insidethe pundit l a u f convention j p b t m fresh-cut … · 2019. 5. 22. · june 2009 • vol....

JUNE 2009 • VOL. 25 • NO. 6 • $9.90

inside...THE PUNDIT LOOKS AT UNITED FRESH’S CONVENTION • NEW JERSEY PRODUCE • CALIFORNIA AND BAJA TOMATOES • SUMMER MERCHANDISINGFRESH-CUT FRUIT • GRAPE MERCHANDISING • CHILI PEPPER SALES • DRIED PLUMS • FLORAL COLD CHAIN MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCING:REPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: Phoenix Produce On ParadeSTORE CHECK: Cincinnati Competition

Reader Service # 39

http://www.dole.com

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JUNE 2009 • VOL. 25 • NO. 6

J U N E 2 0 0 9 • P R O D U C E B U S I N E S S 3

FEATURESNEW JERSEY: POISED TO PROVIDE PRODUCE TO EASTERN POPULOUS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40The Garden State offers retailers a wealth of flavorful produce all summer long and beyond.

TIME FOR CALIFORNIA AND BAJA TOMATOES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48With stringent food safety standards and new, colorful varieties, tomatoes grown in California and Baja, Mexico, will be priced to sell.

MAKE YOUR SUMMER MERCHANDISING HOT, HOT, HOT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67Focus on holiday and traditions to promote summer’s bounty.

DEPARTMENTSFRESH CUT MARKETING: Fresh Growth For Fresh-Cut Fruit? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80How are current economic factors influencing sales of fresh-cut fruit?

MERCHANDISING REVIEW: Grape Merchandising — Challenges & Opportunities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Promotions, pricing and variety are among seven keys to a successful grape season.

MERCHANDISING REVIEW:Five Ways To Make Chili Pepper Sales Sizzle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93Build on growing popularity and utilize creative merchandising techniques to heat up chili pepper sales.

DRIED FRUIT AND NUTS:Changing The Image Of Dried Plums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79Seeking to shake up its reputation, prunes have reemerged as a hip, healthy snack.

FLORAL & FOLIAGE MARKETING:From Field To Vase . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101Part I of II: How maintaining the floral cold chain influences profits.

SPECIAL REPORTSREPORTER’S NOTEBOOK: PHOENIX PRODUCE ON PARADE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52Be it Fresh & Easy, Fry’s, Bashas’, Safeway or any one of Wal-Mart’s three retail operations, each Phoenix area store displays its varying priorities through unique merchandising and signage.

STORE CHECK: CINCINNATI COMPETITION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Consumers are winners in Cincinnati’s supermarket standoff with supercenters.

SPECIAL FEATURESFROM THE PAGES OF THE PERISHABLE PUNDITObservations From Las Vegas: United Fresh Builds Momentum . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

AISLE BY AISLE BOOTH REVIEWPMA Foodservice Conference & Exposition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

SPECIAL ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENTGEORGIA GROWN PRODUCE IS EVERYBODY’S BUSINESS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55The Georgia Grown program helps farmers and consumers share a bountiful harvest.

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Change Service requested: POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PRODUCE BUSINESS, P.O. Box 810425, Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425.PRODUCE BUSINESS (ISSN 0886-5663) is published monthly for $58.40 per year by Phoenix Media Network, Inc., P.O. Box 810425, Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425.

COVER STORY40 UNDER FORTY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

COMMENTARYTHE FRUITS OF THOUGHTGeneric Promotion Program Requires Due Diligence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

RETAIL PERSPECTIVEFood Safety Steps For Locally Grown Produce . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 103

EUROPEAN MARKETNew GLOBALGAP ProtocolsWill Have U.S. Stakeholder Input . . . . . . 104

VOICE OF THE INDUSTRYExploring Value: What Does It Mean To You?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105

IN EVERY ISSUETHE QUIZ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

WASHINGTON GRAPEVINE . . . . . . . . 6

PRODUCE WATCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES . . . . . . . . 14

COMMENTS AND ANALYSIS . . . . . . 15

FLORAL WATCH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100

BLAST FROM THE PAST . . . . . . . . . 106

INFORMATION SHOWCASE . . . . . 106

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Photocopies of this form are acceptable. Please send answers to: JUNE QUIZ PRODUCE BUSINESS • P.O. Box 810425 • Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425

WIN A CUISINART TOASTER OVENResearch shows this toaster oven broiler most accurately maintains interior tem-peratures, resulting in perfectly even cooked food. The oven accommodates a12” pizza, has a non-stick coating for easy cleaning and automatic shutoff.

This issue was: ❏ Personally addressed to me ❏ Addressed to someone else

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THIS MONTH’S WINNER:Bob Van LiewProduce DirectorAssociated Wholesaler Inc.Robesonia, PA

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P R O D U C E B U S I N E S S • J U N E 2 0 0 94

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President & Editor-in-Chief • JAMES E. [email protected]

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Contributing EditorsMEREDITH AUERBACH, CAROL BAREUTHER, MIKE DUFF,JODEAN ROBBINS, BARBARA ROBISON, JON VANZILE,TRISHA WOOLDRIDGE

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SANDY [email protected] [email protected] [email protected] Department MarketingE. SHAUNN [email protected] Solutions and Integrated SalesJIM [email protected] insertion orders, payments, press releases,photos, letters to the editor, etc., to:PRODUCE BUSINESSP.O. Box 810425Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425Phone: 561-994-1118 Fax: 561-994-1610E-mail: [email protected]

PRODUCE BUSINESS is published byPhoenix Media Network, Inc.James E. Prevor, Chairman of the Board P.O. Box 810425Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425Phone: 561-994-1118 Fax: 561-994-1610Entire contents © Copyright 2009Phoenix Media Network, Inc.All rights reserved.Printed in the U.S.A.Publication Agreement No. 40047928

After 42 years in the produce industry,Bob Van Liew knows a good thing when hesees one. He’s been reading PRODUCE BUSINESSsince the beginning. “I rely on the publica-tion for the yearly, review-type articles, suchas the Top Ten Industry Trends. It helpstremendously,” he remarks. “You’re able toask yourself, ‘Are we doing this right? Whatcan we do better?’”

As produce director for Robesonia, PA-based Associated Wholesaler Inc., Van Liewdeals with a host of independent retailers.“Basically, I help them plot and plan whatev-er they want to get into their stores. I’vebeen with the company for 22 years andhave seen us grow by leaps and bounds. Weare now 12-fold what we used to be.”

Van Liew enjoys the excitement of theunexpected within the produce industry.“Every day is different. We work with Moth-er Nature, and we can’t control her. Wehave to learn to work around her.”

As PRODUCE BUSINESS’ quiz winner, VanLiew, an avid golfer, will receive a compactgolf GPS system.

QUESTIONS FOR THE JUNE ISSUE1) When is United Fresh’s Washington Public Policy Conference? __________________________

2) What is the phone number for Layer Saver? __________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

3) What variety of grapes is featured by Sun World now through August? ___________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

4) For how long has Bland Farms been in business? _____________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

5) Where is Jasmine Vineyards located? ________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________

6) How many days does Railex’s delivery take? __________________________________________

mailto:[email protected]


















Reader Service # 62

http://www.taproduce.com

As the second quarter of 2009draws to a close, we, as repre-sentatives of the industry’smost ambitious self-regulationto date, take a step back and

look at the fledgling success of the ProduceTraceability Initiative and our collectiveprogress to date in implementing thechanges it recommends.

We have seen the first two of the PTImilestones pass with positive momentum.While this does not necessarily mean all ofthe industry stakeholders have achieved theobjectives of obtaining the GS-1 companyprefix and assigning a GTIN to all case con-figurations, all indications are that theindustry is moving forward to meet theneeds of external, whole-chain traceability.

There was sufficient activity and excite-ment surrounding the initiative that atApril’s United Fresh show, the launch of aTraceability Demonstration Center landed adirect hit for the industry. Retailers, whole-salers and other stakeholders with pressingquestions were linked to the solutionsproviders with the answers to help eachparty continue driving for the eventual suc-cess of the PTI. The constant activity andparticipation at the Center showed an over-riding excitement about the potential of theinitiative, but more importantly, showed awillingness on the part of all industry stake-holders to communicate about concernsregarding the initiative’s recommendations.

The PTI’s milestones and the corre-sponding timetables for their implementa-tion were not made trivially. Those respon-sible, including ourselves, our allied associa-tions, and members of the Steering Commit-tee, realize that coming into full complianceby 2012 will mean big changes for somecompanies. Business practices may changeand established processes may requireadjustment, but we also realize that the will-ingness to participate, discuss and ask ques-

tions when concerns are raised has thepotential to benefit us all.

We’ve seen working groups made up ofcross-sections of the industry put in count-less research hours to gain input, discussand come to consensus to establish BestPractice recommendations.

We applaud the excellent communica-tions between trading partners regarding theimportance of reaching each milestone andestablishing direct communication on theoverall impact of the initiative.

We recognize the countless companiesforming internal teams to address theimpact of the PTI on each process involvedin delivering quality, fresh produce.

We take note of an increasing number ofwebinars, meetings and other developmen-tal tools hosted by solutions providers inorder to aid the industry in determining thebest paths to achieve success.

Finally, we acknowledge more and moresolutions providers who put their stake inthe initiative in the form of investments in agrowing number of systems changes. Thiscan only help to unite the industry under acommon framework, and eventually lead tonew levels of traceback productivity in thefuture, ensuring the continued health of theentire industry.

As we move toward the completion ofMilestone 3, the sharing of GTIN informa-tion to buyers (to be completed by thirdquarter of 2009) this common involvement,participation and cooperation is moreimportant than it has ever been. The activa-tion and integration of all interest groupsand stakeholders in the produce industry iscritical for success. Looking further into thefuture, the completion of Milestones 4 and 5(the display of human readable informationon produce cases, and the encoding of thatinformation in a barcode on the case) by theend of the third quarter next year will go along way toward determining who has takenthe recommendations of the PTI seriously,and who stood on the sidelines and conse-quently will be left to play catch-up.

After his coaching career had ended, leg-endary Green Bay Packer head coach, VinceLombardi, told a crowd gathered to hear himspeak, “It is time for us all to stand andcheer for the doer, the achiever — the onewho recognizes the challenges and doessomething about it.” The history of the pro-duce industry indicates that when a needarises, the doers of our industry cometogether to achieve success through trial anderror with positive outcomes.

These forward thinkers in the produceindustry deserve credit in much the samefashion as Lombardi’s doers. Faced with thechallenge of whole-chain traceability, manyin the industry have responded with action,in spite of the reticence over what chal-lenges may exist.

We at United hope to carry this progressforward, addressing issues regarding the ini-tiative through our member programs, edu-cation and outreach, including September’sWashington Public Policy Conference.Through these community dialogues wehope to foster the continued cooperationneeded to make the PTI and future initia-tives a lasting success. pb

Progress Made On Traceability Initiative

A report on the inside happenings of government.

WASHINGTON GRAPEVINE

The history of the produce industry indi-cates that when a need arises, the doers of ourindustry come togetherto achieve successthrough trial and error.

SUBMITTED BY DAN VACHÉ, VICE PRESIDENT, SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT, UNITED FRESH PRODUCE ASSOC. • UNITED FRESH PRODUCE ASSOC.



A fter several years in alliance with FMI and other trade shows,United Fresh held its first solo show in six years. Although thepresence of all the other shows added size and variety, this itera-

tion of the United convention had its own charms as it was more a truegathering of the produce family without all thefolks from the other shows.

We confess we were asked for meetings by sev-eral large exhibitors who told us they were eachspending well into the six figures to exhibit at Unit-ed and couldn’t justify the expense. They werehoping we might bring up to the industry the pos-sibility of merging the associations or, at least, finda way to have only one national show.

We have dealt with the issue of a potentialmerger before, and we do think that the industryhas wound up with an odd arrangement. PMA,with its very successful business model builtaround an extraordinarily successful show, gener-ates a lot of money; then, from time to time, theBoard of PMA allocates chunks of that money toindustry causes, such as the PMA Education Foun-dation or the Center for Produce Safety.

It is a useful function, though many would failto see the need for an intermediary to allocatethese funds.

United, in contrast, has not had the same scale of resources available,but has carried the burden for a lot of the industry expenses for lobbyingand government relations.

Although some have seen the obstacle to merger in individuals, par-ticularly blaming the CEO’s of the two associations, we have not foundthat to be true.

Over the years, including a time when United was the larger andmore financially prosperous of the two associations, the real obstacle fora merger has been that many board members have great loyalty to theirown association and, whichever association was doing well financially atthe time, didn’t see any particular need to merge.

So to the financially ascendant association — at one time United,more recently PMA — merger meant the other association closing upand transferring over the assets and programs.

There has never been a time in the industry when both associationsneeded money, and so both might have been amenable to sitting downwith a blank sheet of paper and trying to build a new association modelfor the industry. We frankly doubt that this is the time for that either.

Our advice to those big shippers who werespending hundreds of thousands of dollars to exhib-it was that they should stop exhibiting if it was notprofitable for them. Sure, United likes having bigflagship companies and will not want to lose thoseexhibitors. But these companies are giving United,say, $20,000 in booth fees and then spending$200,000 setting up booths, taking people to dinner,flying staff into town, etc. If they scale back theexpenses they feel they are wasting and donatesome of the savings to support the programs theyvalue, we think United will understand. United hasno interest in having members blow quarter-mil-lion-dollar bills without getting value.

For the moment, we thought most exhibitorswere happy. There were several retailers who werethere, and many Costco people attended to supportHeather Shavey who was recognized at the 2009Women in Produce event. On the Fresh Tech side,there seemed to be a lot of business conducted with

equipment and packaging on display. Others liked that they could makea big splash in a smaller pond.

In the long run, the show will either work or it won’t. United hasmade great progress over the years in getting a larger share of its rev-enues from dues and from grants. There are many associations that sur-vive without any shows. If the show one day doesn’t make it and Unitedcan’t raise enough elsewhere, well that is when a merger will happen.

For now, though, we have come to think of United as Daniel Websterthought of Dartmouth. He said “It is, Sir, as I have said, a small college.Yet there are those who love it.”

So, United is the smaller of the national produce associations. Noteveryone is a member and not everyone exhibits at its show. It is of littleimportance. Like Dartmouth, it has passionate defenders and, in theworld of associations, love will outrank size every time.

www.perishablepundit.com

Observations From Las Vegas: United Fresh Builds Momentum

From The Pages Of The Per i shable Pundi t

United hasmade great

progress overthe years in

getting a largershare of its

revenues fromdues and from

grants.

From Jim Prevor’s Perishable Pundit, April 28, 2009

http://www.perishablepundit.com


Generic Promotion Program Requires Due Diligence

At a recent meeting called to discuss the possibility oflaunching an industry-wide generic promotion pro-gram, the advocates for the program presented thecase of what they characterized as a “highly successful”generic produce promotion program in Western Aus-

tralia as an example of what could be accomplished with a similarprogram in the United States. A participant in the meeting spokeabout how incredibly fantastic the results were from a generic pro-gram designed to boost the floral industry, while still another partic-ipant described a fantastic program for Washington State apples.

Now these three programs were wildly different and each hadits own back story. Still and all, it is interesting to note that eachone of these three programs is now defunct because the producersthat were supposedly benefiting so greatlyfrom the programs declined to fund the efforts.

It is possible the producers were short-sight-ed or mistaken. It is also possible that thesebusinesspeople were perfectly rational and didnot experience the lift in profitability that theseboards promised.

There is confusion at the heart of thisdebate over a generic commodity promotionboard with a mandatory assessment on theindustry. The confusion is over what the pur-pose of such a board might be.

The effort is being spearheaded by the Pro-duce for Better Health Foundation, the peoplewho brought us 5-a-Day and, more recently,Fruits & Veggies More Matters, and this alone causes confusion.

This foundation is a non-profit entity. Its purpose is to create“better health,” not to increase the profitability of produce compa-nies. So in this sense, any expenditure that results in an increase inproduce consumption — which means better diets for Americans— is a win for the foundation.

But a generic promotion board is not a charity — one cannotdonate to it and get a tax deduction. Its purpose is to help produc-ers market themselves profitably via a collective effort that nonecould afford on their own. This means that not only must a genericpromotion program increase demand, it must do so at a price thatproduces a return higher than that which the produce firms couldhave gotten by investing the money elsewhere.

This is a significantly more difficult hurdle to breach than sim-ply selling more product, and it is one that the advocates for theplan have not even begun to establish.

The proposal is for a big program — $150 million of industryfunds over the next five years. Neither a company, nor an industry,should make such an investment without careful research and con-sideration.

Unfortunately, the proposal as it stands lacks independent

research on any of the important issues. If we are to even considerthis proposal, we need to get professional input on questions suchas these:

1) What are the expected consumption levels in the absence ofthis program?

2) How much advertising is necessary to boost demand suffi-ciently that it will entice additional product to be grown or import-ed so that consumption can rise?

3) What will be the lag time between the increase in demandand the availability of increased supply?

4) How will each commodity be affected by the increased adver-tising? Do all items respond equally? How does each item standwhen it comes to acquiring increased supply?

5) How do the returns on such an invest-ment compare with other options, includinginvesting in commodity-specific generic pro-motions?

There are many obvious obstacles thatexplain why the produce industry does nothave a program already:

A) Whereas a cow is a cow and a pig is apig, produce is many different items. It is notobvious that all produce items can or shouldbe promoted jointly. How can we ensure themoney is spent fairly?

B) The Dairy Board spends about $300 mil-lion a year. This proposal calls for the produceindustry to raise $30 million a year. Can we

actually change consumption habits with that kind of budget?C) Many produce businesses are not really scalable. They may

have a fixed amount of land or a fixed amount of siblings... in anycase these enterprises, often family-owned, don’t want to or cannotget bigger, so doubling sales for the industry does them nothing.They need higher prices, and it is not clear this program will pro-duce such prices. Is it fair to “tax” these players so others can getthe benefit?

D) Are we going to impose this program on growers withouttheir consent? The proposal calls for “first handlers” to pay theassessment and have the vote, but many of these first handlers willbill the “tax” back to the growers. In effect, the growers will paywhile others run the program. Is that right?

We should never close the door on big ideas, but, at the sametime, we should never plunge into things without doing our duediligence. Right now we need more answers and that means moreresearch before we can start building. Some of the advocates areimpatient and are doing their own cause a disservice. If they wouldfocus on building a strong foundation, rooted in solid research byobjective parties, in time this industry would raise the roof all on its own. pb

By James Prevor President & Editor-in-Chief

THE FRUITSOF THOUGHT

We need more

answers and that

means more

research before

we can start

building.

Reader Service # 65

http://www.veggiesmadeeasy.com


Produce Watch is a regular feature of Produce Business. Please send information on new products, personnel changes, industry, corporate and personal milestones and available literature,along with a color photo, slide or transparency to: Managing Editor, PRODUCE BUSINESS, P.O. Box 810425, Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425, or e-mail us at [email protected]

Reader

PRODUCEWATCH

DRISCOLL’S STRAWBERRY ASSOCIATES INC.WATSONVILLE, CATim Youmans was promoted to vice president ofsales. He will head sales for the retail, foodservice,export and wholesale channels. His goals will includeachieving alignment between producing great berriesand meeting the needs of Driscoll's marketing part-ners in the short and long term. He previouslyworked in technology and communication sales.

TRANSITIONS

STEMILT GROWERS INC.WENATCHEE, WATim Harrington was hired as merchandisingmanager for the East Coast. He has more than 29years of experience working in the produce indus-try, including 21 years at Shaw's Supermarkets invarious roles, such as quality assurance inspectorand store manager. He will be responsible fordeveloping new marketing programs.

UNITED FRESH PRODUCE ASSOCIATIONWASHINGTON, D.C.Ray Gilmer was appointed to vice president ofcommunications, where he will bring more than20 years of combined experience in agriculturalissues management, public relations and crisismanagement to United's senior managementteam. He previously led communications and pub-lic affairs at the Florida Fruit & VegetableAssociation.

DULCINEA FARMS LLCLADERA RANCH, CABill Spidell was hired as sales director. He bringsmore than 17 years of produce sales experiencealong with a proven track record of servicing andgrowing national accounts. He is a highly accom-plished sales leader with an in-depth portfolio ofcreating value for any partnership.

Kevin Leap was hired as sales director. He bringsmore than 13 years of experience with selling pre-mium specialties and value-added produce tonational and regional accounts. He has a success-ful history of creating and selling branded pro-grams by focusing on high-quality proprietary vari-eties and exceeding customer expectations.

RUSSET POTATO EXCHANGEBANCROFT, WIRandy Shell was named vice president of mar-keting. He will be responsible for new businessdevelopment, category programming and pro-motional planning. He brings 33 years of indus-try experience in retail and foodservice buying.He most recently served as senior buyer atTarget, where he worked for 10 years, drivingnew supply-chain initiatives.

Mike Shamberg was hired to the sales staff atRPE's new satellite office in Chicago, IL. He hasmaintained a relationship with RPE for morethan 30 years. He will be responsible for bringingin new assets that will help the new office quick-ly get up to speed and continue to deliver on itscorporate initiatives for quality execution.

John (Jay) Martini, Jr. was hired to the salesstaff at RPE's new satellite office in Chicago, IL.His responsibilities will include expanding RPE'scustomer base. His experience working withproducts, such as tomatoes, will give RPE newareas of growth to explore.

EARTHBOUND FARMSAN JUAN BAUTISTA, CASteve Koran was hired as director of commodi-ty sales. He will assist Earthbound in makingprogress in organic salads with its commodityprograms. With more than 20 years of experi-ence in produce industry, he has previouslyworked for Martori Farms and Tanimura &Antle.

M&M FARMS INC.MIAMI, FLMark Vertrees' role as marketing director wasexpanded to include retail and foodservice busi-ness development. He will be responsible for help-ing sales representatives develop new tropicalretail and foodservice business. Since joining M&Min April 2008, he has redesigned M&M's logo,attracted marketing exposure and expandedM&M's brand.

GOURMET FRESH BEANSSouthern Specialties, Pompano Beach, FL,introduced its Today's Gourmet French beanlabel. The upscale label provides consumerswith fresh, easy and fast gourmet meal solu-tions that can be prepared at home. Today'sGourmet French beans are offered in 8-ounceand 1- and 2-pound, clear, microwavable bags.

BIO TURBO 1000 TECHNOLOGYMiatech Inc., Clackamas, OR, launched BioTurbo 1000, an Ethylene and airborne pathogenremoval system designed for use in producestorage areas. The new 4-stage, patent-pendingtechnology eliminates undesired ethylene andairborne bacteria, and it's engineered toenhance profit for produce distribution centersand cut packaging and storage.

Reader Service No. 300 Reader Service No. 301

NEW PRODUCTS



Produce Watch is a regular feature of Produce Business. Please send information on new products, personnel changes, industry, corporate and personal milestones and available literature,along with a color photo, slide or transparency to: Managing Editor, Produce Business, P.O. Box 810425, Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425, or e-mail us at [email protected]

PRODUCEWATCH

HEALTHFUL SMOOTHIESConford Foods Inc., Brockton, MA, introduces SunkistSmart Smoothies, a line of ready-to-drink smoothies inbanana and strawberry with pomegranate extract. Eachpouch contains 3 8-ounce servings with a suggested retailprice of $1.29/pouch. These pouches are available toretailers in 18-pack cases or 108-pack floor shippers.

SUN WORLD REVAMPS IMAGESun World International LLC, Bakersfield, CA,introduced a revitalized logo design that willappear on its packaging, signage, promotionalmaterials and other places featuring the familiarSun World brand. The refreshed logo builds onthe company's legacy as one of the industry'sinnovative suppliers.

AVOCADO HUMMUS BLENDYucatan Foods, Los Angeles, CA, launched CaboFresh Avo-Hummus, a blend of 50 percent avo-cado and 50 percent classic hummus. Offered ina resealable, recyclable tub, Avo-Hummus is oneof seven new Cabo Fresh lifestyle brand prod-ucts, such as Authentic, Mild and OrganicGuacamole, Mild and Medium Salsas and CaboFresh Bruschetta.

NEW PACKAGING FOR SIMPLY SINGLESMann Packing Co., Salinas, CA, introducedits new packaging for its highly successfulSimply Singles whole leaf lettuce items inMay at the 2009 Canadian ProduceMarketing Association. Originally launchedin 2000, the whole leaf lettuce line includesthree varieties in a clamshell with a tamper-evident strip.

SUNNYRIDGE PARTNERSWITH LEDUC BLUEBERRIESSunnyRidge Farm, Winter Haven, FL, part-nered with Leduc Blueberries LLC, Paw Paw,MI, to promote high-quality Michigan blue-berries to their wide range of valued cus-tomers. The new partnership will be calledBlueberryRidge LLC, and will pack under theSunnyRidge Farm label.

NEW BOARD FOR MEXICANHASS AVOCADO IMPORTERSThe Mexican Hass Avocado ImportersAssociation (MHAIA), Irvine, CA, held itsBoard of Directors biennial elections at itsbimonthly meeting in Irvine, CA. Incomingchairman Mike Brown (right) is joined by fel-low officers David Ruiz Vega, GiovanniCavaletto, Alfredo Rodriguez, J. Jesus LopezHerrera, Ed Figueroa, Aureliano Pena Esparzaand Doug Meyer.

SHOLL GROUP II LAUNCHESGREEN GIANT PATIO GRILLERSThe Sholl Group II Inc., the Eden Prairie, MN-based marketer of select Green Giant Freshproduce products, launched Green GiantFresh Patio Grillers, the first national brand tooffer full grill kits complete with fresh pro-duce, chef-inspired sauces and a recyclable,no-mess grill tray. They're available in five fla-vors in the produce section.

CHILEAN BOX SUPPLIER TOEXPAND TO INTERNATIONAL MARKETSEnvases Impresos, a Santiago, Chile-based sup-plier of corrugated boxes for Chilean produceexporters, announced a new strategy to supplyits corrugated carton products to internationalmarkets, including the United States andMexico. Its strategy includes expanding its cus-tomer base and meeting with top importers toimprove the transit of international fruit.

IRI PUTS VOLCANO BURST AT THE TOPDream Foods International LLC, Santa Monica,CA, announced recent statistics from theInformation Resources Inc. that rank itsVolcano Lemon and Lime Burst the No. 1organic squeeze bottles in the nation. DreamFoods credits the flavor profile with creatingvery high brand loyalty to the product.

AWE SUM ORGANICSUNVEILS 2009 ZESPRI KIWIFRUITAwe Sum Organics Inc., Santa Cruz, CA, intro-duced the first arrivals for 2009 of its New CropOrganic Green and Gold Kiwifruit from ZESPRINew Zealand. The company will have continu-ous supply through October. Its freshly harvest-ed kiwifruit are shipped to both coasts direct bywater, which creates a very small transporta-tion carbon footprint.

Reader Service No. 302





GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITYEFFORT LAUNCHED BY BAYERCROPSCIENCE AND UNITEDFRESHBayer CropScience LP, aResearch Triangle Park, NC-based U.S. subsidiary of BayerCropScience AG, based in Monheim, Germany, pre-sented United Fresh Produce Association Researchand Education Foundation with a $1.1 million endow-ment over the next four years to create the Center forGlobal Produce Sustainability.

CONSULTING CONSORTIUM FORMEDA team of eight skilled produce industryprofessionals formed FreshXperts, a con-sulting group that addresses the businessdevelopment, management, marketing,distribution and retail merchandisingneeds of produce companies, their dis-tributors and retailers. Members of theconsortium include Anthony Totta, Ron Pelger, TonyMerola, Mike Nicometo, John Shelford, Tim Vaux,Kenneth B. Hopps and Tony J. Totta.






ANNOUNCEMENTS



Booth #1CHILEAN FRESH FRUITSonoma, CAYear-round availability of a great numberof fresh fruits has encouraged foodser-

vice operators to confident-ly menu many of theseitems. We have availabilitycharts, quality assuranceinformation and a compre-hensive brochure that sug-gests ways fresh fruit can beincorporated into segments.

Booth #2CALIFORNIA ASPARAGUSCOMMISSIONStockton, CAVisit our booth tofind out why Cali-fornia asparagus is a summer favorite!We have a new foodservice usage sug-gestion brochure and a printed selectionof a few of the many foodservice favoriterecipes that are found on our Web site.

Booth #6PRODUCE PRO SOFTWAREWoodridge, ILProduce Pro is a leading, full-service soft-ware solutions provider serving all tem-perature-controlled business types. Weprovide strategic consulting and auniquely customized, fully integratedresource management andaccounting system that supportsand streamlines the Fresh SupplyChain Cycle. We are installed in100 locations in the U.S andCanada and counting.

Booth #7WAYNE E. BAILEY PRODUCE CO.Chadbourn, NCOur company’s goal isto satisfy the customer.We achieve that by sup-plying the most diverse

offering of sweetpotatoes, fromsized potatoes to fingerlings tofresh-cut.

Booth #13TANIMURA & ANTLESalinas, CADiscover Tanimura & Antle’s long-stand-ing commitment to quality, service andinnovation. We continue to innovatenew products, packaging and practicesto provide premium fresh produce. Tan-imura & Antle produces a full line of veg-etables, including Artisan Lettuce, LivingLettuce, Artisan Red Onions, Iceberg,Romaine, Broccoli, Cauliflower, Broc-coflower, and Bell Peppers.

Booth #17PRIMA BELLA PRODUCE INC.Tracy, CAPrima Bella Produce announces GloriAnn Corn Coins perfect for appetizers orkid platters, as well as Glori Ann HandleCorn for amuse-ment parks, zoosand fairs withbuilt-in handle foron-the-go eating.

Booth #39GILLS ONIONS LLCOxnard, CAWidely known as leaders in sustainability,we are excited about the unveiling of ourAdvanced Energy Recovery Project. Afteryears of development, Gills Onions willbe the first onion processing facility toproduce ultra-clean energy on site fromits own waste. Stop by to hear about ourinnovative conservation efforts and seeour quality line of fresh-cut onions.

Booth #54FRESHERIZED FOODSFort Worth, TXFresherized Foods offers the freshest,highest quality avocado and guacamoleproducts. Each package is all-natural withno preservatives and Fresherized — 100percent safe and free of food pathogens.Always Ripe. Always Ready.

Booth #55PRODUCE BUSINESSBoca Raton, FLInitiating industry improvement since1985, PRODUCE BUSINESS is the most wide-

ly distributed publication in theindustry. Exclusively edited forbuyers, it provides a monthlydialogue of marketing, mer-chandising, management andprocurement information thathelps buyers accomplish theindustry’s 9-to-13-A-Day goal.

Booth #56IDAHO POTATO COMMISSIONEagle, IDThe Idaho Potato Commission will behanding our Fresh Shipper guides andpotato variety posters. While Idaho isknown mostly for its popular Russet Bur-bank variety, we also grow several otherRusset varieties, including yellow flesh,fingerlings and redpotatoes.

Booth #64ORCHID ISLANDJUICE CO.Ft. Pierce, FLNatalie’s Orchid Island JuiceCompany is family ownedand operated and has beensqueezing Florida-grown citrus for 20years. The company produces fresh-squeezed, gourmet pasteurized and freshfrozen orange, grapefruit, tangerine,lemon and lime juices, as well as organicorange juice.

Booth #65WEST PAK AVOCADO INC.Temecula, CAWest Pak specializes in sourcing, packingand marketing avocados from California,Mexico and Chile. We offer customripening programs and creative retail andfoodservice promotional and merchan-dising support.

Booth #67YOTTAMARKINC.Redwood City CAHarvestMark, the fresh food traceabilitysolution from YottaMark, is the industry’sfastest growing traceability application.Over 250 million produce items areenabled with HarvestMark codes tospeed response to suspected recallevents and deliver on-demand productinformation throughout the supplychain, all the way to the consumer.

Booth #73HERBTHYME FARMS INC.Compton, CAHerbThyme Farms is America’s largestfresh herb grower and packer shippingfrom regional facilities coast to coast. Wedeliver fresh from our USA farms to you.

Booth #83DEL MONTE FRESHPRODUCE CO.Coral Gables, FLDel Monte Fresh offers foodservice oper-ators an array of innovative solutions toaddress the changing tastes and lifestyleneeds of today’s consumers. Our exten-sive distribution network allows just-in-time deliveries of our premium, qualityand fresh products to your doorstep.

PMA FOODSERVICE CONFERENCE & EXPOSITION REVIEW

Booth #62STEMILT GROWERS INC.Wenatchee, WAStemilt Growers is a leading tree fruitgrower, packer and shipper based inWenatchee, WA. Owned and operatedby the Mathison family, Stemilt is thenation’s leading shipper of sweet cherriesand one of the largestsuppliers of organic treefruits.


Booth #203COLORFUL HARVESTSalinas, CAColorful Harvest grows premium qualityberries and exotic, colorful produce,including strawberries, bushberries, mel-

ons, rainbow crunch carrots,seasonal green beans, orange,purple and green cauliflower,sweet red corn and purple broc-coli, with many packagingoptions for foodservice.

Booth #204SEALD-SWEET INTERNATIONALVero Beach, FLSeald-Sweet proudly celebrates a centuryof service to the produce industry, grow-ing and shipping fresh citrus and otherproduce from the finest growing regionsaround the world.

Booth #205SAMBRAILO PACKAGINGWatsonville, CASambrailo Packaging is a third-genera-tion, family-owned company that hasserved the produce and floral industriessince 1923. With locations in Californiaand Mexico, we have built our reputationon service and quality. Known for ourdesign-to-distributionpackaging innovations,Sambrailo truly does“whatever is best for theproduce.”

Booth #209HASS AVOCADO BOARDIrvine, CAThe Hass Avocado Board(HAB) was established in2002. A 12-member Boardadministers the program. Over20,000 producers and 100importers from California, Chile, Mexico

New Zealand and the DominionRepublic are involved in HAB, whichcovers fresh, domestic and importedHass avocados sold in the U.S. market.

Booth #211MISSION PRODUCE INC.Oxnard, CAMission Produce specializes in providingthe foodservice industry the finest quali-ty avocado, asparagus and high-pressure,processed avocado programs.

Booth #212BONIPAK PRODUCE CO.Santa Maria, CABonipak Produce is a multi-commoditygrower/packer/shipper/processor offresh vegetable products. We supplyboth the retail and foodservice industrieswith high quality and freshness, shippingyear-round from California and Arizona.

Booth #218STEINBECKCOUNTRY PRODUCESalinas, CAStop by to see our beautiful line of col-ored cauliflower and our menu-enhanc-ing baby iceberg lettuce. We also featurea full line of foodservice packs, and arelooking forward to discussing your indi-vidual needs.

Booth #222SILVER CREEK SOFTWAREBoise, ID Account ingsolutions forproduce dis-tribution, processing, inventory, sales,purchasing, traceability and financialmanagement software called Visual Pro-duce. Windows-based for the produceindustry.

Booth #223HOLLANDIA PRODUCE/ LIVE GOURMETCarpinteria, CAHollandia Produce, home of the award-winning Live Gourmet line of hydroponi-cally grown living lettuce, cress and

arugula, invites youto visit us to experi-ence the differencefreshness can make.

Booth #226FAMOUS SOFTWARE LLCFresno, CAFamous Software provides integratedaccounting and management software.Visit us to learn about traceability,COOL, H-2A and B2B solutions yourcompany can implement immediately.World-class training, support, program-ming and consulting are available.

Booth #230ANDREW & WILLIAMSON SALES CO. INC.San Diego, CAAndrew & Williamson represents theLimited Edition brand. Find our vine-ripened tomatoes, pole cucumbers andour sweet strawberries. New this summer:organic California strawberries.

Booth #234PRODUCE CAREERS INC.Arroyo Grande, CAProduce Careers is the food and produceindustry’s premier contingency searchfirm filling jobs with top talent. There areno upfront fees or retainers. We have 60percent job search fulfillment with 75percent of the candidates being non-jobseekers.

Booth #245HMC - THE LUNCH BUNCHKingsburg, CAHMC Farms, grower and shipper ofLunch Bunch grapes — portioned bynature in two- to four-ounce servings —are ready to wash and serve. We alsooffer Grape Escape — two-ounce bagsof grapes off the stem,washed and ready toeat — and ChelseaFarms tree fruit.

Booth #254MELISSA’SLos Angeles, CAKnown for its premi-um flavor varietyproduce, Melissa’swill be showing off seasonal specialities,such as fresh Champagne and Muscatograpes, Sweet Dream peaches, HoneyRoyal nectarines, plumcots, lychees andmore. Some of the newest items includeyear-round pomegranate arils and man-gosteen.

PMA FOODSERVICE CONFERENCE & EXPOSITION REVIEW

Booth #228dPRODUCE MAN SOFTWAREHalf Moon Bay, CAdProduce Man software is the most up-to-date, integrated accounting software forthe industry since 1980. Our programoffers internet order placement, countryof origin labeling (COOL), lot tracking,inventory control, growers accounting,routing, drop shipment, bar code/RFID,consignments and brokers module, just toname a few of its functions.

Booth #257CA LEAFY GREENS PRODUCTSHANDLER MARKETINGAGREEMENT (LGMA)Sacramento, CALGMA members are working collabora-tively to protect public health by reduc-ing potential sources of contamination inCalifornia-grown leafy greens. LGMA-accepted food safety practices are veri-fied through regular and random auditsconducted by USDA-trained governmentinspectors.

Photos courtesy of PMA.COM


To paraphrase tennis great Arthur Ashe(among others) on the topic of success,sustainability is a journey, not a desti-nation. Produce Marketing Associa-tion’s (PMA) recent benchmark indus-

try research on sustainability shows ourmembers’ sustainability journey is wellunderway, and they are making stridestoward becoming more sustainable within thethree Ps: planet, people and prosperity. Theresearch also reveals there is uncertainty overhow to effectively measure the return oninvestment of resources being allocated tomaking sustainable changes. But why is that?

Our industry clearly supports sustainabili-ty — no surprise there, given what we do fora living. Per our research, more than 89 per-cent of respondents — from small companiesto large firms — agreed that it is a priority fortheir organizations, despite the worst finan-cial crisis in decades. However, more than 65percent weren’t sure how to project the ROI oftheir efforts. Less than 30 percent of thosesurveyed could identify a projected break-even date for sustainability investments madeduring the past two to three years.

With the economy forcing industry mem-bers to sharpen their budget pencils, whyaren’t we better analyzing the results of oursustainability efforts? Perhaps, as a numberof respondents told us, operating sustainablyis “just the right thing to do,” no matter thecost. Perhaps we think that sustainability’spayoffs are intangible, or even contrary, tobeing profitable. On the other hand, there isgood evidence that sustainability need notcome at the expense of prosperity. Sustain-ability inherently strengthens businesses, andmany ROI measurements already exist. Thisjourney’s mile markers just need to be moreclearly placed.

If metrics are the issue, then there areplenty of examples to be found of substantialcost savings that are easily measurable. Asone illustration from our own experience,consider PMA’s transition to virtual computerservers. Instead of 18 physical servers eachgenerating heat and consuming electricity, thesame work is now handled by only three

All Aboard The Sustainability Train

servers. This change has resulted in a savingsof $94,000 in hardware costs and almost$12,000 in annual energy costs — and we arereducing our carbon footprint in the process.PMA is already seeing its own sustainabilityROI in reductions in such cost areas as ener-gy, paper, waste disposal, facilities and trans-portation and logistics.

Further, respondents in PMA’s sustainabil-ity research reported their sustainability planswere largely driven by customers. This sug-gests that customer retention could be anappropriate metric of sustainability. (Ourresearch also exposed a “disconnect” betweenour members’ motivations and consumers’motivations; consumers place high value onthe “people” or social issues aspect of sus-tainability, while our survey respondentsmost highly ranked the “planet” or environ-mental aspects.)

At our recent PMA Board of Directorsmeeting, we reviewed and learned from anarray of sustainability initiatives presented byfour of our directors: Miles Reiter of Driscoll’s,who looked at water shortages; PabloBorquez of Campo Pablo Borquez, whofocused on social factors; Rich Dachman ofSysco, who highlighted life-cycle assessmentand distribution efficiency; and Mike Spinaz-zola of Diversified Restaurant System, whogave us a “glimpse under the hood” of Sub-way’s new ECO-Store. The discussion follow-ing these presentations made it clear that sus-tainability is less a trend and more a funda-mental shift in the way most businesses are

now thinking about our planet, our peopleand our long-term prosperity.

Like many of our members, PMA isearly on our sustainability journey, and weare finding there’s much to learn — andmany ways we can help. Within our indus-try, we are creating forums to share our dis-coveries, including this research and ournew sustainability Web page found athttp://www.pma.com/issues/sustainabili-ty.com. We encourage you to add your storyto the dialogue we have started there. Weare also blogging about sustainability onPMA’s new government relations and publicaffairs blog, Field to Fork. You can sign upto receive updates on sustainability andother topics at http://fieldtofork.pma.com.

Externally on our industry’s behalf,PMA is also working to monitor othergroups’ efforts to establish sustainabilitystandards that might impact our industry.We are participating to ensure the industry’sperspective and special needs are consid-ered. This includes our work with the Stew-ardship Index for Specialty Crops, a multi-stakeholder initiative to develop a systemfor measuring sustainable performancethroughout the specialty-crop supply chain.

