cover story - Produce Business · 2019. 5. 22. · AUGUST 2011• PRODUCE BUSINESS3 Change Service requested: POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PRODUCE BUSINESS, P.O. Box 810425,

http://www.dole.com/salads

A U G U S T 2 0 1 1 • P R O D U C E B U S I N E S S 3

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.

AUG 2011 • VOL. 27 • NO. 08 • $9.90

features36 PACKAGING FOR TRANSPORT AND DISPLAY

Efficiency, sustainability andmarketability are just a few of the benefitsoffered by properly designed RPC and corrugated packaging options.

42 WASHINGTON APPLES: VARIETY REPORTGrowers andmarketers alike are constantly on the hunt for “the next bigthing,”but in themeantime, they are making themost of an expanding apple category.

51 FREIGHT ADVANTAGE, DIVERSITY DRAW BUYERS TO COLORADO CROPSColorado continues to prosper from an advantageous location and a bounty of high-quality crops.

57 FRESH IDEAS FOR TAILGATINGKeep produce top of mind for sports fans looking to entertain during the big game.

64 FIVE WAYS TO MAXIMIZE FALL AVOCADO SALESContinue to grow the category with savvy cross-merchandising,a steady supply and amix of ripeness levels.

departmentsMERCHANDISING REVIEWS72 A Fresh Perspective On Merchandising Onions

By overcoming challenges, stocking appropriate varieties and effectivelymerchandising, retailers can give the onion category a boost.

82 Mushrooms: The New SuperfoodBursting with goodness,mushrooms take their rightful place on the American table.

FRESH CUT MARKETING87 Speaking Frankly About Fresh-Cut Fruit

National distributors offer retailers convenience and profits with pre-packaged fresh-cut fruit.

ORGANIC PRODUCE MARKETING100 Selling Organic Tropicals And Bananas

The category remains strong as consumers focus on health and well being.

DRIED FRUIT AND NUTS103 Raisins: The Solar-Powered Grapes Of The Produce Department

A year-round, healthful snack, raisins have amultitude of uses and work bestmerchandised with fresh produce.

FLORAL AND FOLIAGE MARKETING107 Dressing For Success

Fashion-forward retailers know the value ofaccessorizing a floral department with a variety ofcontainers that go from basic to fabulous.

special features16 FROM THE PAGES OF

THE PERISHABLE PUNDITPretending To Buy Local:Why IsWal-Mart AshamedOf Its Important Role In Bringing The Produce OfThe Country And TheWorld To Its Customers At AReasonable Cost?

59 ETHNIC GUIDEBOOK91 REGIONAL MARKET PROFILE: CHICAGO

Spotlight On The Windy City

cover story19 MARKETING EXCELLENCE AWARDS

TwentyWell Rounded CompaniesGarner Industry Recognition

commentary12 THE FRUITS OF THOUGHT

A Financial Precipice

110 RETAIL PERSPECTIVETimely And Excitable

112 EUROPEAN MARKETCanU.S. Small-Box StoresAchieve UK Success?

in this issue4 THE QUIZ6 WASHINGTON GRAPEVINE8 TRADE SHOW CALENDAR10 RESEARCH PERSPECTIVES11 COMMENTS AND ANALYSIS14 PRODUCE WATCH106 FLORAL WATCH113 INFORMATION SHOWCASE114 BLAST FROM THE PAST

p. 59

p. 82

PRODUCE QUIZ

AUG. 2011 • VOL. 27 • NO. 08 • $9.90

P.O. Box 810425 • Boca Raton • FL 33481-0425Phone: 561-994-1118 • Fax: [email protected]

PRESIDENT & EDITOR-IN-CHIEFJames E. [email protected]

PUBLISHER/EDITORIAL DIRECTORKen [email protected]

SPECIAL PROJECTS EDITORMira [email protected]

ASSISTANT EDITORJennifer Leslie [email protected]

CIRCULATION MANAGERKelly [email protected]

EXECUTIVE ASSISTANTFran [email protected]

PRODUCTION DIRECTORDiana [email protected]

PRODUCTION LEADERJackie Tucker

PRODUCTION DEPARTMENTSUNSHINE GORMANFREDDY PULIDO

TRADE SHOW COORDINATORJackie [email protected]

CONTRIBUTING EDITORSMeredith Auerbach, Nicole Brayshaw Bond,Carol Bareuther, Julie Cook Ramirez,Paula Hendrickson, Bob Johnson, Lisa White

ADVERTISINGEric Nieman, Associate [email protected]

Sandy [email protected]

Bill [email protected]

Colleen [email protected]

Ellen [email protected]

FLORAL DEPARTMENT MARKETINGE. Shaunn [email protected]

Send insertion orders, payments, press releases,photos, letters to the editor, etc., toPRODUCE BUSINESS, P.O. Box 810425Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425PH: 561.994.1118 FAX: 561.994.1610

PRODUCE BUSINESS is published by Phoenix Media Network,Inc. James E. Prevor, Chairman of the BoardP.O. Box 810425, Boca Raton, FL 33481-0425.Entire contents © Copyright 2011Phoenix Media Network, Inc. All rights reserved.Printed in the U.S.A.Publication Agreement No. 40047928

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

WIN A GPS DEVICEThe Magellan Road Mate will get you where you need to be in no

time at all, finding the shortest and most direct route to your desti-nation. A one-touch “favorites” menu offers personalized bookmarksto your favorite places and searches; lifetime traffic alerts, which pro-vide real-time traffic conditions, and a AAA tour book, offering ratingand descriptions of places to stay, play, dine and save.

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

Name ______________________________ Position ______________________________

Company __________________________________________________________________

Address ____________________________________________________________________

City _______________________________________________________________________

State _____________________________________ Zip _____________________________

Phone ______________________________ Fax __________________________________

How To Win! To win the PRODUCE BUSINESS Quiz, the first thing you have to do is enter. The rules are simple: Readthrough the articles and advertisements in this issue to find the answers. Fill in the blanks corresponding to thequestions below, and either cut along the dotted line or photocopy the page, and send your answers along with abusiness card or company letterhead to the address listed on the coupon. The winner will be chosen by drawing fromthe responses received before the publication of our October issue of PRODUCE BUSINESS. The winner must agree to sub-mit a color photo to be published in that issue.

QUESTIONS FOR THE AUGUST ISSUE1)What size packages of cranberries are available from The Cranberry Network? ______________

______________________________________________________________________________

2) What upcoming holiday does Sunlight International Sales promote with special POS materials?

______________________________________________________________________________

3)What is the contact number for CMI? _____________________________________________

4)WhatWeb site is designed especially for children by PBH? ______________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

5) Name three varieties of onions carried by Curry & Co._________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

6)What is the address of Sun-Maid Growers of California? _______________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

As the manager for thefruits, vegetable and dairycategories at Gordon FoodService (GFS), Mark Chris-tianson stays busy writing

ads and looking at new product ideas fornew vendors, among other things. “It’s sim-ilar to what a buyer would do, but I find itinteresting as I deal with fresh, canned andfrozen product. It’s a varied mix that keepsme busy,” he says.

GFS sells basic produce in bulk, targetedboth at the foodservice market and privateconsumers. “We have 144 stores, all opento the public, with no membership neces-

sary,” adds Christianson.Christianson has been with GFS for five

years. “Prior to that, I was a produce buyerfor Meijer stores in Michigan. I’ve been inthe produce business since 1975,” he adds.“I like the industry because of the constantchange, the seasonality of our product andthe fact that there is always something newon the horizon. It’s a lot of fun!”

PRODUCE BUSINESS helps Christianson findnew packaging ideas and new shippers forthe stores. “I picked up the magazine work-ing at Meijer or at PMA one year; I don’tquite remember. But I have been hookedever since.” ppbb

THIS MONTH’S WINNERMark ChristiansonFruits & Vegetable Dairy Category ManagerGordon Food ServiceGrand Rapids, MI

4 P R O D U C E B U S I N E S S • A U G U S T 2 0 1 1

mailto:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]:[email protected]

http://www.morrisokun.com

GFVGA’s Hall: Through GeorgiaImmigration Bill, A Lesson For The

Produce Industry (part i of ii)

On May 13, Georgia GovernorNathan Deal signed House Bill 87,the Illegal ImmigrationReformandEnforcementAct of 2011,which set inmotion aseries of changes in the state that have seriousramifications for Georgia’s fruit and vegetableindustry. Charles Hall, executive director of theLaGrange-based Georgia Fruit and VegetableGrowers Association, is at the forefront of theimmigration and farm labor debate in Georgiaand nationwide as a member of the UnitedFresh Government Relations Council. In Part Iof a two-part series,Hall shares the details of thelegislation, his thoughts on the controversy andhow the Georgia ag community is dealing withthe repercussions.

United Fresh: Can you explain a little aboutthe process that went into creating this bill?Was it a long time in the works?

Charles Hall: No (laughs).What happenedwas in the 2010 state legislature, there was astudy commission appointed to look at theimmigration problem we have in Georgia. Idon’t know that anybody knew thatcommissionwas appointed, andweunderstandthere were two hearings held that summer inAtlanta at the capitol to receive informationabout the situation. I don’t know of any agorganizations that were invited to the table.There could’ve been, but I don’t know of any.Out of those two hearings, the legislation forHouse Bill 87 was developed. There was acompanion bill in the Senate that was similar,and the end result was a bill that contained twothings: an E-Verify component and anenforcement component.

We foundout about it in the fall of 2010, andwe had our first industry meeting about it thatNovember. During that meeting, we gatheredindustry groups together and talked aboutwayswe could dealwith the bill.We started to put theag coalition together at that time. The bill wasvery strongly supported by the right-wingconservatives and the anti-immigration folkswho felt that we needed to “send them allhome,” similar to what you saw in the Arizona

legislation. From an ag standpoint, we foughtthe bill very diligently, to the point where theauthor of the bill said that there were 16different versions of the bill offered. In his finalspeech, the author used that number ofrevisions as evidence that he had compromisedandworkedwith the bill’s opponents, and in theend, the bill passed.

