PMA Fresh Magazine

fresh July 2014 Edition1

freshThe InnovaTIon Issue

o c to b e r 2 0 1 4

INSIDE: Technology-Driven Solutions and How They Are Reshaping the Industry’s Future

fresh October 2014 Edition 1

fresh

contentso c to b e r 2014

4 Welcome letter PMA’s President shares highlights from this issue of fresh

6 Up Front Green Circle Growers

8 Floral New benefits for PMA floral members

10 Global connections The PMA research team delivers key information

14 Global connections PMA Fruittrade Latin America

18 Global connections PMA Australia-New Zealand

22 Global connections Fresh Connections: Brazil

24 Global connections Fresh Connections: Southern Africa

26 science & technoloGy Genomics: an industry game-changer

28 indUstry talent Creating a great workplace

30 issUes leadership PMA’s approach to issues facing the produce and floral industries

12

40

64

continued

Love is in the air.

The StoryFounder and CEO, Pierre Sleiman, 28, was honored by President Obama as the “Champion of Change” in “The Futureof Agriculture” in July of 2014. Go Green has become the trendsetter in organic hydroponic greenhouse growing. Our specialty is year-round, consistent, high-quality produce with an emphasis on food safety, sustainability and customer service. Our mission is to be the first company to build super-sustainable [urban] farms across the countryto serve its local region.

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Primus Labs

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Come see us at PMA—Booth Number 4632

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The LineupGreen Butter LettuceRed Butter LettuceBloomsdale SpinachGreen KaleBlack KaleBasil

The Promise• Harvested and delivered in hours• Year-round availability• One price all year• PrimusGFSI, HACCP & Organic certified

Fresh Magazine_FINAL_October 2014_Layout 1 9/18/14 10:41 AM Page 1

FEATURES32 all in For innovation

34 Food and Technology Collide in California38 Applying Technology to Track Produce

in the Americas40 Urban Produce Promotes Efficiencies

of Vertical Farming42 Use of PLU Codes Expanding into Mexico43 Bayer CropScience Brings

Innovation to the Field45 Chinese Consumers Shop

Online for Fresh Produce47 Dealing with the Challenges

of Executive Searches in the Produce Industry

48 International Paper: Packaging Innovators

50 Freshlogic Pushes Innovation Forward, Down Under in Australia

52 ‘eat brighter!’ Momentum is building for this important movement

54 Fresh sUmmit Say hello to the future

58 pma’s impact aWard Recognizing innovation and excellence in packaging

2 fresh October 2014 Edition2

contents

60 member proFile Goodfarmer

62 member proFile The Gems Group

64 member proFile Package Containers, Inc.

66 member proFile Heat and Control

68 annUal partner proFile Progressive Produce

70 pma FoUndation Thank you to the Industry Talent Fund Contributors

72 UpcominG pma and pma FoUndation events Save the date!

73 Welcome neW pma members

74 pma Gold circle campaiGn contribUtors

76 last Word Fresh Summit Firsts

76

For subscriptions and address changes, call +1 (302) 738-7100.

to view past issues, visit the resources page at pma.com.

editorial offices: [email protected]

advertising offices: [email protected]

member services: [email protected]

© 2014 by produce marketing association.

all rights reserved. materials may not be reproduced or translated without permission.

Executive EditorElizabeth Rich

Managing EditorDeryn Zakielarz

Art DirectorMarilyn Steranko

Design DirectorKelly Carter

Production ManagerMary Lenhoff

Copy EditorsToni Eaton

Danielle Vickery

Advertising Sales ManagerRobyn Florio

fresh

fresh October 2014 Edition4

In the last issue of fresh, I mentioned how PMA’s Foodservice Convention & Expo would provide oppor-tunities for our supply chain to innovate the use of fresh fruits and vegetables on menus and at restaurants.

After witnessing those innovations first hand at our record-breaking event, I’m excited about the possi-bilities for further industry innovation (be they in the form of new technologies, new products, new market-ing techniques, etc.) as we look toward Fresh Summit 2014, Oct. 17-19 in Anaheim, California.

This edition of fresh will give you some food for thought as you prepare for Fresh Summit. Some of the topics we’re covering are:

• Insights from industry leaders on a variety of topics including using “big data” in everyday business practic-es, venture capitalists’ interest in our industry, demand creation activities to increase consumption, natural resource constraints, global economic trends, and more.

• Highlights from our global events, including Fresh Connections in the Netherlands, South Africa, and Bra-zil, along with some important news from our Australia-New Zealand affiliate.

• An update on the ‘eat brighter!’ movement and our Issues Leadership focus.

• A preview of what you’ll see and experience at Fresh Summit 2014.

Before we know it, we’ll be together in Anaheim at Fresh Summit. I hope you’ll be among the many pro-duce and floral industry leaders from around the world as we share ideas, create connections, and explore tomorrow’s trends.

welcome

Sincerely,

Cathy BurnsPresidentProduce Marketing Association

RAINIER FRUIT_8.5” x 10” FRESH_Fall 2014 Insertion

Sam, the apple taster.In fourteen short years with Rainier, Sam worked his way up from packing to shipping to pre-size, and now Quality Control Manager. Sam tastes apples all day long to make sure that you have a truly wonderful eating experience. Sure, he also has gadgets like refractometers to measure sugar content, and a full quality control team for support, but his taste buds let him know when the fruit is at its best. It’s the personal touch.

RAINIER EMPLOYEES MAKING A DIFFERENCE.


1. How far in advance do you start planning?

“We started right after last year’s event ended. We reviewed how the show went as soon as we got home so we could start gathering ideas for the next year. We started planning booth design for this year about six months ago.”

2. How have you changed your approach to Fresh Summit over the years? Is there something you tried that didn’t work? Is there something new you’re planning to try this year?

“2014 will be our second year at the show. 2013 was a great show for us so we decided to get a bigger booth for 2014 so we could bring our large structure. For 2014, we are changing up our usual displays with a more creative approach and we are very excited about it.”

3. What are the logistics like? (How many people do you send? Do you have a display you have to ship or drive to the show ?)

“With the show in Anaheim this year, the logistics from Ohio demand a lot of atten-tion. We will most likely send one truck to an advance warehouse and one direct with product. The show is so big we want to make

Green Circle Growers, based in Oberlin, OhioStephanie Simmons Director, Marketing & Merchandising

sure our structure gets to the booth early so the team can begin work on our display. We are sending four people to set up the booth, along with our contractor for the structure. It will take two full days to complete.”

4. How important do you think giveaways or swag are?

“I think it’s an important element to a trade-show strategy when it either significantly drives business or ties into the brand in a meaningful way. As a marketing profession-al this is a general rule of thumb. So often people just give out a pen, but that doesn’t tie in to the brand or make it memorable; it’s often money wasted.”

The idea of a trade show is to get people to your booth, and swag does just that. Often, in the bag people get upon entry to the event, I will put a coupon they can bring to the booth in order to get free items or sign up for something. Or, I’ve put a key in the bag so that people who stop by the booth can try to “unlock a prize.” I’ve also done email campaigns where I instruct people to bring a copy of the email letter to the booth so they can register to win a free iPad.

Try to make swag or prizes more engaging. If, for example, your business promotes rest

up front

and relaxation, then use a free vacation as a prize. It’s not directly related to your busi-ness, but it matches what you try to inspire.”

5. Do you get business from these events or is it more of a way to introduce yourself and product to people/businesses in your industry?

“Our primary goal is to get business. We look at any event in front of customers as a way to get more business, as well as a way to show them what we’re bringing to the market. We also get to know the industry and the people. If you’re spending $30,000 on a trade show, however, it isn’t going to be just about getting to know people; it’s about expanding business.”

6. When looking at displays, what catches your eye? How do you create an enticing presentation?

“In our booths, color blocking is key. More of the same color/plants makes more of an impact than all different types of plants. Try to make an impact that inspires the booth visitors; show them something unique and inspiring.”

7. Please share your advice for someone who is participating in Fresh Summit for the first time.

“Look to inspire. Combine an inspirational space with a straight-up retail display. Give them a taste of how this looks and feels on the shelf and be sure to include your bread-and-butter products, along with the inspiration.”

8. Do you have a goal/end result that you’d like to reach when attending and displaying at this event?

“Fresh Summit is a great show for us be-cause more influential people attend and we get to catch their eye. It’s not very often you get to make an impression on each level of the organization.”

Prepping for the “big show” can be daunting if you’ve never done it before. So we asked for advice from the staff at Green Circle Growers, considered one of the largest greenhouse operations in the Midwest. Green Circle Growers provide plants to area stores such as Home Depot, Heinen’s, Sam’s Club and Giant Eagle. They are returning for the second time at this year’s Fresh Summit in Anaheim, California, on Oct. 17-19.

F LO R a L

8 fresh October 2014 Edition

Enhancing Member Networking and Industry Research

There are lots of new benefits in bloom for PMA floral members this season. Industry research pre-dicts that by 2016, the U.S. floral market will reach the $3 billion benchmark. To prepare for and lead that kind of growth, PMA Floral has been investing in expanding its knowledge of the global market and finding fresh ways to connect industry mem-bers. Becky Roberts, director of floral for PMA, says that for the coming year, “we have plans to continue our current initiatives and add a standalone Floral Fresh Connections, provide additional research on color trends, engage more floral buyers, and grow the floral community even more.” In the meantime,

here’s what we’ve been up to this year:

NETwORkiNGThis summer, we held the Floral Town Hall in Miami

for a day of networking and brainstorming with members about how to create more value for mem-bers and innovate in floral marketing. Attendees in-cluded Floral Council Chairman Joe Don Zetzsche of H-E-B, Kathleen Martin of Sam’s Club, and Cindy Rapshus of Bi-Lo/Winn-Dixie, among others.

At the Fresh Summit Convention & Expo this October, floral will have its own designated work-shops, special pricing for floral members, and an exposition pavilion. There will be a floral-specific reception as well as a special networking event with floral buyers. We’ll also announce the winner of our Floral Marketer of the Year award. We began accepting nominations in the spring of 2014 for floral professionals dedicated to the mass market floral industry and leadership. Past winners com-prise the judging committee and this year includes Harrison Higaki, President, Bay City Flower Compa-ny; Bill Byland, Vice President, Micky’s Minis; Dr. Ter-ril Nell, Retired Professor and Chair of University of Florida’s Environmental Horticulture Department; Traci Adams, Vice President, Corporate Floral, Safe-way, Inc.; and, again, Joe Don Zetzsche, Director of Floral, H-E-B.

RESEARChDid you know that the United States floral mar-

ket set a new record in 2013 with sales of $36.3 bil-

lion, and in 2016 sales are expected to reach $38.5 billion? And that the majority of cut flowers sold in Germany are exported from the Netherlands? In collaboration with the PMA global research and de-velopment team and Euromonitor, we’ve commis-sioned various country-specific overviews of the floral market and production in international mar-kets. The reports are available to PMA members via our website. So far, we’ve looked into the Russian, German, and U.K. floral markets and have reports available on production in Colombia, Ecuador, Ke-nya, Ethiopia, the Netherlands, China, Malaysia, and Zimbabwe. Knowing what markets are growing and how developing markets are progressing is vi-tal to our retail members, and in the coming year we plan on expanding our research for members.

We’re also exploring how science and technol-ogy are working for the floral industry. This means research into color trends and examining how re-tailers are using social media like Pinterest to en-gage buyers. There are also guides and protocols for marketing container plants, so retailers and sup-pliers can be in compliance with legal guidelines for selling “packaged products,” along with informa-tion on using floral GTIN and UPC codes.

It’s not a bad time to be in the global floral mar-ket, which is why PMA continues to expand its own floral group and collaborate with other sectors of the PMA network for events and research opportu-nities. More information on floral member benefits and the Floral Council can be found on our website at pma.com/topics/floral.

by Karen Fratti

Becky Roberts, PMA’s Director of Leadership Relations, has served the produce and floral industry for 17 years and has focused on volunteer leaders and member relations. As staff liaison for the PMA Floral Council, Becky has spent the last 5 years assessing floral industry needs includ-ing research and educational programming.


G LO B a L CO N N E C T I O N S

PMA Puts the Power of Research into Members’ Hands

Gina Jones, vice president for research and de-velopment at PMA, says that “in the past, members might ask us ‘how many watermelons were con-sumed last year,’ but now it’s more like ‘what’s the state of fresh cut in India?’ What’s new is the depth of knowledge and expertise in-house and the depths of the partnerships we made.”

One partnership is with CEB Iconoculture, which provides us with global consumer trends. Says Jones, “If we want to know the eating habits of chil-dren in the U.K., we call them up and they help us dig into that. It’s about tools to lean on.”

But it’s not just about making phone calls. “We also partnered The Hartman Group,” explains Jones. “We choose about three studies a year that we support, and then we provide on our website and the Hartman Group actually delivers results to our members via webinar, so it’s another benefit.” These studies “help our members leverage a generation that that will comprise one in three adult Americans by 2020, understand how technology has changed our business models, and negotiate the natural and organic landscape.”

(The study, Millennial Consumer Trends, was re-leased in July 2014. The other two, Digital Food Life and Organic and Natural, are set to be released in September 2014 and November 2014, respectively.)

Working with Euromonitor, the PMA research team is able to provide information to its members about the global produce and floral industry.

We live in a data-driven world. Whether we’re checking up on the chance of precipitation on our cellphones or want to know the demographic break-down of our hometowns, the facts are always clicks (and maybe a phone call or two) away. Facts and per-centages are easy. It’s the trends and projections and patterns that are hard to get your hands on.

PMA has always been dedicated to getting members the data they need. In the past year, we’ve expanded our research capabilities and in-house expertise. We’ve also made some strategic partnerships to collaborate on consumer-trend and trade-flow studies and country-specific profiles so our members know where to do business and how to go about it. It’s about the power of expert ana-lysts on PMA’s research team.

millennial consumer trends and digital Food life

by Karen Fratti

Gina Jones, PMA’s Vice President, Research/Value Development, joined PMA more than 10 years ago with over 20 years’ experience in market research. With expertise in the business-to-business field, Gina leads PMA in identifying member needs and product development.