Sustainability is clearly an initiative thatis here to stay. If you’re in that 11 percentthat doesn’t consider sustainability a priori-ty, it’s time to get on board. If you’realready down the path, then we hope youwill join the conversation. We are lookingforward to traveling this path with you.

There is good evidence that sustainability need not come at the expense of prosperity.

http://www.pma.com/issues/sustainabili-ty.com



http://fieldtofork.pma.com


because in the United States, people are eligi-ble for Medicaid, food stamps, subsidizedhousing, etc. If a community doesn’t haveclean water, a U.S. grower may be moreinclined to call up the County Health Depart-ment than to do what Pablo did, which isbring clean water to the community on hisown dime.

Miles Reiter of Driscoll’s would be the firstto acknowledge that he was speaking of thewater problem in one particular valley, andwhat was the right course in that valley maynot work elsewhere.

So although there are many metrics thatcan be used in sustainability, they are mostlyuseful on a self-assessment basis to judgehow one is proceeding along the journey. Ifbig buyers start to use these metrics asrequirements — use less than X amount ofwater per pound of a particular produce itemproduced — useful tools will lose theirnuance and the orders from buyers will nei-ther take into account the tradeoffs from dif-ferent spheres of sustainability nor the indi-vidualistic situation of each company andlocation.

The search for an ROI in sustainability isnatural, but it implies a kind of alienation ofsustainability from the rest of the businessenterprise, which doesn’t really make sense.Sustainability should be integrated with theefforts a business makes and its ROI flowsthrough all those efforts as greater attentionis paid to the broader, long-term implicationsof every decision.

If you go to the United Kingdom, wheresustainability has been a hot issue farlonger than it has been in the UnitedStates, and you ask produce supplierswhat sustainability means, they’ll most

likely laugh at you. They will explain thateach big supermarket chain has its own pro-gram and that the key issue is simply confor-mance with whatever that customer wants.

In this sense, sustainability is just anotherburden, another requirement dictated by thebuying community.

It is a shame that sustainability shouldcome to be so uninspiring, but probablyinevitable, as the need for customers is sooverwhelmingly important that in order towin business, most vendors will gladly putaside such academic debates as to the correctdefinition of a term.

Besides, sustainability is by definition agood thing. Would anyone say, “No, I wish todo unsustainable things,” and make anysense? So, very often the things that seem tobe “no-brainers” in practicing sustainabilityare resisted for very good reasons.

It is satisfying to read about PMA’s newservers and the energy they save. Yet anotheroperation, perhaps without cash or credit tobuy new servers, may stick with the old ener-gy hogs because, until something changes,that is its way to stay in business or, putanother way, to sustain its business. So pass-ing judgments about others is a tricky wicketwhen it comes to sustainability, because theexact same action, taken by two differentplayers, can have quite different results.

Defining sustainability is a double chal-lenge. First, because sustainability tradition-ally involves three spheres — the social, theeconomic and the environmental — a defini-tion is elusive because there is no obviousway to trade off between these responsibili-ties. If one company elects to invest moneyin, say, solar power, but doing so provides alower return on capital than some otherinvestment and thus, will lead to slowergrowth with fewer jobs produced, is that deci-sion more or less sustainable than that of acompany that made the opposite choice?

What if one grower goes fallow every fewyears to save water, but that means lowerproduction over a multi-year cycle so that itresults in higher food costs for consumers? Isthat more or less sustainable?

Just balancing — or choosing — betweenthe three pillars of sustainability would makedefinitions difficult. Then, add to it that eachorganization has its own imperatives thatchange the balance between these items, andone sees the virtual impossibility — and thegreat danger — of “top down” sustainabilitybeing dictated by buyers.

I was with Bryan at the PMA Board Meet-ing and had the opportunity to hear the trulyinspiring stories that he recounts in his col-umn. Yet we would also submit that the sto-ries show how any broad-based standard isbound to fail as each story grew out of a par-ticular situation. To give two examples:

Pablo Borquez of Campo Pablo Borquezdid, as Bryan indicated, focus on social fac-tors. It was such an uplifting story of helpingto raise up his employees and serve his com-munity that one wanted to rush and give hima medal.

We realize that not every Mexican growerwould think in such an ennobling fashion, sowe wish to take nothing away from Pablo.Yet, surely, those decisions to emphasize thesocial sphere in that way grow out of the factthat he is a Mexican-based grower and thepublic support system is thin in Mexico.

In the United States, an equally kindheart-ed grower might take different actions

Search For Sustainability ROI Elusive

Measurement must take intoaccount the tradeoffs from dif-ferent spheres of sustainability.


PB: Tell us about your new, easy-open packaging, its evolution and howit fits into the overall marketing strate-gies of the company.

Reed: Over the past year and halfwe’ve done a tremendous amount ofresearch, keenly studying the category andconsumers, delving into their lifestyles,learning what frustrates and delights themto jumpstart the category.

We also did a lot of packaging research.The biggest complaint voiced by half ofbagged salad customers surveyed was frus-tration at not being able to open the bag.

PB: In addressing logistical prob-lems with opening the bag, how didyou resolve the technological challengesassociated with maintaining product freshness? Does thenew packaging impact lettuce quality and shelf-life?

Reed: We’ve worked with our suppliers over the past year toimplement this change. It’s a complex technology issue because ofthe breathability factor and scientific characteristics of the film.Our team finally made a breakthrough to develop a new pinch-and-pull technology that allows one to easily and effortlessly openthe bag. It doesn’t impact shelf-life at all.

PB: How complicated is it to change over to the new bag?Is it a similar manufacturing process?

Reed: It took a lot of retooling in our factories to run the newline because it is a different type of bag. It has involved a largeinvestment in equipment changes and process overall.

PB: Has Dole made the commitment to a full-scalelaunch? How many different products in the bagged saladcategory will house the new packaging?

Reed: We’re now rolling the technology across all our lines inthe packaged salad category, covering four plants!

PB: Wow! Could you provide some numbers for perspec-tive? How many varieties are there? What is the scope ofyour production?

Reed: We have about 45 different types of bagged salad prod-ucts. Right now, they’re going to be rolled out starting with the

blends and kits. We’re still working on ourclassic iceberg-based salads, which have adifferent film and therefore, additionalchallenges to overcome.

PB: Do you envision this technolog-ical advancement could transform amature category or at least drive a sub-stantial lift in category sales?

Reed: It’s a big problem when peoplecan’t open the packages. We followed con-sumers in their homes to observe theminteracting with products and building sal-ads. Watching them try to open the bag,some would pull and pull and then, thebag would explode sending lettuce flyingeverywhere. People would open the film

with their teeth, while others became aggra-vated as they searched for a pair of scissors. Clearly, this exerciseidentified a window of opportunity.

PB: Has the bagged salad category become staid? If so,what factors have come into play? Did you glean anyanswers through your consumer research?

Reed: The category has been declining very slightly over thepast four years, which is not good. Consumers say they are eatingmore packaged salads by far — 55 percent of consumers think theyare eating more bagged salads, 37 percent about the same, and 7percent less often. That is coming from our September 2008 con-sumer attitudes and usage study, focusing on value-added prod-ucts. It was conducted by a specialized, independent researchcompany. Consumers only fantasize that they’re eating a lot moresalads in line with the trends toward nutrition and health.

However, if you look at IRI trends, excluding Wal-Mart and theClubs, the bagged salad category was down 4 percent in 2006, flatin 2007, down 3 percent in 2008, and down 3 percent year-to-date.Someone needs to step in and turn this category around, and thisis one of many initiatives at Dole.

PB: How does this packaging invention fit within DoleFresh Vegetables’ strategic goals, and in a broader sense,chairman David Murdoch’s health and nutrition initiativesand company vision?

Reed: About a year ago, we brought in a whole new manage-

Q & A

Dole Veg Launches Easy-Open Salad Packaging

RONDA REED, MARKETING DIRECTOR FOR DOLE FRESH VEGETABLES, BASED IN MONTEREY, CA, DISCUSSES THE MARKETING EFFORTS BEHIND DOLE’S NEW, EASY-OPEN BAGGED SALAD VARIETIES.

BY MIRA SLOTT

Ronda Reed, marketing director

Reader Service # 2

http://www.unitedfresh.org


ment team, many with ConAgra Foods backgrounds and a wel-comed consumer-centric mindset. The team is skilled in discover-ing what consumers really want. This has been lacking for quitesome time; the category has been treated as a commodity for toolong. We are trying to change our whole positioning to the con-sumer, almost like a re-launch of our brand. It’s beyond a simplesalad packaging change.

Overall, Dole promotes Mr. Murdoch’s vision. We are definitelylistening to what he has to say, and we’re constantly working onways to satisfy his vision. He wants people to eat healthy andeverything we do reflects this goal. This means we must reallyconnect with our consumers again and become a more meaning-ful partner in their lives.

PB: In this quest, how will you market and merchandisethe new packaging? What types of customers are you target-ing? Are you primarily looking to invigorate the disheart-ened heavy-user base, generate new bagged salad eaters anddevelop a few niches? What is the strategy?

Reed: Our marketing efforts stem from taking a good look atconsumers and segmentation studies. In this way, we’ve identifiedthe group we’re going to be targeting the pinch-and-pull, easy-openconcept. This group tends to be very creative and enjoys the inter-active experience of building an imaginative salad by adding avariety of ingredients. The one thing they don’t want to be is frus-trated at the start of this process. Marketing efforts coming outlater in the year focus on helping consumers play and create andhave fun with this category.

PB: It is interesting that you describe the bagged saladconsumer as a gourmand. I imagine a true food connoisseuras shying away from the prepackaged bags in favor of pick-ing their own bunches of fresh, misted greens. I thoughtbagged salads catered more to harried mothers relishing inthe convenience, or younger generations that never learnedhow to cook!

Reed: It depends on the segment. We find bagged salad cus-tomers are very sophisticated in what they do, pretty much almostgourmet. They do appreciate the convenience, but what drives

them are the blends they can’t easily put together by themselves.They don’t want to have to buy seven different lettuces. They viewthe lettuces as a base to start their creativity, rather than having tospend time buying all the lettuce varieties. They find the creativeaspect more about the things they can add to the salad, such ascrumbled blue cheese — the visual, the smell and the taste of it isthe big deal.

PB: So there’s excellent cross-merchandising potential inthis scenario.

Reed: Yes. Our marketing strategy can also boost the rest of theproduce department. When people buy a salad, they purchasemushrooms, carrots, croutons, dressing, etc. If we can stimulatepeople to increase frequency and tap into this creative drive, it willboost produce sales throughout the department.

PB: It’s nice that you’re injecting new life into the catego-ry. Could the economic downturn be impacting value-addeditems such as bagged salads?

Reed: As far as the economic decline, a lot of categories aredown as people pull back. They are forced to make choices. Somethings are just very important to consumers, and even when eco-nomic troubles arise, they will continue to buy certain items.

PB: Does that theory also apply to Dole’s creative baggedsalad customers?

Reed: People we are focused on are very committed to this cat-egory. It’s not a penetration problem; percentage of householdsbuying is not the issue. It’s the frequency at which they are buy-ing. People generally know when they open the bag they need touse it in the next few days. We are looking at ways to extend shelflife. At the same time, we must increase frequency of use.

Sixty percent of volume comes from people who buy the cate-gory every two weeks or more frequently. We have a huge numberof heavy users; that is why only 23 percent of the people buy 60percent of the salads, according to IRI Panel Data. When you havea hardcore consumer group, you want to alleviate the major prob-lem they are having with your product — they can’t get the sillybag open!

PB: When can your hardcore customers begin to get reliefby way of your new products?

Reed: The first couple of varieties will be coming out in Julyand we’ll start rolling out the rest of the line from there. We’ll haveeverything out by third quarter of this year.

PB: Dole certainly has ambitious goals, but this soundslike an exciting time. Could you share your perspective onthe changes that are taking place?

Reed: I’ve been at the company for 14 years, having spent timein all of the divisions. I started my career with packaged foods, didsome foodservice work for a few years, then moved into the freshfruit division, and now I’m in fresh vegetables. It’s a fun time to beat Dole. I know everyone in the different divisions, and we arepulling everyone together to share in the same vision, bringing Mr.Murdoch’s vision to life. I don’t know of another company morepositioned to help consumers make better choices and eat right,but make it fun and tasty.

PB: Will you be extrapolating this packaging concept toother product categories? What other projects do you havein the pipeline that could pique our readers’ interest?

Reed: It’s too early to discuss other projects underway, but Ican assure you this packaging innovation is just the start of manyexciting things to come. pb

Dole’s rollout of its newpackaging begins in July.


UNDERFORTY

40

Chad Amaral, 35Director Of Sales DevelopmentD’Arrigo Bros. Co. of CASalinas, CA

Amaral began working for D’Arrigo in thecompany’s cooler, and through the years he hasrisen to his current position where he jointly runsthe sales office and works to analyze all businessdealings to ensure the most effective sales and

new customer decisions are being made. He is known as being an extreme-ly hard worker and a pleasure to do business with. He volunteers his timesix months out of the year to coach a local high school basketball teamand gives back to younger children as assistant coach of a local LittleLeague team.

Amaral is inspired by the opportunities the industry offers on a dailybasis. “Every day is different from the prior, and as a result, a new set ofchallenges or opportunities must be addressed,” he reveals. “I enjoy thechallenges this constantly changing environment provides. It forces one toget out of a comfort zone of thought and activity and be a problem solver.”

His future goal within the industry is to gain as much knowledge as hecan. “If I can better understand the growing side, the procurement side andfinally, the end user landscape, decisions I make or thought processes Idevelop will not be narrow in scope, but rather, done in a manner thattakes all sides into consideration,” he reports. “I believe all sides want to

know about the challenges or processes of the other, but there simply isnot enough impetus. If all parties can better communicate, in the end,everyone can achieve success.”

He notes the opportune aspect of the produce industry in beingexposed to many different people of various backgrounds. “Besides thework ethic I learned during my upbringing, I am fortunate in that a lot ofwho I am today as a professional is a result of the people I have beenexposed to at D’Arrigo over the last 11 years,” he says. “It has been a bless-ing to have been able to work with the likes of Andy, Margaret and JohnD’Arrigo, Steve de Lorimier and Jim Mannassero. I believe I have some ofthe best sources to learn from on a daily basis.”

Matt Amaral, 35Sales/Product Development ManagerD’Arrigo Bros. Co. of CaliforniaSalinas, CA

Amaral started in the produce industry inDecember 1996, with Fresh Express, where heworked in the New Product Development Groupand assisted in developing business plans for newproduct launches. In November 2008, he moved

to the Raw Product Procurement Group, where he was responsible forprocuring commodities, which included romaine and iceberg. In June2000, he became part of the sales team at D’Arrigo. With a diverse cus-tomer base, ranging from retailers to foodservice distributors to club stores,

Winners of our fifth annual 40-Under-FortyAwards Program should be truly honoredbecause they were chosen by their fellowindustry mentors. PRODUCE BUSINESS conduct-ed an extensive, widespread search throughout

the industry to elicit nominations for top young industryleaders under the age of 40. The search involved communica-tion with thousands of executives, consultants, associationsand universities.

This year’s winners are exemplified by an outstandingarray of community involvement. They have demonstratedan extremely high degree of giving back to the people andplaces that have helped them reach their current positions.

We had far more nominations than we could use. Individ-ual candidates were contacted to highlight their key compa-ny, industry and community accomplishments, sharingmeaningful examples of how they have been leaders in theindustry, as well as their goals and aspirations.

If you were not chosen this year or if you nominatedsomeone who was not selected, please understand that theprocess was highly competitive, and we encourage you to re-submit updated nominations for next year’s competition. Weencourage everyone to alert PRODUCE BUSINESS of well-deserv-ing candidates and to help praise and support future producemovers and shakers as we look forward to honoring 40-Under-Forty leaders in 2010.

PROFILES BY JODEAN ROBBINS


he has obtained invaluable knowledge of the inner-workings of eachbusiness segment. In 2008, he was given additional responsibilitiesof developing new products and creating new, efficient processes for cur-rent business.

In his new position, he has successfully launched new items, such asColossal Romaine Hearts and Romaine Baby SweetHearts. He has alsointroduced RPCs to the company and successfully implemented a PlasticPallet program, which has assisted in greening the company. On an indus-try level, he was part of the group that formulated and introduced theCountry of Origin Labeling (COOL) Program and is currently working onthe Produce Traceability Initiative. In the community, he is an assistantcoach for a high school basketball team.

Amaral enjoys that every day there is something new happening in theindustry. “From a sales perspective, I am always trying to tap into what mycustomers’ need and want,” he says. “Being part of the COOL Program andnow the Produce Traceability Initiative, I see the industry as a whole isheading into a new frontier. Unlike anytime in the past, technology andaccountability are playing a huge role everyday in our industry. I am excit-ed about being part of a group that is working on being able to move ourindustry forward and assisting in helping it solidify itself as one of thesafest industries in the world.”

Many different people have acted as mentors to Amaral during hiscareer. “I am a person that sets out my goals and then looks at people whowere successful in obtaining similar types of goals,” he says. “I look at howthey managed their career paths to achieve their goals. It always amazes mehow many different paths people take. In looking at their career paths, I tryto pick out certain aspects that I believe will assist me in obtaining mygoals. I try to take a piece from many different successful people with thehopes that I will one day be as successful as they have been within the pro-duce industry.”

Erin Hanas Archey, 28Economic AnalystA. Duda & Sons Inc.Oviedo, FL

Archey is known for her ability to look at situ-ations from various perspectives and better relateto the parties involved. In her short career, shehas stepped right into leadership positions. Shebegan leadership involvement when she was

elected to the Seminole County Farm Bureau Board of Directors and soonexpanded her participation when appointed to the Young Farmer andRancher Leadership Committee. She is involved in Florida Farm Bureau’sState Advisory Committees on Labor and Trade, charged with formulatingpolicies voted on by Florida Farm Bureau’s State Board of Directors.

Archey helps coordinate Duda’s governmental affairs program andtakes yearly trips to visit with state and federal delegations. “It amazes methat so many of them have the wrong perception of what we do as anindustry,” she notes. “When you take the time to educate them on ourlabor practices, our environmental stewardship programs and the greatlengths we go to in order to provide safe and healthy products, youempower them to make better decisions on behalf of our industry.”

She was appointed in 2007 to serve on the Board of Directors for Flori-da’s Future Farmers of America Foundation (FFA). Her participation onthis Board has been a true learning experience exposing her to the chal-lenges of the future. “The young children of our country are moving awayfrom agriculture, particularly production agriculture,” she reports. “As anorganization, we have to push to keep involvement levels high and ouryounger generations interested.”

She graduated from the United Fresh Produce Association class 13 ofthe 2007-2008 Produce Industry Leadership Program. Beyond these orga-nizations, she is also involved in her local community. At her church, she

co-founded a Young Adults bible study group and in April 2009, shewas elected to St. Luke’s Lutheran School’s School Board for a three-

year term. Her inspiration comes from the simple fact that our products feed the

world. “Our products are fundamental to health and essential to survivalfor every person on this planet,” she says. “However, with this comes enor-mous responsibility to create a safer and more abundant food supply.Unfortunately, our industry has to overcome the misconceptions so preva-lent within the general public surrounding our labor practices, the safety ofour produce and our impact on the environment. The challenge is to edu-cate the public to overcome these misconceptions.”

Her passion is her family’s company, A. Duda & Sons, Inc. “Over thepast 80 years, the company has evolved and diversified into an organiza-tion producing a number of food and beverage products in a number ofstates across the country.” she notes. “Ever since I was a young girl, workingsummers at Duda, I’ve had a life-long goal to help lead and grow the com-pany for future generations. Inherent in this is a strong desire to increaseawareness and perpetuate the produce industry through continuedinvolvement in various organizations, thereby keeping agriculture aliveand thriving in this country.”

She names Ferdinand Duda, Sr., her grandfather, as one of her greatestinfluences. “Although my grandfather passed away many years before Icould work alongside him, he left a lasting impression on both the compa-ny and myself,” she says. “Known for his genuine kindness and enduringfaith in the Lord, Ferdinand led by example and knew the importance ofteamwork. He was an innovative thinker who constantly looked into thefuture to find new ways to improve a process and to grow the organization,yet he also enjoyed getting his hands dirty. He was as much involved atchurch as he was at work. Ferdinand demanded a presence when he wasin the room but it was not forced; he was a natural leader.”

Michael Castagnetto, 32Director of Operations Foodsource, a C.H. Robinson CompanyEden Prairie, MN

Castagnetto started with Foodsource in 1998as a buyer and joined the management team in2001, becoming the director of operations in2003. Since 1998, the company has grown from astartup to an established industry leader with

operations in organics, procurement management for both retail and food-service customers, consolidation services, grower/shipper operations andtransportation services within the C.H. Robinson produce division. Castag-netto developed, opened and currently manages the Nogales division,which began in September 2005, and has grown to a $20 million dollar

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“Our products are fundamental tohealth and essential to survival forevery person on this planet. How-

ever, with this comes enormousresponsibility to create a safer and

more abundant food supply.”

— Erin Hanas ArcheyA. Duda & Sons Inc.

sales organization within Foodsource. He took over management ofthe Foodsource Texas division in the spring of 2005 and managedthe growth of the division from $30 million in sales in 2005 to approxi-mately $50 million in sales in 2008. He currently co-manages the foodser-vice division at Foodsource with Joe Merenda. The two worked hand-in-hand in establishing the foodservice division as a major aspect of the com-pany. Since the division was opened in 2003, it has grown to sales of over$100 million in 2008.

For the past 10 years, Castagnetto has coached high school football inSalinas, CA. He is currently the chairperson for the Madonna Del SassoCatholic School annual fundraising event, which raised over $25,000 thisyear for the school and parish. He also coaches his daughter’s youth bas-ketball team and his son’s youth sports league.

He is inspired and challenged by his work at Foodsource. “We are acompany that is driven by an entrepreneurial spirit, allowing each personto pursue creative ideas and business concepts,” he explains. “Within thisenvironment, we are inspired and challenged on a daily basis to continueto expand the company, while at the same time pass this spirit on to ouryounger employees.”

His future goals within the produce industry include the continuedevolution of the company’s role as a vertically integrated service partner tocustomers, while simultaneously identifying opportunities to pursueexpansion into the global economy. “The produce industry operates on aglobal scale, with very few companies able to provide multiple levels ofsupport and services at each level of the vertical transaction,” he says.“Working at Foodsource, and as a part of C.H. Robinson, we have theopportunity to accomplish this, and I would like to operate at the front ofthis project.”

His primary mentor through his 11 years in the industry has been TomMinnich. “Tom’s ability and strategy of identifying current trends and notonly identifying how to utilize these trends to better service our customers,but also to identify where these trends will lead, has helped me broadenmy thought processes, remain open to new concepts and strategies andpursue a work ethic that continues to drive opportunities at Foodsource.”

Jeff Church, 37Sales / PartnerChurch Brothers LLCSalinas, CA

While Church has accomplished many thingsindividually, he is most proud of what his com-pany has accomplished as a team. He was a keymember in the startup and building of ChurchBrothers, which in four years has grown into a

company with annual sales in excess of $160 million. As a member of theexecutive team, he assisted in accomplishing this through working witheach division of the company.

Church notes the value of working alongside his younger brother whoheads field production. “I am especially proud of the work I have donewith him that has helped to keep field ops and sales on the same page.”

He enjoys coming to work and not being able to predict the future. “Weconstantly face factors that work against us,” he notes. “We constantly haveto manage unpredictable factors along with our customers’ expectations,which include product quality, food safety, sustainability, value, transporta-tion and consolidation. All the while, we need to make it look easy. In myopinion, it is critical for us to become as vertically integrated as possible.The more we can do and control ourselves, the better we can service theneeds of our customers. Meeting or exceeding these requirements is whatinspires me every day.”

Church hopes to continue his involvement in the movement thatteaches youth to make more healthful food choices. Church Brothers haspartnered with Disney Garden to help promote this cause. “I know when I

bring sample packages home, my girls love the Disney charactersand enjoy the eating experience,” he reveals. “My older brother, Tim

Church MD. PHD., has also given me a unique perspective on the healthof America.”

His dad, Tom, and uncle, Steve Church, are his mentors in the produceindustry. “They have both worked in produce all of their lives and I feelfortunate to have been able to work under them since I was 15 years old,”he says. “My dad has shown me how important it is to be innovative, cre-ative and passionate in this business. My uncle Steve, on the other hand,has shown me how important it is to understand all sectors of our busi-ness and make them work together to accomplish team goals. And moreimportantly, both of them have demonstrated that taking care of cus-tomers and employees and making ethical decisions is the best way to runa successful, long-term business. Other mentors that come to mind areClem Richardson from Church Brothers, Dave Peterson from Kingstonand Mark Jewell from Club Chef.”

Edgar “Eddie” Condes, 38Regional Sales ManagerEurofresh FarmsWilcox, AZ

Of his nearly 17 years in the produce industry,Condes has spent almost 14 of them withEurofresh. He broke into the produce industry asQA/QC for Safeway Stores’ Nogales Produce Buyingoffice in 1993. This experience laid the foundationfor his produce career.

Upon his arrival at Eurofresh in October of 1995, the company had 20acres of glass greenhouses, sales of almost $5 million and a customer baseprimarily made up of wholesale accounts. After 14 years, Eurofresh nowproduces fruit in 318 acres of its greenhouses, markets fruit from an addi-tional 500 acres, has sales in the range of $170 million and boasts a cus-tomer base comprised almost exclusively of retail supermarket chains.Condes has helped transition the customer base from wholesale to retaildirect and diversify the product line, as well as integrate a category manage-ment program for some of Eurofresh’s key retail customers.

He has also helped drive strong retail sales of greenhouse products viacategory growth/category management programs, most notably tomatoeson the vine, which are now the number one subcategory within tomatoesacross the country. He is a committee member of The United Way BorderShootout golf tournament for over 10 years running, the largest single con-tributor to the Santa Cruz County United Way. He is also a coach with theSanta Cruz County Storm Football League, which is a chapter of the Ameri-can Youth Football League.

Condes discloses the most challenging and inspiring facet of the indus-try is bridging the gap between supply and retail. “For so many years, therehas been a disconnect between the farmers and retailers whom we rely onto deliver our goods to the consumer,” he says. “Now, more than everbefore, direct relationships are being forged, allowing for improved flow ofinformation from the farm, or in my case the greenhouse to retail sector.This dialogue is crucial to the continued success of the industry for manyyears to come.”

Condes hopes to further educate himself on the challenges that retailpartners are facing and how suppliers can help improve their business. “Iwant to look at things like continued migration of existing relationshipsfrom a buy-sell transactional position to a much more integrated one andwhere we contribute to each other’s organizational issues via structuredcategory management programs,” he notes. “Long term goals would thenbe the creation of a platform where I could further develop the categorymanagement program with accounts both nationally and internationally.The continued success of our industry is contingent on improved commu-nication and planning between growers and retailers.”


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He admits his mentors in the industry are numerous, but identifiesthree people who have played significant roles in his development asan individual. His first mentor is his mother, Paula Condes, currently onthe sales desk at Rene Produce. “She educated me on the ‘ins and outs’ ofsales in the produce industry,” he says. “At the time, she was one of the firstwomen on the sales desk in Nogales, when the entire industry was domi-nated by men. My father, Edgar Condes, currently on the sales desk at TheSykes Company, played an integral role as well. He instilled in me thementality that the things you have to work hardest for are the things thatare the most worthwhile.”

His third mentor is his late father-in-law, Edward “Eddie” Stoller, a manwith almost 50 years experience in the industry. “During our many conver-sations, he educated me on the evolution of our industry dating back tohand-stacked crates on rail cars from Mexico, which helped me put somuch into perspective,” he says. “During his tenure as president of what isnow known as the Fresh Produce Association of Americas, he spent manydays on Capitol Hill testifying in front of Congress on behalf of tomatogrowers in Mexico. His message was always strong: integrity is everythingin this business, and the friendships you forge will last a lifetime.”

Kasey Cronquist, 31Executive Director AmbassadorCalifornia Cut Flower Commission (CCFC)Sacramento, CA

Cronquist was the first to hold the position ofExecutive Director/Ambassador with the reorga-nized CCFC. In assuming the leadership role, hisprimary goal was to reach out to all of the state’sgrowers, determine industry priorities and then

develop cutting edge programs to meet industry needs. He has workeddiligently to rejuvenate grower involvement through personal outreach,modern communication and effective programming. He conducted aCCFC economic study to establish and highlight the economic impact ofthe Cut Flower Industry in California and held the first ever annual,statewide meetings for the Cut Flower Commission, inviting all 275 grow-ers to regional meetings to highlight what the Commission is doing forthem. He established an online California Cut Flower supplier database tohelp growers better connect with buyers and consumers.

He led the first delegation of California cut flower growers to Colombiaand recently completed the reverse trip with Colombian growers in aneffort to better understand each country’s strength and opportunities with-in the floral industry. It was also an effort to identify where California andColombian growers can work together to improve the future of the indus-try and increase flower consumption. Additionally, he organized the for-mation of the Commission’s “New Model Development Task Force Com-mittee,” which is focused strictly on improving the industry’s overall trans-portation system by reducing rural truck traffic, reducing less-than-trailer-load shipments, centralizing the industry’s shipping volume, reducing theindustry’s overall carbon footprint and reducing cube rates out of Califor-nia for flowers.

Cronquist has worked closely with the Commission’s marketing andpromotion committee in an effort to develop a strategic, three-year planfor communicating on behalf of the California cut flower grower whilebranding California as America’s best source for high quality cut flowers.He serves on the board of California Grown, an integral part of the CutFlower industry branding and leading identifier for country of origin.Recently, he was appointed to the U.S. Chamber Institute’s Board ofRegents, a 4-year program that helps fellow executives become certified inassociation management.

He is a past chair and current online chair for the Carpinteria Relay forLife, a great opportunity to raise awareness and funds for Cancer research.He currently serves as a Katherine Harvey Fellow for the Santa Barbara

Foundation, a select group of young professionals that spend almosttwo years working together and participating with the Santa Barbara

Foundation to learn more about community needs and philanthropicgiving.

He states his future goal is to get consumers asking retailers for Ameri-ca’s freshest and highest quality cut flowers. “I want them to ask for Cali-fornia Grown flowers,” he says. “Through a highly strategic and focusedcampaign, as a Commission, I want to demonstrate the physical healthand environmental sustainability benefits of California Grown flowers.

Cronquist’s horticultural mentors include Dan Vordale of OceanviewFlowers, headquartered in Lompoc, CA, and Chris Zanabini of the Califor-nia Grain and Feed Association in Sacramento, CA. “Dan’s even-handedapproach and fairness-first attitude for industry business has been aninspiring voice of reason both in the Commission’s boardroom and as per-sonal counsel,” he says. “Chris has been a tremendous resource for me as anewcomer to Sacramento politics, California Agriculture policy and Com-mission Management.”

David Cruz, 35Marketing Development ManagerCalifornia Avocado Commission (CAC)Irvine, CA

As of this June, Cruz will celebrate 18 yearsworking with the CAC. During this time, he hasworked his way from shipping clerk into thecraftsman behind the commission’s merchandis-ing programs. He is described as passionate, dedi-

cated and enthusiastic and is quick to acknowledge the great people andteams who have worked with him to achieve the things for which he iscredited.

Cruz has been instrumental in the workings of the RipeScan program,formerly known as RipeMax, which began as a CAC program, but has nowtransitioned to the Hass Avocado Board. He is responsible for compilingthe reports and data presented to retailers and has entirely managed thisprogram for the past five years. He was also involved in the prep work forthe Avocado Display Bins program, from creation, to print, to testing, tosecuring a vendor and all logistics in getting them distributed to retailersacross the nation who ordered them. The bins were so popular last yearthat CAC is printing more for this year, and he has once again beeninvolved in the entire process.

His inspiration comes from the people he works with and the respecthe has for them, especially upper-management. “I have found that workingwith great people and seeing their commitment to our business just solidi-

fies my passion and dedication obtained throughout the years,” heexplains. “Seeing them in action and witnessing what they have accom-plished truly inspires me. The challenges have come from management,knowing what I am capable of, testing me each year with increased respon-

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“I have found that working withgreat people and seeing their

commitment to our business just soldifies my passion and

dedication obtained throughoutthe years.”

— David CruzCalifornia Avocado Commission

Reader Service # 72

http://www.oceanmist.com


sibilities and providing me with opportunities to gain experience inareas I have not dealt with before.

He notes his biggest mentor is Jan DeLyser, vice president of marketingfor CAC, with whom he’s worked with over the past 10 years. “She hasbeen a great person and an exceptional role model,” he remarks. “She hasalways been there for me, whether it be giving me advice on work situa-tions to even support on personal matters — anything that would help mebecome better at what I do. I have developed a great relationship with herand I try to learn as much as I can from her. She has been key to my devel-opment into the person that I am today and the main reason why I lovewhat I do.”

Other mentors include the leadership throughout the years at CAC, aswell as Dave Howald, and Connie Stukenberg, retail marketing directors.“With them calling on retailers and all their years of produce experience, Ihave always looked up to them for any insight, answers, advice or supportwhen needed,” he says.

Sarah DePeters, 29Produce BuyerWegman’s Food Markets Inc.Rochester, NY

As part of the Wegman’s team, DePeters’ great-est priority is striving to be the best at serving theneeds of her customers. Her biggest accomplish-ment has been working to meet that goal day inand day out. Her main priority is to keep the days

of freshness down in the warehouse and to constantly be aware of what isshipping to the stores. She recently had the opportunity to serve as a mem-ber on a store opening team. “This is a great experience because it really isan exciting event at Wegman’s and allows us to shine for our customers,”she explains. “You really feel a sense a pride when the store opens for thefirst time and you know you were a part of that.”

DePeters has also had the opportunity to lead Wegman’s employees ontrips to visit their partners in California. Her responsibilities include train-ing new buyers, which presents a great opportunity for her to help developfuture buyers and to pass on the high standards that her department strivesto meet.

She is a member of the United Way Young leaders group and volun-teers as a lacrosse coach in the summer for middle school girls. In the fall,she coaches at the varsity level at an area high school.

Some of DePeters most inspirational moments have come from theopportunities that she has had to travel to visit different business partners.“Having the chance to take trips to visit our partners really gave me anappreciation of the hard work that goes into getting produce to retail,” shesays. “Hearing our suppliers’ stories, challenges and goals strengthens ourpartnerships and pushes me to work harder to represent Wegman’s andour partners to the best of my ability. It is truly inspirational to walk a fieldwith growers and begin to understand on a small level the work they putinto their product. It reinforces my passion to provide quality produce toour customers.”

She names one of her biggest challenges as trying to never disappointcustomers or produce managers with service issues. “Often during the yearwe may not be able to get an item, or something may come into the ware-house of questionable quality that will cause us to cross an item for a dayor two,” she explains. “It is hard to deny the customer and our stores thatitem, but we know they will be even more disappointed if they get an itemof lesser quality. The challenge is communicating to our stores and cus-tomers why something is not available because of seasonality or quality.”

Her future goals include pursuing a career at Wegman’s as a categorymerchant. “My daily routine encourages me and positions me at a closeworking relationship with the merchant,” she notes. “Having had theopportunity to shadow them during their daily routines has definitely reaf-

firmed my interest in pursuing a career as a category merchant. Work-ing on category plans, pricing, promotions and sourcing unique prod-

ucts for our customers is something I am looking forward to managing ona desk of my own.

Her biggest mentor is her father, Jack DePeters, senior vice president ofstore operations for Wegman’s. He has been with the company for over 40years. “Although he is not directly associated with produce, I have tried totake in as much as possible from him about customer service and the retailindustry in general,” she says. “In our produce office, I have a uniqueopportunity to work with a knowledgeable cast of category merchants andI would be remiss not to mention them as they have done so much to helpdevelop my career. All of our produce merchants have decades of servicewith Wegman’s and have spent time in the stores, as well as other areas ofthe company making them great resources with extensive backgrounds inWegman’s. They work hard to develop the younger members of the depart-ment and are always passionate about their work.”

Jeff Fulton, 37Director of Commodity Sales Dole Fresh Vegetables Inc. Monterey, CA

Fulton has 14 years with Dole Vegetable invarious roles, including sales coordinator, districtsales manager, product specialist and director ofsales under his belt. He is a motivational leaderin the office and is responsible for maintaining

the existing customer base, as well as new customer development. He is aDale Carnegie graduate.

Fulton has sat on the Ag Against Hunger Board of Directors for fiveyears, and spent the past two years as first vice president.

He is challenged by the day-to-day changes in the produce market.“We’re dealing with the same items every day,” he says. “Yet everydaybrings new challenges and change. I am inspired by the dynamics of a fast-paced sales office.”

Fulton wants to continue building lasting relationships and partner-ships with the buying community and to provide safe, healthy products tothe consumer.

He notes his mentors are too many to list. “So many people havehelped me over the years,” he says. “Anyone that can handle adversity andkeep their cool is worthy of respect. Honesty and integrity are the mostimportant traits, in my opinion.”

Heather Gale, 39CanadaGAP National Program ManagerCanadian Horticultural CouncilOttawa, Ontario, Canada

Gale has been integral in building an On-Farm Food Safety Program (OFFS) for Canadianproducers from the ground up. She works along-side members of her industry association to rep-resent their interests to government and has

developed a program to meet their needs. She is considered a championfor her cause and tirelessly seeks government funding for a program thatwill help Canadian producers meet global food safety standards. When theprogram began, Gale was the only staff member; today, she oversees a staffof six, along with several consultants.

Over the past five years, Gale has developed the OFFS into a nationalstandard for the safe production, storage and packing of fresh produce.Eight commodity-specific manuals have been developed based on HACCPprinciples. She has also led the CHC through the process of Canadian Gov-ernment Technical Reviews for recognition of the OFFS program. Shedeveloped and launched a certification program to allow for users of the

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OFFS standard to become third-party certified to the national stan-dard. Since the program launch in September 2008, over 250 pro-ducers/packers have been certified. In 2009, the OFFS program was re-branded as “CanadaGAP.”

Her future goal is to complete the roll-out of the CanadaGAP programover the coming years. “I remain convinced there are cost effective ways todeliver a food safety program to the industry,” she says. “There are ways totake costs out of the system, in terms of harmonizing approaches, usinggeneric HACCP models and providing ready-made manuals, trainingmaterials and record-keeping templates to streamline and facilitate docu-mentation and audit activities. I believe strongly in the quality of the prod-uct that our industry and expert team have developed. I feel energized bythe opportunity to continue raising awareness about the solutions we canoffer to an industry that increasingly faces market pressure in the area offood safety.”

She acknowledges there are many special individuals in the industrywho have encouraged, advised and supported her. Some specific mentorsinclude Anne Fowlie, CPMA executive vice-president; Danny Dempster,president of CPMA; Jane Proctor, CPMA vice-president, policy and issuemanagement; and Stephen Whitney, president of Dispute Resolution Cor-poration. “Anne’s professionalism, guidance, engagement in the issues andcommitment to advancing the interests of the produce sector have encour-aged and inspired me,” she says. “Danny has been a key supporter of thework we have done in On-Farm Food Safety. He has fostered and nurtureda strong linkage between all levels of the produce supply chain, both inCanada and the United States. Jane has served as liaison and soundingboard on many occasions; she is extremely knowledgeable about theindustry. Stephen has always been there with words of encouragement,sound advice and voluminous historical background on every imaginabletopic related to the fresh produce industry.”

Paula Gonzalez, 30Director of Member RelationsProduce Marketing AssociationNewark, DE

Gonzalez started working six years ago forPMA as international programs specialist manag-ing the International Trade Conference and otherinternational programs. Now as member rela-tions’ manager, she is responsible for member

recruitment and retention activities and has helped PMA’s member basegrow, especially in the international arena. Some of her most notableaccomplishments include supporting PMA’s global growth through hermanagement of the PMA Mexico Country Council, PMA’s USDA-fundedprograms and global representatives. Her work has helped PMA’s interna-tional member base grow by 25 percent over the past two years, which has,in turn, increased PMA’s overall membership.

As the manager of the Mexico Country Council, Gonzalez works withindustry members to help PMA provide solutions to the needs and issuesthat are crucial to the Mexican produce industry, learn more about theunique needs of members in the country and to ensure products, servicesand events are relevant to current and potential members. In managingprograms funded through USDA Emerging Markets grants, she has con-ducted retail training needs research, worked to provide retail producetraining seminars and networking and learning opportunities throughreverse trade missions to connect U.S. exporters with buyers from Mexicoand Central America.

By managing and closely working with PMA’s global representatives inAustralia/New Zealand, Chile/Peru and Mexico, Gonzalez learns moreabout the markets and members’ needs and works with PMA staff to devel-op and enhance value to grow the membership base in each market.

The passion of the individuals and companies in the produce industry

is incredibly inspirational to her. “It makes me feel more positiveabout what I do to know I am working for such an enthusiastic

industry,” she says. “It is also inspiring to me to be working for an industrythat encourages healthy eating and living habits.

