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Produce Show Daily 4 5 Friday, October 20, 2017 Schmieding Produce One of the Fastest Growing Produce Companies in U.S. An interview with Scott McDulin, Vice President of Marketing/Retail Sales, H.C. Schmieding Produce, LLC. PSD: There are thousands of produce companies in the U.S. What differenti- ates Schmieding Produce from the oth- ers? SM: It all starts with our people. We have a dedicated group of produce profession- als who look for win-win opportunities for both our growers and our customers alike. Listed under H.C. Schmieding Produce, LLC, we are XXXX rated with a 900 score in the Blue Book, which is one of the highest scores of any produce compa- ny in the nation. Although we are very proud of our rating, we believe by treating people right our score will ultimately be reflected in our customers' satisfaction, which is what drives us to be elite. PSD: How long has Schmieding Produce been in business? SM: We celebrated our 80th year provid- ing quality produce nationwide last year. PSD: What would you like potential cus- tomers to know about Schmieding Produce? SM: We grow, pack and ship quality potatoes, onions, watermelons, sweet corn, pumpkins and other items from all major growing regions in the U.S. Schmieding is as large or larger than any other produce company and has the infra- structure in place to be one of your major suppliers. PSD: What's new at Schmieding? SM: Great question! About two years ago, Schmieding Produce was acquired by Woerner Holdings, Inc., a West Palm Beach, Florida based company which has about 10,000 acres of agri- cultural production in sev- eral major growing regions across the U.S. In addition to Schmieding Produce, Woerner Holdings acquired Canon Potato packing and stor- age facility and a 1,800 acre potato farm both located in the San Luis Valley of Colorado. They folded both entities into the Schmieding Produce platform. This enables us to have the vertical integration required to supply today's retailers and consumers. If that wasn't enough, Schmieding Produce also acquired "Nature's Choice" watermelons, which added enough production to supply almost 6,000 loads of watermelons from April-September of this year. PSD: It sounds like Schmieding Produce is in growth mode. What's next? SM: Absolutely, we have a full time director of mergers and acquisitions, and are actively looking for more food and agricultural companies to acquire in the near future. PSD: Where do you see pro- duce sales growth in the next year? SM: Obviously, specialty, organics, fresh cut and conven- ience packaging will continue to drive growth over the next year, but we also believe there are tremen- dous growth opportunities in conventional items. PSD: Tell our readers something about Schmieding Produce that may surprise people. SM: Schmieding Produce has a world class in-house transportation team that is dedicated to supplying our company and other major produce companies with logis- tic services. Transportation is the biggest challenge to any produce company and we can and do hire trucks for other companies. For more information, go to www.schmieding.com or stop by booth #5647. New at the Colorado Pavilion for 2017 Warm days, cool nights, high plains and broad, dry plateaus give way to some of the country's sweetest, juiciest fruit and crispest, most flavorful veg- etables. From potatoes, sweet corn and mushrooms to melons, chiles and let- tuce, Colorado grows a wide array of produce. So what's new on the Colorado produce scene? New to the Colorado Pavilion – the Colorado Mushroom Farm has been pro- ducing quality fresh mushrooms for 34 years. Colorado Mushroom Farm sup- plies fresh mushrooms to the intermoun- tain and southwest region of the U.S. The farm currently grows white and brown (crimini and portabella) mushrooms, marketed under the "Rakhra Mushrooms" label. Canon Potato presents the "Skinny Potato" – 100 calorie sized russet pota- toes, in a three-pound anti-greening bag – for both the waste- and waist-conscious consumer. Canon can also supply you with market onions, watermelons, sweet corn, pumpkins, organics, cabbage, sweet potatoes and squash, and sometimes green beans, cucumbers and peppers as well! Aspen Produce LLC has added organic russets, reds and yellow pota- toes to its line-up. Aspen is a grower, packer and shipper of fresh market potatoes. KC Trading returns to the Colorado Pavilion to assist with your needs for all pulse products along with popcorn, oil seeds and cereal grains. The Colorado Potato Administrative Committee can help you with all your fresh potato needs, from shipper and seed information to variety information. It can help you locate what you are