UF: What makes the bill so damaging?CH:We felt like the E-Verify componentwas

the biggest issue in the bill that we needed tofight, so that’s where the bulk of our effortswent. But the enforcement component is whatturned out to be the most damaging, and hurtus themost in the spring.When the bill passed,assuming most of our farms have between 10and 100 employees, we knew that we had twoyears before the E-Verify component of the billwouldbephased in for those size employers.Butwhen the governor signed the bill on May 13therewas a big fanfare, celebration, and all sortsof press, and from there the rumors got out tothe migrant community that the governor ofGeorgia had just passed a bill that was going to“deport everybody.”

There were rumors that we had roadblocksat the Georgia-Florida border and we werechecking papers as people came across on theinterstate. As a result, we had migrant workerharvest crews that just didn’t come toGeorgia. Idon’t think that we could’ve done anythingdifferent if we had known that the enforcementaspect of the bill was what would get us, butmaybe that’s a lessonnationally— that if you’regoing to do a phase-in approach, you don’t putin major, draconian enforcement efforts at theoutset of the bill.

Currently, a judge has basically ruled thattwo of the bill’s sections are possibly unconsti-tutional and will need to see their day in court,and he has blocked two sections of the bill sopolice can’t check a person’s papers withoutcause. From our standpoint, though, the deedhad been done, and we were most of the waythrough harvest.

UF: So where did that leave the Georgiagrowers in terms of labor?

CH: The governor signed the bill onMay 13,andonMay17,wegotour first call fromagroweraskingwhatweknewaboutmigrantworkersnotcoming to Georgia. The company’s crew leaderswere telling them that they couldn’t get migrantworkers to come with them to fill their creworders.Webegan tohearmoreof that andbeganto do some surveys and talk to growers, and atthat point,we found that themigrant crewswereshowing up with half or three-quarters of thecrewthere.Thegovernor thenasked thecommis-sioner of agriculture to do a study on the laborsituation,and inmid-June announced that therewere 11,000 employment opportunities, andencouraged unemployed Georgians to go to thefields and get jobs.

UF: How has that strategy worked?CH: It’s been great (laughs). Domestic

workers can lastmaybe two to three hours, thenthey need to take the rest of the day off becausethey’re worn out. Then, most of them don’tcomeback. I’ve been called all sorts of things onthese call-in shows saying that I’m insultingAmerican citizens by calling them incapable ofthis work, but this is by no means a “normal”working situation. First of all, it’s skilled work.If you think picking cucumbers or blackberriesis unskilled, it’s not. You’ve got to know exactlywhat you’re doing; you’ve got to know exactlyhow to pick them and you have to know theripeness and so on. Plus, you have to be intremendous physical condition,out in high-90-degree weather for 10 hours a day. It’s toughwork, and most of our citizens won’t do thatwork — they can’t — they’re not physicallycapable of doing it.As an example, we have nothad major problems getting workers in thepacking shed that’s under the shelter and mostof it is a sitting-down-type job. We can getdomestic workers to go to the packing shed; wecan’t get domestic workers to go to the fields.

Don’t forget to follow up with our Septemberissue to catch the final part of this interview.

Conducted by Patrick Delaney,Communications Manager,

United Fresh Produce Association


http://www.thecranberrynetwork.com


AUGUST 17 -19, 2011TEXAS PRODUCE CONVENTIONConference Venue: Isla Grand BeachHotel & Resort,South Padre Island,TXConference Management: Texas ProduceAssociation,Mission,TXPhone: 956-581-8632 • Fax: 956-581-3912Email: [email protected]:www.texasproduceassociation.com

August 18 - 19, 2011APPLE CROP OUTLOOK ANDMARKETING CONFERENCESponsored by the U.S.AppleAssociation, this conferenceoffers an insider’s view on the upcoming apple season.Conference Venue: Ritz Carlton,Chicago, ILConference Management:U.S.AppleAssociation,Vienna,VAPhone: 703-442-8850 • Fax: 703-790-0845Email: [email protected]:www.usapple.org

SEPTEMBER6 - 9, 201135TH JOINT TOMATO CONFERENCEKey tomato industry leadersmeet to review the past yearand to share projects for the forthcoming campaign.Conference Venue: Ritz Carlton,Naples,FLConference Management: Florida Tomato Committee,Maitland,FLPhone: 407-660-1949 • Fax: 407-660-1656Email: [email protected]:www.floridatomatoes.org

September 18 - 20, 2011FLORIDA FRUIT & VEGETABLE ASSOCIATIONANNUAL CONVENTIONConference Venue: Ritz Carlton,PalmBeach,FLConference Management: Florida Fruit &VegetableAssociationPhone: 321-214-5200 • Fax: 321-214-0210Email: [email protected]:www.ffva.com

September 21-24, 2011NATURAL PRODUCTS EXPO EASTConference Venue: Baltimore Convention Center,Baltimore,MDConference Management: NewHopeNaturalMedia,Boulder,COPhone: 303 939-8440 • Fax: 303-939-9559Email: [email protected]:www.newhope.com

September 22 - 24, 2011SEPC FALL CONFERENCE 20112011 ANNUAL FALL CONFERENCEConferenceVenue: GaylordOprylandHotel,Nashville,TNConference Management: Southeast Produce Council,Inc.,Sun City Center,FLPhone: 813-633-5556 • Fax: 813-653-4479Email: [email protected]:www.seproducecouncil.com

September 28 - 30, 2011FIRST INTERNATIONAL BERRYCONGRESS OF MEXICOConferenceVenue:RIUHotel,Guadalajara,Jalisco,MexicoConference Management: TheNationalAssociation ofBerries of Mexico (ANEBERRIES) Inc., Jalisco,MexicoPhone: 52 33 38133643Email: [email protected]:www.aneberries.mx

OCTOBER 3-5 2011WASHINGTON PUBLIC POLICYThe produce industry’smost powerful public policy event.Conference Venue:Hyatt Regency Capitol Hill,Washington D.C.

Conference Management:United FreshPhone: 202-303-3400 • Fax: 202-303-3433Email: [email protected]:www.unitedfresh.org

October 8-11, 2011ANUGATheworld’s leading food fair for the retail trade and thefoodservice and cateringmarket.Conference Venue: Cologne Exhibition Centre,Cologne,GermanyConference Management: Koelnmesse GmbHPhone: 49 (0)221 821 2240 • Fax: 49 (0) 221 821 3410Email: [email protected]:www.anuga.com

October 14 - 17, 2011PMA FRESH SUMMIT 2011Fresh Summit International Convention and Expo is thelargest produce-centered convention in NorthAmerica.Conference Venue: GeorgiaWorld Congress Center,Atlanta,GAConference Management: ProduceMarketingAssociation,Newark,DEPhone: 302-738-7100 • Fax: 302-731-2409Email: [email protected]:www.pma.com

NOVEMBER3 - 5, 2011NOGALES PRODUCE CONVENTION 201143rd Nogales Produce Convention and Golf TournamentConference Venue: Rio Rico Resort & Tubac Golf Resort,Rio Rico,AZConference Management: Fresh ProduceAssociation oftheAmerica,Nogales,AZPhone: 520-287-2707 • Fax: 520-287-2948Email: [email protected]: www.freshfrommexico.com

November 6 - 9, 2011WESTERN GROWERS ANNUAL MEETING 2011Western Growers’85thAnnual ConventionConference Venue: The GrandDelMar,San Diego,CAConference Management:Western GrowersAssociation,Newport Beach,CAPhone: 949-863-1000 • Fax: 949-863-9028Email: [email protected]:www.wga.com

November 7 - 9, 2011NEW YORK PRODUCE SHOW& CONFERENCE 2011TheNewYork Produce Show and Conference,presented byEastern Produce Council and Produce Business, is the onlyproduce show to be held in NewYork CityConferenceVenue:NewYorkHilton&Towers,NewYork,NYConference Management:ProduceBusiness,BocaRaton,FLPhone: 561-994-1118 • Fax: 561-994-1610Email: [email protected]:www.newyorkproduceshow.com

November 14 - 15, 2011AMERICAS FOOD & BEVERAGE 2011The 15thAmericas Food&Beverage Show is your oppor-tunity to explore and sample the largest selection of foodsand beverages from around the world catering to the tasteof theAmericas.Conference Venue:Miami Beach Convention Center,Miami,FLConference Management:Americas Trade and ExhibitionCompany,Fairfax,VAPhone: 703-934-4700 • Fax: 305-871-7904Email: [email protected]:www.americasfoodandbeverage.com

To submit events to our Forward Thinkingcalendar, please email [email protected]

F O R WA R D T H I N K I N G

mailto:[email protected]://www.texasproduceassociation.commailto:[email protected]://www.usapple.orgmailto:[email protected]://www.floridatomatoes.orgmailto:[email protected]://www.ffva.commailto:[email protected]://www.newhope.commailto:[email protected]://www.seproducecouncil.commailto:[email protected]://www.aneberries.mxmailto:[email protected]://www.unitedfresh.orgmailto:[email protected]://www.anuga.commailto:[email protected]://www.pma.commailto:[email protected]://www.freshfrommexico.commailto:[email protected]://www.wga.commailto:[email protected]://www.newyorkproduceshow.commailto:[email protected]://www.americasfoodandbeverage.commailto:[email protected]://www.producebusiness.com

http://www.nyproduceshow.com

Restaurant menus have always been—and still are — driven by consumerdemand as much as by chefs’ creativ-ity. Today’s consumers have a more adven-turous and sophisticated palate than everbefore, and they are taking a stronger interestin what’s on their plate and where their foodcomes from.As a result, restaurants are blend-ing new ideas in sourcing, nutrition and flavorprofiles to create innovative menus — andproduce is taking center stage.