The biggest challenge she faces is meeting the needs of PMA’s verydiverse membership. “As an international and vertically-integrated tradeassociation, it can be difficult to decide which needs to address,” sheexplains. “This challenge has taught me how to make well-informed busi-ness decisions.”

Gonzalez enjoys working at PMA and hopes to continue to do so wellinto the future. “As I continue to grow at PMA, my hope is to build astronger membership base worldwide so members of the industry canwork together to improve trade relations and global supply chain efficien-cies,” she says.

Her industry mentors are her PMA colleagues Nancy Tucker and JulieKoch. “They have given me opportunities to grow professionally, and eachhas such a wealth of experience from which to learn,” she says. “They haveencouraged me to take on new challenges and responsibilities throughoutmy tenure at PMA. Their support in fostering my growth is evident in thegrowth of the programs I have managed over the past seven years.”

Froylan Gracia, 36Counselor for Agricultural AffairsEmbassy of MexicoWashington, DC

Gracia has brought new energy to promotingMexican exports of fresh fruits and vegetablesthrough facilitating trade missions, trade showparticipation and marketing information. He hasparticipated in the development and implementa-

tion of the export promotion strategy for agricultural exports from Mexicoto the United States, resulting in the creation of the MexBest image, thedirect buying program and Mexico Calidad Suprema brand, among otherinitiatives. He is responsible for trade facilitation, export promotion activi-ties for agricultural products and conducting trade missions, seminars andtrade show participation in support of export promotion for Mexican foodproducts in the United States. During his work, he has implemented 25trade and investment missions where 34 U.S. retailers established businessrelations with Mexican suppliers.

Gracia has contributed in value and supply chain development pro-grams between Mexican producers and the retail sector in the UnitedStates. He is also responsible for analyzing trade and agricultural policy inthe United States in order to identify areas that impact bilateral trade.Additionally, he conducts market research and market intelligence, as wellas analyzing and monitoring agricultural trade with the United States. Heis responsible for the Security and Partnership for Prosperity between theUnited States and Mexico regarding food market integration, harmoniza-tion of regulations to trade and project for rural development.

Before being posted in Washington, D.C., he was the agricultural tradenegotiator for Mexico for free trade agreements (FTAs), successfully com-pleting FTAs with Israel, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and the Euro-pean Union.

He has been involved in charity work by bringing food to needy com-munities in Mexico and since his appointment to the Washington Post, hascontinued his support through monetary contributions.

He is inspired and motivated by seeing how the industry contributes toeconomic development in Mexico and how it impacts hundreds of thou-sands of families in Mexico and the United States. In the future, he hopesto achieve even further understanding of the economics of agriculture andits impact on poverty alleviation. “No economic growth can be achieved ifthe agricultural sector is not taken into account in the macroeconomic


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policies,” he says. He credits his family, who were involved in the tomato business

in Mexico for 40 years, as being his primary mentors.

Carroll C. Graham, 39Director of Retail ProgramsUnited States Potato Board (USPB)Denver, CO

Graham has been directing the Category Man-agement program of the Board for the past sixyears. Retailers, grower/shippers and trade publi-cations have recognized the program as beinghelpful and effective. Aimed at consumers, the

program has increased sales, in both dollars and pounds, within the potatocategory. Through the program she has trained over 50 fresh shippers andover 100 retailers from as far away as Taiwan, Malaysia, China, Singaporeand Korea. Partially due to the program’s success she has been promotedtwice during her tenure at USPB. She has been recognized on numerousoccasions by retailers and state potato organizations for her category man-agement and training programs.

Graham actively represents the Board at numerous state potato andnational meetings including PMA and United Fresh.

Graham is both inspired and challenged by working with retailers andsuppliers who have been in produce longer than her eight years. “Some-times, they find it difficult to try new ideas and it inspires me to draw onmy experiences from consumer packaged goods,” she notes. “It challengesme when the people I work with think these ideas only apply to consumerpackaged goods and companies with large marketing budgets. We can’tcontinue to do things the way we’ve always done them and expect new anddifferent results.”

In the future, Graham wants to be part of a process that shapes a com-modity into something no one thought it could be. “I want to work on aconcept or idea that actually speaks to today’s consumers in a new waywith an old, cherished product they love,” she explains.

Retailers and suppliers who have been willing to step out of the boxand try new ideas inspire her. “Not everything we try will always bring suc-cess,” she admits. “Success is achieved by learning a new way, whichincludes learning what works and what doesn’t work. Change is difficultfor everyone involved. It takes time to learn new ways of doing businessand even more time to change the mindset from ‘the way we’ve alwaysdone it.’”

Peter Grannis, 31Produce Sales ManagerMaines Paper & Food Service Inc.Conklin, NY

Grannis has been involved with the produceindustry almost since the day he was born aspart of the family-owned, seasonal, roadsidestand operated by his father, Gary. In addition tohis responsibilities at Maines, Grannis still works

at the stand during the summer and is part owner.He manages all of the produce sales for Maines Paper & Food Service,

the fifth largest foodservice distributor in the United States with sales inexcess of $2.6 billion in 2008. The company’s produce portfolio includesQSRs (Quick Service Restaurants), such as Burger King and Wendy’s,national chains such as Applebee’s, Chili’s and Olive Garden, programaccounts (colleges, universities, hospitals, and regional chains), such asCornell University and Roy Rogers, and street business of independentlyowned restaurants and resorts. In 2003, he and others created Maines Pro-duce Express as a stand-alone produce company, which he now oversees.In just a few years, it has grown into a premier produce company in

upstate New York with expected sales of over $40 million in 2009.He sits on the Cornell University Local Foods Advisory Board to

help find ways to increase the level of quality and safety of small, localfarms and promote pride in support of local farmers. He is also responsi-ble for training the company’s sales department to enable them to addvalue to customers with their education and knowledge of the producearena. This includes seminars on food safety, value-added products, quali-ty assurance and the newest trends. He has been nominated for the Chair-man’s Exemplar Award at Maines for outstanding work performance.

One of his objectives is to use Maines’ membership in the MarkonCooperative, a leader in the safety and sustainability industry, to bring tothe company’s 80-plus salespeople and thousands of customers informa-tion regarding the best practices in the industry to increase awareness offood safety in the produce industry. He is on committees for both the pur-chasing side of Markon, as well as the sales/marketing arm, which meettwice a year to share best practices and guide Markon’s evolution as thepremium brand in produce.

Grannis’ passion and inspiration in the produce industry comes mostlyfrom his upbringing. He is a fourth generation produce man, with hisgreat-grandfather having emigrated from Italy in the early 1900’s as a fruitpeddler. “My father has been in the produce industry for most of his lifeand is as passionate about it as anybody I’ve ever met,” he states. “Most ofmy uncles are involved in the industry as well, and my Mother grew up ona farm in North Dakota.”

He would like to be considered a contributor to the overall success ofthe produce industry and an agent of change as some serious obstacles inthe industry are faced in the future. “The ultimate goal of our team atMaines is to continue to grow our company into the premier produce dis-tributor in the Northeast,” he says. “I hope to someday be considered acontributor to the overall growth of the produce industry, specifically as itfaces some great obstacles in the arena of food safety and traceability.”

His greatest joy in the produce business is being able to work side-by-side with his father, Gary, his greatest influence in the produce industry athis family business Grannis Produce & Garden Center in his spare time.Influences such as Mike Schiano, Steve Hitchings and James Losier, as wellas his father, keep him focused on never letting his passion for the industrywane, even on difficult days. “Every day, I get to learn from Jim Losier, ourprimary buyer of potatoes, onions, tomatoes and processed produce,” hesays. “Our senior buyer, Mike Schiano, is known throughout the northeastas the Godfather of Produce for his 45-plus years in the industry. Ourdirector of produce, Steve Hitchings, has put the whole team together andgrew up on a banana truck in England.”

Kevin Hannigan, 39Vice PresidentJ & J Distributing Co.Saint Paul, MN

Known for his passion and forward thinking,Hannigan has paved the way for organic market-ing. He was the first in his marketplace to importfrom Holland and has been instrumental inestablishing organic certification as a benchmark.

Under his motivation, J & J has led the way for years as the population oforganics exploded. One of his greatest accomplishments has been the dra-matic improvement in vendor-managed supply chain services. It isbelieved the company’s vendor-managed service was the engine thatpushed it to win Cub Foods prestigious Vendor of the Year award in 2005.

Hannigan gets fired up about produce of all kinds, but is particularlymotivated by organic food, smart produce people, quality, flavor and prod-uct selection. “Being the very best at what we do for our customers is veryimportant to me,” he says.

In the future, Hannigan wants to assist in producing ongoing sustain-

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able profits through quality supply chain management for his com-pany, co-workers, clients and vendors. “That is what consumersdeserve and it is our job,” he says.

He credits everyone in the industry as being a mentor. “There is some-thing new to learn every day,” he says. “If you can listen, pick up and runwith unique experiences, you will go a long way in produce — you justhave to work your butt off.”

Shawn Hartley, 34Vice President/OwnerUtah Onions Inc.Syracuse, UT

Hartley has demonstrated enormous ability inleading the dry onion industry. He, along with histwo partners, Trent Hartley and Brad Dahl, pur-chased Utah Onions in 2005. At the age of 31, hetook over development of new accounts in retailand wholesale, along with maintaining current

accounts, and has been responsible for developing their Sweet Onion pro-gram out of Prosser, WA. Since joining Utah Onions, Hartley has been onthe leading edge of sales, production and distribution. His ability to leadin food safety, onion variety demands from retailers and quality assurancehas set him apart in the industry. The company currently ships over 5,000loads of all varieties of onions between August and April.

Growing up on his father’s farm in Proser, WA, Hartley has continuedthe family’s commitment to honesty, integrity and industry leadership. Heis an active member of the National Onion Association (NOA) and is onthe national promotional committee, along with being a board member ofthe Utah Onion Association (UOA). He also is an active member andleader in his faith.

He notes having faced the challenge of bridging the gap between the

older generations of produce with the younger generation. “I have tried tofind the delicate balance of taking the wisdom and tried-and-true practicesof the older generation and combining it with the new, inventive, comput-erized and faster pace of today’s society,” he explains.

He mentions his cousin, Jerry Hartley, and his father, Brent Harley, ashaving been tremendous examples. “Jerry has taught me to make sureevery customer feels like they are the most important,” he says. “He hasalways tried to make the customer feel as if they were a part of his familyand have a personal relationship with them, as a well as a professional,working camaraderie. My father has taught me the importance of beinghonest, hard working and handling personal and business dealings withthe highest integrity. His honest business and personal ethics have madehim a respectable man you can trust. My ultimate goal in the produce

business would be to parallel the integrity and honesty of myfather.”

Shaleen Heffernan, 39National Account ManagerAgrexco (USA) Ltd.Jamaica, NY

Working with Agrexco (USA) Ltd. for almostthree years, Heffernan joined the team specifical-ly to sell dates across North America. At thetime, she didn’t know much about dates, butshe knew how to sell and how to speak Arabic.

She dedicated herself to learn as much about dates from Israel, as well asthe competition from California, Arizona and Mexico. By applying the dif-ferences and advantages she learned with her marketing and languagecapabilities, she sold $1.14 million worth of dates in six months.

Heffernan has also helped educate her customer wholesalers and dis-tributors on the origins, promotional opportunities and even recipes ofdates, earning the nickname “Date girl.” She has compiled 101 classes onvarious commodities for her buyers to help them better understand the keyelements for maintaining and building sales and returning high profits.

She has been inspired by her customers and in learning how she canbest serve them in this economic troublesome time, “even if that meanscreating my own economic stimulus package by putting my commoditieson special. The commodities I currently handle offer nutritious, economicalternatives to my clients’ customers. I’ve had to overcome the challenge ofstaying focused on the products I sell and learning how to best communi-cate their specific advantages to my customers.”

Her future goals involve being able to successfully market and sell thefive different commodities for which she’s currently responsible. “I havestarted my own ‘Lil Biblical Fruits program, which focuses on dates, pome-granate seeds, figs, apricots and olive oil,” she says. “The dates will alwaysbe my first love, but I am learning more and more about the other com-modities as well. I also have been learning a great deal about logistics. Themore I learn, the easier it is for me to get my customers what they are look-ing for. It makes us all happy in the long run.”

She names her colleague Robin Sporn and Ofri Dimentman, one of herbosses in Israel, as mentors. “Robin has been in this industry quite awhile,and as a woman, I truly respect and admire her ability to forge strong rela-tionships in the industry, as well as having the gumption to just go outthere and sell and be successful at it,” she says. “I admire Ofri for his tenac-ity and his commitment to our growers, as well as each of us selling in thebranches. He listens to each of our concerns and carefully communicatesthat to the growers and the packing houses to fulfill our supply-chainneeds. He is a great boss and he has taught me much about this industryfrom a global perspective.”

Casey Kio, 28Wal-Mart Account ExecutiveSeald-Sweet InternationalVero Beach, FL

Kio, a Penn State graduate with a degree inBusiness Logistics, originally filled the positionof marketing analyst at Seald-Sweet in March2006. She came to work with determinationand desire to learn the produce business so she

could contribute to the success of the company. She has not only surpassedthis goal, but has become an integral part of Seald-Sweet’s culture, emerg-ing as an excellent account executive as it relates to their large customers,such as Wal-Mart.

In August 2007, Kio was promoted to Wal-Mart Account Executive — arare position for someone as young. In Seald-Sweet’s 100 years of business,


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“I am consistently challenged touphold the expectations that areinherent in this business: to pro-

vide quality produce and continue feeding the world.”

— Casey Kio Seald-Sweet International


there has never been an employee younger than 30 years old to holdsuch a title and position with its demanding responsibilities.

In 2007, the company opened offices in Swedesboro, NJ, and began anew venture for imported produce to be repacked and transported to itslarge retail customer base, allowing Seald-Sweet customers to have freshproduce year-round. Kio was instrumental in assisting in the setup of thisnew venture, given her education in the logistics arena. She showcased herleadership skills and applied logic regarding the processes and proceduresfor the new venture. To this day, she continues to monitor and assist whenneeded in the logistic aspect of the company.

Kio is involved with Seald-Sweet in the Fisher House campaign thatsupports wounded and fallen veterans, is a Big Sister under the Big Broth-ers Big Sisters of America and has been involved with a number of othercharity events. Additioinally, she attended the PMA Leadership Symposiumthis past January.

She is inspired and often amazed at the close-knit relationships that arefostered in the produce industry. “Through my experiences at the PMAWomen’s Leadership Seminar and Leadership Symposium, I have metamazing pillars of this great industry,” she states. “I am consistently chal-lenged to uphold the expectations that are inherent in this business: toprovide quality produce and continue feeding the world. I am privileged tobe a part of such a meaningful and important industry.”

In the future, Kio would like to be more involved in the PMA Founda-tion for Industry Talent. “As a member of the younger generation in theproduce business, I find it imperative to develop the leaders of the future,”she adds. “Employee retention and increased education are necessary topromote the future of this industry. I would also like to attend the UnitedLeadership Program to continue building my industry knowledge anddevelopment of business relationships and friendships.”

Mayda Sotomayor-Kirk, CEO of Seald Sweet, is her most inspiringmentor in the produce industry. “Throughout her career, she has alwaysbeen willing to take a risk and drive key business disciplines,” she says.“Her knowledge and passion for the industry are enlightening. I havewatched Mayda build relationships and garner rapport with customers andgrowers alike, never treating one with more priority than the other. She isboth approachable and poised in her confidence.”

Bob Kirch, 36Executive Vice President and Chief Operating OfficerCaito Foods Service Inc.Indianapolis, IN

Kirch has stepped into a senior leadershiprole at Caito Foods driving the sales and pro-curement functions. He is highly respected byhis customers and suppliers. Over the past 14years he has worked in many aspects of thebusiness including merchandising, procure-

ment, marketing and business development. His perspective and passionfor the business underscores his dedication to strengthening the partner-ships Caito Foods has with its associates, customers and suppliers.

Incredibly involved in the community, Kirch is a football and baseballcoach for the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO). He is a member of theUnited Leadership class 14, and is part of the Produce Marketing Associa-tion’s IT council board. He also serves on the Produce Solution Conferencetask force.

Kirch is inspired by the entrepreneurial nature of Caito’s customer base.“Their love for the business keeps me challenged and energized to providevalue every day,” he says.

In the future, Kirch wants to continue to find different platforms andchannels for growth. “We have a unique culture with outstanding talent,being able to leverage our energy and talents will be priority number one,”

he says.While many people in the industry have influenced him, he cred-

its four individuals who have shaped his career. He notes the unparalleled

passion and love for the customer and his colleagues of Joe Himmelheber,Caito Foods director of merchandising. He has also gained insight andknowledge of the industry from Fred Caito, Caito Foods’ president & CEO.Dan Braun, director of produce of Lofino Food Group in Dayton, OH, hasaffected Kirch with his knowledge of retailing and Ed Osowski, director ofproduce for Martin’s Supermarkets in South Bend, IN, has helped with hisinnovative and electric go-to market strategies.

Jerry Kraft, Jr., 38Director of Global ProcurementGrant J. Hunt Co.Oakland, CA

Kraft started his career in the produceindustry as a summer intern with Oppen-heimer in 1991. In September 2008, he took aposition with Grant J. Hunt Co. to open abranch office in Seattle, WA, and expand its

import business. He developed the company’s winter cherry program anddoubled its import apple program.

One of his most accomplished activities is the integral role he had inthe marketing of new club apple varieties. A fairly new concept at the time,he was challenged with getting dozens of independent growers and pack-ers, as well as the sales desk — all with different allegiances and levels ofinvestment — to work as one to establish a brand. The success of the pro-gram enabled them to show the market that consumers consider value, oreating experience, more than price. He is a member of the Pacific North-west Produce Association (PCPS) and a member of their Golf CommitteeMember, which benefits the Northwest Harvest food drive.

He is greatly inspired by the people-aspect of the produce business. “Itis a business largely built on trust and integrity, where most transactionsare often still done with a handshake,” he says.

His ultimate challenge comes from the responsibility of knowing thatgrowers have banked their crop and livelihood in his hands and abilities.“The result is the challenge to find a fair balance in the market so everyonecan prosper,” he says. “Retailers need product to sell and growers needplaces to sell their product.”

In the future, he plans to continue expanding the company’s growerbase. He notes there are many people throughout his career who have beentutors, but names four he constantly goes to for advice: Wally Sinner ofLegacy Farms, Los Angeles, CA; James Milne and Steve Woodyear-Smith ofOppenheime;, and Grant Hunt of Grant J. Hunt Company. “Wally hastruly been my Produce 101 professor over the years and taught me the rulesof produce as well as how to spot the opportunities,” he explains. “Jamesignited my passion for the business. Steve showed me how to combineopportunities and passion to form a plan. Grant gave me the opportunity

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“It is a business largely built ontrust and integrity, where most

transactions are often still done‘with a handshake.’”

— Jerry Kraft Grant J. Hunt Co.

Cristie Mather, 36Communications ManagerPear Bureau Northwest (PBN)Milwaukie, OR

Mather has made an immediateimpact in the industry, adding excite-ment to the programs for which she isresponsible. Her innovative and novelcontributions have made significant con-

tributions, including the management of the USA Pear brand, her creativefoodservice program, Pear Panache, and the dramatic re-design and launchof the USA Pear Web site. In her first two years at PBN, she has successfully

to use all of my skills. Over the years, I’ve always admired how hiscompany could accomplish so much, yet remain the small, family-based office it is. Grant has shown me that with integrity and passion any-thing is possible.”

Jesus (Chuy) Loza, 39Managing PartnerFreska Produce International LLCOxnard, CA

Loza started Freska Produce in 2003. Sincethen, the company has grown to sales ofaround $55 million, distributing mangos fromSouth America and Mexico in the UnitedStates. Freska hasbecome one of the

largest American importers and distributors ofmangos. Loza’s parents worked for LimoneiraCompany, headquartered in Santa Paula, CA. Hegrew up on the citrus ranch and worked for thecompany during his adolescence.

Upon graduating from Cal Lutheran Univer-sity in 1990, the executive vice president ofLimoneira, Alfonso Guilan, recommended himto Mission Produce. Based on his experience atMission Produce, Loza worked with several part-ners to start El Tropico, with a focus on mangosand other related products. Although the venturewas not successful, he credits it with significantlyadding to his knowledge of the industry. Duringthe next five years, he worked for Fresh Direc-tions International, developing its mango busi-ness, which was struggling at the time. Withinfive years, the company’s mango product linegrew from $3 million to $26 million.

In the future, he hopes to take advantage ofother business opportunities while continuing tofocus on mangos. “Our recently acquired storageprocessing plant in Oxnard has been a key acqui-sition and will complement our distributionpoints in Arizona, New Jersey and Texas,” hesays. “We are developing a significant presence inAsia, including Australia and New Zealand.”

Loza contributes to local schools and church-es as well as Little League baseball, the PoliceActivities League and various other non-profitfunctions locally.

He notes the privilege of having had the greatopportunity to work alongside people like SteveBarnard of Mission Produce, as well as Kent Pid-duck of Cal Pine Distributors, now deceased,both of whom were willing to provide counseland encouragement.

He continues his relationship with AlfonsoGuilan, now retired from Limoniera, but oper-ates AG Consultants. “From him, I have learnedoperating a company based on sound businesspractices combined with treating growers, cus-tomers and employees with fairness and dignityis a formidable combination,” he says. “Alfonsoalso encourages us to be active in our communi-ty by supporting youth clubs, food banks andsimilar non-profit groups.”


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developed and implemented ongoing communications and PR ini-tiatives targeted to consumers and trade, including retail and food-service.

She accomplished breaking out a menu category for fresh pear cock-tails, forming partnerships with experts at Absolut and Imbibe magazine.With their support, she developed a complement of resources, including aprint guide and online microsite, recipes and handling tips tailored to theneeds of bartenders and beverage developers, ensuring a place for freshpears in every part of a foodservice operation. Her innovative programshave been recognized with awards from PRODUCE BUSINESS (MarketingExcellence Award), the Public Relations Society of America (SpotlightAward for Ongoing Media Campaign, Merit Awards for Web site and Con-sumer Marketing) and regional and national awards from the NationalAgri Marketing Association.

Mather is involved with Oregon’s Keeping Agriculture Viable Cam-paign, and in 2007 and 2008, she served as chairman of the volunteercommittee that plans and produces the annual fundraising event that isthe Campaign’s main revenue source, a dinner and auction called Denimand Diamonds. She began serving a two-year term on the Agri-BusinessCouncil of Oregon’s Board of Directors in 2008, and helped to establishthe Board’s fundraising committee in 2009. In 2007, she was honoredwith the Agri-Business Council’s “President’s Award” for her ongoing ser-vice on the Denim and Diamonds committee.

Her main source of inspiration is the hardworking pear growers of Ore-gon and Washington. “They work tirelessly year-round to provide theworld with a safe, healthy and delicious fruit, and they are also instrumen-tal to the success of our region’s economy,” she asserts. “The passion andcommitment of this industry as a whole is remarkably inspiring. It is anhonor to be a part of this important movement to make a difference in thehealth and wellness of communities across the globe, while ensuring theeconomic viability of farms of all types and sizes.”

In the near future, Mather hopes to build PBN’s Web 2.0 marketingplans by analyzing trends and technologies to develop a unique set ofindustry best practices for utilizing social media. “Thanks to the produceindustry’s efforts, as well as the recent work of influential foodie writers,filmmakers and activists, we have reached a ‘tipping point’ in awareness ofthe importance of agriculture and healthy eating,” she says. “My goal is todo my part to help positively channel that momentum until it convertsfrom a movement to a way of life.

Pear Bureau president, Kevin Moffitt, and Susan Renke Boyer at FoodMarketing Resources have served as Mather’s mentors. “Kevin leads byexample, and I am fortunate to have him as a mentor,” she remarks. “He iscompletely dedicated to the Pear Bureau’s mission, and is a passionate

advocate for the produce industry. He is an outside-the-box thinker,and consistently challenges me to go above and beyond in the work

that I do. Susan unselfishly took me under her wing and helped me under-stand the ins and outs of foodservice PR. She is incredibly talented, dedi-cated, generous and kind.”

Drew McDonald, 38Vice President National Quality SystemsTaylor Farms California Inc.Salinas, CA

McDonald worked his way up from plantquality operations to overseeing Taylor’snational program. He is the key technical con-tact with all of the company’s customers andserves on a number of technical councils forvarious customers that represent some of the

most recognized and major brands around. He also sits on a number ofindustry and regulatory advisory boards, such as the Leafy Greens Market-ing Agreement technical board, the Center for Produce Safety researchcommittee, the Association of Food and Drug Officials Model Code advi-sory group, the Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) and the UnitedFresh technical council.

In 2007, he was awarded the McDonald’s Benchmark Award for indi-vidual excellence, as well as the 2007 United Fresh Technical Award duringthe Global FreshTech Conference in Palm Springs, which honors an indi-vidual who has made significant technical contributions to the overallfresh produce industry in the areas of food safety, food quality, innovativetechnologies and overall industry image.

Developing programs to enhance and ensure the quality and food safe-ty of such an important part of the human diet inspires McDonald. “Thechallenges of weather, fragile quality, ready-to-eat with no kill step, con-sumer expectation and extremely short shelf-life make for a very excitingday. One of the most rewarding parts of my experience has been workingwith the many growers and farmers all over the world,” he remarks. “Forour American farmers, as well as farmers worldwide, it is truly a vocation,and they are some of the most responsible, entrepreneurial and passionatepeople in the world. Produce has taken me around the world and I wouldnot trade my experiences for anything else.”

In the future, he plans on continuing to help develop meaningful pro-duce food safety and quality programs. “I would like to increase myinvolvement in those activities. I tend to have a very practical, rationalapproach and I would like to keep the discussion as rational as possible.”

He mentions Bruce Taylor as an inspiring leader and caring individual.“He has created a wonderful company and fantastic working environmentthat has allowed me to grow tremendously,” he explains. “Other mentorswould include Jim Brennan, who is a colleague and friend I have knownfor years, and Dr. Seth Goldsmith and Ron Midyett, who provided earlyinfluence and showed me how to solve issues — small and large. I wouldalso have to include Sheila Lee of Dole who showed me the value ofimpeccable organization and follow-through.”

Allison Harriet Moore, 33Communications DirectorFresh Produce Association of the Americas (FPAA)Nogales, AZ

In her seven years with the FPAA, Moorehas helped bring several important projects tofruition. When Moore first started, one of theFPAA’s ongoing main objectives was to expandand improve the Mariposa Commercial Port of

Entry in Nogales, AZ, which processes over 1,500 trucks a day in a facility

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“It is an honor to be a part of thisimportant movement to make a

difference in the health and wellness of communities across

the globe, while ensuring theeconomic viability of farms of all

types and sizes.”

— Cristie MatherPear Bureau Northwest

designed for 400. Joining with others to form the Greater Nogalesand Santa Cruz County Port Authority, FPAA has now witnessed theMariposa Port evolving from a pipedream to being called a “top priority”by the Department of Homeland Security. The group is hopeful thatapproximately $200 million in funding for a complete renovation of theport will be specified in President Obama’s Stimulus Package funding.

For many years, Moore has been responsible for taking writers, editors,and chefs on tours of farms in Mexico. “It is very rewarding when a foodwriter from Southern Living, Better Homes and Gardens or the AmericanDietetic Association or some other food/lifestyle organization or magazinecomments on the sophistication level of the Mexican growers.” she states.

She serves as part of the United Fresh Produce Association’s (UFPA)Government Relations Council.

Moore is inspired by the fact that growers in Mexico go to great lengthsto grow quality, wholesome fruits and vegetables. “They were innovativebefore innovative was cool,” she says. “Seeing the level of commitment onso many farms to improve the lives of workers and their families is alsopretty incredible. Where else in the world would you find such a concen-tration of schools, medical facilities, family housing, day care, adult educa-tion resources and other organizations designed to train, improve and edu-cate those populations that have traditionally lived in the margins of soci-ety? The growers and distributors’ dedication and innovation in the pro-duce industry are truly what keeps me going to work every day. “

Her future goals in the industry are to help steer people through all ofthe legislative changes to come in the next few years. “As we learned in theearly stages of the development of regulations for the Bioterrorism Act of2002, often regulators need a lot of help understanding our industry sothey don’t write regulations that have the opposite effect of what they aretrying to achieve,” Moore explains. “Making sure we end up with the mosteffective legislation, whether it’s food safety legislation or something else,

is going to be a cooperative effort across the entire industry, requir-ing people to stop thinking of producers as American, Canadian,

Mexican, etc… but to continue thinking of this industry as intricatelylinked, no matter what country or commodity group you are part of. If theboat sinks, we’re all getting wet!”

Moore credits Lee Frankel with bringing her into the industry and addsChris Ciruli and John Pandol as mentors. “Lee took a chance on a lowlygrad student finishing a Masters in English/Creative Writing,” shedescribes. “Lee thinks about three steps ahead of most other people andunderstands the motivations, fears and ideas that drive people to act theway they do. Chris was one of the first people to welcome me to the indus-try. He has taught me so many things about how to make decisions, howto be a superb host and how to be gracious, all important things for workand life. John has the right attitude. His boundless sense of adventure andcuriosity are infectious. If you need to look at something in a new way,talk to John.”

Brennon Neff, 37National Sales Manager, Diversified Products Dole Fresh Fruit Co.Westlake Village, CA

Neff helped bring Dole Tropical Gold Pineap-ple to market in the Western United States bydeveloping key retail, foodservice, processing and

wholesale accounts. Over the years, he has hired and trained severalaccount managers to promote and sell Dole items including apples, avoca-dos, cranberries, melons, mangos, papaya, Goji berries and rambutans. Hehas helped develop marketing programs focusing on the nutritional valueof fresh produce items, as well as developing several customer-specific


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items and is helping transition Dole from a produce company to awellness/nutrition company.

Neff has partnered with Dole customers and contributed to local eventsfor The National Kidney Foundation, The Children’s Hospital, The Chil-dren’s Hunger Fund and Catholic Charities. He is a member of the FreshProduce and Floral Council of Southern California.

Neff wants to remain with Dole and help lead the charge in increasingthe nation’s fresh produce consumption by educating consumers on themultiple health advantages related to eating a diet rich in fresh produce.

His mentors in the produce industry include Dole’s vice president oftropical sales, Todd Camel, and Dole Fresh Fruit’s North American presi-dent, Mike Cavallero. “They have both taught me the value of keepingthings simple and developing strong industry relationships based on hon-esty and integrity,” he says.

Justin Parnagian, 37Sales ManagerFowler Packing Co. Inc.Fresno, CA

Growing up in the produce industry, Parna-gian has had an opportunity to work in manydifferent areas of the business. Beginning withhis teenage years working in a fruit packing plant,he moved on to field operations following his

graduation from college. Currently, he has been working in a sales capacityfor a little over 10 years. Along with an experienced sales staff, he has beenable to help grow annual sales at a rate of about 8 to 10 percent a year overthe past eight years. This has occurred by adding additional growers to thesupply base, as well as introducing new commodities to the product line,such as cherries and blueberries. He has also focused much of the compa-ny’s efforts in developing season-long programs, which helps providedependable sales volumes, as well as pricing resulting in consistent returnsback to the grower. Additionally, his duties include overseeing a staff of 10in the daily operations of account management on a national and interna-tional level, as well as co-coordinating all field and plant operations withthe sales department.

Parnagian currently serves on the Executive Committee for the Califor-nia Tree Fruit Agreement, as well as serving as chairman of its domesticmarketing subcommittee. He also serves on the board of directors for theCalifornia Grape and Tree Fruit League and is a graduate of the UnitedFresh Leadership Program class 14.

As a third generation member in a family business, he is inspired bythe opportunity to work with his family. “It has been said that a familybusiness can be the best thing in the world or the worst thing in theworld,” he explains. “Luckily, I have a family that understands this philos-ophy and constantly works to address the issues that plague many family-owned and operated businesses. This is accomplished through communi-cation and a lot of understanding.”

Based on his firm understanding of the produce industry and its effecton the environment, his primary goal is to educate and practice cutting-edge sustainable farming practices. “This is no easy feat,” he says. “Withmodified farming practices come an increased difficulty to supply consis-tent, flavorful produce. I would like to lead Fowler Packing, as well as theindustry as a whole to new standards, while continuing to protect our valu-able environment.”

Parnagian credits much of who he is today to the growing up under hisfather and uncles. “I admire how they have grown the business withoutcompromising who they are or what they believe in,” he says. “They havealways operated under the premise that reputations take a lifetime tobuild, but can be tarnished in a minute. This is especially true in the pro-duce industry, where we are a relatively close-knit group, and name recog-nition can make or break a company. As a result, many of their business

decisions had less to do with the bottom line, and more about whatis morally right. This is evident in the longevity of Fowler Packing

Co. which was started by my grandfather 58 years ago, and hopefully, willcontinue to grow over the next 158 years!”

Kevin Partida, 38Regional Sales ManagerEurofresh FarmsWilcox, AZ

Currently in the middle of his fourth yearwith Eurofresh Farms, Partida was promoted toregional sales manager last year. With his promo-tion, he was given the opportunity to manage anannual sales budget of more than $20 million

and oversee the company’s West Coast sales from its Los Angeles office.During his previous employment with Dole, he was foodservice managerof the central division, where he managed programs and developed andmaintained key accounts to increase banana volumes into the Central U.S.As district sales manager of tropical fruit (pineapples) for the Northwest,he managed close to $4 million in annual sales in pineapple programs formajor retailers, foodservice and wholesalers in the Northwest.

At Apio/Landec, Partida worked on modified atmosphere packaging(MAP) for bananas. For three years, he assisted in the development, testingand execution of the MAP technology that is now used nationwide byChiquita. He traveled extensively to exotic places such as China, Colombia,Costa Rica and Ecuador to work first hand with operations, research anddevelopment teams.

His personal time is highly valued, as he notes he enjoys spending timewith his family and what he considers his “biggest accomplishments” —his two boys.

In the near future, he hopes to attain the position of director of salesand marketing at Eurofresh. He would also like to participate in an indus-try leadership program, as well as continuing to mentor others. “Over theyears, I have been able to hire or create internships to give college studentsexposure to produce,” he says. “Some have materialized into full-time posi-tions. I would like to continue this in the future because it is important forcollege students to be exposed to the industry and get an idea of what theymay or may not like.”

He names as mentors Mike Casazza, executive vice president of salesand marketing at Apio Inc., Ed Wagoner, director of corporate quality con-trol at Safeway, and his father, Dr. Greg Partida, professor and avocado/cit-rus consultant from Cal Poly. “Mike invested a great deal of time in me,”he says. “He really took me under his wing, guided me and helped me gainan understanding of how to read market conditions. Ed helped reinforcemy values. As a sales person now, my word and integrity are the mostimportant thing that I have to offer customers. Thanks to my father’s char-acter and strong work ethic, these values were instilled in me at an earlyage. This allows me to give 110 percent in all that I do and to always beproud of it.”

Todd Penza, 28SalesmanPinto Bros. Inc.Philadelphia, PA

Third generation produce man, Penza hashelped bring his family’s company into the techno-logical age. He created and manages its Web site,has helped implement email and has better orga-nized the daily printouts of products and prices. Healso manages a new product line of specialty egg-

plants. He is involved in the committee for marketing the Philadelphia

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Regional Produce Market where he is helping develop a new logoand distribute a marketing survey to customers. He has coached highschool lacrosse for the past eight years, and is active in donating fruit andvegetables to organizations in the city year after year. He recently complet-ed The United Fresh Produce Industry Leadership Program.

Trying to meet each of his customers’ needs everyday is what makeshim want to come to work. “We sell corner stores to chain stores and chefsto national foodservice companies,” he reports. “The every day, new chal-lenge of selling in an open market is what makes my job so much fun. Ithink in our current economic situation new customers are coming to themarket and finding great value and service with us. When the Philly mar-ket moves to our new facility we’ll be in an even better position to competein the industry. We plan on changing how we run our daily operations andI plan on developing those changes.”

In the future, he hopes to not only work withmore customers, but also more shippers. “I wantto develop a more complete product line byadding new commodities and varieties thatmake us unique among the other merchants inthe Philly market,” he says. “I think sustainablefarming is the next big buzz word in the industryand I want to explore and promote those aspectsof local farming to our customers, while growingmy business around those values.”

His mentors in the business are his fatherand his great uncle Pete. “My father is teachingme how to run a business and lead a company,”he says. “My uncle Pete is teaching me the finerpoints of how to sell produce, along with all theold-school produce tricks that make you success-ful in the terminal market. Chris and Chuck Cir-uli of Ciruli Bros. have also helped me learn andunderstand the business better by getting meinvolved in United Fresh and other trade organi-zations. They have helped me think about theproduce industry in larger terms then just thePhilly market.”

Brian Rayfield, 40VP Sales and MarketingJ & J Produce Inc.Loxahatchee, FL

When Rayfieldjoined J & J in 1993,the company’s vol-ume was close to

300,000 packages per year, of which 5 percentwere sold out of state. Today — 16 years later —the company is a leading shipper on the EastCoast, distributing vegetables daily to retail andfoodservice accounts east of I-55 and beyond.Under Rayfield’s direction, this year J & J willhandle over 6 million packages, of which 50 per-cent will be grown on the company’s farms orones it exclusively represents. Rayfield has super-vised and coordinated the efforts that have led toJ & J importing products from five Central Amer-ican countries and having year-round packingand distribution facilities in Florida, Georgia andTennessee, with seasonal facilities in North Car-olina and Michigan.

Rayfield has also personally been involved in organizing com-mittees for the Southeast Produce Council and in filming two educa-

tional videos sponsored by the Expanded Food and Nutrition EducationProgram (EFNEP – a federally-funded program to fight obesity in children)in conjunction with Clemson University. These videos, called Lucy’s TastyTreasures, are currently viewed by thousands of elementary school childrenthroughout the country educating them on where produce is grown, howto prepare it and why it is good for them.

His challenge and drive comes from the satisfaction he sees in creatingpositive results and actually making a difference in the lives of his employ-ees and trading partners. “While many companies measure results by grosssales, margin or the bottom-line — all of which are important — I haveachieved those numbers through developing relationships,” Rayfield says.


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“Through training, education and encouragement, I have developedseveral of my sales staff into expert account managers. Through thesame philosophy, I have taken discouraged growers and have showed thema path toward success, by proving the benefits of a quality pack, food safetycompliance in the field and that all customers are not out to steal from agrower. Our customer relationships are built on the foundation of service,always keeping their best interest in mind and knowing we can earn moreprofit over the long run through customer satisfaction than through tryingto make an extra buck today.”

Rayfield hopes to create a seamless, 12-month-per-year supply chain ofhigh quality vegetables that can be delivered on time, every day. “My goalis to replicate a West Coast style business model that makes our produceitems available 12 months out of the year, with consistent quality, consis-tent pricing and daily availability at many regional East Coast distributioncenters,” he explains. “I want to leave a lasting legacy that J & J Producemade a difference in providing the highest quality, safest produce at a pricethat our customers, and ultimately the consumer, could afford.”

He names Jim Erneston, owner of J & J Produce, and Keith Horder, avisionary industry consultant, as mentors. “Jimmy is a great Christian busi-ness man who has acted like a second father to me and gave me the oppor-tunity to prove myself,” he says. “Keith has opened my eyes on how toapply many of my great ideas, and turn them into action plans. He hasbeen instrumental in helping our company transition from a small, familybusiness to an organization that can compete at the national level.”

George Rossi, 32Director of Sales And New Business DevelopmentFarmington Fresh Sales LLCStockton, CA

Rossi is a prime example of a young entre-preneur using innovative marketing approach-es and business prowess to create profit andgrowth within the produce industry. A gradu-ate of Cal Polytechnic State University, Rossi

founded GeoFresh Marketing, a Lodi, CA-based marketing company thatspecializes in selling cherries, apples and a variety of other fresh fruit in2001. He began working for Farmington Fresh through GeoFresh on a con-tract-selling basis, driving sales and building its customer base. In 2006,Rossi’s success with Farmington led him to a full-time position as directorof sales and new business development. In his first two years, Rossi morethan tripled sales and introduced new commodities into Farmington’smarketing mix.

His past experience includes stints working for the U.S. Department ofAgriculture as a produce inspector, as well as in sales and logistics for C.H.Robinson Worldwide Inc. His passion for agriculture began at age 12 whilepulling weeds in the vineyards outside of Lodi, CA. He continued to workin the vineyards throughout high school, which later helped fund hisschooling at Cal Poly, where he was a member of Alpha Gamma Rho, aprofessional fraternity geared toward students pursuing careers in the agri-culture industry.

He is most driven by the families that depend on his business for theirlivelihood. “Building customer relationships based on loyalty and trust isone of the first things that attracted me to this industry,” he says. “Thisbusiness is built on entrepreneurial spirit and I think that’s something thathas both driven and inspired me to push forward and be persistent, regard-less of how many times I’m told no.”

