Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/887670
Produce Show Daily 4 3 Friday, October 20, 2017 TropicalFruit Export Bets on Green TropicalFruit Export S.A. is an Ecuadorian company that has been most- ly in the banana and plantain business for quite some time. It exports its products mainly to the U.S., Germany, the Netherlands, France, the U.K., Poland, Japan, South Korea and South Africa. Up until a couple of years ago, it was doing business in the traditional way; that is, buying and selling fruit and caring about quality and product. In 2015, TFE decided to go green. The first step was measuring its carbon footprint. After a long process of deter- mining it, TFE took actions to compen- sate its CO 2 emissions by sponsoring 1,000 hectares of Ecuadorian rainfor- est. It became the first banana exporter to certify Carbon Neutral. The second step was the farms. That year a process started to certify its conventional banana producers Rainforest Alliance. This certification promotes sustainable practices regarding the environment and improving the labor conditions of the workers. Last year another milestone was completed when TFE certified Rainforest Alliance, a group of plantain growers and the baby bananas growers. Again, this exporter became the first one having these products certified and produced in a more sus- tainable way. Another important item in TFE's portfolio is organic bananas. The company has a significant number of growers and does a lot different packing types as well as Fairtrade. With the FT there are organic and conventional pro- ducers who receive a premium for social projects for their workers and their fami- lies. Being environmentally and socially responsible has led to a consolidation of the company – a stronger relationship with growers and with cus- tomers, who know that they are getting something differ- ent. It´s bananas, all right, but sustainable ones. TropicalFruit Export is work- ing on new projects, efficien- cies on the logistics chain and green energy to not only compensate its carbon footprint but to reduce it and become more competitive by doing so. It's not traditional bananas and plantains – it´s something different, something bet- ter. For more information, go to www .tropicalfruitexport.com or stop by booth #3875. Honeybear Brands' 2017-2018 Pazazz Crop To Be Best Yet An interview with Don Roper, Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Honeybear Brands. PSD: Why so busy this year at PMA? DR: Every year is really busy for Honeybear Brands at the show. But this year we're meeting with a record number of produce buyers from every region of the country in anticipation of this year's massive Pazazz roll out. We're going to be in market earlier and longer thanks to the largest harvest we've ever produced for Pazazz. Plus, at our booth, we're giv- ing some sneak peeks of some of our new varieties in development. Honeybear Brands has a long track record of varietal development leadership – and we've got close to 100 new varieties in various stages of commercial development. We're excited to get reactions and feed- back from show attendees. PSD: How is Pazazz this year – and what makes the variety so unique? DR: Pazazz stands out from the competi- tion because of two things: an unrivaled flavor and second to none crunch factor. Pazazz has a cell structure similar to the Honeycrisp, from which it's descended, so you can expect an explosive juicy crunch with every bite. But it's also been grown for its unique flavor – a perfect blend of sweet and tart that appeals to almost every apple lover's taste and palette prefer- ences. The 2017-2018 Pazazz crop will be the best yet. No doubt about it. Our growers in New York, Nova Scotia, Washington and up and down the Mississippi River Valley have all report- ed excellent growing conditions through the summer months and we're set to ship the largest crop ever to more retailers in more regions of North America. PSD: What has the reaction been like from your retail partners as Pazazz has grown as a variety? DR: Reaction from retailers has been incredible. Last year we heard from part- ners in more than 30 retail markets across North America that Pazazz was essential- ly a game-changer for them. Pazazz helped them to differentiate their premi- um apple offerings from their competitors, extend their sales seasons well into the winter and early spring months, and most critically yet – really drive incremental apple sales for each of their stores. Retail data shows we're seeing repeat purchases at retail across the board, and from both anecdotal feedback at in-store events and from the research we've done with consumers to date, one thing is driving everything: flavor is king. PMA show attendees should come and see for themselves. For more information, visit booth #1609. After the show, go to www.honey bearbrands.com. Finally, A Choice in Bag Closures For many years, U.S. customers have had only one source for their plastic bag closures. Now they have a choice. Steve Greenfield, Director of Sales & Marketing for NNZ Inc. explains, "For many packers there has been a single source for a plastic closure for poly and mesh bags in the United States due to a patent. So for a very long time, U.S. cus- tomers had no choice but to use this product. I believe in the value of patents, but I also believe in free market capital- ism. So once a patent has run out, it allows the market to dictate whose prod- uct to use." Schutte Bag Closures from the Netherlands has partnered with NNZ Inc. to distribute Clipps closures for bags. Clipps work on all existing automated bagging machinery and come in the same styles and opening sizes as the current product. NNZ Inc. will be stocking the product in its seven warehouses through- out the U.S. to allow for just in time delivery, without the two week delay for produc- tion. The product is pack- aged in the same quanti- ties as the current product (number of clips/roll, number of rolls/case, number of cases/pallet) so that no new calculations are necessary to determine what is need- ed for production and ordering. In addi- tion, the Clipps product has been com- petitively priced, which allows for a cost savings to the customer base. "Competition is good for all," r e m a r k s Greenfield. "It fosters innova- tion and ulti- mately it bene- fits the cus- tomer. While patents have their place, it is always good to have a choice. Now the market has that choice. Hopefully peo- ple will choose the Clipps product." For more information, stop by booth #5719 or visit www.nnz.com. Ensure Compliance with BRITE BELT The patented BRITE BELT conveyor belt cleaning and conditioning system will assist your company in meeting compliance with the Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point program (HACCP). BRITE BELT recognizes the significant changes made by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). These food safety requirements are administered by both the USDA and FDA. Your company's HACCP team will determine the critical control points in your food processing system and then preventative maintenance and controls will be assigned to assure food safety. The BRITE BELT conveyor belt clean- ing and conditioning system can be an integral part of your preventative mainte- nance and control procedures. A critical control point in food pro- cessing is the surface of the conveyor belt. Not only can biological hazards sur- vive and grow on conveyor belt surfaces, they are also transported throughout the food processing facility. Biological haz- ards (pathogen microorganisms) are a recognized hazard that are likely to cause illness in the absence of good controls. These biological hazards include, but are not limited to, bacteria, viruses, parasites, yeasts, molds and fungi. These biological hazards all have one thing in common in order to grow and survive: food. They all need proteins and carbohydrates (sugars and starches). One method of controlling the growth and survival of these pathogen microorganisms is to eliminate their food source of proteins and carbo- hydrates. The BRITE BELT conveyor belt cleaning and conditioning system is designed to mechanically and chemically remove biofilm from flat conveyor belt surfaces. Biofilm found on conveyor belts used in food processing is com- posed of multiple pathogen microorgan- isms living in a slime and fed by particles of the foods being processed. The BRITE BELT scrubber pad breaks up the biofilm and allows the "killer" chemical to reach the pathogen microorganisms as well as remove residual food debris. The BRITE BELT conveyor belt cleaning and conditioning system has benefits beyond food safety. The cleaning and sanitizing solution is metered through orifices which control the amount of chemical usage and apply the chemical continuously where needed. The pad attached to the system does not contain aluminum or pumice, and therefore will not scratch the conveyor belt surface. This allows the scrubber unit to be left on the surface of the belt for longer periods of time to destroy pathogens. The BRITE BELT system does these tasks without incurring significant labor costs. Once in place, those elements necessary to control biological hazards which include time, cleaning and sanitizing solution, and mechanical removal of bio-films are done without labor costs. Labor cost also includes savings of benefits, payroll taxes, workmen's compensation and other related payroll expenses. For more information, go to www.brite belt.com or call 515.523.5803.