Posts Tagged “feature”
by New York Apple Sales & Red Jacket Orchards
Glenmont, N.Y. – This spring, the principals of Red Jacket Orchards (Geneva, N.Y.) and New York Apple Sales, Inc. (Glenmont, N.Y.) agreed to join their fresh apple marketing programs to provide better trucking service and more opportunities for their customers.
Red Jacket Orchards (RJO) is a powerhouse in the All Natural, Cold Pressed Juice and Cider category, and has built up the Red Jacket® brand in the beverage and fresh apple category over multiple family generations. New York Apple Sales (NYAS), likewise, is a multigenerational family business that has built a reputation for delivering high-quality apples to large retailers nationally as well as internationally.
“Bringing our two sales forces together to better serve the apple and juice markets only makes sense. Presently, we are serving customers at the same time with either fresh apples or fresh juice, and with today’s increasing pressure on trucking logistics combining our orders will greatly benefit both of our customers,” commented Mark Nicholson, Fresh Business President and Co-owner of RJO. “Our plan is for the RJO sales force to continue managing the juice sales, while NYAS will focus on the fresh apple category. Both teams will continue to concentrate on what they do best. Additionally, NYAS’s much larger distribution network will be a huge benefit for both our companies, and more importantly for our customers,” Nicholson added.
Mike Messler, Production and Logistics manager for New York Apple Sales said, “because of new federal regulations trucking can be a huge problem today. The cost of trucking is increasing while the availability of trucks is decreasing. Any consolidation of orders will benefit us all.
Also, the RJO juice plant is within 35 miles of the NYAS packing operation where the RJO apples will be packed.”
“RJO has built its brand for fresh apples for decades, and over the years has developed a sizeable following in New York City and other regional markets. We are pleased to now be able to continue the brand penetration with the RJO label in their existing markets as well as expanding into new markets,” commented John Cushing, VP of Sales for NYAS. “We are excited about having the RJO fresh apple brand in our wheelhouse. Already I can see the synergies that will take place with customers we are both serving. They do juice, we do apples. It is a great fit! In the future we expect that we can expand both categories.”
“Both of our companies have deep roots in the New York Apple industry. My Step-dad, Marty Michelson, founder of New York Apple Sales, and Joe Nicholson of RJO were both industry leaders in the N.Y. apple Industry. Both Joe and Marty were individual entrepreneurs, but they both shared a common goal to grow New York State’s apple industry. With our two companies working together today, we are continuing that goal,” said Kaari Stannard, owner of New York Apple Sales.
The Nicholson brothers couldn’t agree more. “The transition of a family business from one generation to the next is fraught with challenge, however, we just completed the most recent step in that process when Mark and I purchased our father’s portion of the company. Similar to how he spearheaded the company’s growth from a roadside retailer into a commercial apple grower, packer, and shipper after our grandfather retired in the early 1980’s, we have set our strategic goals high as well. Mark and I are intent on building a world class beverage company that is also well grounded in the production of its main raw ingredient in the apple orchard,” commented Brian Nicholson, CEO and Co-owner of RJO. “After examining the opportunities afforded by packing, selling, and distributing through NYAS, and specifically their Pomona Packing partners in Wolcott, N.Y., we decided to cease our fresh apple packing operations in Geneva and move our apples there,” added Brian. RJO will continue to pack summer fruits at their Geneva location.
About New York Apple Sales, Inc.
NYAS teams up with multiple growers and packing facilities located in all the major growing regions in New York State. Our goal is to deliver the best selection, competitive pricing, and superior fruit all year long.
About Red Jacket Orchards
Located in the beautiful Finger Lakes Region of New York State along the rolling hills of Seneca Lake, RJO has mastered the art of harvesting and pressing premium fruits and juices! Three generations of the Nicholson family have grown apples and summer fruits, including berries, currants, cherries, peaches, plums and the largest apricot orchard on the East Coast. Founded in 1958, what began as a local apple farm has grown to a 600-acre family orchard. In addition to producing fresh fare, we offer a range of cold-pressed, all-natural juices and pantry items.