His future goals include continuing to expand Farmington’s list of corecommodities through new ideas, concepts and marketing techniques, aswell as building Farmington’s list of clientele through innovative businesspractices currently in development. “As a young entrepreneur, I consistent-ly aim to produce innovative marketing approaches and channel my busi-

ness prowess to create profit, promise and growth within the pro-duce industry,” he remarks. “I hope to continue to pave the way for

like-minded young professionals in the industry looking to go against thegrain and develop a business strategy that’s not only unique, but also verylucrative.”

As an active member in the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) andthe California Certified Organic Foundation (CCOF), he has learned theimportance of networking, determination and persistence. “I try to look atsuccessful people and companies, pinpoint the various steps they’ve takento get where they are and then do my best to emulate them,” he explains.“By taking a proactive approach and learning from those around me, I’vemet a variety of people who have served as mentors for me in many differ-ent ways.”

Brian Schwartz, 34Director, Corporate TransportationSafeway Inc.Pleasanton, CA

Working from Phoenix, AZ, Schwartz sup-ports the shipment and delivery of more than70,000 produce shipments annually to Safe-way divisions, which represents about $1.5 bil-lion in Safeway inventory and $100 million infreight. He has participated in a collaborative

effort with the company’s Corporate Produce Organization to develop andcommunicate a shared set of standardized loading and quality standardsfor product suppliers and freight vendors as part of its “Best In Class” qual-ity initiative. He has also partnered with the Corporate Produce Organiza-tion on a “Best In Class” strawberry initiative for the Chicago market,where the group eliminated 24 hours of transit time combined with fresh-from-the-field loading in California to deliver world class freshness andquality to that market.

With the endorsement of the senior vice president of produce, Schwartzand his team have embarked on an effort to leverage freight to drive downthe cost of goods in produce and invest those dollars back into pricing atthe shelf for their customers. This effort began in December, 2008, and todate, the company is on pace to deliver over $2 million in cost savings forthe organization that will be invested back in better pricing for customers.

A transportation professional by trade, Schwartz and his team providelogistics support for all commodities and business units across the Safewayenterprise. However, the nature of the produce industry provides distinct

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“Produce is just a unqiue animalin and of itself. It is so real-time and dynamic that my team and

I are constantly challenged to think and act on our feet to deliver

superior performance.”

— Brian SchwartzSafeway Inc.

motivation and challenges. “Produce is just a unique animal in andof itself,” he says. “It is so real-time and dynamic that my team and Iare constantly challenged to think and act on our feet to deliver superiorperformance. Produce is such a key driver of our business and customertraffic, and many times, our ability to deliver world-class service at the low-est cost is literally the difference between us winning and losing on sales,profits etc. It is inspiring and exciting to be in a position to have that kindof impact on the bottom line.”

He names Safeway’s Duane Woods, Tom Nartker and Bill Motley asmentors. “Duane gave me my first opportunity to manage produce freightand gave me the freedom to learn, develop and improve,” he says. “Tom isour VP of transportation and my boss. He has seen me through some chal-lenging growing pains as they relate to our produce operation and hasnever wavered in his support of me, or his belief that I am the right personto lead. Bill was the director of produce when I first started in my positionand not only taught me a lot of technical knowledge about produce, butwas also a great champion of mine at a time when others in his sector didnot always support me.”

Stephanie Simek, 29Marketing and Communications ManagerNational Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB)Orlando, FL

Simek accomplishes a great deal with arelatively small budget and group ofresources. An example of this tremendousefficiency is how in addition to her market-


ing duties, she has also taken on the role of in-house DVD produc-tion. In the past 12 months, she has created over 10 unique DVDs

for various purposes, departments and companies. Mastery of this disci-pline has increased the NWPB outreach effectiveness, with value and versa-tility in the videos. The quality of messaging and speed in production timeaccentuated the benefits of the DVD productions. Moreover, each of thesecould cost upwards of $10,000 to outsource, thus providing a $100,000value to the NWPB.

Last year at PMA Fresh Summit, she spearheaded the NWPB newbooth design, which debuted on the show floor in Orlando. During thetradeshow, the NWPB hosted a watermelon industry reception and Simekraised 30 percent more sponsorship funds for this event over the previousyear, which turned into a 200 percent increase in attendance.

She views her job as to be obsessed with watermelon — to live it, pro-mote it and to think about it from an outsider’s point of view. Sheexplains, “The uniqueness of watermelon, its iconic American value andeven its stereotype as a ‘summertime treat’ challenge me to think of it innew, contemporary ways to effectively market and promote its benefits. Weuse technology to the fullest at the NWPB, and we represent watermelonwidely on the Web. As a young professional who uses the internet everyday, I constantly think of how I prefer to receive marketing messages andwhat types of promotions or communications would appeal to me. Themore challenges we have, the more we have to creatively conquer, whichmakes the watermelon industry an exciting sector!”

In the future, she views instilling active lifestyles and healthy eatinghabits in children and students as a paramount focus for the NWPB. “Iwould like to see school lunch menus providing fresh fruits and vegetablesat every meal, which means improving the logistics of transportation,inventory and preparation from distribution centers to the cafeteria,” she

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says. “There is a school district in South Florida that does a watermel-on day competition among all its elementary schools, with eventsinside and outside from races to decorations to menus. I think that thislevel of integrating healthy eating and fun activities should be somethingthat schools are doing everywhere. We should be getting more produce onthe menu in the school cafeteria, and at reasonable costs.”

Simek finds inspiration in people’s attitudes and enthusiasm, as well astheir accomplishments. “Jason Chennette from Faye Clack Communica-tions in Mississauga, Ontario, has not just the imaginative smarts to seeproduce in a whole new light, but also a great sense of humor coupledwith tremendous follow-through,” she states. “I look forward to workingwith Faye Clack every year, not just because of the projects, but because ofthe people. My colleague, Gordon Hunt, has a long history in produce thatincludes extensive, international travel and merchandising activities, andhis broad produce knowledge coupled with a good sense of humor moti-vate me to look at watermelon from an international point of view. Dr.Elizabeth Pivonka, from Produce for Better Health (PBH), easily incorpo-rates family stories and anecdotes about her children into lectures and pre-sentations, which portray a comfortable balance of work and family.”

Gordon Smith, 30 Director of MarketingCalifornia Tree Fruit AgreementReedley, CA

Smith’s key accomplishments in his fouryears with the California Tree Fruit Agreementhas been securing an additional 30 percent inFederal matching funds through the MAP pro-gram to promote California peaches, plumsand nectarines abroad. Now $2.2 million,

these funds have proved instrumental in developing exciting promotionalprograms throughout Asia, Mexico, Latin America and the United King-dom. Also, he has worked closely with Animal Plant Health InspectionService (APHIS) to gain market access to China for California plum grow-ers. He is a valued source of information for many in the industry andfields numerous calls from trade and consumer press. He is a member ofUnited’s Leadership class 13. Smith is an avid golfer and fly-fisherman,and loves to travel.

The main inspiration behind his work to date has been the challenge ofmaintaining a robust and profitable growing community. “As the managerof international marketing programs for the industry, my number one pri-ority is to create demand abroad for our growers,” he explains. “Approxi-mately 20 percent of our crop is exported, which means any box of fruitgoing to export is one not needing to be sold domestically. In an increas-ingly competitive retail marketplace, shelf space is only one factor in deliv-ering adequate returns to growers. Labor and energy costs are driving thecost of production up at an alarming rate and it must be passed onthrough the marketing channel. Vibrant export markets are essentialbecause they take pressure off the domestic market.”

Smith wants to continue to work on the trade policy side of the busi-ness, specifically to open foreign markets to more U.S. fresh products. “Themany non-tariff trade barriers existing around the world are counter-pro-ductive because they either prop up inefficient producers or deprive theirown people of nutritious food options.”

His mentors in the produce industry are Sheri Mierau, current presidentof the California Tree Fruit Agreement, and Blair Richardson,president/CEO of FreshSense in Parlier, CA. “Sheri has been instrumentalin getting me to observe our industry in the context of the larger produceindustry,” he remarks. “She has a tremendous range of experiences and allof those skill sets are integral to leading the California stone fruit industry.Blair has an incredible ability to focus on the most critical issues of the day,while allowing the people around him to get the task done without inter-

ference. Some people may regard it as not micro-managing, but Iprefer to describe it as trusting the people who work for you. This has

been extremely important in developing my own management style.”

Leonardo M. Tarriba, 37General ManagerFarmer’s Best International LLC.Rio Rico, AZ

Indeed, Tarriba has a family legacy to main-tain as the general manager of Farmer’s Best. Asthe first cousin of the company owners, theextensive and well-known Tarriba clan of Culi-acan, Mexico, he has always worked to earn aleadership position in their produce business,

even as he attended the renowned Instituto Tecnologico de Estudios Supe-riores de Monterrey, Mexico, and received a degree in Business Administra-tion and Computer Sciences.

Tarriba’s most recent ten years have been as a general manager at com-pany headquarters in Nogales. He has been the leader in many companyre-organization projects and has designed and implemented new qualitycontrol, food safety and warehouse logistics systems and departments. Yetperhaps what Tarriba is most proud of is his relationship with the compa-ny’s growers. “Grower relations takes up quite a bit of my time now, but itis critical to our success,” he says. “In the produce industry, there can oftenbe distrust between growers and their distributors, which is why completetransparency and a hands-on philosophy are top ingredients to good grow-er relations. It is very important to a grower that someone from the familyknows what is happening, cares about their business and helps them meetthe challenges that arise.”

Tarriba looks forward to the future when the company will have threefull-service, year-round operations in the ports of San Diego and McAllen,in addition to Nogales. He envisions the growth of this grower-integratedcompany into a truly global concern, with varying sourcing to meet theircustomers’ needs, while maintaining the strong customer-service and val-ues culture for which the company is known.

Never one to admit he knows it all, the produce industry is a source ofcontinuous challenges and problem-solving for Tarriba, and he has foundinspiration from his immediate managers and co-workers. First, he citesIvan Tarriba, president of the company, for his support and enthusiasm forgrooming the younger executive to top leadership. In fact, he told him afew years ago that he wanted his job! Not a problem, he was told, provid-ing some milestones were reached. To prepare himself for this eventuality,Tarriba is looking to obtain a Masters degree in Global Management, alongwith achieving other operational goals.

Another inspiring colleague has been director of sales and marketing,Jerry Wagner, whose friendship he also treasures. “I could never have doneit without these two,” he says. “The loyalty, respect and support I get fromthem are a driving force for me.”

Karen M. Thomson, 35Vice President Sales and MarketingThomson International Inc.Bakersfield, CA

As a leader in Thomson InternationalInc., Thomson is challenged daily to inspireand lead others to perform to their highestpotential. She has been instrumental in thisfamily company by growing it from a strict-ly grower-based business to that of a sales

and marketing company. Through her leadership, the company now par-

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ticipates in industry trade shows; markets itself through the Internetand trade publications and most recently developed a food safetyprogram. She and her brother, Jack, have helped guide the company tocompletely change the product offerings in the past 10 years and introducenew items. With the company purchase of a bell pepper plant three yearsago, Thomson was instrumental in getting the program off the ground.Onions, cabbage and watermelons have also been added to product offer-ings in recent years.

Thomson has been an active member of the Sandpiper’s organizationfor the past four years, a 100 percent volunteer organization dedicated toserving the needs of the community through charitable and philanthropicprograms. She served as the chair for the Employee Giving Committee forthe 2007-2008 year and has served on the Philanthropy and CommunityOutreach Committees.

She was selected to the United Fresh Leadership class 11 in 2005-2006,and has participated in the Retail Solutions Conference, the Cornell Uni-versity Food Industry Management Program and the United Fresh Con-gressional Conference. She is also a Farm Bureau liaison between the pro-duce industry and local teachers and leads guided tours of local agriculturecompanies to elementary school teachers.

The challenge of domestic agriculture sustainability inspires her to con-tinue in the produce industry. “Global market forces resulting in foreigncountries exporting produce to the United States is creating one of thebiggest challenges facing the U.S. produce industry,” she notes. “As grow-ers, we continue to focus our attention on crops that cannot be shipped orimported to the United States, therefore eliminating the competition withregards to lower foreign pricing.”

As a woman in agribusiness, Thomson wants to serve as a role modelfor other women who come from agricultural backgrounds. “Californiafamily farmers are a dying breed and I want to continue in the ‘fraternity’of family farms,” she explains. “I respect and understand the importance ofthe government’s role in produce and I look forward to further increasingmy knowledge in this area.”

She names Jeff Thomson, her dad, and Lyn Hughes with Sena Reider asmentors. “My dad is one of my longest industry mentors,” she says. “As achild, my father was constantly teaching and encouraging me to work inall levels of our family business. Today, he is a constant source of adviceand wise experience within the produce industry. Lyn inspires me by herconstant hard work and her need to stay on top of recent industry happen-ings. She has carved the path for women in the produce industry by herleadership roles in the industry. She is one person who I can always go towhen I am in need for professional direction or support.”

Brian Thure, 35Vice President of Processing and Distribution OperationsRiver Ranch Fresh Foods LLC.Salinas, CA

Thure climbed the corporate ladder from adock analyst to the vice president of processingand distribution in just four years. He isknown for constantly challenging himself and

his peers to find better ways of doing things. During his time at RiverRanch, he has improved many of the company’s key operating metrics, aswell as creating a great relationship with the Teamster’s Union. He isresponsible for managing the many aspects of the plant and dock opera-tions including engineering, maintenance, accounting, production,raw/finished scheduling, purchasing, shipping, logistics, strategic planning,capital projects and material handling. He oversees over 550 employees,most of which are members of either the Teamsters (Plant-side) or theUFCW (Dock-side) unions.

In 2008, Thure successfully negotiated the latest plant Teamster two-

year contract and reduced overall packaging costs by $2.5 millionthrough the bid process in 2007. He was involved in several projects

that led to overall cost savings from 2005 through 2007 of over $4 million,which went directly to the bottom line. He is a graduate of the UnitedFresh Leadership class 14.

The same reason Thure loves his job is also the biggest challenge. “Ienjoy the day-to-day firefights and the curve balls that constantly getthrown at you,” he explains. “I can come to work with 10 tasks to accom-plish that day and may not complete any of them because other, moreimportant, challenges arise. There are so many moving pieces in our busi-ness and each day you are confronted with labor and union issues, main-taining high quality and food safety, raw material shortages and cost pres-sures, among many others. In order to succeed in our business you need tobe well-rounded and enjoy the constant puzzle-solving involved in it.”

In the future, Thure would like to get more involved on the legislativeside. “We all face several hot buttons and working in a processing opera-tion, nothing hits us harder than future immigration policy, food safetyconcerns and environmental reform,” he notes. “We need to make sure ourvoice is heard, and by working in conjunction with law makers, we willhopefully be able to develop programs that are adequate for everybody.”

Tom Church and Bob Jenkins are Thure’s two biggest mentors in theindustry. “Tom has been a visionary in this industry for years and is a greatsounding board,” he reasons. “I worked for Bob for five years while he wasour CEO and president of River Ranch. Bob is not only a great people-per-son, but he is one of the smartest people I’ve ever met. Every day I wasaround him, I was learning new and better ways of conducting our busi-ness. He also gave me plenty of freedom to make the daily decisions andmove on projects and ideas that affected the operation.”

John J. Toner V., 31Vice President, Convention and Industry RelationsUnited Fresh Produce AssociationWashington, DC

Toner is known as being extremely com-mitted to the industry and helping developsolutions through his work in Washington,as well as United Fresh programs. He has led

United’s efforts to expand its annual show in Chicago and Las Vegasand developed the industry’s own Food Safety Pavilion in conjunctionwith a produce show. He managed the successful co-location of IFPA’sstand-alone convention with United’s convention. He has increasedattendance by key industry players at United Fresh events over the yearsand is responsible for United Fresh exhibits at Fruit Logistica. He iscurrently building virtualmarketplace.unitedfresh.org to be the online des-tination for information on produce industry companies.

He is active in community activities and serves as a regular volun-teer at Miriam’s Kitchen, an establishment that offers healthy, home-made meals and case management services to homeless men andwomen in the D.C. area. He is a leader of Phi Gamma Delta GraduateChapter to help facilitate events in the DC area for networking and amember of the International Association of Exhibitions and EventsYoung Professionals committee. He volunteers for local Habitat forHumanity projects, is involved with Boy Scouts of America (EagleScout) and teaches sailing to under-privileged and disabled kids.

He is inspired by his 10 years at United Fresh working with exhibitors,members, sponsors and customers. “I virtually touch everyone in the freshproduce supply chain multiple times a year,” he says. “What gets me upevery morning? Dealing with the challenges of the business-to-businessenvironment. No longer are we in the information brokering business, butin the information presentation business.”

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leaders and helping them grow their business smartly and efficiently.“United Fresh wants to be here to help our members navigate today’sbusiness challenges and put the resources into the hands of those whoneed them,” he says. “One of our biggest challenges is disseminating infor-mation to those who need to make decisions and I look forward to help-ing with that process.”

He names United Fresh’s Tom Stenzel, PRODUCE BUSINESS’ Ken Whitacre,Bill Schneider with Melissa’s and wholesalers Tim Fleming and MatthewD’Arrigo as mentors. “The 25 produce managers who win the United FreshProduce Manager’s Award every year also influence me a great deal,” hesays. “I started in the retail industry at Safeway and I know how hard thatwork is, and how little the compensation is for the hours you put into thebusiness. They drive our business and our industry’s success every day withthe ultimate buyer.”

Shane Towne, 34Marketing and New Business Development Coordinator Indianapolis Fruit Co. Inc.Indianapolis, IN

Towne has been the guiding force behindseveral business developments for his compa-ny. Retail customers credit him with sharing awealth of knowledge and providing invaluable

assistance in completing marketing campaigns. Providing weekly informa-tion pieces, as well as developing a Kids Corner — a healthy destinationfor family snacking — are some of the valuable areas in which Towne hashelped clients. He is responsible for roughly 80 percent of the outboundmarketing and public relations as it relates to industry publications, orga-nizations and agencies for the company.

Towne has dramatically affected the company’s image as it relates tobranding initiatives, educational programs and industry involvement. Hehas spent the past several years working intimately with ownership andother directors within the company to increase sales through marketingand sales initiatives, often sharing ideas and developing programs toaccomplish this goal by looking at new and innovative ways of doing busi-ness outside the typical business model. He is a member of the StrategicPlanning Team at Indianapolis Fruit, helping to design and guide thefuture of the company and to ultimately strengthen its market share withinits distribution network.

His challenge and inspiration come from the volatility and opportunityof our industry. “The efforts of increasing fresh produce consumption in atime when childhood obesity is at an all-time high, and growing food andfuel costs in relation to a struggling economy are only a few issues thatimmediately come to mind,” he says. “However, you only have to look atthe Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH), PMA and United Fresh— to name only a few of organizations — to see groups that are passion-ately trying to make a healthy change in the eating habits and culture inthe country, and ultimately the globe.

He would like to become more involved in the governmental aspects ofthe industry and build upon his areas of training in the agricultural, retailand distribution fields. “Another goal I have set for myself is to be presi-dent of Indianapolis Fruit Company and beyond,” he shares. “Moreimportantly though, my ultimate goal is to give back to the industry thathas given me so much pride from the first farm market I managed at age14 to my current success at Indianapolis Fruit Company.”

As mentors, he mentions Bryan Silbermann from the PMA, Tom Sten-zel from United Fresh, and Jim Prevor. He finds mentoring strength on adaily basis from his bosses Mike Mascari, president, and Dan Corsaro,executive vice president of sales and marketing. “Both Mike and Dan haveinstilled in me an internal drive to further educate myself in the industry,

make customers and their success my first priority and lead withintegrity and honesty,” he says. “They have made it possible for me

to develop my personal and professional career while guiding me by exam-ple to be the best I can be.”

Gary York, 39Transportation ManagerC.H. Robinson Worldwide, Inc. Eden Prairie, MN

York started C.H. Robinson’s Monterey, CA,office from nothing in 2006 in order to imple-ment a transportation project with WesternGrowers Association and its members. Thatpilot project has now grown to 150 shipper

participants and nine trade associations, handling 45,000 shipments sinceinception with 35 employees now in four offices. York is credited as thedriving force behind this effort.

He is also responsible for the development of sustainability initiativesfocusing on reduction of the supply chain carbon footprint forgrower/shippers. These reductions were accomplished in part by reductionof empty truck miles through improvement of LTL services and by greateruse of intermodal transportation. He is responsible for the expansion ofrefrigerated intermodal service from California and introduction of thisservice in Idaho, which not only reduces the carbon footprint, but resultsin significant transportation cost savings. He has a 17-year career in pro-duce transportation at C.H. Robinson Worldwide Inc., previously workingin its New York and Philadelphia offices.

York participated in the Cornell University Food Industry ManagementProgram in March 2009 and is a member of the Western Growers Trans-portation and Trade Practices Committee.

As for his future goals, he refers to the definition of sustainability of theUnited Nations Commission on Sustainability: meeting the needs of thepresent without compromising the ability of future generations to meettheir own needs. He explains, “I believe that the creation of an efficient,safe and sustainable supply chain from grower to consumer should be thelegacy of my generation to the next. While I am very proud of the progresswe have made thus far in reducing the produce industry carbon footprint,it is only the beginning. I know we can do far better and I intend to be atthe forefront of that effort.”

Bob Gray, CEO/president, Duda Farm Fresh Foods is one of York’smentors. “As chairman of the Board of Western Growers in 2008, Bobmade sustainability a significant component of his Association leadershipand challenged me to use the resources and technology of CHRW toimpact the produce industry’s transportation carbon footprint,” heexplains. “That process would not have begun without the counsel andfriendship that Bob provided.”

Matt McInerney, executive vice president of Western Growers Associa-tion and Laurence Stern, CEO with Stern Consulting are two other mentorsthat York credits with given him invaluable assistance and information.

UNDERFORTY

40

Take Part In Selecting NextYear’s Nominees!

4400 UUnnddeerr FFoorrttyy is an annual feature of PRODUCE BUSINESS magazine. If you would like to nominate a young leader for next year’s edition,

please visit www.producebusiness.comor fax your nomination to 561-994-1610.

Next year’s nominees must be under the age of 40 asof March 1, 2010 (born after March 1, 1970).

http://www.producebusiness.com

Reader Service # 56

http://www.bluebookprco.com


A legend in the blueberry business, producing59 million pounds of blueberries annually, the Gar-den State is also known for its excellent supply ofjuicy peaches, rich beefsteak tomatoes and lush let-tuce varieties.

“Historically, New Jersey has always had a repu-tation for producing exceptional crops, particularlywith regard to tomatoes, blueberries, peaches andtomatoes, to name just a few,” explains Chris Cun-nane, national sales director for Santa Sweets Inc., aPlant City, FL-based grower and packer of SantaSweets grape tomatoes with four distribution cen-ters, including one in Cedarville, NJ. Santa Sweetsis owned by Philadelphia, PA-based Procacci Bros.Sales Corp. “The Jersey Fresh logo is somethingconsumers look for and associate with freshness,quality and flavor.”

With more than 10,327 farms, New Jersey pro-duce growers can meet the needs of East Coastretailers, foodservice operators and distributors for

months. According to many wholesalers and retail-ers, many of New Jersey’s farmers are the best inthe country, harvesting high quality product out ofsmall acreage and short production periods. “Smallfarms make production easier to control and man-age versus hundreds of acres,” says Sharon Dauito-Baxter, a sales representative for J & D ProduceInc., an Edinburg, TX-based grower, formerlyknown as Dauito Produce, which has operates abranch in Vineland, NJ.

“Despite the high cost and various challenges ofbeing a farmer in New Jersey, the most denselypopulated state in the nation, we are seeing thatthe many benefits associated with farming close towhere people live is attracting more people to farm-ing in the Garden State,” notes Al Murray, assistantsecretary of agriculture for the New Jersey Depart-ment of Agriculture (NJDA), in Trenton, NJ. “Inaddition, New Jersey agriculture is becoming morediverse and specialized with higher value crops tomeet the needs of our state and region.”

New Jersey grows more than 100 different vari-eties of fruits, vegetables and herbs. According toNJDA, the state is among the country’s Top 10 pro-ducers in volume of blueberries (second), bell pep-pers (fourth), peaches (fourth), cranberries(fourth), squash (seventh) and tomatoes (eighth).

ABUNDANCE OF BLUEBERR IESRanking second in the country’s blueberry pro-

duction, New Jersey generated a production valueof $82 million in 2008, states Lynne Richmond,NJDA public information officer. This number canbe misleading, however, as many growers contendthat blueberries grown for the fresh market are notaccurately counted by the government. Accordingto many growers, New Jersey actually leads thecountry in fresh-pack blueberries.

“New Jersey is the birthplace of cultivated blue-berries,” notes Art Galletta, president and co-ownerof Atlantic Blueberry Co. Inc., a Hammonton, NJ-based grower that harvests fresh blueberries frommid-June to mid-August. “We are the leaders in

This time of year, New Jersey serves as one ofthe country’s largest production powerhous-es of fresh fruits and vegetables.

Poised To Provide Produce To Eastern PopulousThe Garden State offers retailers a wealth of flavorful produce all summer long and beyond.

B Y A M Y S H A N N O N

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Many retailers take advantage of New Jersey’s locally grown produce andfeature it front-and-center using POS material provided by Jersey Fresh.

NEW JERSEY

Reader Service # 17

http://www.jerseyfresh.nj.gov

Jersey FreshMarketing ProgramContinues To Make

An Impact

New Jersey growers are supported byseveral major trade organizations,including Jersey Fresh, a 25-year-

old program aimed at providing funds togrowers and retailers to promote New Jer-sey produce within the state, neighboringstates, as well as Canada.

Created in 1983 to help growersinform consumers about the availabilityand variety of New Jersey produce, JerseyFresh has boosted awareness among con-sumers and served as a benchmark forother states initiating their own state-grown agricultural marketing program.

Jersey Fresh has been at least a gener-ation ahead of the trend to “buy local,”stresses Chris Cunnane, national salesdirector of Santa Sweets Inc., in Plant City,FL. “Regionally, produce grown in New Jer-sey has always been the preference ofconsumers when available. It’s a legiti-mate ‘no-brainer’ for buyers to procure Jer-sey Fresh produce when available.”

Lynne Richmond, public informationofficer for New Jersey Department of Agri-culture (NJDA), based in Trenton, NJ, saysretailers can boost sales of New Jerseyproduce by highlighting it in sales circularsand using the Jersey Fresh logo on sig-nage at retail. “They can talk about JerseyFresh availability in their print and broad-cast advertising, and they can use POSitems in their stores to identify the JerseyFresh items available,” she adds. “Somestores have partnered with local farmersand actually display pictures of the farm-ers who provided the produce.” pb


fresh-market blueberries, providing the bestfresh blueberries available.”

When merchandising New Jersey-grownblueberries, retailers can win big by high-lighting the health benefits of blueberries.According to a recent U.S. Department ofAgriculture (USDA) study, blueberriesranked first in antioxidant activity in com-parison to 40 other fresh fruits and vegeta-bles. Antioxidants help neutralize harmfulby-products of metabolism called “free radi-cals” that are associated with cancer andother age-related diseases.

The major variety of blueberry grown in

New Jersey is Blue Crop, followed by Duke.“We produce three main varieties: Duke,which is a large berry with a lot of eyeappeal, along with Blue Crop and Elliots,”reports Tim Wetherbee, sales manager withDiamond Blueberry Inc., headquartered inHammonton, NJ.

GRADE-A GROWINGCONDIT IONS

New Jersey’s soil and weather conditionscreate a favorable setting for growing anarray of fruits and vegetables during the latespring to early fall period. “Blueberries are

native to New Jersey, so we do not have toamend the soils to get them to grow proper-ly,” notes Galletta. “The soil, rainfall and cli-mate are perfect.”

Sandy, acidic soil and high humidity pro-duce crops with exceptional flavor profileand quality are prevalent in New Jersey,notes Santa Sweets’ Cunnane. “The hugestands of cedar trees in the area contributeto the unique soil characteristics found inSouth Jersey. The longest days of the yearwith generally sunny days accelerate thetimeline to harvest and often producesexceptional yields when compared to wintergrowing areas.”

NJDA’s Richmond agrees, pointing outthat Jersey Fresh produce is quality graded

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http://www.consalo.com

Reader Service # 40


and, many times, third-party audited toensure it is of the highest quality and han-dled with the best food-safety practices.

“The climatic conditions are ideal,” con-curs Wetherbee. “It’s an excellent place forgrowing blueberries.”

MODERN PRODUCT IONTECHNIQUES

Atlantic Blueberry uses state-of-the-artprecision agriculture, which employs GISsystems coupled with integrated crop andpest management, adds Galletta. “Our blue-berries are pre-cooled before, climate con-

trolled during and post-cooled after packag-ing to provide the highest quality andlongest shelf-life possible.”

Cunnane describes Santa Sweets’ grow-ing practices as consisting of “plastic cultureand drip irrigation to reduce water and fer-tilizer use.”

J & D hydrocools and packs its ownproduct versus having the farmer pack it,adds Dauito-Baxter.

“We’re all New Jersey farmers looking forways to operate more sustainably andreduce our impact on the environmentwhile enhancing food safety,” summarizes

“Blueberries are

native to New Jersey,

so we do not have to

amend the soils to

get them to grow

properly. The soil,

rainfall and climate

are perfect.”

— Art Galletta, AtlanticBlueberry Co. Inc.

Cunnane. “All of our production is both pre-cooled and post-cooled. Minutes after theproduct is picked, it enters the cold chain tobegin the process of cooling pulp tempera-tures and then maintaining the proper tem-peratures throughout the process of produc-tion and distribution.”

MARKET ING LOCALLY GROWN

Nestled in the center of the metropolitanareas, New Jersey produce is an easy sell forretailers throughout the East Coast and Mid-west. More consumers are demanding thefreshest product available, and New Jerseygrowers are making it possible.

“We’re accessible to most locations overnight,” explains Diamond’s Wetherbee.“Logistically, we’re in the middle of every-thing. We can source it overnight as opposedto four or five days.”

Thomas Sheppard, president of EasternFresh Growers Inc., a Cedarville, NJ-basedgrower that produces mostly bell peppersthis time of year, in addition to cucumbers,iceberg and romaine lettuce, summersquash and asparagus, also benefits from anadvantageous location. “We’re close to anenormous population center, so our producegets to customers in local markets a lotfaster than produce from competitors in Cal-ifornia and the Midwest. It’s also fresherwhen it arrives,” he adds. “Plus, it’s easierfor retailers to restock.”

J & D’s Dauito-Baxter agrees. “The factthat we are so close to so many markets andcan literally get there overnight makes ourproduct very attractive and fresh tasting.”

Atlantic’s Galletta points to New Jersey’sclose proximity to New York,Boston andWashington, D.C., as a major win-win forretailers and consumers. “In the Northeast,buyers can order blueberries and have them

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http://www.jerseytomato.com

Reader Service # 70

http://www.sunvalleyorchard.com


New Jersey’s Top Commodities1. Blueberries — $82 M2. Bell Peppers — $33 M3. Tomatoes — $26.6 M4. Cranberries — $25.4 M5. Peaches — $24 M6. Sweet Corn — $15.5 M7. Cucumbers — $13.1 M8. Squash — $12.5 M9. Apples — $11.3 M

10. Spinach — $10.4 M

*Figures represent 2008 productionvalue in millions.

Source: New Jersey Department of Agri-culture pb

weeklong or daylong celebrations.”Retailers should also consider featuring

locally grown New Jersey blueberries asmuch as possible to increase demand.“Cross-promotions are another way to stimu-late demand,” recommends Galletta. “Itemssuch as whipped cream, pie crusts and otherberries can be cross-promoted and achievevery good returns.”

For buyers, J & D offers 1- to 3-monthpricing as incentives to buy locally “and stayhere even when other areas have startedup,” according to Dauito-Baxter.

Cunnane suggests promoting the variousJersey Fresh produce items in ads withradio and TV advertising. “This year, con-sumers are really looking for items they per-ceive as a value, so aggressive retails, buy-one-get-one-free specials and the 10-for-10deals will help move more product.”

It’s imperative that retailers tell con-sumers they’re getting Jersey Fresh pro-duce. “The New Jersey Department of Agri-culture’s marketing division does an excel-lent job providing POP materials for in-storeuse,” Cunnane adds.

EMERGING TRENDSNew Jersey is seeing an increase in pro-

duction of herbs, collard greens and Chinesecabbage, reports NJDA’s Richmond. “We’realso seeing more organic farms.”

Other statewide agricultural trends tak-ing shape include a notable rise in farmingaltogether. According to the 2007 U.S. Cen-sus of Agriculture, 10,327 farms operate inthe state, up 4 percent since 2002 and thehighest number of farms since 1965.

While New Jersey growers are receivinghigher prices for their agricultural products,the costs of operating farms have also goneup. Since 2007, the value of the state’s agri-cultural products sold has increased 32 per-cent to $986.9 million, according to the cen-sus. Expenses, such as fuel, fertilizer andseed, have increased since 2002 to a total of$835.2 million. pb

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Procacci Bros. and Santa Sweets are among the many suppliers utilizing the Jer-sey Fresh logo to encourage sales.

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at their door in the morning. It’s harvestedtoday and on the shelf tomorrow. Environ-mental benefits include reduced transporta-tion costs and open space in an otherwisedensely populated area.”

Food miles, or carbon footprint, hascome into play as an additional advantage ofbuying New Jersey produce, states SantaSweets’ Cunnane.

“Locally grown has certainly becomeincreasingly important — here, and through-out the country,” reports Sheppard. “It cutsdown on fossil fuels and allows for moreprofitable production.”

NJDA’s Jersey Fresh program works withretailers and growers to raise awarenessabout locally grown produce through vari-ous marketing campaign efforts. “Fresh,locally grown produce is something retailerscan market in their advertisements, circu-lars and in their stores,” notes NJDA’s Rich-mond. “Many food chains advertise theycarry Jersey Fresh produce. In-store, theyhave Jersey Fresh banners, bin wrap andprice cards. Some even have “Jersey Fresh”

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http://www.rrflaimproduce.com



http://www.vinelandproduce.com

Reader Service # 55

http://www.pbhfoundation.org

http://www.fruitsaandveggiesmorematters.org


Water issues, new growing practices, interest inlocal produce, and the recovery from last year’s sal-monella scare will come together this year to pro-duce what could be an excellent pricing year fortomatoes grown in these regions.

The question of water issues arises in the Cen-tral Valley of California. There, some growers arereducing tomato acreage simply because they don’thave access to the sufficient water supply neededto grow them.

The demand for local produce should have animpact as well. Both retailers and restaurateurshave seen locally grown produce command theinterest of consumers, particularly where they sup-port regional farming traditions. Of course, Califor-

nia’s agriculture traditions are well established andattractive to many of the state’s residents, who areleaders in establishing food trends.

However, local produce, while creating a mar-ket, is limiting demand beyond California as retail-ers turn to local growers to bolster their image withconsumers concerned with environmental issuesand their own agricultural traditions. To the extentthat the California season overlaps with local sea-sons in established growing areas such as New Jer-sey, shippers from the West Coast could find theirmarkets limited.

Yet, it is a lingering affect of the salmonellascare, when tomatoes were erroneously implicated,that is the looming X factor. Serrano peppers mayhave caused the problem, but tomatoes still couldsuffer, at least to a degree. “There is a stigmaattached to the salmonella scare,” reports BrianCarter, produce and floral buyer at Andronico’sMarket Inc., in Albany, CA, which operates eightgourmet supermarkets in the San Francisco area.He notes the concern wasn’t only at his own store,but among distributors and other produce buyers.“Since the scare, the tomato category has reallyseemed to fall off. Since then, we have mostly onlyhad tomatoes from Mexico, or the greenhouse fromCanada, which just do not have the flavor of a field-grown tomato.”

CAL IFORNIA MEANS QUAL ITYAndronico’s anticipates the annual California

tomato season and takes full advantage of all theopportunities associated with it. “We are very muchlooking forward to the California season, where wecan promote locally and organically grown alongwith the flavorful, colorful heirlooms,” Carterremarks. “I believe the tomato category can experi-ence some well needed growth and restore con-sumer confidence.”

Carter thinks the new crop of California toma-toes could help turn around negative trends. “TheCalifornia tomatoes are the ones we are waiting

California and Baja tomatoes should com-mand better prices this year due to four veryimportant factors.

Time For California And Baja TomatoesWith stringent food safety standards and new, colorful varieties, tomatoes grown in the California and Baja, Mexico, regions will be priced to sell.

B Y M I K E D U F F

Growers report an increase in the use of tomato packaging.

Reader Service # 30

http://www.railexusa.com


for,” he reveals. “We feature tomatoes year-round, which makes it necessary to offertomatoes grown in Mexico. There was atime when Baja tomatoes were consideredone of the premier tomato varieties, but thatwas before the growth of greenhouse-grown,organics, the ever-growing, popular Heir-looms and the locally grown movement.”

For Spud, a Vancouver, Canada-basedhome delivery retailer, which has operationsin Seattle, WA; Portland, OR; San Franciscoand Los Angeles, CA; the safety of tomatoeshasn’t been an issue. The company focuseson natural and organic items, and it seemsas if consumers of those products are moreconfident in the folks who purvey their pro-duce than conventional shoppers. Or at thevery least, they are better informed. “I amnot aware of any impacts on our tomatosales or concerns raised by our customersrelative to the pepper salmonella scare,”reports David Van Seters, Spud founder,president and CEO.

While Andronico’s and Spud are after thefood devotee who seeks eating experiencewith less regard to price, Fresh & EasyNeighborhood Market Inc., in El Segundo,CA, targets consumers who want quality,but scrutinize price more closely.

Fresh & Easy recently carried Baja toma-toes as a premium alternative, but has beenemphasizing quality product at more afford-able prices. For one thing, it has developedits 98-Cent Produce Pack as part of an ongo-ing strategy that focuses on providing low-cost shopping alternatives in the recession.“It’s really about availability and our tim-ing,” notes Fresh & Easy spokesperson,Brendan Wonnacott. “As things pop up, wewant to make sure and bring in those items.

People are interested, too, as recentlydemonstrated with our 98-Cent ProducePack. It adds a different element to what weoffer. High quality and low prices are whatwe’ve seen across the board as a consumerpriority with everything, particularly withfresh food. People are looking to save, butthey don’t like to compromise. That’s alwaysimportant, but it’s a very big part of it now.”

Initial California tomato shipments, prin-cipally those moving before the Florida cropfizzles, should spell opportunity for Fresh &Easy, as it can work both to price and con-sumer affinity for locally grown product inthe Golden State. “Overall, being locatedwhere we are, it makes sense to sourcelocally whenever possible,” explains Wonna-cott. “Seasonal availability plays a big rolefor us. The main thing is to stick with good

“I’m very optimistic

on pricing this year,

based on the fact

that there will be

a slight reduction in

acreage out for Cali-

fornia tomatoes.”

— John LupulAce Tomato Co. Inc.

producers and make sure things remain ashigh quality as possible.”

With various factors taken into considera-tion, John Lupul, general manager of AceTomato Co. Inc., based in Manteca, CA,notes prices across the distribution systemshould improve this year for Golden Statetomatoes. “I’m very optimistic on pricingthis year, based on the fact that there will bea slight reduction in acreage out for Califor-nia tomatoes,” he states. “We’re looking for-ward to this season, and we expect pricingto be better than last season.

PR IC ING AND VAR IETY FACTORS

Lupul discloses water issues that limittomato supplies out of California will be aprimary price support. “Water doesn’t affectus. We’re okay there, but there are othergrowers who are growing cannery tomatoesin what are currently water-restricted areas,and they have decided not to continue. Oth-ers who are not restricted are taking a littleaside for the cannery market, so there arenot as many for retail. It makes for an inter-esting deal,” he adds.

The price issue cuts two ways. Althoughwater issues will buoy price, Tom DeardorffII, president of Oxnard, CA-based DeardorffFamily Farms, explains distribution costs,such as fuel prices, are going down, whichcreates the opportunity to establish a pricestructure where profits can be made even asvolumes are driven. The most effectivething is appropriate price that matches thequality of the product and is competitive,”he continues. “With freight rates comingdown and some other price relief in the sup-ply chain, I hope that some passes throughto the consumer and helps us all move prod-uct. Especially in these economic times, ithelps to get prices down to attract con-sumers within their budgets.”

Given the circumstance, though, Lupulbelieves savvy retailers can have a good Cal-ifornia tomato season this year. “There is abig opportunity for the retail side to makean acceptable profit on field tomatoes byputting them in locations so consumers seethem when they first come into the store,right in the first endcap of the tomato sec-tion,” he details.

In terms of varieties, Lupul reports thatthere isn’t one type of tomato that domi-nates the others, as might have been thecase before. Rather, growers are makingchoices relative to their growing conditionsand specific preferences from a general cat-egory of seed. “They’re all growing the longshelf-life varieties,” he reveals. “Everyonetweaks them, but pretty much everyone isselling the long shelf-life varieties.”

