Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/887670
Produce Show Daily Friday, October 20, 2017 3 4 Farm Fresh Direct Dedicated to Growing Fresh, Healthy, Delicious Food Farm Fresh Direct was founded in 1999 in Monte Vista, Colorado as a company of multi-generational family potato farms located throughout Colorado, dedicated to growing fresh, healthy and delicious food, who work together to provide pre- mium quality and a year round supply and excel in today's fast changing retail, foodservice and consumer environment. As careful stewards of the land, Farm Fresh Direct's fields have nour- ished families for more than three gener- ations. And, chances are, provided great tasting potatoes for your family, as well. In a short 18 years, Farm Fresh Direct has become one of the largest potato providers in the United States, and now it has partnered with growers beyond Colorado to become the largest grower owned shipper of fresh potatoes. Farm Fresh Direct is proud it has grown this way. And Farm Fresh Direct is still growing strong by responding to today's ever chang- ing consumers and their need for con- venience, and their desire for organics. Farm Fresh Direct is the first to introduce the individually wrapped microwave potato, and it is still the largest! It has expanded the Express Bake™ conven- ience line to include organics, steamer trays and sweet potatoes. Farm Fresh Direct also realized organics were a trend, not a fad, and began an aggressive plan of certifying its land and its plants. Today it is one of the largest growers of organic fresh potatoes in the United States. Farm Fresh Direct is constantly looking for ways to improve, and the best way to do that is listening to you. Farm Fresh Direct welcomes all comments and feedback and is dedicated to making the world, and its products, better for you and your customers. For more information, visit www.farm freshdirect.net or stop by booth #3401. Bing Beverage Organic Kombucha – Bing Z Bing Beverage is proud to introduce Bing Z, its new line of "Zoetic" beverages. This year's entry includes three varieties of organic, raw, probiotic-rich kom- buchas. It chose the Greek word zoetic, which means "pertaining to life." It per- fectly represents the nature of kombucha – a living culture that promotes health and well-being. Why Bing Z? It's the Kombucha for Everyone The retail community has been request- ing interesting, organic, delicious prod- ucts that appeal to a wide audience. While there are numerous kombucha products on the market, there is still a demand for more 'drinkable' and tasty kombucha. The goal when designing Bing Z was to create a flavorful, organic kom- bucha that would please mainstream cus- tomers and bring them to your kombucha set – many for the first time. Bing Beverage blends traditional raw kombucha with delectable organic fruit juices to create a "flavor-forward" taste that will appeal to a very broad audience – especially those who are new to the category or those who previously may have been averse to the taste of other kom- bucha products. Bing Z will bring incremental consumers to the natural beverage set – consumers will appreciate the completely new inter- pretation of this healthy, probiotic bever- age. Success in the Marketplace Since 2006 Beginning in 2006, Bing has captivated consumers with bold fruit juice-based beverages. Its recipe for success is to help create the perfect selling environ- ment for its products. Bing's knowledge- able team brings a wealth of experience when it comes to pro- duction, wholesale and retail in produce, natu- ral and grocery depart- ments. It will continue to provide outstanding support to make Bing Z a new favorite for your customers through effective and frequent pricing promotions, engaging displays and marketing materials. In addition, Bing will deliver robust support for prod- uct samplings, community events, spon- sorships and more to help drive con- sumers to your marketplace. For more information, visit booth #619 or go to www.coloradoagriculture.com. Transform Your Store into the Ultimate Experience Center By Mark D. Barnes, Chief Executive Officer, LNL Systems, Inc. For brick-and-mortar stores, omnichan- nel is the golden ticket for achieving the ultimate retail experience. With new technology advancing daily, every store has the potential to transform itself into the ultimate experience center. Using personalization systems and tools to tie online activity to in-store interactions, decision makers can gather data from numerous systems, rapidly analyze it and use the results to upgrade stores and cater to every customer need. Let's look at the solutions available to help you achieve an omnichannel cus- tomer experience. In-store Beacons Personalization is a significant