Posts Tagged “featue”

Western Shipping Updates: Peppers Plus, Fresh Farm; and Sunions

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Here’s a shipping update on three companies in the Western U.S.

Peppers Plus LLC of Rio Rico, AZ began shipping peppers December 1st, and will continue shipping Mexican vegetables into the spring.

While the company will continue shipping green, red, yellow and orange blocky Bell peppers, it has discontinued shipping mesh-house bells.  Meanwhile the operation increased from 100 to 112 acres of peppers this season.

Peppers Plus also is shipping hard shell squash and will continue until about June 1st.  Peppers should wrap up in mid May.  The company has been expanding its growing operation on average of 10 to 15 percent per year.

Fresh Farm is Shipping

Fresh Farms’ winter vegetable program “will be up ten percent for every item,

The operation has been shipping green Bell peppers, pickles, eggplant and hard squash since mid November and should continue with good volume until May.

The firm’s English cucumbers will be shipped until mid-April.

Fresh Farms’ green bean shipping started earlier this month and was soon followed by yellow and bi-colored sweet corn.

The company’s organic program this season includes zucchini, yellow, butternut and spaghetti squash, as well as American and English cucumbers and green beans.

Sunions

Shipments of Sunion onions has got underway in its second season.

Sunions, a long-day sweet onion variety grown in Washington and Nevada, was developed by Nunhems Vegetable Seeds and is distributed by Generation Farms of Lake Park, GA;  Onions 52 LLC of Syracuse, UT and Peri & Sons Farms Inc. of Yerington, NV.

Unlike other long-day onions, Sunions actually become sweeter and tearless in storage, according to a news release.

Sunions are released for sale using a certification process that includes a sensory panel with the authority to determine Sunions ship dates, and the panel uses three separate tests for both flavor and tearlessness before releasing Sunions for shipping.

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Packaging Design Award For Side Delights Roastables

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FreshSolutionsby Fresh Solutions Network, LLC

San Francisco, CA – Fresh Solutions Network announced its packaging design award from Graphic Design USA, American Packaging Design Awards. The award celebrates Side Delights® Roastables fresh potato package design, with its vibrant color palette and rustic visuals, encouraging a perfect potato choice for dinner tonight.

“We had very clear objectives for the design team to express the potential of potatoes as a canvas for bold flavors, while providing the best packaging design on the market,” said Kathleen Triou, President and CEO of Fresh Solutions Network, “We designed the packaging with a very specific audience in mind; stimulating shoppers’ creativity both in-store and at home.”

Side Delights® Roastables are the finest quality, triple-washed, “Awesome Little Yellows,” “Rad Little Reds,” and “Red and Yellow Combo” petite potato varieties.  The packaging was designed to appeal to the growing, and coveted group of Millennial shoppers, who are self-described as adventurous with their food choices, frequently trying new recipes featuring fresh food items, and consider food preparation as an important feature of their lifestyle.

Side Delights® Roastables include sachets of delicious, Montana Mex spice blends made with pure, sustainably sourced, gluten-free, 100 percent natural spices.  These spice blends appeal to everyone with taste buds, and encourage recipe experimentation at home.

About Fresh Solutions Network, LLC:

Fresh Solutions Network is a group of family owned growers and shippers who choose to work together to make the potato and onion industry better for everyone. FSN helps fresh potato and onion buyers grow their categories, maximize category investment, and increase sales. FSN delivers category insights, collaborative innovation and customized assortment. Fresh Solutions Network, LLC partners are: Sterman Masser, Inc. (Masser Potato Farms and Keystone Potato Products in Sacramento and Hegins, PA), Michael Family Farms, Inc. (Urbana, OH), Basin Gold Cooperative, Inc. (Pasco, WA), Green Thumb Farms, Inc. (Fryeburg, ME), Red Isle Potato Growers, Ltd. (Prince Edward Island, Canada), NoKota Packers, Inc. (Buxton, ND), Sun-Glo of Idaho, Inc. (Sugar City, ID) and Mac Farms (Lake Wales, FL).

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Northwest Cherries Shipments are Coming Soon

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DSCN3914Washington cherry shipments, which typically provide some of the better produce rates, should get underway in late May.

The first cherry harvest in the Northwest is expect around May 20-25 — which could possibly be the earliest harvest in 25-years.  Washington state provides the bulk of cherry shipments, with lesser volume coming out Oregon and Idaho.

The early start for shipping should ensure heavy volume before traditional pre-Fourth of July deliveries.

The Washington crop is about seven days ahead of last year and 10 days ahead of the five-year average.

Northwest cherry shipments may hit 10 million cartons in June and possibly about the same amount in July.  Though no official estimate has been released, overall Northwest 2015 cherry ahipments are expected near 20 million cartons, down from about 23 million cartons a year ago.

However, truck loadings will come on earlier than in 2014.  This should result in heavy shipments throughout June leading up to the Independence Day holiday.

The Northwest cherry shipping season is typically about 85 days, and this year the shipping season will be closer to 80 days. The back end of the season in August will have a few less shipping days.

Washington Apple Shipments

Until cherry shipments take off, apples may be your best bet as a lot of product remains to be shipped this season.

Yakima and Wenatchee Valley apples – grossing about $4450 to Orlando.

 

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Webinar on Produce Trucking is Scheduled

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By the United Fresh Produce Association

The North American Produce Transportation Working Group (NAPTWG) will 102_0248host a webinar on produce transportation best practices on Wednesday, July 18 at 11:00 am PT/2:00 pm ET. The session will give an overview of the best practices and delve into the roles and responsibilities of the shipper, carrier and receiver in facilitating a seamless, safe, and sustainable global supply-chain. Speakers include industry veterans with varied perspectives: Dan Vaché, vice president of supply chain management, United Fresh; Doug Stoiber, vice president, L&M Transportation Services, Inc.; Jim Gordon, operations manager, Ippolito Fruit & Produce LTD.; and Doug Nelson, special services manager, Blue Book Services, Inc. A question and answer period will follow the presentation and the session will be posted on the website as a resource.
“As summer quickly approaches, the webinar will be especially valuable to anyone involved in the movement of perishables and refrigerated cargo via truck,” said Dan Vaché, vice president of supply chain management for United Fresh. “It’s vital that the entire industry be on the same page when dealing with the movement of fresh fruits and vegetables. We need to ensure the cold chain remains intact and to prevent complications in the distribution and delivery of our fresh and wholesome products.”
Registration is complimentary to all interested parties. Register now!

This is the first in a series of educational webinars the NAPTWG will hold. For more information, please visit the NAPTWG website, or contact Dan Vaché, vice president of supply chain management, at 425-629-6271.
The North American Produce Transportation Working Group (NAPTWG) is comprised of more than 25 national and regional produce industry associations, transportation service providers, grower/shippers and perishable receivers. In cooperation with United Fresh Produce Association, NAPTWG works to provide best practice resources to those involved in the fresh produce supply chain.

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