Archive For The “News” Category
Gotham Green, Brooklyn, N.Y., is opening a 30,000-square-foot hydroponic greenhouse in the Denver area to supply retailers in seven states.
The Aurora, Colo., facility is adjacent to Stanley Marketplace, a food hall/urban market, and an abandoned runway at the former Denver Stapleton Airport.
It’s the eighth greenhouse for the company, bringing its production capacity to nearly 35 million heads a year, according to a news release. Gotham Greens products will be available in 30 states.
The Aurora facility will supply retailers including Whole Foods Markets, Choice Markets and Alfalfa’s, and products include two new lettuce varieties, Crispy Green Leaf and Rocky Mountain Crunch. Gotham Greens also plans to work with restaurants and other foodservice operators as they open again, according to the release.
“Given the current pressures on our country’s food system, one thing is clear: the importance of strengthening our national food supply through decentralized, regional supply chains,” Viraj Puri, co-founder and CEO of Gotham Greens, said in the release. “Our business model has enabled us to remain nimble during these unprecedented times and continue to deliver fresh, locally-grown produce to customers and our communities.”
Beyond lettuces, the company grows basil and has branded dressings and dips. Gotham Greens dressings are available at Whole Foods nationwide.
“Although we never envisioned our Denver greenhouse opening and national salad dressing rollout happening during a global pandemic, we’re proud to be providing people across the country with healthy, fresh food options they can get excited about,” Puri said. “With the rise of cooking at home, we’re seeing consumers get creative and enjoy our dressings in a variety of different ways – as a savory dip, tangy marinate or freshly tossed with salad greens.”
Consumers are changing some of the ways they are buying and how they are navigating stores amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The information comes from a 2,000-person survey by Category Partners.
A little over 50 percent of respondents said they are purchasing more frozen foods and center-store items due to coronavirus, while roughly 40 percent said they are buying more fresh fruit, fresh vegetables, fresh meat and dairy for the same reason. On the flip side, roughly 20 percent said they were buying less fresh fruit, fresh vegetables and fresh meat.
Overall, the vast majority of consumers appear to be buying the same amount of fresh produce and meat or more amid the coronavirus crisis, according to Category Partners.
The firm found that shoppers 45 and younger in particular tend to be buying more fresh produce and other fresh items.
“This increase in food purchases among younger consumers makes sense,” Cara Ammon, senior vice president of research and market intel for Category Partners, said in a news release. “Many are now working from home, or unfortunately are at home due to furlough, and many may have children home from school.
“Families have gone from eating lunches and even breakfasts at work and school and eating many dinners on the run to eating all of their meals at home,” Ammon said. “That makes a huge difference in their grocery purchases.”
The firm’s survey also indicated a shift toward packaged items, with 46 percent of respondents saying they are buying more packaged items and 25 of respondents saying they are avoiding loose items. More than 40% report avoiding self-service items like products from salad bars or soup bars, and 35 percent say they are avoiding products requiring store staff to handle the food.
5Thirty-six percent of respondents noted they are using self-checkout more often.
“Consumers have made significant changes to just about every aspect of their grocery shopping behavior,” Ammon said. “It will be interesting to see how many of these changes continue once the COVID-19 pandemic is over. Some of these shopping behaviors may be here to stay.”
She noted that determining what consumers want at grocery retail will continue to be a moving target but that it is one worth pursuing.
“The lockdowns will end, the health crisis will abate, and consumers will have in-store and restaurant options once again,” Ammon said. “The larger economic pressures will linger a bit longer. The value to retailers and suppliers in being prepared to understand and offer solutions these consumers seek and need cannot be understated.”
BROWARD COUNTY, FL – Broward County’s Port Everglades is advancing $1.6 billion in infrastructure improvements that are underway and expected to be completed in the next five years.
“The COVID-19 pandemic is certainly impacting this year’s bottom line, but we are fortunate that Port Everglades’ diversified business sectors of cargo, cruise and petroleum can address a dip in one business sector and be balanced out with stability in other revenue-generating business sectors. As a result, Port Everglades has a history of financial success and has budgeted for several sizeable construction projects that are moving forward at a rapid pace with little disruption from the virus,” said Port Everglades’ Glenn Wiltshire, Acting Chief Executive & Port Director.
Containerized CargoUnderway is a $471 million berth expansion, the largest infrastructure project in the Port’s history. The Southport Turning Notch Extension will add new cargo berths by lengthening the Port’s existing turn-around area from 900 feet to 2,400 feet. Part of this effort includes installing crane rail infrastructure for new Super Post-Panamax container gantry cranes.