No one has a better view of restaurantmenu trends than the chefs of the nation’snearly 1 million restaurants, and that is whythe National Restaurant Association surveysthese culinary professionals on what’s hot onrestaurant menus.

The top trends this year — local sourcing,sustainability and nutrition — reflect widersocietal trends and consumers’ growing inter-est in these issues. Many restaurants aresourcing seasonal fruit and vegetables locally,and you often see chefs shopping for fresh pro-duce at farmer’s markets to create the menuoptions that today’s diners want.

The National Restaurant Association’sannual survey of more than 1,500 professionalchefs (members of the American CulinaryFederation) reveals that produce plays a cen-tral role on restaurantmenus this year. Locally

RESEARCHPERSPECTIVEProduce Takes Center StageOn Restaurant MenusBY HUDSON RIEHLE, SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, RESEARCH & KNOWLEDGE GROUP, NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION


grown produce, restaurant gardens, farm-branded ingredients, organic produce andfruit/vegetable side items in kids’meals all rankin the Top 20 trends. In addition, other high-ranking trends, such as nutritionally balancedchildren’s meals and culinary cocktails oftenfeature fresh produce.

The leading culinary theme revealed by thesurvey is sustainability, which is ranked as thethird hottest trend. Whether applied to pro-duce,meat, seafood or alcoholic beverages, theconcepts of environmentally friendly practicesand local sourcing — farm-to-fork — areappealing to both restaurant operators andconsumers for several reasons, including fresh-ness, minimal transportation and supportinglocal communities and businesses.

Locally grown produce is sharing the topspot with locally sourced meats and seafood,with 86 percent of the chefs surveyed saying it’sa hot trend this year.Organic produce lands atnumber 14 out of the 226 items in the survey,with 72 percent of the chefs saying it’s a trend.Sixty-nine percent agreed fruit/vegetable sideitems in kids’meals are a trend.

The NRA has been conducting the What’sHot chef survey for five years, and locallygrown produce has landed as the top or secondhottest trend each year, demonstrating that it isa longer-term trend rather than a fad. Thisdoesn’tmean that chefs and restaurateurs shunnon-local produce; simply that sourcing localis a popular option that reflects consumer sen-timent. According to National RestaurantAssociation research, more than two out ofthree (69 percent)American adults say they aremore likely to visit a restaurant that offerslocally produced food items.

The chefs ranked 226 individual food/bev-erage items, preparationmethods and culinarythemes as a “hot trend,”“yesterday’s news,” or“perennial favorite” on restaurant menus in2011. The chefs were also asked about “reces-sion strategies,” operational trends and

promoting nutrition.One in five chefs (19 percent) said increas-

ing the use of fresh produce options onmenusis the most effective way for chefs and restau-rateurs to best promote health and nutritionto guests. The top answer was to create diet-conscious menu selections (21 percent). Thetop operational trend is food trucks, followedby restaurants growing their own produce inrooftop, backyard or communal gardens.

The National Restaurant Association andProduce Marketing Association (PMA) alsoconducted research on opportunities forincreased use of fresh produce on foodservicemenus. The research shows that restaurantoperators see fresh produce as a way to differ-entiate themselves from the competition.

Nearly three out of four restaurant opera-tors (72 percent) said emphasizing freshproduce in theirmarketing efforts drivesmorecustomers to their restaurant. In addition, 46percent of restaurant operators said they lookfor fresh produce items that their customerscannot buy at their supermarket, including 78percent of fine dining operators. Fifty-six per-cent of survey respondents serve locallysourced produce in their restaurants.

In addition, 67 percent of restaurant oper-ators said they wish they had more optionsregarding fresh produce selections, while 60percent of operators said they wish there wasmore information on how to incorporate freshproduce on theirmenu. Forty-one percent saidthey expect to serve more fresh produce in thenext two years, while 56 percent said theyexpect to serve about the same amount.

What this translates to is that consumers,chefs and restaurant operators all want morefresh produce. Findingways to open up oppor-tunities between growers, distributors andrestaurant operators will help make that hap-pen, and we are working with the PMA andInternational FoodserviceDistributorsAssoci-ation to break down some of the barriers.

Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business asso-ciation for the restaurant industry, which comprises 960,000 restaurant andfoodservice outlets and a workforce of nearly 13 million employees. Together with theNational Restaurant Association Educational Foundation, the Association works tolead America’s restaurant industry into a new era of prosperity, prominence and par-ticipation, enhancing the quality of life for all we serve. For more information, visitour Web site at www.restaurant.org.

Locally grownproduce has landedas the top or secondhottest trend eachyear, demonstratingthat it is a longer-term trend ratherthan a fad.

http://www.restaurant.org

Survey research of a professional group isvery helpful in understanding what ispolitically correct amongstmembers ofthe surveyed group.Unfortunately, it is not nec-essarily helpful in understanding what isactually happening in practice.This is especiallytruewhen one is surveying individuals without“weighting” them for size of operation. So ifyou survey the head chef atMcDonald’s and hesays that the chain is not planning on doingmore organic, and you then survey nine chefs atvarious single unit restaurants and these ninechefs say they are planning on doing moreorganic, it is easy to get confused about realitywhen the survey result reads that 90 percent ofchefs expect to domore organic this year.

What this research really shows is what ajob the produce industry has in front of itselfwhen it looks to bring some rationality to theapproach that is now trendy among culinari-ans. After all, one might think chefs wouldcare deeply about flavor. Logically, this wouldimply seeking out the perfect, ripest, mostdelicious produce — wherever it may be inseason in the world.

One would think chefs would care aboutvariety and the diversity in flavors that thisbrings. So they want avocados and citrus fromacross the country and mangos and bananasfrom around the world.

Of course, all intelligent people want toserve the principles they support rather thanyielding to superficially plausible, but deeplyflawed, ideas. So chefs, acting in the service ofideals such as the environmental aspects of sus-tainability, could be expected to reject simplisticand deceptive calculations such as“FoodMiles”and insist on rigorous study in the formof life-cycle analysis before changing theirprocurement patterns inways that will wind upbeing harmful to their environmental goals. Forexample, a study looked at the environmentalimpact when British consumers ate local lambas opposed to imported lamb from NewZealand. It turned out that themost sustainablechoice, though counter-intuitive, went to NewZealand, as commercial transportation in fullyloaded ocean containers is highly efficient andlambs raised on New Zealand’s pastures — asopposed to feed-raising them on farms in

COMMENTS &ANALYSIS

The Door Is Ajar For Foodservice SalesBY JIM PREVOR, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, PRODUCE BUSINESS

densely populated England— accounted for arelatively small carbon footprint.

Of course, chefs would be concerned aboutfood safety.But pathogens are an equal-oppor-tunity problem for farms large and small. Weknow that today all large vendors maintainfood safety departments, employ food safetyexperts and operate undermultiple third-partyaudits.We also know that as nice a guy as a localsmall scale farmer may be, the personal finan-cial consequences of deciding to not harvest afield because, say, a pig ran through it, are sogreat that the temptation to turn a blind eye tothe problem is incredible.

Finally, large producers carry substantial lia-bility insurance so if, despite best efforts, thereever is a problem, they are in a position to com-pensate the restaurant’s patrons for any damagecaused. A small producer won’t typically carryenough insurance to make sure that happens.It is one thing if a restaurant tries to buy morelocally through a Sysco or U.S. Foodservice...these distributors will still demand adherenceto food safety standards and possession of lia-bility insurance. But chefs who just go and“partner” with some small farm and place thename on the menu are courting disaster.

What chefs believe — true or false —mat-ters both because they often control the pursestrings on procurement and, also, because chefsare celebrities today, and their discourse onfood affects the broader culture. Becausechangingminds is difficult, the produce indus-try is wise to find ways to integrate with thisWeltanschauung. One way is by making suredefinitions of local are broad enough to includethings such as citrus and avocados from Cali-fornia and Florida. Another is by focusing onthe authenticity of the farmer basewherever theproduce is grown.

Our own research indicates that there is agap between the way chefs use terms such aslocal and the way consumers do. Althoughchefs focus on the food and values such as sus-tainability, consumers often relate to local in analmost tribal manner.Go down to the south ofEngland, right near the English channel and askconsumers about local and they will be enthu-siastic advocates.We found this consistently inmany focus groups. Yet if you ask them if they

want to see a lot of produce from the north ofFrance, just across the channel — in service ofideals they purport to endorse, such as sustain-ability, foodmiles, low carbon footprint etc.—they scream no, not at all. They much preferproduce from the hinterlands of Scotland, 800miles away, than from France. If the industrywants to cater to the predispositions of con-sumers, a focus on the team— the county, thestate, the USA — is likely to be more effectivethan a focus on carbon footprints.

We are at a rare moment in time. We havean activist President, obesity is a major publichealth issue, and concern about medical costsis pronounced. So restaurants and theNationalRestaurant Association are petrified that the

powers that be will blame restaurants as thecause of the obesity crisis.That is whyMcDon-ald’s is suddenly trumpeting apple slices inHappy Meals and why the NRA is now part-neringwith IFDA andPMA to double produceconsumption in foodservice.

This creates an opportunity for producefirms to market to foodservice. Items that pre-viouslywould have been rejected as not popularenough, too expensive or just a pain in the neckwill now be given a hearing. Changing the eat-ing habits of a nation is not easy, but the dooris slightly ajar. The produce industry ought topush hard to see if it will open.


Items that previouslywould have beenrejected as notpopular enough, tooexpensive or just apain in the neckwill now be givena hearing.