With country-specific overviews, PMA can in-form its members on almost everything they need to consider before doing business in a country. Current overviews available to members include Angola, Russia, Germany, Nigeria, and the United Kingdom.

Jones explains, “If a member in South America is sending a product to the U.S. and Europe and Asia, we help them get information on the consumer market in those countries. This year, we highlighted African countries because we know that in 10 years, that’s where growth is going to be. We’re already starting to dig into what’s going on in those coun-tries, so members will know before they set up in, say, Nigeria.”

In all, the new research practice at PMA is about investigating and addressing key topics such as

competencies needed to lead in today’s market-place, global consumer trends on the horizon that may affect our members, industry issues worldwide, and emerging technologies that will help grow our industry, according to Jones. It’s about making bet-ter business decisions, not just using current data, but being able to project where the industry is headed in the future.

For the PMA global research team, it’s not just about comparing apples to oranges, but delving into why consumers want them and who’s going to be supplying them next.

All of the research is available to members via the PMA website. The research and development analysts also post research on other aspects of the industry there as well, such as overviews of the U.S. foodservice and floral industries.



PMA Announces Inaugural event:

PMA Fruittrade Latin AmericaNovember 12-13, Santiago, Chile

A new event is about to be born. PMA Fruit-trade Latin America, which will be held Nov. 12-13, 2014 in Santiago, Chile, will become THE place to do business in South America. The event will at-tract 2,250 industry leaders from around the world, feature more than 90 exhibitors, provide informa-tive educational sessions and offer the International

Business Round Table, which matches buyers and suppliers for one-on-one meetings.

PMA Fruittrade is a partnership between Pro-duce Marketing Association (PMA), Chilean grower association Fedefruta and media organization Yent-zen Group. This collaboration connects PMA’s ex-tensive network of global buyers and outreach

by Karen Fratti


“This new collaboration is part of PMA’s strategy to link members to the people, markets and insights needed to grow business and increase consump-tion. PMA Fruittrade is designed to help produce and floral companies build connections — to the experts, ideas, trends, and talent needed to build consumer demand for the products they grow, ship, and sell.”

Latin America is a crucial place to hold a global produce industry event. Approximately 65 percent of the fruit imported into the United States comes from Central and South America; and, if you include Mexico, the number jumps to 91 percent of all im-ported fruit. Of course, Europe and Asia are also key markets. China alone bought 70 percent of Chilean cherries this past season.

PMA Fruittrade offers global retailers and im-porters a chance to do business with Latin Ameri-can suppliers at a crucial time of the year. Educa-tional sessions will focus on competition from other international markets, the impact of climate change, and economic issues surrounding trade flows.

PMA Fruittrade is grateful for the extensive sup-port of ProChile and the generous sponsorships of the Gold Sponsors Naturipe, Obeikanmdf de Espa-ña, Scotiabank, Rabobank and Tattersall.

You can still find sponsor and exhibit opportu-nities, register, and find a full schedule of speakers and events at www.pmafruittrade.com.

to the full supply chain with Fedefruta’s depth in Chile’s growers and suppliers and Yentzen Group’s media coverage through their Spanish, English, and Chinese portals.

Representatives from supermarket chains such as Kroger, Tesco, Sam’s Club, Costco, Associated Wholesale Growers (US), Grupo Pão de Açúcar (Bra-zil), Ahold (the Netherlands), Spinney’s (Dubai), and La Anonima (Argentina), among many others, will be on hand to meet with Latin American suppliers. Global agricultural trade is what Nancy Tucker, vice president of global business development for PMA, calls the “life-blood” of South America. She says

event sponsors:



PMA Fresh connections: Australia-New Zealand

Innovate. Collaborate. Thrive.lia-New Zealand CEO Michael Worthington, “there is always a keen rivalry between the two countries which leads to lots of good-hearted banter, so the atmosphere was great. But at the end of the day it was the high quality speakers, all presenting differ-ent topics under the conference theme of ‘Innovate. Collaborate. Thrive.’ and the vibrant trade show that really made it such a success.”

The retailers were there in force, with New Zea-land retailer Foodstuffs bringing more than 100 of their store owners and produce managers. Ronan Bowles, Business Manager, Produce Imports for Foodstuffs North Island Ltd, said the event was a continuation of the great conferences held each year in Australia: “It gave our members a unique op-portunity to experience the wider produce industry by visiting the trade show and having the opportu-nity to attend some of the sessions.”

PMA Fresh Connections exhibitor Jerry Prend-ergast of MG Marketing said that the opportunity to meet with such a wide cross-section of the lo-cal and global industry was of particular value. “The attendance of produce industry people from New Zealand, Australia, and from other countries was fantastic, and the program created plenty of oppor-tunities for our team to meet with growers, custom-ers and industry people, both casually and formally, at the trade show and in social events.”

Conference highlights included joint welcome comments from the Australian Minister for Agricul-ture Hon. Barnaby Joyce and New Zealand Minister for Primary Industries Hon. Nathan Guy. An inspiring business success story from opening day presenter John Anderson, founder of Contiki Travel, had

For the first time ever, PMa Fresh Connections: australia-New Zealand held its annual confer-ence in Auckland, New Zealand’s beautiful harbor city — and what a success it was! With record atten-dance of delegates from both countries and from as far away as Norway, Canada and China, the event had a real buzz about it. According to PMA Austra-

new Zealand’s minister for primary industries hon. nathan Guy welcomes delegates

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delegates talking for the rest of the conference. Tim Reid, host of Australia’s No. 1 marketing pod-cast, The Small Business Big Marketing Show, offered insight on low-cost, easy-to-implement marketing tools such as blogs and podcasts, and Professor Salah Sukkarieh gave a fascinating insight into the future of fresh produce production with the in-creasing use of robotics.

Innovation expert Allan Ryan of the Hargraves Institute advised attendees considering innovation that, “If you want to change the bigger things in your business, change lots of little things. Focus on lots of little innovations instead of looking for the next ‘big thing.’”

“The quality of speakers was excellent,” said Mr. Prendergast. “We had domestic and international procurement representatives, branch managers and account managers attending the conference sessions and trade show, and to have each area of the business be able to take something away from the event was quite special.”

In addition to the conference sessions, Dr. Hazel MacTavish-West of MacTavish West Pty Ltd said that the post-conference tour to major growers, proces-sors and technology companies was a highlight: “The post-conference grower tour was the best-organized of its type I have ever been on,” she said. “There was a very good mix of businesses; and the

engineering vision and organisation of Compac Sorting Equipment was mind-blowing. PMA Fresh Connections is the highlight in the horticultural marketing year for me,” she added.

The sold-out trade show was continuously ac-tive, with the unique light-filled exhibition space offered by the Viaduct Event Centre adding to the “wow” factor.

“For us, PMA Fresh Connections was the best opportunity we’ve ever had to meet with our cli-ents and customers in both Australia and New Zealand at the same time, because everyone was there,” said John Baker, Chief Executive of Produce Marketing Australia.

“Added to that, the outstanding Viaduct Events Centre with its combination of light-filled exhibition area and conference rooms made it a conference to remember,” he finished.

At the trade show, several tons of premium-qual-ity fresh fruit and vegetables were on display, and were later donated to Auckland City Mission (ACM). “Every year, PMA Fresh Connections has a beautiful array of premium fresh produce that has been exhib-ited. It always gives us great pleasure to be able to donate show produce through organizations such as Auckland City Mission to those in the community who need it most,” added Michael Worthington.

In addition, by attending the conference, 10 uni-versity students from Australia and New Zealand earned prestigious scholarships to explore fresh produce careers. The scholarship program, which targets top university students who might not otherwise consider produce careers, is run by PMA A-NZ in conjunction with PMA’s Foundation for In-dustry Talent.

Arjune Dhaya from Massey University found the mentoring aspect to be particularly valuable: “The mentor-to-student component of the Career Path-ways Program was very beneficial, and has led to potential job opportunities. I made many contacts and was also excited to see the new innovations that are coming.”

donation to auckland city mission (l-r) michael Worthington, ceo pma a-nZ; diane robertson, ceo auckland city mission; ronan bowles, Foodstuffs north island

Michael Worthington, CEO of PMA Australia-New Zealand, brings 30+ years’ experience in the large-scale vertically-integrated produce business to his work in building a global affiliate to PMA.



Fresh connections: brazil

Highlightswell, and educational speakers emphasized the role of produce professionals in the need for educational marketing and leadership in sustainability.

This event, organized by PMA Brazil Representa-tive Valeska Oliveira, provided attendees from along the fresh produce and floral supply chain informa-tion useful for those interested or already doing business in the largest country in South America. For more information about Brazil and to view Por-tuguese-language presentations from Fresh Con-nections: Brazil, visit pma.com.

PMA Fresh Connections: Brazil will be held again in São Paulo on Aug. 20, 2015.

The first standalone PMa Fresh Connections: Brazil event attracted 167 fresh produce profes-sionals for a half-day of networking and education. The Aug. 21 event, held at Novotel Center Norte in São Paulo, Brazil, hosted attendees from Brazil, Chile and the United States.

Educational sessions explored the latest in con-sumer trends, retail solutions, and food waste, and at-tendees walked away with insights about those topics they can turn into strategies to drive brand loyalty, in-crease operational efficiencies, and increase revenues. As purchasing power in Brazil continues to increase, consumer knowledge and demand is increasing as

For more information on PMa Fresh Connections: Brazil, visit pma.com/events/pastevents/fresh-connections-brazil.

Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc., a Monsanto company, is a leading developer and producer of high-quality vegetable seeds. Under our brands Seminis and De Ruiter, we pride ourselves on delivering seeds that help increase yield potential, reduce spoilage and offer better tasting produce. It’s what happens when you’re dedicated to delivering confi dence, year after year. And it’s what you do when

you’re more than just a seed company — you’re a partner.

TO LEARN MORE, VISIT MONSANTOVEGETABLESEEDS.COM.

GOING THAT EXTRA MILE IS WHATTAKES YOU FROM A SEED COMPANY

to a partner.

Monsanto and Vine Design® is a registered trademark of Monsanto Technology LLC. Seminis® is a registered trademark of Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc.De Ruiter™ is a trademark of Monsanto Invest B.V. ©2014 Seminis Vegetable Seeds, Inc.

by Nancy Tucker

Nancy Tucker, PMA’s Vice President, Global Business Development brings 34 years of experience in the produce industry to her role in developing global expansion, with a concentration in Latin America. In her time at PMA, Nancy has developed programs, events, and services used throughout the world.



establishing a successful internship program. While networking is one of the key reasons peo-

ple attend, the educational programming received the highest ratings so far for any of the Fresh Con-nections Southern Africa. Particularly well-received were the global retail trends and opportunities in Africa sessions. Thanks to our partner Potatoes South Africa, the program on informal trading shed light on a very dynamic and important distribution route for fresh produce in South Africa. The presentations from the conference can be found at pma.com.

Next year’s PMA Fresh Connections: Southern Africa Conference & Expo will be held in Cape Town on Aug. 12-13, 2015.

Attracting a record registration of more than 400 delegates from 10 countries, the fourth PMa Fresh Connections: Southern africa Conference & Expo was held Aug. 13-14 at the CSIR Conference Centre in Pretoria, South Africa. The attendees spanned the entire fresh produce supply chain, from growers to retailers, and from importers to input suppliers.

This year noted a number of ‘firsts’, including a Women’s Fresh Perspectives breakfast, and a Young Professionals Networking reception that created connections for those younger than 35. The confer-ence also included the first series of breakouts, with topics ranging from vegetable trends and packag-ing technology, to water/energy management and

Fresh connections: Southern Africa

Highlights

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by Richard Owen

Richard Owen, PMA’s Vice President, Global Business Development, brings expertise in international trade negotiations and global business develop-ment to his work at PMA. Richard oversees the global expansion of the association in areas like Australia-New Zealand, China, Europe and South Africa.


S C I E N C E & T E C h N O LO G y

Genomics … a Game Changer for the Produce Industry

has really been the driver of the 100K Genome Proj-ect at the School of Veterinary Medicine at UC Da-vis headed by Dr. Bart Weimer, which is working to create a database of foodborne pathogen genetic sequences that can be used with other sources of data to link the identification of a specific pathogen in a produce item to its previous occurrences in product recalls, its detection in testing programs or isolation from clinical cases, the locations of when the organism has surfaced before, and the specific foods it has been associated with. The ability to tap into the history of the pathogen will ultimately help speed up traceback investigations.

So now, instead of working with tests based on only a handful of gene sequences or probes, food safety professionals will have access to the entire ge-nomic sequence of suspected causative microbes and a library of known pathogens to compare that sequence to. That should provide clues as to what foods might be involved and even where they might have come from; and all of this might be accom-plished in as little as two to three days as opposed to the several weeks commonly encountered today.

This isn’t science fiction or futuristic. The New York State Health Department announced last month it had begun using genome sequencing to isolate salmonella samples.

And earlier this year, whole genome sequencing allowed the FDA to crack a deadly listeria outbreak that killed one person in California and made seven other people sick in Maryland. The sickness was traced back to cheese at a dairy, which health

It’s like going from a backyard telescope to using the Hubble when exploring the universe.

That’s how FDA scientist Dr. Erik Brown has de-scribed what genomics will do for the people who investigate produce contamination with human pathogens.

“Genomics will be a game changer in our indus-try,” according to Bob Whitaker, chief science and technology officer at Produce Marketing Association.

“Genomics or whole genome sequencing will very quickly give scientists and public health pro-fessionals a detailed genetic map of potentially disease-causing pathogens as opposed to current technologies that rely on only a few key gene se-quences,” says Whitaker. “This will be a valuable tool in performing root cause analysis to determine how produce might have become contaminated.”