compo- nent of the omnichannel experience. Knowing who is entering your store and when is the first step, which is where location-based beacons come in. Integrated with your store app, beacons let you send personalized greetings to customers' smartphones upon entry and even let them know about current sale items based on previous purchases. These tools can also be used to suggest items for purchase that are not on sale but are relevant to the shopper. It's important to remember that some alerts are viewed as intrusive by customers, so limit notifi- cations and make sure they're useful. Push notifications, such as a coupon for the next time the customer shops at your store, are a great way to foster loyalty and keep shoppers coming back. Curbside Notification Create a seamless curbside pickup process for customers who order items online. Provide cus- tomers with a text or an email when their order is complete instead of an "esti- mated time frame," so they know exactly when their item is ready. When customers arrive for pickup, they can respond via text saying, "I'm here." Alternately, beacons at designated parking spaces can send notification via the store app directly to the associate gathering that customer's product. SMS text technology and two-way radios allow retailers to provide real-time serv- ice at the point of pickup. Customers are able to save time and leave feeling delighted. Digital Shopping Journey Technology like queue management sys- tems and motion-sensor cameras shorten time spent in checkout lines. Instead of waiting for an associate to notice the lines are too long and call in back up, this technology ensures customers never have to wait long to check out – a key part to keep- ing them coming back. Smart cameras can also assist with loss preven- tion to ensure managers are on top of everything that is happening on the sales floor. When you stay a step ahead of the shopper, you can orchestrate their experience for them. Combining each of these pieces is critical in transforming your store into an experi- ence center. By linking in-store tools with customer data, you can create an ideal omnichannel journey for your in- store customers. With the right technolo- gy, proper training for associates and employee access to customer data, that personalized, efficient shopping experi- ence will position you far ahead of the competition. For more information, go to www.lnl systems.com, call 877.456.5797 or email info@lnlsystemsinc.com. Sutter Buttes Natural and Artisan Foods Wins 11 Olive Oil Competition Medals in 2017 Sutter Buttes Natural and Artisan Foods has announced several new additions to the company's many award-winning olive oils. Garlic Herb Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil is new for 2017. It offers the fresh flavors of garlic and herbs com- bined with quality extra virgin olive oil for use in pesto sauces and marinades or drizzled over thick slices of tomatoes and goat cheese before roasting. Salad dress- ings, Caprese salads, meats, chicken and pasta will be enlivened with this infused oil, which received silver awards this year at the Los Angeles International Extra Virgin Olive Oil Competition, the Yolo County Olive Oil Competition and the Napa Valley Olive Oil Competition 2017. Citrus Habanero Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil is smooth and rich with the right amount of spicy intensity. Fresh habanero peppers were hand-picked and then slowly infused into Sutter Buttes Meyer Lemon Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil to create this award-winning blend. Use it to turn up the heat on almost any dish. It's perfect for sautéing or grilling your favorite meats, vegetables, chicken and fish, and it's great as a finishing oil on grilled shrimp, scallops or fresh oysters. This oil was recognized with silver awards this year at each of the same three competitions named above. Sutter Buttes Vanilla Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil offers a subtle flavor of vanilla that adds a touch of seductive sweetness to the natural bitterness of extra- virgin olive oil. Used as a replacement for butter or shortening when baking cakes, muffins, scones, cookies or anything that calls for vanilla flavor, Sutter Buttes Vanilla Bean Infused Olive Oil lends a one of kind flavor to any recipe in which it's used. This oil won a silver award at the Yolo County Annual Olive Oil Competition 2017 and a bronze award at the Napa Valley Olive Oil Competition 2017. Meyer Lemon Infused Extra Virgin Olive Oil is very distinct, light and refreshing, and it's wonderful to use on grilled foods, sautéing or steaming for favorite vegetables. It's a three-time bronze award winner this year. For more information, visit www.sutter buttesoliveoil.com.