It doesn’t really make sense to say that thedecision by Standard & Poor’s to down-grade the debt of the United Statesgovernment led to a stock market crash.When stocks were crashing, the price of U.S.bonds— traditionally seen as a safe haven intimes of trouble — actually rose. So onewould have to argue that concern about thecredit rating on government bonds panicked

investors into selling U.S. stocks so as to stash the money in the just-downgraded Treasury bonds. It is rather unlikely.

Indeed, the whole issue of S&P rating the sovereign debt of theUnited States is problematic. Although some countries issue debts incurrencies they don’t control, the U.S. government issues debt indollars and the U.S. governmentcontrols the production of U.S.dollars, so its ability to pay itsdebts is unlimited as it can justproduce more money to makethe payments. One could arguethat the concern is that printingall this money will be infla-tionary and that creditors willthus get paid in watered downdollars, but the government alsosells inflation-indexed bondsand they sell at just tinypremiums to unindexed bonds, so that doesn’t seem to be the fearthat is gripping the market.

Part of the issue is overseas. Europe has no answer for the debt prob-lems of many of its nations. It seems to find default inconceivable, yetits solution to help countries that have borrowed toomuchmoney is tolend them more. It seems likely that Germany will tire of paying andthat other countries will tire of being told what they have to do byGermany, so a collapse of the Euro, and thus a big part of the worldfinancial system, seems increasingly likely.

The riots in London are revealing as well. Despite endless articles,nobody has identified a plausible cause for the rioting. Indeed, it is bestdefined as opportunistic rioting as the baser elements of humanity andsociety come to sense that they are dealing with a police force and asociety so fearful of being charged with racism and oppression thatthese institutions hesitate to fight back against hooliganism.

The sense is that Europe is on a precipice financially and has lostthe strength to defend its culture.

With this collapse looming, the world desperately needs a strongand effective U.S., yet the recent debt ceiling talks revealed a dysfunc-tional government. It is not so much that Republicans and Democratsdisagree, it is that the end result of their disagreement wound up beingboth sides agreeing de facto that the political structure cannot effec-tively deal with the problemswe face.Creating a super-committee withnominations fromCongressional leaders to determine budget cuts with

automatic cutbacks if they are not implementedmay ormay not work,but it is certainly neither the constitutional procedure for making law,nor a system that gives us confidence that Congress and the Presidentare carefully weighing the value of each expenditure.

Plus, the agreement postpones almost all the spending cuts toperiods after the next election. Since today’s politicians have no powerto bind politicians of the future, the whole exercise is dubious.

The produce industry is an excellent example of the way our polit-ical system is producing a kind of dysfunction. The produce industryismostlymade up of business executives, company owners and farmers.Not surprisingly, it is a fairly conservative lot and generally votes Repub-lican. Obviously, there are many who vote Democrat and there isvariability based on geography, ethnicity, age, etc., but, mostly, it is aconservative leaning industry.

Yet our government relationsefforts are heavily focused ongetting the government to spendmore money. It might be onmore FDA inspectors to enhancefood safety or it might be onefforts to put more produce inschools or expand produceaccess in food stamps ormaternal nutrition programs.

We wind up in this wackysituation, where people whowould vote in a minute to end a

government program instead wind up lobbying for their share.Whenthe last farm bill came along, we saw this vividly.Many in the producetrade find it scandalous that farmers who grow things such as cotton,soybeans, wheat etc., should benefit from Federal largesse. But thereis no chance that the produce industry could successfully defeat theFarm Bill. So instead, the produce industry cuts a deal. It agrees tosupport the Farm Bill in exchange for funding for its various proj-ects. We wound up with press releases from trade associationstrumpeting the less than 1 percent of the bill that would be spent onfresh produce and simply ignoring whether the remaining 99 percentof the bill is good for the country.

You can’t really blame the government relations people. It is theirjob to further the interests of the trade in Washington. Whether thecountry collapses one day from the cumulative impact of a thousandindustries, advocacy groups and labor unions doing the same thing issomeone else’s problem

It is not clear how to control this problem. Some have proposedconstitutional changes, such as giving the President a line item veto orenacting a balanced budget amendment. The goal is to prevent thekind of logrolling without limit that endangers the fiscal solvency ofthe nation.

In the short run, achieving some control over the budgetmaymeanthat the produce trade will lose a few projects. Nobody wants to besingled out. But everybody losing a few might be a win for us all. pb


With this collapse looming, the worlddesperately needs a strong and effective

U.S., yet the recent debt ceiling talksrevealed a dysfunctional government.

A FINANCIAL PRECIPICE

THE FRUITS OF THOUGHT

By James PrevorPresident & Editor-in-Chief

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]

JEM-D INTERNATIONALKINGSVILLE, ONTARIO, CANADAAdrian Abbott has been appointed the directorof operations. With more than two decades ofhard work and commitment, Abbott joins Jem-DInternational following his tenure with BC TreeFruits where he was director of marketing andindustry relations. Abbott will be based inKingsville, Ontario and will oversee the day-to-day operations of the distribution center andfacility.

EMERALD PACKAGING INC.UNION CITY, FLJim Burden has been hired for the newly createdposition of business strategy director. Jim willmanage a variety of responsibilities including fore-casting company production and raw materialneeds. Prior to joining Emerald Packaging, Burdenspent eight years at Deluxe Packages in Yuba City,CA, where he had general management responsi-bilities and was most recently director of purchas-ing.

INTRODUCING NEW TROPICALGOLD PINEAPPLE SPEARSWestlake Village, CA-based DoleFoodservice expands the line ofChef-Ready Cuts to seven styles,adding ready-to-use, bite-sizedpieces of Tropical Gold pineapple.Packed in 5-lb. resealable pouches, consistent in size and amount, thespears are 100 percent real fruit and plate-ready. The entire Chef-ReadyCut line includes Mango Cubes, Pineapple Cubes, Diced Peaches, DicedStrawberries, Diced Apples and Sliced Strawberries.

BLAND FARMSGLENVILLE, GABruce Peterson has joined the Bland Farmsteam as CEO. Peterson joined the Bland FarmsBoard of Advisors in January, 2011, andaccepted the position of CEO as of July 3rd.Since 1983, Bland Farms has experiencedgrowth as a grower, packer and shipper ofsweet onions, and has diversified intoprocessed foods, fertilizer and distributionservices.

READY PAC FOODS INC.IRWINDALE, CABryan Jaynes has joined the Ready Pac teamas salad marketing director and brings close to20 years of marketing experience in both retailand foodservice channels. He is located withinthe company’s Swedesboro, New Jersey facility,and will be responsible for leading the market-ing activities for the Packaged Salad andReady Pac Bistro bowl salad segments.

BLUEBERRIES EARLY AND PLENTIFULTHROUGHOUT NEW JERSEYThe Trenton-based New Jersey Farm Bureau declaresan early start for New Jersey’s blueberry season andthe locally grown “state fruit” is now for sale atfarmer’s markets, u-pick farms, grocery stores anddedicated “Blueberry Festivals.” Some 299 farmsdevote 7,500 acres to blueberry cultivation, yieldingapproximately 6,980 pounds per acre. The state isthe country’s fourth largest producer of blueberries.

NATIONAL APPLE MONTH ANNOUNCES2011 RETAIL DISPLAY CONTESTVienna, VA-based National Apple Month has teamedup with Marzetti, Smucker’s and Jif for a nationalretail and military commissary display contest. Thetheme, “Host an Apple Pairing Party,” aims to capturethe imagination of produce managers and consumersalike, ultimately increasing sales of U.S. apples andapple products. To be considered, participants musthave a display in place at least two weeks betweenSeptember 1 and November 30, 2011.

POTANDON PROMOTES KLONDIKEPOTATOES WITH SUMMERRECIPE CONTESTIdaho Falls, ID-based Potandon Pro-duce announces America’s OutdoorRecipe Contest, an online recipe contest. To promote it, Potandon hasassembled an extensive social media campaign. Consumers can submit arecipe and photo of a grilled or Dutch oven-made dish made that high-lights Klondike potatoes to KlondikeBrands.com through August 31.Recipes and photos will then be published on the site, where consumerswill vote for their favorites.

MANGO MANIA DISPLAY CONTESTOrlando, FL-based National Mango Board hasannounced the Mango Mania Display Contest. Withmore than $10,000 in cash prizes, the contest isdesigned specifically for small retailers with up to50 stores. Entries are due by August 15, and all con-test details are available at www.mango.org/contest.Prizes will be awarded by the NMB to nine entriesfrom each of three store categories: one to five reg-isters, six to nine registers and ten registers ormore. Winners of the contest will be announced by September 21, 2011.

GIUMARRA AGRICOM OPENS NEWAVOCADO PACKING FACILITYLos Angeles, CA-based Giumarra Agricom Inter-national is pleased to announce the openingof its new avocado packing facility in Ventura,CA. The facility was designed to better serviceGiumarra’s growers in the northern growingregion of California, and will lessen Giumarra’scarbon footprint by reducing the transfer dis-tance of the product from the fields to thepackinghouse.

WONDERFUL PISTACHIOSBEGINS $20M TV CAMPAIGNLos Angeles, CA-based Paramount Farms will debuteight new Wonderful Pistachios ads in the brand’s$20 million campaign across network and cable,which will be supported full circle by in-store POS,including display bins, social media, public rela-tions, FSIs and more through December. The firstcampaign resulted in $28.3M in new sales. Themomentum continued with an additional 20 percentincrease in year two.

PRODUCE WATCH

TRANSITIONS

INNOVATIVE PACKAGING FROMORGANICS UNLIMITEDSan Diego, CA-based Organics Unlim-ited offers new packaging that can eas-ily identify the difference between anorganic banana and a conventionallygrown banana. The new packagingincludes taping hands of bananas asthey are initially packed for shipping. This tape can carry informationsuch as the source of the produce and pricing in a smaller space, elimi-nating the need for individually stickered bananas.