The science of genomics — the study of an or-ganism’s genetic material — has been around for more than 40 years as scientists first began to study the organization of microbial chromosomes, and it really entered the public eye at the beginning of this century with the mapping of the human genome.

The specific branch of genomics, called rapid whole genome sequencing, involves analyzing an organism’s complete DNA sequence. So while we have had the ability to sequence DNA, it is only re-cently that we have had the “big data” computation-al capacity to collect and analyze the overwhelming number of data points a whole genome sequence effort generates and create complete genetic maps.

This breakthrough in computational capacity

officials were able to shut down.“This technology will not only be important in

public health situations, but it is also going to help scientists gain a deeper understanding of the ge-netic factors involved in what makes people sick if they consume contaminated produce. It’s going to give us a greater understanding of the susceptibility of people to these pathogens, the genetic interac-tion between fruits and vegetables and the patho-gens and the genetic and physiological signals that make a microorganism pathogenic to humans,” Whitaker said.

And that may lead to more informed regulatory policies and tools. This technology holds the prom-

ise that we may eventually be able to understand what “turns on” and “turns off” genes that code for factors that make people ill. Today, if we find a gene is present in a food we automatically make the as-sumption that consumption of that food would cause illness. However, if the gene was not “turned on” or expressed, then perhaps consumption of the food would not cause illness. “So instead of dis-carding an entire field following the detection of a pathogen and all the costs that entails, perhaps we can ask the next question and find out if the micro-organism was actually capable of causing disease,” Whitaker said.

“It’s going to give us a greater understanding of the relation-ship between people, plants and organisms.”— Dr. Bob whitaker

PMA Chief Science and Technology Officer

by Tom Coombe

Bob Whitaker, PMA’s Chief Science & Technology Officer, brings over 30 years of experience in food science to PMA and its members. His experience includes the development and use of biotechnology, global food safety programs, environmental sustainability and technical innovations.

fresh October 2014 Edition

I N D u S T Ry Ta L E N T


Great Insight about Creating a Great Workplace

While there are many benefits that come to great workplaces, one of the most immediately ob-vious is financial success.

Great workplaces are more financially successful than their peers. Great Place to Work® Institute has known this for years. Our research has shown that great workplaces have lower voluntary employee turnover than their competitors, are able to recruit the best employees to fit their culture and needs,

provide top quality customer service and create in-novative products and services — all activities that contribute to their overall financial success.

DEFiNiNG A GREAT PlACE TO wORkAnd what determines how a company gets rec-

ognized on the annual list the Great Place to Work Institute produces and FORTUNE publishes? Com-panies that participate in the process undertake an employee survey that accounts for two-thirds of the result and a management questionnaire that ac-counts for the other one-third. The employee sur-vey is based on the Institute’s definition of a great place to work:

• one where employees trust the people they work for

• take pride in what they do

• and enjoy working with co-workers.

And, there is the secret: It is not the perks and extravagant benefits — it’s the relationships at work that matter.

why A GREAT wORkPlACE MATTERS NOwWhile trusting relationships in the workplace

have always mattered, business leaders would be wise to focus on this truism in 2014. As the economy improved over the past few years, three reasons un-derscore why this is a timely issue.

Author bIomichael burchell is co-author of The Great Workplace — How to Build It, How to Keep It, And Why It Matters, and No Excuses! How You Can Turn Any Workplace Into a Great One. a sought-after speaker globally, he has worked with senior leaders in positioning the workplace as a competitive busi-ness advantage.

28

• Mitigate Employee Turnover As the economy has rebounded, employees have had greater op-tions to move to companies where they feel re-spected, their contributions are recognized and they have opportunities for career development. At one company, SAS Institute, employees enjoy a respectful work environment that supports their development; SAS enjoys an average turnover rate of about 3 percent.

• align Customer Service At Zappos.com, leaders know that their employees are in charge of the relationship between their customers and their organization. As consumer confidence increases, companies like Zappos, with excellent customer service, will move to the front of the line. While high-quality products are an important compo-nent of your company’s success, it’s your people that take care of the customer.

• Be Positioned for Growth Finally, the global recession was instructive for businesses on a number of levels. The increasingly competitive landscape of our inter-connected economy took center stage in our post-recession business calcu-lus. Companies like Qualcomm and W.L. Gore & Associates that invest in processes for innovation and development of their people will lead the way in solving tomorrow’s business problems with cutting-edge products and solutions.

The companies included in the Great Places to Work list are acutely aware of these workplace

trends and opportunities, and are actively pursu-ing a strategy to address all three reasons. Here are some useful tips for you as you go about creating your own great workplace:

• It is not about doing “more.” It is about doing “different.” As a leader, you have to make decisions and communicate. The question to consider is how to make decisions and communicate in a way that builds more trust. Focus on a few, vital things and begin from there.

• Take the long view. The creation of trust takes time, so have patience and keep focused on the end-goal: more trust in the workplace. Best com-panies don’t happen overnight. Like any crop, they take careful cultivation over time.

• Integrate rather than “action plan.” This is not to say you shouldn’t create a plan with employees, but developing trust is not about checking off a box; it is about integrating trust-building behav-iors and practices into your organization’s culture.

• align to your values. One of the consistent things we see is how the best companies’ cultures are aligned to their respective values. Your company’s values are its “north star,” and ensuring that people are hired, held accountable to, promoted based on, and educated about them is of critical importance.

As you consider how to grow your business in 2015, make creating and sustaining a great work-place an element of your overall strategy.

by Michael BurchellClient Services Lead North AmericaMcKinsey & CompanyFormerly, VP Great Place to Work

30 fresh October 2014 Edition

I S S u E S L E a D E R S h I P

A Holistic Approach to Developing Industry Solutions

Meg: Tim, as chair of the task force that devel-oped PMa’s strategic plan, can you talk about the pillar called Issues Leadership?

Tim: Absolutely. Issues Leadership is a strategic fo-cus area that an Issues Leadership task force of PMA members worked on this past year to further define. The term ‘Issues Leadership’ represents the approach we want the association to take on topics impacting the produce and floral industries and our businesses. The approach is inclusive, meaning we’re helping to mobilize and engage diverse voices and groups, not only industry leaders across the fresh produce and floral supply chain, worldwide, but also stakeholders outside of our industry like consumer interest groups or government. The issues the association will focus on are based on what members tell us the priorities should be — like food safety, trade, or consumption.

Meg: Is Issues Leadership another way of say-ing government relations?

Tim: Government relations is just one leg of the Is-sues Leadership stool. What I’m talking about is a holistic approach that goes beyond lobbying gov-ernment organizations. Issues Leadership is about monitoring our industry’s environment and devel-oping actions that support our industry’s views by building relationships that help us engage and in-

form key stakeholders — so together, we can develop workable solutions. The Issues Leadership toolbox is a combined effort of public relations (the relationship between an organization/industry and the public), government relations (engaging and informing gov-ernment officials) and public affairs (building relation-ships with different stakeholders to affect change).

Meg: There are so many issues that surface in any given year. how did the group decide which ones to focus on?

Tim: A set of filters, developed by industry members on the Issues Leadership task force, will be used to determine PMA’s involvement on any given industry issue. We’re taking on the issues that members tell us are important and where the expertise of PMA and its volunteer leaders can be most effective. Rather than trying to be all things on all issues, and recogniz-ing there are strengths in numbers, we’ve also devel-oped a strategic role for PMA that sets out to support allied organizations on issues where their expertise is better suited. This Issues Leadership approach is a much more cost-effective deployment of resources for your membership dollars and seeks to minimize duplicative efforts within the industry.

Meg: how will the board of directors determine

Safety, the PMA Foundation for Industry Talent, and ‘eat brighter!’ — the partnership between Sesame Workshop and PMA to help kids eat more produce. PMA will continue to collaborate with many orga-nizations and will financially support missions that are geared toward advancing our industry.

Meg: Tim, thank you for your time. Next time we chat let’s dive into some of the issues that members have asked PMA to focus on.

Tim: Thanks, Meg, I’d be glad to. As chairman of the association, I know firsthand that PMA is committed to investing in initiatives that help members. I welcome any questions about Issues Leadership or other PMA member benefits from the industry — reach me or anyone on PMA’s staff by visiting pma.com. Just click on ‘About PMA,’ ‘Membership’ and then on ‘Member-ship Directory’ in the left-side navigation menu.

the role PMa will take on each issue?

Tim: The PMA member task force also defined four roles to consider for each issue: lead, educate, con-vene, or fund — that can be applied in combination.

• Lead: relying on the association’s strengths, and the strengths of its volunteer leaders, to focus on areas where it can be most impactful.

• Educate: engaging members and stakeholders (like consumer interest groups, government, and the media) about issues with the goal of prompt-ing changes to business practices or behaviors.

• Convene: bringing together leaders from inside and outside the industry to discuss an issue and develop a workable solution.

• Fund: continue to reinvest in the support of key is-sues facing the industry, like the Center for Produce

Meg Miller, PMA’s director of public relations, interviews Tim Riley, president of The Giumarra Companies, on PMA’s approach to issues facing the produce and floral industries.

PMA’S ISSueS oF FocuS:• Food Safety

Modernization act• Outbreak

investigations• Research funding

for produce• Nutrition• Technology• Sustainability• Global trade• Information and data

standards• Crisis management

Members of the Issues Leadership task forceMaureen Torrey Marshall Torrey Farms, chairDave Corsi Wegmans Food Markets, Inc.Mike Hollister Driscoll’sKent Shoemaker Lipman ProduceVic Smith JV Smith CompaniesMike Stuart Florida Fruit & Vegetable AssociationJin Ju Wilder Valley Fruit & Produce CompanyLee Woodham FreshPoint, Inc.Jan DeLyser California Avocado Commission

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Tim Riley President The Giumarra Companies

Meg Miller, PMA’s Director, Public Relations, joined PMA after nearly 5 years in the U.S. dairy industry. Meg is responsible for industry communication and her expertise includes crisis communications, media and stakeholder relations.

fresh October 2014 Edition 33fresh October 2014 Edition32

InnovaTIonall In forBy 2050, it is expected that the world population will exceed 9 billion, according to a

united Nations report. Our industry is faced with finding new ways to feed everyone,

by developing solutions that address issues such as resource efficiency, climate change

and sustainability. a tall order, to say the least, and one which demands new thinking,

novel ideas and ongoing collaboration.

That is why being on the cutting edge of innovation is no longer just for a few forward-

thinking trailblazers — it’s a necessity for businesses throughout the fresh produce

industry.

From harnessing the power of technology to boost crop yields to finding faster, smarter

shipping processes, a healthy future depends on those who are pushing the envelope

and thinking outside of the box.

The following pages provide a glimpse of just a few companies and individuals who are

leading the way.


salinas valley is often referred to as the fresh food capital of America. The 90-mile stretch of land boasts an $8 billion agricul-ture industry and is home to such heavy hitters as Taylor Farms, Dole Foods, and Chiquita. It’s also a mere hour away from another economic powerhouse, Silicon Valley. But despite their close prox-imity, the two valleys couldn’t be farther apart — until now.

“By 2050, we’re going to have 9 billion people on the planet,” Rog-er Royse, Founder of AgTech S.V., said. “And they’re going to require a whole lot more food than what’s being produced right now. The only way we’re going to bridge that gap is through technology.”

That’s exactly what AgTech S.V. has set out to do. In conjunc-tion with his business and tax law firm, Royse has made it his

mission to unite agriculture and technology into one powerful industry. He’s been all over the world, including a recent trip to Australia, raising awareness about the massive opportunity. It’s the kind of topic that has gotten worldwide attention, but just a few years ago, it was a concept that many had never considered.

“We have the biggest agricultural economy in the country. It’s the center of the technology universe. And one-third of all the venture capital in the country is right here,” Royse said. “This is a natural place for there to be a huge AgTech community.”

However, when Royse went online in search of a local AgTech community to join, he came up empty-handed. That’s when he decided to take matters into his own hands and create AgTech S.V.

The results thus far have exceeded his expectations, and much of that success is the result of its Silicon Valley AgTech Conference this past May. The event brought together farmers, technologists, venture capitalists, and government representatives to brain-storm how technology can revolutionize the entire farming pro-cess. It was a huge success for AgTech S.V., but that meeting of the minds was no small undertaking.

“One of the things I realized pretty quickly was the problem didn’t lie on the producer’s side of the equation,” Royse said. “The real work that needed to be done was on the tech side, because the tech people weren’t talking to the farmers. They didn’t have a good understanding of what products they needed.”

Bridging the gap between the two industries was going to be a challenge, but the potential for success for all parties involved was too obvious to ignore. Like Royse, Dennis Donohue saw this opportunity for collaboration and wanted to do whatever he could to make it a reality.

“This is a valley that’s reinvented itself routinely,” Donohue, President of Royal Rose and the former mayor of Salinas, said. “It has a great history of capital formation and innovation. It seemed obvious to me to try to intentionally nudge the two valleys to-gether if that was possible.”

The Steinbeck Innovation Foundation is Donohue’s strategic nudge toward uniting the Salinas and Silicon Valleys. The non-

food and Technology

Collide in California

by Elissa Vallano

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profit was cofounded by Donohue and John Hartnett, CEO of SVG Partners, and operates much like the startup companies it seeks to support. Donohue started his business career in Sali-nas, and when he ran for mayor, it was a relatively poor city that needed to expand its tax base. HSBC, the largest private employer in Salinas, closed its doors last summer, and Donohue knew that they needed a new approach to drive economic growth.

“We tried to take a long-term view of what was the best strat-egy we could promote and advocate as a community, and the answer was to play to our very obvious strengths,” Donohue said. “Logically, wouldn’t you take advantage of your proximity to ar-guably the greatest economic engine the world has ever seen? That’s the Silicon Valley.”

In partnership with Forbes and SVG Partners, The Steinbeck Innovation Foundation will host the “Forbes Reinventing Ameri-ca: The AgTech Summit” in July 2015. Similar to the Silicon Valley AgTech Conference, the event strives to tackle some of the food industry’s biggest challenges by fostering collaboration between thought leaders in agriculture, technology, government, and fi-nance. The ultimate goal is to promote and accelerate emerging technologies in farming.