Andrew & Williamson Sales Co. Inc.,based in San Diego, CA, is working withseed producers to provide new varieties thatfocus on flavor, rather than growing or dis-tribution factors. According to Mark Munger,vice president of marketing, the companydirect-ships retailers a significant part of theproduct it generates. Andrew & Williamsontomatoes emerge from Mexico, with about60 percent coming from Baja. To drive thatdirect business, the company has becomemore consumer-focused. “Traditionally, seedbreeders have looked at growers as their pri-mary customers but, really, the primarycustomer is the consumer buying the toma-to,” Munger explains. “As an industry, we’renot all on the same page when it comes tosatisfying the customer.”

Ace Tomato ships California tomatoesacross North America, providing product forboth foodservice and retail. Lupul expects alift this year from California retailers whoare pushing local products. “You’re going tosee an opportunity at retail with Californiatomatoes with the buy local flair. Thatseems to be what’s exciting and new outthere in the produce department. I thinkthere is an opportunity this year for retailsupport of California tomatoes,” he says.

However, there are two sides to the pop-ularity of local produce. Joe Bernardi,owner of broker Bernardi & Associates Inc.,in Nogales, AZ, notes some of the repackershe works with who have distributed to areaswhere local tomatoes have become morepopular have seen markets dry up. “It reallyaffects us in the summertime.”

Caesar Muratore, sales manager for TheNewman DiMari Co., based in Newman,CA, adds, “It affects you if you can’t get dis-tribution in the North and Northeast.”

Another consideration is SKU prolifera-tion. While retailers may be able to drivesome margin through new segments,including the increasing number of toma-toes billed as heirlooms, the result may beless volume and a weaker performance inthe end, particularly if consumers are disap-pointed with products that are supposed tobe new and superior, but don’t live up to thepremium prices they command.

“SKU proliferation is not necessarily abad thing,” Munger notes. “There are a lot ofgood specialty tomatoes out there. But whensomebody comes out with better flavor or asweeter cherry tomato, they want to brandit with some new name. We have 10 or 12fairly progressive companies out there thatare sending out new varieties every year.And any new color wants to be put outthere as heirloom. Why confuse consumers,who may face 20 or 25 SKUs?”

PACKAGING OPT IONSDeardorff reports a major change he sees

in the market for California tomatoes is theincrease in use of retail packaging. Thisyear, Deardorff Family Farms is experiment-ing with the addition of a club-sized, five-pound box for its retail business. When itconsists of the right material, it can be abonus for shippers and stores. “The moredirect-to-retailer type of packaging exists inthe marketplace, the more sustainable pack-aging for a ready-to-use product is some-thing the retailer can put right on the shelf.The most growth we’ve had is in a single-layer, tray pack that goes straight out toretail vendors.”

With labor costs up, packaged tomatoesmake sense for retailers and can boost otherelements of the distribution chain as well.“Retailers want to cut labor as much as pos-sible, and it adds more value to what therepacker does. The retailer has fewer handson the product and less shrink. It’s a win-

win all around,” Bernardi explains.Packaging — once environmental con-

cerns have been addressed — benefits retail-ers to the extent consumers see enoughadvantage that they’ll pay for it, Mungernotes. “It creates convenience. Consumersdon’t have to pick though a pile of tomatoes.It’s good for food safety protection. We’reseeing some innovation. The hothouseindustry has been particularly innovative.The challenge is that it’s an additionalexpense in a low-margin industry.”

Some growers and distributors are look-ing to new production methods to creategreater consistency and quality, again mak-ing tomatoes a more consumer-friendlyproduct. According to Munger, “One of thebig, macro trends is the shift away from in-field to protected growing. We’ve convertedjust about 100 percent over to the shade-house concept. It has become a superiorway to grow product because you have a lotmore control.” pb


Putting Food Safety First

John Lupul, general manager of Mante-ca, CA-based Ace Tomato Co., doubtsthat any food safety concerns will arise

as this year’s California tomatoes begin toship. However, he notes the industry outWest is prepared to deal with concerns. Cali-fornia tomato growers have adopted foodsafety practices that go beyond thoseemployed in many other produce industrysectors and will even provide signage forretailers that emphasizes the product’swholesomeness. “We’re following the freshstandards in that we’re testing water, we usea testing shed — we are fulfilling your basicGMP GAP requirements,” he details. “Thatincludes many internal things, too, such asstandard practices, proper training, enclosingthe facility with fencing so the property iscompletely secured, etc.”

Tom Deardorff, president of DeardorffFamily Farms, in Oxnard, CA, reveals hiscompany is dealing with international, aswell as local food safety practices becauseof its export business, but he thinks the larg-er issue is being addressed. “The Californiaindustry as a whole has been aggressiveand is on the leading edge of the issue.”

Additionally, Caesar Muratore, salesmanager for The Newman DiMari Co., inNewman, CA, notes an increasing consumerinterest in food grown in the most naturalway possible has the potential to drive more

interest in field tomatoes, and some retailersstill appreciate their qualities. “Wal-Mart stillsources field tomatoes,” he reveals. “Peoplewant things that are natural. There is goingto be a continuing issue about food safetyand the environment and how food isgrown. With our field tomatoes, you havesoil, water and air. How do you beat that?”

The western tomato business has learnedfrom last year’s food safety scare. JoeBernardi, owner of Bernardi & AssociatesInc., headquartered in Nogales, AZ, asserts,“I definitely think we’ll be better able to dealwith problems that arise. I’d also point outthat it was never an issue for us last year,and that’s the real problem. The tomatoindustry and the fresh produce industry aswhole had things in place to do what need-ed to be done in case of a real emergency. Ithink the FDA and other agencies involvedwere not ready to deal with the emergency.It was not a problem within tomato industry.It was a really unfortunate situation.”

Most importantly, Bernardi remarksretailers should have confidence in the prod-ucts that are emerging from Baja and Cali-fornia. “The growing and packing practicesout of Baja and California are of the utmoststringency. People would be amazed at thelevel of sophistication of the Baja growingpractices. They’re doing everything out thereto have a safe supply.” pb


Or, if you would rather navigate by retailer than road, you cantake a tour that starts with Tesco’s Fresh & Easy and ends with Wal-Mart’s Marketside.

What becomes increasingly evident along the way is that foodretailing is becoming an intense enterprise, with ideas building oneoff the other as competitors shrug and scramble for position. Clear-ly, some of the concepts on display on Baseline Road are destinedfor long use, while others will be gone quickly. Others will keepwhat works and alter what doesn’t. Of the four Neighborhood Mar-kets in the vicinity of Baseline Road, one is slated already for con-version into a new, Hispanic-oriented Wal-Mart store test concept tobe named Supermercado de Wal-Mart. That’s in the future, though.The present is interesting enough.

FRESH & EASYTesco continues to experiment with Fresh & Easy as it tries to

figure out just what consumers in the United States want from anaffordable, convenience food concept in general and, in particular,what they want from it in a recession that just happens to coincidewith the concept’s roll out. First, Tesco went for bare bones and hip.Then, it added some color by rolling out a new signage package tomake the place more pleasant for middle-class shoppers. Now, it’sfocusing on bargains as a kind of up-market version of Aldi or Save-A-Lot, since consumers today are wary of spending in the currentuncertain economy.

Produce is important in the current brand positioning, figura-tively and literally. Right where the front entranceway of a Fresh &

Easy on Baseline Road adjoins the produce section, Tesco offers a12-linear-foot 98-Cent Value Packs display with a like-sized productpresentation under another sign, reading, “Extra Low Prices.”

Fresh & Easy confronts customers with its value propositionimmediately upon entering the store, then reinforces it by pointingout bargains in the cold case, including cut products, such as broc-coli florets, on sale at $1.98 for a 12-ounce bag. Additionally, Fresh& Easy offers a fresh-cut fruit presentation including wrappedwatermelon quarters and tubs of mixed melon in chunks andslices, citrus salad and exotic fruit salad featuring pineapple andkiwi. It also provides bags of sliced apple.

Thus, Fresh & Easy is offering more than bargains; it is offeringconvenience as well. As many of those conveniences, including thebroccoli florets and apple slices, are labeled Fresh & Easy, the com-pany is making a particular statement about the store and what itmeans to make things easier for consumers.

Fresh & Easy also is attempting the food equivalent of whatmass-market retailers try to do with fashion — staying on trends.Broccoli florets aren’t any more cutting edge these days than Cae-sar salad, but they are the kind of product that many food-con-scious, middle-class Americans have incorporated into their every-day eating. Fresh & Easy offers other products that might be regard-ed similarly, such as refrigerated dressings, including balsamicvinaigrette, creamy cilantro and, naturally enough, Caesar, allunder its own label.

At the same time, Fresh & Easy seems to have deemphasizedprepared food to some extent. It still has an assortment of pizzasand sandwiches prepared by the company at its central commis-sary, but the range seems more limited and certainly less gourmet-oriented than was originally the case. Thus, as it tweaks merchan-dising to grab a clientele that itself may be shifting its preferencesin the recession, Fresh & Easy seems to be highlighting produce tounderscore both the fresh and easy elements that the storespromise just by virtue of their names, with some bargains thrownin for good measure.

WAL-MART MARKETSIDEAnyone who has encountered both the Tesco and Waitrose con-

venience stores in the United Kingdom might be tempted to look atFresh & Easy and Wal-Mart Marketside as an American version ofthe across-the-pond rivalry.

Wal-Mart isn’t quite Waitrose, even if both are designed to bemore upscale in appearance than their Tesco competition. The foodisn’t as gourmet-oriented at Wal-Mart, but it’s headed in that direc-tion. Particularly in the deli section, which is the heart of the con-venience-oriented operation, an earlier generation of basic, Ameri-can dishes, such as macaroni and cheese, has been joined by grilled

Take a ride down Arizona’s Baseline road, start-ing in the dense old suburbs near Phoenix SkyHarbor Airport ending at the edge of the desert,and you can review the state of American foodretailing without touching another street.

Phoenix Produce On ParadeBe it Fresh & Easy, Fry’s, Bashas’, Safeway or any one of Wal-Mart’s three retail operations, each Phoenix area store displays its varying priorities through unique merchandising and signage.

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asparagus and roasted red-skin potatoes. Inyet another departure from Waitrose, thefancier food remains heavily value-oriented,and store signage emphasizes that shopperscan put together meals based on $8 and $6family-sized entrees, which can be roundedout with $6 and $4 salads merchandised inthe deli.

So produce is incorporated into the coretakeout food operation, but as a depart-ment, it precedes it. In fact, as shoppersenter Marketside, piled produce table dis-plays share the immediate space with a bev-erage presentation, with takeout food in thebackground, an obvious announcement ofpriorities to entering consumers.

The produce department does featuresignage that announces price breaks, butthat aspect of the merchandising isn’t asaggressive as that found in Wal-Mart’s near-by Neighborhood Market stores. Price andconvenience seem of approximately equalweight, with 78-cent bags of Ready-Pak Gar-den Salad being featured as part of a three-day produce sale.

By Wal-Mart standards, the produce dis-plays are petite, but the well-groomed setsof cantaloupes, pineapples and orangespiled on tables in the midst of the sales floormake the point that quality is as importantas price. Labor commitment underscores


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the regard for putting quality in front ofconsumers attractively. With smaller-sizedisplays, an employee constantly makes thetrip from the backroom to the sales floorfreshening presentations. Thus, quality iscertainly a critical consideration in Market-side store presentation as is, by extension,one-upping the more utilitarian merchan-dising at Fresh & Easy. The question is, willa Wal-Mart gourmet concept alienate con-sumers or intrigue them?

NEIGHBORHOOD MARKETNothing could be clearer in the merchan-

dising at Neighborhood Market than Wal-Mart’s desire to establish its grocery store

possible. For families on tight budgets,Supercenter deals, such as those found onthe avocados, can be the difference betweenmaintaining a basic lifestyle and forgoingthe last of life’s niceties. To underline thepoint, not all avocados that Wal-Mart offeredwere minis. It also provided more standardHass avocados for 68 cents, but that onlymade the message clearer: Wal-Mart woulddo what it takes to provide its consumerswith prices that supported their lifestyles ata critical moment.

FRY’S MARKETPLACEProduct at Kroger-owned Fry’s bares the

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concept as the place for inexpensive, reces-sion food shopping. At the entrance of thestore, three bins of produce items made theannouncement. One offered yellow onionsat 88-cents-a-pound under a sign thatdeclared, “Unbeatable Prices.” The wordUnbeatable was particularly emphasized.The next offered robust cucumbers at 38cents each with signage reading, “Save EvenMore. Was 88 cents.” Similarly, green bellpeppers were proffered with the Save EvenMore signage, also declaring, “Was 88 cents.”

Savings signs filled the produce section,which also helped definitively establishNeighborhood Market at the place for afford-able, fresh food.

What’s more, the Neighborhood Marketproduce offering was certainly as extensiveas competing supermarkets, except in oneregard: Neighborhood Market didn’t mountthe kind of extensive organic produce dis-plays most of its supermarket competitorsfeature. Wal-Mart, though, never has tried tobe all things to all people. It identifies asweet spot where it can use its distributionexpertise to drive volume through lowprices. If dealing with supercenter parkinglots, epic store expanses and bustling crowdsisn’t your thing, but bargains are, Wal-Martoffers you Neighborhood Market, quick andeasy to navigate and providing many itemsto delight the frugal shopper.

WAL-MART SUPERCENTERBut just how was Wal-Mart generating

the particular bargains it was providing soconspicuously at Neighborhood Market andthoroughly at a nearby Wal-Mart Super-center? The answer was discovered in aconversation with a produce departmentemployee. It seems as if Phoenix-area Wal-Marts had been given permission to do extrabuying locally, as an over abundance of cer-tain commodities provided an opportunitytoo ripe for the company to overlook.

In some cases, these were pretty muchstandard products. In others, they wereitems that might be hard to market, such asrather small avocados that might have beenconsidered culls, except Wal-Mart Super-center was offering them at 33 cents each —less then 10 cents an ounce. More typicallysized avocados were a bit more expensive atNeighborhood Market, priced at a littlemore than 12 cents an ounce.

Clearly, Wal-Mart expects its most value-conscious consumer to shop its Super-centers and wants to impress. Sure, the four-ounce avocados at the Supercenter wereclose to half pit, but if you’re used to havingavocado in a salad, or guacamole with ameal, Wal-Mart was offering you the bestdeal you could get on the fruit that makes it

Dunnhumby USA, the American division ofthe British Dunnhumby research firm thathelped Tesco build its powerful loyalty cardprogram in the United Kingdom.

Kroger is doing its utmost to encouragecustomers to join its loyalty club and to usethe associated bargain card at the checkout.Not only do the discounts promote loyaltydirectly, the information that Kroger gleansby linking buying patterns to individual clubmember helps the supermarket more pre-cisely merchandise its stores. After all, hav-ing the right products in stock at the righttime is another way to build customerappreciation and allegiance.

There is one wrinkle, though. WhileKroger signage featuring club prices is sprin-kled throughout the produce department,not all the club prices represent discounts.Sometimes the club price and the regularprice are exactly the same. This didn’t dis-turb a produce department employee whowas asked about the practice. She noted theclub prices that didn’t reflect a discount justweren’t on sale.

So, how does Kroger promote loyaltycard use and not provide a discount? Asopposed to many other food retailers thatare eager to post the difference between theregular and loyalty program prices, Krogerjust omits the non-club price from the dis-play, one reason to find and question a pro-duce department employee...although mostcustomers won’t bother, which certainlyhelps Kroger.

SAFEWAYFor Safeway, lifestyle is everything.

Trendy is the focus and that’s hard to missin produce, given the major organic foodpresentation that occupies such a conspicu-ous place on the sales floor. Unlike manyother mainstream food retailers, Safewaydoesn’t skimp on variety when it comes toorganics, offering, for example, Fuji andPink Lady in the organic apple category.

Safeway clearly wants to convince con-sumers they should shop its stores based onabundance, quality and the unique nature of

its produce proposition. Its own loyalty cardprogram contributes something of a bargainelement, although the depth of discountsoffered — and there was always a discountas prices were posted for both club and non-club purchasing — varied from 10 percenton green beans to as much as 50 percent onBaby Bella mushrooms.

Still, except for the scope of the producedepartment, the presentation of Safeway’sprivate labels revealed the most about itscustomer proposition. Two predominatebrands in produce included O Organics andEating Right, its healthy living brand. Inmany cases, Safeway’s private label brandsdon’t provide an alternative to nationalbrands; they supplant them. Take packagedherbs, for example. Rather than a gourmetbrand, such as Melissa’s or a local, organiclabel, Safeway offers O Organics, as it doesin tub baby spinach salad, when EarthboundFarms is typically the standard.

Safeway clearly thinks a lot of its privatelabel proposition. The store offered FreshExpress Italian salad at $2.99 in a 10-ouncepackage, on sale from $3.29, but it alsooffered the equivalent, Eating Right privatelabel salad, at identical pricing. The kickerwas that the Eating Right salad was a littlesmaller in its nine-ounce package size.

BASHAS’When you enter the produce department

at Wal-Mart Supercenter or Safeway, you arestruck by the scope of products offered andlandscape occupied. Go to Fry’s or Neighbor-hood Market, and the signage clamors foryour attention. At Marketplace and Fresh &Easy, the produce displays are carefullycrafted to convey the store’s proposition interms of value, convenience and novelty.

Bashas’ is nice. Nice doesn’t necessarilymean better, but it does translate to easy toshop, as in a presentation of a few dry tablesand a well-organized wet rack. Stand at anyspot in the produce department and you cantake in the whole offering. No wandering tothe back of floor displays trying to remem-ber what items were hidden where. Thestore doesn’t get too fancy, and only offeredbunches of parsley on the wet rack, lackingthe peg-board alternative some others car-ried, nor did it go heavy into organics. Itwas, however, one of the few stores thatincorporated extra varieties among the mostpopular items, providing Ambrosia apples,for example. It also carried a more completearray of Hispanic items — includingcilantro, jicama, papaya, mango andjalapeño and Serrano peppers — than mostof its rivals did. After all, Bashas’ is the com-munity grocer for the Phoenix area and itevolves as the community does. pb

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A D V E R T I S I N G S E C T I O N • G A 3

PB: Could you share some of the significanthighlights and accomplishments during yourlong tenure that have helped make a differ-ence for agriculture in the state?

Irvin: We have had a very active department.We went through the peanut butter scare andhandled that marvelously. We got a lot of evi-dence for the FDA to use. I’m very proud of whatwe did there.

We were the first state in union to eradicatethe boll weevil. Cotton came back like gang-busters in the state of Georgia.

We started the Georgia Grown programabout 10 years ago. It has been a highly recog-nized part of our marketing effort to make ourproducts more visible. People feel better whenthey buy produce locally. It’s fresher and it staysfresh and enjoyable longer than if it comes froma greater distance. I know we’ve helped thegrowers with this program.

I was the first commissioner in the UnitedStates to advocate doing business with Cuba. Iam going to continue pursuing that goal of mak-ing our Georgia-grown produce available to theCuban people. It’s a market that is very near tous and very visible. The last administration sawadverse political ramifications in doing businesswith Cuba, but our current president is very seri-ous about helping us sell to the Cuban people.Cuba is a country that needs our produce andwe need the business.

PB: Do your efforts to promote GeorgiaGrown in overseas markets stand out amongthe top accomplishments? What are the latestdevelopments in the international arena whenit comes to exporting Georgia produce items?

Irvin: Exports have been a long-time focus. Icertainly think our efforts have been successful.

In addition to Cuba [as mentioned above], Isee China, India, and other areas as being goodmarkets for our produce.

We’ve been in Japan for years and it hasbecome a big part of the world market. Whenev-er we sell to overseas markets, we find our prod-ucts are favorably received once we have an

opportunity to get into an area and really devel-op that market.

In China, we have a part-time office openand we are working diligently to develop thatmarket, too. We are selling a lot of products toChina, especially our chicken. We need the mar-ket and they need our product.

Our office in Brussels has been highly suc-cessful. Corry Dewitt travels around to see ourpartners in Europe and Asia. She attends foodshows all the way to St. Petersburg. She goes toSaudi Arabia and Dubai. She is a busy lady. Herefforts are making a huge difference.

With the economy the way it is in the UnitedStates, we need to do everything we can toextend our markets for agricultural products.Agriculture can lead us out of the recession we’rein right now. History shows if a recession turnsaround, agriculture always takes the lead.

PB: Many people would not immediatelyidentify Georgia as a major producer of freshproduce, but your department has probablybeen among the most aggressive about pro-moting local produce. Why do you place sucha priority on produce?

Irvin: Go back and think about it. Nobodyhad ever heard of the Vidalia onion years ago.Today, that’s the vegetable of the century. It hasbeen a great, great success. We’re out looking forthings that have potential. If they have potential,we get behind it and really push it and it will ful-fill our expectations.

We’re fortunate here. We have one of thelargest farmers’ markets in the United States. It isjust growing by leaps and bounds. Every tenantwe have down there wants more space. We havea building program for enlarging the warehouseand the cooler space in order for them to domore business. It just keeps growing. We havemoney in our budgets and we’re spending about$2 million a year in expansion for the farmers’market and to help the tenants on the market asthey’re promoting produce.

PB: Can you tell us specifically how you’ve

seen Georgia produce items, such as peaches,pecans and Vidalia onions, grow over theyears? These items are now powerhouse com-modities and they are associated with Georgiaon a national level. How did that come to be?

Irvin: We sold a lot of pecans last year toChina. We’re number one or two in the UnitedStates in production of pecans. This was a greatsuccess in China. Our pecans sold at a goodprice. A lot of our growers told me they had someof the best returns they had had in years on thatproduct.

We’ll have peaches available in June. If youhave a good product and you make it available,the public will sell the product for you. Advertis-ing has been terrific for us. People go into super-markets now and ask for our products becauseour advertising had done such a good job.

PB: Currently there are 12 commodity com-missions in Georgia and soon to be 13. In addi-tion to the newly established Georgia Fruit andVegetable Commission, there is also a newBlueberry Commission. Soon, there will be anOrnamental Horticulture Commission. Itseems growers are looking for every advantagethey can find to help them control productioncosts and remain competitive. How do you seethe Department of Agriculture expanding itsrole as growers establish these commissionsfor the good of their respective industries?

Irvin: We have one of the best commodityacts in the nation. It’s really been a big help tothese industries.

Blueberries have come on like gangbusters.We are increasing our production by leaps andbounds every year. One fellow told me he put800 acres into blueberries. He said he had theland and he thought blueberries would be thebest use for it.

I’m retiring after this term. I’m very anxiousthat whoever takes my place will be committed tobuilding on what we’ve done to promote Georgiaagriculture and make it better for the growers. Ifwe help these commodities and promote them, ithelps the whole agriculture community. GA

In his 41st year as Commissioner for the Georgia Department ofAgriculture, Tommy Irvin, sits down with

PRODUCE BUSINESS to discuss the international expansion and success of the Georgia Grown program.

BY KEN HODGE

The Dean Of Georgia Agriculture

Produce in Georgia is all about pride. Growers are proud of thequality fruit, vegetables and nuts they produce, and consumersare increasingly looking for locally grown produce they can feelgood about buying, eating and sharing with friends. In thebackground, the Georgia Department of Agriculture (GDA) is

diligently playing the role of matchmaker, seeking to bring consumers, familyfarmers and marketers together and sharing the news that good things to eatgrow in Georgia.

“Locally grown has become a buzz word in supermarkets and retail loca-tions,” notes Commissioner Tommy Irvin of the GDA. “American consumerswant to know if the fresh fruits and vegetables they buy are produced locally.”

One way consumers can be sure they are buying locally grown produce isby looking for the bright, colorful Georgia Grown logo on fruits, vegetablesand nuts. Created by the GDA, the logo is provided to producers, marketersand retailers to help spread the word that the Peach State offers more than

just famously sweet peaches. The Georgia Grown logo has also become visi-ble in other states on the East Coast and even in international export markets,such as Canada.

The Georgia Grown program got its start just after the turn of the centurywhen federal funding became available to assist producers of certain crops. In2001, President Bush signed the agricultural economic assistance packageauthorizing the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to provide $159.4million to states to help support activities that promote agriculture, giving pri-ority to specialty crops. Georgia was allocated $3.2 million. Those funds wereused to create the Georgia Grown program to assist specialty crop initiativesaround the state.

The first monies were applied to creating the attractive logo. Some of thefunds were also used to establish a retail and consumer pilot program with149 Kroger supermarkets. The program later included other chains through-out the state. Participating supermarkets featured a special Georgia Grown


GGEEOORRGGIIAA GGRROOWWNN PPRROODDUUCCEEIs Everybody’s

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The Georgia Grown program helps farmers and consumers share a bountiful harvest.

BY KEN HODGE

section in their produce departments that includ-ed recipes.

The Georgia Grown program also advertisedseasonal, specialty crops, such as Christmas trees,Vidalia onions, ornamental horticultural crops,honey, watermelons and specialty and gourmetfoods on television.

THE FLAVOR OF GEORGIA“We have a really superior taste,” asserts

Musella, GA-based Robert Dickey II, president ofDickey Farms Inc. “Peaches are all we grow. Ourclose proximity to the markets allows us to harvestat the peak of ripeness. Our peaches are the firstones on the market. We don’t store them. Wehave good varieties that are adapted to our grow-ing conditions and climate here in the Southeast.”

“The retailers have done an excellent job ofpromoting locally grown peaches in the last fewyears,” says Dickey. “The retailers in the Southeasthave returned to wanting Georgia peaches, espe-cially here in Georgia. We’re not shipping as faraway as we once did. A bigger percentage of ourpeaches are staying in the Southeast.”

Peaches have been grown in Georgia since1571 when they were introduced along the coastfrom Florida, but sales associate, Duke Lane III,agrees the fruit he grows has changed since hisgrandfather harvested fresh peaches on the familyfarm near Fort Valley, GA, the present site of LanePacking LLC.

“We’ve probably turned over 50 percent ofour varieties in the last 10 to 15 years,” Laneexplains. “The Flavorich peach is a good-eating,

early peach with good size. There are also othervarieties, such as Scarlet Prince and July Prince,but we’re not so much looking for varieties to startearly. We just want good-eating peaches. Wedon’t want to sacrifice taste just to get into themarket early.”

Lane agrees Georgia peaches taste betterbecause they’re so close to consumer outlets inthe Southeast and along the East Coast. Treeripened peaches simply have more sugars andbetter flavor, and a shorter trip to market meansthey don’t lose as much of that flavor on trucks orin storage. “We focus primarily in the Southeast,”

he adds. “We do a little business inthe Northeast, but we like to takecare of our own backyard.”

Lane reports Georgia peachescould be a bumper crop this year ifthe weather continues to cooper-ate. With a good supply, consumers should beable to enjoy the fruit they want and growers willbe able to catch up after some weather-relatedsurprises over the past two years. “We’re cautious-ly optimistic,” he says. “We’re satisfied with thesupport retailers give us in promoting Georgiapeaches and there’s even a stronger movement


Georgia farmers, and residents alike, areproud of the bounty of fresh fruit and vegeta-bles grown within the state.

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this year than in years past pushinglocal produce. We’re excited aboutit because we have things in theright place to make the most of thisyear’s crop.”

Sweet corn is another Georgiacrop that has benefited from hybridization. At L.G.Herndon, Jr. Farms Inc., headquartered in Lyons,GA, owner Bo Herndon does everything he can topreserve every ounce of that sweetness for con-sumers to enjoy when they bring it home. “Whenthe retailer gets that corn, it’s good and cold andwe keep the cold chain so the retailer gets thebest quality,” Herndon points out. “You have topick corn and get it cooled. It keeps the freshnessin and it eats better. Retailers know that and that’swhy they buy a lot of sweet corn with us.”

Quality sweet corn starts with the harvest,according Herndon. He has his own “mule trains”for harvesting crews and all sweet corn is hand-picked, as opposed to machine picking. “Wehandpick everything,” he asserts. “That makes thecorn better and more tender. Come to Georgia inJune. We’ve got some new varieties we’re tryingthis year that are sugar-enhanced. It’s really goingto be good for our customers.”

“I feel like a lot more people are cookingtoday,” Herndon continues. “They’re not eatingout like they were. They’re staying home andcooking more and I think that is going to be an

In addition to the efforts of the Atlanta-based Georgia Department of Agricul-ture (GDA) to promote Georgia-grownproduce, most producers in the statehave established commodity commis-

sions to improve their crops and promote theproducts they raise. “Most of our products arein some way represented by a marketingorder,” says Charles Hall, executive director ofthe Georgia Fruit & Vegetable Growers Associ-ation (GFVGA), in LaGrange. “We have amultitude of commodities we represent here inGeorgia. The specialty crops industry here islarger than a billion-dollar industry every year.”

Georgia growers aren’t prone to waitaround for things to improve on their own, andlate last year, they formed the Georgia Com-modity Commission for Vegetables to financeresearch for nine vegetables grown in the state.Those items to be included in research projectsare: beans, squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, sweetcorn, leafy greens, cantaloupe, bell peppersand cabbage. The research projects to be fund-ed by grower assessments will not focus on asingle produce item, but seeks to simultaneous-ly improve two or more of those on the list,according to Hall. One project, for example,will focus on controlling white fly in cucum-bers and beans.

More recently, blueberry growers in Geor-gia created a commission that will support bothcrop research and promotional activities,according to Joe Cornelius, chairman of thenew blueberry commission. “My originalintent was to fund horticultural research,” Cor-nelius explains. “Now I see more of the moneygoing toward uses for blueberries and theirhealth benefits along with promotion and pub-lic education about blueberries.”

Currently, there are 12 commodity com-missions funded by grower assessments thatfocus on such crops as peaches, peanuts andpecans, according to Marcia Crowley, agricul-ture manager for the GDA. A thirteenth com-mission is currently in the formative stages forornamental horticulture. “They are all grower-funded commissions that are run the sameway,” Crowley explains. “The growers helpthemselves. It is really a good system.”

Georgia Commissions Help Promote

Georgia Grown


asset to us with the kind of vegetables we grow.”

SWEET VIDALIAS ARE A HIT

Georgians are also proud of the widely knownand popular Vidalia onion, according to WendyBrannen, executive director of the Vidalia OnionCommittee (VOC) in Vidalia, GA. The onions havebuilt their own reputation, but the GeorgiaGrown program is important in the committee’songoing efforts to tell consumers more about theseuncommonly sweet onions.

“In today’s climate, Georgia Grown is moreimportant than ever,” Brannen insists. “Consumerswant to purchase from their home state and evenin their backyard, so to speak. Georgia Grown isvery important in our marketing of Vidalia onions.Because of my personal state pride, we also throwother Georgia commodities into our marketingprograms, such as our Georgia peach and Vidaliaonion salad. We have another recipe with Georgiapecans and Vidalias. It’s just a bit of goodwill andrespect for other Georgia commodities that helpsus work together. The state of Georgia certainlyhelps us and there is a trickle-down effect becauseall their marketing messages help us.”

Despite the name and fame of Vidalia onions,Brannen says many consumers still do not knowthe familiar sweet globes come from Georgia andany onion classified as a Vidalia must be grown in

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a specific area of the state. “We’re the champagneof onions,” she proudly proclaims. “We are tryingto disseminate that message that Vidalia onionscan only be grown in Georgia. Right now we arecommunicating with the Georgia Department ofAgriculture about a TV program that could workwell for Vidalias and other Georgia commodities.All of us have worked with the commissioner’soffice. Vidalias have always been one of Commis-sioner Irvin’s babies. We’ve had a symbiotic rela-tionship with him and the Georgia Grown initia-tive for years.”

Brannen says retailers can look forward thisyear to a nationwide Vidalia onion campaign withthe message, “If it says Vidalia, you know it’s theoriginal, sweet onion only from Georgia.” Sheadds the committee will also carry out promotionsthis year pairing sweet Vidalias with New Yorkapples and also with A & W Root Beer.

John Shuman, president of Shuman ProduceInc. of Reidsville, GA, echoes Brannen’s pride inthe Vidalia onion, saying they sell themselves, butalso get a lot of marketing support from Georgia’sproduce industry. “Vidalia onions enjoy nationalattention in season and receive strong ad supportduring the spring and summer,” he reports.“Retailers enjoy brisk movement on Vidalia onionswhen advertised in May and June with favorablepositioning, such as end caps or large displaysbuilt around Memorial Day and other events.”

CONNECTING LOCAL GROWERS AND BUYERS

Georgia’s Southeastern location and mild cli-mate make the state ideally suited for locallygrown programs.

One Atlanta produce distributor that is focus-ing on the concept of locally grown, sustainablefruits and vegetables for Georgia citizens is DestinyOrganics LLC, a produce wholesaler located atthe Atlanta State Farmers Market in Forest Park,GA. “We are seeing a growing consumer demandfor Georgia-grown produce,” says Dee Dee Digby,founder, president and CEO of Destiny Organics.“It’s a grassroots movement and the demand isreally exploding. It started with a few progressivechefs and has moved to retailers and institutions,

such as universities and hospitals. Destiny Organ-ics is the vendor of choice for Emory University inits sustainability initiative, one of the most progres-

sive in the country.”Located in Atlanta, Emory Uni-

versity defines sustainability as“meeting the needs of the presentgeneration without compromisingthe needs of future generations.”The university’s vision requires 75 percent of theproduce and other food products used in its hos-pitals and cafeterias will be local or sustainablygrown by 2015. Highest priority will be given toestablishing relationships with Georgia farmers,preferably those closest to the university.

Established in 2001, Destiny Organics hasbeen a big supporter of all Georgia Grown events,according to Digby. “There is a lot of buzz aboutlocal and organic,” she reasons. “This is drivingfoodservice operators and retailers to look forthese products. We’re lucky in Georgia — themild climate makes it possible to grow almost all


The Georgia Grown program result-ed in significant increases in salesof Georgia produce, claim supplierswho have taken advantage of usingthe logo. Many producers participat-

ed by putting the distinctive logo on their shippingcontainers, enhancing the feeling of pride in localproduce that already existed in the state.

“Pretty much all the retailers in Georgia areparticipating in the Georgia Grown program, asfar as using the logo as a promotion,” reportsAdam Lytch, grower development specialist atRaleigh, NC-based L & M Companies Inc., a fullyintegrated, year-round supplier of fresh fruits andvegetables, which handles Georgia produce in sea-son. “The Georgia Department of Agriculture hasdone a great job of getting out to the retailers andproviding in-store materials. We work with severalretailers and let them know when these productswill become available. Several of them use Geor-gia Grown signage to promote the product on theshelf. It gives our products a boost.”

“I think the interesting thing about Georgiaproduce is that the items are available during twoof the biggest holidays, Memorial Day and theFourth of July,” Lytch continues. “Sweet corn,peaches, cantaloupes, watermelons, Vidaliaonions and items for grilling are all available —everything that is in heavy demand during thosetwo main holidays. Memorial Day kicks off thesummer and retailers make a big push in theweeks leading up to the Fourth of July.”

Pride in Georgia Grown is everywhere. Oneexample is the way the conversation often turns toflavor and sweetness when Georgia producers talkabout their fruits and vegetables. Many localcrops, including southern vegetables, are grownwith flavor in mind, and growers proudly tout the

sweetness of their items such as peaches, onions,carrots, blueberries, cantaloupes, watermelons andsweet corn.

Science backs them up, since soil testing hasshown sandy soils typical of Georgia’s coastalplains are low in sulfur, a nutrient that contributesto pungency. In fact, some growers even add sul-fur to make up the deficit for crops that need it,but the soil’s excellent drainage prevents excessivefertilizer buildup that can affect flavor, accordingto Jamie Brannen, vice president of Gerrald’sVidalia Sweet Onions Inc., in Statesboro, GA.

“We grow Vidalia onions, watermelons andcarrots,” Brannen reports. “We have wonderfulonions and watermelons and our carrots have beena new crop for us. We absolutely feel they aresweeter because our soil leaches more than othersoils. If you put chemicals in the soil, when itrains, they’re basically gone. It makes a sweeter-tasting carrot and we’re very proud of it.

“We grow wonderful onions, too,” Brannencontinues. “We’ve been growing Vidalias since1983. We grow, pack and ship all of our own prod-ucts. We have a huge investment in packing shedsfor the carrots. Everything has to be stainlesssteel, which is why carrots are a huge deal to getinto financially.”

Growers in the state have also had plenty ofhelp from plant breeders in producing flavorfulfruits and vegetables. Consider Georgia’s nick-name. It quickly becomes obvious to tourists inAtlanta that the many streets with the word“peach” in their names are simply an unabashedexpression of pride for one of the state’s mosthigh-profile crops. Today, the Peach State is actu-ally third in the nation in peach acreage, but Geor-gia growers will always tell you their fruit has thebest flavor.

Georgia Grown Sells

“We are seeing a growing consumer demand for Georgia-grown produce. It’s a grassroots movementand the demand is really exploding. It started with afew progressive chefs and has moved to reailers and

institutions, such as universities and hospitals.”

— Dee Dee DigbyDestiny Organics

year long. Crops from Georgiainclude everything from carrots tocollards, snow peas to squash,pecans, melons, bok choy, turnips,lettuces and herbs.

“Buyers and consumers lovethe fact that so many good things are coming outof Georgia, especially when it comes to organics,”Digby elaborates. “We are centrally located in theSoutheast, which allows all of our neighboringstates to take advantage of the fact that Georgia’sproduce is local. Our customers know the Geor-gia Grown label sells the produce. They’re very

proactive about using it in their point-of-sale andother marketing material. We also support themby providing marketing materials.”

Another wholesaler at the Atlanta farmers mar-ket that supports the Georgia Grown program isAtlanta-based General Produce Inc., where salesand procurement manager, Andrew Scott, saysfreshness is an important advantage to marketingGeorgia fruits and vegetables in the East due tothe state’s proximity to eastern markets. “Wedeliver to 11 states overnight out of Atlanta withour own trucks,” Scott emphasizes. “It’s an advan-tage to be in Georgia. The growing areas are all


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within 200 miles of us. We pick up all our ownproducts. You’ve heard people talk about foodmiles. That’s a big deal for us.”

FRESH FROM THE FARM“Our peaches are just 150 miles away, while

California is 2,300 miles,” Scott adds. “Our cropshould be good this year. They are tree-ripened. Itmakes a difference in flavor when it gets to theconsumer. I think our southern peaches are somuch better than others on the market and wealways try to support Georgia Grown. We gothrough about a load of peaches a day whenthey’re really rocking. Tree ripened fruit is just bet-ter. They still have the peach fuzz on them. Withpeaches from more distant areas, you don’t seethe peach fuzz on them. We’re also beginning toget Georgia-grown nectarines.”

The same relationship between flavor andfreshness is true for the flavorful Athena variety ofcantaloupe grown in Georgia and other easternstates, according to Scott. “Cantaloupes are verypopular,” he points out. “We sell truckloads ofbins. The Athena is more of a musk melon. Theyhave excellent flavor. The advantage in gettingthem from Georgia is they are cut in the field oneday and they are at our place the same night orthe next morning. They’re just in better shapebecause they aren’t on the road so long and theydon’t travel as far.”

Handling produce properly after pickup at thepackinghouse is an important factor that goeshand-in-hand with rapid delivery, according toScott. “We don’t break the cold chain,” he asserts.“We have a refrigerated receiving area we keep at38° to 40° F.

General Produce handles pecans, collardgreens, cucumbers, green beans, sweet corn, zuc-chini, okra, eggplant, bell peppers and, of course,Vidalia onions. “Vidalia onions have almostbecome a category by themselves,” Scott reasons.“Cukes and green beans are big items, as well assweet corn around the Fourth of July. We’re start-ing to see some strawberries grown here, too.

This year, one of the Vidalia Onion Commit-tee’s promotion includes pairing the sweetonions with New York apples.

http://www.generalproduceinc.com

Being a wholesaler, we buy a lot on speculation.We have to have the right price and the rightquality. We had a good year last year and a goodfirst quarter this year. You hear so much doom andgloom about the economy, but we’re doing reallywell holding our own.”

Michael Hively, general manager and chieffinancial officer of Vidalia onion producer, BlandFarms LLC, based in Glennville, GA, adds hisenthusiasm for the Georgia Grown program andthe growing demand for locally grown, sustainablefruits and vegetables.

CONTINUED GROWTH IN ORGANICS

“Retailers in the Southeast support GeorgiaGrown products very well,” acknowledges Hively.“I know we get as much unity in the Southeast asthere is any place, as far as supporting agriculture.With the economy the way it is, organics haveslowed down their growth somewhat. They are alittle higher in price for consumers than regularproduce. But, with that said, organics are growingeach year.” He reports Bland Farms recentlyacquired an organic onion operation in Utah aspart of its program to supply both conventionaland organic onions to retailers year-round.

Georgia-grown fruits and vegetables are alsopart of a year-round program at Rosemont FarmsCorp. of Boca Raton, FL, the exclusive sales andmarketing firm for Lewis Taylor Farms of Tifton,GA. The firm supplies peppers, yellow and greensquash, cucumbers, specialty/hot peppers, broc-coli, eggplant, greens, cabbage and Athena mel-ons to buyers. According to Daniel Whittles,director of marketing and product developmentfor Rosemont, “Our Georgia-grown products arean important component of our year-long supplychain with most of these categories. It is alwaysgood to get consumers excited about locallygrown product. The Georgia Grown programworks especially well within the region, and someof our customers feature our growers and farmswithin their store advertising, as well as on televi-sion and in over-air promotions.”

