AUDIO-VIDEO-BLOGS

Tour this Boston-area retailer's produce department

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:41:02 GMT

We heard a lot of good things about the nearby Market Basket location while touring the Boston Market Terminal and New England Produce Center — so we stopped by ourselves to check out why it got such high praise.

What we experienced was a store that wasn’t high-end but had top-notch selection. The diversity of produce was almost mind-boggling, with large Latin, Caribbean and Asian sections. And the prices were still reasonable.

We also noticed the merchandising skill of combining like products. For instance, the intuitive placements of products like bottles of soy sauce above the fresh bok choy could nudge shoppers to buy when common recipe ideas are made easy.

Food trends popped up all over, from vegetable noodles to dragonfruit.

Watch our video slide show to see what you think.

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NJ-based AeroFarms receives sustainability award, launches microgreens

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:19:20 GMT

Newark, N.J.-based AeroFarms won the Responsible Business Award for Sustainable Innovation at the Ethical Corporation Awards, a Reuters event.

Members of the indoor vertical farming and agriculture technology company gathered Oct. 2 in Westminster, London, to receive the award, according to a news release.

The Responsible Business Awards recognizes companies that have developed sustainable innovation in a circular initiative or technology-enabled project. The awards program celebrates innovation that moves the company from a linear to a circular model.

“It’s about how we can do more with less and how we can reimagine agriculture,” said Marc Oshima, AeroFarms co-founder and chief marketing officer.

Other finalists included Tesco, ABinBev, ThermoFisher Scientific and Max Premium Burgers.

At the event, Paul Rice of Fair Trade USA won the 2019 Business Leader Award. Little Freddie, an organic baby food company, won the New StartUp Award.

AeroFarms is a Certified B corporation , meaning it’s a business that meets standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.

“B Corps are accelerating a global culture shift to redefine success in business and build a more inclusive and sustainable economy,” according to the B Corporation website.

AeroFarms is designed so that its operations and business can embody circular thinking, according to the release:

The aeroponic growing towers are a closed-loop system, recycling water and nutrients with little waste;
The patented growing system mists plant roots with nutrients, water and oxygen, using up to 95% less water than field farming to grow pesticide-free produce; and
The company’s patented, reusable cloth medium is made out of 100% recycled materials for seeding, germinating, growing and harvesting.

In 2019, AeroFarms changed its mission statement to emphasize a commitment to do a lot more with a lot less, to lift the world’s understanding of plant biology, and to enable local food production at scale all over the world.

“We firmly stand by the idea that business should fundamentally be a force for good and have designed our business model keeping in mind that all our stakeholders, like our plants, should thrive: from the environment to our community to our investors to our customers,” AeroFarms CEO David Rosenberg said in the release.

Microgreens

The company also just launched two microgreen mixes — Micro Super Mix and Micro Spicy Mix — under its Dream Greens line of pesticide-free, non-GMO baby greens.

The super blend has kale and cabbage. The spicy blend has arugula and mustard greens. Microgreens are harvested earlier than their mature counterparts and are more nutrient-dense.

The products, which are pre-washed and ready to eat, are available at Whole Foods locations in the Northeast and at online grocer FreshDirect.

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Good Foods Group marketing strategy during COVID-19

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 07:38:43 GMT

In times of recession, consumers eat at home more, but they also splurge on those food purchases for home rather than splurge by eating out, says a food-marketing expert.

Danyel O’Connor, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Good Foods Group , Pleasant Prairie, Wis., discussed in a video interview with The Packer’s Amy Sowder (about 7 minutes in) what longer-term consumer behavior changes produce companies can expect after the COVID-19 pandemic is over. She also detailed the safety measures her company is taking.

“I do think a lot of the activities that are happening right now are putting us into a recession, and when we experience recession in this country, we typically eat at home more often and indulge in grocery items that make us happy more than go out and spend at restaurants,” O’Connor said.

Even after panic buying is long gone, consumer habits won’t return to the way it was before the new coronavirus struck the country and the world.

“We’re going to see increased residual purchase habits or behavior in those areas because people are being forced to eat at home more frequently or they’re feeling less safe out in larger groups of people,” she said.

Good Foods Group is a maker of value-added, produce-centric products such as avocado mash, guacamole, salads, dressings, juices and plant-based dips using high-pressure processing, or cold-pressure pasteurization. Traditional pasteurization uses high heat to remove bacteria but can also reduce the amount of some vitamins. There are no preservatives or artificial ingredients Good Foods products, which are made at facilities in Kenosha-Pleasant Prairie, Wis., as well as Michoacán, Mexico.

