Catherine Browne of Crown Poly, Inc. in Huntington Park, Calif., holds one of the company’s compostable produce bags. The bags, which are used by Trader Joe’s, are labeled and designed to be home-compostable. “Ninety-nine percent of people don’t have access to municipal compost,” said Browne, who also shared that Crown Poly’s Ocean Plastic bags are now available in all of the Madison, Wis.-based Metcalfe’s Market stores. Ocean Plastic bags are made from recycled plastic collected from beaches before it reaches and pollutes the ocean. Metcalfe’s offers the bags to its shoppers free of charge.
The Idaho Potato Commission team was on hand to entice NGA attendees with bags of potato chips made from real Idaho potatoes and its trademark whimsical swag. The team (from right to left) includes: Ross Johnson, Mike Krage, Kent Beesley and Mark Daniels.
Ecolab’s Adam Breshears discussed the company’s ProduceMaxx antimicrobial fruit and vegetable wash. The nonrinse, FDA-approved solution helps to reduce cross-contamination of bacterial pathogens and spoilage organisms in wash water, Breshears said, noting that ProduceMaxx kills 99.9% of E. coli, Salmonella enterica and Listeria monocytogenes in washing and crisping water.
At the Harvest Today booth at Indoor Ag Con, CEO and Founder Rick Langille talked attendees through the Broomfield, Colo.-based company’s Harvest Wall growing system featuring Click N’ Lock tiles, a scalable design and an Integrated Vertigation system that waters every plant every time. The standalone growing system was recently adopted by De Luca’s specialty food stores in Winnipeg, Manitoba, said Langille, who added that the grocer plans to install multiple units, including one in its in-store deli.
Brian Framson of Citrus America showed attendees how easy it is to make fresh-squeezed orange juice and more with the company’s commercial juicing equipment.
At its booth, Tompkin Robotics used dynamic video and displays to tell the story of how robotic automation is revolutionizing distribution and fulfillment operations. On Feb. 28, Mike Futch, president and CEO of Tompkins Robotics, shared more details during a panel discussion titled "Technology Insights for Independent Grocers" and moderated by The Packer.
