Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/1038155
Produce Show Daily 6 1 Saturday, October 20, 2018 alike. Listed under H.C. Schmieding Produce, LLC, we are XXXX rated with a 900 score in the Blue Book which is one of the highest scores of any produce company in the nation. Although we are proud of our rating, we believe by treating people right our score will ultimately be reflected in our customer satisfaction, which is what drives us to be elite. PSD: How long has Schmieding Produce been in business? SM: We celebrated our 83rd year provid- ing quality produce nationwide earlier this year. PSD: What would you like potential cus- tomers to know about Schmieding Produce? SM: We grow, pack and ship quality potatoes, onions, watermelons, sweet corn, pumpkins and other items from all major growing regions in the U.S. Schmieding is as large or larger than any other produce company and has the infra- structure in place to be one of your major suppliers. PSD: What's new at Schmieding? SM: About three and a half years ago, Schmieding Produce was acquired by Woerner Food and Agriculture Group, Inc. a West Palm Beach, Florida based company which has about 10,000 acres of agricultural production in several major growing regions across the U.S. In addition to Schmieding Produce, Woerner acquired Canon Potato pack- ing and storage facility and a 1,800 acre potato farm both located in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. They folded Schmieding Produce (Cont'd. from p. 1) both entities into the Schmieding Produce platform. This enables us to have the vertical integration required to supply today's retailers. If that wasn't enough, Schmieding Produce also acquired Nature's Choice watermelons and North Carolina based Moore's Produce, which added enough produc- tion to supply almost 6,000 loads of watermelons from April-September of this year. PSD: It sounds like Schmieding Produce is in a growth mode. What's next? SM: Absolutely. We have a full time director of mergers and acquisitions, and are actively looking for more food and agricultural companies to acquire in the near future. PSD: Where do you see produce sales growth in the next year? SM: Specialty, organics, fresh cut and convenience packaging will continue to drive growth over the next year, but we also believe there are tremendous growth opportunities in conventional items. PSD: Tell our readers something about Schmieding Produce that may surprise people. SM: Schmieding Produce has a world class in-house transportation team that is dedicated to supplying our company and other major produce companies with transportation services. Transportation is the biggest challenge to any produce company, and we can and do hire trucks for other companies. Visit Schmieding Produce at booth #1983. For more information, go to www.schmieding.com, call 561.319.2748 or email smcdulin@schmieding.com. film. It was developed as an ad-hoc solution to meet the requirements of Chilean cherry exporters and their Chinese customers. Another example is Xflow™, a unique system for bulk-flow packing of fresh produce. Xflow meets the needs to reduce labor costs and provide leaner film specifications. Peruvian exporters of blueberries are now saving on both labor and film costs by automatically packing 12 clamshells with Xflow. PSD: Explain the innovation in Xgo resealable lidding film. GW: We collaborated with Tadbik Ltd. to produce novel modified atmosphere resealable lidding film, engineered to extend the shelf life and reduce waste of fresh cherries. Tadbik created a 'FreshLid' laminated film structure that seals to trays containing fresh produce. The upper layer can be repeatedly peeled back and resealed as needed. We worked to develop suitable condensa- tion control properties and adjusted film permeability to deliver optimal modi- fied atmosphere compositions for cher- ries. The beauty is that this product not only preserves quality during shipment, but also enhances the consumer experi- ence since the modified atmosphere regenerates each time the film is resealed, thereby continuing to preserve fruit quality and enabling multiple serv- ings. PSD: What were the hurdles in imple- menting this project? StePac L.A. (Cont'd. from p. 1) GW: Developing an aesthetically pleas- ing resealable packaging capable of pre- serving quality in cherries for 35 days or more is a big challenge requiring a multi- disciplinary approach, combining a pro- found understanding of the interaction between produce physiology, prevailing supply chain conditions and packaging design to achieve extended shelf life. PSD: Were the results of this effort suc- cessful? GW: Absolutely! The success of this pilot project propelled increased inter- est in the use of the film by FRUSAN, a Chilean cherry exporter. It also creat- ed a ripple effect, expanding the use of this high-value solution among cherry packers and shippers. This, in turn, garnered interest from the blueberry industry. Chinese importers are willing to pay premium prices for high-quality cherries and blueberries. This has stimu- lated growth in export