Page 14 - index

produce watch
ANNOUNCEMENT
FOUNDATIONS PRODUCE FOR BETTER HEALTH AND FOOD MARKETING INSTITUTE PARTNER UP
The Produce for Better Health Foundation and the Food Marketing Institute Foundation partnered throughout September — both Fruits and Veggies—More Matters Month and National Family Meals Month — to reach more families about the value of shared, produce-packed meals. The goal is to fuse the shared bene ts of family meals as well as eating more fruit and vegetables through social and digital experiences, along with resources and in-store programs that the industry can use with shoppers and consumers. “Both PBH and the FMI Foundation have long histories and rich legacies of helping families make smart food choices throughout the day,” says Wendy Reinhardt Kapsak, MS, RDN, president and CEO, PBH. “As partners, we will make a greater impact by creating solutions that enhance not only family mealtime but increase fruit and vegetable consumption.” Campaign elements inspired fami- lies to prepare and enjoy nutritious meals together, with half of every plate lled with fruit and vegetables.
RUBY ROBINSON COMPANY
Ruby Robinson Company LLC, a Chicago-based fresh produce distributor, has hired Josh Wolff as director of growth and strategy. Wolff will be responsible for
corporate strategy formulation and execution across various areas of the business, including retail, foodser- vice, and other sections. Wolff joins Ruby Robinson from Lamb Weston, the largest manufacturer of frozen potatoes in North America, where
he led category leadership planning
with strategic customers, strategy development and execution. Wolff has extensive
experience on the foodservice agency side, where he led and managed corporate distribution strategy, data and analytics, and prescriptive initiatives
for Acosta Sales & Marketing, a large foodservice agency in the United States. Prior to Acosta, Wolff worked for Technomic Inc., a leading research and consulting rm for the food & beverage Industry.
ANNOUNCEMENT
UNITED FRESH’S BRANDSTORM
WILL RETURN TO SAN FRANCISCO
The United Fresh Produce Association, Wash- ington, DC, will host the fourth-annual BrandStorm
conference Feb. 20-22, 2019, in San Francisco, giving produce marketers a
chance to gather and dive into marketing education and idea-sharing. Hosted by United Fresh’s Produce Marketing & Merchandising Council, the event will address the latest disruptors in brand marketing, from VR, AR and IoT to private-brand, home delivery and the latest consumer trends. Kara Goldin, founder and chief executive of hintÒ, Inc., the San Francis- co-based healthy lifestyle company, best known for its pioneering unsweetened avored waters, will keynote the general session.
ANNOUNCEMENT
This spring, the principals of Red Jacket Orchards, Geneva, NY,
and New York Apple Sales, Inc., Glenmont, NY, agreed to join their fresh apple marketing programs to provide better service and more opportunities for their customers. Red Jacket Orchards is a leader
Mark Nicholson
Josh Wolff
in the all-natural, cold-pressed juice and cider category with its Red Jacket brand, and New York Apple Sales is a multigenerational family business that delivers high-quality apples to large retailers. “Bringing our two sales forces together to better serve the apple and juice markets only makes sense,” says Mark Nicholson, Red Jacket Orchards fresh business president and co-owner. “With today’s increasing pressure on trucking logistics combining our orders will greatly bene t both of our customers.” The Red Jacket Orchards juice plant is within 35 miles of the NYAS packing operation.
ANNOUNCEMENT
MASTRONARDI PRODUCE JOINS
FORCES WITH UK-BASED BERRYWORLD
U.K.-headquartered BerryWorld and Canada-based greenhouse grower Mastronardi Produce have formed a joint venture for the North American market. BerryWorld says the venture, which will trade as BerryWorld America, is a “signi cant and exciting development.” Paul Mastronardi, president and CEO of Mastronardi Produce adds that his company saw “signi cant opportunity for expansion in the category. Our track record of game-changing innovation, technological advancements, and fresh produce marketing expertise, combined with Berry- World’s varieties, category management, and global berry expertise, will make us a unique alternative for the North American berry market.” The berries are expected to launch in North America soon and will debut at the PMA Fresh Summit this year.
TRANSITION
ANNOUNCEMENT
GEORGIA’S BLAND FARMS CELEBRATES
70 YEARS OF FARMING TRADITION
Bland Farms, a family owned-and-operated farm
in Glennville, GA, is celebrating its 70th anniver- sary this year. Led by Delbert Bland, wife Sandra and sons Troy and Landis, the company has been instrumental in growing the Vidalia brand, including being the rst to successfully incorporate Vidalia sweet onions into processed foods, and a mail- order business in the late 1980s introduced the Vidalia name to markets west of the Mississippi River. Bland Farms represents roughly one quarter of the entire Vidalia sweet onion volume and claims to have the largest controlled-environment storage capacity in the industry. The family consistently gives back to the community and industry through its Raymond D. Bland Scholarship for Agriculture, its partnership with America’s Second Harvest of Coastal Georgia food bank and its donations to breast cancer research.
ANNOUNCEMENT
NEW YORK APPLE ICONS JOIN FORCES
RECORD-SIZED CROP FOR OREGON HAZELNUTS
This year’s Oregon hazelnut crop is forecast to be 52,000 tons, according to the objective yield survey conducted by the Oregon Field Of ce of the National Agricultural Statistics Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture. This is 63 percent higher than last year (32,000 tons). The previous record-sized crop was in 2001, coming in at 49,500 tons. “Our growers have doubled their acreage over the past ve years and continue to increase it by at least 8,000 acres each year to meet consumer demand,” said Meredith Nagely, manager of the Oregon Hazelnut Marketing Board (OHMB) in Aurora, OR. A 2017 consumer survey funded by OHMB found that 47 percent of people thought hazelnuts were “very healthy,” which was nearly twice the number from the previous year, and also found people don’t view hazelnuts as being as expensive as some other nuts. Oregon boasts an ideal climate for producing hazel- nuts, and it is where 99 percent of the U.S. crop is grown.
Produce & Floral Watch are regular features of Produce Business. Please send information on new products, personnel changes, industry, corporate and personal milestones and available literature, along with a high resolution image to: Managing Editor, Produce Business, P.O. Box 810425, Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425 or email us at info@producebusiness.com.
14 / OCTOBER 2018 / PRODUCE BUSINESS