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Produce Show Daily PMA Oct 18, 2013

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P r o d u c e S h o w D a i l y 6 9 F r i d a y, O c t o b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 3 featuring fresh figs right now because a new season is upon us and we really want everyone to get geared up and excited about this season. We supply customers all over the country, so it is always an exciting time of the year for us. PSD: What would you say makes your company unique? KC: The fact that we grow, pick, pack, store and ship along with being 100 percent integrated in all of these processes. We even make our own boxes and wood bins. PSD: Where is your current product emphasis? KC: Our current product emphasis is on our fig program. We have a full assort- ment of fig varieties and we really want to let current customers and prospective new customers know that we have a solid crop this year in terms of production. We invest a lot of time and energy into put- ting together a great fig program every year. When you combine that with the amount of fig boxes annually per year we have been able to produce, you get the potential for great customer satisfaction. At the end of the day, that's what we are concerned with. PSD: Are you introducing any new prod- ucts? KC: The tiger fig is something that we have tinkered with the past two years, but Stellar Distributing (Cont'd. from p. 1) never had real production on. This year will be the first year we have solid pro- duction and will be able to supply cus- tomers regularly. It is an exciting new fig with beautiful green and yellow stripes on the outside and bright raspberry red flesh on the inside that just begs to be eaten. We think consumers are going to be crazy for this fig. PSD: What distinguishes your company from others? KC: The difference between our com- pany and others that handle our same products is that we are integrated in the entire process from the ground up. We can pick to pack with figs, kiwi, pome- granates, persimmons or apricots and we feel this allows us to be the most accommodating company and conse- quently one of the easiest companies to work with. PSD: To what do you attribute your com- pany's success? KC: Stellar Distributing is made up of a bunch of employees that are all working toward the same goal. We want to supply customers with the best quality and best priced produce. Everyone in our compa- ny works toward that goal and we enjoy the challenge of making that happen every day. Learn more at booth 5457 during Fresh Summit. Visit www.stellar distributing.com, call 559-664-8400, or email sales@stellardistributing.com. the seed of the future. Whether you know it or not, the produce industry owes its future to Locus Traxx. This is no idle boast. Every change requires two things to make it happen: a need, and a catalyst. To explain, perhaps it's best to start at the beginning. America began as a nation of farmers, and the buying and selling of crops formed the basis of culture and econ- omy for much of the nation's early history. However, the modern produce industry, with its temperature-controlled refrigerat- ed trucks, was born in the aftermath of World War II. As post-war families flocked to their white picket fences and cul-de- sacs, the demand for fresh, readily avail- able and healthy food increased. With greater technological innova- tion, long distances were shortened, and shelf-life lengthened. Refrigerated trucks delivered an ever-growing variety of pro- duce to markets across the country. This spurred the growth of the retail industry; market to supermarket, supermarket to big-box store. Nearly three-quarters of a century later, the literal driving force behind that change has grown stagnant. Well-tread roads following well-tread business prac- tices, with all roads leading, however cir- cuitously, to the dinner plate. The challenge, for those whose livelihood is intricately tied to the trans- portation of these goods, is in maintain- ing quality, whether of produce, reputa- tion or bottom line. Wilted lettuce leads to wilted earnings, and rotten tomatoes spoil brands overnight. Locus Traxx (Cont'd. from p. 1) Need is the problem. The solution is simple. The name, decidedly less simple, is Locus Traxx Worldwide. The next step in the evolution of the cold chain, Locus Traxx Worldwide is as far removed from previous attempts at tracking and temperature monitoring technologies, as man is from dinosaur. With the only true real-time service on the market, Locus Traxx provides clients with the data they need to ensure their shipments arrive safe, as well as on time. As Locus Traxx Worldwide experi- ences its own growth, evolving from a small startup into a worldwide presence, it stands poised to usher in something dif- ferent. A change; a catalyst. This change is not monumental. Apple carts will not be upset, and the wheel, static both in form as well as function, shall remain thoroughly unmolested. The true change will be far more subtle. Fruits, vegetables, temperature–sensitive goods of all vari- eties will arrive as cold as needed. Trucks will continue their well-worn path from farm to fork. The true change will come in the absence of failure. True change will be visible as lost loads are found. True change will become obvious, when some- one asks, "remember recalls?" For some companies, that change is here, now. Join the companies who have chosen to face the future. Locus Traxx is ubiquitous. Locus Traxx Worldwide is inevitable. Visit booth 5059 at Fresh Summit to learn more, or go to www.locustraxx.com, write to info@locustraxx.com, or call 561-665-5560. Another way we protect our groundwater