The company’s products are useful for entertaining guests and as convenience items, she said.

“People aren’t entertaining right now, except for your family at home, your small, close-knit immediate family, so our messaging has been, how do we help consumers get through this phase? It’s through simple recipe ideas, two or three ingredients, and sharing how other consumers are using the products at home.”

Consumers can experience some monotony when cooking at home for every snack and meal for weeks on end, as much of the U.S. population is under stay-at-home and shelter-in-place mandates, and everyone else is urged to do so unless an essential worker.

“We’re just trying to keep being home and cooking and enjoying good foods fun, as fun as possible and as easy as possible, for those people … juggling kids and work and all those things at home,” she said.

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How Hungry Harvest made changes for sustainability

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:17:18 GMT

Building trust in food begins with empowering farmers through one of the largest and most diverse conservation- and sustainability-focused public-private partnerships in our nation’s history: America’s Conservation Ag Movement. To find the latest news and resources related to the Movement, visit AgWeb.com/ACAM .

Sometimes there is a steep upfront cost to change the way you operate your business in order to benefit the environment.

For instance, earning the USDA Organic label can take years and a lot of money.

But making a change toward better sustainability doesn’t have to be a huge overhaul of your farm or packing house’s systems, equipment and materials. Small steps can gradually lead to big change.

For instance, at Hungry Harvest in Jessup, Md., CEO and cofounder Evan Lutz found that simply paying more attention to inventory can lead to a significant reduction of waste.

Hungry Harvest purchases surplus produce or unusable produce due to appearance, and then sells direct-to-consumer customizable boxes of produce delivered to the door through an online subscription service.

You might think, “Wait, isn’t a food-rescue business supposed to reduce waste in the first place?” Yes.

And that’s a prime example of how no business is above an internal review. Everyone can do better.

It’s even possible to pull off during these tumultuous times of dramatic market changes and safety concerns stemming from the COVID-19 pandemic.

And it can save you money too. That’s some good business.

Look for an article featuring Lutz and Hungry Harvest in the June 15 issue of The Packer, plus more articles on how Mid-Atlantic crops and marketing are doing as summer heats up.

Related news:

‘Ugly’ produce delivery service Hungry Harvest continues to grow

The current state of the food waste movement

Imperfect Produce CEO takes Manhattan

Jim Allen of NY Apple Sales passes baton to daughter

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:56:08 GMT

Even though this is an industry of multigenerational family farms, it’s not often a father’s offspring takes over his position at someone else’s business.

That’s happening at New York Apple Sales , Glenmont, N.Y., with the retirement of vice president of marketing Jim Allen, a 48-year produce industry veteran. At the end of June, his daughter, Tenley Allen Fitzgerald, with 11 years in the food industry, is moving up from director of brand marketing, into the position.

“It’s the same title but a different role because of the way things have changed the last few years, in the marketing realm in general, moving so much more to digital and social media and partnerships,” Fitzgerald said. “So I’ll be focusing a lot on that.”

Fitzgerald grew up tagging along with her dad, former head of the New York Apple Association, on business trips, like United Fresh Produce Association conferences.

She witnessed firsthand how much respect Allen earned over the years, cultivating relationships over the phone and in person.

That’s something that millennials like her can learn from, she said.

“Agriculture and produce is a networking business,” Allen said. “We invented the word ‘social networking’ 50 years ago, way before social media. Everything was done with handshakes. Everything was done person-to-person. It was all word of mouth, trust and relationships.”

In 1972, Allen started in the fruit processing business. He gained experience at Keystone Fruit Marketing, Greencastle, Pa., for 14 years.

In 1996, Allen joined the New York Apple Association as retail promotions director, and in 2000 he became president and CEO of the association until his retirement in 2017.

He then joined New York Apple Sales in April 2017, as vice president of marketing.

Allen has been involved in the U.S. Apple Export Council, U.S. Apple Association, United Fresh Produce Association and several New York agriculture groups.

The Packer named him the Apple Person of the Year in 2002, and the New York State Agricultural Society gave him the 2019 Distinguished Service Citation.

Dealing with more than 600 growers, Allen has faced his share of naysayers.

“What I learned is you have to confront those folks face on. You have to meet the challenge they’re throwing at you and try to learn from why they don’t like what’s going on,” Allen said. “You can’t please everybody, but you can’t run from it either.”

Fitzgerald graduated in 2009 from Cornell University with a bachelor’s degree in food industry management.