NEW PRODUCTS

ANNOUNCEMENTS

mailto:[email protected]://www.mango.org/contest

FRESHWAY FOODSCONTRIBUTES TO PMA FITSidney, OH-based Freshway Foods has madea contribution of $1,000 to the PMA Founda-tion for Industry Talent annual campaign.This donation will help build programsdesigned to attract, develop and retain tal-ent for the produce supply chain. FreshwayFoods has been a produce processor,repacker, distributor and logistics provide forover 20 years.

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]

CPS WELCOMES GIFT FROM WEGMANFAMILY CHARITABLE FOUNDATIONDuring the opening ceremonies for theCenter for Produce Safety’s secondannual Produce Research Symposium inOrlando, FL, representatives from theWegman Family Charitable Foundationpresented a gift of $250,000 to CPS offi-cers. The foundation’s gift will supportCPS’ competitive research grant pro-grams.

FRESH START FOR PEARS AND FORCALIFORNIA PEAR ADVISORY BOARDThe Sacramento, CA-based California Pear AdvisoryBoard (CPAB) expects this year’s pear season to beginin mid-July with volume anticipated beginning July 25.A pre-season crop estimate comes in at just over 4.1million 36-lb. box equivalents. While CPAB will nolonger employ a merchandising staff or directly fundin-store retail features, behind-the-scenes individualpear shippers and their customers will still haveresources and support at their disposal.

SUMMER PROMOTION PAIRSCALIFORNIA AVOCADOS ANDCOPPER RIVER SALMONIrvine, CA-based California Avocado Com-mission (CAC) and the Copper RiverSalmon/Prince William Sound MarketingAssociation (CRS) developed retail POSmaterials, including a recipe booklet thatcan be merchandised in produce andseafood. The booklet features creative combinations of the two productsincluding Lomi Lomi Salmon in a California Avocado Half.

L&M PARTNERS WIH EAKIN FRUITRaleigh, NC-based L&M Companiesannounced an exclusive marketing relation-ship with long-time Yakima Valleygrower/shipper, Eakin Fruit. This move willsubstantially add to L&M’s organic apple pro-gram, along with increasing the mainline vari-etal volume. Italian Prunes, as well asEmpress Plums and President Plums are alsoamong the list.

REDLINE SOLUTIONS PARTNERS WITHGARY FLEMING FOR PTI CONSULTINGSanta Clara, CA-based RedLine Solutions haspartnered with Gary Fleming (right), a leadingexpert in traceability for fresh produce, to offerPTI consulting to companies who need strategicguidance on PTI implementation planning. Thisalliance can help customers learn what isrequired by PTI initiatives. This new partnershipextends what RedLine can offer customers whoare currently trying to become PTI compliant.

WORLD’S LARGESTWATERMELON DISPLAYLehi, UT, residents celebrated sum-mer with the sweet taste of water-melon during the grand opening ofthe newest Macey’s Supermarket.The 2011 National WatermelonQueen, Whitney Conner, andMacey’s president, Paul Stratton,welcomed shoppers. Three truckloads of watermelons equaling 180watermelon bins were on display for this grand opening event.

VIDALIA ONION JINGLE CONTESTATTRACTS 70,000 WEB VISITORSVidalia, GA-based Vidalia Onion Commit-tee (VOC) is seeking the most popularVidalia jingle, and more than 70,000 peo-ple have visited the Vidalia onion Website to cast their votes. Votes are beingaccepted through August 5, 2011. The most popular jingle will earn$1,000 cash, while another winner, based on talent and creativity as cho-sen by a judging panel, will win an Ultimate Nashville Getaway.

INTERGROW EXPANDSGREENHOUSE ACREAGEAlbion, NY-based Intergrow Green-houses Inc. is in the final stages of an18-acre addition to its existing 30 acresof greenhouses. Intergrow will also beadding a new pack-house, irrigationpond and expanded office space. With an almost entirely closed irriga-tion system, Intergrow uses rainwater to irrigate the plants and biomassfuel to heat the greenhouse that has a double curtain system, reducingheat demand to a minimum.

150 YEARS OF EXPERIENCEOxnard, CA-based Deardorff Family announced thestart of their Salinas Valley organic celery and leafprogram. The program will be grown by the Bunnfamily and marketed by Deardorff Family Farms.The two fourth-generation family farmers offer acombined 150 years of farming experience. Thisnew program establishes a year-round supply ofmany of the commodities marketed by Deardorff Family Farms.

CRUNCH PAK LAUNCHES SUMMERFACEBOOK PHOTO CONTESTCashmere, WA-based Crunch Pak is celebratingsummer with a photo contest promoted on thecompany’s Facebook page. The contest invitespeople to take photos of themselves or theirfriends and family enjoying Crunch Pak productsin a favorite location outdoors. The winners arechosen by the number of people who “like” a photo each month. Thecompany is currently placing more than 300,000 stickers on all 14-oz.bags of sliced apples with its Facebook address.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

CALIFORNIA GIANT “FEAR THE BEARDAND LOVE THE BERRY” EVENTWatsonville, CA-based California Giant BerryFarms teamed up with KNBR and the San Fran-cisco Giants to cap off a six-week marketingcampaign promoting berries and baseball. Fansreceived 8-oz. containers of fresh CaliforniaGiant berries. Special posters and beards werecreated to celebrate the combination of thecompany’s delicious berries with the reveredBrian Wilson, closing pitcher for the team.

PRODUCE WATCH


mailto:[email protected]

The Wall Street Journal ran a piecetitled, “‘Local’ Grows on Wal-Mart,”which tells precious little about whatWal-Mart is doing and an awful lot abouthow easily reporters get snowed when theydon’t knowmuch about the subject at hand:

Wal-Mart Stores Inc., which scoursthe globe seeking the lowest-cost suppli-ers, is finding it can save money bybuying more fruits and vegetables growncloser to its stores.Other food retailers, including Super-

valu Inc. and Safeway Inc., also are racingto expand the amount of locally grownfood they offer, as more Americans flockto farmers markets and gourmet grocerssuch as Whole Foods Market Inc. insearch of fresher produce.While some retailers, such as Wal-

Mart and Kroger Co., say that buyinglocally yields savings, most of the chainssay their main objective is to satisfychanging consumer preferences.The lack of a federal standard or any

consensus on what qualifies as “local”food leaves grocers a lot of leeway intheir marketing. At most large retailers,fruits and vegetables harvested hun-dreds of miles away can be touted aslocally grown.Such loose definitions have sparked

criticism from small farmers and organic-food advocates that the chains aremerely adjusting their marketing to cap-italize on the latest food trend, ratherthan making real changes in their pro-curement practices.Wal-Mart, the largest grocer in the

U.S., with more than $120 billion ayear in food sales, encourages its man-agers to buy produce grown within 450miles of its distribution centers, even iflocal peaches, for example, cost morethan those produced across the coun-try in California.That’s because the Bentonville, Ark.,

giant has determined that, in an era of

high diesel prices, trimming the numberof “food miles” produce travels cuts fuelcosts. Buying locally also reduces pro-duce spoilage, Wal-Mart says, though itwon’t quantify the savings.This summer, Wal-Mart has lined up

farmers to grow jalapeño peppers in 30states, twice as many as last summer. Adecade ago, almost all of the chain’s hotpeppers came from Florida, Californiaand Mexico.“We can get chili peppers from

Florida all day long, but at the end ofthe day that is not necessarily the bestmodel for us,” says Darrin Robbins,Wal-Mart’s senior manager for produce.“I’m going to pay a higher price in Ohiofor peppers, but if I don’t have to shipthem halfway across the country to astore, it’s a better deal.”The shift — and a related pledgeWal-

Mart made last fall to double purchasesof locally grown fruits and vegetables to9 percent of its U.S. total for produce by2015 — promises to create winners and


Pretending To Buy Local: Why Is Wal-MartAshamed Of Its Important Role In Bringing TheProduce Of The Country And The World To ItsCustomers At A Reasonable Cost?

FROM JIM PREVOR’S PERISHABLE PUNDIT 08.03.2011,

losers in American farming, with growersin some regions gaining new businessand others seeing reduced orders....Where does one begin?First, this is not the way produce pricing

works. We used to export lots of apples,for example, and had the flexibility of buy-ing in lots of growing areas. Many of theseapples went to northern Europe. If onesimply looked at the map, one might thinkit would work out a lot cheaper to shipNew York State apples rather than Wash-ington State apples. We did ship lots ofNew York State apples, but mostly Macin-tosh or Empire varieties that they wantedin the UK and were not available in Wash-ington State.When it came to Red Delicious apples, it

turned out that both apple shippers andbuyers on the East Coast knew what thefreight rate was from Washington State.Prices for apples of comparable qualitygrown in New York rose — above Wash-ington State prices — as buyers in NewYork City looked to pick up bargains. This is

Whatever your role in the produce industry, the key to ablossoming bottom line is knowledge. About major trendsand developments, and the people behind them.... Aboutnew sales opportunities around the world.... New packagingand transportation technology.... New ideas in marketingand promotion.... New retail strategies.... New equipmentand services.... New techniques for managing individualbusinesses, and their personnel, more efficiently.

And your Number 1 source for all of the above is PRODUCEBUSINESS, the industry’s only monthly business magazineserving all buying segments. And the most widely read ofany publication in the field. If you’re not receiving everyimportant issue, call to start your subscription withoutdelay. It’s the only way to be sure you’re getting all theknowledge you need. And growing the way you should.

