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Produce Show Daily 1 5 Friday, October 18, 2019 Barn Fresh Gives New Look to Earth Friendly Packaging With the current rush to environmentally friendly packaging, everyone is looking for ways to differentiate themselves from the rest of the pack. One way is new packaging styles and shapes. NNZ decid- ed to borrow an idea from another indus- try. While the barn box has been a staple for years in the take-out chicken industry, NNZ has taken this to a new level for produce. Made of paperboard material, the Barn Fresh package is both biodegrad- able, sustainable and compostable. While paperboard is made from trees, it is still considered a sustainable source for material. It is much better for the earth than any plastic material. Using water-based inks, the Barn Fresh pack can have high graphics for branding and messaging. It has about the same foot- print as current stand up pouch bags that are made of a laminate film (thus non-recyclable) and is very comparable in price. Die cut windows can be cus- tomized to show as much of the produce as you want. They can even be in the shape of the commodity being packed. The Barn Fresh box can also be auto- mated on current clamshell filling and closing machin- ery with slight modifica- tions. In addition, the Barn Fresh box is easily stacked into RPC's or cartons. "Its important to educate the con- sumer on why the package is good for the environment," says Steve Greenfield, Director of Sales and Marketing for NNZ Inc. "With so much real estate on the package, it is easy to tell the story of the benefits for the environment. In addition, it affords a way to showcase special products and/or the farmer/grower story." So why not be a good steward of our earth by redesigning your packaging to a more environmentally safe solution? Give NNZ a call to discuss how the Barn Box can help your compa- ny stand out from the pack while saving the earth. For more information, call 800.634.7666 or go to www.nnz.com. Consumers Prefer Locally Grown Produce Consumers prefer locally grown produce, according to a recent study by Nielsen, which also supports data collected by the Michigan Apple Committee using focus groups over the past decade. Participants in the study expressed that their percep- tion of local produce is that it is fresher and tastes better. According to a Nielsen Homescan Survey conducted in December 2018, 58 percent of consumers considered it "very important" to buy local produce. The sur- vey also indicated that large families with young, school-aged children, older bustling families and Boomers felt it was "extremely important" to buy locally grown produce. "Because Michigan is located within 500 miles of half the U.S. population, Michigan Apples have a smaller carbon footprint," said Diane Smith, Executive Director of the Michigan Apple Committee. "Being near this population, Michigan Apples are considered the local apple for many consumers, especially for those in the Chicago area." Although 42 percent of respondents considered produce within 50 miles to be local, some respondents indicated that local meant that it came from within a certain radius of the store. MAC considers Michigan as well as surrounding states Wisconsin, Indiana, Illinois and Ohio to be local. "MAC has conducted consumer research since 2008 to identify con- sumers' preferences," said Smith. "Our research aligns with other studies and supports the claim that consumers prefer locally grown produce." Not only does research point to a consumer preference for locally grown, but MAC's focus groups also show a preference for Michigan Apples. Focus groups were conducted in Detroit, Grand Rapids, Chicago, Houston and Atlanta. In 15 of 18 focus groups, Michigan grown Honeycrisp ranked number one in taste and appearance. Michigan grown Fuji and Jonagold were also consistently ranked in the top four. Additional focus groups are planned for this fall. For more information, visit booth #2445. BrightFresh Microgreens Microgreens are no longer just for top chefs and fancy restaurants. BrightFresh ® offers the finest micro- greens available for foodies and at-home cooks. BrightFresh MicroGreens are Honestly Grown™ in sunny San Diego, California, an ideal climate for producing microgreens that are robust, highly fla- vored and long-lasting. Combining the benefits of great weather with a deep pas- sion for quality and innovation, BrightFresh has become the top source of microgreens and edible flowers for con- sumers today. BrightFresh MicroGreens are small, young edible greens produced from herbs, vegetables and other plants. They are carefully hand-har- vested at the peak of flavor and their delicate, fresh appearance adds beauty, dimension and a range of distinct flavor profiles to sweet and savory dishes and even beverages. You can customize any dish and brighten up your culinary cre- ations. BrightFresh MicroGreens are the gold standard of quality. Location and growing conditions are very important factors with growing microgreens. BrightFresh MicroGreens are grown in bright, natural sunshine and are not factory farmed with artificial lighting methods that other growers use to pro- duce microgreens. Microgreens should have short stems and fully-expanded leaves with deep vibrant color, and this simply cannot be achieved by producing them in energy-intensive factory farms. Even when grown inside a greenhouse, if the outdoor climate is less than ideal, the result is similar to factory farmed: soft, stretched and stemmy with tiny leaves. In microgreens, the nutrition and flavor are in the leaves, not the stems. BrightFresh MicroGreens are top quality and have the best taste and appearance. BrightFresh offers several MicroGreens varieties, including Micro Arugula, Micro Broccoli, Micro Cilantro, Micro Kale Mix, Micro Radish Mix and the most popular, Micro Rainbow Mix. BrightFresh also offers more unique items, such as Gold Pea Shoots, Squash Blossoms and an Herb Flowers Mix. BrightFresh MicroGreens are cur- rently available in select stores across the West Coast. For more information, visit booth #4180 or go to www.freshorigins.com. Midnight Floral Foam – Easy as Child's Play By Sharon McGukin, Smithers-Oasis North America Design Director, AIFD, AAF, PFCI. While others see Midnight Floral Foam as innovative floral mechanic, Donald sees it as intriguing art material. Child's play. Having fun with flowers. "Everyone knows how to use floral foam – put your everyday flowers in to cover the foam. That's it, right?" asks Donald Yim, AIFD, PFCI, the newest member of the Smithers-Oasis team of design directors. "What if you took the time – not just to look, but to feel, play and experience the products in a new way?" he suggests. Donald often has the opportunity to experience new products. He recom- mends that you pause for a moment to allow the materials to inspire you. Explore a Different Perspective "Take a look at the products you're work- ing with," continues Donald. "How can you see them from a different perspec- tive?" Donald experimented with different shapes of Midnight Floral Foam and shared with us some ideas he's been play- ing with. Trash for Cash: Save money by using leftover pieces of Midnight foam to cut thin strips or other interesting shapes for your designs. Rather than throwing the odds and ends away, repurpose your "trash" into "cash" while you play. Create a textural effect by crumbling excess cut pieces and ends of black flo- ral foam to represent soil or fill in spaces around a piece of foam. Cut Foam into Strips: Donald cuts the foam into strips, adds small Cowee picks and inserts them vertically in small foam-filled bowls to cre- ate an upright water source for his flowers. Color-block to Direct Focus: Donald often uses color-blocking – a massed quantity of color used to cre- ate a dramatic effect or direct focus, in his designs. Create Unique Forms: Donald uses the new Midnight Designer Block to cre- ate unique designs. Donald carves out a semi-circle in the top of the foam to make a visual cra- dle for water tubes. While the Midnight foam itself could be a water source for the flowers, Donald is instead using the foam as a tex- tural base for his water tube design. The Curious Eyes of a Child "What if you change your viewpoint and use the 'curi- ous eyes of a child' to see each individual product dif- ferently?" Donald says, sharing his personal design goal. He follows his heart and believes that, "One can never use up their creativity. The more you use it, the more you have." To further share his passion, Donald created a YouTube channel where he shares his floral journey, industry knowledge and design ideas with his followers. "If you see design through the curi- ous eyes of a child each day, your work can become so much more fun." Visit Smithers-Oasis at booth #1502. For more information, go to www.oasis floral.com or call 800.321.8286.