A promotional campaign for Chilean fruit called the “Super Fruit Bowl” is lining up with the National Football League’s Super Bowl.
To celebrate the Chilean summer fruit season, the campaign “invites consumers to discover the wide range of fresh fruits available from Chile during the winter months” and offers them a chance to win tickets to the NFL’s big game, according to a news release.
The release said the contest is running on ESPN.com and the ESPN app through Jan. 19, with Chilean fruit ads continuing into February.
“This campaign was such a natural fit for us,” Karen Brux, managing director of the Chilean Fresh Fruit Association. “We’re in the heart of the biggest season for Chilean fruit, with blueberries, cherries, grapes and stone fruit now arriving to North America. With a “super fruit bowl” available to U.S. consumers, this is a great opportunity to attract consumer attention and build awareness for Chilean fruit.”
The release said digital ads and videos appearing on ESPN.com and the ESPN app will direct consumers to a landing page where they can learn more about Chilean fruit and also enter to win two tickets and VIP passes to the Super Bowl, $1,000 in spending money and a one-night hotel stay.
The program is part of a larger promotional campaign for Chilean Fresh Fruit that will be running through April, according to the release.
HAMBURG, Germany – Carrier Transicold has added to its growing suite of digital solutions to boost container refrigeration operations with the introduction of the TripLINK™ digital tool, which remotely connects customers with vital shipment information and intelligence to improve visibility and efficiency of both reefer and the cargo. The system securely monitors and analyzes refrigeration machinery and cargo health globally 24 hours a day. Carrier Transicold is a part of Carrier, a leading global provider of innovative heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC), refrigeration, fire, security and building automation technologies.
The TripLINK software module is hosted in a secure cloud
infrastructure that can be accessed via smart phone, PC or tablet. The TripLINK
tool receives information that is wirelessly transmitted from a telematics
hardware module sitting inside the refrigerated container unit and connected to
the micro controller.
“The TripLINK tool empowers customers to make more informed
decisions for fleet operations based on key operational parameters and its
in-built data analytics capabilities, which provides a time and cost saving
benefit,” said Willy Yeo, director of marketing, Carrier Transicold.
Information provided to TripLINK tool users includes key
parameters such as set temperature, box temperature, in-range status, reefer
operating mode and ambient temperature. The TripLINK tool also provides
critical and non-critical alarm codes, their descriptions and specific calls to
action. In addition, container status data can be exported into PDF or Excel
files for analysis.
An optional feature of the TripLINK digital tool is the TripWise™
system that performs critical run-time diagnostics in the background while the
refrigeration unit is in operation, reducing the need for Pre-Trip Inspection
(PTI) tests, thus bringing savings to refrigerated container owners through
lower terminal operating expenses, higher throughput and decreased idle
time.
The TripLINK digital tool can be factory installed and is also
compatible with existing units in service, providing they have the
Micro-Link® 3 controller. For more information, visit www.transicold.carrier.com.
About Carrier Transicold
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 45 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.
As the early winter season in the U.S. gets underway, an unusually rainy season is coming to a close in Central America and the Caribbean.
Central American Produce Inc. of Pompano Beach, FL reports despite early season rains produce quality is good.
Central American imports papayas from Guatemala year-round, and the first watermelons, gala melons, cantaloupes and honeydews just got underway in the past week. The company also had praise for the melons from Honduras being imported.
There also have been recent arrivals of cantaloupe, honeydew and butternut squash.
HLB Specialties of Pompano Beach, FL experienced some delays in shipments due to rains in Honduras with rambutan. The firm also is importing rambutan from Guatemala, as well as papayas.
Thomas Produce of Calgary, Alberta has year around imports items from the Caribbean and Central American such as red and green Thai chili peppers.
Ecoripe Tropicals of Miami, FL imports product the year around from Central America. One example is okra, although its heaviest volume is from December to May. The company specializes in air arrivals so the product is extra-fresh, and supplement this with ocean arrivals. It also will have rambutan through January.
Brooks Tropicals of Homestead, FL will import Caribbean Red papaya into early spring. The operation also is importing SlimCado and limes in decent volume.
