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P ro d u c e S h o w D a i l y 2 1 W e d n e s d a y, J u n e 1 1 , 2 0 1 4 WESTERN FRESH MARKETING OFFERS WIDE RANGE OF SPECIALTY FRUITS The last time Western Fresh Marketing manned a booth at a Chicago food show, the company had just come out with a rather showy clamshell for a large size variety of fig: each piece of fruit was housed in an individual pocket of the 8- ounce package, for maximum eye-catch- ing effect. Like its high-tech clamshell, Western Fresh has certainly caught the eye of the industry, as it became the first company to offer buyers a continuous supply of figs from late April to the sea- son's December/January close. President George Kragie and his family-run business did it by looking to the desert, of course. Focusing on a large- ly neglected swath of Southern California fig-growing dry lands and then mixing in more well-known growers further north, Western Fresh created the first gap-less supply of figs for stores ranging from single upscale retailers to wholesalers and big box stores. After pulling back from the trade show scene for a period of time, this year's United Fresh/Food Marketing Institute show offered the perfect oppor- tunity for Kragie and company to re-up, given the show's multiple rows of booths and high-volume traffic. That is not to say the company went dormant during its trade show hiatus. Unlike those California fig trees that take it easy the first three months of the year, Western Fresh has continually added to its stable of fancy imported and domestic fruits. Catering to customers in the United States and Canada, the company offers items ranging from figs and papayas to spe- cialty citrus and a number of other fruits, vegetables, beans and roots. Western Fresh offers up quite a menu, and continues to develop novel packaging, marketing and networking twists. It is one thing to find and market the latest and freshest in specialty pro- duce. It is another to do it on demand following a special customer request, and yet another to do it no matter if the produce item grows best in Chile or Italy in addition to California, Hawaii and a number of other locales. Western Fresh covers every aspect of the spe- cialty produce market from farm to package to shelf. In addition to coming up with unique finds from the fields and groves of spe- cialty growers, Western Fresh compli- ments its products with custom packag- ing and the latest in certifi- cations, including CCOF (Organic) and Third-Party Tested. If all goes according to plan in Chicago, Western Fresh might just generate a repeat of its last Windy City visit, when a potential customer half jokingly asked Kragie if his company could supply "just a cou- ple of pallets" of figs for the customer's store before the quickly-closing season came to an end. After steadily and deliberately fashioning a full-season and industry-leading network of fig growers over 18 years of business, Kragie unwrapped an individual answer that was music to the store owner's ears. Western Fresh could in fact meet the owner's request, and after promis- ing loyalty to Western Fresh if it could deliver, the store owner has proven a dependable customer ever since. For more information, stop by booth #664. TEXAS G&S INVESTMENTS INC. OFFERS FREIGHT PAYMENT SERVICE By William P. Cantu, Chief Compliance Officer, Texas G&S Investments, Inc. I joined Texas G&S Investments, Inc. in 1990 as a network and software special- ist, which allowed me the privilege of learning the business structure from the initial state and federal agencies regula- tion requirements. Working with every department within our company has been inspiring, as team work and customer service are our company's priority goals. Through these years we have spent countless hours researching and imple- menting better ways of providing exclusive money transfer, currency exchange, freight payment voucher and Mexico truck liability insurance servic- es to our clients. In comparison to a bank money transfer to Mexico, we have specialized this process so that our clients' money transfers arrive to their vendor(s) usually within an hour of receiving clients' money transfer in our U.S. accounts. Transactions are always protected by a $2 million bond, eliminating any risk to our clients' money and allowing clients' access to online reports to confirm their vendor's receipt of funds. Our freight payment service allows produce clients to utilize vouchers for pay- ments to Mexico trucking companies deliv- ering shipments to U.S. warehouses. These vouchers are then cashed by Mexico truck- ing companies at any of our 14 branches, and a 24-hour branch is also available for those late or weekend deliveries. Mexico freight companies needing to spend additional time in the U.S. can obtain