“When you have the privilege and opportunity to serve as mayor, the first thing you realize is to accomplish any objective, teamwork is required,” Donohue said. It’s a similar sentiment echoed by Rob Trice, co-founder of The Mixing Bowl.

“It’s an awareness, understanding, and mutual respect for one another,” Trice said. “You’ve got to provide value to all par-ties involved.”

The Mixing Bowl is a collaboration hub designed to stimulate technological innovation by linking the food and agriculture in-

dustries with startups, investors, and other food innovators. Effec-tively communicating the value of this partnership has been the focus of Trice’s work.

“Silicon Valley can often overlook the food and agriculture mar-ket as an opportunity,” Trice said. “It’s the second biggest industry in the world. All the technologies they’re developing can be applied to food and agriculture, but the awareness isn’t there yet.”

The Mixing Bowl has gotten the word out in Silicon Valley by hosting a series of events for key players in the agriculture and technology industries — including one in partnership with The Steinbeck Innovation Center called “Food Geeks Travel.” The group daytrip to Salinas included visits to Taylor Farms, Foxy Or-ganic, and Driscoll’s to discuss the technologies used in commer-cial farming operations. Trice hopes these events can highlight the unmet needs in food and agriculture by focusing on the prac-tical solutions Silicon Valley could provide.

“It’s not just about the technology solutions,” he said. “It’s about addressing market challenges instead of just focusing on the capabilities. We need to close those information gaps.”

Donohue has also seen a similar need in his work with The Steinbeck Innovation Foundation. “The trick is, rather than re-sponding to a problem, can we build collaboration around op-portunity?” Donohue proposed. “Innovation has never been more necessary.”

As AgTech S.V., The Steinbeck Innovation Foundation, and The Mixing Bowl seek to expand their reach and influence both in California and around the world, the future is full of promise. Advances in technology are redefining how we tackle new and enduring problems in the food and agriculture industries, and no obstacle seems too great to overcome.

“Water has got to be the next big thing because we’re starting to see geopolitical implications,” Royse explained. “We’re starting to see water refugees, people who have to leave places because of water. Until we get around to building large reservoirs under-ground, which will take a long time, we’re going to have to learn how to conserve water.”

Donohue also sees water and sustainability being a top prior-ity as AgTech develops new solutions, but it’s the groundbreak-ing work being done on the labor front that has industry leaders really talking.

“The labor issue is already driving change and innovation,” Donohue said. “When you start getting into robotics and the computerized elements that go along with that, then you begin to realize we’re going to a different place.”

For certain farmers, the sky is the limit when it comes to how you can use technology to improve efficiency. In fact, certain farmers are far more advanced than many people realize.

“There are machines that are basically robots trimming fields

down in Salinas,” Royse said. “Drones fly up and down the fields and tell you where you need water, where you need pesticides, and keep an eye on the field. As of 2012, 70 percent of all farms were wired with Internet access. I’m sure it’s more by now. Almost every farmer now has a hand-held device, an iPad, or a smartphone.”

While this level of cutting-edge innovation is alive and well in the food and agriculture industries, it’s equally important that more accessible solutions be developed for a wider market.

“It’s also about low-cost innovation,” Trice said. “Maybe you can’t afford the drone, but you can afford a helium balloon. It’s about addressing those challenges.”

With the help of Silicon Valley, Salinas seems poised to meet any challenge that comes its way. It’s been a long journey for the quiet farming area as it assumes its new role as an agriculture-technology mecca.

“One of the things I routinely said when I was mayor, and I’d cer-tainly say it now, is that Salinas is not just another dot on the map,” Donohue said. “And this is not just another growing area.”

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From left: roger royce, dennis donohue and robe trice all see opportunities for collaboration between agriculture and technology in the salinas and silicon valleys


applying Technology to Track Produce in the americas

that produce customers have the freedom to choose just one part of their three-pronged approach: cold storage, liner services and custom brokerage.

It’s custom brokerage’s job to expedite things. “We make sure [customers] are aware of changes in regulations,” Yunta says. “We make them aware so that when the cargo arrives they don’t have any problems.”

As for the next innovations, Campos and Yunta say that’s hard to gauge. The shipping world of 2009 looks very different from the one of 2014. Crowley’s cold storage facility, for example, was only con-ceived of and executed within the last three years, Campos says.

“The difference is in the technology,” says Janet Ramos, director of Crowley’s liner services. “All the information you need can be accessed with a click; it gets more sophisticated all the time.”

The process of shipping is getting faster, too, as more and more governments move to “one-win-dow environments.” It’s happening at some ports in Europe, Yunta says, and the U.S. is moving in the same direction.

It would mean that rather than submitting separate documents to U.S. Customs, the FDA and other agencies, the process would be sped up, al-lowing shippers to have a single entry point for all their documentation. “The customer likes the idea of solving all their problems by calling one place,” Ramos says.

Campos sees a time when people will be able to order fruit the way they do flowers. “If you wanted flowers, you would call them and a guy would show up with an arrangement for your wife,” he said. “We have to go with what the public demands. We have to adjust.”

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If someone buys an iPhone online, they want to be able to keep track of where it is. That’s what Eduardo Campos thinks about when he thinks about shipping produce. “We have to be at that level,” says Campos, director of Crowley Fresh, the cold storage arm of Crowley Maritime Services.

Allowing GPS tracking of orders is one of the things Crowley, based in Miami, does to help move tons of produce from countries in Central and South America and the Caribbean, along with Africa and Europe, into the United States each year.

Crowley is a 122-year-old company that went from a small shipping service in San Francisco into a global business. Produce accounts for a big chunk of what Crowley ships. For Campos’ cold storage unit, produce accounts for 95 percent of what they ship. For Customized Brokers, a subsidiary of Crow-ley, it’s 80 to 90 percent.

And whether they’ve ordered green peppers coming from Europe or blueberries traveling from Chile, customers can keep track of their produce. A customer in Miami can log onto to their system and see where their order is in real-time, whether it’s in a warehouse or on a ship, truck, or plane.

But Nellie Yunta, a vice president at Customized Brokers, sees things on a larger scale. “I think the in-novation is that we are putting all services togeth-er,” she says. “We are offering from point to point, all services. From the farmer all the way to the table.”

At the same time, Crowley representatives stressed

by Tom Coombe


urban Produce is a small, family-run compa-ny — just seven people with a big goal.

Over the next three to five years, it hopes to build 100 urban farms, with a stated goal of “bring-ing fresh produce back to the cities where consum-ers can buy and eat locally grown product.”

But in the short term, it’s focused on growing its own business, looking to have its first vertical farm fully functional in Irvine, California, by sometime this fall. The company uses a patented growing sys-tem that essentially takes the geography of its crops out of the question.

“They can be above and below ground, inside or outside,” says Danielle Horton, Urban Produce’s director of marketing. “You can really put them anywhere.”

The concept goes back centuries, but more recently its proponents have begun to argue that

up for him and he found it fascinating.”Her father — whose background is in the legal

world — had wanted to start a family-owned com-pany. Danielle Horton says her mother and brother who studies crop science at Cal-Tech — are also on staff. She got her degree in agribusiness before the company began.

Urban Produce’s system uses a conveyor which transports vertical hanging carriers with seeded trays around a growing unit, allowing each plant to get equal distribution of air and light. During this ro-tation, the carriers pass by a station that disperses water and nutrients, no soil required.

This kind of farming has less of a footprint than row farming. What would take a traditional grower 16 acres to cultivate, Urban Produce can do on one-eighth of an acre, thanks to vertical stacking, Horton says. The system uses 90 percent less water than row

farming, and requires 80 percent fewer nutrients.By further reducing the carbon footprint, all this

food will stay local at a time when produce travels an average of 1,400 miles to get to someone’s kitch-en. That burns fuel, but it also means the produce isn’t as fresh.

That’s why, as Urban Produce grows, the compa-ny needs to try to locate in areas in the Midwest and on the East Coast that are near distribution centers. A long drive would defeat the purpose of what the company wants to do, Horton says.

In addition to building its own vertical farms, Hor-ton says Urban Produce’s technology could soon be on military bases, in theme parks, and even in church-es. “Working with churches is something we would love to do, even if it doesn’t provide any profit,” Hor-ton says. “The goal there is just to give back to people who may not always get to taste fresh fruit.”

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urban Produce Promotes efficiencies of vertical farming

growing up, and not out, is the way to deal with the need for more food as the world’s population rises. By 2050 there could be more than 9 billion people on earth. Food production will need to grow by 70 percent to meet that demand, according to esti-mates from the United Nation’s Food and Agricul-ture Organization.

Urban Produce has its roots in a chance meeting last year in Texas, where CEO Ed Horton — Danielle’s father — was watching his friend get sworn in as mayor of El Paso. While at the ceremony, he struck up a conversation with a man named Glenn Kurtz, the architect of the growing system Urban Produce now uses.

“It was never an idea that we set out to do. It was a conversation that turned into a business plan that turned into a company,” Danielle Horton says. “It kind of really just evolved. This opportunity came

by Tom Coombe


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Thanks to international trade, shoppers in Mex-ico and America can get access to the same kinds of goods. American beef, pork and corn make their way to Mexico, while fresh fruits and vegetables from Mexico head north.

But there’s one thing that’s different about the Mexican and American shopping experience, at least when it comes to produce: PLU (price look up) code stickers. While they are used on produce in American stores, you won’t find them in Mexico.

If you’re at the grocery store picking up plums or apples or using self-checkout to buy produce, you’ve probably seen them. PLU codes are four codes — five digits for organic products — used to keep track of produce sales and determine cost. There are currently more than 1,400 PLU codes, all within the 3000 to 4999 numerical range. Stores and shoppers may come and go, but PLUs are pretty much eternal. Bananas are always 4011, for example, and green bell peppers always 4065.

That’s beginning to change, thanks to an effort by Mexican retailers, with the help of Produce Mar-keting Association.

It’s all part of a voluntary system launched in the late 1980s, in the United States, Canada, Great Brit-ain, and a number of other countries. It’s just not been used in Mexico until now.

“I believe the reason that they weren’t used in Mexico was that supermarkets were not as preva-lent in Mexico back then,” says Ed Treacy, vice presi-dent for supply chain efficiencies at Produce Market-ing Association. “It would have been tougher for a small chain to implement them on their own.”

Flash forward to 2014: Supermarkets account for 50 to 60 percent of the produce market in Mexico, and retailers say it’s time to get on the PLU train.

“None of the retailers felt they could move the

as the agriculture industry strives to meet cur-rent food needs without affecting our future gen-erations’ ability to meet theirs, biotechnology has emerged as the key to achieving lasting success. Bayer CropScience, recognizing both the challenge and opportunity available through innovation, is on a mission to make future-friendly farming the new standard for growers around the world.

“It’s not just about improving on the technologies that are already in the marketplace today,” Rob Schrick, Strategic Business Management Lead for the Horti-culture division of Bayer CropScience, said. “It’s about finding new ways to go about solving a problem.”

Its technological achievements allow Bayer CropScience to better address the issues it consid-ers at the forefront of the industry. The company aims to find a balance between economic, social, and ecological concerns — all while tackling the big issues affecting growers, such as resource efficien-cy, climate change, biodiversity, and sustainability.

The company recently opened a SeedGrowth Center in Can Tho, Vietnam — the first Bayer Seed-Growth™ Center that is mainly focused on improv-ing rice seed treatment technology. They’re also

use of Plu Codes expanding into Mexico

Bayer Cropscience Brings Innovation to the field

industry on their own,” Treacy says. So Mexico’s top five retailers asked PMA for guid-

ance, although Treacy stresses this is “strictly a Mex-ican-led initiative,” run by leaders of the Mexican produce supply chain.

The plan is to have PLU code stickers on 26 com-modities by the fall of 2014, and stickers on 135 other major items by March 30 of next year. GS1 Da-taBar bar codes would then be placed on PLU code stickers by Sept. 30, 2015. However, Treacy says most suppliers are opting to do both steps at once.

“The growers and the shippers are as excited as the buyers,” Treacy says. “It’s going to give them a chance to differentiate themselves.”

As for retailers, having produce labeled with the PLU code helps them make money. An organic Granny Smith apple, Treacy notes, looks a lot like a conventional Granny Smith apple. The big differ-ence: The grocer paid a lot more for the organic Granny Smith, and will thus charge more for that apple.

“They have very little granular information on what they’re selling. So they really can’t do any computer-assisted ordering or true category man-agement,” he says. “It’s not a really efficient way of doing business.”

For shoppers, it cuts down on time. Treacy says it takes 10 seconds for a cashier to look up how much a piece of produce costs, four seconds if that pro-duce has a PLU code, and just one second when there’s a DataBar involved. “You get through the line a lot quicker,” he says. In addition to Mexico, Brazil, Chile, and other Latin American countries where PMA has a presence have expressed interest in implementing PLU codes in their stores.

“This will be moving its way south in a hurry,” Treacy says.

continuing to promote sustainability in the tomato-processing industry, focusing on higher yields and natural resistances against fungal diseases, pests, and nematodes.

These initiatives are all rooted in Bayer Crop-Science’s mission to improve yields and harvest quality around the world. By regularly putting itself in its customers’ shoes, the company is able to de-velop strategies for lasting change.

“The single biggest job that we have is under-standing customers’ needs and getting a deep un-derstanding of those needs,” Schrick said. “But the real trick is that once you have that understanding, you have to turn that into a solution.”

One of the most substantial needs he sees now among growers is support managing and analyz-ing the influx of information they now have at their disposal.