Whittles says specialty peppers continue to bea growth category for Rosemont Farms, and onethat is expected to continue its upward sales

trend. However, specialty peppers are not sold inthe same volumes as bell peppers or cucumbers.

“Our Athena melon program continues to seetremendous growth with an ever-expanding fol-lowing,” reports Whittles. “We have increased ouracreage and continue to employ a best-in-its-classcooling and handling methodology for the entireEast Coast. We are experimenting with somecomplementary varieties this year, which haveeven higher Brix and even better shelf life.

“Our customers are very excited about this

season,” Whittles continues. “It is abenefit to retailers when they sup-port locally grown produce. Trans-portation costs are lower and theywill see better shelf life for mostproducts. It is the ultimate win-winfor growers, customers and consumers.”

NEW CROPS ON THE SCENEIn the case of green beans, Georgia is simply a

great place to grow them, asserts Taylor Neighbors,president and CEO of Magnolia Packing Inc.,headquartered in Americus, GA. “We have excel-lent soil here in Georgia,” he emphasizes. “That’swhy we came to Americus. We’re on the northernend of the growing areas in Georgia, but we’resouth of the frost line. We have a longer growingseason than Florida. Our soil conditions are idealfor green beans in this particular three- to four-county area. Peppers and other items are bettersuited to South Georgia, but Americus is in just theright place for beans.”

“The Georgia Grown label helps,” admitsNeighbors. “I’m glad to have gotten on the band-wagon to do it. Georgia is a very viable place forgrowing vegetables. Georgia Grown works to our


Retail support for locally grownproduct has been key to the suc-cess of the Georgia Grown pro-gram, according to Kent Wolfe,marketing and finance specialist

for the Center for Agribusiness and EconomicDevelopment (CAED), a unit of the Universityof Georgia’s College of Agriculture and Envi-ronmental Sciences with three different cam-puses, located in Athens, Griffin and Tifton.

“What we’re seeing in Georgia is that a lot ofpeople are looking for locally grown products,”Wolfe asserts. “With concerns about food scaresand carbon footprints, I think a lot of people aremore concerned about what they’re eating.There has also been a push to support localfarmers. Some communities want to keep somegreen space around their neighborhoods andconnect with farmers.”

Wolfe adds Cincinnati, OH-based KrogerCo. and other food retailers continue to supportthe Georgia Grown program. He notes Wal-Mart now has a sustainable food program andwants to reduce the chain’s carbon footprint, ameasure of the impact human activities have onthe environment according to the amount ofgreenhouse gases produced.

Locally grown produce is an importantingredient in the produce department at Kroger,according to Glynn Jenkins, director of commu-

nications and public relations for The KrogerCompany’s Atlanta Division. “Kroger AtlantaDivision purchases produce from local growersto provide our customers with the freshest, mostnutritious produce available in the Southeast,”Jenkins explains. “Consumers also recognizethat purchasing vegetables and fruits grown bylocal farmers has signif icant advantages,including helping the economy in the communi-ties we serve and delivering produce to ourstores much more quickly.”

“Faster shipping means even fresher pro-duce because the items are picked and packed ata more mature stage, which brings out the flavorof the product,” Jenkins elaborates. “Locallygrown food also means less fossil fuel burnedduring preparation and transport — and lessenergy needed to refrigerate during transporta-tion, which promotes sustainability as well.”

As the program at Wal-Mart indicates, sus-tainability is also a consideration in the Geor-gia Grown program, which includes organical-ly grown produce items, as well as those grownmore conventionally.

Part of the work Wolfe and the Center forAgribusiness and Economic Development havebeen doing is presenting workshops to helpGeorgia growers succeed in the direct market-ing of their homegrown — and frequentlyorganic — produce.

Retailers Support Georgia Grown

“The Georgia Department of Agriculture promotes allthe growers in South Georgia really well with the

retailers. They distribute information that explains theseasons for all of our crops and when each variety will

be available.”

— Violet CorbettSouth Georgia Produce Inc.

advantage.”Growers in Georgia

are always quick to adoptthe latest technology andgrowing practices and toembrace new crops.

Along with the squash, cucumbers, eggplant,sweet corn, cabbage and mixed vegetables theygrow, green beans will be a new crop at SouthGeorgia Produce Inc., in Lake Park, GA, near theFlorida border, according to Violet Corbett, co-owner of the company. “By the fall season, we’llbe doing beans,” she says. “We’re putting in abean line and we’ll be growing them on someland right here that has been previously used forpeanuts, which will make a good rotation cropwith beans.”

Corbett believes Georgia has become a promi-nent produce state due to the Georgia Grownprogram, which has resulted in excel-lent advertising for the state. “The restof the country knows that we have highquality produce,” she explains. “TheGeorgia Department of Agriculture pro-motes all the growers in South Georgiareally well with the retailers. They dis-tribute information that explains theseasons for all of our crops and wheneach variety will be available. They holdtours and they work well with us tryingto promote our produce. All of ourboxes have the Georgia Grown labelon them.”

Another relatively new crop forGeorgia is broccoli, according to L & MCompanies’ Lytch. Ordinarily associatedwith California, this vegetable is one ofseveral growth items currently carriedby the company. “Everybody knowsabout peaches, cantaloupes and water-melons from Georgia, but broccoli is anew item,” he asserts. “We’ve beengrowing broccoli in Georgia for six orseven years, and it is growing in popu-larity. There are many retailers with dis-tribution centers in Georgia that haveshown a great deal of interest and havebeen choosing Georgia broccoli, ratherthan sourcing it from California. It’s anitem that is experiencing sales growth.”

CONSUMERS DEMAND BLUEBERRIES

Lytch echoes the enthusiasm about Georgiacarrots, and also notes that blueberries are anothergrowth item in Georgia’s repertoire.

Blueberry grower, Joe Cornelius of Manor, GA,agrees the blueberry deal is becoming exciting andproducers are ramping up their acreage to meetgrowing consumer demand for the healthful item.“What’s going on in Georgia is going on all overthe industry,” Cornelius explains. “There’s achance we can double or triple our tonnage in the

next five years. We’ve already doubled it in thelast five. We had a crop of about 20 millionpounds five years ago and this year we’re expect-ing about 40 million pounds. This industry is allabout the growers trying to get the consumer allthe products we can at a reasonable cost and atthe best quality.”

At L & M Companies, Lytch says the companyis working to connect Georgia consumers withlocally grown produce from their state. He notesthe company arranges for local growers to makeappearances in supermarkets with one or more oftheir homegrown products. “It is popular withconsumers,” he remarks. “The farmers talk abouttheir products and they can have several items onthe shelf at the same time.”

Acquainting consumers with producers issomething the LaGrange-based Georgia Fruit &Vegetable Growers Association (GFVGA) encour-

ages members to do, according to Charles Hall,executive director. “We encourage growers to usethe Georgia Grown brand on their products as promotional activities,” Hall says. “Consumershave said they are willing to pay a premium forlocally grown produce. A study by the Universityof Georgia showed that premium was between 10and 12 percent. There are a lot of retailers that dopromotions with locally grown produce and weare sure we’ll see more of the locally grown con-cept used in the marketplace. The GeorgiaGrown reputation is a good one. Our quality isvery good. Our growers are good. They put forth agreat effort.” GA

A D V E R T I S I N G S E C T I O N • G A 1 0

Both retailers and consumers within Georgia preferGeorgia-grown products when they are available.

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Growers in Georgia are doing their bestevery year to produce flavorful andnutritious fruits and vegetables forconsumers. They’re also voluntarilyadopting practices on their farms and

in their packinghouses to make sure these prod-ucts are safe for consumers.

As food safety incidents related to certain pro-duce items have occurred in recent years, Georgiagrowers have embraced good agricultural prac-tices (GAPs) to help avoid potential microbial haz-ards, says Beth Bland, food safety program coordi-nator for the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable GrowersAssociation (GFVGA), headquartered in LaGrange.“We have a regional food safety program we par-ticipate in called the Georgia Good AgriculturalPractices (GAP) Food Safety Program,” shereports. “It is a very good third-party auditing pro-gram. It is a service, and GFVGA members canchoose to participate.”

The Georgia program has been established toverify that participating growers are using GAPsduring production, packing and shipping of theirproduce. Participating growers are required toemploy sanitary handling and packing methods,take precautions necessary for food security andimplement environmentally safe practices. Addi-tionally, they are required to use tested water ingrowing and packing fruits and vegetables and tobe sure their work environment is safe andhealthy for employees.

Currently, GAPs are not federally mandated,according to Bland. While Florida has mandated afood safety program in its tomato industry, Geor-gia growers are adopting safe production practiceson their own. They continue to modify their pro-gram to stay abreast of and satisfy new scientificcriteria as it develops. “The Georgia GAP programis changing on an as-needed basis,” Bland adds.“Everything is science-based and we are constant-ly updating the audit process to keep up with newor up-to-date science.”

Bland explains the auditing process in detail.“We have one auditing firm that does the audits,”she notes. “That one firm is Primus-certified,GLOBALGAP-certified and Georgia GAP-certified.As an association, we can help any of our mem-bers establish a food safety program and preparefor any audit.”

While the GFVGA program is voluntary, mostretail and foodservice buyers are now requiringthat their produce providers have some sort ofcertification in food safety, reports Bland. Third-party GAP certification offers a way for growers tolet buyers know they employ appropriate food

safety practices on their farms. According toBland, different buyers often require differenttypes of audits, and that is creating challenges forgrowers who are selling to more than one buyer,especially when they all specify a different auditor third-party auditing firm. “The audits are goodthings, but the concern is that many growers haveto pay for multiple audits in order to supply sever-al customers,” GVFGA’s Bland explains. “It is acost burden for growers. Even if you are largerproducer, it may be difficult to absorb the cost offour or five different audits. The average cost isabout $1,400 and the growers are not being com-pensated, even in the slightest. It can be a bit of aproblem, especially when buyers aren’t givingproducers any more for their produce after it hasbeen audited and certified.”

The Georgia GAP program also includes goodmanufacturing practices (GMPs). GAPs focus onsafe production of fruits and vegetables in thefield, while GMPs focus on proper food safetypractices in the packinghouse. “I would estimate20 percent of our farmers use the Georgia GAPprogram, but I would estimate probably 60 to 70percent of Georgia producers have some sort offood safety program in place,” reasons Bland.“They can go through USDA or many other orga-nizations to set up and evaluate their programs. Itdoes not have to be through us.”

While the GFVGA program is voluntary forgrowers in the state, the organization continues towork with a variety of entities to spread the wordabout food safety to all growers and to foster a cli-mate of good practices to ensure safe food forconsumers. “We work closely with the GeorgiaCooperative Extension Service, as well as those inother states, to train their extension officers infood safety and the implementation of food safetyprograms on the farm and in packing facilities,”she adds. “We are approaching multiple groupsand offering a lot of educational information, aswell as doing a lot of one-on-one farm visits.”

One Georgia Vidalia onion producer who rec-ognizes the need for food safety practices to meet

the needs of retailers and foodservice operators isBland Farms, headquartered in Glennville, GA.Michael Hively, general manager, says the largeproducer and packer tries to stay “ahead of thecurve” by adopting and implementing adequatefood safety measures before deadlines arereached. “Food safety and traceability are thebiggest, most important things that are affecting usright now,” Hively acknowledges. “We are focus-ing on our GS1 traceability standards this year.We’re very up-to-date on all our food safety issuesand we’re focusing on traceability and makingsure we have all our checks and balances in placewith our entire program.”

Hively says Bland Farms currently works withthree third-party auditing firms for food safety cer-tification that meets the needs of all buyers. Heagrees there is a need for cooperation within theentire food industry to coordinate and standardizethe requirements buyers dictate to ensure thesafety of the foods they sell to consumers. A single,universal set of food safety standards would helpstreamline producers’ efforts and even reducetheir costs of certification. “I think it’s a matter ofproviding a standard for who is certifying the certi-fiers,” Hively reasons. “It should be just like theprogram for certifying public accountants. There isone standard in all 50 states. By standardizing andhaving all these certifiers come together, I think wecan have a more unified certification program.”

Thanks to the risks of food-borne pathogens,food safety practices are being adopted for virtual-ly every produce item — even slick, shiny water-melons — and some standardization is alreadyafoot to make food safety practices universallyavailable and accessible for all. “We have to jumpthrough all the hoops for the chains,” says CharlesM. “Buddy” Leger, secretary and treasurer ofLeger & Son Inc., in Cordele, GA. “It’s not a badidea; it’s a good idea. It helps you keep from hav-ing a problem, but if you have a problem, you canpinpoint it. We just started washing our watermel-ons in the last three or four years,” he continues.“The rind is different on a watermelon. It wouldn’thold bacteria like a cantaloupe because the can-taloupe has a net on the rind. But it’s good towash watermelons. If you do, you know theywon’t carry any bacteria. You have to have yourfields and your packinghouse certified.”

As a further food safety precaution — and aservice to consumers — Leger & Son launched atraceability program last year with HarvestMark, aweb-based service that issues bar-coded labels forcartons and even individual melons making themeasily traceable for buyers and consumers. GA

A D V E R T I S I N G S E C T I O N • G A 1 1

More GEORGIA GROWERSAdopt Food Safety Standards

While the GFVGA program isvoluntary for growers in the

state, the organization contin-ues to work with a variety ofentities to spread the word

about food safety

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Farmer’s markets and backyard gardens arecompelling competition, while some consumersskip shopping altogether as they head off on familyvacations. The trick to sizzling sales during this sea-son of plenty is to offer customers a one-stop desti-nation for everything from locally grown and in-season fruits and vegetables to fast-fixing and on-the-go solutions using summer holiday themes.

Produce supervisor, Jim Weber, uses this theoryat Econo Foods, an independent 6-store chain basedin Iron Mountain, WI. “There’s an abundance ofproduct during the summer that makes it easy tobuild big, colorful displays that really add excite-ment to the produce department. At the same time,you have to give customers the quality, flavor andprice they expect and that goes with the territory ofthis season.”

CELEBRATE THE FIRST DAY OF SUMMER: June 21

According to Loren Buurma, family owner ofBuurma Farms Inc., in Willard, OH, “One of the tra-

ditional first tastes of summer in Ohio is a fresh-sliced radish sandwich. A lot of chains in the regionwill put the 6-ounce cello bags or even the bunchradishes with tops on sale for Memorial Day. Westart harvesting mid-May and run into September,but peak volumes are available from Fourth of Julyto Labor Day.”

Vidalia onions, sweet corn, leafy greens, iceberglettuce, and fresh-cut celery are abundant in earlysummer, says Nichole Towell, marketing develop-ment manager for Duda Farm Fresh Foods Inc.,based in Oviedo, FL. “Provide recipes at point-of-purchase that drive consumption with new ways touse various fresh produce. Cross-merchandising isalways a good way to promote the consumption offresh produce. In addition, provide product demon-strations and samples of ‘peak of season’ items,”she suggests. “Finally, back page advertisementswithin the chains’ ad page, as well as ‘buy one getone free’ promotions will result in large dollar andvolume lifts and positively impact the entire pro-duce department.”

Zucchini squash is abundant from May throughJuly from Baloian Farms, in Fresno, CA. “We offerExtra Fancy, Long Fancy and Short Fancy packstyles,” says Julie Baloian, who works in sales.“Most growers do not split up the ‘long and short’

Merchandising fresh fruits and vegetables in the supermar-ket’s produce department can be a tough sell during thesummer, but when done correctly, well worth the effort.

Make Your Summer Merchandising Hot, Hot, HotFocus on holidays and traditions to promote summer’s bounty.

B Y C A R O L M . B A R E U T H E R , R D

Photo courtesy of Frieda’s

Freida’s offers thispatriotic, mixed bag of potatoes for Independence Day.

Jungle Jim’s Labor Day

L ocally grown produce is a big part of theLabor Day promotions at Jungle Jim’s Inter-national Market, a single, specialty super-

market, in Fairfield, OH, where the producedepartment is 1-acre in size. For example, lastyear, Ohio-grown sweet corn was on sale 10-for-$2. “We set up big trash cans with liners right bythe display and let customers shuck their own,”explains Dave Brassart, general manager for pro-duce and floral. “About 75 percent of customersopt to do this. We sell strawberries the same way— pick your own. You get fewer complaints thatway.” Jungle Jim’s offers tips to its customers onfreezing fresh corn to encourage customers tostock up before seasonal supplies decline andprices increase.

Indiana-grown watermelons were also part ofthe store’s Labor Day promotions last year, withcuts selling for 29-cents per pound. “We buyfrom several of the local Amish farmers and specfor flavor and sugar content, not price,” says Bras-sart. “We’ll set up some 30 bins with 22- to 24-pound watermelons and it flies out the door,especially if we sample it.” pb


fancy, but we feel there is an advantage tooffer this for all of our customers.”

Eggplant is also abundant from late Mayto September, and green bell peppers —Baloian Farm’s main commodity — peaks inproduction from the Fresno area in Juneand July. Baloian reveals, “We place, pack,PLU-sticker and tissue-wrap our eggplant.It’s a delicate commodity and we handle itwith care.”

Karen Caplan, president of Frieda’s Inc.,in Los Alamitos, CA, knows one sure sign ofsummer is fresh melons. “We’re looking for-ward to a fabulous melon season, especiallybeing able to offer specialty melons such asCharentais,” she declares. The companyoffers other specialty melons, such as thegreen-orange-fleshed Cotton Candy, the sug-ary-sweet, orange-fleshed Sweetie and thepale-fleshed Camouflage, named for its yel-low and green striped skin.

Honeydews and cantaloupes start inJune, says Rob O’Rourke, senior vice presi-dent of business development for RJO Pro-duce Marketing, headquartered in Fresno,CA. “They peak in supply from mid-Julythrough mid-September.”

PROMOTE GRILLING PRO-DUCE: Father’s Day, June 21

The third Sunday in June marks Father’sDay. According to the U.S. Census Bureau,in 2008, there were an estimated 64.3 mil-lion fathers. Robert Schueller, director ofpublic relations for Melissa’s/World VarietyProduce Inc., in Los Angeles, CA, remarks,“This is the holiday everyone pictures Dadbehind the grill.”

Three out of four households own a grill,according to the National Barbecue Associa-tion (NBBQA), in Austin, TX. The NBBQAreports the most popular foods for the grillare hamburgers, steak, hot dogs and chickenbreasts, while chicken parts, pork chops,ribs and sausages are also favorites.

Fresh vegetables and fruits are findingtheir way to the grill, too. Duda’s Towelladvises, “Cross-promote fresh vegetableswith center-of-the-plate protein items foundin the meat or deli counters with a grill oroutdoor cooking theme.”

Tree fruits, melons and pineapple aregreat on the grill, adds Schueller. “The heatcaramelizes the fruit’s natural sugars.”

As for vegetables, Schueller continues,“Bell peppers, zucchini, summer squash,specialty onions, such as Maui, and varietypotatoes, such as Dutch yellows, fingerlingsand gemstones, also work well on the grill.So do artichokes. This is a trendy item nowfor the grill, but it still needs a lot of con-sumer education. End cap displays, promo-

tional ads and signage or POS that explainshow artichokes are grilled are successful.”

Another popular item synonymous withthe grill is Portobello mushrooms, some-thing retailers have seen over the years as acue from foodservice. Joe Caldwell, vicepresident at Monterey Mushrooms Inc., inWatsonville, CA, notes, “It’s important tomaintain variety in summertime promo-tions. Sure, Portobellos are most popular forsummer grilling, but our thick-cut SteakMate mushrooms pair well on the grill withsteaks, and sliced, white mushrooms arepopular on salads. We’ve seen retailers thatonly push Ports in the summer see theirtotal category go down. Remember thatwhites are 80 percent of category sales.”

When advertising Portobello mushrooms,Caldwell advises, “Consider a bulk Portobel-lo promotion. Sell by the ‘each’ and price at99-cents. Bulk moves faster. Consumershave flexibility in selecting their mush-rooms and the price point looks attractive.”

INDEPENDENCE DAY: July 4Parades, fireworks and especially back-

yard barbecues mark the celebration ofIndependence Day across the nation. Melis-sa’s Schueller says, “This is another signifi-cant summer barbecue holiday. It is also apopular time for entertaining, picnickingand snacking, so items such as guacamoleand salsa, variety melon, tree fruit, water-melon and grapes are wonderful options tomerchandize and promote.”

Many retailers feature an entertainingsection within the produce department, dis-closes Frieda’s Caplan. “This is an ideal spotfor veggie and cut-fruit trays.”

Mann Packing Co. Inc., based in Salinas,CA, offers its 18- and 40-ounce vegetableplatters in summer holiday packaging thatfeatures a two-tone blue background withwhite shooting stars. The trays containwashed and ready-to-eat broccoli, carrots,sugar snap peas, celery and tomatoes withranch dip.

In addition, Frieda’s offers its Star Span-gled Spuds, a mix of Purple Potatoes, YukonGold and Red Potatoes in patriotic, 2-poundmesh bags for the Fourth of July. There’s anon-bag recipe for Star Spangled Spuds PotatoSalad that calls for ingredients that can becross-merchandized near the potatoes, suchas green onions, sour cream, mayonnaiseand blue cheese.

Strawberries and blueberries, along withwhipped cream and pound cake, are cross-merchandising promotions that easily tieinto this red-white-and-blue holiday. JimGrabowski, marketing manager for Wat-sonville, CA-based Well-Pict Inc., maintains,

“July is a big volume time for strawberriesand blueberries, as well as for blackberries.With strawberries, we like to encourageretailers to carry a full line of berries, whichincludes 1-, 2- and 4-pound clamshells.”

In the summer, the berry category canbe the department leader in sales and prof-its per-square-foot, says Gloria Chillon,director of marketing for Watsonville, CA-based Driscoll Strawberry Associates Inc. “Agreat strategy is to move the berry patchfrom the store to the home. Buy one get onefree is a frequent promotional strategy. Tryexpanding that concept to multiple berrypurchases — buy two raspberries and get astrawberry free. When customers try theidea of buying and using multiple berries incommon situations — on cereal in themorning or with cottage cheese as a snack— they will continue to do so, even whennot on promotion.”

Chillon adds, “Since berries are the firstnew fruit of the year — a sign of springtimeif you will — there is sometimes a tendencyto feature the summer fruits and de-empha-size the berry category. Savvy retailers,though, will keep the berry patch in a strongdisplay location virtually year-round andthen drop in an ad feature every so often tokeep things moving.”

Watermelon is one of those fruits, thoughavailable year-round, that are synonymouswith summer. In fact, says Gordon Hunt,

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director of marketing for the Orlando, FL-based National Watermelon PromotionBoard (NWPB), “July was designated byCongress in 2007 as National WatermelonMonth.” In honor of this designation, theNWPB is offering a display contest that willrun across the United States and Canadaduring the month of July. Hunt explains,“To enter the contest, simply create anattention-getting display that promoteswatermelon of any kind. Remember toinclude selection and storage tips for yourcustomers, and even some versatility tips,such as watermelon recipes and carvingideas.” The grand prize winner will win anexpense-paid trip for two to the NWA Con-vention in 2010.

BOUNTY OF SUMMERFRUITS: July & August

Berries, tree fruits, grapes, melons andcherries are among the Top 10 dollarproviders to the produce department duringthe summer, collectively contributing 26.9percent of total produce sales, according toPerishables Group FreshFacts data.

The key to profitably merchandisingsummer fruits, says RJO’s O’Rourke, “isoffering consumers consistent high quality,

gin percent for more margin dollars canimprove your bottom line overall. Value isimportant — good quality for a fair price.Lower quality will run you into trouble.”

Cherries are one of the last truly season-al categories in the produce department.O’Rourke remarks, “Weather created a cropshortage last year, so there’s a lot of focus onthe 2009 crop.”

Cherries are high demand fruit in thesummer, however household penetration islow, says Loren Queen, marketing and com-munications manager for Domex SuperfreshGrowers, in Yakima, WA. “Just over 27 per-cent of people in the United States are pur-chasing cherries on an annual basis. Thisreveals the tremendous growth potentialthat cherries still have in the marketplace.”

One of the biggest barriers to successfulcherry sales is visibility. “It’s critical to getcherries in front of consumers and let themknow they are available,” adds Queen. “Youcan do this with the use of signage,announcing, ‘Cherries are here!’ in a promi-nent spot in the department or even thefront window of the store.”

According to Perishables Group data asprovided by Northwest Cherry Growers,based in Yakima, WA, stores with the bestcherry sales maintain high traffic cherry dis-

B&R Stores CelebratesFourth Of July With Watermelon

F ourth of July means watermelon at B & RStores Inc., an 18-unit chain headquar-tered in Lincoln, NE, and operated under

the Super Saver and Russ’s Market banners. Randy Bohaty, produce director, explains,

“We’ll promote whole watermelon for a lowprice as well as offer mini melons, cuts likehalves and quarters, and both yellow andorange flesh. It’s 95 percent a seedless market,but we do carry some seeded for those who likethe flavor and texture. We also carry a local,heirloom-type watermelon that has a uniform,deep green exterior without the familiar stripes.It has its niche following among our customers.”

There are no excessive POS materials in thechain’s holiday displays. “We believe in buildingbig ‘wow’ displays, in the front of the store rightas you walk in, and let the product sell itself,”says Bohaty. pb

giving the fruit the right position and price,and signing it to sell. Sales will fall if you’remissing any one of these.” As for pricing,O’Rourke adds, “Sometimes, sacrificing mar-

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A D V E R T I S E M E N T

QUEENS BRING EXCITEMENT TO PROMOTIONSMore and more retailers are using the watermelon queens to create interest and educational opportunities in-store. The queens are

trained in presenting watermelon’s health benefits and value message to consumers and are available for in-store demontrations yearround where they create a lot of excitement and attract a wide variety of customers.This year’s group of watermelon queens was treated to some special learning fromtwo very special guests, Art Ginsburg, A.K.A. Mr. Food, and the 1999 Miss AmericaNicole Johnson.

The annual media training allows the queens to network and build excitement andenergy for watermelon promotions throughout the country in the coming year. Thetraining component includes conducting in-store demonstrations, food safety andserving watermelon at special events, a download session with Mr. Food, and aninsightful view from Miss Johnson on how to make the most of being a representativeand how to sincerely be your best for the watermelon industry.

GROWING WATERMELON SALESWith Unique Promotions

VERSATILITY AND VALUE DRIVE SALESWatermelon’s versatility is astounding and it can be incorporated into a variety of products to be promoted to customers.

Cross-merchandising opportunities and incremental sales of complementing items abound with this great fruit. Its versatility also applies to its customer base. Watermelon is enjoyed by people of all ages — adults and kids alike enjoy the sweet flavor and fun presentations, so be sure to merchandise and promote to a wide demographic.

In these tight economic times when consumers are looking for value, watermelon is a tremendous deal. Retailers and foodservice operators can promote the value proposition of this beneficial fruit by listing pricing on a per-pound or even per-serving basis. Educating consumers on the real value will increase sales.

On a per-pound basis, watermelon is the cheapest item in the produce section. Additionally, 70 percent of a watermelon is edibleand 30 percent is comprised of the rind. For an average 20 pound watermelon priced at approximately $6.00, 14 pounds is usablewatermelon which equals approximately 28 cups at $0.21 per cup. A whole 20 pound watermelon cut into 2 pound slices results inapproximately $0.60 per slice.

This year retailers and foodservice operators really have a chance to showcase the versatility and value of thismouth-watering product. With someunique promotion tools you can growwatermelon sales as well as provide a valuable service and fun experience foryour customers.


A D V E R T I S E M E N T

The National Watermelon Promotion Board(NWPB) is based in Orlando, FL, and represents 1,500 growers, shippers and importers. Throughresearch, communications and marketing initiatives,the NWPB is finding new ways to enhance marketopportunities for farmers and promote the nutritional, culinary and convenience benefits of watermelon.

PACKING A NUTRITIONAL PUNCHNot only is watermelon delicious, it also offers numerous health benefits. Low in fat and cholesterol-free, watermelon can be

incorporated into healthy breakfast dishes and drinks or savory dishes — a big selling point for calorie and health conscious shoppers ordiners. Watermelon is the ultimate hydrator and has a diverse nutritional profile, including high levels of the antioxidant lycopene, asource of the amino acid, citrulline, and is a good source of vitamins, C, B1, B6 and a source of vitamin A.

RETAIL CONTEST CELEBRATES NATIONAL WATERMELON MONTH IN JULY

July is a great time to promote watermelon for summer barbeques, picnics or as an everydaysnack for the kids. Retailers can capitalize on some exceptional recipes available for them to

share with consumers. This is also a fantastic time to utilize an in-store Watermelon Queen promotion (see below, left).

In honor of National Watermelon Month, a continent-wide display contest will be run across theU.S. and Canada during the month of July. The object of this promotion is to increase watermelon

sales and build consumer awareness of the health benefits and innovative usage of watermelon. Thespecific goal of the contest is to increase watermelon sales throughout the month of July. The contest

is open to all retailers for displays done at anytime during the month of July. The contest is being promoted by the National Water-

melon Promotion Board(NWPB) and the National Water-

melon Association (NWA), by state and regional watermelon asso-ciations and by retail merchandising representatives. Participantshave a chance to win cash and a grand prize trip for two, includingmany second and third place regional cash prizes.

• To enter the National Watermelon Month Display Contest, simply create an attention-getting display that promotes watermelon of any kind!

• All retail produce departments are eligible in the U.S. and Canada

• Remember to include selection and storage tips for your customers, and even some versatility tips such as watermelon recipes and carving ideas

• Read and follow the contest rules regarding completion of theentry form, all at the retailer section of www.watermelon.org

The National Watermelon Association (NWA) inPlant City, FL, has members in 30 states and Canada.The purpose of the Association is to promote thebest interests of the Watermelon Industry from production to consumption. NWA is constantly seeking improvements in the growing, grading, handling, transportation, distribution and sale of watermelon.

watermelon.org

NEW BLOG LAUNCHED — WhatAboutWatermelon.com

Anew blog called What About Watermelon and accessible atwatermelon.org, is part of an ongoing effort by the NWPB tohelp Americans fall in love with this juicy product all over

again and offer culinary inspiration by portraying watermelon as aningredient in everything from pancakes to pasta.

Updated two to three times each week, What About Watermelon will feature watermelon recipes, news and facts — fromwhy knocking on a watermelon to determine ripeness doesn’t workto an inside look at life on a watermelon farm. The blog will alsohost monthly polls, award watermelon-related prizes to comments chosen at random, and host a panel of watermelon experts, including a chef, a nutritionist, a farmer, and the National Watermelon Queen herself. Readers can e-mail questions to anypanelist and receive personalized answers.

Chef Harry Schwartz serves as the blog’s expert for all thingscooking and kitchen related. Schwartz, or “Chef Harry” as he prefersto be called, is an author and national TV personality who beganworking with the NWPB in 2004 during its campaign to fight childhood obesity. Retailers, foodservice operators, and consumerswill all find fascinating and useful information on this blog.

http://www.watermelon.org

http://www.waterrmelon.org


plays with at least 12-square feet of space.” Also, Queen recommends, “Run five to

six ads during the mid-June to mid-Augustcherry season to take full advantage of theprofit potential cherries provide.” Researchshows that retailers that run more ads dra-matically increase their category contribu-tions. For example, according to the Perish-ables Group, one to two ads increase catego-ry contributions by 2.8 percent, three tofour ads by 3.6 percent and five to six ads by5.1 percent.

July 11 — National Rainier Cherry Day —is an especially good time to promote thesesweet, light-colored cherries. Queen sug-gests, “Display Rainiers side-by-side next toBings to increase the chance for impulsesales. In addition, sample the fruit becausesome 70 percent of consumers aren’t famil-

iar with Rainiers, and run front-page ads toannounce their availability.”

Tree fruit that tastes good and is especial-ly good for you is the mission of Cal TreeRipe Ltd., in Fresno, CA. Mark Nakata, man-ager, explains, “Flavorful fruit brings cus-tomers back to the store. At the same time,nutrient-dense fruit offers customers a goodvalue for their dollar.”

Using organic farming methods, the com-pany has specifically cultivated yellow-flesh,low acid varieties of tree fruit that has Brixlevels as high as 16, are firm enough to shipthrough the distribution system, are 40 to 60percent more nutrient-dense than conven-tional fruit as reflected in the soluble solidscontent, and correspondingly, are very fla-vorful. Nakata notes, “A seal or sticker onthe box will identify this fruit. We’re going to

“Just over 27 per-cent of people

in the United Statesare purchasing cherries on an annual basis.”

— Loren Queen Domex

Superfresh Growers


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day. Melissa’s Schueller asserts, “This is thefinal hurrah for barbecue season for muchof the nation.”

One hot barbecue item that peaks in vol-ume during August and September is theHatch chili, says Schueller. “They have ameaty flesh and medium heat. Roasted,they’re great used in salads, soups, dips andsandwiches. Some retailers will roast chilisin-store and customers will buy 20 to 40pounds at a time to freeze because this chiliis available only for a six-week season.” Cen-tral Market in Texas and Whole Foods in

start test marketing this summer and areexcited by the possibilities.”

June kicks off the domestic grape seasonand there are opportunities for ads aroundholidays and summer entertaining, saysPatty Boman, director of category manage-ment for Giumarra Bros. Fruit Co. Inc.,headquartered in Reedley, CA. “Retailersoften promote weekly and add interest bypromoting by variety.”

This is the second year of a new, global,California-based campaign for grapes thatfocuses on the state’s heritage of growingthe finest grapes in the world, says JimHoward, director of communications for theCalifornia Table Grape Commission (CTGC),in Fresno, CA. “Magazine advertising, out-door signage and a range of consumer edu-cation projects will be reminding con-sumers that grapes from California areavailable. These methods will also discussthe traditions of family farming, care andartistry of growing California grapes.”

LABOR DAY: September 7Some 154.5 million people are in the

nation’s labor force, according to the U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many of themwill have the day free to enjoy the fleetingmoments of summer and observe this holi-

New Mexico are among retailers that roastHatch chilis in-store. In addition, lastAugust, Central Market hosted a class in itscooking school about how to use Hatchchilies in desert making.

September is National Mushroom Month.As such, Monterey’s Caldwell suggests, “PairPortobellos or other mushrooms around ameal concept. In the past, we’ve offeredsmall grills as promotional items to helpmake the connection in the display.”

Labor Day also means “sweet corn isavailable,” notes Buurma Farm’s Buurma.

Brett Bergmann, vice president and gen-eral manager at Hugh H. Branch Inc., inPahokee, FL, concurs. “We’re marketingmore and more of the varieties that are evensweeter than the super-sweet varieties wehave seen in the past. They also tend tohave a more tender, often smaller, kernel.”He adds, “Keep corn cold and your con-sumers will experience sweeter enjoyment.Merchandise tray packs in your bulk dis-plays. Strip them right down the middle ofthe bulk display.” In many parts of thecountry, Labor Day also signals back-to-school. Duda’s Towell reveals, “This season,we will launch a new, fresh-cut celery itemthat will fit perfectly in a lunchbox. It’s asingle serving 1.6-ounce package of celerysticks sold in bundle packs of four.” pb

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After many decades of being the overall domi-nant and most profitable supermarket retailer inits hometown of Cincinnati, OH, Kroger, the Unit-ed States’ largest, traditional supermarket retail-er, found itself confronted by not one, but twosupercenter retailers during the past 15 years.

In the 80s, Biggs, now owned by Eden Prairie, MN-based Super-Valu, attempted the low-priced, large-box concept with limited suc-cess. However, both Meijer and Wal-Mart, based in Grand Rapids,MI, and Bentonville, AR, respectively, made concentrated efforts toestablish not only a foothold, but reach a significant presence in amarket where Kroger had dominateed all previous competitors.

The banks of the Ohio River became the concentrated battle-ground between the established successful food retailer and twogrowing supercenter operators with dramatically different mer-chandising philosophies.

The apparent strategy was to ring the city adjacent to theperimeter beltway, approximately 20 miles from downtown, withunits encompassing approximately 200,000 square feet. Both Meijerand Wal-Mart now have ten units each in these locations.

According to a national shopper survey conducted betweenApril 2007 and 2008, Wal-Mart and Meijer ranked near the top onprice effectiveness with Kroger only average. On the other hand,Kroger and Meijer ranked average for perishables with Wal-Mart atthe bottom of the scale of the 59 chains, according to nationwideresponders to the Grocery Store Shopper Survey, conducted by theConsumer Reports National Research Center. Would my visit findthe same relative produce positioning in this Midwest market?

THE MEIJER APPROACHThe primary area of my store

visitations was on the north side ofCincinnati, mostly just beyond theI-275 beltway. Ironically, my first

stop in West Chester, OH, was at a Meijer store that I would laterlearn was the company’s oldest store in the area, and supposedlynear the top in area sales ranking.

Only several days prior to St. Patrick’s Day, the Meijer weeklyflyer appropriately captured one’s attention with a front page ofgreen vegetables, including cabbage for 10-cents-a-pound, asparagusat $1.29-a-pound, broccoli at 5-bunches-for-$5, head lettuce at 77-cents-each, plus apples and pears for 87-cents-per-pound.

As a twist, three smaller volume vegetables were advertisedmix-and-match 10-for-$10 with an 11th item free. Each of the itemslisted showed the amount saved per unit. To enhance these savingsthe Meijer ad states, “Higher standards, lower prices” and “Eat bet-ter, spend less.” All are powerful statements immediately above theproduce features.

Jumping ahead to Pre-Easter week, Meijer produce featuresincluded pineapple at $1.99, a 10-pound bag of russet potatoes for$1.99, asparagus at $1.18-per-pound, artichokes at 4-for-$5, one-pound strawberry packages at 3-for-$5 and mangos offered at 2-for-$1. Kroger’s ad break a day later was ledby 1-pound strawberries packages for$1.99, celery at 58 cents-a-bunch, pineap-ple and cantaloupe for $1.99, asparagusfor $1.99, sweet potatoes at 49-cents-a-pound, Texas sweet onions at 59-cents-per-pound, a 10-pound bag of russets for$1.99 and 8-ounce packages of mush-rooms at 2-for-$3.

Entering the Meijer produce depart-ment, it is readily evident the displaytreatment adequately backs up the adver-tising presentation. More importantly,produce is displayed according to broadcategories making it easy for consumersto navigate the department.

Cincinnati CompetitionConsumers are winners in Cincinnati’s supermarket standoff with supercenters.

B Y D A V E D I V E R

Dave Diver is theformer vice presidentof produce at Han-naford and a regularcolumnist for PRODUCE

BUSINESS.

CASE STUDYSTORE CHECK

Wal-Mart

Bigg’s

Whole Foods Meijer

Kroger Marketplace

Kroger


Initially, the consumer is exposed to various island displays offruit ranging in length from 16- to 32-feet. The most impressiveisland to my eyes was for vegetables near the rear of the depart-ment. One side was primarily devoted to bunch salad and cookinggreens and the opposite side to an assortment of other vegetables.Cello-bagged lettuces and cello vegetables were displayed in refrig-erated cases against the wall at the rear of the department. Thiswas a distinct subtlety providing the important produce freshnessimage by presenting bulk prior to the consumer finding the pack-aged products. Only improved lighting in the department wouldhave made the produce stand out even better.

BIGGS ANDWHOLE FOODS

Although Biggshas lost its relative

niche in the area since the arrival of Meijer and Wal-Mart Super-centers, it still provides value for the customer with some sharplypriced features in a well-merchandised department. The store’s pre-Easter features included $1.99 asparagus, two 5-pound bags of Rus-set potatoes for $5, Fresh Express salad blends at 2-for-$5, 8-ouncepackages of mushrooms at 3-for-$5 and a lead ad featuring a 2-pound package of strawberries at $3.99. An interesting, small-sizedfruit, mass displayed in paper tote bags, was signed, “Smaller size,great value.”

The Whole Foods unit was a remake of a former Wild Oats storeand although the product presentation was adequate, it did notmeet the standards one would expect for the chain. While there wasno spoiled product, there were a number of items bordering on thestage of being overripe, unless consumed within 48 hours. Overallspace for produce was compressed, making it impossible to havemore than minimum allocation for each item.

WAL-MART’SSAVE MORESTRATEGY

Wal-Mart’s special,pre-Easter flyer insert in many areas of the country featured onlythree items: asparagus for $1.77-a-pound, strawberries for $1.50-a-carton and pineapple for $2.50, all top picks among consumers. Inweeks when there is no produce advertising stores, rely on entrysign standards to draw attention to low-price basics, such asbananas for 48-cents-a-pound and head lettuce for 77-cents-each.

The Wal-Mart within a half mile of Kroger, in Mason, was typicalof the presentation seen for years, complete with shallow, blacktrays filled uniformly to the top edge of the basket. There are proand con arguments about the use of these black containers, butmany consumers comment they do little to enhance productappearance. A recent addition of red-bannered price cards with a“Save More Unbeatable” heading provides an eye-catching message.