HOW TO MAKE THINGS GROWHOW TO MAKE THINGS GROW

http://www.producebusiness.com

what markets do. So the notion that thereare these massive disparities in pricesbetween different growing regions and thatpeople can pick off massive savings ismostly not the way it works.Second, shorter transportation is not

necessarily cheaper. The cheapest way tosupply an East Coast customer from theMidwest is often to ship a full trailer toCalifornia where there are lots of mixedloads loading. When shipping back to theEast Coast, load up a full trailer with mul-tiple items. This is why FedEx wasingenious when it recognized at its startthat the cheapest way to overnight apackage from Boston to New York was tofly it through Memphis. The key is fillingup the trucks, which is hard to do when

buying from small farms. If one is con-cerned with emissions, it is also worthnoting that deliveries made in half-emptytrucks double the emission per pound.Third, vendors we speak to know noth-

ing of instructions being given toWal-Mart buyers to buy local even if itcosts more. There certainly are some prod-ucts that can be seen as categories of theirown — say Vidalia onions or Southernpeaches — that retailers, including Wal-Mart, may pay more for. It is alsoobviously true that Wal-Mart, as with allretailers, is mostly concerned with deliv-ered costs, not FOB costs, but Wal-Marthas a massive initiative to reduce procure-ment costs. The notion that it is runningaround the country looking to overpay tobe “local” is so counter to what is actuallyhappening at the company that it is mind-boggling such a thing gets written.

Fourth, the whole discussion is bizarrebecause what advocates care about whenthey talk about local — small scale, bio-diverse farms, family farms, within a fewmiles of a store, not a distribution centerthat is going to ship things long distances— has virtually nothing to do with any localbuying Wal-Mart may actually do.Fifth, undefined claims that local will

grow to 9 percent of sales of U.S. producesales by 2015 have more to do with storedistribution than produce procurement.Wal-Mart has been under-indexed in Cal-ifornia, and every time it opens a storethere, it improves its “local” numbers. It iscompletely meaningless and unverifiable.Sixth, although it has efforts such as its

Heritage Agriculture program, such pro-

grams account for significantly less than 1percent of Wal-Mart’s produce procure-ment. It is more PR than procurement. It isthe way a giant geo-political entity tries toappease regulators and advocacy groups.Seventh, it will always be easy to find

growers appreciative of business. But wecaution those growers to not invest sub-stantial money to service Wal-Martwithout a Plan B. One option for a groweris to maintain a diverse business portfolioso that they can walk away from the Wal-Mart business the day Wal-Martexecutives decide they need margin andwant to get it from their friendly localgrower. Alternatively, a grower can insiston a long-term contract or agreement inwriting with Wal-Mart that assures thelocal grower of sufficient time to amortizeany investments being made. This year,Wal-Mart may want more jalapeño sup-

pliers, but it is highly likely that ultimatelyWal-Mart will buy most of their jalapenosfrom those who will sell them cheapest.Growers need to be prepared.Eighth, the idea that local means less

spoilage depends on an awful lot ofthings... such as the local grower having thesame advanced pre-cooling and packingfacilities that national shippers do. Some dohave such facilities, but if they do, thenthey are not small-scale operations.Proving that not only Wal-Mart wants

good publicity, the article goes on to quoteother retailers, including an unidentifiedspokesperson for Supervalu who makes aclaim that can’t have anything to do withthe subject at hand:

“Supervalu, which owns the Jewel-Osco, Albertsons and Lucky supermarketchains, estimates it now buys between 25percent and 40 percent of its producelocally for its more than 1,100 storesacross the country.”Presumably that refers to where

Supervalu’s procurement agent is or, per-haps, where the company they buy fromis such as a terminal market wholesaler,but it can’t possibly refer to where theproduce is grown. Bananas, tropical fruits,counter-seasonal imports from Chile,South Africa, the Caribbean, plus Mexi-can produce and California produce —how could it be possible for 40 percent ofproduce to be “locally grown”? Remem-ber during large parts of the year, there isvery little grown locally for chains such asAcme in Philadelphia — it is, in fact,impossible.There is no reason not to celebrate good

locally grown produce, but there is also noreason to be ashamed of a worldwide dis-tribution network that bringspeak-of-the-season produce from growersall over the country and around the worldto the smallest towns in the U.S. at a highlyreasonable price.In the end Wal-Mart, and any large

retailer, can’t gain from pretending to besomething it is not. That lack of sincerityand authenticity will leave a far worse tastein the mouths of consumers than will someproduce shipped from the West Coast.Someone at Wal-Mart should reign in

the PR team that is pushing for this kind ofcoverage and teach them about the virtuesof what Wal-Mart actually does for theAmerican consumer.


FROM JIM PREVOR’S PERISHABLE PUNDIT 05.24.2011

There is no reason not to celebrategood locally grown produce, but there isalso no reason to be ashamed of aworldwide distribution network that

brings peak-of-the-season produce fromgrowers all over the country and aroundthe world to the smallest towns in theU.S. at a highly reasonable price.

Comprehensive and Multi-Dimensional. These wordsbest describe this year’s winning entries of theMarketing Excellence Awards. Whether the promotionwas geared toward consumers directly or through theconsumer media, or toward the trade’s buyers —either retail or foodservice — each entry comprised many marketingfacets. As if it wasn’t enough to just have a sweepstakes, or put on aparade or a ball or sampling event, traditional marketing tools andnew media weapons were combined to achieve the desired goals.

The use of Facebook, Twitter, QR codes, e-blasts, microsites —most done in combination — were utilized in both consumer andtrade promotions. Charitable components were also notablyincluded. A deeper dive into the winning promotions reveals thefollowing:

• Out of 20 winners, 14 entries were oriented toward consumersand consumer media

• Kids and Moms were the target audience of several consumer


Congratulations to the following companies that have wonPRODUCE BUSINESS’ 23rd Annual Marketing Excellence Award:

Apio Inc. • The Avocado Producers And Exporting Packers Association of Michoacan (APEAM)Columbia Marketing International Inc. • Global Fruit and Martins Family Fruit Farm Ltd.

Idaho Potato Commission • National Mango Board • National Watermelon Promotional BoardOcean Mist Farms • Ontario Apple Growers • Produce For Kids • Safeway • Sun Pacific • Sunkist Growers

Tanimura & Antle • U.S Highbush Blueberry Council • University of Massachusetts, Amherst • Wholly Guacamole

promotions, with sports elements incorporated in some• Microsites and new Web sites were integral to many promo-

tions• E-blasts to consumers, bloggers and media were common

elements• Trade packaging programs also incorporated traditional POSmaterials and collateral material for the retailers

What’s become most clear from these winning campaigns isthat it’s no longer enough to extend a simple outreach with printads or a singular Facebook page. Multiple print and social mediaaspects are a prerequisite to get the job done, and when usedproperly, can double or even triple consumer impressions. Thesame is true for trade marketing, where busy executives have to beinterfaced from various fronts to affect change.

PRODUCE BUSINESS congratulates the following Marketing Excel-lence Award winners, listed in alphabetical order by company, andencourages companies with clever and unique marketingcampaigns to submit entries for next year.

20 Well Rounded CampaignsGarner Industry Recognition

Winners Circle


APIO INC.Guadalupe, CA

Pink Petite Vegetable TrayTo Benefit Breast Cancer

Research

OBJECTIVE: To increase sales of the22-oz. Petite Vegetable Tray without off-invoice promotions while supporting agreat cause; to maximize awareness ofthe fight against breast cancer whilepromoting a healthful diet low in fat andsodium.

CAMPAIGN: Throughout October,2010, all of Apio’s 22-oz. Eat Smart PetiteVegetable Trays were packaged in an eye-catching pink base with promotionalstickers that informed shoppers theirpurchase would help support NationalBreast Cancer Foundation Inc.

According to a Cone/Duke UniversityBehavioral Cause Study, 85 percent ofshoppers say they have a more positiveimage of a company or product when itsupports a cause they believe in. Apiobenefited from this, and also donatedapproximately 20 cents from the purchaseof each tray to the National Breast CancerFoundation for a minimum of $25,000.In-store danglers noting, “These veggietrays are making a difference,” attractedshoppers’ attention and encouraged theirparticipation.

RESULTS: The campaign received agreat deal of positive press in a number ofproduce trade publications. Apio was alsorewarded with the PMA Impact Award forExcellence in Packaging at the 2010 PMAFresh Summit in Orlando, FL. The promo-tion was a large sales motivator as well,providing a 28 percent lift in sales yearover year and a 21.4 percent lift over theprevious 6-week average volume.

THE AVOCADOPRODUCERS AND

EXPORTING PACKERSASSOCIATION OF

MICHOACAN (APEAM)Los Angeles, CA

Avocado On TopConsumer Sweepstakes

PromotionOBJECTIVE: To execute a consumer

sweepstakes promotion aimed atincreasing the visibility of the AvocadosFrom Mexico brand, as well as providingcustomers with new usage ideas; toobtain in-store displays of Avocados FromMexico.

CAMPAIGN:Working together with its

agency, Integrated Marketing Works(IMW), APEAM executed a consumersweepstakes via a custom-built AvocadoOn Top microsite that allowed entrants toparticipate in a survey regarding theirfavorite meals to top with avocados. Ane-blast sent to nearly 300,000 consumersnationwide and articles in the AvocadoAdvocate trade newsletter, as well as POScards that included a tear pad withsweepstakes entry forms, completed thepromotion. One Grand Prize Winner wasawarded a $2,500 iCard gift card; 10second place winners received a $100iCard gift card; and 500 third prizewinners got a $25 iCard gift card.

RESULTS: Nearly 24,000 site visits tothe Avocado On Top microsite wereachieved during the promotion, withmore than 12 million consumers reached.Sweepstakes entries totaled 28,162; 287new Facebook fans were added; 107 newTwitter followers were obtained; and1,240 total POS orders were received.