“Growers are inundated with data,” Schrick said. “When they make a trip to a field, they’re bombard-ed with information. Some are more adept than others, but all of them are asking how to turn this data into better decisions. And I think the compa-nies that help them solve that are going to make

Rob SchrickStrategic Business Management leadBayer CropScience

by Tom Coombe

by Elissa Vallano

Ed Treacy, PMA’s Vice President, Supply Chain Efficiencies,has more than 30 years of senior management experience in logistics and supply chain man-agement. Ed spent the majority of his career working with major Canadian retail chains, including Loblaw Companies Ltd. and Sobeys Inc., where he held the position of Senior Vice President of Logistics and Engineering.


a woman in China turns on her TV, sees a home-shopping channel selling cherries, goes to her smartphone and places an order. A few hours later, the cherries are at her door. Welcome to produce shopping in twenty-first century China.

Just to be clear: A lot of people in China are still buying their fruits and vegetables the way they al-ways did, through informal and wholesale markets. But more and more, e-commerce is becoming the way people in Chinese cities get their produce.

“China is a different market from the rest of the world,” says Richard Owen, vice president for global business development at Produce Marketing Association.

Consumers in China are already riding a larger wave of online shopping, says Naropa Love of M.Z. Marketing. There were 618 million people with In-ternet access in China last year. It’s the largest on-line population in the world, “and for many of these consumers, online shopping has become a way of life,” Love writes.

China’s e-commerce market grew by 89 percent between 2010 and 2013, produce retailer Loren Zhao told PMA’s Fresh Steps conference earlier this year. It’s expected to surpass the United States as the biggest e-commerce market in the world.

Add to that a general mistrust of domestic foods driven in part by regular food-safety scan-dals along with — as Love puts it — “a cultural love for high-quality fruits and a tradition of giving

huge gains.”Until then, the food industry remains dedicated

to solving its biggest and most daunting chal-lenge — feeding the world’s exploding population.

“We’re going to have to do more on less, sustain-ably,” Schrick said. “Without significant investments in technology, we’re going to hit a wall.”

Fortunately, Schrick doesn’t see that happening. There is no shortage of interest in the agricultural technology industry, nor a shortage of companies looking to capitalize on potential opportunities. Bayer CropScience’s success is rooted in genetically modified crops and crop protection products that guarantee high quality and high yields for farmers. Genetically modified foods are a revolutionary and often controversial advancement that garners plen-ty of media attention. But Schrick is quick to point out that the stories you hear in the news are often inaccurate ones.

“Companies like Bayer — and our industry overall, all the way through the food chain — deal with a tre-mendous amount of misinformation,” he said. “And I think it really has a detrimental effect on the advanc-es that we can make to offer a safe and sustainable food supply. But I don’t think it’s anyone’s fault but our industry. We need to do a better job of getting our message out there and providing a better under-standing of the technology we’re bringing.”

In order to stay ahead of the curve and provide its customers with the tools they need to grow their businesses, Bayer CropScience is pushing full steam ahead on its path to innovation.

“The basic tenet of Bayer is that we’re a discovery company,” Schrick said. “We pour billions of dollars back into discovery. We’re going to continue to bring new technologies, new innovations, and a new way of cropping to growers. Our moniker is ‘Science for a better life,’ and we really do live that.”

InnovaTIon

Chinese Consumers shop online for fresh Produce

fresh fruits as gifts” and you have an online boom in imported produce shopping.

Last year online shoppers in China bought duri-ans, grapes, kiwis, oranges, plums, apples, and wa-termelon from countries as close as Taiwan and as far as away as the United States and South Africa. The value of Mexican avocados grew by 570 per-cent in China in 2013, according to PMA figures.

It’s interesting, if you think about how most peo-ple shop for produce. We want to see, touch, smell, and maybe even taste what we’re buying before we bring it home.

Love says those issues are addressed when

by Tom Coombe


buying online produce through user feedback and seller rating systems on e-commerce platforms.

Among them is Zhao’s Fruit Day, a five-year-old company that’s grown into one of China’s largest online retailers for fresh fruits, allowing people to order cherries from Canada or oranges from Austra-lia with a simple mouse click.

But Fruit Day has also joined forces with OCJ, the home shopping network. Founded in 2003 as an offshoot of a Korean shopping channel, it’s China’s largest network of its kind, and Love says it regularly features fruit programming.

“And they’ll go like gangbusters; the products will just fly out,” Owen said.

Order early enough in the day, he said, and you’ll have your fruit in three or four hours, depending on where you live and how much you’re willing to pay.

It’s a business model that works because of the high concentration of people. If customers were

more spread out, e-fruit and e-vegetables wouldn’t be as popular.

That’s not to say it’s conquered the market. While the market is growing, it’s “still small when compared to more traditional shopping channels such as hyper-markets, supermarkets, and convenience stores,” Love says. “Market share of fresh produce e-commerce is likely even lower as most Chinese consumers still pre-fer to purchase fresh foods at local wet markets.”

But that could change. Owen said online fruit sales aren’t just limited to startups like Fruit Day. Wal-Mart’s operation in China has gotten in on the act. Internet produce shopping isn’t solely a Chinese phenomenon, Owen adds. Commuters in South Korea, for example, can get off a subway, scan a wall ad, and order a piece of fruit.

“China is creating some interesting models for e-commerce in fresh produce. The world will be watching and taking note,” Owen said.

InnovaTIon

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You’re only as good as the company you keep, right? That’s why it’s important to continuously search for the right kinds of people to run and work for your business. While a lot of things have become easier, thanks to technology, there are some aspects about running a company that are best done the old-fashioned way, and having a recruiter help you fill vacancies is one of them. The Mixtec Group, the leading executive search group in the agriculture industry, has been helping the agriculture industry with hiring for thirty years. We spoke with Kristen Reid, executive vice-president, to talk about their keys to success. The secret? Innovation doesn’t have to be fancy; in fact, sometimes it’s just about think-ing creatively and sticking with what works.

Mixtec is known for getting results. What is it about your methods that set you apart?

“Our success rate is well above 90 percent, which is above the industry average for recruitment. That’s due to not only knowing the industry, but all the up-front time we put into getting to know our clients, their corporate culture, and what their expectations are, not only for the person they need right now, but also their company needs, as they continue to grow and change.

“I think there are a couple of things that set us apart in the industry, and one of them is our exper-tise in the agricultural industry. Most of our execu-tive team came from the produce industry; they’ve worked with produce companies and understand what our clients are facing on a day-to-day basis.”

how does recruiting in agriculture compare to other industries?

“I’ve only ever worked in the nonprofit sector besides agriculture. Some of the differences I’ve seen is really about the pace of the industry. You

Dealing with the Challenges of executive searches in the Produce Industry

can’t take six months to fill a position; you need the person quicker than that because your business is moving at the speed of light. I like to say that agri-culture is a big industry with a small-town feel, so the relationships are really important and it’s a lot more interconnected than other industries. The real difference is that so much of recruiting is about that cultural fit; so it’s really about understanding your clients and the personalities that are going to work. That’s not part of a scientific process; really, it’s more of a gut feeling and experience in an industry.”

any trends in the industry that you’re respond-ing to right now?

“We always look at our search profiles as being indicative of trends happening in the industry as a whole. Right now there are two things going on. The first is really about growth. Last year over 50 per-cent of the searches we did were for positions that were newly created that had never existed within a company before. So companies are trying to stay competitive and are learning how to be smarter.

“The second trend is succession-planning searches; many No. 2 searches where companies are filling in for a CEO or president who’s retiring in a couple of years. They are planning and hiring in order to make that transition more smoothly. Baby boomers are getting ready to retire and there aren’t enough Generation X-ers. Millennials are a larger group, and Gen X was smaller to begin with, but we’re feeling a bit of a gap that needs to be filled in that middle-management sector. So for us, that means we are looking for more creative ways to find industry candidates and out-of-the-box candidates. Mainly, we’re branching out from produce, in par-ticular, to find qualified applicants.”

You can find out more about the Mixtec Group and what they offer at mixtec.net.

kristen ReidExecutive Vice-PresidentThe Mixtec Group

by Karen Fratti


InnovaTIon

If you’re a grower who ships product, then you’re always looking for packaging options that will protect produce, promote sustainability, look good and lower supply chain costs. Thanks to inno-vative companies like International Paper, a global business headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, options are improving.

In the interest of giving growers exactly what they need, International Paper recently partnered with avocado growers on the West Coast to test

International Paper: Packaging Innovators

new, wax-alternative packaging. “Boxes are set up, packed and stacked in the

Growers’ Packing House, then ripened before trans-porting around the country for consumers to enjoy,” said Don Wallace, produce director at International Paper. “It was a very challenging test, but the results were impressive.”

Despite long stays in storage, followed by cross-country shipping, the boxes and the avocados ar-rived at retail distribution centers in top condition, and Wallace adds that no changes to supply chain equipment were necessary to accommodate the new box. The boxes also held up better in the ripen-ing process. As for pricing, Douglas Rethlake, mar-keting manager at International Paper, said there is a definite cost benefit for wax-alternative boxes.

The amount of available information on recy-cling and recyclable packaging options is vast. In-ternational Paper has responded with a “Brown Box, Green Globe” initiative that attempts to separate fact from fiction where recyclable produce packag-ing is concerned.

“For decades, brown boxes have been the pre-mier choice for protecting everything from delicate produce to electronics and appliances,” according to International Paper’s 2013 Annual Report. “In fact, 90 percent of all goods transported in the U.S. move in corrugated packaging and around 90 percent of that packaging is recycled.”

The company serves up its new SecureStack packaging (used to transport grapes, avocados and tomatoes) as an example of a fully recyclable mate-rial that requires less wood fiber to manufacture and provides for optimal pallet stacking thanks to a new corner post design. As a result: “Freight efficiency is

improved and transportation-related greenhouse gas emissions are reduced.”

From a grower’s perspective, the fact that more boxes can be stacked per pallet is also appealing. Ted Harkness of La Jolla Farms (a grape farm) com-mented in an International Paper promotional video that he was able to increase the number of boxes per pallet from 85 to 90 boxes. The box also allows growers to display their brand on all sides of the box and contains less paper.

The SecureStack packing, which is still slowly be-ing released into the market, comes with an auto-mated machine used to “build” the box. This can be done on site at a farm or at an International Paper location. These ergonomic box-forming machines are consistent, reliable, and easily integrated.

“Our mechanical packaging system (MPS) and shed system set International Paper apart from many other vendors,” Rethlake said. “Anyone can come up with a box design but we can provide the box, equipment and supplies needed for packing through our shed systems — SecureStack boxes and the equipment make up one innovative pat-ented design.”

The future of packaging at International Paper will involve initiatives to improve produce safety and sustainability.

“There are a lot of product-safety-related stories in the media today, and we want to ensure that our customers have the safest products available to them for their shipping and packaging needs,” said Rethlake.

by Jennifer Rodgers


Technology has ushered in a new era for the food industry in the United States, and market re-search firm Freshlogic is making similar strides in Aus-tralia, as it strives to shed some much-needed light on consumer buying and consumption behavior.

“I have found myself drawn to the reasoning behind the strategy,” Martin Kneebone, founder and managing director of Freshlogic, said. “That’s just the way I think. Sometimes it has been helpful, sometimes it has gotten me into trouble as I ask too many questions, trying to figure it all out.”

Over the past 10 years, Freshlogic has provided innovative market research and analysis to Austra-lian food suppliers and retailers. With a particular in-sight into fresh and prepared foods, Kneebone and his team have succeeded in guiding their clients’ in-vestment and strategy decisions by asking the right questions. And that success is rooted in Kneebone’s initial awareness of nuances in the market.

“In grocery, you had highly organized, more so-phisticated systems,” Kneebone explained. “I was always very sensitive to how fresh produce oper-ated differently and saw the need to conceive that

freshlogic Pushes Innovation forward, Down under in australia

differently because you’ve got a wider array of in-fluences.”

The Australian food market is predominantly sup-plied by what it produces itself, which can often limit the range of products available to consumers. With more buying decisions being made within the retail environment — as opposed to pre-planning meals at home — Freshlogic needed to supply its clients with a product that they couldn’t find anywhere else.

“We determined early on that to compete as a provider of market insights, we needed unique data and the most complete set of data,” Kneebone said. “Information users want all the answers in three bullet points. They want it on the first screen of an email. You’ve got to be incredibly concise.”

Freshlogic continues to put their abundance of information to good — and actionable — use. Their latest venture, Food Frontiers, forecasts short- and medium-term food market trends to help their cli-ents better plan for the future. One trend Kneebone predicts will reshape the Australian food market in the next 10 years is a shift in consumer buying pref-erences toward prepared, meal-ready products. An-

Martin kneeboneFounder and Managing DirectorFreshlogic

InnovaTIon

Growing our hydroponic producewithout soil generates cleaner produceresulting in a healthier, more nutritious,

and longer lasting product.

other noticeable trend is the increasing popularity of non-brick-and-mortar food stores, such as online retailers, among consumers.

But like many in the food industry have echoed recently, it’s not just about the quantity of informa-tion you have. It all comes down to quality and how you use it. And Freshlogic is poised to use its data to its greatest advantage as it moves forward on its path to innovation.

“As more detailed data becomes available, there will be an increased need to discern what has com-mercial value for your business,” Kneebone said. “That’s the nature of being in the information game. It’s not about the raw data you’ve got; it’s about the validity and commercial insight you can derive from what you put together. You’ve got to tell a story.”

“Information users want all the answers in three bullet points. They want it on the first screen of an email. You’ve got to be incredibly concise.”— martin Kneebone

Founder and managing director Freshlogic

by Elissa Vallano

fresh October 2014 Edition fresh October 2014 Edition 5352

Momentum Builds for

‘eat brighter!’ Creating New Markets, New Hope

by Cathy Burns, president, Produce Marketing Association

Thanks to the early adopters of ‘eat brighter!’ who have begun to introduce nearly 50 product lines for retail outlets in the U.S. and Canada.

Bejo Seeds, Inc.

Bolthouse Farms

Camposol S.A.

Coast Citrus Distributors

Coborn’s, Inc.

Domex Superfresh Growers

East Coast Fresh

Fowler Farms

Gourmet Trading Company

I Love Produce, LLC

Mars Supermarkets, Inc.

