fresh - fpfc.org outlet thrives with unique model 2011 oct-nov fresh digest final.indd 1 9/26/11...

october / november 2011

voLUme 39 nUmber 5

IGESTA P U B L I C A T I O N O F T H E F R E S H P R O D U C E & F L O R A L C O U N C I L

FreshDFPFC Releases First

Market Data ReportGrocery Outlet Thrives

With Unique Model

2011 Oct-Nov Fresh Digest Final.indd 1 9/26/11 5:27:20 PM

Volume 39, Number 5 OCTObER / NOVEmbER 2011

FRESH DIgEST (ISSN-1522-0982) is published bimonthly for $15 of FPFC membership dues; $25 for annual subscription for non-members by Fresh Produce & Floral Council; 16700 Valley View Ave. Suite 130; La mirada, CA 90638. Periodicals postage paid at Buena Park, CA, and at additional mailing offices. POSTmASTER: Send address changes to FRESH DIgEST, 16700 Valley View Ave. Suite 130; La mirada, CA 90638.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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DEPARTMENTSeditor’s view

by Tim Linden

executive notesby Carissa mace

council newsFPFC Highlights

ON THE COVER: Photo provided by User Friendly, Ink.

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FEATURES

FPFc releases regional market Data Focus on Research

Grocery outlet continues Same mission that Launched It Focus on Retail

Qr codes Gaining Use in Produce Industry Focus on Technology

You Say “tomato.” I Say “Dulcinea.” Focus on Product Development

the Keyword is “Growing” at Domex Superfresh Growers Focus on Apples

Presentation matters Focus on Category Mangement

nocal September Luncheon Thank Yous and Event Photos

AmS exotic Shows Its “metal” with new easy veggie Grillers Focus on Innovation

nocal bocce ball Thank Yous and Event Photos

Socal August Luncheon Thank Yous and Event Photos

Socal Golf tournament Thank Yous and Event Photos


4 FreSH DIGeSt

Is Bigger Better?As a backyard

farmer, I am often forced to contem-plate whether bigger is better or is the reverse true. (And by the way, I am a backyard farmer, not a gardener. I’m not sure what the differ-ence is but farmer sounds more masculine. Not that there is anything wrong about sounding less masculine but I also cook and shop and I just don’t want to add “gardener” to my list of weekend activities.)

So back to my bigger is better conundrum. As you see from the picture, I am growing very large zucchini on my backyard farm. While I harvested plenty of normal sized zucchini this summer, this one plant also produced a half dozen of these monstrous specimens. On the other hand, my prolific tomato plants tended to produce great, sweet tasting fruit but it was undersized. And my Japanese eggplant topped out at about seven inches with many in the five inch range, much smaller than the nine inches that the plant care tag promised. my jalapeno peppers were also very small as were my bell peppers.

Now each of these small fruit and vegetable items were great tasting and received polite verbal applause from my dinner guests when informed that they came from my own backyard. but the accolades I got for my zucchini was off the charts. In fact I heard many of my female guests ask their “gardener” husbands why their zucchinis were so much smaller than mine. maybe it is because they are gardeners rather than farmers, but that would be pure speculation on my part.

What is most important is whether large or small tastes better. my taste buds might be suspect because by the time I get around to tasting I have always consumed a bit of wine (How can one cook dinner without a glass of wine in hand?). but I can never tell the difference. my small tomatoes are very tasty and sweet but so are the large ones. The small zucchini also are pretty good but not any better than these giant ones.

While I cannot objectively judge which is better by taste, I have come to the conclusion that, all things being equal, large zucchini are better than small ones if for no other reasons than for the E

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raves they bring with them. That is no small thing (pun intended). At my station in life, accolades are a good thing for any reason. And for our industry, anything that creates positive conversation about our products should also be considered a plus.

Since I do nothing special to produce these large zucchini, I am assuming that professional farm-ers could also produce giant zucchini if they wanted to. For some reason, they obviously aren’t interested or someone would be doing it. Someone is missing a great marketing opportunity. I have only anecdotal evidence but it is compelling. A recipient of one such zucchini gift from me recently sent me an email titled “Yummy Zucchini.” It read in part: “We loved the

Tim Linden

zucchini that you brought over from your garden! Zucchini pancakes, zucchini soup - it was so fresh and sweet. Thank you for sharing it with us.”

A lawyer who works in the office where my daughter interned this summer heard of my pro-digious Italian squash and begged for one. He said he loves to stuff zucchini and the ones in the store are just so small he can’t do anything with them. He was totally floored by the size of my zucchini.

So there you have it squash industry (and any other farmer of crops), another free idea to help you sell fruits and vegetables. bigger is better. Of course, with that said, we all know of the success baby vegetables have had over the years, including baby sweet peppers, a relatively new product that is currently doing very well. maybe the key mar-keting concept is “Different Is better.” No thanks necessary.


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Annual Dinner Dance, which always incorpo-rates a fun theme to add to the festivities. “Who comes up with that theme, by the way?” I asked her.

“We have an eight to ten member committee who each year evaluates the

previous dinner dance and then suggests ideas for the next one,” she answered.

I asked her for some of the ideas that have not made the cut.

“Well, each year there is one idea always proposed and always rejected called ‘Under The Sea.’ I don’t want to say who originally proposed it and brings it up year after year, so I will only say we call it ‘The Chris Puentes memorial Theme’.” I could see she was starting to open up to me.

Carissa added that FPFC independent con-tractor Angela Taylor had proposed a Titanic theme, but it was rejected because the FPFC did not have the budget “to flood the ball room at the end of the night.” I surmised there would be no appearance by Celine Dion either.

With all the different committees that meet at the FPFC, I wondered if Carissa knew just how many there were over the course of a year. I won-der no more.

“Last year, I was involved in 83 different meet-ings,” Carissa said. And when she says involved, she means involved. Not only does she attend the meetings, but she also writes the agenda, the meeting notice, the minutes and back-up materials. So it looks like she is working and not avoiding my phone calls.

Luncheons are a big part of the FPFC experi-ence, and the addition of the two Northern Califor-nia luncheons have proved quite successful.