Three Super Post-Panamax container-handling gantry cranes, valued at $41 million, are currently being manufactured in China by Shanghai Zhenhua Heavy Industries Co., Ltd. Inc. (ZPMC) and expected to be in service by the end of 2020. The Port has an option to purchase three additional cranes within five years. The cranes are reportedly the largest low-profile container gantry cranes ever designed and built.
Deepening & Widening ChannelsThe U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is in the preconstruction engineering and design phase of deepening the Port’s navigation channels from 42 feet to 48-50 feet and widening narrower sections of the channel for safe vessel passage.
In February 2020, this project received $29.1 million in funding under the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers FY 2020 Work Plan. The funding will be used to build a new facility at U.S. Coast Guard Station Fort Lauderdale so the Intracoastal Waterway can be widened by 250 feet. Currently, this chokepoint in the channel puts operating restriction on large Neo-Panamax cargo ships, which affects their ability to transit past docked cruise ships. The Coast Guard Station reconfiguration is the first phase of the larger dredging project.
Cruise Parking GaragePort Everglades is building a new parking garage to serve Cruise Terminals 2 and 4. The new 1,818-space garage is currently under construction, with a Fall 2020 completion date. It will feature an air-conditioned bridge with moving walkways to deliver guests to Terminal 2, Princess Cruises’ prototype Ocean Medallion terminal. The Northport Garage, where passengers now park, will be dedicated to the Greater Fort Lauderdale Broward County Convention Center.
International Logistics CenterA new logistics center is being constructed at the Port through a public-private partnership with nationally recognized commercial developer CenterPoint Properties. The Port Everglades International Logistics Center, constructed on 16.657 acres of Port property, will be divided into two buildings with the southernmost building (±145,000 SF) scheduled to be completed by June 2020, and the northernmost building (±156,000 SF) slated for September 2020. The project will contain warehouse, refrigerated warehouse, office space, and cross-docking facilities, which will enhance the services available to shippers using Port Everglades. A portion of the logistics center will be activated as a Foreign-Trade Zone.
Petroleum Slip ImprovementsPort Everglades and its petroleum industry partners are expanding Slip 1 to allow larger tankers to dock and offload more cargo per ship at a faster rate. The project will create measurable efficiencies and economies of scale. Dovetailing with the relocation and upsizing of private industry’s loading arms and manifold, equipped with updated valves and elevated piping, Port Everglades will invest $90-100 million in seawall, fenders, mooring bollards, and roadway, extending the facility’s life by up to 75 years.
About Port Everglades’ GrowthPort Everglades’ growth is guided by a carefully researched comprehensive Master/Vision Plan that maps out capital improvements and operational efficiencies over the next five-, 10- and 20-year horizons. Today’s infrastructure projects, some of which are described here, resulted from the original Master/Vision Plan adopted 12 years ago. The Port updates the Plan every 2-5 years to consider market trends, new technology, community development and environmental initiatives. The Plan is a roadmap that has steered Port Everglades to becoming the third largest cruise port in the world, one of the nation’s largest containerized cargo ports and South Florida’s main hub for gasoline and jet fuel.
The Port Everglades Department is a self-supporting Enterprise Fund of Broward County, Florida government with operating revenues of almost $170.7 million in Fiscal Year 2019 (October 1, 2018 through September 30, 2019). It does not rely on local tax dollars for operations. The total value of economic activity related to Port Everglades is nearly $33 billion. More than 219,000 Florida jobs are impacted by the Port, including 13,037 people who work for companies that provide direct services to Port Everglades. For more information on Port Everglades, visit porteverglades.net or e-mail PortEverglades@broward.org.
Thought we’d pass a long this little gem from
Satchell Creek Express Inc that was posted of Facebook.
CAUTION!
Protests and Violent Riots are erupting in cities nationwide.
Use extreme caution while driving, especially through major cities and congested areas. Avoid these areas whenever possible, especially after dark.
Stay on major highways to avoid traffic congestion, and do not stop if confronted. Park in lighted areas at least 50 miles from all areas with protest or violent activity.
Be sure to keep adequate fuel in your truck so you do not need to make unplanned stops. Make sure to double check the routing through these areas when booking loads.
Most importantly, STAY SAFE!
By Bob Rose
Vice President, National Produce Sales
Allen Lund Company
My daughter is a smart and caring teacher of young children in Seattle. She has been out of work for months and is doing fine, but obviously concerned about the job she loves.
Teachers’ salaries deserve more debate, but we acknowledge the societal importance. While I understand some companies have no choice but to lay off their workforce, what is surprising is the substantial number of layoffs and even changes in compensation plans for those employees in essential businesses that our society depends on.
The first quarter of 2020 was difficult for the produce industry and transportation providers like the Allen Lund Company. We are proud of how our company remained loyal to our customer base while truck rates skyrocketed. We added people to our staff to fill in key spots, quickly adapted new protocols to maintain clean and safe work environments, and we are flexible with some of our team members working from home in order manage the needs of our customers during these difficult times.
