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Produce Show Daily Tuesday, June 13, 2017 4 GREENING THE FLORAL INDUSTRY WITH OASIS FLORAL FOAM MAXLIFE According to Environmental Leader, 71 percent of Americans consider the envi- ronment when they shop. As a result, today's consumers are looking for com- panies to value the environment as much as they do. Floral shoppers, espe- cially, are increasingly socially respon- sible and demand that even the most exquisite designs do as much to protect nature as they do to capture its beauty. Responding to consumer trends and the demands of its customers' customers, today, Smithers-Oasis is introducing the latest generation of OASIS ® Floral Foam Maxlife, the world's first floral foam with Enhanced Biodegradability. All OASIS Floral Foam Maxlife made today now features Enhanced Biodegradability. OASIS Floral Foam Maxlife's new foam formulation is designed for modern landfills and attracts microbes that break the foam down into methane, CO2 and organic matter. Testing based on the American Society for Testing (ASTM) and Materials standards shows that OASIS Floral Foam Maxlife will biode- grade 100 percent within 567 days in bio- logically active landfill conditions, while also keeping flowers fresh up to 50 per- cent longer than other floral foams. Testing is ongoing and as biodegradation rates continue, further information will be released. "We are constantly evaluating the chemistry of floral foam to provide greater consumer benefits," said Smithers-Oasis Vice President, Corporate Technology, Larry White. "We are happy to have upgraded the technolo- gy of our floral foam to consider the entire lifecycle of the product, today's modern landfill and a reduced environ- mental impact." The OASIS Floral Foam Maxlife formulation with Enhanced Biodegradability will be used in all OASIS Floral Products which use premi- um foam today, including bricks, mache, bouquet holders and designer shapes. All of the plastic parts often coupled with foam can then be recycled and floral designers and consumers can feel com- fortable disposing of the floral foam in a landfill. "Worldwide we are focused on sus- tainability," continued White. "All of our people in 21 operating units are making sustainability a priority. We evaluate all of our products and business practices worldwide, and are proud of this advancement with our flagship product – OASIS Floral Foam Maxlife." For more than 60 years, Smithers- Oasis has continued efforts not only in the advancement of the floral industry but also in sustaining the environment. In fact, Smithers-Oasis was the first in the industry to eliminate the use of chlorofluorocarbon from floral foam production and it has successfully reduced volatile organic compound emissions (VOCs) by more than 85 percent over the last 25 years. As part of the Smithers-Oasis culture, the com- pany is constantly looking for ways to be an increasingly sustainable compa- ny and provide environmentally friendly products and solutions to its customers. Other Smithers-Oasis North America "green" products include: ECOssentials containers – all biodegrade in a landfill in 180 days; OASIS™ Flat Cane and OASIS Midollino – made of renewable, natural materials; OASIS Raw Muslin and Pastel Wraps – are reclaimed materials; all OASIS glass, plastic containers and cages are recycla- ble; and all OASIS colored glass is sprayed with a water-based, low VOC paint. For more information, visit IFE booth #915. Additional information on Smithers-Oasis' ongoing sustainability program can be found at www.smithers oasis.com/sustainability. ARE YOU BUYING THE BEST LIME? By Bill Edwards, Commodity Manager, Robinson Fresh I've been in the lime business for a long time. I eat, breathe and sleep limes. One of the biggest battles I've had is educat- ing people on how to select the best-tast- ing fruit based on the lime's color and characteristics. Can you identify the most flavorful lime? Limes can be one of the hardest pieces of fruit to perfect. Like most fruits, limes start as a plant-colored green and then turn a different shade of green, or even change to yellow. Most retailers and consumers buy limes when they are a rich, dark green – the "picture perfect" lime. However, limes like this tend to be hard, acidic and have very lit- tle juice. Limes are primarily used for the juice they produce, and there are a few ways to identify the juiciest pieces of fruit. Look for limes that are soft to the touch. Limes that feel heavy for their size indicate more juice than those that feel lighter. Look for limes that are a lighter green color, or even yellow, because