“There was a definite need to create lun-cheons in Northern California,” Carissa said. “They always have great crowds, and there is a waiting list of sponsors. It just keeps on growing.”

Of course, the bi-monthly Southern Califor-nia luncheons have been a great place to network for decades. The FPFC changed the location of

Lunch with Carissa by Tom Fielding

There is one affliction that all writ-ers fear more than anything on earth, the dreaded writer’s block. So when FPFC Presi-dent Carissa mace suddenly came down with a case and asked me to assist her in writing this column, I could empathize with her predicament.

because of my imminent concern for her well being, I immediately dropped everything on my schedule to make myself available to help her in her time of need. Plus, she had offered me a free lunch.

As usual, there was lots of traffic as I headed down to Orange County, so on my drive I had time to jot down some questions. After narrowly averting a collision with a semi (driving and writing is never a good idea), I arrived at the FPFC office.

Forgetting momentarily that she could fire me at any time, I pondered the question, “What do I not know about Carissa that would be fun to tell the world (or at least FPFC members who read this publication)?” Little did I know that my line of questioning would eventually lead her to reveal a tale about a back stage rendezvous with a Hol-lywood star who was wearing his bathrobe. more on that story later.

I decided to start the interview with some easy questions to make her comfortable. “There are so many FPFC events,” I said. “Do you have a favorite?”

“I think it is the events where we get our members out of the usual business environment,” she said. “I really like the family events like the FPFC Day At The Races and the Bowling Tournament, where it is not so much a work-like atmosphere. We hope we have the same type of event with the inaugural Bocce Ball Tournament in Northern California.”

Carissa added that the FPFC Day At The Races has exploded in attendance the past few years. “I remember when we only had about 70 people attend, and now we sell the event out with a cap of 400 people.”

Now, my personal favorite FPFC event is the

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the luncheon to the Cerritos Sheraton a couple of years ago. “Has the transition to a new venue been a smooth one, and how do you secure your featured speakers?” I asked.

Carissa said, “We really like the change to the new facility.” She admitted there have been some complaints about the parking, “but I try to tell them that we are ‘helping people’s health’ by having them walk more.”

“Since 2007, when you started” I said, “has one luncheon speaker proven to be the favorite among the respondents to your luncheon questionnaire?”

“Lyle Waggoner,” she answered quickly. “How about that? People absolutely loved him.”

Along those lines, I wondered what types of speakers attract the biggest luncheon crowds?

Without missing a beat, she laughed and said, “The most popular luncheons are the ones where a major retailer is the emcee.”

As far as where she gets the speakers, Car-issa joked, “We go through a speaker’s bureau or call bill Laliberte to see who he’s playing golf with that day.”

Proving to Carissa that I pay attention to details (hey, you only get so many moments to shine), I said, “The Northern California EXPO and the Southern California EXPO each has its own distinct personality. Is that by design?”

“Yes,” she said. “The committee for Northern California determined they just wanted a trade show. ‘Keep it simple,’ they said. We have tweaked the Southern California show, and switched the lunch to a breakfast to allow more floor time,

which our exhibitors requested. We are always evolving.”

by the way, her favorite Expo speaker was Jerry West. “He is such a generous man and so sincere. The Lakers were in the playoffs when he was our featured speaker, yet he called me to talk about the Expo.”

I realized by now I had softened her up long enough with those easy questions. It was now time to find out the story behind the president. Not be-ing completely stupid, I made sure she had paid the bill before I asked her the next question.

“What do we not know about Carissa mace?” I asked innocently.

First of all, did you know that I went to the same high school as Linda Stine, the prior FPFC staff president? “We both went to Chaffey High School in Ontario, albeit at different times,” said Carissa. Hardly earth shattering, but it was a start.

I then found out that instead of being on stage at the FPFC EXPO, Carissa had once contemplated a career on a completely different sort of stage. “I was a theater major at NYU. For a while, I had a friend who worked for a major broadway producer and I was enlisted to be a “seat filler” for big open-ing nights, when they always want a full house. I would get in free and take the bad seats that no one wanted. I can’t tell you how many broadway

FPFC OFFICE16700 Valley View Avenue, Suite 130

La Mirada, CA 90638714-739-0177 • fax: 714-739-0226

Website: www.fpfc.org

CHAMP PUBLISHINGAdvertising Office

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email: [email protected]

A young Carissa with ‘Gomer’

Continued on next page


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shows I went to for free.”Not exactly payola, but I kept digging.It was actually in New York City where Carissa

changed career paths that would eventually lead her to the post she holds today.

“I worked at the New York City Opera in a fundraising role, which in turn led me to being hired by non-profits which eventually led to the City of Hope, and then, the FPFC.”

Just when it seemed I hadn’t gotten any deep, hidden secrets from Carissa, the truth spilled out. “Oh yeah,” Carissa admitted, “when I was five-years-

old I was a huge Gomer Pyle fan. My parents took me to a Las Vegas show where Jim Nabors was performing.”

I immediately thought. “Aha, underage gam-bling!”

She continued. “After the show, we were in-vited to go back stage to see him. When he came out to meet us, he was wearing a big yellow bath-robe, and I sat on his lap for a photo.” Golly!

I knew at this point I had gotten the “hidden” story I had been searching for throughout the in-terview. My work was done. And after she reads this, my guess is Carissa will never have writer’s block again.

1/3 h 4c adHenry Avocado

Continued from page 7

Deborah Jackson, who is the senior floral field buyer for Supervalu/Albertsons, received the FPFC Floral Achievement Award at the Southern California Expo in July.

Pictured here with her daughter Charisse, Ms. Jackson was noted for her service on behalf of the industry. She has been in the floral business for more than 20 years as both a supplier and a buyer, including the last decade with Albertsons/Supervalu.

In a recent interview with the Fresh Digest, she expressed her affinity for the industry. “I still have a passion and a love for the industry and I have great respect for my vendors. I wouldn’t know what to do if I didn’t wake up every day stressed out over my job,” she laughed.

