Foodservice business updates
Church Brothers adds peppers
Salinas, Calif.-based Church Brothers Farms plans to show off its new Chef Ready Bell Peppers at the Produce Marketing Association Foodservice Conference and Expo in Monterey, Calif., in late July, said Kori Tuggle, vice president of marketing and business development.
The ready-to-eat red and green value-added bell peppers have their stems and seeds removed to reduce food waste and labor and are “cold chain ready,” she said. They can be shipped and stored at 34-38 degrees.
Del Monte expands fresh-cut
Del Monte Fresh Produce NA Inc., Coral Gables, Fla., is expanding its fresh-cut offerings into new channels, such as drug and convenience stores, and also is part of Wendy’s new Strawberry Mango Chicken Salad, said Dennis Christou, vice president marketing.
“This is the latest of several collaborative projects between Del Monte Fresh Produce and Wendy’s, which seeks to provide a consistent, premium-quality mango for Wendy’s customers across North America this summer,” he said.
The company also is working on promotions focused on expanding foodservice produce sales and reaching new consumers, as well as increasing usage frequency by current consumers, Christou said.
Gold Coast intros Veggie Hash
Gold Coast Packing Inc., Santa Maria, Calif., has come up with a new product — Gold Coast Veggie Hash — said Kevin Fix, recently named vice president of sales and marketing.
Gold Coast Veggie Hash is a cubed blend of gold beets, kohlrabi and fennel.
“The mix of gourmet ingredients is ideal for breakfast, lunch or dinner,” he said.
The versatile combination can be sautéed as a dinner side-dish, roasted and placed on a bed of greens for lunch or fried up alongside one’s morning eggs, Fix said.
It’s available in a 2-pound bag, washed, cubed and ready to use.
Rain caused some challenges meeting demand for Gold Coast in April and early spring, especially on broccoli and cauliflower, Fix said, but supplies now are back to normal.
“We’re now back in good supply, and quality is strong,” he said in late June.
Mann Packing rolls out RomaBlend
Mann Packing Co. Inc., Salinas, Calif., is focusing on salads and will introduce a new, all-green blend at the Produce Marketing Association Foodservice Conference and Expo, said Gina Nucci, director of corporate marketing.
RomaBlend is a combination of chopped romaine and several components of Mann’s Arcadian Harvest Emerald, she said.
“It’s got great forkability, great plate loft, and it’s a great value proposition,” Nucci said.
“We put together a panel of local chefs to give us feedback and recipes, which we’ll have on hand at PMA.”
The company also has compiled some data on nationwide salad consumption and trends that will be shared at the conference, she said.
Mission opens Calgary facility
Mission Produce Inc., Oxnard, Calif., is opening an avocado ripening center in Calgary, Alberta, in addition to its eight other ripening facilities in North America, said Robb Bertels, vice president of marketing.
The ripening centers “give us more capacity for ripening and delivering to specific customer needs,” he said.
Most foodservice customers request product at a specific stage of ripeness, he said, which Mission Produce can provide.
He said restaurants tend to request a stage 4 ripeness for product to be sliced or used in salads and stage 5 for avocados that will be mashed or used for guacamole.
Spice World sells squeeze ginger
Orlando, Fla.-based Spice World Inc.'s garlic items have had success at foodservice, but now the company's squeezable ginger is gaining traction, said Mitch DiMarco, director of foodservice/industrial operations.
Ready-to-eat ginger is available in cartons of 12 9.5-ounce bottles and in other packaging up to 40 pounds, he said.
