Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/393628
P ro d u c e S h o w D a i l y 7 3 S a t u rd a y, O c to b e r 1 8 , 2 0 1 4 of Amport Foods and Ann's House of Nuts, which combined, create one of the largest wholesome snack companies in the United States. These operating com- panies are two highly complementary companies that purchase, prepare, pack- age, distribute and sell over 750 varieties of wholesome snacks across North America and abroad. PSD: What distinguishes Flagstone Foods product lines from the competi- tion? JV: Flagstone Foods offers a broad range of high quality products with an empha- sis on "Better-for-You" snacking. We are a recognized leader in both product and packaging innovation, offering best-in- class customer service and value added consumer insights and analytics. Product categories include dried fruits, vacuum cooked vegetables, freeze dried fruits, nuts, seeds, trail mixes, granolas, choco- late and yogurt enrobed nuts and fruits, organics and wholesome snacks. We offer stand up zipper pouches, laydown standard and zipper bags, fresh-pack tubs, PET containers, $1 value line pro- motional programs, to-go/single serve and bulk packaging options. Private label and branded programs are available in all product categories and packaging types. PSD: What new product lines have been introduced in 2014? JV: Consumers continue to go nuts over, well…nuts! In response to the growing demand for healthy snacks, we have designed a laydown bag nut program specifically for easy merchandising in the produce department. Lastly, freeze dried fruit is a great snack for traveling or on-the-go and is available now in Strawberry, Apple, Peach and Mango (additional flavors available upon request). Amport Foods ( Cont'd. from p. 1) PSD: Can you share any fun trends in snacking and innovation that you are see- ing this year? JV: Americans continue to snack either as a meal replacement or between meals as our fast-paced lifestyles keep us on- the-go. Better-for-You options continue to drive growth in the wholesome snacks category. We are seeing consumer excite- ment around fresh-focused flavors, sweet and spicy flavors and more gourmet fusion-inspired flavor profiles. This past year we have worked to perfect our oil- based and dry roast premium seasoning application to our nuts. Sampling them is what makes our job so much fun. Stop by booth #942 and try them for yourself! PSD: Does your company offer mer- chandising vehicles? JV: We offer merchandising options for nearly all types of retail formats from custom, permanent rack configurations to promotional options featured on full pal- let displays, half pallet mods and shipper displays. PSD: What do you attribute to your com- pany's successes? JV: We attribute our success to creating great partnerships with our retail cus- tomers. We listen to their needs and strive to offer best-in-class recommen- dations supported by strong analytics. We understand that each produce cus- tomer has a proven go-to-market strate- gy that requires specific products, pack- aging, merchandising and promotional programs that require alignment with their market strategies. Our flexibility and speed-to-market give our customers an edge. For more information, visit www.flagstone foods.com or stop by booth #942. For new business opportunities, please contact pat.reardon@flagstonefoods.com. KC: Our main line of business is spe- cialty fruit. Figs, kiwi, pomegranates, persimmons, limes and apricots. We are 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. We are also involved very much with our parent company M.L. Catania and we work collaboratively with them on making sure we can blanket as much of North America and the world in general with our produce. PSD: What would you say makes your company unique? KC: The fact that we grow, pick, pack, store and ship along with being 100 per- cent 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 assortment of fig varieties and we real- ly 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 putting 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 satisfac- tion. At the end of the day, that's what Stellar Distributing ( Cont'd. from p. 1) we are concerned with. PSD: Are you introducing any new prod- ucts? KC: The tiger fig is the newest release for us but I wouldn't say new. We have really tried to get this fig out there and it has had a lot of praise. The last two years have been a pressure for us to make sure we supply more than the last and we have been able to do that and it looks like next year will be more of the same. 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 #4432 during Fresh Summit. Visit www.stellardistributing.com, call 559-664-8400 or email sales@ stellardistributing.com. grow sales and confidently manage busi- ness risk. "We are excited about these new pages," enthused Jim Carr, President and CEO of Blue Book Services. "They allow anyone to learn about the valuable features of Blue Book Membership and how they can be easily integrated into a company's day-to-day operations." "No matter how a company operates in the global fresh produce supply chain – from grower/shipper to retailer, from wholesaler/distributor to foodservice, from importer/exporter to transporter or allied service supplier – these pages clearly communicate the value of mem- bership," stated Jeff Lair, Manager of Service and Sales Administration. "Whether a sales team needs a new list of leads or a credit team needs a compre- hensive Blue Book Business Report, with an industry specific and proven predic- tive score, our membership provides information to grow and prosper." Blue Book Services ( Cont'd. from p. 1) "Our mission is to provide business- es in the global fresh produce industry with the best resources to succeed," stat- ed Carr. "These new pages capture this pledge. Plus, we included membership information in Spanish specifically for this growing segment of the industry." "Blue Book Services has been in business for over 100 years," stated Carr. "Our success is a testament to the thou- sands of members worldwide who rely on our services each day. It is an honor to help these companies succeed and enjoy the fruits of their labor. We intend to be around another 100 years doing just that." "Blue Book Services has many new and exciting innovations to share at this year's Fresh Summit," stated Carr, who encourages attendees to visit Blue Book Services booth #2258 to learn more and enter to win an iPad mini. For more information, visit www .producebluebook.com, call 630-668- 3500, email info@bluebookservices.com or stop by booth #2258. 52 weeks ending 7/26/14. Jeff Trickett, Bejo Sales and Marketing Director, commented, "We are very pleased with our progress but the program is still young and we have sig- nificant further growth ahead of us. This market share achievement was attained with only 24 percent ACV distribution and predominantly in Eastern markets." Trickett confirmed that Bejo sees a strong future for downstream branding and sales of produce products derived from proprietary Bejo vegetable seed varieties. In fact, it is introducing another new product during PMA in Anaheim (booth #3914), "Sweetheart Lettage ® – Tender Leaf Cabbage™." This new headed leafy green is based on Bejo's baby pointed head cabbage which is refreshing like lettuce, yet delivers all the health benefits of cabbage. Sweetheart Lettage is also a Certified Heart Healthy Food by the American Heart Association. Unlike regular cabbage, Sweetheart Lettage has tender leaves with a sweet, mild taste. Bejo has a number of additional new value-added products in development now according to Trickett. As part of this expansion into several categories beyond tomatoes, Bejo has announced a new Marketing Agreement partner, Farm Stand Fresh Foods™, who will lead the expansion of Tasti-Lee in Western States Bejo Seeds ( Cont'd. from p. 1) working with partner growers, packers and distributors and will also introduce Sweetheart Lettage along with several other new branded produce products in the U.S. and Canada for Bejo. Chris Lindley, FSF Foods President, comment- ed, "We are excited to be part of this Bejo Produce program bringing new, unique and nutritionally strong produce products to the market…the growth opportunity is tremendous." Bejo has also announced the appointment of Vida Fresh ® , Morro Bay, Calif., for the production and sales of Organic Tasti-Lee tomatoes in the Western States. According to Trickett, after some successful testing, Bejo has seen very strong interest in Organic Tasti-Lee. "At our largest Eastern retail- er, Organic Tasti-Lee was added to the mix and has had 100 percent incremental sales with no cannibalization of conven- tional Tasti-Lee!" Last year, Bejo partnered with Vida Fresh for a winter test planting of Organic Tasti-Lee which was made avail- able to selected retailers. The feedback was 100 percent positive with good shelf life, flavor and shopper acceptance. Vida Fresh will work closely with Farm Stand Fresh Foods to provide retailers with effi- cient sales, marketing, promotion support and supply on the Tasti-Lee business for both conventional and organic. For more information, visit booth #3914.