According to store personnel, the store displays what is shippedwith poor communication flow between store and office. Four daysprior to St. Patrick’s Day, the cabbage retail was supposed to be 10-cents per pound, with allocation only sufficient for one tray, whichwas empty. No wonder the perceived produce volume was probablyin the range of half of that of a nearby Kroger.

One of the newer Wal-Mart’s near the beltway, over 10 mileswest, had an entirely different produce department appearance, uti-lizing wooden, pallet-size bins and tables with sloping woodenstructures holding the black tray inserts. After many years of copy-ing a former Meijer layout, Wal-Mart has finally taken a mini-steptoward enhancing the presentation of beautiful, fresh produce.

From clerk comments and direct observation, the Meijer storewithin a half-mile was achieving substantially more produce vol-ume, and sales had improved since Wal-Mart opened. The greaterproduct availability and better appearance at Meijer certainly con-tributed to the increased sales.

KROGER’S TECHNIQUEFor every competing supercenter in the

suburban area, Kroger appears to have nearlyfive stores within a short driving distance ofthose locations. Although they vary in sizeand age, the produce departments take no

backseat to their competitors.Generally, Kroger had slightly larger fruit sizes and more hand-

placed displays of items, such as apples. On the other hand, cus-tomers might get the impression variety might be slightly greater atMeijer because of overall department size. No consumer would findeither store lacking, and Kroger boasts a policy of obtaining anyunavailable item upon request.

Although most Kroger produce departments are located in thefront corner of the store, the Mason facility had produce located inthe right, rear corner. Inside the wall case, tables were at a 45-degree angle to traffic, enabling customers to easily view the entiredepartment, with hand-stacked fruit being a highlight. Small-sizedapples were being hand-packed into mesh bags adding to the vari-ety. Stores in the division were also doing their own preparationand packaging of cut fruit, noting they were able to achieve a high-er degree of freshness and improved consumer acceptance.

An interesting approach to selling cut roses was an offering of adozen roses free of charge with the purchase of a dozen. Surprising-ly, many consumers who purchased a dozen did not ask for theirsecond, free dozen.

Over two years ago, Kroger opened a Kroger Marketplace unitmidway between Cincinnati and downtown Dayton. The store wasbuilt to offer an expanded line of non-food items, but also has alarger front-of-store produce department with numerous island fix-tures whose 4-foot, moveable sections can be modified in order tomeet individual promotional demands and changing commodityspace allocations.

With one of the largest volume produce departments in thearea, sales have steadily increased during its existence due to theexcellent presentation and over 400 SKUs, making the consumerprone to impulse purchases. On all accounts, it is a top produceoperation with extremely helpful and knowledgeable associates.

WHAT IT ALL MEANSKroger, with its longtime dominant market penetration, contin-

ues to hold first place in sales volume in the market. Announcingits recent, year-end financial results, the company acknowledgedincreasing share of market in 36 of 42 metropolitan areas. Produceoverall is playing an important role in this gain.

Meijer stores, given its overall high volume with excellent pro-duce presentation and aggressive feature pricing, is equally asattractive to consumers willing to pass by a Kroger store while enroute someplace else.

One wonders if during the recent rapid Wal-Mart Supercenterexpansion, produce, although developing strong procurement andoperational practices, wasn’t just the beneficiary of overall corpo-rate growth. Relative to competitors in the Cincinnati area, producepresentation places it in last position.

The bottom line is that shoppers in this area are exposed tofresh fruit and vegetable presentations contributing to increasedbenefits for themselves and the producers. pb

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FRESH

CUT

MARKETING

FRESH

CUT

MARKETING

Fresh Growth For Fresh-Cut Fruit?How are current economic factors influencing sales of fresh-cut fruit?

B Y M E R E D I T H A U E R B A C H

Cautious optimism is the tone ofthe day when it comes toprospects for continued successof fresh-cut fruit in supermar-ket product departments.

Processors and produce departmentexecutives report that fresh-cut fruit haslargely avoided significant sales declinesattributed to the recession. Additionally,the shape of the industry is changing asless product is made in-store beyond sec-tion cuts of melons. Large scale producerssuch as Sunkist, Ready Pac and Del Montewith national distribution and regionalfresh-cut processors, such as F&S Produce,headquartered in Rosenhayne, NJ, bringprocurement and technology expertise,economies of scale and the depth to man-age food safety requirements and regula-tion to the table, making them able to dom-inate production.

Rick Harris, president of Watertowne,MA-based Sunkist Taylor LLC, a joint ven-ture between Taylor Farms, headquarteredin Salinas, CA, and Sunkist Growers Inc.,based in Sherman Oaks, CA, says, “We start-ed in school foodservice with fresh-cutapples and have expanded into retail asproduct and packaging have evolved. Wenow operate from two facilities, one in theEast and one in the West. Our distributionis principally in East and West coast states,but is also moving throughout the Midwestand South. Harris continues, “Our produc-tion comes in five-pack clamshells with acolorful, eye-catching band for retail and20-count cases ideal for school, conve-nience stores and health care facilitiesusing apple slices, pineapple spears, orangewedges, red seedless grapes and an appleand grape combination.”

Expressing the viewpoint of a regionalprocessor, Sam Pipitone, Jr., owner of F & SProduce Co. Inc., in Rosenhayne, NJ, com-

ments, “We focus on the mid-Atlantic andNortheast quadrant of the country for ourdistribution so we can process and deliverin one day. We have our own brand, GardenPure, for operators who prefer that; we offerprivate label for others and also offer whatyou could call a hybrid solution — 5-poundpackages retailers can serve in their owncontainers from the deli or in produce. Forus, a standard product list is simply thestart of the conversation. Long-term rela-tionships mean we really get to know whatour customer’s consumers want.”

Sam Burleson, vice president of salesand marketing for F & S, adds, “Ironically,this recession has been good for our retailside. Perhaps people are not eating out asoften or there are more first-time cookswho are accustomed to fresh fruit as anintegral part of their regular eating pat-terns, but our sales are up.”

Retailers state the case at store level

more cautiously. They find themselvesdebating which lines and sizes to carry andare pricing more conservatively. “We arenot cutting back,” says Jim Pohndorf, pro-duce director of the 10-store P.W. Supermar-kets Inc., headquartered in San Jose, CA,“We cut our own melon sections, which hasexpanded, and our major fresh-cut line isfrom Ready Pac. It’s really a matter of look-ing at sales store-by-store to determine theimpact on an individual basis.”

Across the country, James Garrett, pro-duce manager for one of the five Sloan’sSignature Markets in Jackson, KY, com-ments wryly, “Around here, recession is hit-ting someone a good portion of the time.It’s our job to bring value and service to ourcustomers. We can sell products and ourvolume is holding. Most of our suppliescome through Crosset, a Castellini Compa-ny, based in Independence, KY.

Another national distributor of branded

According to suppliers, fresh-cut fruit has avoided recessionary sales declines.

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to pull off successfully. Attention to detail atevery step of the way is critical.

Tony Freytag, director of marketing andsales for Cashmere, WA-based Crunch PakLLC, a subsidiary of the Wenatchee, WA-based Fresh Products Northwest LLC, firmlystates, “Our efforts have to go clear back tothe tree because ours is a year-round prod-uct, which means we use storage, fresh-

picked, imports and domestically grownapples. Varieties, flavor profiles, Brix levelsand pressure all have to be exactly right toget a consistently flavorful, crisp, crunchyslice with a 21-day shelf life. That’s a weekto ten days longer than most cut fruit.”

Pipitone at F & S notes that his companyalso believes basic, measurable metrics arethe foundation of quality fruit that is flavor-

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What Merchandising Works

P roducers generally believe retailersare gradually moving to positioncut fruit as a destination display,

separate from other value-added items,such as packaged salads. It needs to behighly visible and in high traffic areas tocatch the eye of grab-and-go shoppers, aswell as those who can be attracted tolarger items, such as fruit trays with dipsor cheese.

Individual stores must define its bestfresh-cut fruit consumer and merchandiseappropriately. In urban markets with a

high population of young singles, conve-nience may be the driving motivation.Closer to the suburbs, where plenty ofyoung families reside, messages builtaround healthy eating and affordableindulgence may be more to the point.

Looking at the examples set by thegrowth of precut lettuce and salad kitsoffers plenty of opportunity and thechance to avoid old mistakes as a newgeneration of shoppers, menu plannersand fiscally conscious consumers maketheir choices. pb

fresh-cut fruit is Ready Pac Produce Inc.,based in Irwindale, CA. Ali Leon, seniordirector of strategic business development,reports, “We have seen some decline inunits and sales as a result of the economy.We are consolidating some packages and siz-ing to simplify the category and enhancevisibility at store level. Currently, consumerpenetration is about 20 percent. Comparethat with an 80 percent penetration forpackaged salads and the opportunity isclear,” Leon continues.

“We distribute product from three facili-ties, so we can cover the country,” Leonadds. “We are urging retailers to review thecategory store-by-store in an effort to maxi-mize sales. Research indicates about 10 to 12percent of fresh-cut fruit packs are con-sumed at work with more than 75 percentconsumed at home. It’s still an impulse pur-chase with great potential in carried meals.We also know more consumers are packinglunches for school and work, which favorsfresh-cut fruit.”

FRU IT QUAL ITY COUNTSOne of the most consistent fresh-cut

fruits with the longest shelf life is appleslices. By no means do these characteristicsmake fresh-cut apple slices an easy project

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ful and appealing. “It has be grown, pickedand packed in the best conditions to hold atshelf level. For our one-pound, re-sealableapple slices, we label the bag to use within18 days. In an effort to keep things simple,we don’t mix apples with other fruits.”

Another major packer of apple slices,Sunkist’s Harris, concurs, “Apple slices wereour first product. We now also combineapples with seedless, de-stemmed grapes toadd variety. For us, the apple products, likeour entire ‘fun fruit’ line, are targeted toages 9 to 90, not just kids. It has to appeal toa broad demographic.”

All apple slice processors use an anti-browning, anti-oxidation rinse for applesbefore packaging. Crunch Pak primarilyuses Gala, Pink Lady and Granny Smith asits varieties of choice.

Watermelons, cantaloupe, papaya,mango and pineapple bring a touch of thetropics to the fresh-cut category. Qualityand ripeness remain key metrics. For fruitssuch as melons and berries that break downmore quickly, Leon maintains, “Ten daysfrom point of production is appropriate, butit puts more pressure on the producer andretailer alike. We have developed a propri-etary processing technology that does notuse preservatives. We depend on specifica-tions, rigid, clear plastic PET containers,and about 80 percent of our productionbased on forward contracting and stronggrower relationships.”

“SWEET SPOT” PR IC ING Harris examines pricing by comparing

fresh-cut fruit to the price range of saltysnacks, which generally range from a pro-moted low per serving of 50¢ to just above$1. The clamshell price of five to eight serv-ings generally retails at $3.99 to $4.99. Har-ris reveals, “The sweet spot is probably

between 75¢ and $1.00 per serving, a pointat which the purchase becomes an impulse.Fresh-cut fruit is not a given purchase byany means, such as milk or bananas, whichare virtually automatic. As processing meth-ods and packaging improves, we believe cutfruit will continue to become more competi-tive with salty snacks.”

Leon of Ready Pac concurs, noting thatan everyday price of $2.99 to $3.99 is sup-portive of impulse buying.

Because of costs and shelf life, someretailers are returning to in-store produc-

tion. Brett Reed, produce manager of theWindsor Heights, IA, Hy-Vee Inc. reports,“Our sales are still good, but we are doingmore fresh-cut in-store.”

Julian Halgain, produce manager forLowe’s Supermarket 82 in Lubbock, TX,says, “For now, we are cutting and wrappingmelon sections here in the store and holdingoff on other fresh-cut fruit.”

CHOICE OF PACKAGINGFor retail, most branded fruit processors

choose clamshells when possible. Often,


“Research indicates

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“Fresh-cut fruit is not a given purchase by any

means, such as milk or bananas that are virtually

automatic. As processing methods and packaging

improves, we believe cut fruit will continue to

become more competitive with salty snacks.”

— Rick HarrisSunkist Taylor LLC


multiple, single-serve portions are packed inclamshells. It may seem like an excessivelevel of packaging, but Harris counters, “Weneed packaging that allows retailers to effec-

tively display fruit while protecting theproduct. At the same time, the package hasto be visually appealing to the shopper, easyto open and able to be stored in the refriger-

ator. For many products, retailers get maxi-mum sales results when the packages standupright so the branding shows along withthe color and freshness of the fruit.”

Other companies have developed custommolds that can be stacked or placed in dis-plays so that both labels and content show.Dionysios Christou, vice president of mar-keting for Coral Gables, FL-based Del MonteFresh Produce, reports, “We have increasedthe use of sustainable packaging, such asPLA plastics made from corn. Our newestventures employ a line called Safe-T-Freshpackaging, manufactured by Inline PlasticsCorporation. It has a tamper-proof seal thatalso prevents leakage, while reducing thetotal amount of material used. In our tests,we saw shrink reduced at our national distri-

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bution and retail levels.”Herb Knutson, director of marketing for

Inline Plastics Corp. of Shelton, CT, disclos-es, “We’re relatively new to fresh-cut fruit,but the Safe-T-Fresh line has taken off andour sales are growing fast. The seal is ahinge strip that shows evidence of any tam-pering, but also allows the consumer toreseal the clamshell. The 16- and 32-fluid-ounce containers move best — actual vol-umes are 1 and 2 cups — and we also do afour-pound version for club stores. Most ofour products are PET, which is recyclable.We’ve also found a niche with customerswho sell from refrigerated vendingmachines in schools and workplaces andneed a single-serving, leak-proof container.”

A totally different form of packaging

technology comes from Maxwell ChaseTechnologies LLC, in Atlanta, GA. The com-pany has developed a food-grade absorbentmaterial that can be laminated into a pad orpocket, which absorbs the liquid purge thatcomes from cut surfaces of fresh produce.

Tom Gautreaux, national sales directorfor the company, states, “We started sellingthese materials for packaging of fresh-cutproduct for foodservice. The juices from cutproduct are what cause breakdown and aresusceptible to bacteria growth. The pad canbe placed in the bottom of a container orpouch and will draw off and hold the liquid.We’ve found better quality and longer shelflife when this technology is used. We havepads that can fit into bases or lids of PETcups and bowls that will provide a 12-dayshelf life on cut fruit. It’s not the leastexpensive method, but if it improves shelf-life, the value is there.”

COLD CHAIN MAINTENANCE

Beyond the quality of the fruit, the pack-aging choice is the overarching view of allconcerned about the importance of main-taining the cold chain from processing facili-ty to the time the product leaves the store.Consistent cold temperature determinesquality and shelf life more than any otherfactor and is a critical food safety issue.Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) andstate-of-the-art facilities are common to allmajor national and regional processors.

Sunkist’s Harris notes, “We focus onevery step to ensure the consumer has apositive and safe eating experience. Increas-ingly, work is being done to better traceproducts back for both quality and safetyreasons.” By nature, fresh-cut is hugely chal-lenging with respect to total traceability. pb


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MERCHANDISING

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Grape Merchandising — Challenges & OpportunitiesPromotions, pricing and variety are among seven keys to a successful grape season.

B Y C A R O L R . B A R E U T H E R R D

Research shows multiple-color displays yield greater sales than a single-color display.

Price. Packaging preferences. Pro-motional strategies that span bothsummer and winter. These arejust a few of the challenges facingretailers when it comes to mer-

chandising fresh grapes. Yet, transformingthese hurdles into profitable opportunitiesall but guarantee a sweet grape deal.

Ed Laster, produce specialist at Metropol-itan Markets, an upscale six-store chainbased in Seattle, WA, reports, “Grapes are agood year-round tonnage item for us.”

Research provided by West Dundee, IL-based Perishables Group FreshFacts hasshown grapes contributed 5.6 percent tototal produce sales for the 52-week periodending February 2, 2009.

1 . OFFER BEST-SELLERS AND UNDERDOGS

According to Laster, red grapes are mostpopular. “Green lags and black grapes strug-gle most of the time.”

The Perishables Group data shows redgrapes are, indeed, category leaders at 3 per-cent of total produce sales for the 52-weekperiod ending February 2, 2009, followed by2.2 percent for green/white grapes and 0.3percent for black grapes.

Tom Wilson, grape manager for Califor-nia and Chile for Giumarra Bros. Fruit Co.Inc., in Los Angeles, CA, says, “For us, redand green seedless grapes are the most pop-ular with consumers.”

However, Rick Eastes, vice president ofsales and marketing for Fruit Patch SalesLLC, in Dinuba, CA, adds, “The pendulumof popularity is swinging to red grapes large-ly due to the influence of foodservice —

more red grapes are used in restaurantmeals than green; they have better shelflife; and there is less variance of color. How-ever, this is not to say that green grapes arefading out.”

The new, extra large Autumn King green,seedless grape has a bright future, says NickDulcich, president of Delano, CA-based Sun-light International Sales Inc. “It has excel-lent shelf appeal.” Autumn Kings aredesigned to offer fresh product at a timewhen, traditionally, only storage Thomp-sons were available.

Another challenge for some green grapesis an amber or yellowish color that Ameri-can consumers don’t like, explains JoshLeichter, East Coast sales and grape category

director for The Oppenheimer Group, inVancouver, B.C. “These are among the best-tasting grapes out there. Consumers in theUnited States have not embraced them yet,but through POS material and sampling,they might just discover their new favoritegrape.”

Currently, there is a focus on newergrape varieties, reports Eastes. “They deliveran even better taste experience, and it willbe up to retailers to spread the word. Forexample, Princess are replacing mid-seasonThompsons, while a number of commercialand proprietary green varieties, such asAutumn King, Luisco and Pristine, areincreasingly squeezing in to take over thelate season and later storage markets. With

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the exception of Red Globes, seeded grapesare virtually anathema in the 21st century,at least in North America.”

However, Veronica Kraushaar, presidentof Viva Marketing Strategies, in Nogales, AZ,who represents Mexico’s Sonora grape grow-ers, asserts, “We are seeing increasingdemand for large, seeded black and red vari-eties for ethnic consumers.”

2 . MARKET BY COLOR ,VAR IETY OR BOTH

Unlike the apple category where varietynames are nearly shopping list items, con-sumers tend to buy grapes by color. RandyBohaty, produce director for B & R StoresInc., an 18-unit chain headquartered in Lin-coln, NE, operating under the Super Saverand Russ’ Market banners, agrees, “It’s allabout color.”

Leichter notes one advantage that mer-chandising by color presents. “It allowsretailers some flexibility to move betweenvarieties to suit their preferences.”

Yet, some retailers, namely MetropolitanMarket, likes to promote specialty grapevarieties by name. Laster details, “We’ll pro-mote the California late-season red by itsname, Scarlotta Seedless, and consumershave begun to recognize the name and buythem repeatedly. We also promote Muscatograpes by name.”

Champagne grapes and Concord-likegrapes are other specialty varieties oftencarried in the produce department, especial-ly by retailers who make a point to offertheir customers a wide variety. Giumarra’sWilson explains, “Consumers are attractedto specialty varieties packed in special pack-aging, such as clamshells, that tell the ‘vari-ety story.’”

The tried-and-true method for enticingshoppers to try new varieties is to displaythem in bulk, in large sample boxes with asign encouraging consumers to ‘Try one!’remarks Kraushaar. “This is especially rele-vant because when compared to other topfruit, such as bananas and apples, in ourresearch, grapes won hands-down when itcame to ‘most flavor.’”

3 . OFFER THE R IGHTMIX ON D ISPLAY

Retailers have the best sales results whenoffering a wide array of grapes, includingred seedless, green seedless, red globes andblack seedless, says Oppenheimer’sLeichter. “We have also seen success inoffering specialty varieties, such as Muscatand Ribiers — when available in the market— accompanied with POS or other con-sumer education material.”

Atomic Torosian, managing partner of

Fresno, CA-based Crown Jewels MarketingLLC, advises, “Offer organic grapes as well.”

The type and number of grape varietiesdisplayed, “can mark a point of differentia-tion for a retailer,” states Gordon Robertson,vice president of sales and marketing forSun World International LLC, headquartered

in Bakersfield, CA.According to the Fresno, CA-based Cali-

fornia Table Grape Commission (CTGC), amix of grape colors, sizes and varieties canadd a dramatic look and provide customerswith convenience while selecting grapes.Jim Howard, director of communications forthe CTGC, reveals, “Research shows thatmultiple variety displays increase grapesales, so having more than one variety is asmart retail idea.”

As for space allocation, John Pandol, vicepresident of special projects for Pandol Bros.Inc., in Delano, CA, says, “The problem isthat red, white/green and black grapes oftenget an equal size display space. But, theydon’t all sell in equal volume. Therefore,adjust the size of the display relative to thevolume sold of a particular variety to maxi-mize sales.”

The most effective grape displays, “arelarge, located near the front of the store,continuously faced so the fruit is alwayslooking its best, with prominent product andprice information,” details Leichter.

In addition, the CTGC recommends

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refrigerating grapes on display to increasethe fruit’s shelf-life and decrease shrink.

4 . PACKAGING: BAGS VS . CLAMSHELLS

Pack styles are proliferating at a rapidrate, says Fruit Patch’s Eastes. “There arethe traditional PLU poly bags, 1.5-, 2-, 3-, 4-and 5-pound clamshells, and with new andvaried requests for both COOL [Country ofOrigin Labeling] and traceability identifica-tion, packing grapes is becoming a very

complex business.” Bags are the most common type of grape

packaging, notes Oppenheimer’s Leichter.“The advantage is that they are both inex-pensive and familiar to consumers. Unfortu-nately, they don’t stack well, which can leadto crushing in some cases. They also don’tdo much in the way of extending the shelflife of grapes.”

Sunlight International’s Dulcich shares,“Stand-up bags with a flat bottom are beingtested as a new packaging tool for grapes.”


Consumers often make purchasing decisions based on weekly promotions, andthis year, there will be opportunities for late season deals on domestic grapes.

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Bags have been the primary merchandis-ing vehicle for grapes at B & R Stores. How-ever, Bohaty reveals, “We’re transitioning toclamshells. We think they present the prod-uct better. When grapes get sticky they cancloud the bag and hamper the presentation.Control of shatter [loose grapes] is also bet-ter in clamshells. Our big challenge is thehigher cost of the clamshells, especially ifour competitors don’t move to them.”

Leichter notes, “The jury is still out withrespect to the value, because clamshells adda fair bit of cost to the overall product. Theycan be particularly appealing to consumerswhen they include more than one type ofgrape, especially for entertaining.

Justin Parnagian, sales manager at Fres-no, CA-based Fowler Packing Co. Inc., says,“This year, we’ve started shed packing ratherthan field packing table grapes. Consolidat-ing the product in one location allows us tooffer tri-packs.”

On the other side of the coin, Viva’sKraushaar notes, “Our recent research indi-cates consumers prefer smaller bags of onevariety only, compared to clamshell pack-ages or multiple varieties in one package.”

Price point is why B & R Store’s Bohatywill look to offer 1- and 2-pound clamshellsof grapes, rather than the 3-pound and larg-er packs found at club stores.



the system and maintain good quality,rather than having a back-up of inventory.”

This year, and in the future, there will beincreasing opportunities for late season pro-motions on domestic grapes. The season isextending later with good volumes intoOctober, November and December all theway through to Christmas, remarks SunWorld’s Robertson. “This production bumpsup to imports out of Chile. The advantage tothe domestic crop is a fresher product.”

Scott Boyajian, executive director of salesat Sunview Marketing International, inDelano, CA, concurs, adding, “There will bemore and more late season, green seedlessevery year.” He adds the key to promotionalsuccess “is to advertise early in the seasonand continue through late in the season.”

7 . PLAN SEASONALSTRATEGIES

Even though grapes are a year-rounddeal, “There are transition times, such asChile to California and vice versa, wherevolume and quality aren’t there,” explainsMetropolitan Market’s Laster. This requiresa conservative approach. For us, that meansno promotions and a reduction in the size ofdisplays during these transition times. Thiscan actually be a merchandising advantageas we tout using in-store signage and adswhen a new crop is here.”

According to Perishables Group Fresh-Facts, grapes contributed a high of 5.7 per-cent to total produce department sales dur-ing the third and fourth quarters of 2008,while the first and second quarters repre-sented percent dollar sales of 5.1 percentand 5 percent, respectively.

B & R Store’s Bohaty adds, “Consumersrealize grapes peak in supply in the summerand prices are lower, but we don’t see a realsurge in sales. We do tend to slightlydecrease the size of grape displays in thewinter, but it has more to do with an influxof apple varieties and citrus.”

Grapes always compete with other fruitsin the produce department. Fruit Patch’sEastes says, “Early season grapes competewith strawberries, cherries and blueberriesas ‘finger food’. Mid-season, the competitioncan be melons, stone fruit and even non-fruit items. Multiple varieties of apples areyear-round and there is imported, seedlesscitrus in the form of mandarins and import-ed navels that crowd grape demand. TheChilean grapes, on the other hand, competewith winter items, such as oranges, the fullrange of citrus and very heavily with applesand bananas. Fortunately, research says thatgrape consumers tend to be large consumersand there is a certain year-round loyalty tothe item.” pb

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Handling Shrink

B ig displays are a hallmark of mer-chandising when a produce itemhits its peak seasonal stride.

While bigger is often better at elicitingimpulse sales, these mega displays aretypically unrefrigerated — a fact that canplay havoc with produce quality if thesell- through isn’t timely.

In 2007, the Fresno, CA-based Califor-nia Table Grape Commission (CTGC)teamed up with the Plant SciencesDepartment at the University of Califor-nia at Davis to answer retailers’ burningquestion: How long can grapes remainon an unrefrigerated display and stillmaintain high quality?

Here are the answers:• Bagged grapes can be displayed up

to 24 hours without refrigerationbefore visible shrink occurs.

• Two- and four-pound clamshellpacks of grapes will remain free ofvisible shrink on an unrefrigerateddisplay for up to 48 hours. pb

went to Mexico last year. However, CTGC’s Howard declares,

“We’re working hard to get this issueresolved in the next few months.” If not, thiscould result in bargain prices at retail.

In general, Domenick Bianco, presidentand owner of Anthony Vineyards Inc., inBakersfield, CA, explains, “Supply anddemand determine grape pricing. Too muchproduct will lead to less expensive grapes. Ifthere’s a shortage and the economy is in thedoldrums, the price will go up.”

Competitive pricing is something con-sumers may actively seek this summer, saysBohaty. “I don’t think we’ll see any majordecrease in grape purchases due to theeconomy. But, consumers’ purchase deci-sions may be guided by what type of grapeis on sale that week and bounce from grapeto grape as a result.”

Retailers enjoyed a successful importedgrape season by pricing the fruit attractivelyto move volume, reveals Oppenheimer’sLeichter. “By offering grapes at a comfort-able price point and featuring them promi-nently in ads and large displays, retailersshould achieve sales lifts despite the tougheconomic times.”

6 . PLAN PROMOTIONS Retail chains make decisions when to

push grapes and when not to, says Jon Zani-novich, vice president of Jasmine VineyardsInc., in Delano, CA. “But, they need to beopen to opportunities to promote that mightnot be pre-scheduled. Even if they ran an adthe week before, they need to be ready any-time the volume is there.”

As for varietal promotions, Leichternotes, “Retailers should continue to offeraggressive price points on green and redseedless with large displays. There are alsoopportunities to introduce red globes andblack seedless to more consumers via pro-motional features. In-and-out promotionalopportunities on clamshell packs are anoth-er chance to grab incremental sales at theretail level, which can lead to repeat salesonce the item is back to its regular price.”

Regarding promotional pricing, BradCantwell, vice president of North Americansales for Dole Deciduous, based in Philadel-phia, PA, explains, “Some retailers want togo on ad with red and green grapes at thesame price, even when, for example, greenshave an F.O.B. of $12 and reds $18. Thismeans, in reality, they can promote thegreens for 99-cents per pound and the redsat $1.99 per pound, but instead, they pro-mote both for $1.49 per pound. As animporter, we like to see more aggressivepricing when the volume is there on a vari-ety in order to keep fruit moving through

Pandol Bros.’ Pandol states, “Interestinglyenough, consumers will not purchase a 2-pound clamshell of grapes priced at $4, butthey will buy a 2-pound random weight bagof grapes priced at $2-per-pound. It’s thesticker shock, and t hat’s why we’re consid-ering scaling our 2-pound clamshell back to1 1⁄2 pounds.”

5 . PR ICE TO SELLEarly indications point to a 2009 domes-

tic season grape crop that may be equal orslightly larger than the 98.5 million boxespacked and shipped in 2008.

Eastes says, “Since an important per-centage of these grapes move to export mar-kets, such as the UK, Europe and heavily toSoutheast Asia, currency and the overallglobal recession will have some effects.”

A 45 percent tariff on fresh, Californiagrapes exported to Mexico, which resultedfrom a dispute between Mexico and the U.S.dating back to 1994 when the North Ameri-can Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) wentinto effect, could hamper sales of U.S.grapes to Mexico, a key trading partner forthis commodity, come late summer whenMexico’s supplies finish up. Crown Jewels’Torosian reports, “Six million boxes, or 7 to8 percent of last year’s total California crop,


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Five Ways To Make Chili Pepper Sales SizzleBuild on growing popularity and utilize creative merchandising techniques to heat up chili pepper sales.

B Y A M Y S H A N N O N

Merchandising a variety of peppers is key to driving sales volume.

Brightly colored chili peppers pro-vide plenty of eye candy, trafficand profit to the produce depart-ment. Once considered an ethnicitem, chili peppers are becoming

mainstream as more consumers look torecreate dishes they eat on vacation and seeon television shows. An increased Latinoand Asian presence has also resulted inmore exposure to the cuisines of theseimmigrant populations.

Retailers are building on the chili peppertrend with a variety of merchandising andmarketing opportunities. “Certainly, anincreasingly diverse consumer base is help-ing introduce our consumers to new fruitsand vegetables, including chili peppers,”reports Kevin Weaver, vice president of pro-duce merchandising for Marsh Supermar-kets LLC, an Indianapolis, IN-based chain.“We recognized this trend a few years agoand have slowly and steadily been concen-trating our efforts on growing the category.”

“Chilis are a staple ingredient,” notesRobert Schueller, director of public relationsfor Melissa’s/World Variety Produce Inc.,based in the Los Angeles, CA. “People aregetting more into the novelty of heat intheir recipes.”

Ethnic produce and diverse world fla-vors, such as chili peppers, are rapidly gain-ing popularity, according to Karen Caplan,president and CEO of Frieda’s Inc., head-quartered in Los Alamitos, CA.

Emily Fragoso, marketing manager forCoast Produce Co. Inc., in Los Angeles, CA,agrees, adding, “The neat thing about chilipeppers is that they lend themselves to dif-ferent ethnic cuisines — Asian, Hispanicand beyond. Plus, fusion cuisine is so hotright now.”

past few years. Coosemans Boston marketsa variety of chili peppers, including Ana-heim, Pasilla, Serrano, Finger Hot,Habanero, Hungarian Hot, Caribe, CherryHot, Cubanelle, Jalapeño and Long Hots.

“One might even speculate that the econ-omy has helped, as many consumers havealtered their lifestyles to include more in-home prepared meals rather than diningout,” notes Weaver. “As these families returnto the kitchen, they want to recreate thedishes they have enjoyed in restaurants.Regardless of the reason, retailers are in thebest position to enjoy the gains.”

1 . STOCK ALL VAR IET IES Marsh has been concentrating on taking

the pepper category to the next level of mer-chandising for about a year now. “We cur-rently offer more than 20 varieties of freshand dried peppers in our Marketplacestores,” reports Weaver. “Additionally, we

Melissa’s continues to build demand forchili peppers with its Melissa’s and DonEnrique label in established Latino stores.Schueller points to a growing demand forchili peppers in non-Latino stores as well.“That’s where the most growth potential isfound.”

Much of this new growth is due to theaccessibility of culinary information viacooking and chef television shows, Web sitesand online blogs, states Caplan. “Even maga-zines, such as Bon Appétit and Saveur, areappealing to home cooks by offering moresimplified and budget-friendly meals.”

Consumers are certainly shopping formore specialty chilis, reports Caplan. “Con-sumers are also turning to spices and chilisas a more healthful way to make food moreflavorful — instead of adding salt and fat.”

Kevin Maher, manager at Chelsea, MA-based Coosemans Boston Inc., estimates a10 percent growth in chili peppers in the


rotate through other varieties that might beconsidered more seasonal or that do nothave year-round availability to keep the dis-play fresh and changing.”

Melissa’s offers a full variety, workingwith fresh chilis, including Jalapeño, Serra-no, Red Fresno, Pasilla, Anaheim, Yellow,Habanero, Cubanelle, Banana Wax, Cherryand Hungarian Wax, as well as dried chilis,such as Chipotle, New Mexican, Japone, DeArbol and California. “All fresh chilis aretypically available year-round. However,Hatch chilis are extremely seasonal —August and September only.”

In 2006, Coast introduced the Tremendo,a brand of chili peppers differentiated by itsdistinctively large size — four to five inchesin length, compared to a typical Jalapeño oftwo to three inches in length. “The heatindex of the Tremendo rivals the smallervarieties,” notes Coast’s Fragoso.

Frieda’s Caplan notes more retailers areinterested in stocking lesser-known chilivarieties. “The bright array of colors andinteresting flavors of the chili category bringa lot of visual appeal to produce depart-ments. Plus, chilis are such a versatile ingre-dient, and the amazing varieties of fresh anddried chilis offer complex flavors that gobeyond just heat.

Marsh has had success with the sweettooth pepper, or ancient sweet. The chilipepper variety is great for stuffing or rightout of the package, reports Weaver. “We havefeatured this colorful package in the weeklycircular with recipes, usage and handlinginformation for our consumers.”

Marsh’s size allows it to work with manyseasonal varieties to keep the display sharpand dynamic. “We really do not use the

length of the season as one of the criteriawhen we decide whether to add a variety,”Weaver adds.

Caplan notes, “The increase of hothouse-grown chili imports from Holland has alsohelped make different chili varieties moreavailable at different times of the year.”

Mark Vertrees, marketing manager withMiami, FL-based M & M Farm Inc., reveals,“This year, we are experimenting with grow-

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ing the hybrid Scotch bonnet variety onapproximately 10 acres in Florida. “We alsogrow Scotch Bonnets in the DominicanRepublic and Trinidad.”

2 . BU ILD EYE -CATCHING D ISPLAYS

Catching the attention of consumersthrough enticing displays is key to increas-ing impulse purchases. “Color breaks areimportant for merchandising,” notesCaplan.

Melissa’s Schueller advises merchandis-ing chili peppers in both bulk and packagedmerchandising. “Display chili peppers with-in their respective category — by the jica-ma, chayote, tomatillos, yuca root, cilantroand other fresh and dried Latin specialties.”

Part of Marsh’s overall strategy is to keepchili pepper displays fresh and changing.“The bright and vibrant colors of the pep-pers give our consumers a striking presen-tation and draws them to the show — that’spart of the excitement,” Weaver explains.

Chili peppers will last longer at retail ifthey are chilled, but not too cold, Caplansays, stressing that they should not be mist-ed. “If chilis are displayed at room tempera-ture, it is not unusual for them to ripen andturn from green to red. It just makes themhave a slightly sweeter flavor.”

Separating chili peppers into baskets ona wet rack or piling them high on an endcap works well, suggests Coast’s Fragoso.“Dividing chili peppers into baskets allowsfor clear labeling of each variety, while alarge display of one variety on an end capcan be successful in an area with a largeHispanic or Asian population.

Freida’s Caplan adds, “Chilis can be dis-played near bell peppers to offer even morecolor, shapes and sizes, but they also pro-vide a great color-break in Latin produceareas, or anywhere a splash of color isneeded. Separate baskets make it easy toclearly label each variety.”

Marsh’s Weaver recommends merchan-dising all of the pepper varieties — bothfresh and dried — together to make the dis-play a destination within the department.“At Marsh, we’ve enjoyed success by usingthe natural attributes of the peppers as astarting point.

M & M’s Vertrees is a fan of bulk dis-plays, noting they are most popular amongHispanic/Latino consumers. “We typicallysell peppers in 8-pound boxes, and we’reworking on a clamshell pack for chainstores,” he details.

3 . USE S IGNAGE TO EDUCATE CONSUMERS

Display space for chili peppers has


Showcase Chili Peppers’ Health Benefits

A ttract health-conscious consumersto chili pepper displays by usingsignage that highlights the super

food’s health benefits. Chilis are proven tohelp reduce headaches, pain and relateddiscomfort, burn body fat and fight nasalcongestion, chronic sinus infections andeven cancer.

“The heat in the peppers increasesmetabolism, and they also prevent cancer,”explains Emily Fragoso, marketing manag-er for Coast Produce Co., in Los Angeles,CA. “Chili peppers turn up the heat bybeing a natural thermogenic and increas-ing metabolism and generating heat.”

Robert Schueller, director of marketing

for Melissa’s/World Variety Produce Inc.,based in Los Angeles, CA, says chilis havehigh levels of vitamin A and C.

Capsaicin, the natural-occurring chemi-cal that makes chili peppers hot, helpsreduce pain by affecting the brain’s mainpain transmitter, explains Fragoso. Cap-saicin is also beneficial in fighting cancer,according to studies from the National Can-cer Institute, which shows the chemical actsas a natural inhibitor in the cancer process.

“Reducing high blood pressure and cho-lesterol, loaded with more vitamin C thanan orange, and the potential to keep yourfeet warm in the winter are additional ben-efits of this super food,” adds Fragoso. pb

expanded in recent years, but many con-sumers still do not know how to differenti-ate one chili pepper from another. Signageis an effective way to personalize con-sumers’ shopping experience, communi-cate heat level, offer recipes and persuadehesitant consumers to try new varieties.

Marsh uses POS materials to help con-sumers identify and use items they mightnot have seen prior to their visit. Thesematerials include signs, information cardsand recipes. “Our team of certified producemanagers receives item briefs each week inthe form of a bulletin, and sampling isstrongly encouraged when appropriate,”details Weaver. “We also provide a Guide toFresh Peppers on our Web site.”

Caplan says the No. 1 one characteristicconsumers want to know about chilis is theheat level of each variety. “InformationalPOS signage should include brief flavor pro-file descriptions with a chili heat ranking.”Frieda’s offers a Chili Meter chart for retail-ers who want to incorporate it into theirdisplays to help educate consumers. Caplanalso suggests arranging chilis into groups,such as mild, medium and hot, so con-sumers can discover similar chilis in theirheat preference.

Melissa’s Schueller recommends retail-ers educate consumers about the variousheat levels and how chili peppers can be used in everyday cooking, beyond tradi-tional Latino dishes. Melissa’s offers retail-ers chili charts with heat scales, recipecards and signage regarding handling and usage.

4 . CROSS -MERCHANDISECOMPLEMENTARY ITEMS

Pairing bell peppers and chili peppers is

a natural choice when stocking displays.“They are a part of the same family, comein an array of colors and make for greatpartners both in meals and on the shelf,”notes Fragoso.

Retailers should also cross-merchandisechili peppers near other produce items,such as avocados, tomatoes, onions, garlicand cilantro, to help consumers easily gath-er the necessary ingredients for makingguacamole and salsa.

Give consumers an incentive to makechili rellenos by placing Poblano peppersnear cheese, advises Fragoso. “Grab Ana-heim or banana peppers and link them tothe meat department for a great recipe tomake stuffed peppers. Spice up lemonadewith Jalapeños or add some flare to the typ-ical nacho fixings. ”

5 . CREATE THEMED PROMOTIONS

Holidays, seasons and other specialevents make the perfect opportunity toattract consumers and persuade them tobuy chili peppers. Retailers should developLatin-themed promotions centered aroundholidays, such as Cinco de Mayo and Mexi-can Independence Day (Sept. 16), to gener-ate excitement among consumers, accord-ing to Schueller.

“The Super Bowl revs up excitement forteamwork and snack foods,” notes Fragoso.“Jalapeño poppers, spicy guacamole,Habanero salsa, nachos with Jalapeño slicesand specialty drinks, such as the FlamingJalapeño, are just a few ideas.”

Weaver agrees, stressing, “Don’t be afraidto promote. Not every variety will be ahome run, but most games are won withbase hits anyway.” pb


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DRIED

FRUIT

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NUTS

DRIED

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NUTS

Changing The Image Of Dried PlumsSeeking to shake up its reputation, prunes have reemerged as a hip, healthy snack.

B Y J U L I E C O O K R A M I R E Z

Sunsweet’s new, individually wrapped,portion-controlled snacks, Ones, areonly 60 calories each.

Prunes have never carried a verypositive connotation in Americanculture. Weathered, old womenhave frequently been referred toas “dried up old prunes,” and the

fruit itself is most often thought of as a curefor constipation. Seeking to shake up its pre-vious image, the dried fruit industry hasbeen increasingly referring to the product asdried plums.

The goal was to reposition the fruit as ahip snack to be enjoyed by younger con-sumers, athletes and families. The Califor-nia Prune Board even changed its name tothe California Dried Plum Board (CDPB) toreflect this new approach. According to theBoard’s Web site, research shows that theindustry’s target audience, U.S. women aged25 to 54, responded more favorably to thename dried plums. So has the strategyworked? Are consumers flocking to driedplums as industry leaders had hoped?