J&S Tropicals of Miami, FL imports tropical tuber line products from Costa Rica, Honduras and Ecuador. For example there is yucca roots used in stews and soups during the winter as well as malanga blanca,white yams and chayote. The company had 20 containers in a two-week time span; for a specialty item, that is pretty impressive.
“If that can perform well, that’s going to be a big deal for us,” he said.
U.S. apple exports to Mexico could should increase this season even Mexico is expected to have a larger crop.
The USDA’ s fresh deciduous report for fresh deciduous fruit for Mexico said although Mexico’s apple production is up 24 percent the removal of the 20 percent tariff last May could boost U.S. exports there.
The tariff was in place for nearly a year, as a retaliatory measure against U.S. tariffs on Mexican steel and aluminum. Mexican imports of U.S. apples dropped nearly 16 percent during this period in comparison to marketing year 2017-18, the USDA re;ported.
Mexican consumers remain price sensitive purchasers of fruit, according to the report.
With lower apple prices for marketing year 2019-20, the USDA said apple consumption in Mexico is expected to rebound, resulting in a slight decrease to pear consumption.
Mexican grape exports are forecast at high levels for the 2019-20 season.
The state of Sonora accounts for 85 percent of total table grape production in Mexico, and and 77 percent of the total planted area. Sonora has increased plantings over 20 percent in the last three years.
A 5 percent increase over last year is forecast for the 2019-20 Mexican blueberry export season by th National Association of Berries (Aneberries) in Mexico.
Exports should total about 44m metric tons (MT), with the heaviest volumes expected from January though March.
North America receives a whopping 97 percent of the fruit, while Europe accounts for 1.7 percent and Asia 0.5 percent.
Mexican blueberry shipments started in light volume last August. The latest figures from the USDA show as of November only 4,617MT of blueberries had been harvested.
Mexcian strawberries and blackberries are expecting similar volumes to last season, according to Aneberries.
Shipping containers in the port of Valparaiso, Chile
A 5 percent increase is estimated for Peruvian grape exports for the 2019-20 shipping season, according to a new estimate from the USDA.
Peru’s total grape exports will reach 402,000 metric tons in 2010-20, up 5 percent from a year ago. The forecast comes in the USDA’s Foreign Agricultural annual fruit report on Peru.
The U.S. was the primary export destination in 2018, accounting for 32 percent of Peru’s total exports. The U.S. was followed by Netherlands with 20 percent and Hong Kong with 11 percent of Peru’s grape shipments.
Increasing Production
Peruvian grape production continues to rise and will total around 648,000 metric tons in 2019-2020, a 3 percent increase compared with last season. d Peruvian grape production is fully recovered from the heavy rains of the 2017 El Niño and is expected to maintain an upward trend in the upcoming years. Peru has a dry coast with over 12 hours of sunlight per day year-round. Those conditions make it an ideal region for grape production, allowing growers in Peru to mature vines 55 pecent faster than in neighboring countries.
Peru’s grape production is mainly located in Ica (41 percent) and Piura (22 percent), with total area under cultivation totaling more than 79,000 acres.
February is the Idaho Potato Commission’s favorite month because it’s American Heart Month and Potato Lovers Month, making it a great time to celebrate Idaho potatoes.
In a national survey conducted by Kelton Global, consumers were asked to pick their favorite vegetable, and Idaho potatoes topped the chart. More than a quarter of Americans (26 percent) — or nearly 68 million — say Idaho potatoes are their favored choice over broccoli (19 percent), corn (14 percent) or leafy greens (14 percent).
“Every few years we survey folks on their vegetable preferences, and I’m pleased to report that Idaho potatoes continue to rank number one,” said Frank Muir, president and chief executive officer of IPC. “What’s not to love about the superfood? They’re nutritious and can be enjoyed hundreds of different ways.”
If you’re wondering how folks prefer to eat their spuds, mashed was the hands down winner (27 percent) followed by French fries (23 percent) and baked (22 percent).
