherman as the company’s newest Director of Food Safety & Quality Assurance. He was formerly the company’s General Manager from 2001 to 2008.

“I am very excited to return to WP Rawl,” said Marshall. “Part of what drew me back to the company was the phenomenal growth they have experienced since I left in 2008. Returning has felt like finding my family again. The Rawl family are great people to work for and this next opportunity is not only exciting professionally; it feels like coming home.”

In his new role, Marshall will be responsible for directing and implementing all food safety and quality programs company-wide to include field operations, plant operations, and external vendors, according to a press release.

“Bringing Marshall back as Director of Food Safety is a huge bonus for us,” said Ashley Rawl, Vice President of Sales, Marketing, and Product Development at WP Rawl. “He did an outstanding job for us as General Manager, and we have no less of an expectation for his new role. We are delighted that he was ready to come back to South Carolina and rejoin the team.”

Prior to his return at WP Rawl, Marshall was the Director of Operations at a Jacksonville, Florida-based produce distribution facility where he made progress in reducing transportation and labor costs. Before that, he was the General Manager for an Oxnard, California-based farming operation where he worked on everything from marketing and sales to farming and facility operations all while improving sales year over year.

Congrats on your return to WP Rawl, Marshall!

WP Rawl

BROOKFIELD, WI - Sendik's is growing again with the annoucement of a new Food Market grocery store at the Corners of Brookfield shopping center in south-eastern Wisconsin. The news of this latest location, which is expected to open in 2016, comes just months after the annoucement of a new store opening in Hartland, Wisconsin, a story which AndNowUKnow covered in a previous article. 

“We are very pleased to partner with Sendik’s, which is hands down, our best-in-class local grocer,” said Katie Falvey, Director of Real Estate for Marcus Corp and lead developer for the project. “The Balistreri family has done an amazing job of building a local chain that is known for its fresh, high-quality food and specialty items, as well as its outstanding customer service. The new Sendik’s Food Market is a perfect fit with the high standard being set by the unique design and the popular retailers and restaurants at The Corners.”

Ted Balistreri, co-owner of Sendik's, echoed this optimism about the new location: “The Corners is an ideal location to serve the Waukesha County community...and is sure to become a premier retail destination in southeastern Wisconsin."

Sendik's has become a leader in the Wisconsin retail industry because of its focus on product quality as well as presentation. Shoppers at Sendik's push carts full of fresh produce over carpeted floors and past display islands each featuring an individual produce category in order to best highlight the product.

As highlighted in a press release, Sendik's is also notable for the pride it takes in the relationships it has with its growers as well as the proud history behind these farms. The Balistreri family makes a point of sharing this relationship directly with their customers. Sendik's doesn't just market its grapes as 'grapes', just as its sweet potatoes aren't just labeled 'sweet potatoes.' Instead shoppers at Sendik's load up their carts with Castle Rock Reds and Bako Sweets. They know where their food comes from.

With the Brookfield opening, Sendik's will have 13 Food Market stores operating out of Wisconsin and with shoppers always coming for more, they're certainly a retailer to watch.

Sendik's

CINCINNATI, OH – Total Quality Logistics (TQL) received two industry awards; 2014 Great Supply Chain Partner from SupplyChainBrain and Best 3PL for Retail Supply Chains from Eye for Transport (eft).

For both awards, customers were asked to nominate service providers whose solutions made a significant impact on their company’s efficiency and ability to deliver excellence in logistics operations and service, according to a press release.

“The fact that our customers took the time to reach out to these publications and let them know that they appreciate our service is humbling,” said TQL Executive Vice President, Kerry Byrne. “We have to earn their trust and confidence every day by delivering exceptional service – on every load of freight we move – and that is something we never take for granted.” 

TQL will be featured in the 2014 July/August issue of SupplyChainBrain magazine as a member of this year’s 100 Great elite crew.  The company was awarded the eft North America 3PL award last month.

Congrats on the awards!

Total Quality Logistics

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Export International Inc., a Gresham, Oregon-based company, has posted a $90,000 surety agreement with the USDA to employ Michael Aker, a former PACA violator.

Aker was the only officer and a stockholder of Pacific Rim Onion Inc., a Salem, Oregon-based company, which was found to have committed repeated and flagrant PACA violations, according to a press release.

USDA will hold the $90,000 cash surety agreement for four years, providing assurance to the industry that the company will be able to pay for produce purchased and to conduct its business according to PACA rules.

In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 4,600 claims filed under PACA involving more than $87 million. Any PACA licensee looking to employ someone who has previously failed to pay a reparation award, or has been subject to a USDA disciplinary action, must post a USDA-approved surety bond.

Agricultural Marketing Service

MEXICO – Beginning July 7, Mexico will once again allow U.S. potato growers to begin limited exports into that country. Western Growers reports that this decision will only allow potatoes to be shipped within a 26-kilometer radius of the border. This agreement comes after the June 10 border closure that halted U.S. potato exports entirely.

As previously reported by AndNowUKnow, the Mexico Potato Growers Association, otherwise known as Conpapa, filed a lawsuit against Mexico’s Ministry of Agriculture to put a halt to all exports and imports of U.S. potatoes into the country.  This reopening of the border is seen as an interim measure that will be in place until Mexico addresses all of the legal challenges that originally closed the border.

For more information on the border closing, please visit our previous story by clicking here.

The 26-kilometer radius is nothing new to U.S. potato exporters.  Prior to May 19 of this year, U.S. growers were only allowed to ship into that limited area, according to Western Growers.  That restriction was temporarily lifted until the June lawsuit that closed the borders entirely.