looking for, as well as POS material, state and feder- al marketing regulations and finding the shipper that can fulfill all your potato needs. New at BING Beverage this year – Kombucha! Colorado's healthy food industry inspired the creation of BING Beverage, bring- ing consumers a great- tasting, healthy pick-me-up. BING is a refreshing, lightly carbonated, moderate- ly caffeinated and completely delicious fruit juice beverage in cherry, raspberry, blackberry and apple flavors. Every can boasts low calories, few sugars, five B vitamins and 100 percent daily value vitamin C. The Colorado Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association represents Colorado fresh fruit and vegetable farmers and can provide buyers with contacts for Colorado produce such as chile peppers, sweet corn, melons, onions, carrots, leafy greens, peaches, apples and more. From the eastern plains of Colorado's traditional farm country, to the prime fruit growing areas of the Western Slope, the potatoes of the San Luis Valley, and chiles of the Arkansas Valley, Colorado's diverse range of fruits and vegetables meets your customers' tastes. Mountain Valley Logistics, LLC places itself on the cutting edge of the industry in terms of the services and tech- nologies. You can expect up-to-date information as well as sound advice. It will help you and your company succeed at the highest level. All of Colorado's produce areas are centrally located and close to major U.S. and export markets. For more information on Colorado fruits and vegetables, visit booth #619 at the PMA Fresh Summit, go to www.colorado agriculture.com and www.colorado produce.org or call 303.869.9000. Stand Out with Fresh n' Sealed Tamper Evident Packages Food safety and style, all in one? Yes! Lacerta has launched multiple new prod- ucts under the Fresh n' Sealed tamper evident line of food containers. With Fresh n' Sealed you get both security and peace of mind, along with a great way to show off your food. The packages are designed so that once closed, they pro- vide security, leak resistance and fresh- ness. In order to open the package, a tear strip must be removed to gain access to the newly exposed tabs to remove the lid. This design makes it simple for con- sumers to see if the package has been tampered with. All of the containers are 100 percent recyclable, stackable, have flawless clarity and are easy to use. No shrink bands, no film, no added costs or complexities. When it comes to new packages, Lacerta looks at market trends and what its customers really need. Many of its products originally began in collab- oration with its customers, looking for something that was not in the market. To stand out on the shelf, Lacerta designed a line of round base to square top containers. The containers stack per- fectly on the shelves and come in 8, 10, 12, 16 and 24 ounces, all in the same footprint of 4.71 inches by 5 inches. The round base to square top is unique and interesting, just like your product. Lacerta's new square bowls offer a contemporary clean look that gives your food stand-out shelf appeal. Ranging from 8 to 48 ounces in three different footprints – 4.5 inches, 6 inches and 7.5 inches – they are the perfect way to make your food pop on the shelves. The containers were designed with sleek lines for salads, fresh cut produce, on-the-go foods and more. The smallest 4.5-inch square is available in 8, 12 and 16 ounces. The 6-inch ones are perfect for on-the-go salad with 24 and 32 ounces. The 7.5-inch foot- print also is available in 24, 32 and 48 ounces, both the 6-inch and 7.5-inch also offer a variety of multi-compartment film sealable inserts for all of the salad or snack toppings you could want. Having film sealable inserts extends shelf life, keeps your food fresh and offers a lot of options for assembling. Lacerta did not forget about multi- compartment containers and how versa- tile they can be. Lacerta added a square 4-compartment package with 16 ounces in each compartment, getting the perfect mix of 4 pounds of produce. Another new multi-compart- ment package features a compartment for a film sealed portion cup to be placed in, ideal for dips. About Lacerta Group, Inc. Lacerta is a family-owned manufacturer of plastic food packaging. From concept to prototyping, mold-mak- ing and production, Lacerta is a turnkey manufacturer of custom and stock pack- aging, including produce and party trays, herb clamshells, deli cups and more. The Fresh n' Sealed tamper evident line ranges from 1.5 to 120 ounces and has expanded to include parfaits, snack packs, leafy green containers and square bowls, to name a few. For more information, stop by booth #5610, visit www.lacerta.com or call 508.339.3312.