LOS ANGELES – The Giumarra Companies is expanding its domestic citrus program with the addition of a new influx of California-grown mandarins in October.
“We’re nearly tripling our domestic mandarin volume during a key timeframe when citrus is in high demand and health and wellness are still top of mind for consumers,” said Alex Marriott, Category Citrus Lead – Domestic for the Giumarra Companies. “Our overall citrus program is growing and we are well-positioned to service our retail partners with high quality, consistent supplies throughout fall and winter.”
The mandarins will be packed under Giumarra’s Bright Bites™ brand and are accompanied by the company’s full line of seasonal California citrus offerings, including oranges, Cara Caras, lemons, and grapefruit.
“Citrus is an important category to Giumarra’s core product line and we are building our program to become a one-stop shop for high-quality product, consolidation, and support services for our customers,” said Jeannine Martin, Director of Sales – Reedley and Corporate Vice President for the Giumarra Companies.
The Giumarra Companies offers citrus from domestic and international growers packed under its Nature’s Partner family of brands.
About the Giumarra Companies
The Giumarra Companies is a leading international network of fresh produce growers, distributors, and marketers that encompasses a world of flavor and freshness. Since its inception in 1922, the company has taken pride in a longstanding commitment to quality, service, and industry leadership. Products packed under Giumarra’s trusted family of brands are supported by a suite of top-tier services and enjoyed by consumers daily. Together with our partners, we’re feeding the world in a healthy way.
YUMA, AZ — Just in time for the annual Medjool date harvest, Bard Valley Natural Delights® shares Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) data showing a promising year for the category, and even more so for the Natural Delights brand.
According to IRI data pulled on June 27, 2021, the total Medjool date category is up 5.7% year over year (YOY). Bard Valley Natural Delights growth is up 6.4%, outpacing competitors and driving overall category growth.
Some key insights from this data also show that fixed weight packaged products are up 7.5% YOY, a trend that has been accelerated with the rising concerns with bulk products during COVID. The brand expects that shoppers will continue to prefer more packaged products in the 2021-22 year.
Organic product growth is up a staggering 14.5%. Bard Valley Natural Delights organic product growth is up 15% which, much like overall category growth, shows that the brand is leading organic category growth as well. Bard Valley Natural Delights continues to invest in organic products by converting many of their groves to USDA Certified Organic and broadening product lines to include both conventional and organic varieties.
“We’ve been meeting the needs of organic shoppers for several years now, so this data is encouraging as we continue to expand our product lines to include organic options,” added Baxter.
About Bard Valley Natural Delights®
Natural Delights® Medjool Dates, the leading Medjool date brand in the country, is a naturally sweet, whole fresh fruit grown in Bard Valley at the intersection of Arizona, California and Mexico where its very specific set of growing conditions are met.
Throughout the course of the pandemic, there have been shortages in many of the food products that we consume daily. One of the main food groups that have been in higher demand in recent times has been meat and poultry.
With recently renewed coronavirus restrictions at many processing plants, concerns have been raised that another meat and poultry shortage may be on the rise. In our Winchester, VA office, we work with some of the largest food processing companies in the United States. With understaffed processing plants due to the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic, the food supply chain for many of these companies has been lacking.
With all of the issues currently facing supply chains in our country, it is our job to make sure that we are working as efficiently as we can with our carriers to get meat and poultry on the shelves for our customers. Here’s how we do it.
One of the most important aspects of hauling perishables is working with a carrier that you can trust, with good equipment, experience, and an understanding of how things may go.
With meat shortages being a major concern for grocers across the country we need to make sure that the product gets to the final destination in perfect condition. One of the first things that we look for when potentially working with a carrier is if they have any history hauling high-value products. The more experience they have, the less likely they are to experience any potential problems. Asking them a few important questions to make sure they are the right carrier for the job is also essential.
We want to know the year of the reefer unit (needs to be 10 years or newer), the condition of the air chute, if they have the necessary load locks and straps to keep the product secure, and if the reefer unit is downloadable in case there are any temperature discrepancies at delivery.
These questions help us and the carrier make sure that the transaction goes as smoothly as possible from start to finish. Preparation and communication are both keys when transporting perishables. Having strong relationships with carriers is imperative just like with any other product, but when hauling perishables, the carrier must be also aware of the challenges that processing companies face.