Fewer Mexican avocado shipments are expected through September as there will be a transition from the old to the new crop.
Mission Produce Inc. of Oxnard, CA expects both the size of the fruit as well as the tonnage out of Mexico to be off a little through most of the month of September as the industry moves into the flora loca — or off-bloom — avocado crop, which bridges the gap between the old crop and the aventajada crop, which will get underway in the fall.
The company does not expect to see huge tonnage from the flora loca crop, although the fruit size should be fairly normal, but will lean toward the smaller sizes.
Although finding big fruit was a challenge in August and continues to be in September, for a driver hauling product, it doesn’t matter.
There also is expected to be higher quality avocados from the flora loca crop, than with the old crop, where the percentage of No. 2-grade fruit exceeded 20 percent.
Calavo Growers Inc. of Santa Paula, CA has noted the current summer crop from Mexico is pretty good, but it is not great. However, the company expects to see good volume out of Mexico this fall, similar to last year.
2016 was the first year Mexico had a smaller crop for export to the U.S., and now Mexico is coming back with its second good crop in a row.
The Giumarra Cos. of Los Angeles observes the Mexico avocado season has several blooms, allowing the country to ship product the year-round. As a result, Giumarra and many other U.S. avocado shippers rely heavily on Mexico.
Currently, California avocado shipments are winding down as the season comes to a close. Meanwhile, the Mexican flora loca crop is comparatively light. This is very typical as July, August and September always have fewer avocado shipments.
by Pear Bureau Northwest
PORTLAND, Ore. – The start of the Northwest pear harvest season kicks off with actress Amy Smart’s new role as official spokesperson for USA Pears. Known for her roles in hit films like Just Friends andThe Butterfly Effect, and her upcoming role in Tyson’s Run, Smart has also established herself as a trusted voice of sustainable living and healthy eating – even tending her own garden at home.
The 2018 harvest of Northwest pears, hand-picked and hand-packed with care by Pacific Northwest growers, is now available in grocery stores. Starting in early August with the picking of Bartlett and Starkrimson pears, the harvest season will last through late September with remaining varieties including Anjou, Bosc and Comice. This year’s harvest is estimated to yield 20.2 million standard boxes (average 44 lbs per box) of pears from Washington’s Wenatchee and Yakima districts and Oregon’s Mid-Columbia and Medford districts.
“Knowing where my food comes from is one of my highest priorities, and when I visited the Pacific Northwest to see the harvest for myself I was incredibly inspired by the pride and dedication of the pear growers,” says Smart. “Harvest time is a special time, and I’m so happy I could see the start of this year’s pear crop before it made its way to stores.”
Smart will be working with USA Pears throughout the 2018-19 pear season to share her favorite pear-inspired recipes, featuring many of the 10 varieties of pears, as well as important tips on how to enjoy pears to the fullest. The videos will correspond mostly to the seasonal promotional themes of Hand-picked Harvest, Holiday Inspiration, and nutrition. For the most part, these videos will be used on social media and in digital ads, as well as shared with retailers.
“We are excited to share our work with Amy Smart with consumers and retailers. Along with our other promotional efforts throughout the season, the videos with Amy Smart will show our commitment to engaging our audience and growing the demand for pears, as well as our ongoing work bringing enthusiasm to the category,” stated Kathy Stephenson, Marketing Communications Director of Pear Bureau Northwest.
The endorsement support was partially paid for by a Specialty Crop Block Grant from the Oregon Department of Agriculture on behalf of the Oregon State pear growers.
About Pear Bureau Northwest
Pear Bureau Northwest is a non-profit marketing organization established in 1931 to promote the fresh pears grown in Washington and Oregon, home to 88% of the US commercial fresh pear crop. The Bureau represents close to 900 grower families and partners with outlets throughout the world in an effort to increase overall success with the pear category. The organization provides marketing and merchandising expertise that is customized specifically for each retail organization, using its pear consumer research findings as well as individual store analysis using an in-house data system that measures pear category performance nationwide and third-party research to show retailers how they perform versus their competition.