Mulholland Citrus

Naturipe Farms

Neiman’s Family Market

Peak of the Market

Pioneer Growers Cooperative

Procacci Brothers

Progressive Produce

Schnuck Markets, Inc.

Sunkist Growers

Sunlight International Sales

Sunrise Produce Company

The Flavor Tree Fruit Co. LLC

The Giumarra Companies

The Oppenheimer Group

For a full list of supporters, visit pma.com/eatbrighter

Seasonal promotional tools found in the marketing toolkit offer a means to keep the ‘eat brighter!’ campaign lively and

relevant on pack and in stores. Autumn/Back to school, winter/holiday and Spring Grow are simple ways to refresh.

Sesame Street® and associated characters, trademarks and design elements are owned and licensed by Sesame Workshop. © 2014 Sesame Workshop. All rights Reserved

Sesame Street® and associated characters, trademarks and design elements are owned and licensed by Sesame Workshop. © 2014 Sesame Workshop. All rights Reserved

By ThE NUMBERS

9The number of Sesame Street

characters that can be used in a single

marketing plan

0The amount

participants will pay in royalties for use

of the program

5,500The number of

junk-food commercials children see in a single

year, compared to 100 for healthy foods

14The average number

of days it will take you to complete the

marketing agreement and get approved to

use Sesame Street characters on product or on in-store display

For the first time in 200 years, this generation of children may not live as long as their parents. Many reports, including one pub-lished by The New England Journal of Medicine, are emphasizing what we all know to be true: Childhood obesity is crippling our nation’s children, and something needs to give. As produce mar-keters, we have the power — and the responsibility — to help.

As of August 2014, 23 fresh produce growers and retailers have made the call to do just that. Thanks to these companies, the con-versation surrounding fresh produce is beginning to change.

Already, some of children’s favorite furry friends from Sesame Street including Big Bird, Elmo, Cookie Monster and five other character images have begun finding their way into retailers’ pro-

duce departments (independent, regional and national) through-out the United States. To date, nearly 50 product lines and com-modities are available with ‘eat brighter!’ packaging, including watermelon, carrots and celery, pineapple, citrus, grapes, and blueberries. As the movement gains momentum, ‘eat brighter!’ has been expanded to include the Canadian marketplace and school foodservice, allowing for more entry points into our chil-dren’s minds and menus.

The ‘eat brighter!’ movement is more than a marketing cam-paign; it’s a call to action for our industry to stand up and stand together; to change the trajectory of children’s health. I ask you to consider what part your company will play.


Get ready to meet the future, along with more than 20,000 industry leaders from more than 60 countries who will attend this year’s Fresh Summit Convention & Expo. Queued up for your con-sumption are cutting-edge workshops and mind-altering general sessions designed to shed new light on how you can harness the power of change and put it to work for your business. The event kicks off with the anticipated State of the Industry address from Bryan Silbermann, CEO of PMA, and Cathy Burns, president of PMA, entitled Inspiring the Fresh Revolution. On Saturday, gen-eral session speaker Jeremy Gutsche, award-winning author and founder of TrendHunter.com, will present Exploiting Chaos: 150 Ways to Spark Innovation During Time of Change. And on Sunday, don’t miss general session speaker Gary Vaynerchuk, co-founder & CEO of VaynerMedia, who will present Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook: How to Tell Your Story in a Noisy World.

In between workshops and receptions, you can walk the show floor, feeling the energy and connecting to new ideas and trends.

A cloud of innovation is gathering, picking up buzz and packing a charge that is becoming more palpable with

each passing day. What is driving this development? PMa’s 2014 Fresh Summit Convention & Expo, which

is just around the corner, taking place Oct. 17-19 in Anaheim, California USA. This year’s annual event will offer

game-changing educational sessions and unparalleled networking opportunities, and showcase some of the in-

novations that are reshaping our industry and impacting businesses throughout the supply chain. In short, Fresh

Summit is your portal to success — climb through and say hello to the future.

PMA’s 2014 Fresh Summit convention & expo:

At every turn, in every corner, are new opportunities to network and meet potential customers from all over the globe. Fresh Sum-mit attracts more than 900 exhibitors. Meet the industry’s innova-tors and disruptors, identify new business partners, and discover novel product ideas to differentiate you in the global marketplace.

At Fresh Summit, you’re not an island in the supply chain, but an integrated part of a larger whole. This sense is under-scored when you connect to your PMA “community of inter-est” identified as:

Science & Technology

Floral

Industry Talent

Global Connections

“”

Fresh Summit is where we

come together as an industry

to celebrate innovation, and

seek out new markets, new

products and new ideas that

refresh the way we do business.– lisa Davis

Chairman, Fresh Summit Committee Edge Sales & Marketing

October 17-19, 2014anaheim convention center

anaheim, california Usa

Your Window to the Future

by Deryn Zakielarz


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The corporate symbol is the core of visual communica-tion activities of ISHIDA. It is a combination of abstract lower case [i] and ISHIDA Logotype. It presents an image of precise technology as well as a human and challenge-oriented corporate posture with a person widely spreading his arms toward the future. As the corporate symbol expresses the philosophy of ISHIDA, please use it as one unit in general. The triangle portion of the mark is indicated in ISHIDA red and other portions are indicated in ISHIDA blue. (For colors, refer to 1-03)

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By selecting your community of interest, you can choose from education sessions focused on your business priorities and your interests. You will also have the chance to participate in net-working sessions built around your community so you can meet and connect with others who share similar interests, want to dis-cuss ideas and solutions, and, in some cases, create new partner-ships based on common goals.

In addition, 2014 Fresh Summit will offer an array of exception-al events. For example, The Sensory Experience Contest supports our industry-wide goal of increasing produce consumption by 2020 by showcasing and recognizing innovative, delicious ways to represent fresh fruit and vegetables. The Women’s Fresh Per-spectives Leadership Breakfast will provide an invaluable oppor-tunity to mix and mingle with current and future industry lead-ers while gaining inspiration and insight from one another. The Retail Produce Tour will visit local supermarkets in the Anaheim, California area. Tour participants will get a unique opportunity to learn about innovative marketing strategies, cutting-edge mer-chandising techniques and operational efficiencies. Speaking of cutting-edge, the New Products Showcase will unveil the latest fresh produce and floral innovations. New products include new

varieties in produce, new ideas for appealing to kids, and break-through packaging ideas and fresh branding strategies. Recogni-tion of several industry movers and shakers will include the 2014 PMA Impact Award, the PMA Robert L. Carey Leadership Award and the Floral Marketer of the year. And the PMA Foundation 5K Race for Talent will benefit the foundation’s mission to attract, de-velop, and retain talent for the produce industry.

A future filled with innovation and opportunity awaits you at PMA’s 2014 Fresh Summit Convention & Expo. For more informa-tion, call the PMA Solution Center at +1 (302) 738-7100 or e-mail [email protected].

“ ”PMA’s Fresh Summit Convention & Expo is more than a trade show. It is the global produce and floral industrys’ home for innovation.– Julie lucido

Chairman, Fresh Summit Exhibitor Advisory Committee Marketing Plus


The 2014 Impact Award is a global program recognizing com-panies that use innovation and excellence in packaging to maxi-mize the selling of fresh produce. This is truly a competition where everybody wins. The finalists gain exposure in front of more than 20,000 show attendees — for zero investment dollars. The award’s competitive environment brings winning concepts to the pro-duce industry for increased sales and efficiencies. And, ultimately,

consumers take home fresh produce and flowers that last longer and add convenience to their lives.

This notable award recognizes trendsetters that create and de-liver bold new concepts for produce and floral packaging. Points are awarded for excellence in the areas of Marketing, Consumer Convenience, Food Safety, Sustainability and Supply Chain Effi-ciency/Functionality. Here is a look at last year’s finalists:

Ready Pac Peel and ReSeal Lettuce Trays, submitted by Clear Lam Packaging, Inc. and Ready Pac Foods, Inc.Sustainability was a key focus in developing this innovative packaging, as packaging weight is reduced by eliminating heavy, rigid plastic lids, and the tray and lidding film incorporates over 80 percent renewable plant-based plastic.

Frieda’s Meyer Lemon & Seedless Lemon Bags, submitted by Frieda’s Inc.These colorful new citrus bags stand out in the produce department with eye-catching graphics and a large clear panel that showcases the fruit inside.

NatureSweet CherriotsTM, submitted by NatureSweetPortability is built in to this convenient packaging, for the on-the-go snacker.

Sk® Choice Lemonade Pouch, submitted by Sunkist Growers, Inc.These fun-filled pouches feature animated lemon characters at a homemade lemonade stand.

Marzetti Simply Dressed Pourables, submitted by T. Marzetti CompanyThis packaging expands on the category growth driven by Marzetti Simply Dressed (the first simple concept in refrigerated salad dressings) by offering exciting new flavors in a unique tall bottle.

All 2014 packaging finalists will be showcased at the upcoming Fresh Summit Convention & Expo and recognized on PMA’s website. The top five winners will be announced during a PMA general session, highlighted in the designated display area, and featured in a post-show press release.

For more information, visit www.pma.com/impactaward. Or, contact Elaine Bange at [email protected].

PMA’s Impact Award: excellence in PackagingPushing the envelope, the re-sealable bag, the portable clamshell and more.by Deryn Zakielarz

fresh October 2014 Edition60 fresh October 2014 Edition 61

As a member of PMA, Goodfarmer looks forward to joining industry leaders at critical events, and putting our greatest effort into making a valuable contribution to the industry. Our vision is to be the global supply-chain manager for agricultural products with premium quality!

— Zijie liu Owner Goodfarmer

“M E M B E R P R O F I L E

Aptly named, “Goodfarmer” was founded in 2002 as a global supply-chain man-ager for premium agricultural products, exporting, importing and domestically

distributing fruits and vegetables. Today, 90 percent of the products exported by Goodfarmer are under the Goodfarmer brand, and sales are booming.

According to Zijie Liu, owner of Goodfarmer, “In 2013, it was $500 million in annual sales, and we are confident that we will reach $600 million in an-nual sales by the end of 2014. In 2020, we will have a good chance to reach $1.6 billion in annual sales, and will establish distribution centers throughout the country to work closely with supermarkets, on-line stores, fruit chain-stores and group customers.”

At the heart of Goodfarmer’s success is a strong

commitment to building solid brands for all the products it handles. To accomplish this challenging task, Goodfarmer:

• Communicates with customers directly, and maintains a close relationship with each of them.

• Stays on top of industry changes and innovations.

• Looks for — and leverages — emerging opportunities.

In the Middle East, South Asia and Southeast Asia, Goodfarmer’s export business covers agricul-tural production, processing, procurement, trans-portation and marketing for products including garlic, apple, ginger, pear, and sweet pomelo.

Recently, Goodfarmer has focused on expand-

ing its import business, building on a banana import business that is already leading the industry. In terms of its international business, Goodfarmer has set up subsidiaries in Chile, Ecuador, Philippines and Amer-ica. Domestically, in 2013 Goodfarmer became the agent of Zespri New Zealand Kiwifruit in North China.

Goodfarmer — Great at Building Brands and Customer loyalty

The company’s roots are in Beijng, Shanghai, Guang-zhou and Shenyang, where it has established distri-bution centers and ripening rooms for agricultural products, and has built strategic cooperation rela-tionships with more than ten large-scale chain super-markets, including Carrefour, Tesco and Auchan.

For more information about how Goodfarmer can work for your company, visit goodfarmer.com.

Contact Citi® Commercial Bank to support your business’ current operations needs and expansion plans.

2849

Collene GreenleeDirectorCiti Agricultural and Commercial [email protected]

www.citi.com/commercialbank

• Crop Lines

• Ag Real Estate Loans

• Ag Equipment Loans

• International Trade

• Foreign Exchange

All loan products subject to credit and documentation approval. © 2014 Citigroup Inc. Citibank, N.A. Member FDIC. Equal opportunity lender. Citi and Arc Design is a registered service mark of Citigroup.fresh October 2014 Edition62

In 2003, Carlos Oramas and Bonnie Armellini started The Gems Group with a two-fold purpose. First on the list was growing the floral category by marketing innovative products that create

demand. The pair’s second goal was to create a company that people love working at. In fact, the “Group” references the people who work at Gems, rather than a group of companies. Fun is at the

pany has experienced steady growth every year since opening its doors.

“We believe flowers make everyday life better. And we are in the business of creating believers. In a nutshell, that is what we are about,” continues Ora-mas. “We like to look at ourselves as a lifestyle com-pany that exists to inspire why and when Americans purchase flowers.”

The Gems Group is distinctively positioned as a marketing company in the floral industry. The com-pany leveraged social media early on, testing cus-tomers’ responses to colorful marketing campaigns, contests and QR mediums. Over time, the company has learned a great deal from these tests and is ap-

living the Good life with Gemsheart of the business’s culture and corporate iden-tity. States Carlos Oramas, CEO of The Gems Group, “We could never talk about Gems without under-scoring the ‘Group.’ Our values of people, flexibility, results, doing is what is right, getting better, having fun, being humble and being grateful are the soul of the group and what keep Gems growing.” Last year, Gems celebrated its tenth year and the com-

plying these lessons to several new, exciting initia-tives currently in the works.

The Gems Group’s products are created state-side and crafted on two certified and award-win-ning farms in Medellin and Bogota, Colombia. The company counts Publix, HEB, Ahold, Albertsons, Schnucks, Harris Teeter, The Fresh Market, Hy-Vee, Meijer, and Topco among its customers. In addition, The Gems Group has been a past recipient of the PMA Impact Award for excellence in packaging.

“We have an enormous market of untapped consumers,” asserts Oramas. “Most Americans will still not purchase flowers even once a year. We aim to create believers.”

To learn more about The Gems Group, please visit TheGemsGroup.com.

PMA is providing a venue for floral category leadership to engage and exchange information and ideas in a meaningful way.”