These companies are experiencing major delays with loading times, leading to carriers being frustrated, which can further complicate the supply chain. We have experienced that when you make sure the carriers you work with are fully aware of what to expect from start to finish when hauling the load, things generally tend to go more smoothly. The last thing that we want is to have a carrier hand a load back while at the pick-up location because they did not know what to expect. When the carrier knows what they may be up against, they generally don’t get upset when delays are excessive, because they know that they can trust our word and that we will do the best we can for them at the end of the day.
With coronavirus restrictions at processing plants ramping up, these issues don’t seem like they will be going away soon. It is important that we work with our carriers to do the best we can for our customers in these difficult times. We need to be understanding of the current circumstances and do what we need to do to get the job done. Our mission is to serve our customers to the best of our abilities, and the only way to do that is to work with our carriers as a team.
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Matt Baldwin is a transportation broker with ALC Winchester, Va. Baldwin will be transferring to ALC Charlotte, NC to work on-site at McCall Farms. Matt has five years of experience in logistics and graduated with a marketing degree from Rutgers University.
ATHENS, GA– Carrier Transicold truck and trailer customers have a new edge for receiving best-in-class service for their transport refrigeration equipment: the BluEdge™ service platform, which is now fully available from Carrier Transicold’s dealer network across the United States and Canada. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier Global Corporation (NYSE: CARR), the leading global provider of healthy, safe and sustainable building and cold chain solutions.
“Maintaining the integrity of the cold chain is more important than ever, and the BluEdge service platform is designed to maximize uptime of truck and trailer refrigeration systems so that food, pharmaceuticals, biologics and other refrigerated goods move efficiently and reliably,” said Stuart Johnson, BluEdge commercial lead, Carrier Transicold.
Carrier’s BluEdge service platform offers three tiers of service that provide customers with a flexible range of options, adding augmented capabilities when integrated with Carrier Transicold’s eSolutions™ monitoring system.
Tier Offerings:
Core – Supplements the original equipment factory warranty with extended coverages for major components, the entire system or a more customized approach based on customer preferences.
Enhance – Provides scheduled preventive maintenance inspections with proactive replacement of parts such as belts, starters and alternators.
Elite – Protects through extended warranties plus preventive maintenance services resulting in the ultimate worry-free program for customers who demand the highest level of service, uptime and fiscal certainty.
All three BluEdge tiers offer parts pricing protection, expert diagnostics and repairs by factory-trained technicians at more than 180 Carrier Transicold dealer locations coast-to-coast. Depending on the tier selected, customers may add certain optional features, such as overtime and call-out coverages for emergency repairs, proactive inspections and centralized billing.
“The BluEdge program gives our fleet tremendous advantages, including extended warranty support from Carrier Transicold dealers throughout the nation,” said David Freymiller, CEO of Freymiller Inc., a leading refrigerated hauler based in Oklahoma City.
The fleet chose BluEdge Core coverage for its most recent acquisition of 190 X4™ 7300 trailer refrigeration units installed by Carrier Transicold dealer W&B Service Co. The extended major-component coverage is customized with a five-year transferrable warranty that Freymiller said provides “improved equipment value when it’s time to cycle out our used assets and peace of mind for trailer buyers.”
For fleets that use Carrier Transicold’s cloud-based eSolutions remote monitoring system, the BluEdge platform adds enhanced benefits not previously available thanks to the eSolutions system’s ability to monitor and analyze refrigeration unit equipment operation, in addition to logging temperatures and geographic information.
“When this diagnostic information is integrated with BluEdge service packages, dealers can proactively identify maintenance issues before they become problems for a fleet, which helps maximize uptime,” explained Carrier Transicold’s Johnson. “Additionally, fleets can receive comprehensive access to their equipment service and repair data through the cloud, and they receive savings up to 10% on their BluEdge coverages.”
Carrier Transicold helps improve transport and shipping of temperature-controlled cargoes with a complete line of equipment and services for refrigerated transport and cold chain visibility. For more than 50 years, Carrier Transicold has been an industry leader, providing customers around the world with advanced, energy-efficient and environmentally sustainable container refrigeration systems and generator sets, direct-drive and diesel truck units, and trailer refrigeration systems. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier Global Corporation, the leading global provider of healthy, safe and sustainable building and cold chain solutions. For more information, visit transicold.carrier.com. Follow Carrier on Twitter: @SmartColdChain, on Facebook at Carrier Transicold Truck/Trailer U.S. & Canada and on LinkedIn at Carrier Transicold Truck Trailer Refrigeration.
Fewer loadings are seen this season by Idaho-eastern Oregon onion shippers due to weather factors.
Snake River Produce of Nyssa, OR reports good supplies of all onion sizes, but the hot weather had a negative impact on yields.