She has worked at Giant Food-Ahold, FreshDirect and Blue Apron. While globetrotting, she worked for Beyond Good Chocolate in Antananarivo, Madagascar, and did brand-marketing consulting for New York Apple Sales. She led the creation of the Yes! Apples consumer-facing brand, which had a soft launch October 2019.

Allen feels as proud of his daughter as all those growers whose children go out into the world only to return to the family farm.

“I’ve seen that glimmer in their eye and that pride, that ‘My son’s coming home. He’s going to work on the farm with me and take over the farm.’ I’ve always seen how proud they were, and I feel the same way,” Allen said. “If any of my passion and love for the industry was her inspiration, that just delights me to no end.”

Allen laughed.

“I’m not saddling her with a mortgage on a 500-acre farm. Maybe that’s a good thing,” he said. “I’m very grateful for her.”

Fitzgerald knows many people will miss Allen’s presence in the apple industry.

“But I’m lucky because I get to have him in my life anyway. It’s a really special thing we get to share,” she said. “I’m proud to continue the Allen presence in the apple industry for however long it will have me.”

Related news:

Abundance of varieties gives retailers opportunities, Allen says

New York Apple Sales launches Yes! Apples brand at Fresh Summit

Jim Allen receives New York Ag Society accolade

Packer Interview: Hudson River Fruit Distributors on Northeast apples

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 18:33:39 GMT

As those crunchy, juicy globes of ruby, green and gold trickle into the market, fourth-generation grower-marketer-distributor Alisha Albinder Camac updates us on the 2019 Eastern apple season.

Don’t expect many organic varieties from the humid, wet Northeast climate, but retailers and foodservice providers can anticipate a good crop this season, Camac says.

Also, those branded varieties aren’t going away anytime soon. Early-season Honeycrisp are already out, for instance. Watch the video to see what else Camac reveals.

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You missed these people (and more) at the NEPC expo in Boston

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:37:32 GMT

Check out some of the businesses, people and news you missed (or you saw yourself) at the 20th anniversary New England Produce Council’s Produce, Floral and Foodservice Expo in Boston.

The show, Sept. 18-19, had more floral booths and a floral luncheon, plus sold out its 160 booths in total.

People came from the Northeast region, as well as across the nation and other countries, for the show.

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What Bolthouse Farms is doing now that it’s independent

Fri, 23 Sep 2022 21:37:20 GMT

NEW YORK — The Bolthouse Farms gang is back together, and they’re pumping out new product lines that embody the new company mission: Plants powering people.

AJ Bernstein, vice president of marketing, visited Manhattan Feb. 13 to talk about 25 new products the company has created in little more than six months. In June, Los Angeles-based private equity company Butterfly acquired Bolthouse, which grows and sells fresh carrots and beverages, from Campbell Soup Co.

Butterfly partner Jeff Dunn is CEO of Bolthouse, a position he had at Campbell’s fresh division when Bolthouse was there, and at Bolthouse before Campbell bought it in 2012.

“He got the band together,” Bernstein said, “and we’re very excited to be back, driving this mission. We’re now an independently held, private company.”

Bolthouse Farms is returning to its core competencies: customer service, product quality and innovation. “Those historically had been real power drivers for our business,” Bernstein said.

All of the new products were created while keeping in mind function, health and taste, including:

Yogurt-based salad dressings: lemon basil, pomegranate poppy seed and honey barbecue ranch;
Protein keto beverages in dark chocolate, coconut, coffee and matcha;
Carrot, ginger turmeric juice blend using the produce from the company farms;
Protein Plus shake in Dutch chocolate banana; and
Bolts — functional shots for immunity, digestion, energy, wellness and metabolism.“Each of these helps bring that mission to life in a different way,” Bernstein said.

The fresh carrots division comprises about half the company’s business. It can be hard to increase sales in such a mature market, she said, but the team is energized to think about fresh carrots in innovative ways.

The company continues to work on the Crunch Out ad campaign with the California Fresh Carrot Advisory Board in Cincinnati and Sacramento, Calif.

“We think of it like ‘peace-ing out.’ It’s a fun campaign, and we’re excited to see what it does in those two test cities,” Bernstein said.

Bolthouse is discontinuing its lower-sugar beverages and its 1915 organic juice line.

There will be more new products announced at Natural Products Expo West March 3-7, in Anaheim, Calif.

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EPC event spotlights NFL legend who inspired movie

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 06:16:15 GMT

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Mark Wahlberg played him in the movie, “Invincible.” Nobody got past the fan-turned-wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles, catching 11 passes for 185 yards and 2 receiving touchdowns in his NFL career.