THE AVOCADOPRODUCERS AND

EXPORTING PACKERSASSOCIATION OF

MICHOACAN (APEAM)Los Angeles, CA

Bicentennial MexicanIndependence Day Event

September 2010

OBJECTIVE: To increase awareness ofavocados from Mexico by leveraging the200th anniversary of Mexican Independ-ence Day and participating in alarge-scale themed event around Mexicanheritage; to secure media exposure forAvocados from Mexico (AFM).

CAMPAIGN: Partnering with itsagency, Integrated Marketing Works(IMW), APEAM organized an event,parade and festival to celebrate MexicanIndependence Day. Placido Domingoacted as the Grand Marshal of the parade.Large signage, table tents and a unique,custom parade float reinforced the pres-ence of avocados from Mexico, which wasa key sponsor of the event. As the officialsnack, free guacamole was served to morethan 200 guests and avocados weredistributed in AFM logo-ed bags. FamousMexican photographer, Lourdes Almeida,was on hand to photograph “Faces of theBicentennial,” a group of Mexican andMexican-American ages 1 to 71 that wereborn on September 16.

RESULTS: 15,000 avocados fromMexico, 1,000 AFM buttons and 600 recipecards were distributed at the event, whichattracted more than 2 million members ofthe Hispanic community. The paradecampaign secured 212 million impressionsin media outlets including Univision, Tele-mundo, ABC and NBC. APEAM was the onlyparade sponsor noted in the officialMexican Independence Day press release.

2 3 R D A N N U A L M A R K E T I N G E X C E L L E N C E A W A R D S

Sunligh.qxd:Ad 8/3/11 11:05 AM Page 1

http://www.dulcich.com


IDAHO POTATOCOMMISSION

Eagle, ID

Idaho PotatoesProject Reinvent Campaign

OBJECTIVE: To demonstrate to thefoodservice industry how Idaho potatoescan be used in new and exciting recipes.

CAMPAIGN: The Idaho PotatoCommission, along with its advertisingagency, Evans, Hardy & Young Inc., liaisedwith well known chefs to develop creativedishes using Idaho potatoes. Award-winning photographers then photo-graphed the dishes, such as a PotatoStuffed l-lb. Burger, Harvest Hash andStreet-Cart Fries. The photographs were acentral component of the ad campaign,which could be found in foodservice tradepublications beginning August 1st, 2010.

RESULTS: The promotion has been agreat success, and the ads continue torun in trade magazines. They haveinspired restaurant and institution chefsto order Idaho potatoes and incorporate

them into their menu in moderndishes.

COLUMBIAMARKETING

INTERNATIONAL INC.Wenatchee, WA

Orchard Fresh Program

OBJECTIVE: To create a look of just-picked apples right out of the orchardusing display shippers, new various POSand more.

CAMPAIGN: To promote its apples,instead of using CMI’s corporate look, thecompany created new packaging thatwould resemble wooden crates to create afarm-fresh look in the produce depart-ment. By using an old-fashioned, yetupdated and eye-catching look, CMIcaught consumers’ attention. POS supportmaterial included fresh apple and pearbrown tote bags, wooden crate-like boxesand a handy Pocket Pro Ripeness Chartthat helped consumers understand andcompare taste and ripeness levels ofdifferent apple and pear varieties. Tradeads were also included in the promotion.

RESULTS: While retailers have lovedthe look of wooden boxes in their stores,noting the graphics complement theproduce department, consumers have alsoenjoyed the bright, fresh look of thecampaign and found the POS Pocket ProCharts incredibly helpful.

GLOBAL FRUIT ANDMARTINS FAMILYFRUIT FARM LTD.Clarksburg and Waterloo,

Ontario, Canada

Introducing Ontarians To TheRoyal Red Prince Apple

OBJECTIVES: To create media and brandawareness and demand for the new RedPrince apple via retail listings, in-storeand out-of-store sampling, and to buildpositive media coverage — specifically 5million impressions; to sell at least 5,000cases of Red Prince apples.

CAMPAIGN: Working with Mississauga,Ontario-based Faye Clack Communica-tions, the campaign revolved aroundcreating a movement of civility andetiquette linked to the brand’s royaltytheme. Promotional activities involved aconsumer launch event, traditional andsocial media outreach, a consumercontest, media and collateral materials,in-store sampling, and most importantly,the personification of the Red Princecharacter to represent the brand andbring life into the civility movement.

The launch event took place inToronto’s underground PATH systemtargeting the high-end business crowd.The Red Prince gave out 10,000 applesamples, each of which were packaged ina gold organza bag, including recipecards, etiquette tips and snack ideas.

RESULTS: Campaign coverage gener-ated more than 13.2 million mediaimpressions, and 15,000 cases of RedPrince apples were sold in Ontario, asignificant achievement for a new applevariety within a saturated category. Themicrosite logged 3,308 visitors and 1,243consumers entered the online contest.Forty-thousand consumers sampled theapple at 186 in-store demos.


mailto:[email protected]://www.ideaswithroots.com

OBJECTIVE: To familiarize retailgrocery produce category managers withregional Idaho Potato Commission salesrepresentatives and to explain the variousways they can help retail produce execu-tives sell Idaho potatoes usingpromotions, market data and categoryanalysis info.

CAMPAIGN: Building upon the tremen-dous success of the “Comic Book”Campaign, which is in its third year, thelatest iteration of the campaign depictsIPC’s retail promotions directors KenTubman, Bill Savilonis, Larry Whiteside andKent Beesley as modern-day superheroeswho, in traditional comic book format andfashions — bright costumes included —bring to life everyday issues retailers faceand offer practical, yet heroic solutions.They were even commemorated in bobble-head dolls. The comic books, distributed atproduce trade shows, along with the adsthey are used in, build camaraderie betweenproduce executives and potato reps, andserve as a reminder that Idaho potato repsare always ready to help “save the day” byincreasing sales and profits.

In addition to the printed materials,animated webisodes are posted onidahopotato.com and youtube.com anddirect-mailed to retail produce executiveson DVDs.

RESULTS: The promotion has been aphenomenal success and has influencedorders of Idaho potatoes in recordnumbers. The IPC’s retail customers havethoroughly enjoyed the humorouscampaign and look forward to neweditions of the comic book series.

IDAHO POTATOCOMMISSION

Eagle, ID

Idaho PotatoesComic Book Campaign



mailto:[email protected]


NATIONAL MANGOBOARDOrlando, FL

Virtual Test Kitchen

OBJECTIVE: To educate food editors atnational and local publications, as well asfood bloggers nationwide about how touse different ripeness levels and varietiesof mangos through mango deliveries,videos, recipes and printed “how to”guides, so they could share this knowl-edge with their millions of readers inprint and online.

CAMPAIGN: A virtual test kitchen wascreated online as a way to provide hands-on test kitchen experience to suitconsumers’ schedules without incurringthe time and expense of traveling to eachof them. The test kitchen kicked off withthe Spice & Ripeness Experience, whichfeatured a video of Chef Allen “The MangoMan” Susser explaining how differentspice combinations could complementmangos at varying degrees of ripeness.Virtual test kitchen participants receiveddeliveries of mangos at different ripenesslevels, as well as spices and a how-toguide so they could follow along with thevideo. Videotaped cooking demonstra-tions by Chef Allen were also postedonline.

RESULTS: NMB’s Virtual Test Kitchenwas a creative and cost-effectiveapproach to an age-old media outreachstrategy. With a negligible amount of$213,000 invested, the campaign reachedconsumers more than 152 million timesfor an ROI of 714 impressions per dollarinvested. The Virtual Test Kitchengarnered coverage that would have costmore than $8.6 million if that same spacehad been published as advertising.

NATIONALWATERMELONPROMOTIONAL

BOARDOrlando, FL

GOAL! World Cup WatermelonCampaign Scores In Canada

OBJECTIVE: To generate nationalmedia coverage for watermelon duringthe 2010 watermelon season in Canadaand to encourage Canadian bloggers andtheir audiences to engage in onlinediscussions about the positive benefitsand usages of watermelon.

CAMPAIGN: Inspired by the 2010 FIFAWorld Cup soccer tournament, thecampaign, which was created andexecuted by Faye Clack Communications,paired internationally inspired water-melon recipes to a World Cup team whilepromoting the benefits of watermelon asa natural hydrator. World-cup themedrecipes and articles exploring water-melon’s health benefits and versatility asa beauty aide were distributed to theCanadian press.

RESULTS: This year’s campaignsmashed all records of success in Canadawith a whopping 169 clips and 39 millionaudience impressions. The social mediacampaign reached over 203,745 Twitterusers, secured 10 television segments andboasted an editorial value of $1.9 million.In 2010, Canadian retailers experienced asignificant increase in U.S. watermelonsales with an overall average salesincrease of 43 percent. Costco CanadaInc. doubled its U.S. watermelon volumein 2010 compared to 2009.

OCEAN MIST FARMSCastroville, CA

Artichoke Aficionado ClubSweepstakes: Easy To Make.

Easy To Win.

OBJECTIVE: Generate consumerawareness for the Ocean Mist Farms arti-choke; drive traffic to Ocean Mist Farm’smobile Web site; and increase member-ship of The Artichoke Aficionado Club.

CAMPAIGN: The company’s first everconsumer sweepstakes ran for six weeks,during which time, shoppers weredirected to Ocean Mist’s mobile Web site,where they could enter to win a grandprize of $10,000. To qualify, consumershad to become an artichoke club member.The sweepstakes was promoted at club

stores with QR codes and POS signage onbagged product, along with individual“petals” that were inserted in each arti-choke with information about thesweepstakes. Digitally, Ocean Mist Farmspromoted the sweepstakes via its Twitterand Facebook pages. Email blasts werealso sent out to existing members of theartichoke club. In Northern California,traditional print media outlets promotedthe contest, and select local retailersparticipated in an artichoke displaycontest.

