Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/738345
Produce Show Daily Friday, October 14, 2016 4 4 PASSION FOR INNOVATION UPDATES ORIGINAL TWIST-EASE SYSTEM Twist-Ease is the original "No Hassle Bag Closure System" made in the U.S.A. Founded in 1989 and located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, the company manufactures a patented twist tie dis- pensing system designed for consumer use in produce, bulk, bakery and meat departments. The company also produces a patented flag tie dispensing system designed to be used wherever a space to write a PLU or BIN number is needed. Twist-Ease systems are labor saving and simple to refill, with no spilled ties, cre- ating a positive store experience that is clean, sanitary and organized. This year, Twist-Ease is launching an innovative new system called Click- N-Go which offers customers a fresh and clean dispenser with every refill. Also new are the 4-inch flag ties that take up less space than traditional 6-inch flag ties. The original Twist-Ease system was designed by a produce manager who rec- ognized the consumer desire for a reli- able bag closure, but was tired of the mess and inconvenience of bulk ties. The new Click-N-Go system optimizes the original system by fitting more ties into a smaller footprint that consists of a metal mounting apparatus that is permanently affixed in the store. This new prefilled disposable dispenser will "click" into the mounting apparatus, providing a fresh and clean dispenser every refill. Twist-Ease's main target is grocery store chains across the United States, Canada and Australia. Its cus- tomers are decision mak- ers in produce, bulk foods, store chains and supply buyers. Twist ties prevent unpaid products from spilling onto the floor as well as limiting checkout inaccuracies by keeping prod- uct together and preventing an apple from rolling off the edge of a scale. Twist ties protect retail customers from cross contamination threats by keeping the bag sealed tightly. The International Association of Food Protection has found yeast, mold, staph and coliforms living and growing on checkout conveyors. Twist ties also reduce customer "sam- pling" or "grazing" on product as they shop other departments. Twist-Ease not only provides all the benefits of bulk twist ties, but also saves on labor. The Twist-Ease system holds 1,200 twist ties per pack, versus a cup that holds only 300 to 400 loose twist ties, greatly reducing time spent replenishing dis- pensers. It also eliminates loose twist ties from spilling out of cups because Twist- Ease twist ties are held together at the top, so only one is taken at a time. Over its 27-year history, Twist-Ease has been innovative in providing an increasing number of twist ties while reducing dispenser size. This innovation has resulted in the newly launched Click- N-Go system. Visit Twist-Ease at booth #1653. For more information, go to www.twistease.com or call 888.623.8390. PEAKFRESH USA DELIVERS MODIFIED ATMOSPHERE PACKAGING THAT YOU CAN COUNT ON PEAKfresh ® products were created in the early '90s at a time when people weren't very educated on the benefits of modified atmosphere packaging (MAP). Today, it's different. The produce industry acknowledges that modified atmosphere packaging is needed for long distance shipping, and retailers now demand the use of MAP products to maintain certain shelf expectancy, for the most part at grower/shipper expense. PEAKfresh understands that satisfy- ing these needs can be difficult for grow- ers and shippers, and it's here to help. First, it provides a product you can count on. PEAKfresh is a low-density polyeth- ylene film impregnated with a natural occurring mineral that significantly increases gas permeability, allowing eth- ylene and other damaging gases to be removed, thus prolonging the life and freshness of produce and floral products. Unlike ordinary plastic film, the intelli- gent film "breathes," allowing damaging gases to escape as product ripens, while maintaining vitamin C levels. Additionally, the anti-fogging properties of PEAKfresh film reduce moisture for- mation to inhibit bacterial growth. All PEAKfresh products are certified organic (OMRI code: pfp-2278). Second, it works hard to keep costs lower than competitors and it doesn't require a yearly contract or high minimums. PEAKfresh is easy to use, adding value to your ship- ments, so you can eliminate costly rejec- tions and achieve longer shelf life for your produce at a guaranteed lower cost. PEAKfresh offers a variety of prod- ucts to meet your needs. It has standard items in stock at all times ready to ship same day as ordering, as well as custom products to meet your specific sizing and branding needs. Pallet Covers – PEAKfresh prides