of these fruits from Peru and Chile to China, and with it the need for attractive, functional packaging to preserve quality during the lengthy sea freight. StePac specializes in functional packaging for fresh produce. Its brands include the globally recognized Xtend ® , Xgo, Xflow and Xbloom™ modified atmosphere/modified humidi- ty packaging solutions. The company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Johnson Matthey PLC. For more information, visit booth #4054, go to www.stepac.com or email info@stepac.com. www.cwcglobal.com. The new website makes ordering online easier as you can access your order history, review invoic- es and reorder efficiently. It has had pos- itive feedback from its customer base about the site's quick speed and ease of doing business. The company invites everyone to sign up for a free online account and experience this excellent platform. Continental Western Corporation is actively seeking acquisitions of like- Continental Western Corp. (Cont'd. from p. 4) minded companies and strategic product lines that help it grow the CWC brand, its product offering and its geographic reach. CWC also continues to hire at all levels, including product and sales man- agers, outside sales representatives and customer service team members. It is always interested and seeking other opportunities that will have a positive influence on the company as it continues to deliver value and support to its part- ners. For more information, visit booth #4255. time data pertaining to any shipment a customer has going through Able Freight Services, DataHub provides one-stop, real-time visibility of all the related doc- uments of the customer's shipments and allows for proactive resolutions and com- munications. Another application of technology involves Able's "Freshport" initiative, piloting a cutting-edge blockchain enhancement to its DataHub for tempera- ture measurements deploying commodi- ty-based shelf-life formulas for its global clients. The company is also leading the way for electronic airway bill (eAWB) integration allowing optimized effi- ciencies, real-time status updates and paperless communications with air- lines. In fact, Able was No. 1 at LAX Able Freight (Cont'd. from p. 4) for implementation during May and June 2018. Recently, Able also introduced a new mobile Quality Control tool which resulted in improved reporting of the product's quality as received in real- time. Wong looks forward to the tremen- dous improvements that technology is affording the shipping industry. "If the industry does not effectively adapt the opportunities in technology, then the risk of obsolescence becomes very real, very fast," notes Wong. Able Freight Services is based in Los Angeles, California, and is a global expert in importing and exporting perish- able commodities from the United States to destinations worldwide. For more information, visit booth #1427 or go to www.ablefreight.com. differentiation through innovation and service. We are always seeking out like- minded companies to partner with. Together we can strengthen our presence in the market." For Landsberg Orora, a fully inte- grated total packaging solutions compa- ny, the market is North America, the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The partner- ship will bring Orora customers access to Accu-Label's World Leading Eco- Friendly Fruit Labeling Technology. Through this new relationship with Accu-Label, Orora strengthens its reach and ability to serve produce and food processing facilities. The specialty fruit labels and the equipment to apply them is a great addition to Orora's already robust product lineup. "We are thrilled to partner with Landsberg Orora who has established a reputation for success by instituting a philosophy that begins and ends with the customer in mind. Landsberg Orora has a strong presence throughout North America and globally which opens new sales and service channels," said President of Accu-Label, Joe Sleiman. As Accu-Label (Cont'd. from p. 1) food systems continue to evolve in a highly globalized and complex network of players, Accu-Label and Ag-Tronic Control Systems (Accu-Label's design and engineering firm) have remained committed to their pursuit of providing a competitive advantage for customers and increasing efficiencies in packhouses. Since 1991, Ag-Tronic Control Systems has pioneered the development and evo- lution of Machine Vision, Robotics and Automations Solutions in agricultural technology. Accu-Label's internationally patent- ed ORB-it ® Labeling system, with Print and Apply™ is the most successful PLU labeler in the world, currently in its 11th year of production. Accu-Label is capa- ble of printing GS1-DataBar (GTIN) and any other variable data in real-time for a complete traceability solution, down to the item-level. Accu-Label has been a visionary in creating a sustainable label- ing solution that minimizes the negative impact on the environment by choosing to produce a biodegradable paper-based label that degrades faster than the plastic label alternatives. For more information, visit booth #3758.