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P r o d u c e S h o w D a i l y S u n d a y, O c t o b e r 2 5 , 2 0 1 5 5 8 LEMON TRENDS AND MERCHANDISING Interview with John Chamberlain, Director of Marketing, Limoneira. PSD: What are some of the current trends in the lemon category? JC: With the help of a team of more than 100 famous chefs, restaurateurs, and foodies, Sterling-Rice Group, an adver- tising and branding consultancy based in Boulder, Colorado, has identified top10 food trends that will be served on restau- rant menus and line supermarket shelves across the U.S. Lemons continue to be ranked very high with consumers. The often unmentioned brightener of dressings and sauces, lemon shines as a main ingredient in its purest, freshest juice or preserved form. The simple, vibrant citrus will show up in its purest form as juice. Lemon is pure. Lemon is versatile. Lemon is nostalgic. For those reasons, Sterling-Rice Group says this citrus remains popular. Lemon's bright flavor is fresh and unadulterated and ties into the cuisines of the Mediterranean, which are growing in popularity. Plus, it brings back memories of lemonade after- noons, grandma's lemon bars and sum- mer desserts with lemon meringue pie. PSD: What insights do you have on the lemon consumer? What motivates them to purchase? JC: Lemons offer great food and drink recipe flavor enhancements. The trend towards natural, healthy, unprocessed foods continues, and lemons definitely have a place in the shopping cart. PSD: How are you educating consumers about the many benefits of lemons? Tell us a bit about your Lemons for Life™ campaign. JSC: Limoneira's Lemons for Life cam- paign takes advantage of today's technol- ogy, and it's fun, informative and easy. Everyone knows that lemons are a great recipe ingredient and enhancer, but they also have many uses in the areas of health, lifestyle, beauty, and cleaning. These applications are represented by fun icon images in conjunction with our con- sumer QR code that links to our web site lemon shopper pages. Limoneira's Lemons for Life cam- paign appears in lifestyle publications that promote our retail partners and through social media programs. We also partner with chefs and mixologists as well as experts in nutrition, beauty, clean- ing and lifestyle categories to promote the many benefits of Limoneira lemons. PSD: What are some of the best approaches for merchandising lemons? What are the best ways to dis- play lemons? What are the cross-mer- chandising opportunities? JC: We believe there are many opportu- nities for cross promoting lemons throughout our partner retailer's depart- ments. The most logical that comes to mind is seafood, but there are also oppor- tunities for creative, eye-catching dis- plays in the beauty, cleaning and floral sections of the stores. We have great tips for our retail partners' customers in each of these areas. We have a number of packaging and display options for our retail partners to highlight lemons to help drive sales. For more information, visit booth #1947 or go to www.Limoneira.com. NEW PRODUCTS FROM LA PANZANELLA ARTISANAL FOODS CO. To start out the new year, La Panzanella ® is introducing a new three-ounce package for its top-selling and fast-growing Mini Croccantini ® line of artisanal crackers at the Fancy Food Show in San Francisco. The three-ounce package is a conven- ient size for smaller footprint locations or stores with more limited shelf space. It will initially be offered in three flavors. Two of those flavors are the top-selling Original and Rosemary. The third is the newest fla- vor to the line-up, Roasted Garlic. Having this package size available in three great flavors gives retailers more options to offer their customers. There are three flavors. Original: A favorite of chefs and other food lovers, its pure and simple Original Croccantini crackers create a perfect complement to flavorful cheeses, tape- nades and charcuterie. With just a touch of coarse sea salt, these crisp, light crack- ers enhance any accompaniment. Rosemary: With their fragrant aroma, the popular Rosemary Croccantini crackers arouse memories of kitchen herb gardens and rustic Italian baking. With the heady flavor of rosemary and a hint of sea salt, they are tasty enough to eat alone, or pair with rich cheeses, hummus or dry salami. Roasted Garlic: With the subtle flavor of slow-roasted garlic, a pillar of traditional Italian cui- sine, Roasted Garlic Croccantini crackers are reminiscent of freshly baked garlic bread. With a pinch of sea salt, these crackers enhance the flavors of aged cheeses, cured meats and Mediterranean spreads. Throughout the company's history, it has been its singular passion and pleasure to share its Croccantini crackers with its customers, its friends, its family. It