RESULTS: The six-week promotion wasa huge success and exceeded all goals ofdoubling the Artichoke Club membership,which grew 400 percent from 8,600 to34,121. More than 1.8 million consumerimpressions were achieved through in-store POS, digital posts and email blasts.


Paramount.qxd:Ad 8/2/11 10:37 PM Page 1

Paramount.qxd:Ad 8/2/11 10:38 PM Page 2


ONTARIO APPLEGROWERS

St. Catherines, Ontario, Canada

Winter Apple Ball

OBJECTIVE: To educate and engage audi-ences about the winter availability, versatilityand health benefits of Ontario apples via alarge-scale awareness initiative— the WinterApple Ball; to implement media strategiesthat would result in coverage and third-partyendorsements and stimulate a call-to-actionamong consumers.

CAMPAIGN: The Ontario AppleCommittee partnered with Faye ClackCommunications to hold a free, publicevent for families to generate excitementand pay tribute to the McIntosh’s 200thanniversary while also highlighting allother Ontario apple varieties. The large-scale family event was rooted in influencingthe purchasing decisions of primary groceryshoppers and appealing to children.Creating a charity tie-in with Second

Harvest provided an opportunity for theOntario Apple Growers to give back. Whileattendance was free of charge, guests wereencouraged to bring their favorite Ontarioapple to donate to the organization, whichhelps feed Torontonians in need.

OAG partnered with theToronto District School Board todistribute eye-catching flyersdetailing event information toteachers who would then passthe word on to their students.The flyer also referenced educationalactivity worksheets that could be down-loaded from onapples.com, encouragingclassroom discussions about Ontario apples.

Collateral materials including banners,brochures, recipes cards and trivia wheelswere created in tandem with the event, andthe onapples.com Web site was transformedinto a winter wonderland with whimsicalmusic, scrolled invitations, a countdownclock and more. The event itself included anumber of activities that were fun for allages, such as a Guinness World Recordattempt for the most people bobbing for

apples simultaneously, a tribute dance tothe McIntosh Apple, an Apple EducationStation and a Candy Apple Land.

RESULTS: Registration (1,000 tickets)was filled for the Apple Ball within fivedays of the first promotion effort. Thecampaign generated more than 11.8 millionmedia impressions in 142 print and onlinearticles and 13 broadcast clips. A total of2,300 apples were donated to SecondHarvest. There were 7,284 visitors to theWeb site during the campaign period ofNovember 22, 2010 to March 16, 2011.


http://www.spiceworldinc.commailto:[email protected]


PRODUCE FOR KIDSRock Hedge, FL

2010 Retail MerchandisingProgram

OBJECT: To educate kids and parents(primarily moms) on the benefits ofhealthful eating incorporating freshproduce; to raise funds to help supportchildren’s non-profit organizations; toprovide a community service enhancingretailers’ commitments to children,education and community.

CAMPAIGN: PFK’s Ideal Meals is amerchandising program introduced in 2010targeting moms ages 25-44, children andteachers in grades K-6 that provide solu-tions for consumers who want to eathealthfully with valuable meal tips and in-store and online information. A series of 12Ideal Meal Cards weredisplayed in an eye-catching shipper at theretail level. Included ineach card series werecomplete recipes forthree different mealsin such categories asBreakfast Boost andLunchbox Faves.

Recipe demos wereconducted in 25 of thetop-selling stores tosample one or two ofthe Ideal Mealsrecipes. E-newsletters,a new Web site andexpanded socialnetworking on Face-book, Twitter and YouTubecompleted the campaign.

RESULTS: PFK secured national, onlinemedia on more than 350 outlets, reachinga total of 125 million consumer impres-sions. Media outreach to national grocery

trade publicationsresulted in 32features. Dona-tions made towardChildren’s MiracleNetwork totaled$ 3 9 9 , 9 4 2 . 1 2 ,while $194,752.83was raised for PBSKids.

SUNKIST GROWERSSherman Oaks, CA

Sunkist: S’alternativeConsumer Recipe Contest

Promotion

OBJECTIVE: To educate consumers onthe health benefits of using Sunkistlemons as an alternative to salt bycommunicating the message that theycan help reduce sodium, increase potas-sium and enhance flavor; also toestablish an online presence, gain mediaexposure and build existing and new rela-tionships with registered dieticians andbloggers who can help spread the S’alter-native message.

CAMPAIGN: The recipe contest, whichran from August 10, 2010 to October 29,2010, was conducted in partnership withIntegrated Marketing Works (IMW)Sunkist’s nutrition PR and marketingagency. Consumers uploaded theirfavorite salt-free recipe featuring Sunkistlemons and a photo of the recipe to theSunkist Facebook page via a custom-builtcontest application. The Top 10 winnerswere then featured on a public gallery onFacebook where consumers voted for theirfavorites.

Sunkist also developed a S’altnerna-tive microsite, which educated consumersabout the benefits of lemons, the dangersof high sodium intake and tips on usinglemons as a salt-alternative via recipesand videos. POS materials for retailers, aswell as direct mailings to targeted regis-tered dieticians, made this a thoroughand complete campaign.

RESULTS: Nearly 18 million impres-sions were achieved through the variouscommunication tools used. S’alternative’sFacebook page received 30,997 views and23,472 new “likes,” along with 97 recipecontest entries. The microsite receivedmore than 1,325 visits. Sunkist plans tocontinue building on the S’alternativehealth initiative with a new campaign.

SAFEWAYPleasanton, CA

Safeway’s Lunchbox Winners

OBJECTIVE: To provide nutritiouslunchbox and snack solutions that are“Easy for Mom, Better for Kids;” to utilizeOlympic athletes as role models to injecta fun, motivating element to encouragechildren to stay active and incorporatemore fresh fruit and vegetables into theirdiets.

CAMPAIGN: Lunchbox Winners is ashopper marketing program designed togive parents easy solutions for their kids’school lunches. Working with AugustineIdeas, Lunchbox Winners ran throughoutthe school year and engaged shopperswith eye-catching POP components. Toraise public awareness of the campaign,four events were held during the schoolyear featuring Olympic metal-winningathletes, such as Misty May-Treanor,Jason Lesak, Dominique Dawes and KristiYamaguchi, who shared healthy tips andencouraged kids to eat fresh produce. Thecampaign also included an interactiveWeb site, targeted at parents, whichoffered lunch recipes, useful links and an“Ask An Athlete A Question” section.

RESULTS: Thanks to a thorough mediacampaign, approximately 60 stories ranin national trade publications, regionalnewspapers and local television stationsand garnered more than 500,000 grossimpressions. Lunchbox Winners waspromoted in 1,500 Safeway stores acrossthe nation and the Web site has had16,000 visitors to date. In April, 2011,Safeway was awarded the Produce ForBetter Health Foundation’s Role ModelAward, which singled out the company’sLunchbox Winners program as exemplaryin its support of childhood nutrition andPBH’s Fruits & Veggies — More MattersCampaign.



TANIMURA & ANTLESalinas, CA

Season’s Bringing

OBJECTIVE: To increase sales anddistribution of the Tanimura & AntleArtisan Lettuce 4-count retail clamshellduring the 2010 holiday season.

CAMPAIGN: Produce packages weredressed for the holidays in a red bow andgift tag featuring a weekly consumersweepstakes for $1,000. The eye-catchingpackaging engaged consumers at theretail level and drove traffic to a newconsumer-focused produce-specific Website where consumers could enter thecontest. A two-part direct mail campaignincluding a 3-D gift box filled with aclamshell of Artisan lettuce and a 2-Dfollow-up mailer, targeted key tradecustomers and prospects. The new Website was launched featuring holidayrecipes and entertaining tips; and drovetraffic to artisanlettuce.com and Face-book, where they were regularly engagedin the brand. Finally, consistent andfrequent print media was used throughoutthe campaign.

RESULTS: The success of this programwas a result of the combined efforts ofhigh-impact seasonal packaging, targetedcommunications and a strong sales focus.It increased trade customers of Tanimura& Antle ArtisanLettuce by 177percent andtripled distri-bution points.

U.S HIGHBUSHBLUEBERRY COUNCIL

Folsom, CA

Blueberries Go To School

OBJECTIVE: To alert school foodser-vicedecision-makers that blueberries are avail-able and offer them ways to incorporatemore blueberries on school breakfast andlunch menus; to give K-12 school childrenan opportunity to try the fruit.

CAMPAIGN: The four-fold programincluded advertising, collateral material,outreach and blueberry promotions in K-12 cafeterias. Advertising in foodservicemagazines and Web sites repeatedUSHBC’s message that blueberries areavailable to schools through the USDAand helped keep this top of mind in direc-tors’ plans. School-friendly collateralmaterials were offered to school foodser-vice operators with ideas for usingblueberries on their menus.USHBC was one of three sponsors for

the 22nd Annual National School Break-fast Week, bringing attention to theaddition of blueberries to school menusand their versatility on breakfast andlunch dishes. The council also had abooth at the Annual Nutrition Confer-ence, attracting the attention of schoolfoodservice employees. Finally, theUSHBC worked with school foodservicedepartments to create blueberry promo-tions featuring breakfast and lunch menuideas.

RESULTS: Reader print impressionsfrom ads totaled 3.25 million. Newrecipes loaded onto the Web site wereopened 275 times between January 2011and May 31, 2011. School staff at approx-imately 84,0

Documents

cover story - Produce Business · 2019. 5. 22. · AUGUST 2011• PRODUCE BUSINESS3 Change Service requested: POSTMASTER: Send address changes to PRODUCE BUSINESS, P.O. Box 810425,