required liability insurance at any of our 14 branches. Our goal is to provide the produce industry with personalized financial serv- ices that will increase their profits and valuable payment relationship with their vendors. For more information, call 956-843- 8516 or email wcantu@texasgsinv.com. SANITATION SPECIALISTS MAKES OUTSOURCING EASY With continued awareness and increased food safety practices throughout the fresh cut industry, Sanitation Specialists is a trusted partner of many processing plants who outsource their sanitation needs. The company's best-in-class philosophy drives its business direction and extends across its employees, processes and ven- dor partners. Sanitation Specialists began as a successful family-owned janitorial com- pany, Ameri-Kleen, Inc., and an idea from its first sanitation customer. In the- ory, the concept was simple: The janitor- ial crews worked nights, and a local pro- cessing plant was interested in outsourc- ing sanitation during nights. The pro- cessing plant would help train the staff, and Ameri-Kleen, Inc. would become experts in sanitation/food safety. Following that historic meeting in 1997, Steve Meyers and his son, Brett (the current President of Ameri-Kleen, Inc.) pondered this idea of a sanitation division, only to realize their offices sat in the heart of many farms in Watsonville, Calif., and just outside the "Salad Bowl" of the Salinas Valley. Realizing their strategic location, the Sanitation Specialists division was creat- ed, and today that original processing plant is still a loyal customer! Since 1997, Sanitation Specialists has provided services to the food pro- cessing industry, and with its parent company, Ameri-Kleen, Inc., can pro- vide full-service sanitation and janitor- ial management. Every product, facili- ty and budget is different, so Sanitation Specialists creates a customized sanita- tion program that suits the specific needs of each client. As a vest- ed partner, the compa- ny works closely with its customers and commits to being the innovator for this gen- eration of food processing plant sanita- tion experts. Some of the highlights of Sanitation Specialists' service includes the recruit- ment and training of the labor force. Sanitation Specialists will create sanita- tion documentation and updates to keep its customers audit ready. The company provides computer-generated daily recaps that monitor water usage, problem areas, work performed and results from ATP swabs as well as easily readable graphs that showcase any trends as they occur. Sanitation Specialists creates and maintains a master sanitation program to suit all customer needs. As part of its service, it participates in third party and internal audits to keep operations running smoothly. "By outsourcing sanitation needs, Sanitation Specialists relieves the day-to-day manage- ment involved for a sanitation program," said Brett Meyers. "Our core competency is sanitation: partnering with us allows our customers to focus on their core competencies." Sanitation Specialists allows its cus- tomers to sleep soundly as they reduce health risks, reduce labor burden and reduce audit anxiety! Sanitation Specialists is headquartered in Watsonville, Calif., with offices in Yuma, Ariz.; Arroyo Grande, Oxnard and Rancho Cucamonga, Calif.; and Bridgeport, Conn. For more information about Sanitation Specialists, stop by booth #2083 or visit www.sanitationspecialists.com. SWORDATM – THE PARADIGM SHIFT IN THE EVOLUTION OF BANKING By Kevin Kerridge, President and CEO SwordATM™ is a 'mini bank branch in a box' solution leveraging proven technol- ogy to deliver mainstream banking prod- ucts to capture some of the estimated $320 billion in alternative financial serv- ices now used by the unbanked market. Twenty-four percent of the unbanked cash their check at a grocery store! SwordATM is the power behind your brand for ease of entry into this market. Designed to be extremely easy to train cashiers to operate, SwordATM is backed by network services that perform foren- sic audit of prospects scanned ID, check images and security layers using multi-sourced data- bases to satisfy OFAC's, BSA/AML, etc., and elimi- nate ID and Check fraud. The 'instant issue' debit bank account with debit card is printed on the spot with your store's logo, giving the new account holder access to his or her money at any retail POS or ATM. The online banking experience contains prepaid long dis- tance, cell phone top up, bill payment and money remittance serv- ices designed to increase bottom line profitability and retain clients. The text mes- sage feature enables reminders and promo- tions to be sent to the account holder. For more information, visit www.SwordATM.com, call 702-490- 6031, email info@kerridgeinternational .com or stop by booth #3711.