But Vince Papale was all Vince Papale in his keynote talk at the October Eastern Produce Council ’s Third Annual Tailgate Event Oct. 2 at MetLife Stadium, as he made connections between overcoming his challenges in football and what professionals in the produce industry face.

“We’ve all had crazy dreams, haven’t we? If you did the unthinkable, that’s your story,” Papale told the crowd. “Everybody here busted their butts to get where they are today, used sweat equity.”

EPC president Marianne Santo introduced representatives from the evening’s sponsors, Stacey Miller, Litehouse Inc. director of marketing, and Seth Pemsler, Idaho Potato Commission retail vice president.

Miller said Litehouse had just earned the No. 1 ranking salad dressing brand in the U.S.

“In the last five years, we’ve made a good footprint here in the Northeast. We purchased a plant in Virginia, which will help us with distribution and is really helping us focus our efforts on growing our business here,” said Miller, who introduced Papale.

Papale had no football experience besides one year in high school and was 30 years old when he attended the open tryouts for the Eagles, his home team where he’d often cheered from the stands. He was the son of a pig farmer and athletic mother. He recalled eating Idaho potato salad sandwiches as a child.

Papale met a lot of resistance when he made the team. When introducing something innovative, handle the pushback the same way he did, Papale suggested.

“Beware of dreamkillers: intimidation, resentment, insecurity, jealousy,” Papale said. “Dreams are not lived on the sidelines.”

Remember personal motivations such as family, health, competition and respect, he said.

And as clichéd as it sounds, a teamwork mentality is critical to accomplishing a dream.

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Bair talks apple industry priorities, previews conference

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 05:32:55 GMT

Previewing the Aug. 23-24 2018 Apple Crop Outlook and Marketing Conference, U.S. Apple Association president Jim Bair talked with The Packer’s editor Tom Karst July 31.

With the retaliatory tariffs in place or planned against U.S. apple exports, Bair said the industry faces new barriers in four of the top six apple export markets. Trade issues will be a topic of discussion at the event, but domestic issues also are front and center, he said.

Bair said the Aug. 23-24 event will feature an address titled “Eating Patterns in America” from Darren Seifer, food and beverage industry analyst for the NPD Group, Inc.

Jon Samson, executive director of the Agricultural and Food Transporters Conference, will talk on trucking and transportation challenges, Bair said.

Bair also talks with Karst on the top priorities for apple growers in Washington, D.C., touching on immigration, the farm bill, and trade.

FPAA honors Rosie Cornelius

Fri, 13 Nov 2020 05:40:43 GMT

NOGALES, Ariz. — The Fresh Produce Association of the Americas’ 50th Annual Produce Convention honored Rosie Cornelius with the Pillar of the FPAA Award Nov. 2 at the group’s Gala celebration.

Cornelius, with Nogales-based MAS Melons & Grapes, was presented with the award by Scott Vandervoet, chairman of the FPAA and with Rio Rico, Ariz.-based Vandervoet and Associates.

The Pillar of the FPAA Award is given to members of the association that have contributed greatly to the evolution and sustainability of the U.S. industry importing fresh produce from Mexico. Cornelius was honored for her commitment to the community, industry and the FPAA.

“Rosie truly is one of our industry’s most respected individuals. She is an example of dignity and diligence, as it was created by her work ethic,” Vandervoet said, noting that Cornelius began working in the industry shortly after high school. Splitting her career between Arizona and California, Cornelius never forgot her roots and eventually established herself in Nogales, he said.

She played a crucial role in organizing the convention for many years and has been responsible for the recognition that the fall industry event has received throughout North America, he said.

“Rosie began getting involved in the fall convention in the 1970s and continued to the 1980s,” he said. “At that time for the fall conventions were tended to be organized in produce warehouses, and the November date was established as the kickoff for the Nogales shipping season.”

“The memories created by this event here in its 50th anniversary or reflection of the passion and intensity of the industry and its members,” he said. “There’s much diversity in this room this evening, many personalities and a wide variety of experience, but without a doubt there is one individual that stands out as exemplary to us all.”

She thanked the association for the honor and credited several industry mentors and family members for her career spanning more than four decades.

“I have really grown up in this industry, from a young girl that was shy and whenever she made a mistake or (when) somebody would raise their voice,” she said.

“I have so much to be thankful for and blessed for all the people that have given me a hand up and I hope to reciprocate and do the same thing,” she said. “I love this industry - every one of you — and I love all those people that have helped me along the way.”

Next year’s convention is scheduled for Nov. 7-9. The FPAA will be celebrating 75 years as an association next year.