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Produce Show Daily 061214

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P ro d u c e S h o w D a i l y Th u r s d a y, J u n e 1 2 , 2 0 1 4 1 6 DNE WORLD FRUIT'S NEW WEBSITE This year, DNE launched a new website optimized for tablets and mobile phones. The website is designed to provide prod- uct information, educate consumers on the health benefits and celebrate the com- pany's 100 year anniversary. Visitors to the site can view grower and packing house videos, specific product informa- tion such as how to select, store and pre- pare citrus. Healthy recipes for each cit- rus variety are available to view and print to add to your recipe collection. The company history is an easy to view timeline of events starting back in 1914. DNE incorporates QR codes on its packaging to drive consumers to the web- site to provide details on the growing regions and the character- istics of each variety. The website can be easily translated into sev- eral different languages through a drop down menu so visitors from around the world can quickly navigate areas and gather informa- tion on products, recipes, growing regions and contact information. Behind the website is a friendly and knowledgeable sales staff that remains committed to excel- lent customer service. Visit the website (www.dneworld.com) and contact the company to find out how DNE can meet your year round citrus needs. For more information, visit www.dneworld.com, call 800-327-6676 or stop by booth #966. THE BOB WASH: INNOVATION IN SMALL SCALE PROCESSING Heinzen Manufacturing has received the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food Premiers' award for Agri-Food Innovation Excellence, the Leader in Innovation Award, in partnership with Victory Organics, Canada. Here's how that happened: Vivek Rajakumar, Owner of Victory Organic, challenged HMI to make a small scale system that could be affordable for a small grower and that complied with California's food safety regulations for the salad industry. The rigor of those reg- ulations has resulted in large powerful food processors that control vast swaths of market share. This leaves the question: Is there room for small locally grown producer and processor? . "I instructed them to create a system with a wash basin that could agitate the salad, send it along a small conveyor and into a basket and from the basket into a drying machine," Rajakumar said. With this concept, the wash system should be half the size of the current sys- tems. After a series of meetings and exchanging sketches, Bob Wash was born. Bob Johnson, the HMI Sales Engineer whom the Bob Wash is named for, worked directly with Vivek to devel- op the scaled-down system that has all the features of a validated large-scale system. The Bob Wash took five months to develop, two weeks to set up, and has been in operation for one year. Employees at Victory Organic are in a comfortable rhythm using the Bob Wash, and it has led to a product that is free of insects, debris and has increased the shelf life of the company's salad, according to customer feedback. The Bob Wash has elevated Victory Organics' image from a small farm pro- ducing field-harvested greens to a grow- er/processor that washes, packs and delivers. In regards to food safety, the wash system allows an operator to easily mix sanitizing agents into the wash water to kill harmful pathogens such as E. coli and salmonella. It has also given the company motivation to do in-house E. coli and coliform testing to deter- mine the safety of wash water and the waste water. This has brought Victory Organic salad products to a higher level of corporate clients, nor- mally difficult to access as a small- scale farmer. The innovation is commercialized in the U.S.A. and is promoted by Heinzen Manufacturing. In Canada, Victory Organic was the first to start using this technology but has promoted it through the Premiers' Award, will hopefully inspire more farmers to adopt this tech- nology in the years to come. For more information, call 800-655- 4675, visit www.heinzen.com or stop by booth #2049. FRESH ORIGINS FINDS SUCCESS BY THINKING SMALL Microgreens – small, young edible greens produced from vegetables, herbs or other plants – have been popular in fine dining restaurants for more than 15 years. Their delicate, fresh appearance adds beauty, dimension and a range of distinct flavor profiles to both savory and sweet dishes and beverages. By special- izing in these small but flavorful greens, the Fresh Origins family farm offers a vast selection of varieties and flavors to accent any culinary creation. With more than 400 items, including the unique and versatile Micro Basil Nutmeg™, Micro Mint Lavender™ and Micro Tangerine Lace™, Fresh Origins has been providing chefs and restaurants with small botanical innovations for robust culinary differentiation for more than 18 years. "We work hard every day to provide products that are