Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/738348
Produce Show Daily 6 5 Saturday, October 15, 2016 tomato industry more than 25 years ago, and we continue to create new items which fit today's trend of healthy eating. Our loyal and new customers are part of our success, and we focus on their ever- changing needs. Mooney Farms has never compro- mised quality or flavor. We decided to produce a delicious product with the highest quality ingredients, including 100 percent pure olive oil and 100 percent sun dried tomatoes. Our customers know that every item they purchase we will meet their expectations because we have not changed our recipe in over 25 years. There is only one original California sun dried tomato brand, and that is Bella Sun Luci; always fresh, always premium, our family guarantees it. PSD: What are Mooney Farms' core business and principal activities? MM: After more than 25 years, we are still family owned and operated and involved in every stage of production. This includes sun drying the tomato, pro- cessing and bottling the products, then shipping them out our door. Our 100,000 square foot processing facility is dedicated exclusively to our sun dried tomato line. Unlike many brands that are co-packed, we are verti- cally integrated, allowing for a lower cost which we can pass on to the consumer. Since we focus on one core item, our economy of scale allows us to use higher quality ingredients. Mooney Farms (Cont'd. from p. 1) We also stay on the cutting edge of product development and introduce new innovative products that are not currently offered by anyone else. For example, our seven-bagged items are one of a kind and offer the customer an exciting and healthy option for both snacking and cooking. PSD: What are Mooney Farms' competi- tive strengths? MM: At Mooney Farms, we recognize great brands don't just happen – they are built on many years of hard work and consumer education. Our company has become social media driven in order to keep up with today's market trends and consumer demands. As the largest pro- ducer of sun dried tomatoes, we under- stand that we must keep the consumer informed and up to date on all informa- tion regarding sun dried tomatoes. Keeping consumers up to date means updating and adding new informa- tion to our company website, daily post- ings on Facebook, utilizing Pinterest and also posting to Instagram. With more than 34,000 social media fans, we can educate the public about ways to use sun dried tomatoes, the health benefits, and the Mediterranean diet, among other important topics. This constant and direct contact with our consumers keeps us ahead of the competition and ensures higher sales of Bella Sun Luci Sun Dried Tomato products. For more information, visit booth #532 or go to www.bellasunluci.com. the largest adult demographic. Cuties' success with these coveted consumers stems from a deep under- standing of who they are and what is important to them. In addition to being more than 80 million strong, one in four Millennials are parents, including 90 per- cent of new moms. "Cuties has a wonderful story to tell that aligns perfectly with what Millennial moms want – we're a fresh, natural fruit that is carefully grown and cared for on our own family farms in California," said Victoria Nuevo-Celeste, Vice President of Marketing at Sun Pacific. "We are also a brand that kids love and ask for by name, making us the clear choice for this generation of moms." As Cuties season returns this year, an updated Lil' Zipper – the iconic Cuties character – will bring even more appeal to the Cuties story on enhanced packag- ing and in-store merchandising design. Marketing will focus heavily on digital channels where millennial moms – and their kids – are eager to engage. Cuties will also continue to partner with McDonald's for the third year, to Cuties (Cont'd. from p. 1) offer Cuties in Happy Meals and as an à la carte option. The partnership will be supported with a multi-channel market- ing campaign, including television. As the mandarin category continues to grow and add profit to the produce department, Cuties also continues to expand production, with new plantings and partnerships with growers that meet the strict quality specifications for Cuties, to meet consumer and retailer demand. Founded in 1969, Sun Pacific ® is a leading California grower, packer and shipper of fruit with more than 75 mil- lion boxes of the highest quality fresh fruit sold each year. Sun Pacific is the owner of America's most preferred brand of clementines, Cuties, and the largest kiwi grower with the number one kiwi brand in North America, Mighties ® . It is one of the largest navel orange grower/shippers in California, with exceptional brands such as Air Chief ® and Vintage Sweets ® . Sun Pacific is also renowned for its outstanding quality Air Chief table grapes. For more information, visit booth #417 or go to www.sunpacific.com. DR: The newest apple out of the Honeybear Varietal Development pro- gram – Pazazz – will be featured. Our growers in the Midwest, New York state, Washington state and Nova Scotia have produced a new apple sensation that has taken the apple category by storm. Production is increasing steadily and the variety will be available to additional markets with this season's crop. PSD: Tell our readers more about Pazazz. DR: Pazazz was developed as a late sea- son variety that has a tantalizing blend of sweet and tart flavors. It is a descendent of Honeycrisp, but with an