More millennials than older generations (29 percent vs. 24 percent) claim mashed potatoes are their most chosen way to eat spuds.
Close to two in five (37 percent) Northeasterners say mashed is their favorite way to consume potatoes compared to far fewer (24 percent) Americans in other regions.
However, many folks are still in the dark when it comes to the potato’s impressive nutritional profile. Less than three in 10 Americans (28 percent) are aware that spuds are chock-full of potassium, a nutrient that plays an important role in heart health. More women than men (30 percent vs. 25 percent) are in the know that potatoes contain potassium.
The survey was conducted by Kelton Global Research Co. for the Idaho Potato Commission with a sample of 1,005 Americans aged 18 and over between Jan. 7 and Jan. 11.
Generations Farms LLC, a grower, shipper of onions in Vidalia, GA has been purchased by Optimum Agriculture. The buyout includes nearly 5,600 acres of land and packing/processing facilities.
The Vidalia, Ga., area operation is the former Stanley Farms, which began growing Vidalia onions in 1975, although R.T. Stanley began farming in 1964. It became Generation Farms in 2016 when it was purchased and merged with carrot company Coggins Farm, Lake Park.
Short term plans for the new owners is to ramp up production of onions and other items, according to a news release.
Optimum Agriculture, described as a global agricultural company focused on land acquisition and management, plans to continue to use the Generation Farms brand name on the onions, watermelon and other produce grown and marketed by the company.
Optimum ICD Holdings LLC is the new owner of the Generation Farms properties, trademark and land, which includes acreage in Tattnall and Toombs counties in Georgia. Terms of the transaction are not being disclosed, according to the release.
The new owners plan to increase production at Generation Farms, naming onions, watermelons, sweet potatoes, green beans, cabbage and sweet corn in the release.
“This acquisition is part of a long-term plan to maximize operational efficiencies by diversifying weather and harvest risks across states,” Gaston Marquevich, CEO of Optimum Agriculture, said in the release. “Our short-term objective is to increase the utilization of the facilities by increasing production and to deliver a constant supply of food to retailers throughout the year.”
Optimum plans to continue all current operations at Generation Farms, along with supplying previous customers. Marquevich welcomed Generation Farms’ employees to the company in the release.
Optimum ICD Holdings has two other U.S. properties, the El Maximo Ranch in Osceola County, Fla., and the Alico Pond Island Grove, a 1,364-acre property with citrus in the same county. Optimum’s U.S. office is in Miami.
In June, Grimmway Farms purchased the Lake Park, Ga., and northern Florida operations of Generation Farms. Those properties were not involved in the Optimum Agriculture sale.
Importers and distribution companies of winter Mexican produce are expecting normal volumes through Nogales, AZ, which is the heaviest the first quarter of the New Year.
West Mexican growers have a wide range of winter produce. Borders crossings into Nogales, AZ started in November, despite some planting delays.
IPR Fresh of Rio Rico, AZ sees an increase in squash this season. The firm’s soft squash started shipping in mid-October, and hard squash kicked off in early December and both should be available until mid-May.
The company also is shipping slicer cucumbers through mid-May, and European cucumbers into mid-April.
Tricar Sales Inc. of Nogales expects similar volume to last year on cucumbers, European cucumbers, eggplant, roma tomatoes, round tomatoes and Italian, yellow and gray squash.
Lisa Inc. of Nogales started with pickling cucumbers in October and jalapeño in late November. However, jalapeños loadings will be light indefinitely due to unfavorable growing conditions in southern Mexico.
Crown Jewels Produce of Nogales sees steady shipments of gray, yellow and green squash and eggplant until June. The company got underway with slicer cucumbers in September and should continue from three growing areas until July.
Vandervoet & Associates Inc. of Rio Rico was shipping watermelons and honeydews from Sonora until December and will move product from southern Mexico between mid-January and March.
Calixtro Distributing Co. Inc. of Nogales have a full line of winter vegetables from West Mexico through April.
Calixtro Distributing Co. Inc. in Nogales will offer a full line of winter produce from West Mexico, said salesman Frank Calixtro.
