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Pelican News
September 2016 | #126 Blue Skies Newsletter
Fruit in a Bottle launched in SA BlueSkieshaslaunchedanewrangeoffreshlysqueezedjuicesandstilllemonadesinSouthAfrica.Called‘FruitinaBottle,’therangeisbeingsoldatlocalfoodmarkets,festivalsanddeliveredtoneighbourhoodsintheGuatengprovince.FruitinaBottleissimply100%naturalfreshlysqueezedfruit.Therearenoconcentrates,nopreservatives,noaddedwaterorflavourings.Ourstilllemonadesaremade‘homestyle’fromwater,sugar,reallemonjuiceandpulpandflavouredwithfruit.
TherangeincludesFreshlySqueezedStarRubyGrapefruitJuice,ValenciaOrangeJuiceandNaartjieJuice,StillLemonade,RaspberryandRoseStillLemonadeandGingerandLimeStillLemonade.Allareavailablein300ml,1Litreand5LitreBottles.
Tofindoutmoreandtoenquireaboutplacinganorder,visit‘FruitinaBottle’onlineat:www.blueskies.com/fruit-in-a-bottle
Above:theBlueSkies‘FruitinaBottle’rangein1litrebottles -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blue Skies to attend PMA Fresh Summit
BlueSkieswillbeexhibitingatthePMAFreshSummitbetweenthe14-16OctoberinOrlando.BlueSkiescanbelocatedatBooth108.---------------------------------------------
www.instagram/blueskiesproductswww.instagram/fruitinabottle---------------------------------------------
www.twitter.com/blueskiesfruitwww.twitter.com/fruitinabottle---------------------------------------------
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Blue Skies to go on a Great Fruit Adventure
BlueSkieswillbehostingavisitbyMaxMacGillivrayandGarethJoneswhowillbetravellingbymotorcyclefromLondontoCapeTownbetweenNovember2016andFebruary2017.Called‘TheGreatFruitAdventure’,MaxandGarethareaimingtoraiseawarenessamongyoungpeopleabouttheimportanceofeatingfreshfruitandvegetablesandknowingwhereitcomesfrom.TheteamwillstopoffatBlueSkiesGhanainDecemberwheretheyplantomeetpeopleatthefactoryandfarmsandvisitsomeFoundationProjects.YoucanfindoutmoreabouttheGreatFruitAdventureathttp://www.thegreatfruitadventure.com/MaxispicturedabovewithAnthonyPileandProductDeveloperSarahBirchamattheBlueSkiesHQ.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Blue Skies impress at Asia Logistica
BlueSkiesattendedAsiaLogisticainHongKonginSeptember.PicturedfromlefttorightisLanaMo,HarrietPile,AnthonyPile,SarahBirchamandCathMaskell.-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Top marks in ethical audits CongratulationstoBlueSkiesEgyptwhoachievedanexcellentSMETAauditresultonthe21stand22ndSeptember.SabrinaLanecamefromSGSSouthAfricatocarryoutthesocialaudit.Egyptisnowthelastofoursitesabroadthatshehasaudited.EgyptdidnotdoquiteaswellasBrazil,whogotzeroN/Cslastmonth,but1N/CisoutstandingandareflectionoftheworkdonebyMohamedBahgat,EhabAbdulAziz,KhaledMostafaandOsamaHasanintoensurethatweimplementtheJointEffortEnterpriseandmeetSMETArequirements.
PicturedlefttorightisKhaledMostafa,MohamedAbdul-Razik,auditorSabrinaLane,StephanMorris,MohamedBahgat,EhabAbdulAziz,OsamaHasanin-------------------------------------------------
Blue Skies on show
BlueSkiesGhanawereattheAccraFoodandWineFestivalthismonth.Joanispicturedsellingourjuicestothirstyattendees.-------------------------------------------------
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Woolworths Beverage team visit SA factory Onthe8thofSeptember2016theWoolworthsBeverageteamvisitedBlueSkiesinBalfour.TheWoolworthsteamincludedBadenJacka(newHeadofLonglife);MarissaMunroe(outgoingHeadofLonglife);BernardBoulle(HeadofFreshJuice);LatiefaBehardien(HeadofTechnical:Longlife);ChristinaCosta(HeadofLonglifeProductDevelopment)andAndrewBerry(LogisticsandPlanning).ItwasaverysuccessfulvisitandtheWoolworthsteamwasverycomplimentaryaboutouroperationinBalfouraswellastheproductswesupplytoWoolworths.TheBlueSkiesTechnicalTeamalsopresentedsomeveryinnovativeideasthatwillhopefullybemovedforwardtonewproductsinthefuture.ThediscussionsalsoincludedadetailedreviewofourprocurementplanningforrawmaterialusedtoproduceourFreshlySqueezedjuicestoWoolworths.ThisiscurrentlyunderthespotlightduetotheseveredroughtthatweareexperiencinginSouthAfricaandtheconcernsaroundfruitavailabilityingeneral.TheWoolworthsteamleftBlueSkieswitharenewedconfidenceinourabilitytosupplythemwithtrulyfresh,highqualityjuices,aswellasourtechnicalexpertisetodevelopandlaunchuniqueproductsfortheminthefuture.
