Issue link: http://osercommunicationsgroup.uberflip.com/i/887670
Produce Show Daily 7 3 Friday, October 20, 2017 department is what we've successfully done in the deli department, which is walk the stores, find the voids and see what we can make as new and innovative products in a way to keep the category alive and fresh for customers. PSD: Do you have a formula for this or a special approach of some kind? AM: My mission and my company's mission is to find products that sell well, then attempt to add what I call the 'Formaggio Twist' to them to make them better. An example of that is our product line of salad mixers, Just Add Lettuce. Another example is Creative Crumbles. We're also making lunches better by developing a fresh and healthy lunch to go in a two compartment tray. Fresher, healthier, more convenient and ready-to-go. We think people will love them. PSD: The produce department is gener- ally known as the section where you Formaggio (Cont'd. from p. 1) would buy fresh fruits, vegetables and other produce. How do these fresh and healthy lunches to go fit in? AM: In this case, the Formaggio Twist is put into play by offering this absolutely fresh item by including the very ingredi- ents a customer would normally see around them in the produce department. These are the sources of freshness that the customer expects from the produce department packaged in an incredibly convenient two compartment tray includ- ing fresh produce and either a gluten-free cracker thin or one featuring a healthy grain aspect. PSD: You seem to have a clear direction where you'd like to see your company in the produce department. AM: The produce department is growing every day and Formaggio wants to be part of that growth. For more information, go to www .formaggiocheese.com or www.just addlettuce.com. fit for the Fresno-Coalinga climate con- ditions. Both do exceptionally well in the valley. Second, we wanted to focus on items that had the potential to deliver the greatest possible benefit for organic shoppers. Case in point, organic aspara- gus and blueberries are both super foods. PSD: Where else do you farm besides California, and why? ED: Once our organic farming of asparagus and blueberries matured in California, we started to get visitors from Mexico and Peru. Likeminded growers who were interested in organic farming, but were unsure of next steps and concerned by the complexities involved. My husband Don and I are sociable people; he was born in Kentucky while I came to California from Jalisco. We enjoy making friends with other farms. We have also seen a learning opportunity in the collaboration with farmers from far away, exchanging ideas of what works best in their cir- cumstances of organic farming. Eventually we bought land in Baja and built a facility, but in other cases we established joint ventures and long term farming agreements. PSD: Don't organic farmers and shop- pers often insist on locally grown? ED: Many do and I support the local farmers' markets most every weekend. However, the organic movement has to grow beyond the industrialized nations in order to make a lasting impact. We are not able to dictate arable land uti- lization in less developed nations and in some of the most fragile ecosystems Devine Organics (Cont'd. from p. 1) of our world, but we may be able to help promote organic farming in these regions and prevent the introduction of agrochemicals into the water tables. We believe that organic farming is a form of market driven environmental- ism. PSD: What does the future looks like for organic asparagus and blueberry farm- ing? ED: Conventional farming will be taken over by organic farming in asparagus in the next 20 years, maybe sooner. There will be a tipping point where large retail- ers will no longer carry conventional asparagus. Asparagus shoppers in gener- al are sophisticated and affluent; they demand organic and will pay for it. At one point it will also make no sense for retailers to carry conventional and organ- ic SKUs. The blueberry market has to further mature before the larger market will transition from conventional to organic. PSD: What does the future looks like for Devine Organics? ED: We continue to diversify our organ- ic farming in the United States, Mexico and Peru. We continue to search for microclimates that have plenty of water and an optimum climate to produce organic asparagus and blueberries. We will continue to not worry about the daily gyration of markets, but focus on servic- ing our customers with the freshest prod- ucts. We are humbled by the confidence and loyalty our customers show us and we hope to be deserving it well into the future. For more information, stop by booth #4401 or go to www.devineorganics.us. produce and floral industries. Using pro- prietary mineral technology embedded in the film, PEAKfresh products protect fruit, vegetables and flowers from decay and dehydration during long shipping and storage periods by removing damag- ing gases. Additionally, PEAKfresh tech- nology has an anti-fog