Call: 714-447-4306 or 760-497-6373www.henryavocado.com


The Fresh Produce & Floral Council Welcomes the Following New Members:FRESH DIGEST

Carissa MacePublisher

Tim LindenEditor

Tom FieldingAdvertising/Editorial

Heather GrayDesign/Layout

FRESH PRODUCE & FLORAL COUNCIL2011 board of Directors

OFFICERSJeff Miller

Westlake Produce CompanyChairman of the Board

Rick CruzVons/A Safeway Company

Chair ElectMike CasazzaApio/Eat Smart

Treasurer/Secretary Patty Knoll

Temkin InternationalImmediate Past Chair

Harland HeathHeath & Lejeune, Inc.

Honorary Past Chairman RepresentativeKen Ewalt

Ready Pac ProducePast Chairman Representative

Carissa MaceFresh Produce & Floral Council

President

DIRECTORSMark Carroll

Gelson’s/Mayfair MarketsGreg Corrigan

Raley’s SupermarketsDan De La Rosa

Ralphs Grocery CompanyDave Howald

California Avocado CommissionDebbie Jackson

Supervalu/AlbertsonsKent Kuwata

Smart & Final Corp.Wes Liefer

Pura Vida FarmsBrad Martin

Perimeter Sales & MerchandisingJeff Oberman

United Fresh Produce AssociationMike O’Leary

Boskovich Farms, Inc.Marvin Quebec

Quebec Distributing Co.Roger Schroeder

Stater Bros. MarketsRich Van Valkenburg

Deminski, Van Valkenburg & Associates

Gary DeAtley, Loucy DeAtley, Jeanne Riley

california Sun Dry Foods

Roger Niebolt, Budd Pohle, Jan Williamscargo Data

Barb MethenyFresh connect, LLc

Norma Cardenas, Edna Dollarhide, Lindsay Orozco, Abundio Ruiz

Gourmet Specialties, Inc.

Therese Ferrara, Kirsten Gallegos, Michael Gallegos

the Laura Scudder’s company, LLc

Manuel Moralesmonterey bay nursery Inc

Paul Weinroththe nut boy Inc.

Robert Degnan, Kellee Harris, David Hinkle

Package containers, Inc.

Brian Klesmith, Randy Shell, Melissa Sylte

rPe, Inc.

Alan Ecker, Craig GraupeSun-rype Products LtD.

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10 FreSH DIGeSt

FPFC Releases Regional Market Data

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In September, the Fresh Produce & Floral Council released the first FPFC market report, which provides sales figures and analysis for all items recorded under the vegetable and fruit categories for the entire state of California and for four key markets: Los Angeles, Sacramento, San Diego and San Francisco.

The FPFC has been working with industry volunteers and Fusion marketing of Chatsworth, Calif., to create the report, and it will now be pro-duced on a quarterly basis and provided free of charge exclusively to FPFC members. In addition to specific produce items, The FPFC Market Report™ provides comparative data on fixed-weight product, organic items and non-produce items like dressings, juices and nuts.

The FPFC Market Report™ is one of the most significant new member benefits to emerge from the planning that followed the Council’s member Needs Assessment in 2009, according to FPFC President Carissa mace. “We saw that what members wanted, especially retailers, was informa-tion about the region we serve,” she said. “The FPFC is in a unique position to provide this market data and we are the only ones providing it.”

Because The FPFC Market Report™ is avail-able only to members of the Fresh Produce & Floral Council, mace and the FPFC board of Directors expect it to provide a new incentive for companies to join. “Prior to the introduction of this product, the primary benefit of FPFC membership has been our networking events,” mace revealed. “Now we have something to offer companies who can’t take advantage of the networking. We believe that The FPFC Market Report™ is now one of the major

benefits of membership in the FPFC.”The report released in September covers a

52-week period ending April 24, 2011. “This is the data we have been working with while we tweaked the format,” mace says. Another report with fresher data will be available in October. A third report will cover the 2011 calendar year ; and in 2012, reports will be available based on quarterly data.

Steven muro, founder and president of Fu-sion Marketing, said this first report serves as the baseline and each subsequent report will add to this data base and soon a very valuable picture will be painted. “This first report is a benchmark and gives us a point in time and as we move forward we will be able to identify trends and have a much clearer picture” of what is going on in California as a whole and in each of these four major markets.

While the full report is only available to FPFC members, muro did share a few nuggets that were unearthed. For example, the report showed that consumers spent more on fruit and vegetable consumption over the past year but they actually bought slightly less product. muro said there has been a worldwide increase in costs in the fruit and vegetable sector and the report reflects that. He said other data is interesting to ponder but it will take several reports to determine if specific data is an anomaly or a bankable trend. For example, of the four markets studied, Sacramento was by far the leading market for organic vegetables. Is Sacramento a hot bed of organic consumption or was there some factor that skewed the numbers for this particular time frame? Only time will tell…and only FPFC members will know the answer.


12 FreSH DIGeSt

Grocery Outlet Continues Same Mission That Launched It by Tim Linden

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In 1946 with World War II over, Jim Read purchased military surplus and began selling it to the public in vacant stores in San Francisco under a “Cannery Sales” banner at hugely discounted prices.

Today, the company he started is still owned and run by members of his family and both the operation and the mission have remained true to his vision of 65 years go. Over the years, the company has expanded and changed its name to the point that there are now 155 grocery Outlets in six western states. They are headquartered in Berkeley and the firm’s largest concentration of stores is in Northern California.

About 75 percent of the products sold in these typically 15,000 square foot stores could still be classified as surplus items that are heavily discounted. The firm’s vice president of marketing, melissa Porter, calls them “opportunistic buys.” The company’s website spells out exactly what that

means using a real life example. Several years ago when the movie Shrek was in the movie theaters, a major cereal manufacturer partnered with the producers of the film and created promotional packaging for the movie’s release that featured the Shrek character. When the promotion ended, the cereal manufacturer still had a lot of Shrek cereal boxes. So they filled them up with brand new prod-uct and sold them to grocery Outlet at a fraction of the original cost. The grocery Outlet stores sold that perfectly good cereal for about half the price of the regular branded product, which was exactly the same.

Porter said most of the company’s daily inven-tory is sourced in this manner from manufacturers all over the world. Produce, she said, is typically not an opportunistic buy, but the firm’s produce buyers still look for good buys.