So the main question left is, when might Mexico allow full exports beyond a 26-kilometer radius?  The legal challenges are expected to last 9 to 10 months.

Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we stay on top of this story as it develops.

Western Growers

PLEASANTON, CA - FoodLink and iTradeNetwork are coming together as a single company. iTradeNetwork’s parent company Roper Industries has purchased FoodLink Holdings, which will be merged and branded as iTradeNetwork.  The effective date for the acquisition is July 1, 2014.

iTradeNetwork will be working over the next several months to fully integrate its teams and operations, according to the company. In the meantime, iTradeNetwork assures that there will be no disruption to current service levels and it will be working diligently to ensure service remains consistent and reliable throughout the merging process. The current FoodLink offices in Los Gatos and Pune will remain open.

Both FoodLink and iTradeNetwork ensure that current contract terms and pricing will remain in place as the two companies develop a single, rationalized pricing model. Current Service Level Agreements will also remain in place, and customers are advised to continue using their established avenues for obtaining Technical Support or other assistance.

iTradeNetwork is a leading software-as-a-service (SaaS) solution provider to the global food and beverage supply chain that will bring FoodLink’s strengths in warehouse management, food safety and traceability solutions into its fold. Combining the resources of the companies will allow iTradeNetwork to better serve the broader needs of the combined customer base while further enhancing its efforts to increase customer value and efficiencies. The merger will create the industry’s largest end-to-end supply chain data, commerce, and traceability company, according to Julie Petersen, Strategic Projects at iTrade Network/Roper Industries.

“The combined business will provide unmatched value to every participant in the food supply chain and move ITN closer to our vision of creating a fully transparent and frictionless supply chain from farm to fork,” said Joe Bergara, Group Vice President of Roper Industries and President of iTradeNetwork.

Some key facts of the combined organization include:

• 10,000 customers
• The world’s largest transacting and collaboration network of food and beverage suppliers
• $300 billion in annual trade volume
• 600 million purchase orders per year
• Labeling and tracking greater than 10% of all shipped cases of fresh produce in the U.S.
• More than 100 million produce items per year feature FoodLink QR codes and item-specific consumer-labels in stores
• More than 10 million prepared meals daily

Congratulations to iTradeNetwork and FoodLink as you move forward in the fresh food industry.

iTradeNetwork

FoodLink

SALINAS, CA - Tanimura & Antle celebrated the birthday of one of the company’s influential members this past weekend: George Tanimura.  600 guests gathered together to honor this industry veteran who has been an integral part of the company’s evolution, helping to bring together two of the most reputable families in our industry.

Those who attended will remember the sight of the skydivers plunging 8,000 feet as they coated the sky in smoke trails and colorful banners, just as they will remember the sounds of the Taiko Drummers who filled the celebration with music. Most of all however they will remember George himself, a man who profoundly influenced the industry he was a part of his entire life.

“We are so humbled to be celebrating the life and legacy of such an incredible man,” said Mike Antle, Senior Vice President and Partner. “George has been an invaluable mentor to three generations of the Antle family, as well as, to countless others at T&A. His generosity with his knowledgeable life experiences will be with us all forever.”

George was born July 2, 1915 and began learning his family's iceberg lettuce business by thinning the crop as a grammar school student. At 16 years old, his father passed away, leaving George with the responsibility for the family and its farm. Despite the many ensuing challenges life presented him in leading his family through the Great Depression and internment along with many fellow Japanese-Americans during WWII, George perservered and was eventually able to save up enough to purchase an acre of land.

From those humble origins he grew his family's business and by the 1950’s, they were harvesting more than 200 acres of iceberg lettuce exclusively for Bud Antle. Over the years, the families formed a strong, cohesive bond which ultimately culminated in their 1982 partnership and the creation of Tanimura & Antle. 

George is also credited with introducing eco-friendly drip irrigation into a substantial portion of the land that Tanimura & Antle farms.

A man widely respected by his colleagues, George has established a reputation for integrity and humility. When asked to reflect on the enormity of his career and his influence on the industry, he answered in a manner all too familiar to those who know him: "It doesn’t matter, I’m just a farmer."

According to a press release, George is not taking his hands off the reins yet and continues to hold many important Director and Officer positons within his family's business. He is committed to monitoring the company’s farming methods and always looking for new ways to improve them. 

Happy Birthday, George, on your 100th birthday!

Tanimura & Antle

SANTA PAULA, CA - During hot summer days, Limoneira is encouraging consumers searching for a refreshing drink or new summertime recipes to look to its Limoneira Pink Lemons for inspiration. Their vibrant pink interior and striped to rose blushed exterior make for a colorful, attractive look that complements perfectly with the unique taste of the lemon.

“The possibilities are endless for the visually intriguing and versatile fruit. On the retail level, these are a stand-out item for produce departments especially as we get into the spring and summer months,” said John Chamberlain, Director of Marketing.

The Limoneira homepage features a variety of great recipes for lemon-loving consumers to try out in their home kitchens or for summer barbeques, such as a Salmon with Pink Lemon Cilantro Butter dish and Vegan Pink Lemon Muffins.

In order to promote their lemons this year, Limoneira is launching a new element to its Pink Lemon campaign: Sink the Pink in the Drink. The company has partnered with the World Bunco Association for an upcoming contest designed to increase consumption of the company’s unique pink lemons while highlighting the popular Bunco trend.

In order to participate, people can ‘like’ Limoneira’s Facebook page from now until August 31st to enter to win Parker the Pink Parrot and a Pink Party Bunco set, according to a press release. As the popularity of Bunco continues to grow in the mainstream, pink lemons can become the perfect way to add a twist to your traditional refreshments.

Limoneira