Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/738363
Produce Show Daily 6 5 Sunday, October 16, 2016 Mango is packed with delicious tangi- ness that will leave you craving your next bite, and the Thai Coconut has a satisfy- ing crunch combined with creamy vanil- la notes. Both are sourced from unique microclimates and deliver an amazing taste of the tropics. These items, plus Sunsweet's current delicious Philippine Mango and Philippine Pineapple, are sure to satisfy growing multicultural demand for new tropical items. The launch of the new Pacific Tropicals is an example of Sunsweet's Sunsweet (Cont'd. from p. 1) efforts to bring new consumers to the dried fruit aisle with a full range of deli- cious products, including Amaz!n Prunes. Sunsweet Growers Inc., established in 1917, has a heritage in producing the highest quality dried fruits. The 250 grower/member cooperative, based in Yuba City, California, is the worldwide leader in prunes and healthy snacks that fit today's need for wholesome and con- venient food choices. For more information, visit booth #1051, go to www.sunsweet.com or call 800.417.2253. Living™ has a comprehensive fresh look that carries across packaging design, POS signage and consumer marketing support with multiple merchandising options. These products are CCOF Organic Certified, Non-GMO Project Verified and Sustainably Grown Certified. "The North Shore Organic Living product line was designed to partner with retailers to meet their organic produce goals while continuing to support less shrink and a premium quality product to the produce department," explains Micki Dirtzu, Director of Marketing at North Shore. "From a consumer perspective, this new brand touches on both the increased demand for organics as well as a desire to support local American family farmers." North Shore, located in the beautiful Coachella Valley, never outsources its product supply in order to ensure tight reins on food safety and quality in addi- tion to keeping jobs in the local commu- nity. North Shore works with nature by utilizing renewable resources available in the growing environment, including solar North Shore Organic Living (Cont'd. from p. 1) power energy and geothermal heat. Growing hydroponically not only uses up to 70 percent less water than field-grown crops, but also avoids soil depletion. According to Nielsen data for the last 52 weeks ending 4/12/16 (Mass Market), organic produce dollar sales growth is up 16.4 percent versus a year ago and accounts for nearly 13 percent of total produce sales. According to a recent Gallup Poll, 53 percent of Millennials aim to ensure organic food in their diets compared to 45 percent of all age groups. "This brand of organic and living products was developed over years of research and development work coupled with more than 20 years of growing con- ventional herbs hydroponically and three generations of greenhouse growing expe- rience and innovation," confirms Leo Overgaag, Chief Executive Officer and Co-Owner of North Shore Greenhouses, Inc. "A lot of work went into this brand and we're proud of what our team accomplished." For more information, visit booth #2000 or email sales@livingherbs.com. 1994. That must give you good insight into the retail banana trade. DB: Considering more than 70 percent of all bananas ripened in North America are ripened in Thermal Tech rooms, I guess you can say we're in a pretty unique posi- tion. We work with all major growers and nearly all of the top grocery retailers across the U.S., Canada and Mexico, so we're deeply involved on both sides of the equation. PSD: You say quality control has become more important than sourcing, both for the big exporters as well as the large retailers. What's changed? DB: Back in the 1980s, the 'Big Three' global banana traders, Chiquita, Dole and DelMonte, controlled more than 65 per- cent of all global banana exports. In 2013, that total was down to just 37 per- cent. This reflects a shift away from plan- tation ownership and production by the Big Three towards post-production and supply chain logistics. So now you have the Big Three as well as some larger retailers and wholesalers sourcing bananas from multiple growers, then marketing and distributing them under a single brand. This has shifted the conver- sation away from sourcing to how to maximize quality and consistency at the point-of-sale with fruit coming from multiple sources. PSD: How is this impacting the indus- try? DB: Interestingly enough, I believe the new emphasis on retail quality has actu- ally made things better. It's created a new partnership mentality in which all the stakeholders share the same common goal. In this new environment the ripen- Thermal Technologies (Cont'd. from p. 1) ing operation pulls together the varied interests of grower, marketer, wholesaler and retailer, all of whom have a vested interest in providing consistent, high quality fruit, whether it comes from one supplier or many. It's been good for us, too. We recently doubled our manufac- turing floor space from 40,000 to 80,000 square feet just to keep pace with orders. PSD: How does this new model differ from the way things worked in the past? DB: Due to the sheer size and volume of some of our retail customers, this new focus on retail quality often puts com- petitors on the same team. We've ended up working side-by-side with more than one of the major suppliers for the same retailer