— Carlos Oramas CEO The Gems Group

“

M E M B E R P R O F I L E



Since 1947, Package Containers, Inc. (PCI) has often been thought of as the com-pany that has helped generations of farm-ers and growers sell more produce at their

roadside stands. With its Home-Toter® produce merchandising containers and branded wire ties, PCI is also known as the company that helps grow-ers, packers, shippers, independent store manag-ers and grocery chain executives set their brands apart and connect shoppers to the organic and local produce movements.

PCI sells to grocers and growers through six re-gional sales managers and more than 120 distribu-tors, and nine of the top 10 in Progressive Grocers’ Super 50 use PCI products. In fact, last year, PCI made enough totes to help its customers sell more than 250 million pounds of produce, and enough wire ties to circle the globe more than four times.

During 2013 and 2014, a store test proved that merchandise packed for display in Home-Toters® vs. bulk selection generated an 800 percent increase in produce revenue — regardless of the fruits or veg-etables being offered. “Ironically,” says PCI Marketing & Sales Director Scott Koppang, “The biggest chal-lenge we face today is educating produce decision-makers on how Home-Toters® are important con-tributors to increased produce revenue — that they are revenue drivers, not sunk costs. That key benefit

will be at the heart of performance success stories on our website. We’ve also sponsored a stimulating new blog (theproducemerchant.com) that presents inno-vative produce branding, marketing and sales ideas throughout our industry. Everything we do, from PCI’s social media outreach to our rock-solid product story, is designed to help sell more produce and help produce people become more successful.”

PCI’s totes are completely recyclable, are certi-fied compostable and are biodegradable. They are made in a process that uses water-based inks and adhesives, and returns water to the environment in a pH neutral condition.

The Second longest-Standing PMA Member Puts Customer Profitability First

As the second longest-standing member of PMA, Package Containers has witnessed the growth of the produce industry first hand.

We’ve watched our customers grow—in part because our products help them sell more fresh fruits and vegetables, in part because we’ve recom-mended that they, too, join PMA. It’s a win-win-win all around.”— Robert Degnan

CEO and President Package Containers, inc.

“

To learn more about how PCI’s high Performance Totes and Ties can prompt purchasing and build brands for your business, please visit packagecontainers.com.

Richard Nixon at his family’s store during the late 1960s in whittier, CA using a home-Toter® for citrus



There are a number of great reasons why Heat and Control, Inc. is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of food processing and packaging equipment systems, start-

ing with more than 60 years of experience, 211 U.S. patents, a top-notch staff of engineers, technicians and consultants — and a personal approach. This mixture of know-how, innovation and commitment to quality, enables Heat and Control to guarantee “best-of-breed” custom solutions to any part of a company’s production.

From Conveyers to Peelers to weighers, heat and Control Makes Machinery Personal

Heat and Control is a leading supplier to the fresh produce industry.

We value PMA membership and tradeshow participation as an important tool to reach our customers and stay updated on industry affairs.”

— keith Martinez Regional Sales Manager heat and Control

“

To learn more about the heat and Control products that best meet your business needs,

visit heatandcontrol.com.

As a single-source global supplier, Heat and Control manufactures and provides machinery for processing, conveying, weighing, packaging, and inspection of salads, whole and pre-cut fruits and vegetables, and packaged products.

The company’s comprehensive range of techni-cal services before, during and after a customer’s machinery acquisition adds a comfort level to the purchasing process. For example, the pre-sale servic-es that Heat and Control offers include applications assistance, process development, and equipment demonstrations — hands-on services essential to se-lecting the right equipment for the job.

To verify that all specifications and deadlines for each order are met, Heat and Control project man-agers coordinate each job, from inception through installation. With a focus on personalized service, the company provides customers with engineering and custom manufacturing. In addition, the com-pany supports every product it sells with installa-tion, parts, service, and training.

Family owned since 1950, Heat and Control takes pride in ensuring all of its customers receive the best equipment and service. With its partners, Ishida, CEIA, and Spray Dynamics, Heat and Con-trol is the single source for the best machinery and technical support from start to finish.

heat and control products include:heat and control products include:ishida multi-head weighersishida tray sealersishida X-ray inspection and checkweighersceia metal detectorsconveyors for product feeding, distribution, blending, sorting, and accumulationcontainer fillerstruck trailer dumpersstorage binssizerscrate fillers and product metering equipmentpeelersWashers, blancherscoating and seasoning applicatorsGrill mark brandersovens and fryer systemscontrol and data management systems

Progressive Produce is a year-round grower/packer/distributor of fresh produce. Since 1967, the company has grown thousands of acres of potatoes, onions, asparagus

and other fruits and vegetables throughout North and South America. Progressive’s goal is to be a valuable category partner in all commodities sold, provide outstanding service 365 days a year, and to be recognized by its customers as a critical fac-tor in their success. With expertise in food safety, traceability, marketing and package development, Progressive is a complete partner for success in

Growing Customers’ Businesses Since 1967

today’s marketplace with today’s customers. The company strives to exceed the needs of its cus-tomers every day, all year, starting with a focus on honoring its commitments.

In 1967, Nace Cohen and Charles Gilb, with a sales staff of one, an office staff of one, and a fleet consist-ing of one truck, founded Progressive Produce as a potato and onion company. In their first year, they pioneered the theory of bringing bulk loads of po-tatoes to Los Angeles, thereby merging potato pro-duction — wholesaling, packing, refrigeration, trans-portation and sales — all under one roof.


Our company goal is to get better each and every day.

PMA helps us achieve that goal in areas of talent development, food safety and global changes.”

— Jim leimkuhler President Progressive Produce Corporation

“

For more information on how Progressive’s experience, talent, and resources make it your business’s key “category management partner,” visit progressiveproduce.com.

1967 started pathfinder trucking to transport potatoes and onions from growers to its packing shed in los angeles to ensure superior customer service, maximize efficiency, and ensure order accuracy and on-time delivery.

1988 progressive produce purchased by chiquita.

1998 progressive instituted the Quality improvement and Food safety program. the program has received a superior GFs food safety rating at the company’s facility in los angeles, california, as well as bakersfield, california, and Quincy, Washingon.

2003 management team of Jim leimkuhler, victor rodarte and Jack Gyben purchased progressive produce.

2004 introduced microbaker® microwaveable potato and yam program. a patented shrink-wrap method keeps microbakers clean, seals in freshness and makes unwrapping a hot, nutritious potato or yam fast and convenient.

2005 introduced olé pacifica® hispanic fruit, vegetable and herb program, allowing its customers to aggressively pursue hispanic specialty foods.

2007 started its year-round fresh asparagus program by introducing its americas asparagus™ program.

2007 introduced nature’s bounty® organic line, grown and processed to strict organic standards and shipped fresh. certified Usda organic by ccoF.

2010 introduced hollywood Fries®, a seed-based potato variety ideal for frying that makes light, consistent, crisp and superior fries.

2013 purchased mission asparagus, expanding acreage and strength-ening year-round supply to progressive customers.

2014 moved pathfinder to a fully refrigerated warehouse to store the company’s expanding product line and for 3rd party logistics customers.

a N N ua L Pa R T N E R P R O F I L E

THANK YOUFOR GROWING OUR INDUSTRY’S TALENT2013 INDUSTRY TALENT FUND CONTRIBUTORS

For information on how you can make a tax deductible gift to support PMA Foundation or to learn more about its initiatives to attract, develop and retain industry talent, please visit pmafoundation.com.

$100,000 and aboveProduce Marketing Association

$75,000 - $99,999Jay and Ruth Pack Family Foundation

$25,000 – $49,999General Dillingham Produce Industry

Scholarship FundTaylor Farms

$10,000 – $24,999Blue Book ServicesCastellini Group of CompaniesConsolidated West DistributingLipmanMission ProduceOppy

$5,000 – $9,999AgroFresh, Inc.Domex Superfresh GrowersIFCOMoonlight CompaniesNaturipe Farms, LLCNorth Bay Produce, Inc.Progressive Produce CorporationTo-Jo Mushrooms, Inc.

Tom Lange Company, Inc.Valley Fruit & ProduceWilcox FreshBob Whitaker

$500 – $999Leonard BattiCapespan North AmericaConcord Foods, Inc.Cottle Strawberry NurseryMarty CranerELLS CPAs & Business AdvAnthony D’AmicoDuane and Toni EatonTraci and James GornyG.O. FreshJones Produce, Inc.Timothy KnoerzerElaine McGrathMonsanto CompanyJorge SuarezWal-Mart Stores, Inc.

$100 – $499Nelia AlamoJuan AlarconMiguel AllamandAnthony BarbieriAlicia CalhounCalifornia Strawberry CommissionCoast Citrus DistributorsBrian CookCS Sales + Marketing for Results

Preparing the next generation of global leaders.

Attracting university students to the industry.

Gaining insights and growing networks for career development.

Cultivating women’s potential.

Optimizing the impact of mid-level leaders. O�ering senior executives an

atmosphere for growth and creativity.

Jan 21-23, 2015 | REGISTER TODAY!

$2,500 – $4,999Boskovich Farms, Inc.Caito Food Services, Inc.ExpoBadge, Inc.Field Fresh Foods, Inc.Indianapolis Fruit CompanyLGS Specialty Sales, Ltd.LiveGourmet/Hollandia ProduceJem-D International PartnersJMR FarmsJV Smith CompaniesMonte Package CompanyTurbana Corporation

$1,000 – $2,499A.J. Trucco, Inc.Andrews Brothers, Inc.AnonymousAribel Aguirre-BeckJohn AndersonTonya and Rick AntleBengard RanchBonipak Produce CompanyBronco Packaging Corp.California Cartage CompanyCoast Produce CompanyColorful HarvestCostco WholesaleMatt and Kari CurryDarden RestaurantsD’Arrigo Bros. Co of NY, Inc.D. L. J. Produce, Inc.Diversified Restaurant Systems

DMA SolutionsDriscoll’sField Fresh Foods, Inc.Florida Fruit & VegetableFonzo FamilyFox PackagingFresh Direct Produce Ltd.Fresh InnovationsFrieda’s, Inc.General Produce Co.Grimmway FarmsRobert A & Cynthia L HilgerJ. Marchini FarmsLakeside ProduceJim and Marcia LeimkuhlerL&MLiberty Fruit Co., Inc.Limoneira CompanyLiner Grodes Stein, et al.McDougall and Sons, Inc.MIXTEC GroupNonpareil CorporationNorth Shore Greenhouses, Inc.Overwaitea FoodsJohn and LeeAnne OxfordMargi PrueittRainier Fruit CompanyJanis and Jim RichterKent and Lynn ShoemakerBryan and Bonnie SilbermannSpezzano Consulting Service, Inc.Marc SolomonSteven and Amy Stein

Kevin DelaneyJan and Duane DeLyserFresh Gourmet CompanyBrian GadwahMikel HancockThe Hochman FamilyMichele HoffmanKerlin’s Mid-Atlantic Distributor’s Inc.Mylene PachecoRichard OwenDavid RhodesSullivanCurtisMonroe Insurance Services, LLCTexas Melon ExchangeLarry Zink

Up to $99Robin BednashMichael BondarGail CarpenterKathy CoyleChristina D’AllaccoDennis DeBaltzoPatricia DominguezEdmund TreacyLynda FisherRobyn FlorioJamie HillegasCheryl KitchenMary LenhoffJill LeBrasseurKatherine MeansShawn MerrifieldCynthia Neal

Patti ShanksDorothy A. SiegfriedGeorge SzczepanskiEboni WallBob Whitman

Matching Gifts:Costco WholesaleMonsanto Company

2013 Tribute GiftsContributors names are listed in italics below honoree name.

In Honor ofJim Leimkuhler

Mitchell RegenstreifRandall J. SunshineELLS CPAs & Business AdvMike Jones and Jack Jones

Gerald & Dorothy VolmRobert A & Cynthia L Hilger

Dick and Carole Spezzano’s50th Wedding Anniversary

Bryan and Bonnie SilbermannPMA Foundation StaffJan and Duane DeLyser

Salvatore “Sam” MonteMonte Package Company

In Memory ofDallas Bednash

Robin Bednash

WelcomeProduce Marketing Association is pleased to welcome the following corporate members who have recently joined our organization.*

NEw PMA MEMBERS

AUSTRAliApotatoes saselect Fresh

BRAZilFazenda rio bonitoindustrade rep int e com. ltda

CANADAFresh cutz Foods inc.millennium pacific Greenhousessunny sky produce ltd.

ChilEexportadora dona paula ltdalcl logistica chile ltda.pss envases spaZurgroup s.a.

ECUADORpro ecuador

iSRAElcartasense

iTAlyser.mac s.r.l.

MExiCOad naturambarrenechea sucesores, s.c.Frugasa sa de cvpapas selectas serrano

NEThERlANDSlbp rotterdam b.v.

PERUagricola yaurilla s.a.agronegocios la Grama sacGamma cargo sac

SOUTh AFRiCAFruit south africahygrotechrosaly Farms llstar south Fruits pty ltd

SPAiNZumex Group s.a.

UNiTED kiNGDOMJupiter marketing ltd

UNiTED STATESa & a Foodservicearmstrong transport Groupavocados From mexicobing beverage companyblackjack express, inc.blue lightning logisticsboardman Foods, inc.boomerang limited, llcbuy Fresh produce, inc.california Growncity ag llcco-sales companyd. W. block associates, llcdFa of californiaequitable Food initiativeFreshly squeezed llcFront door FarmsGourmet’s Finest mushroom companyhorizon marketing, inc.hummusphere Foods

i on FoodicsJ. ambrogi Food distribution, inc.Kronen corp.living intentionsmixed nuts, inc.otto trading inc.pioneer potatoespoint Five packagingport of huenemeproduce monkeyr & r producerct, inc.red Jacketsalix Fruits llcseapoint Farmsspinaca Farms inc.stockuptessemaes all naturalvolcano produce, inc.Wild river marketing, inc.WnaXpert safety

NEw PMA FlORAl MEMBERS

kENyAsuera Flowers ltd

UNiTED STATES99 international, inc.bouquet collectiondramm and echterForever blossomsmountain view nurserysofia Flowers inc.