Scot Olson, director of produce and floral for grocery Outlet, said the company began offering



produce in 1999 as a convenience to its customers. He joined the retailer a couple of years later and has helped build the produce department to a very respectable division within the company, though he said it clearly is not an extreme value department. “The typical store carries 125 to 135 SKUs of fresh produce and flowers,” he said, “which includes all the basics.”

Those SKUs include the top brands in the country often at a discounted price. Olson said he is not tied to any particular sized product so he can pick and choose when deals become available. One day he may get a good buy on small pears and a week later it may be a size at the other end of the spectrum where the deal makes sense.

Olson is helped by the fact that of the 155 grocery Outlets, only three of them are company-run stores. The other 152 are independently oper-ated in a unique partnership with the individual store owners, so there is no need for every store to carry every product every day. grocery Outlet builds the store and owns the lease as well as the major equipment, fixtures and the product itself. The inde-pendent operators provide the labor, the day to day supplies and expenses such as shopping carts and bags, and extras that they might want to purchase to set their store apart, such as a grocery Outlet shade banner for parking lot merchandising.

grocery Outlet also recruits the operators, trains them and sets them up in the store locations. The independent operators and grocery Outlet split the resulting gross margin on a 50/50 basis.

Porter said it is difficult to label the relation-ship because it is different than any other grocery store chain. “We act as supplier but we are more than that because we actually provide and own the inventory,” she said.

The operators own their business, includ-ing the rights to the grocery Outlet name, their employees and the customer relationship. If an operator wants to get out of the business, gro-cery Outlet works with them to find a suitable replacement. Olson said the operators are typically husband/wife teams. “We have found that works very well,” he said.

One such team is Tod and Debbie Jackson who operate a 10,400 square foot grocery Outlet store in San Leandro, Calif., which is in the East bay, south of Oakland. Tod was working at a discount chain in the state of Washington when grocery Outlet recruited him from a career builders web-site that he was listed on. The couple reached an agreement with the supermarket chain, trained for eight months and then moved to California to start

their business in a brand new store. Today, Tod calls it the “best move he ever made.”

He said he and his wife come into the store seven days a week but they have a good crew and are able to work only a half day on Sundays and take off other days every once in a while. “Yesterday was Debbie’s birthday,” he said. “So we came in and checked everything and she did some of the books and then we left.”

The couple have divided the workload in half with Debbie doing the books, handling the one aisle of hard goods and running the checkout stands. Tod handles the rest of the stock and the rest of the employees, including produce.

“my philosophy with produce is the more SKUs the better,” he said.

A tour through his relatively small produce de-partment revealed many bargains which he pointed out in delight, including three pounds of pears for $1.99. “You are not going to find pears priced like that anywhere else,” he said. “Scot (Olson) gets us some great deals.”

One thing is evident. There are no scales in the produce department nor at the checkout stand. “Everything is sold by the piece or the bag,” said Olson. “We look for bargains in produce but it is a


14 FreSH DIGeSt

challenge. We are not looking for quality problems. We are looking for overruns. Probably our best ad-vantage is that we are not stuck on any specific spec. We don’t need a 72 count Red Delicious apple. I typically ask my suppliers, ‘What size do you have the most of?’ or ‘What are you stuck with?’”

While he tries to carry the basics every day, Olson said he knows the firm’s customers and if a price point gets too high, he won’t buy it. A case in point was when cartons of onions skyrocketed a couple of years ago, grocery Outlet just didn’t buy them.

but with that said, Porter allowed that gro-cery Outlet customers come from all stations in life. “There is a very rich class that might not shop at a grocery Outlet, but every other demographic does,” she said. “We actually co-exist very well with conventional supermarkets. Some people come into our stores two or three times a week just to look for the opportunities. Others do all their shopping with us.”

In fact, the company touts some high ends deals such as its wine buys as again it is able to sell

wine at deep discounts when purchasing labels that have been overproduced. (On this particular day, I found a bottle of sauvignon blanc that typically retails in the high $20s for $5.99.)

grocery Outlet is a third-generation fam-ily run business, recognized as the nation’s largest grocery extreme-value retailer. The co-CEOs — macgregor Read, grandson of the founder, and his brother-in-law, Eric Linderg, both began their careers with grocery Outlet in 1996. Read, who once worked for Del monte Foods as a product manager, advanced through several positions within the company until he ultimately became the vice president of real estate and construction in 2004, responsible for the most aggressive new store growth in the history of the company. That growth continues today as Porter said the firm is expanding by about 10 percent each year.

Lindberg’s career has taken him through the entire purchasing department, including perishables. He was promoted to vice president of purchasing in 2001, where he managed a team of 26 profes-sionals.


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16 FreSH DIGeSt

QR Codes Gaining Use In Produce Industryby Tim Linden

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It is an idea seemingly built for a techie. A small two-dimensional code can be read by pointing a camera-equipped smart phone at it and clicking. The Quick Response code (QR) immediately sends the user to a website where more information about that product can be downloaded.

The concept is popping up everywhere in-cluding on signs at events and on consumer packag-ing. And more and more produce companies are also getting into the game.

“It is just one more way to connect with the consumer,” said Cindy Jewell, director of marketing for California giant berry Farms, Watsonville, Calif.

Cal giant has placed the code on each of its consumer packs. Though there is a different code for each item, currently the codes send all users to the same URL that Cal Giant has developed specifi-cally for smart phone users. It is a mobile website, which, practically speaking, means it has less graphics and is designed to interface with the smaller smart phone type screens.

For this specific purpose, Cal Giant has devel-oped what Jewell calls a “promotional event page” that encourages interaction by the consumer. The page takes the user to specific promotions includ-ing a $100 per week gift card giveaway. This has definitely driven use as Jewell said the firm’s QRs were scanned 9,000 times in August. About 200 of those scans came from iPads while the other 8,800 were split pretty evenly between iPhones and Android smart phones.

Cal giant started adding QR codes to its packaging in January of this year.

