Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/738345
Produce Show Daily 2 5 Friday, October 14, 2016 FRESH & HEALTHY LUNCHES-2-GO Lunch is about to get fast, fresh and healthy. "People these days live very busy lifestyles.They don't have the time to shop, then prepare their lunches the way we used to. But why should anyone com- promise? It's time for lunches that will focus on freshness, health, fitness and nutrition as well as time, but not neglect a superior, irresistible flavor profile." These are the confident words of Anthony Mongiello, Chief Executive Officer and President of Formaggio Brand talking about his latest develop- ment for the produce department, Fresh & Healthy Lunches-2-Go. For years, New York based Formaggio Brand has brought award- winning fresh mozzarella to the fore of America's culinary consciousness through its innovative creation of cate- gories and unrelenting quality standards. Over the last few years, it has been seen in the produce department with an item that allows you to create a salad with lit- tle or no effort. Just open a jar of Just Add Lettuce™. Now Formaggio's latest offer- ings to the produce department go a step further, making a healthy salad-style lunch even quicker and easier. Fresh & Healthy Lunches-2-Go are, as their name implies, pairings of portion-controlled salad with a second compart- ment of health-conscious cracker thins or pretzel thins. The artisan-gourmet salad combos include Edamame & Cilantro, Couscous & Feta Cheese, Quinoa & Tomato and Mushroom & Artichoke Hearts. These are mixed and seasoned with delicious dressings, season- ings, fresh produce and chopped herbs and spices, packed in convenient two-com- partment modified atmosphere 10-ounce trays with peel-away cover. Fresh & Healthy Lunches-2-Go are made fresh, no preserva- tives. Two are gluten-free, all are vegan-friendly and each comes equipped with a spoon so they're truly good to go. Traditional fast lunches of the past like pizza, burg- ers, sandwiches, wings or even noodle soups have now been ren- dered obsolete. They've met their match in convenience and are wiped off the map by their nutritious and delicious succes- sor: Fresh & Healthy Lunches-2-Go from Formaggio Brand. For more information, go to www .formaggiocheese.com. SCHMIEDING: HERE WE GROW, AGAIN An interview with Scott McDulin, Vice President of Marketing/Retail Sales, H.C. Schmieding Produce, LLC. PSD: There are thousands of produce companies in the U.S. What differenti- ates Schmieding Produce from the oth- ers? SM: It all starts with our people. We have a dedicated group of produce profession- als who look for win-win opportunities for both our growers and our customers alike. Listed under H.C. Schmieding Produce, LLC, we are XXXX rated with a 969 score in the Blue Book which is one of the highest scores of any produce company in the nation. Although we are very proud of our rating, we believe by treating people right our score will ulti- mately be reflected in our customer satis- faction, which is what drives us to be elite. PSD: How long has Schmieding Produce been in business? SM: We celebrated our 80th year provid- ing quality produce nationwide earlier this year. PSD: What would you like potential cus- tomers to know about Schmieding Produce? SM: We grow, pack and ship quality potatoes, onions, watermelons, sweet corn, pumpkins and other items from all major growing regions in the U.S. Schmieding is as large or larger than any other produce company and has the infra- structure in place to be one of your major suppliers. PSD: What's new at Schmieding? SM: About 18 months ago, Schmieding Produce was acquired by Woerner Holdings, Inc., a West Palm Beach, Florida-based company, which has about 10,000 acres of agricultural production in several major growing regions across the U.S. In addition to Schmieding Produce, Woerner Holdings acquired Canon Potato pack- ing and storage facility and a 1,800-acre potato farm, both located in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. They folded both entities into the Schmieding Produce platform. This enables us to have the vertical integration required to supply today's retailers and consumers. If that wasn't enough, Schmieding Produce also acquired 'Nature's Choice' watermelons, which added enough production to supply almost 5,000 loads of watermelons from April to September of this year. PSD: It sounds like Schmieding Produce is in a growth mode. What is next? SM: Absolutely, we have a full time director of mergers and acquisitions, and