Opinions vary widely as to just howmuch the name change has helped improvedried plums’ fortunes. Sales of dried fruitare up for Lakeland, FL-based Publix SuperMarkets Inc., but it’s hard to say if the namechange or a rapidly growing 50+ populationis responsible for the growth, according toMaria Brous, director of media and commu-nity relations. After all, Brous points out,“Dried plums are not typically considered asexy or exotic fruit.”

Joe Tamble, vice president of sales forSun-Maid Growers of California, based inKingsburg, CA, says the name change hasdefinitely helped, particularly when itcomes to attracting younger consumers.

However, Mike Carter, senior categorymanager for Winn-Dixie Stores Inc., in Jack-sonville, FL, says sales of dried plums

remain slow in his company’s stores. “It’s aniche thing, mainly among our elderlyclientele — the snow birds who come downto Florida for the winter,” he explains. “Forexample, there are some health-consciouspeople who are buying them.”

Some manufacturers and retailers areconcerned the name change may haveaccomplished little more than confusingconsumers. “They are not sure what theproduct is,” says Carter.

To avoid confusion, Sunsweet GrowersInc., headquartered in Yuba City, CA, iscareful to include both names — driedplums and pitted prunes — on its packaging,according to Jeff McLemore, product man-ager. “We have both names on there becausewe don’t want to confuse people. We certain-ly don’t want to be deceptive. That’s notgoing to help sales in any way.”

At Mariani Packing Co., in Vacaville, CA,marketing manager, Lisa Goshgarian, wor-ries the industry is so busy targeting newconsumers, it may alienate those it alreadyhas. “You always want to expand your con-sumer base, but too many times, people doit at the expense of the existing ones theyhave,” cautions Goshgarian. “It’s great topush the envelope and try to reach morepeople, but it’s important to know your con-sumers, know what they want and be realis-tic about it.”

While industry efforts to reposition theproduct may have drawn more attention todried plums, Goshgarian questions howmuch such initiatives will help in attractinga younger consumer base. “It’s always greatto take something and put a fresh spin on itfrom a marketing perspective,” she admits.“It’s good to make people sit up and takenotice, but I don’t know if you are ever

going to see young folks eating the product,regardless of what you call it.”

PLAY ING UP THE POS IT IVESThese days, dried fruit manufacturers

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are determined to give consumers newoptions for eating dried plums. Sunsweethas unveiled a number of new products,including dark chocolate-coated plum bitesdubbed PlumSweets; and a line of offerings— Cherry Essence, Orange Essence andLemon Essence, which combine the sweettaste of dried plums with other fruit flavors.Sunsweet has also answered the call for por-tion control with the introduction of individ-ually wrapped pitted prunes, dubbed, Ones.The company also unveiled 60-CaloriePacks. “People looking for portion controloften find themselves turning to all those100-calorie chips and cookie packs, whichkind of defeats the purpose of cutting back,”notes McLemore. “We are trying to makepeople aware that this is a great snack withonly 60 calories, and it’s all-natural.”

Mariani, meanwhile, has rolled out Bite-Size Pitted Dried Plums; Extra Large DriedPlums; Pitted Dried Plums Plus — fortifiedwith essential vitamins and minerals — andPlum Support, enhanced with Glucosaminefor joint support. “Joint health affects a thirdof all Americans, particularly Baby Boomersaged 45-plus who are getting older,” explainsGoshgarian. “It’s a matter of listening towhat’s happening out there and seeing howyou can apply it to your product.”

In recent years, dried plums havereceived a great deal of positive publicity asa super fruit and a great source of antioxi-dants. The fruit received one of the mostcoveted honors earlier this year when driedplums were included in Oprah’s “Live YourBest Life” series on a list of six healthful,antioxidant foods as part of Oprah and Dr.Oz’s Ultimate Health Checklist.

Despite their lengthy shelf-life of 12 to18 months, sales of dried plums are stilllargely seasonal, spiking during the wintermonths when usage in holiday bakingpeaks. In recent years, the category’s grow-ing reputation as a healthy snack has helpedboost sales during another key time: “Wesee huge spikes from New Year’s thoughApril due to New Year’s resolutions to snackon more healthful items and make betterdietary choices,” reports Sunsweet’sMcLemore. “The key is sustaining thatlonger by taking advantage of the healthylifestyle component and encouraging peo-ple to continue eating this way throughoutthe year.”

With household penetration at just 55percent for the entire dried fruit category,manufacturers are hopeful that focusing onthe healthful attributes of dried plums willhelp boost year-round sales among youngand old alike. It’s not going to be easy, con-cedes Sun-Maid’s Tamble, stressing that it’sgoing to take a combined effort between


“When dried fruit is in the produce

department, the rate of sale, the amount

of merchandising and the creativity of the

display vastly exceed that of grocery. We would

prefer shifting the dried fruit category from

center store into the produce department.”

— Joe TambleSun-Maid Growers of California

retailers and manufacturers to make driedplums a hot commodity. “We must worktogether as manufacturers and retail part-ners to get the word out,” he says. “It maybe as simple as saying, ‘Dried Fruit is aHealth Food,’ but we’ve got to embark on anongoing education process that will get thefacts out about the benefits of eating driedfruit.”

PRODUCT PLACEMENTFrom secondary displays, cross-mer-

chandising and recipe cards to brochures,banners and coupon machines, Tamble saysmost retailers are open to manufacturers’suggestions with regard to promoting driedplums. Among his recommendations arecross-promoting dried plums with comple-mentary products. “Dried fruit is an itemthat doesn’t often sell just by itself,” heexplains. “Many times, it’s part of what wecall a market basket sale.”

Tamble cites some very successful driedfruit displays positioned near bagged saladsor croutons. “They complement each othervery well, and the rate of sale increasesbecause dried fruit is an impulse category,”he reports.

Many retailers are inadvertently handi-capping themselves by refusing to sell driedplums in the produce department, shelvingthem away in the grocery aisles instead.Currently, McLemore says three-fourths ofdried plum merchandising takes place ingrocery, a trend both he and his counterpartat Sun-Maid would like to see reversed.

“When dried fruit is in the producedepartment, the rate of sale, the amount ofmerchandising and the creativity of the dis-play vastly exceed that of grocery,” disclosesTamble. “We would prefer shifting the driedfruit category from center store into the pro-duce department.”

The debate over whether to sell driedfruit in produce or grocery is “always a bat-

tle that we have internally in the stores,”says Mariani’s Goshgarian. She believes thatdisplaying dried plums in the producedepartment helps reinforce the messagethat it is a healthy product. After all, whenconsumers are looking for healthy products,the produce section is typically the firstplace they look. “The produce section is themost heavily trafficked area in a grocerystore, and it’s all about fresh, good-for-youproducts,” continues Goshgarian. “For aproduct that has received such accolades asbeing considered a superfruit, this is a per-fect opportunity to merchandise it withinthe fresh arena.”

Winn-Dixie has already taken thisapproach, merchandising dried plums along-side fresh produce. Carter describes somerather lavish initiatives designed to heightenthe category’s presence. “In the past, we hada little display that was hidden at the side ofa table,” he says. “Now, we’ve taken theapproach that it must be displayed whereconsumers can see it and offered at a goodprice point, with POS to attract them to it.”

To that end, Winn-Dixie has built special-ly designed, four-plex displays, improvedtheir signage and increased their stock. Thechain has also taken to promoting driedplums more often than in years past.According to Carter, the result has beensome notable sales spikes.

Such reports come as no surprise to Tam-ble, who takes a page from the Kevin Cost-ner film “Field of Dreams” when describinghis approach to merchandising dried plums.“The ongoing message that we need to getout to retailers is ‘If you display it, they willbuy,’” says Tamble. “This category isimpulse-driven. Displays work, and driedplums are a good complement to other,more perishable items within the producedepartment. It can be very financiallyrewarding to the retailers that actively par-ticipate in merchandising this category.” pb


FLORALWATCH

Floral Watch is a regular feature of PRODUCE BUSINESS. Please send information on new products, personnel changes, industry, corporate and personal milestones and available literature, alongwith a color photo, slide or transparency to: Managing Editor, PRODUCE BUSINESS, P.O. Box 810425, Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425, or e-mail us at [email protected]

FARMERS' WEST FLOWERS & BOUQUETSINC., CARPINTERIA, CABruce Brady was hired as director of market-ing and business development for the growerand shipper of California specialty fresh-cutflowers, greens and bouquets. Formerly withThe Sun Valley Group, Brady has more than 20years of experience in business management,development, sales and marketing.

SAKATA SEED AMERICA INC.,MORGAN HILL, CANatalia Hamill has been appointed to thenewly created retail category manager roleon the ornamentals team. She is workingwith Sakata's distribution partners, growersand retailers to develop marketing pro-grams. She brings experience in horticul-tural marketing including brand manage-ment and marketing strategy developmentfor other global horticultural companies.

FLORALIFE ACQUIRES CROWNRESEARCH FLORAL PRODUCTSCrown Research & Chemical Corp., SanAntonio, TX, has signed an agreementwith Floralife Inc., Walterboro, SC, tomanufacture, distribute and sell its prod-ucts worldwide. These products are dis-tributed and available for sale through Smithers-Oasis Companies to wholesalefloral customers. Floralife Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of the Smithers-Oasis Company headquartered in Cuyahoga Falls, OH.


IGC SHOW TO SHINE IN CHICAGOThe Independent Garden Center Show, pro-duced by Garden Chic and Nursery Retailermagazines, Clearwater, FL, will be heldAugust 18-20 at Navy Pier, Chicago, IL. Nowin its third year, the IGC Show serves thesourcing, buying, information and educationneeds of IGC buyers and executives from allover the country. As the world's largest tradeshow for independent garden centers, theevent boasts 900+ booths and a 210,000square-foot expo floor.


WFC SUMMIT SET FOR MALAYSIAThe World Flower Council, Scottsdale,AZ, will host its international summitAugust 30-September 2 in Kuala Lumpur,Malaysia. WFC is an established organi-zation dedicated to furthering the causeof world peace through the beauty offlowers and the sharing of knowledgeamong those who have chosen the floralindustry as their profession.

TPIE DATES SETFlorida Nursery, Growers andLandscape Association (FNGLA),Orlando, FL announces its TropicalPlant Industry Exhibition will beheld January 14-16, 2010. TPIE isthe trade event that offers every-thing foliage, floral and tropicals.The educational seminars andexhibition featuring approximately 500 booths will be held at the Broward County Convention Center in Fort Lauderdale, FL.


FLOWER TRANSFER HANDLING SOLDThe Delaware Valley Floral Group(DVFG), Sewell, NJ, announces the saleof its Flower Transfer Handling divisionto Lynx Global Corporation, a privatelyowned logistics company belonging tothe Centurion Cargo Group, Miami, FL.Lynx will remain within the FlowerTransfer building under a lease fromDVFG and will continue to provide ser-vices to DVFG and its customers.


FPFC HOSTS SOUTHERNCALIFORNIA EXPOThe Fresh Produce & FloralCouncil, La Mirada, CA, willhost its 26th Annual SouthernCalifornia Expo at theDisneyland Hotel, inAnaheim, July 14, 2009. The Expo will providehands-on education, introduce new ideas and cre-ate dynamic interaction with an emphasis onretail, foodservice, produce and floral. Attendeeswill gather for a day of educational programmingand an exposition of more than 170 companies.


ANNOUNCEMENTS

TRANSITIONS

WATERTIGHT VASE READY TO WOWKoen Pack USA, Miami, FL, introduces aWatertight Vase that arrives flat in a box of200 and with the new design, snaps intoplace in two seconds. Just add water andflowers and it's ready for transport and dis-play. Available in red, yellow, hot pink,green, orange and light pink, the WatertightVase measures approximately 8"H x 4.75"Wand is recyclable.

CLASSIC AND CONTEMPORARY SANTABlossom Bucket Inc., North Lawrence, OH, intro-duces its Santa with Believe Snowman figurine.The hand-painted, resin Christmas collectible mea-sures 7"H x 6.5"L and is a Dan Dipaolo design.

NEW PRODUCTS




FLORAL

&

FOLIAGE

MARKETING

FLORAL

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FOLIAGE

MARKETING

From Field To Vase Part I of II: How maintaining the floral cold chain influences profits.

B Y J O D E A N R O B B I N S

Continental Airlines Cargo is developing temperature-controlled handling equip-ment for perishables to protect against adverse ramp and warehouse conditions.

As consumers become increas-ingly wary of spending theirmoney in this economy, it is allthe more important for retail-ers to offer products with a

high value-perception. Perhaps no sector ismore influenced by this than floral.

“Consumers are more careful than everabout where they are spending their pre-cious discretionary budget,” says TerryJohnson, president of Horticultural Market-ing Resources, in Mission Viejo, CA. “This iswhy we need to do whatever it takes todeliver them value. In flowers, value meansthe freshest, longest lasting flowers possible.Freshness at the point of sale gets them tobuy, and vase-life longevity at home getsthem coming back for more.”

“Effective cold chain management isincreasingly important as today’s customerslook for greater value for their dollar,” con-curs Jon Strom, vice president of floral andlifestyle merchandising for Price ChopperSupermarkets, headquartered in Schenec-tady, NY. “If your customer experience isnot superb, customers are not going to comeback and buy more flowers.”

In the floral industry, when the coldchain is not properly maintained the resultsinclude increased shrinkage, unhappy cus-tomers and decreased profits. “As the coldchain has a dramatic impact on the longevi-ty of the flowers, the connection betweenconsumer satisfaction and cold chain is criti-cal albeit unseen to the end consumer,”explains Bruce Brady, director of marketingand business development for Farmers’West Flowers & Bouquets Inc., headquar-tered in Carpinteria, CA.

Retailers who want to enjoy the benefitsoffered by higher quality, longer lastingflowers can take some simple steps toimproving their management of the coldchain. “In-transit handling quality is criticalto maintaining product integrity,” adds MarkMohr, manager product development andspecialty sales for Continental Airlines

Cargo, based in Houston, TX. “One has tounderstand the end-to-end processesemployed by the supplier and within yourown organization.”

ASK WHYUnderstanding the implications of cold

chain maintenance, whether good or bad, iswhere it all begins for retailers. “If you’renot asking about it and not talking about it,your quality can be affected,” says Strom.

The bottom line rests with the consumer.Joseph C. Farrell, president of World Flow-ers LLC, in Englewood, NJ, explains, “If theproduct does not meet their expectations,then they will not purchase again. Ultimate-ly, we are dealing with a living product, andhow it’s treated will affect the customer’sexperience, which is the final judge on thequality of the handling.”

“Increased consumer satisfaction,reduced shrinkage and improved sales andprofits are all benefits from proper coldchain maintenance,” details Johnson.“Improving the cool chain could substantial-

ly reduce the amount of flower shrinkage,estimated to be more than $100 million dol-lars annually.”

Temperature is the number one factoraffecting the life of a cut flower, reports Eliz-abeth Darragh, director of food strategicmarketing for Sensitech Inc., headquarteredin Beverly, MA. “By keeping flowers close toan ideal temperature you can reduce therespiration rate of the plant, which leads toa longer shelf-life, better quality, less shrinkand more profits. Higher temperaturesaccelerate water loss, disease growth andappearance of disorders.”

Cold chain evaluation is critical in ana-lyzing any supplier regardless of a retailer’ssize. “Determine the quality metrics impor-tant to your business and integrate thoseelements into a quality agreement tied toyour purchasing contracts,” recommendsMohr. “Quality agreements are the one ele-ment that can help to control your vendor’scarrier selection.”

“This could be a way for retailers to savemoney because they’ll be throwing less

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away,” says Darragh. “They can demandprices that will net the profit if they’re sell-ing good quality.”

BEGIN AT THE FARMJust as retailers have evolved to under-

stand the origin of flowers beyond Miami orNew York, they must now view the coldchain as beginning at origin as well. “It iscritical for those buying flowers to under-stand the grower’s pre-cooling infrastruc-ture,” expresses Brady. “Do they use pre-coolers? Do they probe boxes to make surethe temperature has been reduced to appro-priate temperatures of 34-36°F?”

“Retailers need to know the growingregions, handling practices and especially ifroses have been pre-cooled,” adds EdCorvelo, category manager of produce/floralwith Save Mart Supermarkets, headquar-tered in Modesto, CA.

“The most important elements are thepost-harvest treatment and cooling right onthe farm,” reports Karen Leggett, director ofsales and marketing services for SunshineBouquet Company, based in Coral Gables,FL. “It makes an enormous difference if theharvest and production is done in the fieldversus under cold conditions in a cooler orpacking facility. The investment in labor,floral preservatives and ethylene blockerscan be very expensive, but can add realvalue to the consumer satisfaction level andshelf-life of the flowers.”

A buyer should examine every elementof the supply chain. “Tour the origin farms,look in the coolers and watch the trucksbeing loaded,” advises Continental’s Mohr.“Observe the transfer of product onto con-necting trucks, ships or aircraft. Every han-dling point in the system must operate insynchronicity to ensure quality handling.”

“Nothing takes the place of visiting,”agrees Stephen Armellini, senior vice presi-dent with Armellini Express Lines, based inDoral, FL. “Whether it be freight forwarder,warehouse or final transportation providers,each should be paying special attention tomaintain the integrity of the cold chain.”

Regardless of all the cold chain elementsput in place, a breakdown could occur inone of many places. “Most of the farms havegreat handling, hydration and coolers, andhandle the cold chain well,” reports PriceChopper’s Strom. “However, many times, itis the truck to the airport, the airplane tripor the tarmac in Miami presenting the great-est risk to the cold chain.”

“From an airline perspective, the rampand warehouses are the weakest link,” addsMohr. “Continental Airlines Cargo is devel-oping specialized, temperature-controlledhandling equipment for perishables to

ensure exposure to adverse ramp and ware-house conditions are minimized.”

The entire distribution channel is impor-tant, from the farm all the way to the dis-play at retail. Corvelo states, “Some qualityissues will begin to show two to three daysafter a break in the cold chain. Dependingwhere the flowers are in the logistics, cycleproblems may be seen at the distributioncenter, the retail store or at home with theend user.”

KNOW YOUR SUPPL IERSWhile convincing lingo on Web sites may

make a great first impression, the only wayto really grasp what is happening in the coldchain is to know the people involved.“Retailers need to be sure they speak aboutcold chain management with their suppli-ers,” remarks Strom. “If they’re new to thebusiness they need to learn about it them-selves first. They should bring it up in everyconversation, and visit the operation.”

“To help judge the accuracy of a presen-tation, the buyer can conduct a backgroundcheck on the prospective vendor,” advisesCorvelo of Save Mart. “Talk to others in theindustry. We belong to a non-competitiveshare group across the country where thesequestions can be discussed.”

“Reputation for excellence is earned andtested with every shipment,” states WorldFlowers’ Farrell. “Price and value are alwaystested in the market, but what cannot becompromised is flower handling. It is impor-tant to work with reputable companies thathave standards and testing procedures inplace to ensure the cold chain.”

“It is best to work with a supplier whohas relations with the best airlines and han-dlers,” states Strom. “If a supplier won’t tellyou who they’re working with, it may be ahint you probably shouldn’t be doing busi-ness with them.”

Most good mass marketers take a seriousinterest in the entire cold chain operation.Farrell explains, “For vendors to beapproved, sample shipments are brought inand tested. If vendors do not pass, they willnot be approved. Once the vendors havepassed the test, you can rely on their profi-ciency in the freight movement, whethertrucking, handling, airline, etc.”

“Supermarkets should choose vendors inpart by their commitment to the cool chainat their facilities, but also their willingnessto insist their suppliers also follow the coolchain,” recommends Horticultural Market-ing Resources’ Johnson. pb

[Part 2 of this article will explore tempera-ture monitoring, communication and self-analysis. Watch for it in July.]

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http://www.producepro.com


Food Safety Steps ForLocally Grown Produce

Soon after taking over the reins as head of the Hannafordproduce department, Will Wedge would focus on bothprocurement and merchandising of locally grown pro-duce. By the summer of 2006, the program was wellunder way and continues to grow in importance every

year since then.Now with food safety and GAP programs gaining in importance

among larger producers and interstate shippers, I asked Will tocomment concerning how he and Hannaford are approaching local-ly grown produce, while addressing the issues that have been pri-marily a matter of faith by many retailers.

According to Wedge, locally grown is nowcalled Close to Home at Hannaford and definedas grown or processed in the same state aswhich it is sold. For many retailers, the defini-tion also includes product grown within a fullday’s travel by truck. In an area such as NewEngland, this definition could include productgrown as far away from Boston as with theradius from Buffalo, NY, to Washington, D.C.

Instead, Wedge and his Hannaford teamhave made a decision that is straightforwardand easy for their customers to understand.Will explains the program for grower selectionhad consisted of “an onsite farm visit, whichwas required as part of the application process.Product samples were also requested to inspect for quality compli-ance. We ask growers to consistently provide high quality produceand reliable service. Hannaford also looks to growers who can fillniches in our markets by supplying unique commodities desired byour consumers.”

The weakest link in the chain for locally grown can often be theprocess at store level. Addressing this important area of the roleplayed by retail personnel, Will notes, “One key factor that differen-tiates Hannaford from other retailers is our flexibility to offer directstore-door delivery to local growers. We give individual stores theautonomy to run the Close to Home business in whetever way thatbest meets their customer needs. Thus, retail personnel play a keyrole in our Close to Home program by developing relationshipswith local growers and knowing the right local produce to carry.They are also responsible for ensuring compliance with our strictquality standards and are a critical link to promoting their local pro-duce and helping consumers better understand where their food iscoming from and the manner in which they are supporting thelocal economy.”

Regarding the importance of GAP programs for food safety,

Wedge maintains, “Good Agricultural Practices programs are oneof the many tools available to promote food safety among suppliers.For each type of supplier it is important to consider which pro-grams are most appropriate for the size and scope of these groupsof growers. GAP is a good tool for small, local growers, while theglobally recognized programs such as SQF 1000 and others are moreappropriate for larger, national suppliers.”

Wedge knows it can be challenging to encourage growers tobecome GAP-certified. “The process the Hannaford produce depart-ment follows has been discussing the possibilities of implementing

GAP requirements for the past couple ofyears,” he reports. “Last year, we dedicated anassociate to visit the farms of all 200-plus Han-naford growers throughout New England. Thisenabled us to enhance relationships with ourgrowers by better understanding each grower’soperation, their products and the uniqueopportunities and challenges they face on aday-to-day basis.”

“Hannaford takes pride as a leader in deliv-ering only the highest quality safest produce toits consumers. In February 2009, weannounced our requirements that all Han-naford growers be GAP-certified before deliver-ing the 2010 harvest to us,” Wedge notes. “Allgrowers are strongly encouraged to obtain their

certification this year to ensure they are well prepared. We’ve pro-vided these growers with extensive lists of resources at the statelevel and online, as well as sponsoring training events this spring tohelp growers better understand GAP, audit requirements and waysit may affect operations,” he continues.

The Hannaford Web site link to corporate responsibility providesthe following for its consumers: “Look around a Hannaford Super-market for a moment. Consider the farms and their fields andorchards, our suppliers and their factories, Hannaford Associates...you and your family. We are all connected. We are linked by ashared concern for our earth and a desire to care for the diversebounty it provides.... We believe that corporate responsibility is ourshared responsibility.”

Add to these a person with the overall managerial and opera-tional skills Will Wedge possesses and it’s easy to recognize whyClose to Home is a program worthy of investigation by thoseinvolved with the fresh fruit and vegetable industry.

It’s one thing to talk the talk; it’s another to walk the walk. Willand Hannaford are running the race as though it is a marathon,which, indeed, it is. pb

By Dave DiverRETAILPERSPECTIVE

Hannaford’sClose to Home

program is worthy of

investigation.


New GLOBALGAP Protocols Will Have U.S. Stakeholder Input

An interview with Nigel Garbutt, Independant Chairman of GLOBALGAP, www.globalgap.org, headquartered in Cologne, Germany.

Q: How did GLOBALGAP originate? How has it evolved? GLOBALGAP, formerly EurepGAP, was initiated by major Euro-

pean food retailers in 1997 as a response to a loss of consumer con-fidence following major food safety crises, such as Mad Cow diseaseand concerns about the use of pesticides on human health and theenvironment. Retailers believed they needed to complement thelegislative controls and bring about a greater degree of transparencythrough the supply chain by introducing independent, third-partyauditing of Good Agricultural Practices (GAP).

GLOBALGAP is not-for-profit and is run by the industry for thebenefit of the industry. Retailers and producers have equal repre-sentation on the Board and Standard Setting Committee.

In 2007, EurepGAP became GLOBALGAP, which recognizedhow the initiative had transitioned from being EU-centered tobecoming global in its outreach with more than 80 countries partici-pating with more than 90,000 certificates granted.

Q: Could you define GLOBALGAP, describe its scope andhighlight the key components?

As implicit in our name, the scope is focused on GAPs that haveglobal applicability. The standards can be adapted to fit local priori-ties and circumstances. So you could say GLOBALGAP thinks globalbut acts local!

Q: How are the GLOBALGAP standards determined? Whois involved in the process?

GLOBALGAP retailers and producer members agree upon thestandards. In addition, we reach out to a wide range of stakeholdersso they can comment on proposals for changes. For example, in2009 GLOBALGAP will travel to major cities worldwide to consulton the next version of protocols. We will be in Washington, DC, onOctober 29, 2009. This will be a great chance for U.S. stakeholdersto have their say on the standard revision.

Q: Do standards change based on scientific advancementsand lessons learned from food outbreaks and other phenome-na? If so, how often and what is the criteria for change?

Yes, the standards are subject to continuous improvement... sci-entific advancements and how they relate to practices on the farmare considered as they arise.

The standards also are routinely reviewed every 3 years. Therevision cycle allows for evaluation of new issues, review of existingpractices and experience gained in implementation as well asallowing time for producers to adapt and improve practices.

Q: How much interest have you received from U.S. suppli-ers to be GLOBALGAP-certified? What does the processentail?

A number of U.S. producers are already certified by GLOBAL-GAP, particularly where they are exporting. Their experience is apositive one. They cite that the standard is practicable and that itbrings about a more efficient management in production, as well asbeing a cost-effective program that is accepted by a large number ofinternational retail and foodservice buyers. To become certified,producers simply contact any one of the approved certification bod-ies listed on our Web site.

Q: What distinguishes GLOBALGAP from other interna-tional food safety certifications?

GLOBALGAP is operated on a transparent basis — we are openand inclusive, and all our standards are published free of chargeand in more than 20 languages — for the benefit of the industry.Experience has shown that it can be applied globally to large andsmall producers alike.

We have worked tirelessly to harmonize the requirements ofGLOBALGAP retailer members. There are now 37 internationalretail chains that are members of GLOBALGAP, so this has simpli-fied and reduced the burden on producers in terms of practices andaudit costs. This wide acceptance and cost effectiveness is a majorreason for choosing GLOBALGAP as a partner.

We work with National GAP schemes, such as ChinaGAP andMexicoGAP, and benchmark them to our program to level the play-ing field and bring confidence to GAP implementation worldwide.

Q: The British Retail Consortium (BRC) is mentioned fre-quently in the United States as another possible certificationoption. How does GLOBALGAP compare to BRC? Is there alot of overlap and should suppliers sign up for both?

The BRC standard complements GLOBALGAP, as its scope is thepost-farmgate facilities of large, mechanized packinghouses andfood processing facilities where Good Manufacturing Practices(GMP) are the main focus. For some larger producer/packer organi-zations, [using both] provides an ideal farm-to-fork solution.

Q: What are the advantages of becoming GLOBALGAP-cer-tified? Does this allow for more aligned supply chain arrange-ments between suppliers and retailers? In the U.S. produceindustry, it’s not as clear-cut.

With recent food safety scares in the United States, the produceindustry is facing similar problems that have been effectively tack-led by GLOBALGAP. Another important factor is that retailing andproduction are becoming increasingly globalized and, as we know,with modern communications, trade and travel, these scares andproblems do not respect national boundaries so we need to co-oper-ate and work on a pre-competitive and global basis towards effec-tive harmonized solutions. pb

EUROPEANMARKET

By Jennifer Leslie Kramer

http://www.globalgap.org

Kevin E. O’Connor, CSP is an author, executive coach, businessman and certified speaking professional.You can contact him at: [email protected] or 847-208-8840


Exploring Value: WhatDoes It Mean To You?

Irecently spent three days at a Produce Solutions Conferencesponsored by the Produce Marketing Association (PMA). Dur-ing a lively conference, the speakers and attendees returnedagain and again to the word “value.” For some it meant quality;for others taste. Still, for others, the word “value” represented

price. Our consumer panel spoke of organics and locally grown.Some mentioned price, while others thought of convenience.

As I listened to their discussion, I was reminded of my mentor,Nido Qubein, and his take on value. Qubein is the President of HighPoint University in High Point, North Carolina. He is not a produceexpert; he is a business expert. He defines “value” in the most prac-tical of business terms by asking: “Can you help me solve my prob-lem today?”

If you can help me, you become of highvalue to me. If you cannot help me — or if youprove to be of little help — it won’t matter ifyou are a nice person, manage a clean store,prove to be a reputable grower, an on-time ship-per or a safety-conscious partner. If you can’thelp me with my problem, I’ll probably end uplooking elsewhere.

Think now of your customer or perhapsyour customer’s customer. On the retail level,consider how many of your shoppers cravefresh and tasty, how many sniff out the bestdeal and how, still, others desire the reassur-ance of safety and security.

Break it down again. What they really mightwant is a family meal or a sure-fire way toimpress their new vegetarian girlfriend. Perhaps they want to intro-duce their family to a favorite taste from their childhood, entertainthat special couple or earn “favorite mom” status by surprising thesoccer team with a special snack. While we might try various meth-ods to engage each person or group, guessing if this or that mightwork, what if we thought of ourselves as collaborators with our cus-tomers — working together in the process of problem solving? Thisis the heart of value.

Yes, they may trust us, but do they trust themselves to knowwhat to do with passion fruit, eggplant or even how to fry pickles?Stop by your fish department and you’ll enjoy a rare look at some-one who understands the importance of how to help people. “Howdo I cook this?” “Will this be OK rare?” “Where is this from?” makeup the every-day, every-customer questions the fish expert quickly

handles. The fish professional understands that the customer has aproblem, a problem that can be solved. The fish is one thing. Whatto do with the fish is another.

This is called the “product of the product” for Qubein. While weshop for food, we do so for many reasons well beyond hunger andnourishment. We shop for social reasons — we know and like theproduce manager; we shop for family reasons — we want our fami-ly to know and like us; we shop to experiment and to vary our diet— trying new recipes from the Food Channel; and we shop to savetime — to get in and out quickly.

There may be as many of these reasons as there are customers.But when it comes to the meaning of value, we need to see our-selves as problem-solvers and problem-helpers first, rather than

simply good guessers. When we use a problem-solver outlook, we gain a better and more use-ful insight into our customer’s needs, wantsand customs.

Once this is understood, you will enjoy aconnection with the customer — with yourcustomer — that will be difficult to break.Whole Foods makes a point of employing peo-ple who know their departments. Larger storesmay not have the savvy personnel on hand at amoment’s notice, but they can offer recipes,pictures and local testimonials, even fromsome of your friends and neighbors.

This can move well beyond retail. Thinkabout your suppliers, no matter how big orsmall an organization they may be. Each has a

problem to solve, and sometimes that problem is you. How can youhelp them? Certainly, we can ask our customers the ultimate ques-tion: “Of all of those who serve you, who is the best and why?”

But what if we ask our suppliers the same question? “Of all ofyour customers, who is the best and why?” Those answers containdata we can put to good use. Beyond that, it is a priceless connec-tion. How would you respond if someone asked you? How wouldthat influence your opinion of them? What would you think ofthem later?

Whether we are shopping for our family, for Denny’s, for Wal-Mart or for the United States Air Force, every one of us definesvalue based on a problem to solve. If we put those lenses on, wehave a much better opportunity to be seen as a collaborator ratherthan a prognosticator. pb

By Kevin E. O’Connor, CSPVOICE OFTHE INDUSTRY

What if we thoughtof ourselves as

collaborators withour customers —

working together inthe process of

problem solving?This is the heart

of value.



Abbott & Cobb . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84 ................29..............800-345-SEED ........215-245-9043Agrexco USA, Ltd. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 ................23 ..............718-481-8700 ........718-481-8710Anthony Vineyards, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 ................44 ..............661-858-8300 ........661-858-8306Basciani Foods, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 ................38 ..............610-268-3044 ........610-268-2194Bland Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56 ................14 ................800-VIDALIA ........912-654-3532Blue Book Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 ................56 ..............630-668-3500 ........630-668-0303California Tree Ripe. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 ................26 ..............559-497-0400 ........559-497-1023Capital City Fruit Co., Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 ................12 ..............515-981-5111 ........515-981-4564Champ’s Mushrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 ................22 ..............866-Champs1 ........604-607-0787Classic Salads, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29 ..................6 ..............831-763-4520 ........831-763-1542William Consalo & Sons Farms, Inc. . . . . . . . 42 ................36 ..............856-691-3377 ........856-691-0164Country Fresh Mushroom Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 ................53 ..............610-268-3043 ........610-268-0479Crowley Maritime Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108 ..................7 ............800-CROWLEYR.H. Dietz & Sons, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 ................34 ..............773-268-6660 ........773-268-4211Dole Fresh Fruit Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69 ................59 ..............818-879-6600 ........818-879-6628Dole Fresh Vegetable Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 ................39 ..............800-333-5454 ........831-754-5243dProduce Man Software. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 ................61 ............888-PRODMAN ........650-712-9973Duda Farm Fresh Foods, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 ................51 ............866-792-DUDA ........831-757-5078East Coast Brokers & Packers, Inc. . . . . . . . 107 ................16 ..............800-557-7751 ........863-869-9850Eastern Fresh Growers, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 ................21 ..............856-447-3563 ........856-447-4227F & S Produce Co.,Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82 ................67 ..............800-886-3316 ........856-453-0494Family Tree Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 ..................5 ............866-FLAVOR-1 ........559-595-7795Fresh Partners AB. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90 ................54 ............46-8-742-1215........46-8-742-6201Fresherized Foods. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 ................48 ..............817-509-0626 ........817-509-0636General Produce, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62 ..................4 ..............800-782-5833 ........404-361-1841Giannini Packing Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 ................50 ..............559-591-3758 ........559-591-5708Giorgio Fresh Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 ................60 ..............800-330-5711 ........610-429-3810Hardy Farms Peanuts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 ................31 ..............478-783-3044 ........478-783-0606Grant J. Hunt Co. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70 ................68 ..............509-575-8770 ........509-452-1769Inline Plastics Corp. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83 ..................1 ..............800-826-5567 ........203-924-0370Jasmine Vineyards, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91 ................28 ..............661-792-2141 ........661-792-6365L&M Companies, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59 ................41 ..............509-698-3881 ........509-698-3922Layer Saver, LLC. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31 ................42 ..............866-597-7287 ........866-597-7278M&M Farms, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 ................11 ..............800-634-7898 ........305-233-0813Mann Packing Company, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 ................65 ..............800-884-6266 ........831-422-5171

Miatech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53 ................10 ..............800-339-5234 ........503-659-2204MIXTEC Group . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 ................52 ..............626-440-7077 ........626-440-1557MJB Sales, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 ................33 ..............610-268-0444 ........610-268-0837Monterey Mushrooms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 ................27 ..............573-374-1826 ........831-763-2300National Watermelon Promotion Board . . 72-73 ................15 ..............407-657-0261 ........407-657-2213New Jersey Blueberry Industry Council . . . . . 43 ................40 ..............609-292-8853 ........609-984-2508New Jersey Department of Agriculture. . . . . . 41 ................17 ..............609-292-8853 ........609-292-2508Ocean Mist Farms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 ................72 ..............831-633-2492 ........831-633-4363Pandol Brothers, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 ..................9 ..............661-725-3145 ........661-725-4741Pappas & Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8564 ................69 ..............559-655-4277 ........559-655-4841Paulk Vineyards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64 ................19 ..............229-468-7873 ........229-468-7876Produce Exchange Co. of Atlanta, Inc. . . . . . . 60 ................64 ..............800-480-4463 ........404-608-0401Produce for Better Health Foundation . . . . . . 47 ................55 ..............302-235-2329 ........302-235-5555The Produce Marketing Association. . . . . . . . 81 ................24 ..............302-738-7100 ........302-731-2409The Produce Marketing Association . . . . . 86-87 ................25 ..............302-738-7100 ........302-731-2409Produce Pro Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102 ................57 ..............630-395-0535 ........630-572-0390PuraVida Farms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85 ................13 ..............480-588-7012 ........714-686-9253R&R Flaim Next

Generation Produce, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 ................46 ..............609-381-5592 ........856-690-0373Railex, LLC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 ................30................888-4RAILEX ........518-356-3908Ready Pac Produce, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35 ................71 ..............800-800-4088 ........818-856-1657Red Blossom Farms, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33 ................18 ..............805-981-1839 ........805-693-0032Shuman Produce, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66 ..................3 ..............912-557-4477 ........912-557-4478Silver Creek Software . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94 ................47 ..............208-388-4555 ........208-322-3510Stemilt Growers, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 ................37 ..............509-662-9667 ........509-663-2914Sun Valley Orchards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45 ................70 ..............856-769-5280 ........856-769-5213Sun World International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 ................35 ..............760-398-9430 ........760-398-9613Sun World International . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74 ................49 ..............760-398-9430 ........760-398-9613Tanimura & Antle, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 ................62 ..............800-772-4542 ........831-455-3915To-Jo Fresh Mushrooms, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . 97 ................32 ..............610-268-8082 ........610-268-8644Torrey Farms, Inc.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76 ................45 ..............585-757-9941 ........585-757-2528Trinity Fruit Sales . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 75 ................43 ..............559-433-3777 ........559-433-3790United Fresh Produce Association . . . . . . . . . 17 ..................2 ..............202-303-3400 ........202-303-3433Unity Farms Corp.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71 ................66 ..............305-245-1555 ........305-247-0240Vineland Co-op Produce Auction, Inc. . . . . . . 46 ................20 ..............856-691-0721 ........856-794-2301

INFORMATIONSHOWCASE

Receive supplier information fast using the Produce Business Information Showcase. Here’s How:1) Please go to www.PRODUCEBUSINESS.com and click on The Electronic Rapid Response Card and enter the Reader

Service numbers that correspond to the ad and the information showcase.2) Contact the advertiser directly via the Web site, e-mail, phone or fax listed in the ad.

COMPANY PAGE # RS# PHONE FAX COMPANY PAGE # RS# PHONE FAXJUNE 2009

The Blas t f rom the Pas t i s a regu la r f ea ture o f PRODUCE BUSINESS . We we lcome submiss ions o f your o ld photos , l abe l s o r adver t i sements a long wi thsugges ted cap t ions. P lease send mater ia l s to : Ed i to r, PRO D U C E B U S I N E S S , P.O. Box 810425 , Boca Ra ton , FL 33481 -0425 , o r e -ma i lin fo@producebus iness . com

I n the late 1800s, railroad baron, Henry Flagler, asked his cousin, Thomas Horace Hast-ings, to create a farm that would provide fresh vegetables for guests at his vari-ous hotels in the St. Augustine, FL, area. Hastings did just that, and in1890, the farms serving Flagler’s hotels were incorporatedinto the town of Hastings, FL.Today, Hastings is known as the

“Potato Capital of Florida,” a moniker that isreflected in this 1920s photograph of a potato

packing establishment. Currently, St. John’s County has 12,000 acres devotedsolely to potato production between the months of January and June. Additional-ly, Hastings grows cabbage, onions, eggplant, the St. Augustine sweet onion andthe Datil pepper, which is grown almost exclusively in St. John’s County.

Many Hastings’ farms have found success focusing exclusively on potatoes. For example, Sun Fresh Farms Inc. produces SunLite, the low-carb potato, whichboasts 30 percent lass carbohydrates and 25 percent less calories than the averagepotato. Another farming operation, Bulls-Hit Ranch & Farm, no longer produces beefcattle as the name suggests, but continues to grow 600 acres worth of red potatoes. The company’s sales are handled through Hastings-based Southeast Farms Inc., whichalso specializes in potatoes. pb

Blast from the

Past

Photo courtesy of Florida Fruit & Vegetable Association


http://www.PRODUCEBUSINESS.com

Reader Service # 16

With the proper blend of the best of tradition and state-of-the-art technology, we take great pride in providing our customers with the very best tomatoes.

Year-round—from Pallet to Plate, the choice is clear.

Batista Madonia Jr. Sales Manager

Batista Madonia Sr. President & CEOEvelyn M. Madonia, Executive Vice President/Secretary-Treasurer

Stephen Madonia All Growing Operations

GROWERS • PACKERS • BROKERS • SHIPPERS

800-557-7751 or 863-425-3500Fax: 863-869-9850

Rosemary Madonia, Comptroller

Reader Service # 7

http://www.crowley.com

http://www.crowley.com

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