Hollandia Produce LLC, Carpinteria, Calif., started printing the QR codes on its living lettuces and other items in April. The company has a differ-ent code for each product that directs consumers to a webpage specific to that product. At this point, just a little more than four months into the project, Director of marketing Vince Choate said the number

of scans is nominal, “but it’s growing.”He said the typical consumer of living butter

lettuce is not usually from the techie generation so he did not expect tremendous volume this early in the game. “but as more and more people become familiar with this technology and as more and more companies use it on their products, you are going to see use become more commonplace. We wanted to be ahead of the curve,” he said.

While scanners of the Hollandia QR code are directed to a mobile website with less graphics and easier for the smart phone to navigate, Choate said that distinction will soon be unnecessary. He said smart phone technology continues to improve quickly and soon those devices will be able to navigate a regular website as well as a laptop or a stationary computer.

Choate said the cost of adding the QR code to the packaging is insignificant and so the only real cost was the development of the mobile website, which he said, was also insignificant as it is just part of the company’s monthly website charge.

The QR code was actually designed for inven-tory control by the automobile industry in Japan. A subsidiary of Toyota, Denso Wave, owns the pat-ent on the code but it has not chosen to enforce that patent. Technologically speaking, the code was created as a two dimensional barcode that allows its contents to be decoded at a very high speed. While it is similar to the barcode used on virtually all retail products, the difference between the two is the amount of data they can hold. barcodes are linear one-dimensional graphics that can only hold up to 20 numerical digits. The QR code is a two-dimensional matrix barcodes that can hold thou-sands of alphanumeric characters of information. Apps have been written for the cameras in each of the popular smart phones to allow the code to be read almost instantaneously.


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For the better par t of the past decade, Dulcinea Farms has brought a little bit of Italy to consumers thanks to its tasty Tuscan-Style canta-loupe, and now the authentic flavor of Italy can be savored in another Dulcinea product.

In the past year Dulcinea has rolled out two new varieties of tomatoes. According to Caley Isbell, “We now offer consumers two distinctive types of Italian tomatoes, the Primodoro and Amadoro.” Isbell said that the Primodoro variety is the number one selling tomato in Italy.

“Thanks to its unique flavor, it’s a great snack-ing tomato.” Corey Hill added, “The Primodoro is a really flavorful and sweet tomato that brings out a savory Italian taste that consumers can enjoy any time of the day.”

Amadoro is a vine-ripened tomato that bursts with sweetness and is the perfect complement to put into your favorite salad. It has authentic on-the-vine Italian flavor that is sweet and juicy. Ama-doros are shipped from January to may, while the Primodoros are available through October.

While the tomato category is relatively new for Dulcinea, the company has been in full marketing mode to help move its core products: PureHeart mini’s and Tuscan-Style cantaloupes. Dulcinea has been focusing primarily on account-specific programs. In addition, for the second consecutive year, the marketing team has executed a PureHeart outdoor campaign with posters and billboards in selective cities throughout the country. This year, Denver, grand Rapids, Houston, San Antonio and Phoenix were the selected cities for that consumer promotion.

With autumn upon us, that means children have headed back to the classroom. Dulcinea is in full gear with a new back-to-school program that targets parents and their kids to eat healthier. Isbell said, “We have some awesome back-to-school displays that we believe can let parents make some healthy choices for their children. The front and center in-store displays highlight PureHeart mini’s and Tuscan-Style cantaloupes which make it fun and easy for consumers to grab and go.

Hill said, “Dulcinea has also long supported the Produce For Kids program that educates families on the importance of eating healthy which is a goal we believe in strongly.”

In addition to account-specific programs, the firm has also dropped FSI (Free Standing Inserts) coupons in select markets. According to Isbell, FSI’s are “a great way to interact with customers. We have reached more than eight million consumers by these promotions.”

Dulcinea has updated information on their website, too. You can check out some great new recipes that include grilled Watermelon with greek Yogurt, Watermelon minted Popsicles, Simply Zesty Dulcinea melon Salad, Amadoro Italian Caprese Salad and Primodoro Italian Skewers.

If consumers have a question about one of the Dulcinea products or recipes, Isbell said they will receive a reply. “Our goal is to always respond to consumer inquires within 72 hours.”

Over the course of the past few months, there have also been a few changes in senior management at Dulcinea Farms. John mcguigan, who had joined the Dulcinea team in 2008 as vice president of sales and marketing, has been appointed to the new general manager position. mcguigan looks forward to overseeing all company operations as well as developing strategic direction for the group.

marketing Director monique mcLaws has ex-panded her responsibilities to include new product development. mcLaws said she is excited to work closely with Dulcinea’s product development ex-perts to “help expand the portfolio as well as deliver new and exciting products that meet the Dulcinea brand promise.” With Dulcinea’s two new tomato varieties, they are off to a big start.

In addition to heading the finance department, Tessa Sarrazin is the new director of operations. Managing the financial and administration portions of the company will continue along with developing crop plans and negotiating grower contracts. Sar-razin will lead the interaction with growers and area managers to plan for Dulcinea’s current production as well as future expansions.

You Say “Tomato.”I Say “Dulcinea.” by Tom Fielding


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The Keyword is “Growing” At Domex Superfresh Growers by Tom Fielding

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pple

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According to Loren Queen of Yakima’s Domex Superfresh growers, the company is more than living up to the last name in its title.

“We have been and continue to be in an aggressive growth stage,” he said. “We have always been aggressive when it comes to Superfresh growers’ infrastructure, and during the past year we have been adding more growers and acreage as demand increases.”

Queen said Superfresh growers remod-eled several of its facilities in order to handle the increased volume of fruit. “Six projects have already been completed that will more than double the

through-put capability at several of those packing lines.”

Now is a good time to be an apple grower, Queen related. “There are more people in more markets that are becoming apple consumers, and by expanding we have the access to continue to supply more product. We look for grower partners that can fill the variety, size and quality needs for those up and coming markets.”

Superfresh growers currently has 1,100 growers aggressively pursuing the same goals of the company by being proactive in how they grow fruit and helping to meet consumer demands by, as

Autumn Glory


OCTOBER / NOVEMBER 2011 21

Queen says, “being ahead of the curve.”Every apple has a market, Queen stated, and

it is up to Superfresh Growers to know where all these apple varieties will be in demand. “We are always looking ahead to future potentials,” he said. “For instance, there has been a swing toward sweeter apples in the United States in recent years, like Galas and Fujis.”

