Latest News From Jim Offner

Look for packaging costs to go up as the COVID-19 pandemic persists, packaging marketers say.

Whether packaging materials have one life or several, produce packers and shippers say they have to have a plan for them.

Now in its second year, the COVID-19 pandemic has given a boost to packaging sales, marketers agree.

The Fishers-based New York Apple Association rolled out numerous marketing and promotional initiatives in 2020, said Cynthia Haskins, president and CEO.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Gardners, Pa.-based grower-shipper Rice Fruit Co. has sharpened its focus on sustainable packaging, said Brenda Briggs, vice president of sales and marketing.

The Oppenheimer Group is reporting growth in its Envy and Jazz apple programs, while Pacific Rose remains strong with exports and in certain domestic markets, said Roger Aguirre, director of apples and pears.

Wenatchee, Wash.-based grower-shipper CMI Orchards LLC continues to test new brands and apple varieties to go with its existing products, said George Harter, vice president of marketing.

Brewster, Wash.-based Honeybear Brands is building a new packing facility, said Don Roper, vice president of sales and marketing for Honeybear Brands, as well as Elgin, Minn.-based Wescott Orchard & Agri Products Inc.

One of the chief initiatives at Yakima, Wash.-based Sage Fruit Co. in 2020 pertained to sustainability, said Chuck Sinks, president of sales and marketing.

Not surprisingly, many marketers said the lack of in-person engagement has been the biggest drawback of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Apple marketers view the Cosmic Crisp as a particularly bright star in a growing constellation of new apple varieties.

With COVID-19 having forced consumers to stay indoors and sharpen their skills as online shoppers, apple marketers say they have adjusted, too.

The COVID-19 crisis has supercharged apple packaging in multiple ways, marketers say.

Organic apples continue to find a reliable base of loyal consumers and attract new buyers as well, marketers say.

Fresh apple inventories appeared to be down in December, compared to a year earlier, according to the Falls Church, Va.-based U.S. Apple Association.

Circumstances have aligned to place the packaging industry to change the scope, design and sustainability of its products, marketers say.

While packaging costs continue to rise, innovation is tamping them down, at least somewhat, produce marketers and packaging manufacturers say.

The rapidly evolving online grocery delivery channel will have a say in packaging styles and materials over the near and long terms, marketers say.

The packaging industry has an important teaching mission, in terms of recycling its products, marketers say.

Produce suppliers are working with packaging manufacturers to limit the excess materials that wind up in the waste stream.

Marketers say they are gearing up for promotable volumes of fruit from Chile for the upcoming winter months.

Browse potato and onion business updated from companies such as Fresh Solution Network, Mack Farms, National Onion Association and more.

Marketing to different ethnic and demographic groups requires flexibility and a diverse portfolio of products, marketers say.

Idaho Falls, Idaho-based Eagle Eye Produce is “putting a bigger focus on building our brand and promoting the people behind the brand," said Joe Ange, director of business development.

Jessica Crowther has been promoted to chief marketing officer with the Monte Vista-based Colorado Potato Administrative Committee, said Jim Ehrlich, executive director.

Glennville, Ga.-based Bland Farms plans to have a revamped packing shed operational by the first of the year, said Delbert Bland, president.

Specialty varieties play a central role in marketing potatoes and onions, marketers say.

Potato and onion suppliers say they will have plenty of product on hand for Thanksgiving and Christmas feasts in 2020.

Organic onion and potato sales continue to trend upward, even during the COVID-19 pandemic — and, perhaps because of the pandemic, marketers say.

Potato and onion marketers say COVID-19 has forced them to alter plans in certain channels, but the pandemic hasn’t stopped them.

Potato marketers say they worry about the damage COVID-19 is doing to the foodservice sector.

A systems approach regulation, recently published in the Federal Register, should facilitate organic blueberry shipments from Chile to the U.S., said Karen Brux, managing director of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association.

Even in a pandemic year — or, perhaps, because of it — potatoes and onions are an easy sell, marketers say.

COVID-19 has been no match for Bruce Summers or the agency he serves as administrator: the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Marketing Service.

The classic combination of strawberries and cream seems to work for Wyard Stomp, since he has a track record for building demand for both components.

The lure of the produce business was irresistible, because it provided Paul Ramson with a chance to solve problems for a global market.

Potato sales have taken a big turn toward the retail channel during the current COVID-19 pandemic, and suppliers of Idaho spuds have adapted.

Idaho potato grower-shippers and marketers say they have responded to the current global pandemic the best way they know how: with a good crop.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put packaging at a premium, marketers s

Idaho potato sales are threading their way through the COVID-19 pandemic by spiking in retail stores, while recovering in the foodservice sector, marketers say.

Todd Bernitt ascribes his success to a simple tenet: Be true to your word.

Washington’s apple industry is evolving as new varieties slowly supplant older, established cultivars, marketers say.

Pacificpro Inc. completed a transaction Aug. 1 to acquire the former Washington Harvest cold-storage and packing facility in Wapato, Wash., from Chuck and Annette Hankins, said Marcus Hartmann.

CMI Orchards LLC has added more than 4 million boxes of apples, pears and cherries to its yearly volume through strategic partnerships with Yakima Fruit, as well as with Pine Canyon Growers.

The Yakima, Wash.-based Northwest Horticultural Council has hired Riley Bushue as its new director of government relations and export programs, said Mark Powers, president.

Raleigh, N.C.-based L&M Cos. Inc., which operates a branch in Union Gap, Wash., for Northwest fruit, is adjusting its varietal mix this year, said John Long, director of the Washington division.

Washington’s apple export outlook might be a tad murky this year, although there’s plenty of fruit ready for an array of offshore markets, said Mark Powers, president of Northwest Horticultural Council.

Organic apples out of Washington are a hot commodity and look to gain further ground in the coming years, marketers say.

Washington apple suppliers say they will survive the COVID-19 pandemic, but getting through it has required some adjustments.

Sober acceptance of and aggressive responses to the coronavirus pandemic are creating a kind of “tempered” optimism among Washington’s apple grower-shippers and marketers in 2020.