As we speak, my 401K looks a lot less like Swiss cheese and feels more like I can breathe. I’m sure this is more of a reaction the world will come back from this over time and erase the initial reaction we were all doomed, which we are certainly not.
What we should see is a speeding up of certain trends that were going to happen, just a lot earlier than we all thought. Trends like home delivery and home health care are at full speed.
Produce should be foremost in our thoughts as a process of health and wellness. I would imagine restaurants, gyms, and sporting events will return, but I’m hoping it would be a safer, new normal that will be better for everyone in the future.
Our produce clients have many challenges going forward. Innovation is all around us as change can be very positive and profitable once we all get over the shock of the suddenness of this movement. Stores such as 7-11 were born from the off shoot of their primary business of selling ice before the invention of refrigeration.
We are witnessing much stronger communication and collaboration from all parties and are hopeful our new way of working will continue as these issues subside. We expect the utmost ethical business practices are used as the economy rebounds and we all work together to ensure a robust and hopefully v-curved economic recovery!
People in our industry have always been able to work through challenges and adapt to whatever curveball is thrown. We are smart, focused, and live in an ever-changing environment. We are resilient in our business practices and the current extraordinary circumstances will be met with a positive “get it done” attitude.
bob.rose@allenlund.com
A new facility that helps move imported fresh fruit quicker to retailers and foodservice operators has opened at Port Manatee, Palmetto, FL.
The transfer facility, which opened in early April, frees dock space by moving trailers to an area that can park 120 trailers, according to a news release. It optimizes capabilities for expedited cargo movement by freeing up room for up to 300 containers.
“The trailer transfer facility could not be coming online at a more encouraging time,” Carlos Buqueras, Port Manatee’s executive director, said in the release. “The enhanced efficiencies this new installation facilitates already are proving vital in best utilizing port acreage to accelerate shipments of imported fruits and vegetables to consumers.”
The 3.6-acre site cost $916,000. It serves shippers that include Del Monte Fresh Produce, which imports bananas, pineapples and avocados from Central and South America, and World Direct Shipping, which imports numerous perishables from Mexico.
“Strategic investments in infrastructure, such as this newest facility, are essential to Port Manatee’s ability to best serve its users and, moreover, the consumers of our region and beyond,” Priscilla Whisenant Trace, chairwoman of the Manatee County Port Authority said. “This is particularly important amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, as we maintain essential operations while steadfastly focused on safety and health.”
BROWARD COUNTY, FL – Port Everglades is the newest stop on Evergreen Line’s CAJ weekly container shipping service to and from Panama, Jamaica and Haiti. Florida International Terminal at Port Everglades is the marine terminal operator for Evergreen, which has ships slated for arrival on weekends beginning May 2, 2020.
“Evergreen is a worldwide name in ocean shipping. Their presence at Port Everglades creates the opportunity for expansion into the Asian market,” said Glenn Wiltshire, Acting Chief Executive & Port Director.
Evergreen will have three vessels in the service rotation, which will include calls at Manzanillo, Panama; Colon-Coco Solo, Panama; Kingston, Jamaica; Port Au Prince, Haiti; Port Everglades; New Orleans; Houston before returning to Manzanillo, Panama.
About Evergreen
Based in Taiwan, Evergreen Line provides efficient shipping transportation throughout its global service network. The company operates some 200 ships, providing a capacity of approximately 1,270,000 TEUs. Evergreen Line maintains agency offices at more than 110 countries around the world, each providing superior transport services for local customers. More information about Evergreen Line and its services can be found at evergreen-line.com.
About Port Everglades
A global powerhouse for international trade, Port Everglades handles more than one million TEUs annually (20-foot equivalent units, the industry standard measurement for container volumes) and serves as a gateway to Latin America, the Caribbean, and Europe. Located within the cities of Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Dania Beach, Florida, Port Everglades is in the heart of one of the world’s largest consumer regions, including a constant flow of approximately 112 million visitors statewide and 6 million residents within an 80-mile radius. Port Everglades has direct access to the interstate highway system and the Florida East Coast Railway’s 43-acre Intermodal Container Transfer Facility, and is closer to the Atlantic Shipping Lanes than any other Southeastern U.S. port. Ongoing capital improvements and expansion ensure that Port Everglades continues to handle future growth in container traffic. More information about Broward County’s Port Everglades is available at porteverglades
In recent years Texas has been accounting for a growing share of Mexican imports.
Grow Farms Texas of Donna notes volume gains range from Mexican berries to broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, and celery and the company believes this is only the beginning..
USDA statistics reveal 2019 crossings of Mexican open field tomatoes were twice as high in Pharr, Texas, compared with Nogales, Ariz., and crossings of Mexican adapted environment-grown tomatoes were just 9 percent less in Pharr than in Nogales.