There has also been a big market increase in the consumption of uniquely flavored varieties such as Pink Lady and Honeycrisp, an apple that in recent years has been Washington’s rising apple star.

“Sales of Honeycrisp,” Queen said, “are still going crazy. This year, our Honeycrisp volume is up more than 120 percent and the numbers continue to increase.”

He said in Asia sweet apples are the fruit of choice. In the United States and Canada, consumers are also much more interested in taste than they are the shape of an apple.

When you break down U.S. consumption even further, it is interesting how there are regional differences. Queen said that in the southern states, sweet apples seem to strike consumers’ fancy, while in the Midwest, apples like Honeycrisp and Braeburns shine.

Moving to the East Coast, McIntosh and Granny Smiths get their due, while out in the West the Fuji and Gala have gained a lot of admirers.

Of course, with all the relatively new vari-eties, the old standby, the Red Delicious, still has its devotees, though it has been overtaken by Gala, which is now the number one Washington apple when it comes to dollars and volume in the United States.

Superfresh Growers also has added a new player to the variety lineup, an apple dubbed Autumn Glory. “It is a cross between a Fuji and a Golden Delicious that has received great re-views from focus groups and in-store sampling,” Queen said. “Our production on this variety has increased dramatically (up double digits), and we are very excited about its prospects in the future.”

Superfresh Growers has added QR codes (Quick Response barcodes) to the Autumn Glory display boxes. Consumers can scan the QR code and it will take them to the Super-fresh website to tell them more about this new variety.

“We have had amazing success by putting QR codes on our cherry packaging,” Queen said. “Consumers can get quick information on our

fruit. Earlier this year, in just a three week period, there were more than 2,000 scans of our cherry QR codes that brought consumers directly to our website. By year end we will have QR codes on all our apple and pear bags.”

Organic apples are also achieving steady growth at Superfresh Growers. “We represent 15 percent of all the organics (apples) grown in the state, and we now have a 52-week supply of organic Red Delicious, Fuji and Granny Smith variet-ies,” Queen said.

He added that organic apples make up about 10 percent of Superfresh Growers’ supply.

Although this year’s Washington crop is a little behind schedule due to Mother Nature’s propensity to make things unpredictable, Queen is bullish on the season. “We had a cool, wet spring followed by a cooler than normal summer that slowed down the growth and timing. The side benefit of that weather is that it has created a terrific eating apple that will be sweeter and crunchier.”

He added that a warm September has added “a size or two to the fruit.”

1/3 sq 4c adBarsotti Juice

22 FreSH DIGeSt

Presentation Matters by Tim Linden

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ate

gory

Managem

ent

Increasingly, complex data is driving decisions in the retail produce department. but a new study finds that the willingness of retailers to use that data is largely dependent on how it is presented to them.

For the past 15 years, Fusion marketing has established a solid industry presence, providing its broad client base with expertise in produce market-ing and consumer packaged goods. With its strategic alliances with NPD and U.S. Marketing, the firm has created an extensive data base that continually helps to drive decisions at retail level. However, along the way, the company has discovered that sometimes the data is very well received by its clients’ retail partners, and sometimes it is ignored.

Company founder and president, Steven muro, told the Fresh Digest that while some retailers are still skeptical of data driven decisions and would rather “go by their gut” that alone did not explain the varying success rates of the category manage-ment presentations. “We would see the same data or very similar data presented with very different results. So we started researching the research to come up with some answers.”

Fusion, which often accompanies its clients on their category management presentations at retail, began studying the effectiveness of those reports. It looked back five years and evaluated every aspect of each report to determine which were successful and which were not. What started to become very clear is that the look of the presentation itself was very important.

muro said type face, font size, the colors used and the look of the graphics all seem to play a role in the success of the presentation. “Unlike one-size-fits-all or canned reports, our reports are uniquely created and designed as an extension of our client’s brand,” explained muro. “We found that the order in which we presented information and the amount of information offered during a presentation were key in creating a more successful outcome.”

The research has led muro and his team to re-alize that when presenting a category management

program to a retailer, the retailer is the consumer. Just as the programs themselves rely on visuals to help drive sales, the presentation must do the same thing. Category management, muro said, depends on understanding the consumer. Retailers and sup-pliers rely on scanned data and other data sets to analyze trends and information to determine what motivates a shopper into purchasing. Price, promo-tional strategy, point of sale displays, and merchandis-ing are other marketing elements factored into a category management review to obtain a clear and concise picture of each business segment.

He said the presentation has to do the same thing. “Category management is essential to building a sound marketing plan based on facts and trends. It becomes a vantage point to success. but, our unparalleled retail analysis is really central to drive the retailer into action. If a retailer doesn’t fully understand the meaning behind the data, the report is essentially useless. So, now we know, based on our research, what elements help motivate a retailer into action and what information is most important to them.”

As far as the concept of category manage-ment is concerned, muro said most retailers are very open to suggestions and to making changes “but it has to be a change that they can convey in a phone call or an email. You are not going to convince a retailer to do a reset in all of his produce departments. That’s just too expensive.”

The key to category management, muro said, is making incremental changes that can be ac-complished one step at a time. He said in making the case for change, the argument must be laid out one step at a time in a clear, concise and visually pleasing manner.

While muro did give away a few of the secrets of his research, he said he was saving most of the jewels for his clients. He did say that retailers prefer softer font faces and graphics, and coloration that is muted or pleasing to the eye. “but we are not going to publish a paper on this research project,” he quipped.


24 FreSH DIGeSt

Key SponsorsAvocados from Mexico

Earthbound FarmGourmet Garden Herbs & Spices

IFCO SystemsMann Packing Co., Inc.

Marzetti

NoCal Luncheon September 22, 2011Thank You Sponsors!

Photo SponsorNorth Shore Sales & Marketing, Inc.