treatment that removes condensation, stopping the growth of mold and bacteria while keep- ing humidity levels high. This is espe- cially important for surviving long hours in refrigeration and if breaks in the cold chain occur during transport. We offer box liners and pallet covers in both stan- dard and custom sizes, vented and non- vented, clear or colored film, and offer the ability to customize with your logo. PSD: What does Image Plastics & Packaging offer? GG: Image Plastics & Packaging pro- vides a wide variety of packaging includ- ing scientifically calculated laser micro- perforations developed to slow the aging process and increase shelf life. Products include stand up pouches and flat bags, labels, stretch film, RPC lids and more. We are both a manufacturer and distributor with operations here in the U.S. as well as overseas. Our experience in the produce industry is both in provid- ing operational materials as well as retail (store level) packaging. PSD: What developments or changes have there been in your business? GG: 2017 has been a fantastic year for us. Our PEAKfresh home use produce bag sales have increased 98 percent. PEAKfresh (Cont'd. from p. 1) This means more stores and markets throughout the U.S. are carrying our retail packs. We're in chains such as Woodman's, SuperValu, Super 1 Food and Piggly Wiggly. In addition to our PEAKfresh success, we've experienced tremendous growth with our micro per- forated MAP products – mainly stand up pouches with orders increasing more than tenfold. PSD: What do you attribute this success to? GG: Well, for PEAKfresh, I have creat- ed a dedicated sales team for our home use produce bags. Their job is to identi- fy the stores and markets that would be a good fit for our product and provide samples to the purchasing agents. Once purchasing tests the bags for them- selves, they almost immediately want to carry them in their stores. As for the micro perforated products, we are unique because we offer our clients a turn-key solution. By having overseas manufacturing, we are able to offer extremely competitive pricing. We have developers calculating and testing all products. We have two production team members for each client so that commu- nication is constant during U.S. work hours as well as during overseas hours. This ensures that there are no delays and projects complete on time. And with our volume of production, we have containers shipping almost every 1-2 weeks, which ensures reliable lead times. Our goal is to make the entire process as seamless as possible for our clients. For more information, go to www.peak freshusa.com or stop by booth #4309. Next, the staff and family are involved in tasting and choosing the winners. It's a fun and exciting way to engage with loyal customers. During the past few years, thousands of bloggers across the U.S. have reached out to Mooney Farms who have used its products in their home kitchens and post- ed reviews and videos from their own websites. Today, these are some of the most influential individuals who play an important role in creating brand aware- ness and help form the choices of their followers. Food bloggers are emerging as Mooney Farms (Cont'd. from p. 4) key influencers in determining consumer choices on brands, home cooking and restaurants, away from 'traditional' direct advertising. Mooney Farms' strong commitment to quality and consumer satisfaction is core to who it is and how it does busi- ness. Mooney Farms has an impeccable reputation in the industry and over the years it has gained this respect by consis- tently offering customers premium prod- ucts produced at its kosher certified, state-of-the-art facility. For more information, stop by booth #2822 or go to www.bellasunluci.com. not just about price. There is usually a price spread for a product in a certain region that can be affected by the quality, the quantity and even the size of the acreage produced by the grower. In addi- tion, because Snoboy buys such a huge volume from so many growers, the com- pany can offer its customers the advan- tage of consistent quality throughout the year, even when supply is scarce." Its proximity to the fields, orchards and production areas allows the branch's quality assurance staff to take an active role in determining what growers, fields or blocks of fields are chosen for cus- tomers. Being so close to the source, Snoboy (Cont'd. from p. 4) quality assurance staff can assure that raw product attributes meet strict written standards and specifications before pack- ing. The active role Snoboy takes on its customers' behalf means that customers receive produce with consistently high- quality levels of freshness, color, size and flavor. Snoboy delivers this any time of year to anywhere it is needed, regardless of weather or seasons. "If we are not saving customers time and trouble plus delivering the very best quality possible, we are not doing our job," said Richter. For more information, visit booth #1253 at Fresh Summit or visit online at www.amerifresh.com.