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Produce Show Daily Saturday, October 15, 2016 4 4 THE SNOBOY TRIPLE INSPECTED PRODUCE ADVANTAGE; IT IS IN THE FIELD For fresh produce brand SNOBOY, it's all about having people in the fields to work with growers to verify quality and availability on your behalf every step of the way. This presence allows product to be triple inspected prior to your customer receiving it. "We are source-based, meaning we are on the ground actually looking at everything we pack in SNOBOY," said Jim Richter, President. "We can verify the quality of the product available from our growers first hand prior to harvest, during harvest and when it ships, which makes a huge difference to our cus- tomers." "Our people in the field are experts on the produce grown in their area," said Richter. "They keep a close eye on local market conditions and the quality in the field, which allows them to best match customers' needs and expectations to the product." Richter says, "A lot of SNOBOY'S competitors conduct business with the growers from only one region and cover other areas strictly by phone. If you're not in the fields in every area, you can't verify the true quality of the product." SNOBOY has solved this issue with its Quality Assurance associates in the field. Having representatives at the source in every major growing area in the U.S. gives SNOBOY a major advantage in the competitive pro- duce marketing arena. SNOBOY offers customers a true inde- pendent voice from the best growing areas in the U.S. and can do all the work of finding the best quality and deals for customers. Richter says, "Sometimes it's not just about price. There is usually a price spread for a product in a certain region that can be affected by the quality, the quantity and even the size of the acreage produced by the grower. In addition, because SNOBOY buys such a huge volume from so many growers, the company can offer its customers the advantage of consistent quality throughout the year, even when supply is scarce." Proximity to the fields, orchards and production areas allows the branch's quality assurance staff to take an active role in determining what growers, fields or blocks of fields are chosen for cus- tomers. Being so close to the source, quality assur- ance staff can assure that raw product attributes meet strict written standards and specifications before pack- ing. The active role SNOBOY takes on its customers' behalf means that customers receive produce with consistently high-quality levels of freshness, color, size and flavor. SNOBOY delivers this any time of year to anywhere it is needed, regardless of weather or seasons. "If we are not saving customers time and trouble plus delivering the very best quality possible, we are not doing our job," said Richter. For more information, visit booth #1972 or go to www.amerifresh.com. C3 LLC: FRONT-END OPERATIONS MADE EASIER, SAFER, FASTER An interview with C3 LLC Principal Justin Grimes. PSD: Tell our readers about your compa- ny. JG: C3 LLC is a family-owned design and manufacturing company based out of Minneapolis. C3 stands for 'Complete Cart Control.' Our company was founded on an elegant invention of my dear late father, Bill Grimes. The success of our patented C3 System for shopping cart management is directly related to its sim- plicity in form and function. PSD: Tell our readers about your prod- ucts. JG: Our patented line of U.S.-made C3 Shopping Cart Safety Ropes and acces- sories is the best solution available for shopping cart management. Period. Retrieving carts is labor intensive and physically demanding, and comes with a high risk of employee injury. It's also haz- ardous to property and guests. We invite your readers to see how these issues can be effectively addressed with the C3 System by visiting www.c3llc.com. PSD: There are several ways to retrieve shopping carts. What makes your solu- tion unique? JG: Before the C3 Safety Rope, there were two main tools to help employees manage shopping carts: 'cart straps' and 'mechanized cart pushers.' We blow them both out of the parking lot! The C3 Shopping Cart Safety Rope is superior to a standard cart strap, or 'shag strap,' as it's often called, due to its unique ergonomic benefits. Once attached, the C3 Safety Rope is 'hands free.' In addition, maneu- vering eight to 10 standard shopping carts with the C3 Safety Rope is safer and generally requires less force than five without. PSD: You also mentioned electric cart pushers. JG: Right! The C3 Safety Rope is a bet- ter choice than mechanized cart retrieval due to its cost-effectiveness and superior safety features. For most parking lots and store entrances, the C3 Safety Rope is actually more efficient than a