at the same time. While this was nearly unheard of in the past, this new partnership mentality makes good busi- ness sense today, where the needs of the large retailers drive the market. PSD: How do you see these changes impacting the marketplace in the years ahead? DB: While the shift of market power towards retailers has created opportuni- ties for smaller growers and suppliers, the sheer size and market reach of the Big Three along with value-added services and marketing means they will continue to have a powerful influence on the industry. But as retailers continue to diversify, with more growers providing a greater variety of organics and other banana types, there's also no doubt that ripening will play an increasingly impor- tant role in making sure all these products reach the consumer with the predictable high quality and consistency the market demands. For more information, visit booth #1855, call David Byrne at 803.461.7980 or go to www.gotarpless.com. and parfaits were added. Lacerta offers multi-compartment snack boxes with two, three or four compartments. Developed with the snacking trend in mind, customers have multiple options for on-the-go packaging. The containers feature large, window-like surfaces to allow the food to truly speak for itself and entice customers with its colorful freshness. These multi-functional con- tainers are great for fresh cut produce, healthy kid's meals or creating a product combining fruits with cheese or vegeta- bles with hummus. Lacerta has also launched to-go cups in round and round with a flat side to accommodate for the new labeling laws. These to-go cups are ideal for parfaits or fresh cut fruits or vegetables. The Fresh n' Sealed line also has small packages including 1.5, two, four and six ounces for single servings. Fresh n' Sealed containers deliver security, leak resistance, added freshness, merchandising appeal and are easy to use. The containers are made in ultra- clear PET and are 100 percent recyclable. There are many different motivators when it comes to snacking: conven- ience, healthy small meals, spontaneity, Lacerta Group (Cont'd. from p. 1) trying new foods and more. Snacking is so universal, it accounts for 50 percent of all eating occasions. Food companies also see significantly greater revenue per pound, with consumers willing to pay more per pound for snack size por- tions. In addition to the new snack con- tainers, the Fresh n' Sealed family of containers is also available in sizes ranging from 1.5-ounce portion cups all the way up to family-sized, 120-ounce containers. If a customer is looking for a custom solution, Lacerta can also design with the Fresh n' Sealed technol- ogy a container that fits their product requirements perfectly. About Lacerta Group, Inc. Lacerta Group is a family-owned business, founded in 1993, specializing in thermo- formed packaging. Lacerta produces stock and custom food packaging with a primary focus on fresh prepared foods. With a full design team and in-house mold-making capabilities, Lacerta provides custom packages from design and material selec- tion to molds and production. Visit Lacerta at booth #889. For more information, go to www.lacerta.com, call 508.339.3312 or email sales@lacerta.com. has been America's favorite variety of potato. Whether eating out at your favorite restaurant or enjoying dinner around the family table, russets have always been a big part of most meals. While still representing 50 percent of the overall potato business, this king of spuds has had its share of recent challenges. Due to lower carb diets, less Americans preparing meals and bad press, russet sales have continued to decline for years. Other factors leading to the russet sales declines are the emergence of other varieties such as Reds, Whites, Yukon Golds and most recently, specialties. Specialty potatoes such as fingerlings, bite-sized reds and value-added conven- ience packages have become the shining stars of the potato category. The issue with specialties is they only represent about 3 percent of the overall category, which cannot make up for the russet sales decline. With these challenges, how do we grow the overall potato category? Given the market share of russets, we believe the answer starts and ends by looking for innovative ways to grow russet sales. By Schmieding Produce (Cont'd. from p. 1) no means does this mean we should not continue to develop new varieties and convenience packages for today's con- sumers, but more about "fishing where the fish are." By developing more ways to make the russet potato more appealing to today's consumer, we can grow overall retailer potato sales. Introducing the SKINNY POTATO, Schmieding's revolutionary 100 calorie answer to help breathe life into the king of potatoes. Sales data confirms that con- sumers have embraced the 100 calories packs of items like Oreo's ® , Ritz ® Crackers, pretzels, popcorn, yogurt, etc. Available in a 4-pound bag, we believe the 100 calorie potato option will res- onate with today's health-conscious con- sumers looking for convenience deliv- ered in smaller packs. This premium priced new item will add sales and prof- its to produce while appealing to the majority of potato consumers. Our high graphic packaging comes complete with recipes and meal solutions. Visit Schmieding at booth #162. For more information, go to www.schmieding .com, call 561.319.3095 or email smcdulin@schmieding.com.