is by controlling water pollution caused by irrigation. By knowing the daily water use of our crops, the water holding capacity of the soil and the lower limit of soil moisture for each crop, we are able to determine water needs and control the rate, amount and timing of the irrigation water. We control the manner and appli- cation of water to minimize runoff and soil erosion, and design water transport systems to eliminate as much water loss as possible. We also line irrigation channels to reduce seepage to ground water. Another important issue our grow- ers manage is the control of intrusive animals. Food Safety works closely with the growers to implement exclu- sion measures for intrusive animals, instead of eradication methods. In addition to sustainable practices on a field level, Church Brothers is proud to introduce the use of fuel effi- cient eco-trucks and a solar powered Church Brothers (Cont'd. from p. 4) plant in Yuma, Ariz. New harvesting technology provides low-impact equip- ment, and new trucks offer higher miles per gallon and reduced fuel emissions. True Leaf Farms, part of nationwide produce supplier Church Brothers Produce, and SPG Solar, a leading provider of commercial solar power products and services, have completed a combination rooftop solar power sys- tem and SunSeeker ® tracker ground- mount system to lower operating costs and drive sustainability in agriculture business. This is the equivalent of pow- ering 160 average U.S. homes annually, offsetting 35 percent of the total energy costs of the processing plant in Yuma, Ariz. Church Brothers believes that this land is not only ours to use, but ours to improve. To Tom and Steve Church, dedication to the resources being used to protect the water, land and our people is of top priority. Learn more by visiting booth 1019 at Fresh Summit. On the web, go to www.churchbrothers.com, or call 831- 796-1000. seed company compete with the large seed corporations that have broader brand recognition and deeper pockets? Ethan Rosen, Marketing Manager for Pure Line Seeds in Lodi, Wis., says it always comes down to building close, long-term relationships with its customers. "In our decades of experience, we've found that it's important to cultivate a staff that values every single customer, large or small, as a friend," Rosen said. "Our goal is to build strong relation- ships by delivering consistently high qual- ity product and service, year after year. We accomplish that with employees who have spent their entire lives in the seed industry, and by enlisting strategic partners from reputable universities, research centers and other global companies," he added. "That has allowed us to become more than just a seed producer. We diversified and became nimble enough to expand and become a distributor, marketer and broker of seeds to more than 40 countries worldwide." Rosen said that smaller companies like Pure Line Seeds also have to contin- ually look forward and focus on training the next generation of seed leaders. By hiring young professionals who are well- versed in all facets of agriculture, and having experienced company personnel available to take time to pass on their knowledge and experience to the next generation, they have invested wisely in their future through their most valuable asset – their employees. While employees are the keys to a company's long-term success, innovation is an equally important element in remaining competitive, Rosen said. "We're pushing innovation with our own research department and with pri- vate and public researchers worldwide," he explained. "Our breeding practices are non-GMO, and through those practices our researchers handle our own patented varieties, other companies' varieties and open varieties." Pure Line Seed (Cont'd. from p. 1) Rosen went on to explain that "our varieties maintain high quality standards because we do a large part of our busi- ness in the processing market, which is the canning, frozen and baby food indus- try, and we are taking that same high quality product to fresh market growers." Pure Line Seeds has added more than 35 new vegetable species since launching its business in the Pacific Northwest as a small regional seed producer of peas and beans. Now it offers beets, corn, squash, watermelon, peppers and an assortment of other fruits and vegetables. "Employing a business model that emphasizes lateral integration, we've been able to add varieties, and remain competitive with other seed producers, by building relationships with these seed producers," Rosen explained. "Along with the other seed produc- ers, we recognize the importance of hav- ing a network of customers and partners in place and using our connections to increase sales by bringing our services and quality products to fresh market growers as well as home gardeners. Seed companies our size must work hard at developing relationships with distribu- tors, producers and growers all over the world if they want to compete." The bottom line for small seed com- panies is they must continue to push innovation, develop the next generation of seed professionals, and above all, stay true to their roots. "For more than 60 years now, we've proven that by staying an American fam- ily-owned company that treats customers as friends, and having the ability to adapt quickly to changes in the marketplace, we can be a true industry leader," Rosen said. "Our values and our vision have guided us in the past, and will continue to do so for the future." During Fresh Summit, stop by booth 679. For more information, visit www.pureline- seed.com, or contact Ethan Rosen by emailing ethan.rosen@purelineseed.com.

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