are actively looking for more food and agricultural companies to acquire in the near future. PSD: Where do you see produce sales growth in the next year? SM: Obviously, specialty, organics, fresh cut and con- venience packaging will con- tinue to drive growth over the next year, but we also believe there are tremendous growth opportuni- ties in conventional items. PSD: Tell our readers something about Schmieding Produce that may surprise people. SM: Schmieding Produce has a world class in-house transportation team that is dedicated to supplying our company and other major produce companies with transportation services. Transportation is the biggest challenge to any produce company and we can and do hire trucks for other companies. Visit Schmieding at booth #162. For more information, go to www.schmieding .com, call 561.319.3095 or email smcdulin@schmieding.com. NEW VEGDELICIOUS SNACK PACKS FOR HEALTHY EATS ON THE GO How about changing your old habit of grabbing a bag of greasy snacks, and instead, eating something healthy that will make you feel good? VegDelicious Snack Packs from Growers Are Us are here to get you on track with your health goals. Grab-and-go with snacks that are pre-washed, pre-portioned and ready to eat. Just open the bags and enjoy! The Snack Pack line is designed to be a quick and healthy grab-and-go food alternative for the office, kids lunch box or afternoon snack. They are the perfect portion size to give you a quick energy boost or keep hunger at bay until your next meal. The convenience of the small packages makes them easy to enjoy any- time, anywhere. The current line consists of the fol- lowing items: Celery (2.5 ounces), Carrots (2.5 ounces), Soft Stem Broccoli (2.0 ounces) and Sugar Snaps (2.0 ounces). No need to heat or clean, just open the mini pouches and enjoy. How easy is that? These healthy snacks are at a perfect price point to give your customers the best value and alter- native to healthy snacking. Low calorie and high convenience make these items fly off your shelves. Growers Are Us ensures that its products are the freshest and best quality available. Its produce comes from certi- fied growers in Guatemala and is packed in a HACCP, BRC and Primus Lab certi- fied facility to guarantee the highest food safety and best- tasting vegetables. Visit booth #4253 where the company has samples available and to talk about all of your needs. Also, you can check out the items at the "Fresh Ideas Showcase." Visit Growers Are Us at booth #4253. For more information, call 305.681.0549 or email growersareus@gmail.com. INTRODUCING FLORALIFE EXPRESS CLEAR TECHNOLOGY Express Clear 200 is new technology that eliminates the need to recut your stems. Express Clear 200 is a unique and innova- tive storage and transport solution that allows fresh cut flowers to keep fully hydrated and fed without having to recut the stem. This special formulation allows you to ship, store and sell with only the one cut at harvest. The unique formulation promotes immediate uptake for hydration and nutri- tion, and keeps stems clear and free flowing, inhibiting premature bud opening or bent neck. It allows farms to sell the length they cut, bouquet and wholesalers to sell the length they buy, thus seeing a reduction in shipping costs, labor cost and reduced waste. The product is for bouquet makers, wholesalers, grocery and retail florists – all levels of the distribution channel. Features and benefits are: eliminates the need to re-cut stem ends before plac- ing in a treatment solution; helps reduce length of harvest cycle time, allowing for more flexibility in buying and harvesting (for example, a stem harvested at 50 cm can be sold and used as a 50 cm stem because you do not lose the 3 to 5 cm in the recut); helps reduce stress to the flower and reduces the opportunity for pathogens to be intro- duced in processing and handling; reduced stem lengths from the farms can lead to freight savings from reduced ship- ping weights; eliminates steps to help reduce labor in cutting and processing, handling waste and equipment mainte- nance; provides a balanced formula to lower the pH and increase the speed of flower hydration; and can be used on fresh cut roses and roses stored dry for less than two weeks. Products include: 81-42005 Express Clear 200, 2.5 gal with pump; 81-41008 Express Clear 200, 5 gal; 81-41012 Express Clear 200, 15 gal; 81-41004 Express Clear 200, 30 gal; 81-41009 Express Clear 200, 55 gal; and 81-41011 Express Clear 200, 220 gal. For more information, visit booth #3743.