cart pusher and a fraction of the cost; at $33.00 retail for the C3 ST Safety Rope, several can be purchased for less than the cost of one replacement remote control for an elec- tric cart pusher. You'll also never block traffic, have to replace batteries or acci- dentally run over your own foot while using the C3 Safety Rope. PSD: What are some general challenges facing our readers that you feel your solution addresses? JG: Operators are constantly told that they must 'do more with less.' But what a tired and frustrating cliché! The only way is to provide your employees the necessary training and tools for success. PSD: You believe that simple and intu- itive tools are always the best. JG: Always. Guests want their shopping experience to be easier, safer and faster, all while spending less money. Successful operators look for solutions based on the same principles. The patent- ed C3 System is an elegant, safe and cost-effective solution to the challenges inherent to shopping cart management. We proudly make our products in the U.S.A., and we're passionate about adding value for our clients. Visit www.c3llc.com to order or write to info@c3llc.com for more information. UNDERSTANDING THE HISPANIC CONSUMER By Albert Rodriguez, Senior Vice President of Operations, Nogales Produce Inc. Today's grocery industry understands the statistical trends of the ever-growing Hispanic consumer market, but many establishments from the mom and pop stores to national retail chains, although they may get a passing grade for appreci- ating the scientific statistical data, still struggle to understand the art of actually connecting with Hispanic customers. The Science of the Numbers The Hispanic population remains the fastest-growing demographic in the U.S. and is expected to increase from 17 per- cent of the population to 26 percent by 2050, according to the Pew Research Center, a preeminent public policy and research organization. With that popula- tion growth there is a surging undercur- rent of Hispanic buying power. Hispanics in the U.S. are an eco- nomic powerhouse. According to a Nielsen study, the buying power of the U.S. Hispanic market was $1.3 trillion in 2014 and reached $1.5 trillion in 2015. There has been a gain of 155 percent since 2000. By 2019, the Selig Center for Economic Growth estimates that Hispanics will account for 10.6 percent of total U.S. buying power. The Art of Understanding They say that science and numbers don't lie. So why are businesses – especially in the grocery industry – still challenged to truly understand and properly market to the Hispanic consumer? As the Senior Vice President of Operations for Nogales Produce, a leading nationwide distributor of Mexican produce, Hispanic grocery dry goods and restaurant supplies, as well as a leading consultancy specializing in connecting businesses with the Hispanic market, I have learned that when it comes to the art of connecting with the Hispanic market, the grocery industry and all businesses must look through a cultural lens to understand Hispanic con- sumers' needs. For instance, a 2014 Nielsen study found that Hispanics place a high value on fresh foods. It also revealed that Hispanics spend on the average $175 more than the national average on fresh foods per year. Why fresh foods? According to the study, Hispanics found fresh foods to be an indicator of quality and health. A 2013 study conducted by the NDP Group, a leading global marketing infor- mation and advisory services firm, found that Hispanics in the U.S. are more likely to purchase groceries, dairy items and bread from c-stores than non-Hispanics. The study also revealed that U.S. Hispanics, on average, make almost two more visits per month than non- Hispanics to major chain convenience stores. The NDP study also corroborated the Nielsen study regarding the Hispanic consumers' desire for fresh food. Connecting with the Hispanic Consumer Market: A True Art Form Businesses have to become better at the art of truly understanding the Hispanic consumers' culture which helps define their buying habits. Even the big guys still get it wrong. CNN Latino, the network's Spanish language programming venture, failed. NBCLatino.com shut down. They did not fold because CNN and NBC did not understand the numbers. They failed because on some level they couldn't con- nect with the Hispanic market. In order to succeed in connecting with the Hispanic consumer, businesses have to look close- ly through a cultural lens with precise accuracy to truly understand their cus- tomers' needs. At Nogales Produce, we know how important it is to turn that into an art form. For more information, call 214.275.3550, email albert.rodriguez @nogalesproduce.com or visit www.nogalesproduce.com.