*New PMA Members (June 2, 2014 to August 28, 2014)


save the datePMA/PMA Foundation calendar of upcoming eventsMark your calendar for these upcoming PMA and PMA Foundation events … and watch your business grow!

OCTOBERFresh SummitOct. 17-19, 2014Anaheim, California USAJoin more than 20,000 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors from more than 60 countries for PMA Fresh Summit Convention & Expo, which is more than a trade show. It is the global produce and floral industry’s home for innovation. Fresh Summit is your chance to build connections with industry executives, technology trailblazers, entrepreneurs and buyers from every link of the supply chain.freshsummit.com

Retail Produce TourOct. 16, 2014Anaheim, California USAGet an insider’s look at what’s new in merchandising, packaging, technology, and fruit and vegetable commodities during the Retail Produce Tour. Walk away with plenty of innovative ideas and strategies that can be applied to your own business.

PMA Foundation Women’s Fresh Perspectives Leadership BreakfastOct. 17, 2014Anaheim, California USABuild meaningful relationships and build career insights from our inspirational guest speaker. During this seated breakfast, a mix of industry newcomers and seasoned veterans can exchange ideas and information, walking away ready for the challenges of the weekend.pma.com/events/fresh-summit/2014/program/events-and-activities/ womens-fresh-perspectives-breakfast

PMA Foundation 5K Race for TalentOct. 18, 2014Anaheim, California USAEnjoy the scenic 3.1-mile course through downtown Anaheim ending at the farmers market. The race features a performance T-shirt, race bag full of goodies, continental breakfast with coffee and a guaranteed fun time by all.pma.com/events/fresh-summit/2014/program/events-and-activities/5k-race-for-talent

PMA Foundation Pack Family Career Pathways ProgramOct. 16-19, 2014Anaheim, California USACreated in 2004 by Jay Pack and Produce Marketing Association (PMA), the original Pack Family Career Pathways program brought the first group of students and faculty members from universities across the country to PMA’s Fresh Summit for a unique introduction to the fresh produce industry. The program provides opportunities for students and their faculty members to participate in career panel discussions, field tours, educational workshops, and social events, as well as opportunities to walk the show floor with a Career Ambassador.pmafoundation.com/pack-family-career-pathways-program/

NOVEMBERPMA Fruittrade Latin AmericaNov. 12-13, 2014Santiago, ChilePMA Fruittrade is where the global produce industry gathers to gain new contacts, new insights and new business opportunities for Latin America. Join more than 2,250 attendees and 90 exhibiting companies in this two-day conference.pmafruittrade.com/home/

DECEMBERThe Hartman Group’s Organic and Natural WebinarDec. 10, 2014Online, 2-3 p.m. EDTSince 1996, The Hartman Group has been at the leading edge of documenting the evolving organic and natural marketplace through the lens of consumer behavior and culture. Please join us for a presentation of The Hartman Group’s Organic and Natural syndicated research to learn more about the evolving organic marketplace and consumers today.pma.com/events/webinars/organic-and-natural

JANUARYExecutive Leadership SymposiumJan. 21-23, 2015Dallas, Texas USAThe Executive Leadership Symposium, brought to you in partnership with Cornell University, offers senior executives an opportunity to come together and discover how to harness the innovation and changes taking place to confidently position their companies for a competitive advantage today.pmafoundation.com/leadership-symposium/

4earth Farmsa & J produce corp.a & W Food services of canada, inc.a.J. trucco, inc.able Freight services, inc.ace customs broker, inc.ag-Fume services, inc.agromod, s.a. de c.v.akin & porter produce, inc.alpine Fresh, inc.alsum Farms & produce inc.andrew & Williamson Fresh produceandrews brothers, inc.apache produce imports, llcapio, inc.archibald Freshassociated Wholesale Grocersawe sum organics, inc.babe’ Farms, inc.bailey Farms, inc.bard valley medjool date Growersbay valley Foodsbayer cropsciencebeachside produce, llcben b. schwartz & sons, inc.ben e. Keith Foodsben litowich & son, inc.bFc associatesbi-lo/Winn-dixiebig red tomato packers, llcbirkoblue book services, inc.blue creek produce, llc.bonipak produce co.booth ranches, llcborton & sons, inc.boskovich Farms, inc.bozzuto’s, inc.braga Fresh Family Farmsbrinker internationalbronco packaging corp.burris logisticsc & d Fruit & vegetable co.ca leafy Greens marketing agreementcady bag companycaito Foods services, inc.calavo Growers, inc.california avocado commissioncalifornia pear advisory boardcalifornia strawberry commissioncalifornia sun dry Foodscanadian produce marketing assn.

capespan north americacastellini companycds distributing, inc.charles e. Gilb companycheesecake Factory incorporated, thechelan Fresh marketingchristopher ranch, llcchurch brothers, llcciruli brotherscitricola lucato, ltda.classic Fruit companycmi columbia marketing intlcoast citrus distributorscoast produce companycoast to coast produce, llccoastal Fresh Farms, inc.coastline Family Farms a dba of sunridge

Farms, inc.coliman Grupo s.a. de c.v.columbine vineyardsconcord Foods, inc.coosemans la shippingcoosemans Worldwide, inc.corona college heightscountry Fresh mushroom co.critcher brothers produce, inc.crown Jewels produce companycrunch pakcrunchies Food companyd’arrigo bros. co. of ny, inc.d’arrigo bros. co., of californiadarden restaurantsdave’s specialty imports, inc.dayka & hackett, llcdel monte Fresh producedimare Fresh, inc.diversified restaurant systemsdivine Flavor, llc.dixie produce, inc.dne World Fruit llcdole Food company, inc.domex superfresh Growersdouble diamond Farmsdriscoll’sduda Farm Fresh Foods, inc.dulcinea Farms-pacific trellis Fruitduncan Family Farms, llce. armata, inc.earthbound Farmeasterday Farms produce co.eastern produce councilempacadora G.a.b., inc.

enviro tech la, s.a. de c.v.Family tree FarmsFamous software, llcField Fresh Foods, inc.Fillmore piru citrusFirstFruits marketing of WashingtonFisher ranch corporationFlagler Global logisticsFlavor pic tomato co.Florida specialties llcFlorida strawberry Growers associationFour star sales, inc.Fowler bros., inc.Fox packagingFresh direct produce ltd.Fresh Gourmet companyFresh solutions network, llcFresh taste produce, ltd.Fresherized FoodsFreshpoint, inc.Freshway FoodsFreshworld (pty), ltd.Freska produce international, llcFrieda’s, inc.Fruits cmr saG & r FarmsG.o. FreshGFF, inc.Giant eagle, inc.Giorgio Fresh co.Giro pack, inc.Giumarra companies, theGold coast packing, inc.Gourmet Garden herbs & spicesGreenGate Fresh, lllpGreenhouse produce companyGrimmway FarmsGrocery outlet, inc.Grower’s pride, llcGrowers marketing, llc.Guy J. varley, inc.h. brooks & companyham Farms, inc.hass avocado boardheartland produce companyhighline produce, ltd.hm-clausehollandia produce, l.p.horton Fruit company, thehugh h. branch, inc.hyde & hyde, inc.iFco systems

in & out cargo co.index Fresh, inc.indianapolis Fruit companyitaueira agropecuaria, s/aJ & J distributing co.J & K Fresh, llcJ. c. Watson companyJ. marchini FarmsJ. margiotta company, llc.J&J Family of FarmsJab produceJac. vandenberg, inc.Jo’h produce companiesJohn vena, inc.Jr simplot companyJv smith companiesKeany produce companyKeystone Fruit marketing, inc.Kingdom Fresh produceKroger co., theKurt Zuhlke & assoc., inc.Kvat Food stores, inc.Kwik lok corporationl&mlakeside produceleger & son, inc.lGs specialty sales, ltd.liberty Fruit co., inc.limoneira companylitehouse, inc.los angeles salad companylouis melbournelowes Food stores, inc.maddan & company, inc.manfredi companiesmarc Glassman, inc.mariani nut companymarkon cooperative, inc.martori Farmsmaryland Food center authoritymastronardi producemeijer, inc.melissa’smiami agro importmilitary produce Group, llcmisionero vegetablesmission produce, inc.monsanto companymonterey mushrooms, inc.moraitis Groupmucci international marketing, inc.muranaka Farm, inc.murphy tomatoesnational mango boardnational produce consultantsnational resource management, inc.nature Fresh Farmsnatureseal, inc.naturesweet, ltdnaturipe Farms, llc.

navajo agricultural products industrynew york apple sales, inc.nonpareil corp.north american produce buyersnorth bay produce, inc.northwest horticultural councilocean mist Farmsoneonta trading corporationonions direct llcontario Greenhouse vegetable Growersorange county produceorganics Unlimited, inc.pacific coast Fruit companypacific international marketingpacific tomato Growerspanorama produce sales, inc.paramount citrus, inc.paramount Farms, inc.peak of the marketpear bureau northwestperformance Food Groupphillips mushroom Farmspotandon produce, llcpremier citrus packers, llc.premier Fruits Group, pty., ltd.premier mushrooms lpprime time internationalpro act, llcpro citrus network, inc.produce packaging, inc.progressive produce corporationprovincial Fruit co., ltd.publix super markets, inc.pure hothouse Foods, inc.rainier Fruit companyraw Foods international, llcred blossom sales, inc.red sun Farmsredline solutions, inc.reinhart Foodservicerio Fresh, inc.river point Farms, llcrobinson Freshrocktenn companyrocky produce, inc.roland marketing, inc.roundy’s supermarkets, inc.rouses supermarket, llcs. strock & co., inc.sage Fruit companysaladino’ssanson company, thesave mart supermarketssaven corporationsbrocco international, inc.schnuck markets, inc.seald sweet internationalsendik’s Food marketssensitech, inc.service First logistics inc.

shuman produce, inc.sinclair systems int’l, llcsobeys, inc.southern specialties, inc.spice World, inc.spokane produce, inc.state Garden, inc.stemilt Growers, llcsterilox Freshsuccess valley produce, llcsun belle inc.sun rich Fresh Foods, inc.sun World international, llc.sun-maid Growers of californiasunFedsunkist Growers, inc.sunny sky produce ltd.sunrise produce companysuperior sales, inc.sydney markets, ltd.sysco corporationt. marzetti companytanimura & antletaylor Farms, inc.tesco stores, ltdthermal technologies, inc.tippmann Groupto-Jo mushrooms, inc.tom lange company, inc.total Quality logistics, inc.tradecorp mexicotrinity Fruit salesUnipro Foodservice, inc.Unitec s.p.a.United states potato board, theUs Foodsvalley Fruit & produce co.ventura pacific companyvillage Farms, lpvision produce companyvolm companies, inc., theWakefern Food corporationWal-mart stores, inc.Wegmans Food markets, inc.Well-pict, inc.Wells Fargo bankWest pak avocado, inc.Western precooling systemsWestlake produce co.Westmoreland salesWestside produceWholesale produce supply co.Wilcox FreshWinco Foods, inc.Windset FarmsWorldwide produce directXgenex llcyerecic label companyyoungstown Grape distributors, inc.


thank you to our valued Gold circle campaign contributorsPMA’s Gold Circle mission is to protect the public health by providing fresh fruits and vegetables that give consumers a safe and healthy eating experience — every bite, every time. These efforts are made possible by the generous contribution of $1,000 from each of the following industry leaders.*

To learn more about becoming a Gold Circle Campaign Contributor, please visit pma.com/GoldCircle.

*Gold Circle members as of as of August 28, 2014


last wordFresh Summit FirstsInnovation is at the heart of PMA’s 2014 Fresh Summit Convention & Expo. However, breakthroughs and “firsts” are nothing new at this event. Since the very first convention in 1950, PMA has been innovating to make this event more accessible, more relevant and more valuable — objectives that build with every year. So, while event participants experience lots of firsts including cool innovations, hot trends, and new business contacts, here are a few Fresh Summit firsts worth noting as well:

The very first convention was held in 1950 by PPA (now known as PMA) in Columbus, Ohio, with just a handful of attendees. By 1960, attendance had grown to 467. The first time Fresh Summit exceeded 20,000 attendees was in 2012, and this year more than 21,000 are expected!

The first Fresh Summit Media Wall was unveiled in 2014, allowing all in the supply chain to post videos, highlighting their impressions about the biggest food industry trends and the value they receive from attending Fresh Summit.

In 2014, Virtual Booth Assignments rolled out, helping to streamline the process of getting on the Expo floor.

The first floral seminar was offered at the convention held in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1978 — and was attended by nearly 200 floral professionals.

The first Impact Award was presented in 2007, recognizing excellence in packaging in five different categories.

In 1959, the first management training seminar was offered at the convention held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This year, participants can take advantage of 17 educational workshops and general sessions.

The Fresh Summit Mobile App debuted in 2010, helping

attendees plan their itineraries and streamline

their event experience.The New Products Showcase added a popular “Just 4 Kids” section in 2011.

To recognize industry leaders who have gone above and beyond to benefit the industry, the first Robert L. Carey Leadership Award debuted in 2012.

Sign up for your subscription and e-newsletter at WWW.PRODUCEPROCESSING.NET

C OMIN G IN

2015BEST PRACTICES FOR FRESH-CUT, FROZEN AND PROCESSED FRUITS AND VEGETABLES

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WE’VE GOT ORGANICS!Moms, foodies, athletes, and even kids — plus everyone in between — will be looking to enjoy the delicious health

benefits that come with including Well•Pict’s Strawberries in their daily diet. Grown to the highest USDA organic standards using eco-friendly green practices, they pack a healthy punch. So order today, and watch your customers

check them out faster than you stock the shelves.

www.wellpict.com

SEE FOR YOURSELF AT PMA BOOTH #2702

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