delicious, beautiful, wholesome and inspiring," said David Sasuga, Founder of Fresh Origins. "And it is an honor to see them truly come to life in the hands of the best chefs in the world." Sasuga and his family operate their 24-acre farm in the picturesque rolling hills of San Diego County, Calif., where the near-perfect weather allows for pro- duction and harvest almost every day of the year. Committed to food safety, Fresh Origins is dedicated to providing its cus- tomers with safe, high-quality products. In 1995, Sasuga had been growing flowering plants for 20 years, when a local chef came by his greenhouse and grew excited at the sight of basil seedlings and inspired to incorporate them into his dishes. This motivated Sasuga, who began experimenting with these and other varieties of tiny, fresh-cut seedlings. Soon enough, his tiny crops were destined for more restaurants nearby as demand for these flavorful young edibles grew, and Fresh Origins was born. Today, David and his family are America's leading producers of micro- greens and edible flowers. Combining the benefits of an ideal climate with a deep passion for quality and innovation, Fresh Origins products are robust, healthy and highly flavored and sought after by the finest restaurants and top chefs. They are hand-harvested to order at the peak of freshness and shipped overnight to arrive the next morning to all parts of the country. Fresh Origins prides itself on providing the most consistent supply available while also creating a steady stream of original micro- green and edible flower vari- eties to chefs and mixolo- gists alike. The company's innovations also include PetiteGreens™, TenderGreens™, MiniCrowns™, MicroFlowers™, TinyVeggies™, Shoots, Crystallized Flowers and Herb and Flower Crystals™. Fresh Origins products are available to professional fine dining foodservice venues through specialty produce and food distributors nationwide. Visit www.freshorigins.com for more informa- tion and recipes, and find the brand on Facebook and Twitter. For more information, visit booth #1461 or go online to www.freshorigins.com. C.H. ROBINSON RECENTLY UNVEILED ROBINSON FRESH An interview with Jim Lemke, Senior Vice President, C.H. Robinson. PSD: Many people knew your company as C.H. Robinson, so why the switch to Robinson Fresh ® ? JL: Over our 109 year history, we've marketed our fresh products under a few different names. C.H. Robinson, our master brand, is a leading logistics com- pany, supplying transportation and sup- ply chain services to our global cus- tomers. You may also know us by one of the companies we've acquired over the last decade, including FoodSource, Rosemont Farms and Timco Worldwide – each of these has brought us invaluable breadth and depth of fresh experience. Our new brand, Robinson Fresh, speaks to our focus on fresh and is a way to clearly align ourselves to the fresh pro- duce industry. PSD: What are the goals for Robinson Fresh? JL: Robinson Fresh is dedicated to pro- viding our customers with fresh food solutions. We're proud of our heritage as one of the largest produce companies in the world, and we look forward to leading the industry into the future. Whether you need product from the other side of the world or across town, we're eager to demonstrate the advan- tages of working with Robinson Fresh. Our size and scale, global reach, exclu- sive brands, marketing ideas and inno- vative solutions will help customers grow their business. PSD: You mentioned brands. Which brands does Robinson Fresh market? JL: Brands give retailers the edge they need to stay ahead of the competition. So that's why Robinson Fresh offers nation- al consumer brands, proprietary brands or private label programs tailored to their fresh produce needs. Specifically, Robinson Fresh is the exclusive marketer of respected consumer brands such as Mott's ® , Welch's ® , Tropicana ® , Green Giant ® Fresh and Glory Foods ® . In addi- tion, Robinson Fresh also offers Melon Up! ® , Rosemont Farms ® , Happy Chameleon ® and Tomorrow's ® Organics proprietary brands to ensure quality, increase efficiency and offer variety to give retail consumers the fresh options they demand. PSD: What does Robinson Fresh invest in? JL: The Robinson Fresh advantage consists of four core areas: price/value, quality, service/availability and innova- tion. Robinson Fresh is a market share leader in key consumer driven cate- gories such as asparagus, corn, dry veg- etables, greens, melons and tropicals. Our field teams work with growers in the fields and pack houses to ensure a focus on quality. Robinson Fresh's plan and plant supply programs offer consis- tent supply and pricing for customers and growers. Finally, Robinson Fresh has developed proprietary seeds and desirable varieties of produce to meet customer demand. For more information, visit www .robinsonfresh.com, call 855-350-0014, email solutions@robinsonfresh.com or stop by booth #1269.

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