The Idaho-Eastern Oregon onion growing region experienced temperatures hovering at or above 100 degrees beginning in late June. Combine the heat with a very dry and windy spring, yields are expected to be down from 2020.
Owyhee Produce of Parma, ID reports yields being down in the Treasure Valley significantly from both last year and the 5-year average.The company expects to be down 20% from its 5-year average, which would be off 30% to 40% from last year. Last year’s yields were 20% above normal.
California pomegranates are a true fall fruit, with nearly all shipments of whole fruit moved from September through December.
2020 shipments of pomegranates from California were up 7% from in 2019, according to the USDA.
Suppliers report a good outlook for the pomegranate crop, despite hot weather during the growing season.
Pomegranate harvest started the first week in September for Trinity Fruit Co. of Fresno, CA.
The company markets a proprietary variety called Aco from Israel in September, and wonderful pomegranates begin the first week of October. Organic wonderful pomegranates also will be available in October.
Trinity Fruit expects a similar crop to last year, except its early crop will significantly increase due to new plantings coming into production.
Because of hot weather, pomegranate coloring has been developing slower than usual, but quality is expected to be excellent. Whole fruit pomegranates will be marketed through December, while the company’s arils will continue into April.
Trinity Fruit reports increasing demand every year and this year is going to be no exception.
The company notes imports compliment California supply, resulting in nearly year-round availability of pomegranates and arils.
Flavor Tree Fruit Co. LLC. of Hanford, CA had its largest crop last year, and is expecting an even larger crop this season.
The company expects to ship about 1.3 million 25-pound cartons of pomegranates.
Flavor Tree Fruit Co. has an aril production facility in Kern County, which is a fast growing business. Aril shipments start at the end of October and continue through February, or March if quality is good.
Whole pomegranate shipments may continue until about the second week of January at Flavor Tree, just long enough to have some fruit for Super Bowl parties.
Port of Oakland first half 2021 total cargo volume increased 11.4 percent over 2020 and forecasters envision no letup.
The Port reported recently it handled the equivalent of 1.3 million 20-foot containers in the past six months. If the pace holds, the Port’s year-end volume would surpass 2.6 million containers for the first time ever.
“We’ve never seen this level of activity and based on the outlook we’re preparing for more,” said Port of Oakland Maritime Director Bryan Brandes. “Our challenge is serving customers who expect us to handle their cargo efficiently.”
The Port said a year-long boom in containerized U.S. imports is driving record business. It said the trend should continue based on three factors:
Record freight rates being charged by container shipping lines indicating high demand for vessel space;
Rising U.S. inflation that signals continued strong consumer spending on goods manufactured overseas; and
The upcoming August-November peak season when retailers and distributors stock up for holiday merchandising.
According to the Port, containerized import volume in Oakland has increased year-over-year for five consecutive months. Oakland reported that June 2021 imports were up 15 percent compared to the same period last year. Exports edged up 0.8 percent, the Port said.
Ports nationwide have reported difficulty keeping up with the unprecedented cargo surge. On average, vessels are loading and unloading 66 percent more cargo in Oakland than they did last year. One consequence has been cargo delivery delays. Oakland said it expects delays to ease by late summer with the addition of more dockworkers.
The dog days of summer are fading in the distance, and that signals the start of Stemilt’s new pear crop and the arrival of summer varieties.
The company is in full harvest mode on its Rushing Rivers® conventional and organic Bartlett and Starkrimson pears and packing fruit fresh to order now to spur the back-to-school rush and first promotions of the season at retail.
Stemilt’s summer and winter pear varieties are grown in the Wenatchee and Entiat River Valleys, where growing conditions are perfect for pears. Great airflow, a mountain climate that protects pears, and volcanic soils all combine to make these locales a pear farmer’s dream come true.
According to Stemilt marketing director Brianna Shales, early indicators point to a high-quality pear crop with a range of sizes for promotion and World Famous flavors.
“It’s hard to believe we are already at that intersection between the summer and fall seasons for produce, but that’s what the start of pear harvest always signals for me,” said Shales. “Starkrimson and Bartlett pears are the first to come off the tree for Stemilt and are ready to promote at retail during the transition to fall sets and fall flavors.”
Starkrimson is trending towards normal fruit size and opportunities to promote bulk and bags at retail. Stemilt has two pouch bag offerings for this bright red fruit, including the always-popular back-to-school pack Lil Snappers®. The 3lb. pouch bag of kid-size fruit is a great feature alongside first of the season bulk ads that feature red and green pears. Stemilt also has a larger 5lb. pouch bag pack in the Rushing Rivers® pear brand for its summer varieties.