they tend to have less acidity, better flavor and more juice. When appraising a lime's appear- ance, don't immediately dismiss one that's not uniformly colored; some defects really don't affect the quality of the fruit. For example, blanching – a lighter color that can be found on up to 25 percent of the surface area of the lime – is fairly common and does not impact the taste or texture of the lime. Blanching can occur when sunlight fails to hit all areas of the lime, which can be caused by leaves shading the fruit or when a cluster of limes grows closely together, blocking parts of the fruit from the sun. These lighter colored areas will not progress or spread. Know the growing seasons of limes. The majority of limes that come into the United States are from Mexico. Mexico has four growing sea- sons per year, which is more growing time than many regions in the United States. The seasons are so moderate that while one crop is finishing up, the next crop can already be growing. This means lime production can occur 52 weeks out of the year – though it's important to note that there are still heavy and light production times throughout the year. The heaviest falls May through October; the lighter crop period runs from mid-February through April. For more information, visit booth #3618. AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION NOT AFFILIATED WITH UF Kimberly Oser Publisher Jules Denton Senior Associate Publisher Lorrie Baumann Editorial Director JoEllen Lowry • Jeanie Catron • Karrie Welborn Associate Editors Yasmine Brown Art Director Jonathan Schieffer Graphic Designer Caitlyn McGrath • Sarah Glenn • Heather Canale Customer Service Managers Stacy Davis • Jay Watson • Hannah Stefanovich Show Logistics & Distribution John Pechota Sales Floor Manager Marcos Morhaim Senior Account Manager Adrian Chacon Account Managers Tara Neal Director of Operations Enrico Cecchi European Sales Produce Show Daily is published by Oser Communications Group ©2017 All rights reserved. Executive and editorial offices at: 1877 N. Kolb Road, Tucson, AZ 85715 520.721.1300/Fax: 520.721.6300 European offices located at Lungarno Benvenuto Cellini, 11, 50125 Florence, Italy www.osercommunicationsgroup.com Lee M. Oser Founder JUICING INNOVATION FROM ZUMEX An interview with Nihat Bessolt, U.S Chief Sales Officer, Zumex. PSD: Tell our readers about Zumex. NB: Zumex is the only company that has its hand on every phase of the juic- ing model. We are not just about man- ufacturing and selling juicers, but we are all about educating the end user on the successful juicing model. We are invested in the end users' process and operation and we pride ourselves in giving straightforward, honest and helpful advice that will help you strengthen the foundation of your juic- ing business. At Zumex, we are world leaders in innovation, with more than 30 years in the field, and we are reinventing the transformation of fruit and vegetables into juice. We offer our partners the abil- ity to create a stream of revenue that has been neglected for years. The reliability and durability of our product are the most important aspects of the juicing business model. PSD: What makes your products differ- ent? NB: All of our juicers are hand-assem- bled in our Zumex owned and operated manufacturing plants to ensure they are each assembled with the highest possi- ble quality. Our juicers are attractive – at Zumex, we care about quality, design, innovation and excel- lence and offer appealing design, sophisticated materi- als and a wide range of colors. We have the innovation and technology to provide "easy-to-use" equipment, with the best functionality solutions based in our strong know-how. We provide high quality engineering and materials and proven product durability. Zumex is a worldwide brand with more than 30 years of experience and a strong net- work of partners. We also offer profes- sional technical after sales service. PSD: Are you introducing a new prod- uct? If so, what distinguishes this new product from others already on the market? NB: We are not just intro- ducing a new product – the MASTERY is a new generation of cold press machine that will revolu- tionize the juice bar industry. We are offi- cially launching the new MASTERY to the market, and I believe it will truly change the cold press business. It is a sleek, easy to use, easy to clean machine that offers a lot that the others do not. Others claim to do things (i.e. yield, durability, warranty, etc.) that they end up not doing. We are not promising any- thing we can't do. For more information, call 305.591.0061 or visit www.zumex.com.