An important factor in the growth of Mexican imports through South Texas is the proximity to population centers, especially in the eastern half of the U.S.
In the next five to 10 years, Grow Farm Texas believes avocados will continue to grow along with tomatoes, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, celery, lettuce and bell peppers.
USDA reports market shares for U.S. ports of entry for select commodities show:
- Avocados: Nogales, Ariz., 2 percent; Pharr, Texas, 45 percent; Tampa, Fla. (boat), 1 percent; Laredo, Texas, 51 percent, Otay Mesa, Calif., 1 percent; Progreso, Texas, 1 percent.
- Cauliflower: Pharr, Texas, 58 percent; Otay Mesa, Calif., 9 percent; Rio Grande City, Texas, 26 percent; Nogales, Ariz., 7 percent.
- Watermelon: Progreso, Texas, 21 percent; Rio Grande City, Texas, 3 percent; Pharr, Texas, 1 percent; Nogales, Ariz, 72 percent.
Freight volumes and rates took a hit in April thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic., according to transportation analysis firm DAT.
Transportation analysis company DAT of Portland, OR reports in a news release its DAT Truckload Volume Index, a measure of dry van, refrigerated (reefer) and flatbed loads moved by truckload carriers, fell 19 percent from March and 8 percent from April 2019.
“With so many businesses closed or operating at low capacity, truckload shipments have plunged, which put spot rates in dangerously low territory for owner-operators and small carriers,” Ken Adamo, chief of analytics at DAT, said in a news release. “Some carriers parked their trucks to wait for better business conditions, but there’s still lots of available capacity as a result of the low volumes, which has kept rates down.”
The April load-to-truck ratio for vans was 1.0 nationally, which DAT said was the lowest level since February 2016. In fact, for three weeks in April, the ratio was less than 1.0, meaning there were more trucks than freight posted on the DAT network, according to the release.
For the week of April 7, the USDA reported that fruit and vegetable truckload volumes were 110,327 (10,000-pound) units, down from about 147,016 units for the week of April 2 a year ago.
Spot reefer volumes were weak but ended April on an upward trend as fruit and vegetable harvests started to get underway. DAT said the reefer load-to-truck ratio was 1.7 in April compared to 5.6 loads per truck in March, matching at all-time low in April 2017.
The national average reefer spot rate was $1.92 per mile, down 25 cents compared to March and 23 cents lower year over year. according to DAT.
U.S. average diesel costs were much lower, at $2.39 per gallon in early May compared with $3.17 per gallon a year ago.
Truck Demand Should Improve
With the market bottoming out in April, the outlook should improve for truck demand.
Ratecast and Market Conditions Index—predictive metrics from DAT anticipate higher prices and volumes as states relax their stay-at-home orders, produce season begins and port markets like Los Angeles, Houston, Savannah, Ga. and Elizabeth, N.J., see more traffic.
“Carriers will not be able to sustain operations very long at current levels,” Adamo said in the release. “Spring produce shipping should offer some relief and put some needed upward pressure on prices in May.”
By Crowley Logistics
Crowley Logistics recently expanded its on-terminal, perishables handling capabilities by constructing a new USDA inspection dock in Port Everglades, Fla. The new $1.6 million dock has capacity for 80 refrigerated (reefer) containers, more than double the previous size, to better serve perishable shippers moving fruits and vegetables into the U.S. The new dock has individual shoreside power plugs for each reefer, allowing for continuous temperature control.
“This is a one-of-a-kind investment in the perishables market,” said Pat Collins, vice president, Crowley Logistics operations. “It allows for less handling time of the reefer container and cuts out the need to move the container to a separate location for separate USDA inspections. It also allows our trucking partners quicker access to assigned loads facilitating a quicker terminal turn time, allowing them to make more trips per day. Overall, it’s another upgrade we’ve made to more efficiently speed goods to market.”
Once a vessel arrives in Port Everglades, Crowley unloads the reefers first, which allows them to be immediately moved to the expanded dock for inspection and quickly released for immediate customer pick-up. If further inspection or fumigation services are required, Crowley offers a local service for that as well.
While reefers are at the inspection dock, they use electric power sources, allowing their diesel-powered generators to be turned off – a more environmentally friendly power option. The additional electric plugs expand the overall plug-in capacity for the terminal to over 260 plugs.
The new dock also has integrated features to promote safety for employees assigned to it. LED lighting facilitates brighter visibility for both our employees and our regulatory partners. Construction includes poured concrete and steel designed to withstand hurricane conditions and the everyday wear and tear of a marine terminal. And, the newly installed safety interlocked shore power receptacles have an LED indicator light to indicate to the reefer mechanic that the cable is energized.