About Amy Smart
After steady appearances as Alison on the television series Justified, Amy Smart can most recently be seen recurring on the hit CBS series MacGyver. Before that she appeared in the Lifetime Original film Sister Cities, alongside actresses Troian Bellisario, Stana Katic and Michelle Trachtenberg. She has several project that are scheduled to come out next year including Tyson’s Run with Rory Cochrane and Barkhad Abdi, and Brawler with Zach McGowan.
Outside of her acting career, Smart has been involved with a variety of philanthropic organizations. She was a speaker for Heal the Bay, an organization that works on cleaning up the ocean, for seven years. She was also previously named one of “Organic Style” magazine’s “Women with Organic Style”. The award is given to women who do inspiring things, making the world a better place. She presently sits on the board of directors for both the Environmental Media Association and Heal The Bay. She continues to work with the environmental advocacy groups Environment California and Best Friends Animal Society.
Brazilian mango shipments are underway, although purposely a little later than previous years.
Amazon Produce Network of Vineland, NJ has noted Brazil exporters delayed shipments to the U.S. . Initial arrivals to the U.S. have started arriving since Labor Day. The delay was possible as growers did not induce flowering as early as in past seasons. Total volume is estimated be only 1 percent lower than 2017.
Brazilian mango shipments are projected at 7.8 million boxes for the season with the season ending in mid December.
Haiti
J&C Tropicals of Miami, FL report mango shipping delays because of weather in both Haiti and Mexico.
Overall mango volume from Haiti are down 48 percent from the same time last year, with roughly 1.47 million boxes this year compared to 2.17 million in 2017.
Hurricanes in 2017 that were followed by heavy rains adversely affected the trees and the flowering stage. Because the season was launched late the 2018 season extended through the first week of September, compared to the 2017 season that ended at the end of July.
Mexico
Weather has also affected Mexican mango exports.
As for the northern Sinaloa area, it made its annual switch of varieties from kents to keitts, exports slowed. Southern Sinaloa this season was extremely dry cutting the length of season compared to a year ago. Exports should are now returning to normal volume.
Currently Mexican mango exports are 3 percent higher than a year ago at 69.65 million boxes compared to 67.84 million boxes in 2017. Mexico’s season begins in southern states (Chiapas, Oaxaca, Michoacan and Guerrero) followed by the northern states (Colima, Jalisco, Nayarit and Sinaloa).
As with any perishable produce commodity, weather related issues can suddenly adversely affect crops, but observers are reporting any such issues affecting the crop.
by California Pear Advisory Board
Sacramento, CA — With pear shipments higher than originally anticipated and ongoing harvest of multiple varieties, the California pear industry is perfectly positioned for fall.
“California Bartlett pear volume is coming in over 15 percent higher than the pre-season crop estimate,” said Chris Zanobini, executive director of the California Pear Advisory Board. “Quality and sizing have been exceptional for the fresh market and we are expecting strong availability through the fall.”
Zanobini said that as of August 21, California shippers have packed 1.6 million boxes of Bartletts and 300,000 boxes of Golden Bosc, Comice, French Butter and a number of red pear varieties.
“Bartlett harvest in the mountain districts is about halfway through and other varietal harvest is just beginning with strong availability of all varieties available now and through the fall,” said Zanobini. “Record high sugars and firm pressures are resulting in great shipping and eating pears this season.”
California pears are shipping throughout the country.
The organization has a strong social media program and is partnering with several chains to tell the story of local pear farmers like Chuck Baker, depicted in a video currently being shared with consumers and retailers as part of the Pear Advisory Board’s social marketing program.
All efforts are aimed at telling consumers the story of California pears which are sustainably raised by pear farming families who are growing pears on the same land as their great-great grandparents. This story is shared on the organization’s website various and social media channels
“September is officially Farm-to-Fork month in Sacramento – which bills itself as America’s Farm-to-Fork capital,” explained Zanobini. “With the strong volume and good quality now available, California pears are perfectly positioned for promotions throughout the months of September and October. We are pushing hard for support among California retailers whose customers demand locally-grown products when they are in season.”