itself in offering the best unsealed pallet covers in the industry. They are easy to use and can be applied by a single person. A great advantage of its pallet covers is that when a skid arrives at the warehouse or distri- bution center, it can be inspected or par- tially unloaded, then easily re-covered to protect the rest of the load until it is needed. Stock pallet covers are available for 73-inch, 79-inch and 88-inch high pallets, both vented and non-vented. Custom sizes can be made to order and all pallet covers have the capability to be branded with your logo. Box Liners – Box liners are perfect for shippers needing shelf life during extend- ed transportation and/or storage. They are especially effective for long border cross- ing inspections or cold chain breaks where there is a need to re-cool in a MAP bag. PEAKfresh liners can be used for all vari- eties of fruit and vegetables and are made specific to your size requirements. They can be clear or colored, vented or non- vented and can be branded with your logo. Visit PEAKfresh at booth #3827. STEMPRO CUTTERS: SAFETY IN RETAIL FLORAL PROCESSING By Paul Harris, Director, StemPro Leading cut flower retailers are taking advantage of the new StemPro Cutter technology to eliminate manual stem cut- ting. This enhances the working environ- ment of their floral employees by elimi- nating injuries and the physical effort of shears, knives and guillotines. Major retailers experience an aver- age of two workman's compensation claims annually resulting from injuries in their floral departments. Assuming that the average incident cost is $84,600 (though some are much more), twice per year equals $168,000 per year. This includes both traumatic and repetitive stress injuries; costs include medical and rehabilitation costs, paid time off, replacement worker training and increased worker's compensation rates. Over the seven year expected service life of the StemPro cutters, eliminating injuries and their associated costs will pay for about 120 cutters. In addition to eliminating both trau- matic and repetitive stress injuries, some store managers report improved employ- ee retention. One store manager at a national retailer with more than 2,000 locations said that an older lead lady in floral had given notice because she could no longer handle the physical workload of processing flowers – some days more than 100 boxes. When they installed their StemPro cutter, she was delighted with it and withdrew her notice, saying she planned to stay for sever- al more years. The store manager said this made his job easier, and the StemPro cutter had paid for itself just by making it possible for this valued employee to stay on the job. Visit us at booth #3990 to try the StemPro cutters and see how they can move your floral operations to the cutting edge. For more information, visit booth #3990, email Paul Harris at ph@stempro.com or go to www.stempro.com. CUSTOM BUILT HOT AND COLD FOOD BARS, DISPLAY MERCHANDISING OutFront Custom Built designs and manufactures both standard and custom refrigerated and non-refrigerated food merchandisers, hot and cold food bars and custom millwork to suit your needs. Its experienced engineering department works with you on con- cept/design solutions that will exceed your expectations. Based in Buffalo, New York, OutFront Custom Built is a UL-Listed manufacturer that builds products to meet all industry standards. Its quality offers you reliability while its craftsman- ship and design excellence enhances your retail decor. Custom Built's offerings include salad bars, olive bars, antipasto bars, hot bars, soup bars, combination bars, service coun- ters, custom fixtures and custom millwork. It is a medium sized specialty manu- facturer that can respond to your needs quickly and provide solutions that work. It is big enough to handle your requirements and yet small enough to be fast and flex- ible. The fresh/prepared foods section of today's grocery store is quickly becoming the key focus area around which stores are designed. Warm and friendly atmospheres, the smell of fresh foods and the beauty of quality décor and fixtures are driving sales. OutFront is a value added supplier that can help you grow your business. OutFront Custom Built is part of a family of manufacturing companies that specialize in servicing the retail sector. Although it has other non-retail focused companies, its largest sector is retail and specifically food/grocer retail with food bars, food trucks, floral fixtures and garden centers. It has two North American manufac- turing facilities (Buffalo, New York and Beamsville, Ontario, Canada) that servic- es customers across the U.S.A. and coast to coast in Canada. For more information, contact dave.fortini@bofmw.com.