“Starkrimson is a fantastic eating red pear and available for the early part of the pear season,” said Shales. “This year’s fruit is super juicy with high sugars and true dessert eating quality.”
Bartlett is the category leader at the front half of the pear season, and Stemilt is actively harvesting and packing both conventional and organic fruits now.
“Organic pears are a challenge to grow, but we’re a believer and long-time leader in them,” said Shales. “This year, we have increased volume on organic Bartlett as new acreage has come into organic production. Starting the season off with an organic Bartlett feature is a great way to build organic and pear sales.” On the conventional Bartlett side, Stemilt will have a similar size crop as last year and is harvesting fruit to help with season extension into February. Stemilt will have good supplies of bulk and bag sizes, but fewer jumbo-sized Bartletts this year.
In September, Stemilt started harvesting winter pear varieties, including Bosc and Concorde. D’Anjou pears harvest next and start shipping in October following a cold treatment and ripening process that ensures ready-to-eat fruit.
The U.S. port congestion is worsening, with the number of container ships waiting to enter the largest U.S. gateway for transpacific trade swelling to another pandemic record, Bloomberg reports.
The situation is adding delays and costs during peak season for companies to rebuild inventories.
Fifty-five vessels were anchored or idling further offshore waiting to offload at the twin ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach, California, as of September 13th, up from 40 two weeks ago, according to officials who monitor marine traffic in San Pedro Bay.
The average wait rose to 8.5 days compared with 7.6 in late August, according to L.A. port data.
L.A. officials have exhausted their designated anchorage space for overflow traffic and had a record 17 ships in so-called drift zones — areas used in times of extreme volume where they wait for room in shallower water to drop anchor safely.
The ships in queue have a combined capacity to carry nearly 375,000 20-foot containers, according to data compiled by the Marine Exchange of Southern California. That’s about the same amount of inbound boxes that the Los Angeles port handled in a month on average before the pandemic.
And experts don’t expect a slowdown in cargo as peak season nears.
There is a “60% increase in the inbound outbound ratio at the ports of US West Coast, surpassing the pre-covid levels, indicating that there is excessive stress on the ports, and therefore indicating further congestion is expected in the coming months as we approach the holiday season in the later part of the year,” Dr. Johannes Schlingmeier, co-founder and CEO of Container xChange, said in a press release.
Cargo volumes have been growing for several months. The Port of Long Beach has broken cargo monthly records in 12 of the last 13 month.
Through July, the port processed 5.5 million TEUs, a 32% increase over the same period last year, according to the Port of Long Beach. The Port of Los Angeles has processed 6.3 million TEUs in the 2021 calendar year.
Companies across the supply chain are taking action to mitigate the port congestion. Shippers are booking in advance even if it means paying more. Carriers are doubling orders for container ships, and 3PLs likes C.H. Robinson are applying drayage surcharges at ports in Long Beach and Los Angeles.
Customers are already shifting cargo to ports along the East Coast, Gulf or Pacific Northwest. The Southern California ports play a dominant role due to their capacity, but customers at Seko Logistics have been looking at charters to transport goods.
Allen Lund Company has announced that it has submitted and received approval for their current data submission to the SmartWay Transport Partnership, an innovative collaboration between U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the industry.
The SmartWay Transport Partnership provides a framework to assess the environmental and energy efficiency of goods movement supply chains.
Allen Lund Company will continue to contribute to the Partnership’s savings of 312 million barrels of oil, $41.8 billion on fuel costs and 133 metric tons of CO2, 2.6 million tons of NOx, and 109 million tons of PM… This is the equivalent of the annual electricity use in 20 million homes. By joining SmartWay Transport Partnership, Allen Lund Company demonstrates its strong environmental leadership and corporate responsibility.
Executive VP, Kenny Lund commented, “Allen Lund Company has been a proud participant in SmartWay for many years. We will continue to help the transportation industry to deliver goods in the most efficient way possible. Our experienced employees and cutting-edge technology allow carriers and shippers to run more loaded miles with less waiting and supply chain disruption.”
Developed jointly in early 2003 by EPA and Charter Partners represented by industry stakeholders, environmental groups, American Trucking Associations, and Business for Social Responsibility, this innovative program celebrated its 10-year anniversary in 2014. Partners rely upon SmartWay tools and approaches to track and reduce emissions and fuel use from goods movement. The Partnership currently has over 3,000 Partners including shipper, logistics companies, truck, rail, barge, and multimodal carriers.