California grape shipments got off to a slow start last spring for a number of reasons, but excellent volume and quality with not shipping gaps are seen through Thanksgiving.
Fruit Royale of Dinuba, CA describes the season as now being “off to the races.” There was a small overlap with Mexico, which slowed the start of the California grape shipments, plus hot weather in August slowed coloring of red and black grapes.
King Fresh Produce Inc. of Dinuba, CA, has estimated that California will ship 120 million cartons of fresh table grapes this season, 10 percent increase over the 109 million cartons shipped in 2017. This includes heavy volume with red, red, green and black grapes through Thanksgiving.
Chuck Olsen Co. of Visalia, CA, sees a crop of 110 million to 114 million cartons being shipped and is pleased with overall fruit quality and a good set.
Olsen explained that the natural shatter, which is a self-thinning process, was excellent this year producing large, loose grape bunches. “We have the makings of a very nice crop that is eating very well.”
Jasmine Vineyards Inc. of Delano, CA, also sees the San Joaquin Valley as being excellent, with uninterrupted supplies well into December. Although there was a slow start to the season, shipments picked up nicely in mid-August and peak loadings should continue into latter October.
Grapeman Farms, which markets it grapes through Stevco of Los Angeles is equally optimistic. It has reported quality as “phenomenal,” dispite a lot of hot weather in July and August, However, the growing season leading up to harvest was been perfect.
San Joaquin Valley grapes – grossing about $4100 to Dallas.
By New York Apple Sales
Storms and severe rains – that settled in over upstate and central New York in mid August caused massive flooding and damage to property, but for the apple crop, the rain was a benefit. Most growing areas were not in the path of the heaviest downpours, as much as 9 inches in certain areas, but rather received between .5 and up to 4.5 inches. Those amounts were perfect for apples.
New York Apple Sales is the largest and most geographically diverse shipper in the Eastern US. “Having orchards and shipping locations in all of the four major growing and packing regions of the state, help us provide consistent offerings for our customers,” remarked Kaari Stannard, President and Owner of NYAS. “While one area may be dryer than normal, other regions can make up the difference in size and volume.” she added.
Matt Wells, Director of Field Operations for New York Apple Sales, along with Dan Ingersoll, both report that the much-needed rain will greatly enhance the quality of this year’s crop. “The 2018 crop was in great shape prior to the recent weather patterns, a very clean crop that was developing nicely. The rain was a bonus that will help us finish off the crop, to perfection,” said Wells.
Dan Ingersoll, NYAS Field Scout remarked “I have been scouting and managing orchards for over 30 years, and the 2018 crop is one of the best I have seen. Usually we have a few varieties, that for one reason or another, will have some problems. This year, however, everything looks to be strong and clean. The crop is on schedule and growing nicely and the taste and appearance should be exceptional.”
“We are really excited about our special varieties such as SnapDragon, KORU, Premier Honeycrisp, EverCrisp and SweeTango. At this stage, they look awesome,” said John Cushing, VP of Marketing for NYAS. “We are ready to go, and anxious to kick of the sales year. We have now started shipping from the Hudson Valley, and soon the remainder of the state will start to harvest
Ginger Gold and early red summer apples are being packed. Next up will be Gala, as well as another traditional regional favorite, McIntosh, with Honeycrisp quickly following,” added Cushing.
By Sarah Jampel, Bon Appetit
Might I be so bold to throw my hat into the ring and call it The Summer of the Donut Peach?
Okay, so maybe it’s a stretch, but I’ve seen more squat, pancaked peaches—which are sweeter, milder, and less fuzzy than their spherical sibs—this year than ever before. What once seemed like a rarity, sold at only the fanciest grocery stores (when Florence Fabricant wrote about “a new kind of white peach” sold at Grace’s Marketplace in 1993, she called the fruit “juicy and luscious” though “peculiar” and “positively deformed”) has become commonplace: crates piled high at the farmers’ market, clamshells for sale at Whole Foods and on Fresh Direct. I love their name, their look, and their feel, and I can’t leave the market without buying at least one for each palm.