extremely crisp and mouth watering, juicy flesh that creates a unique eating experience all its own. We previewed the variety at PMA last year and have run apple demos across the country and receive the same response from everyone who tries Pazazz: "Wow Right Now." PSD: Honeybear also has a new grower protocol, TruEarth. Can you explain that program? DR: TruEarth is our grower certification program, which was developed in con- junction with the IPM Institute of North America. It is a comprehensive growing protocol that focuses on better farming, better fruit and a better future. It's all about being good stewards of the land, using sustainable growing and farming practices and producing fruit in a way that's good for the environment, while giving our family-run orchards addition- al tools to enhance their apple produc- Honeybear Brands (Cont'd. from p. 1) tion. What that means for retailers and their customers is simple: peace of mind that an apple from a TruEarth certified Honeybear grower is a premium piece of healthy fruit grown to meticulous quality and environmental standards. Find out more by visiting www.truearth.net. PSD: What else is Honeybear doing or showing at PMA Fresh Summit this year? DR: We're showcasing the diversity of apples under the Honeybear brand, including another new addition from our Varietal Development program – RiverBelle – which is produced by our Midwest growers of 30 family-run orchards located along the Mississippi River valley in Minnesota and Wisconsin. This growing region offers a great micro climate with a perfect blend of warm summer days and cool summer nights. It's an example of another new variety that was developed to fully lever- age the advantages of Honeybear's diverse growing regions. PSD: What should attendees know when they visit Honeybear at PMA? DR: Attendees should know that our booth is going to be busy with sampling of our new varieties. We encourage all PMA guests to come by and visit with our Varietal Development team and meet with our Honeybear growers to learn about what is in the development pipeline. Check out our newest varieties, RiverBelle and Pazazz, and see how a Honeybear program can help build excitement and drive increased sales in the apple category. For more information, visit booth #1249. contaminants as fruits and vegetables move from field to the store. Research has shown corrugated containers enter into the food chain clean, and reduce microbial contamination, which can occur with reusable containers. This will become increasingly important as the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is implemented in the U.S. The Food Safety Modernization Act aims to keep the U.S. food supply safe by "shifting the focus from responding to contamination to preventing it," and is now being imple- mented in the U.S. Learn more about growers' responsibilities at www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/ FSMA. Food safety is one reason that corru- gated containers are the preferred ship- ping container for most produce products in the U.S. WestRock not only supplies the boxes, but is the only company in the industry with an in-house machinery manufacturing division that combines OEM equipment and corrugated material for optimum production. WestRock will design a packaging line that integrates with your manufacturing or processing operation and reduce labor needed for box management and packing. Dwight Morris, Vice President of Strategic Growth at WestRock, said, "We know a critical issue facing producers today is finding and keeping good work- ers. We have the expertise to be a true partner with our grower customers and WestRock has proven solutions for effi- cient packaging that require less labor to use." In addition, he added, "As an indus- try leader in packaging graphics we offer branding expertise to support our cus- tomers' messaging. We're proud to man- Smart solutions (Cont'd. from p. 1) ufacture 100 percent recyclable retail and shelf-ready packaging to promote your fruit and vegetables in-market." Any packaging company can make a box, but quality packaging begins with quality equipment and materials engi- neered for optimal performance. WestRock's machinery and precision mandrel-forming technology produces cases and trays that outperform others in the industry. These innovative products are truly multi-purpose: increased stack- ing strength with less fiber, structural design to keep produce safe, reduced waste and transportation costs, four or eight graphics panels for superior brand messaging and retail and shelf-ready designs that promote faster and easier stocking. WestRock's innovative corrugated containers facilitate efficiencies through- out the cold chain. For example: four or eight-sided Meta ® trays are great for tomatoes, onions, sweet potatoes and pep- pers, in addition to processed salad mix bags; telescoping two-piece Meta trays work for uneven sized products like grapefruits, oranges or potatoes; retail- ready containers offer dynamic graphic opportunities for displaying bulk fruit and vegetables; and bulk bins are the sturdy, triple walled solution for watermelons, pumpkins and other large products. Whether you're looking for a pro- duce container, a shipper/display box or other innovative corrugated solutions, WestRock can help you manage costs, increase sales with dynamic graphics, mitigate risk and improve your environ- mental impact. Visit WestRock at booth #2728. For more information, visit www.westrock .com/produce.