Décor SponsorBay City Flower

Keynote Speaker Dr. Bob Whitaker of Produce Marketing Association

Master of Ceremonies Randy Ducommon of Whole Foods

Margo Robinson of Augustine Ideas and Steve Tsujimoto of Safeway



Associate SponsorsA.M.S. Exotic LLC

Cabo FreshGills Onions

Grimmway FarmsICD/Davis Lewis Orchards

JuiceologyMarie’s/Ventura Foods LLCThe Oppenheimer Group

Produce Marketing AssociationWestlake Produce Company

JJ Garcia of Quebec Distributing, Tran Nguyen and Audrey Desnoyers of Oppenheimer

Jon Nicosia of Earthbound Farms, Michelle Narain of Safeway and Dave Moore of Earthbound Farm


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Ed Odron (far left), Tony Nunes (near right) and Michael Maddan of Maddan & Company flank Randy Ducommon of Whole Foods.

Fernando Azevedo of Mann Packing and Crystal Ball of Safeway

Mark Soots and Walter Mathews of Barsotti Juice



AMS Exotic Shows Its “Metal” with New Easy Veggie Grillers

by Tom Fielding

Focu

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nova

tion

Remember those dire warnings from your mother about placing metal objects in the mi-crowave oven? Well, in October, A.m.S. Exotic is introducing its new Easy Veggie grillers packed in metal trays that can be placed on the barbecue grill, in the oven and, don’t tell your mother, in the microwave.

Scott Lehmann, director of sales and market-ing for A.m.S. Exotic, said, “We have been testing this concept for the better part of the last year, and we will be rolling out our new Easy Veggie grillers in early October. In addition, they will be displayed at the New Product Showcase at the PmA Conven-tion in Atlanta, and we’ll be showing them off in our booth.”

According to Lehmann, the new Easy Veggie grillers will have four SKUs and all “are fresh, with no preservatives or other additives such as, flavored butter. We prefer to let the consumer decide what they might want to add to the product, it’s really fan-tastic with a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper.”

One of the trays will be what Lehmann called the French bean Supreme. “This tray contains French beans, yellow squash, green squash and red onions and is packed with flavor,” he said.

The other three veggie trays include the golden butternut Supreme, which has butternut squash and fresh red onions. “This one has just a little bit of a bite. The onions add a little something to the freshness of the butternut squash.” Lehmann said.

California Sunshine Supreme, he said, “can be used in a primavera. This one consists of julienned green zucchini, carrots and yellow squash.”

The final Easy Veggie Griller A.M.S. Exotic is rolling out is the Tuscan medley Supreme. This is a very colorful and flavorful tray full of veggies,” Lehmann said. The Tuscan medley Supreme tray includes red onions, green zucchini, yellow squash, and has green, red and yellow bell peppers.

All of the Easy Veggie griller trays are 16 ounces and should be able to feed a family of three or four people. Lehmann said these items can be served as a side dish, or you can add additional

products to make a more substantial meal. “I’ve put in some salami in the French bean Supreme, mixed it in with the veggies and all of a sudden I have a center of the plate meal,” he said.

A.m.S. Exotic will roll out these four SKUs of the Earth Exotic’s Easy Veggie grillers, but, accord-ing to Lehmann, there are a number of other SKUs waiting in the queue. “I can envision a number of fantastic varieties a bit into the future,” he said.

Lehmann is looking toward the future with this new line of products. “I envision the Earth Exotic’s Easy Veggie griller as the evolution in the fresh-cut vegetable category.”

I told him about my mother’s stern warnings about putting metal trays in the microwave, and he said that these new trays are constructed with the latest technology that makes them microwave safe. That is unless you have a microwave from the late ‘70s. In that case it might be time to upgrade. The way these trays are made and the material used makes them safe to place in the microwave. “I prefer to prepare them in the oven or on the grill,” he said.

Easy Veggie grillers will be packed eight to a carton, and are expected to retail between $3.50 and $4. Although the items are available nation-wide, Lehmann believes they will start out on the West Coast, where “the product definitely fits the lifestyle.”


No Cal BOCCE BALLSeptember 9, 2011Thank You Sponsors!

28 FreSH DIGeSt

Carissa Mace and Amy Wun of the Fresh Produce & Floral Council flank Greg Corrigan of Raley’s Supermarkets

After a lesson and a little practice, everyone was

bocceing like pros.

Players formed teams and met new people. JJ Garcia from Quebec Distributing Co., Gene Miller from Raley’s Supermarkets and Dave Howald of the California Avocado Commission played a round.

Let’s BocceOn Friday night, Sept 9, FPFC’s Northern Cali-

fornia members gathered at the Campo di bocce res-taurant and court in Livermore, Calif., to socialize while playing the Italian game of bocce ball.

The event was the first of its kind by the FPFC, which holds more than a dozen networking activities each year. Currently, golf, bowling and horseracing (or at least betting on horseracing) are the sports of favor of the FPFC. And in the past, racquetball and tennis tournaments have been in the mix. FPFC President Carissa mace said the Northern California event com-mittee for the association wanted to do something a bit offbeat and settled on an evening of bocce. There was no tournament just many friendly games among the participants as they boccied the night away and supped on Italian cuisine.

besides some fun games for expert and novice alike, the evening was punctuated by a rare West coast thunderstorm that lit up the sky as it quickly moved through the area.



bocce ball SponsorsCabo Fresh

Litehouse FoodsMann Packing Company

MarzettiThe Oppenheimer Group

Paramount Farms/POM Wonderful

Shawn Dagen of Edge Sales & Marketing demonstrates that bocce requires determination and focus.

JJ Garcia of Quebec Distributing Co. shows good form.

Marla Mignacco, Nor-Cal Produce, Inc., celebrates a victorious roll.


30 FreSH DIGeSt

L to R – Marylou Ureta from Paramount Farms/POM Wonderful, husband Jim Ureta – Frank Azevedo of Mann Packing Co, Inc. and Shawn Dagen of Edge Sales & Marketing.

L to R – Teresa Estrada & Lisa Davis of Edge Sales & Marketing with Frank Azevedo of Mann Packing Co., Inc.