con- tinues to do so by offering these great new products. Visit online at www.lapanzanella.com or stop by its Facebook page. About La Panzanella Artisanal Foods Co. Seattle area-based La Panzanella Artisanal Foods Co. is part of the family-owned company, Madrona Specialty Foods. Its mission is to create uniquely crafted and always deli- cious artisan foods. From its all natural, non-GMO verified line of Italian Croccantini crackers to its European- inspired, all-natural Dolcetini artisan cook- ies, its products are made with recipes and traditions handed down through genera- tions and preserved today. All of its prod- ucts are certified kosher parve. For more information, visit www.la panzanella.com. TRAYLESS FLOW WRAPPING CUTS MATERIAL CONSUMPTION Heavy investment in research and devel- opment at ILAPAK, the leading manu- facturer of packaging machines for flexi- ble film applications, has yielded several innovations that deliver hygienic design, modular construction and low cost of ownership (COO) to producers and pack- ers of fresh produce and IQF (individual- ly quick frozen) fruit and vegetables. With sustainability an increasingly important factor for the produce industry, ILAPAK has also developed a trayless flow wrapping solution that allows pro- ducers and packers of tomatoes, apples and other spherical products to boost their environmental credentials while saving on material costs. "The produce industry is under con- stant pressure to reduce the amount of packaging it uses. By doing away with the tray, producers can also reduce the amount of flexible film they need. Besides delivering an environmental benefit, this carries a cost saving from both a materials and an equipment per- spective, as it eliminates the need for a tray de-nester," explains Rocco Furone, Sales Manager at ILAPAK. However, removing the tray intro- duces the challenge of maintaining con- trol over grouped products as they travel through the process, without marking, damaging or bruising soft or delicate items. ILAPAK's Carrera 1000 is specially designed for packing tomatoes, apples, peaches, plums and kiwis without trays, and incorporates two unique design fea- tures that address this issue. A pitched overhead chain enables the safe transfer of delicate products from the forming box to the sealing jaws. The chain keeps products neatly grouped as they travel and prevents them from mov- ing into the film tube. Once the product enters the sealing jaws, a motorised bar- rette system takes over, transporting products safely through the jaws to the machine exit. This system also offers the flexibility to pack into trays if required. Thanks to the use of servomotors and PLC control platform, the Carrera 1000 features a wide range of customized configurations and fast and easy size change operations. The cantilever design and the stainless steel configuration gives the Carrera 1000 a leading edge in harsh environments. THE TSAMMA STORY The Tsamma (sah-mah) story began on a small Midwest family farm where a young girl, Sarah Frey, harvested water- melons and sold them from her family's truck. Sarah grew up and Frey Farms grew with her. Inspired by her love of this wonderful fruit and deep knowledge of its powerful health benefits, she crafted Tsamma, a delicious watermelon juice. Each bottle of Tsamma contains over one and a half pounds of farm-fresh watermelons and is packed with power- ful vitamins and nutrients. With no sugar added, no artificial flavors or colors, Tsamma hydrates and replenishes the healthy way. Team Tsamma has been spreading the watermelon love all across the country in the retail and foodservice space. "Sharing Tsamma through experi- ential, sampling events and sharing our story as farmers is what it's all about. The flavor profile of Tsamma has been a win- win; people love it! While the high amounts of lycopene, potassium and L- citrulline are creating serious buzz around watermelon in general, con- sumers are realizing water- melon is more than a sum- mertime treat; it's a super- fruit. It's now conveniently in a bottle – year round," says Business Development Director Hilary Martin Long. The next step for Tsamma is to expand its line of watermelon based juices to include four total blends. Tsamma Brand Principles Handcrafted: Communicates the arti- sanal care, work ethic and commitment that goes into each bottle of Tsamma Watermelon Juice. Farm-Fresh: Reinforces its connection to the Earth and its farm roots. Demonstrates the minimal processing and preservation of the water- melon's essential nutrients. Powerful: Encompasses Tsamma Watermelon Juice's natural bounty of vitamins and minerals, as well as its holistic health benefits umulated knowl- edge that makes Tsamma Watermelon Juice so powerful. For more information, visit www.frey farms.com.