With such a funny shape (they’re like the Persian cats of peaches), you might assume there’s some funny business going on with their breeding. But flat peaches aren’t genetically-modified oddities at all: They’re the descendants of wild pan tao (also called peento) peaches from China, which were introduced to the US nearly 150 years ago. It wasn’t until the ‘60s and ‘70s, however, that scientists at Rutgers New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station hybridized the plants to produce hardier, frost-resistant trees with bigger, sweeter, peachier fruit. They called the fruit, low in acid and high in sugar, the Saturn (you can guess why).
Jerry Frecon, now a horticultural consultant and Rutgers professor emeritus, worked with Dr. Fred Hough to develop Saturn at the Agricultural Experiment Station, then, in the ‘80s, brought the variety to Stark Bro’s Nurseries and Orchards Co. in Missouri, which purchased the license to grow and sell the trees.
When the Stark Bro’s’ license for the Saturn peach expired in the early 2000s, more farmers were able to grow flat peaches than ever before, opening up the market and putting flat peaches in more stores. And since those early days, many more varieties of trademarked flat peaches have been introduced in US markets—Frecon estimates there are 15 to 20 kinds in this country, and many more around the world—as people have grafted and hybridized.
Cargo Data’s Boomerang 2 series combines the versatility of a reusable temperature recorder with the convenience of a built in high-graphic temperature chart display.
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Boomerang 2 can be configured to monitor temperatures as high as 296 degree F.
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20% DISCOUNT FOR MONTH OF SEPTEMBER 2018!
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By The Mushroom Council
Redwood Shores, CA – Big bowl. Small bowl. Rice bowl. Grain bowl. No matter the preferred bowl, you can always make it a better bowl with mushrooms.
For Mushroom Month, the Mushroom Council will be devoting September to reminding consumers and chefs about the health and taste benefits of making mushrooms the main ingredient in your favorite bowl build.
“Bowls are continuously ranking among the most trending foods among both foodservice and consumers, and there are plenty of reasons why,” said Bart Minor, president of the Mushroom Council. “For consumers, it’s the ultimate convergence of convenience and the globalization of cuisine. At foodservice, you couldn’t ask for a less expensive, more filling dish on the menu – after all, it’s mainly grains, veggies, and not a lot of meat.”
“When it comes to great bowls, mushrooms are the answer,” Minor added. “You need umami in a bowl build, and mushrooms will bring that meaty, satisfying umami flavor.”
Throughout Mushroom Month, the council’s “Build a Better Bowl with Mushrooms” campaign will engage with consumers, influencers and menu developers through a variety of activities, including:
- “Build a Better Bowl” recipes and videos sharing simple ideas for crafting delicious bowls starring mushrooms recipes.
- A September 26 Facebook Live session featuring Melissa d’Arabian demonstrating how to build a better bowl using mushrooms. Viewers who stay tuned throughout the whole segment will have a chance to answer a secret question to be entered to win special prizes.
- The Council spotlighting its Top 5 Bowls at Restaurants Nationwide, with chefs sharing why mushrooms are a must in their bowls. Restaurants include Bubu’s Zen Bowl (Denver, CO), Radio Room’s Barley Buddha Bowl (Portland, OR), ediBOL’s Ginger Sesame Bowl (Los Angeles, CA), Nourish Café’s Golden Gate Bowl (San Francisco, CA), and Sweetfin Poké Miso Eggplant & Shimeji Mushroom Bowl (Santa Monica, CA).
- Media outreach nationwide spotlighting favorite bowls.
- Social media “bowl polls” allowing audiences to vote for their favorite bowl of the week. Audience members who vote will be entered to win weekly giveaways.
For more information, visit the Mushroom Council’s Build a Better Bowl with Mushrooms feature at MushroomCouncil.com.
About The Mushroom Council:
The Mushroom Council is composed of fresh market producers or importers who average more than 500,000 pounds of mushrooms produced or imported annually. The mushroom program is authorized by the Mushroom Promotion, Research and Consumer Information Act of 1990 and is administered by the Mushroom Council under the supervision of the Agricultural Marketing Service.