Gene Miller of Raley’s with Nannette Anderson of Edge

Sales & Marketing

Kristyn Lawson, Cabo Fresh, laughs with Mark Klein, Impact Sales; Angie Moen, Litehouse Foods; and Darryl Bollack, Impact Sales.

Dave Moen (left) and his wife, Kim, of CDS Distributing talk bocce ball with Dave Howald of the California Avocado Commission, who, according to rumor, has a Pentanque court in his back yard, which is the French equivalent of bocce ball.


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So Cal LuncheonAugust 10, 2011Thank You Sponsors!

Key SponsorsConsolidated West

D.L.J. ProduceGrimmway Farms

IBC/Marie Callender’s CroutonsMarzetti

Pura Vida FarmsWestlake Produce Company

Candice Miller, guest speaker Athena Miller and FPFC Chairman of The Board Jeff Miller, Westlake Produce Company.

Bill Coombs of DLJ Produce is presented the Spirit Of Hope Award by Roger

Schroeder, Stater Bros. Markets.

A check for more than $196,000 was presented to the City Of Hope



Associate SponsorsAlbert’s OrganicsA.M.S Exotic LLC

Apio/Eat SmartBoskovich Farms

Christopher RanchGills Onions

Produce Marketing AssociationSimply Fresh Fruit

Taylor Farms Retail, Inc.West Pak Avocado

Photo SponsorNorth Shore Sales & Marketing, Inc.

Décor SponsorSmart & Final

Kent Kuwata, Smart & Final, asks for bids as luncheon emcee, Dave Hirz, Smart & Final, shows off a photo to be auctioned off for the City Of Hope

Dave Martus, Stater Bros Markets and Bob Waldusky, Fresh Gourmet

Stu Victor and Alyssa Barberio, Advantage Sales & Marketing


34 FreSH DIGeSt

Debi Orrin, Litehouse; Jan DeLyser, California Avocado Commission; Patty Knoll, Temkin International; Rich Van Valkenburg, DVA

Hazel Kelly and Karen Caplan, Frieda’s, with Steve Layton, Socopac

Kelly Craner and Marty Craner, B&C Fresh

Mark Carroll and Nathan Nueske, Gelson’s Markets


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Proud to help support Team Produce at the 2011 Walk for Hope at the City of Hope Duarte, CA Sunday November 6th

36 FreSH DIGeSt

SoCal Golf TournamentAugust 22, 2011

Thank You Sponsors!

Connie Thatcher, Greg Welch and Nancy Hamilton (pictured), along with Nat Sonnier, Advantage Sales & Marketing, were the winners

tommy bahama GiveawayApio/Eat Smart

Marie’s/Ventura Foods

Golf towelBeachside ProduceBoskovich Farms

Consolidated West Dist., LLCThe Oppenheimer Group

closest to Pin contestLegacy Farms

Tavilla Sales of LA

Individual Longest Drive contest Progressive Produce

team Photo Green Thumb ProduceKern Ridge Growers

MarzettiReady Pac Produce

on course Drink Stations Bolthouse Farms

Del Monte Fresh, N.A. Inc.Fresh GourmetNaked Juice

OdwallaSambazon

Dinner ProgramWJL Distributors

event Signage Umina Bros., Inc.

Sun World International, LLC

centerpieces Provided byPriscilla’s Kitty Grass

Door & raffle Prize DonorsThe Chuck Olsen Company

Combs ProduceFruitsmart MarketingKingsburg Orchards

Litehouse FoodsMarie’s/Ventura Foods

Paramount Farms/POM WonderfulPolymer Logistics

Sophie PartidaTommy Bahama

Product DonationsParamount Farms/POM Wonderful

Ready PacBill Laliberte, WJL Distributors, with David Radtke, Green Thumb Produce.



First Place teamNancy Hamilton, Advantage Sales & marketing

Nat Sonnier, Advantage Sales & marketingConnie Thatcher, Advantage Sales & marketing

greg Welch, Advantage Sales & marketing

Second Place teamben bengali, Oh my gali Fruit

Don Dickerson, Oh my gali FruitJesse Sepulveda, Tavilla SalesChris Vangelos, Tavilla Sales

third Place teambobby Harada, Stater bros. markets

Andrew Holzinger, Consolidated West Dist., LLCTod Kanegae, Consolidated West Dist., LLCDanny Velasco, Consolidated West Dist., LLC

closest to PinHole # 13

Richard Flammino, Umina bros.

Longest Drive WinnersMen’s

Chris Vangelos, Tavilla Sales

Women’sKori gutzwiller, The Oppenheimer group

The second place team, from Oh My Gali Fruit and Tavilla Sales.

The third place winning team, from Consolidated West Dist., LLC and Stater Bros. Markets.

Closest to Pin winner Richard Flammino of Umina Bros. (second from left) with his teammates.Robert Thompson, RFT Farms and Danny Trevino, Food 4 Less


38 FreSH DIGeSt

championship teesAcosta Sales & marketing

Advantage Sales & marketingAll Fresh ProduceApio/Eat Smart

b & C Fresh Salesboskovich Farms, Inc.

Chiquita brandsConsolidated West Dist.

Del monte FreshDeminski, Van Valkenburg & Associates

Dole Fresh VegetablesDuarte NurseryFresh gourmet

green Thumb ProduceInterfresh, Inc.

Kern Ridge growersLegacy Farms

Litehouse Foodsmarie’s/Ventura Foods

marzettimCL Fresh, Inc.mission Produce

Naked JuiceOdwalla

The Oppenheimer groupParamount Farms/POm Wonderful

Perimeter Sales & marketingThe Pinery, LLC

Progressive Produce Corp.Ready PacSun-Rype

Tavilla Sales Company of LATaylor Farms Retail, Inc.West Pak Avocado, Inc.

Westlake Produce CompanyWJL Distributors

Tracy and Jesse Ramirez, Ralphs

Mike Casazza, Apio/Eat Smart, Brad Martin, Perimeter Sales & Merchandising, Rick Cruz, Vons/A Safeway Company and Chris Boyd, Sambazon

Dale Roberts, Chris Campion, Chad Miller, Andrew McGregor, Doug Varanai, Sprout’s, along with Amanda Grillo, DVA.


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