ByAndreVeldsman,BlueSkiesSouthAfrica
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Blue Skies work with Delhaize to improve supply chain DelhaizeandBlueSkiesareworkingcloselytogethertooptimizeourjointsupplychainfromHollandintoBelgium.RecentlywewereinvitedbyKrisVerhofstadt(SupplyChainManagerDelhaize)tovisittheirwarehousefacilitiesinZellikandevaluatethecurrentrangeofoutercasesthatarebeingused.WehadallouroutercasesandDelhaizeCratesinoneroomandtogetherweevaluatedthesupplychainprocesstryingtoidentifyareasforimprovementtogether.Welearnedthatbydesigningouroutercasesslightlydifferentwecanincreaseourtransportefficienciesandsavecosts.AtthesametimewewillincreaseproductivityforDelhaizeintheirimpressivewarehousepickingactivitiesinZellik.SjoerdiscurrentlyinGhanaworkingonthisprojectforusandsoonhewillalsoinvolveothersitesandseewherewecanworkmoreefficientlyasagroup.TheDelhaizeprojectisscheduledtobefinalisedsecondweekofJanuary2017whenthecommercialteamofDelhaizeisvisitingusinGhana.DelhaizeandBlueSkiesareachievinganimpressivegrowthtogetherandhavelaunchedthreenewlinesthismonth.ByPaulvanBreukelen,BlueSkiesNetherlands.
Pictured:SjoerdwithKrisVerhofstadt,supplychainManagerofDelhaize-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Why mangoes join together
Whentheembryonicgrowingpointofafruitisgeneticallyalteredpossiblyduetoenvironmentalfactorsorinsectdamage,itcanleadtoconjoinedfruitssuchasthesemangoeswhichoriginatefromSenegal.Itisreallyinterestingtoseethisphysiologythatrarelyhappensinhumans(Siamesetwins)occurringinplants.Theunassuminglyamazingbeautyofgeneticsatplay…MutationofFruitPrimordium.ByCharlesKwadwoAdu,BlueSkiesSenegal.------------------------------------------------
Blue Skies Egypt hold elections
Pictured:electionstakingplaceatBlueSkiesEgyptfortheStaffWelfareandStakeholderCommittees.------------------------------------------------
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The Vegetable Report: Lettuce Month Itisanother“VegesSeason”andyouknowit’sjustabouttimetoignitesmilesonthefacesofstressedandhungrystaff.Itgivesusgreatjoytoseeandhearpeoplehappywhenevertheyareservedwithmealsgarnishedwithvegetablesfromtheirownfarm.Tousonthevegetablefarm,it’snotjustaboutthegarnishedmealsbuttheassuranceofBlueSkiespeopleeatingfreshandhygienicstraight-from-farmvegetables.Ourvegetableshavetherightnutrientsintactduetotheproperagronomicpracticesemployedonourfields.ItisfulfillingtoknowthatindirectlywearepositivelyinfluencingthehealthofBlueSkiespeople.
ThisseasonnursingandplantingstartedinJuneandaswesaidinourlastpublication,otherpracticeshavebeenlearntandhassofarbeeninculcatedinourfieldactivities.Muchimprovementhasbeenseeninthevegetativegrowthofplantsandwearehighlyoptimisticthatitisgoingtobeagreatseason.Already,harvestinghasstarted.SeveralsuppliesoflettuceandFrenchbeanshavebeenmadetothecanteenalreadyandmorewouldfollowupsoon.Anall-year-roundprogramhasbeendrawntoenableaconstantsupplyofvegetablesthroughouttheyear.
Toensureourconsumersknowwhattheytakein,weareusingthisplatformtoeducatepeopleonthephysiologyandhealthbenefitsofthevariousvegetableswecultivate.Thismonthhasbeendubbed“TheLettuceMonth”andwearegoingtoplungeintothenitty-grittiesofthisvegetable.
LETTUCE
GeneralInformation:Lettuce(Lactucasativa)isanannualplantofthedaisyfamilyAsteraceae.Itismostoftengrownasaleafyvegetable,butsometimesforitsstemandseeds.LettuceisarichsourceofvitaminKandvitaminA,andisamoderatesourceoffolateandiron.
Planting:Beforeyouplantyourlettuceseeds,makesurethesoilisprepared.Itshouldbelooseanddrainwellsoit’smoistwithout
stayingsoggy.Tokeepthesoilfertile,feeditwithorganicmatteraboutoneweekbeforeyounurseyourseedandtransplant.Sincetheseedissosmall,awell-tilledseedbedisessential.Largeclodswillreducegermination.
Uses:Lettuceismostoftenusedforsalads,althoughitisalsoseeninotherkindsoffood,suchassoups,sandwichesandwraps;itcanalsobegrilled.Onevariety,thewoju,orasparaguslettuce,isgrownforitsstems,whichareeateneitherraworcooked.
HealthbenefitsofLettuce
• Lettuceleavesareoneoftheverylowcaloriegreen-vegetables.100gfreshgreensprovidejust15calories.Nonetheless,theyarethestorehouseofmanyphyto-nutrientsthatpossesshealthpromotinganddiseasepreventionproperties.
• Vitaminsinlettuceareplentiful.ItsfreshleavesareanexcellentsourceofseveralVitaminAandbetacarotenes.Just100goffresh,raw-lettuceprovides247%ofdailyvitaminA,and4443μgofbeta-carotene(CarotenesconvertintovitaminAinthebody;2μgofcaroteneisconsideredequivalentto1IUofvitaminA).Thesecompoundshaveantioxidantproperties.VitaminAisrequiredformaintaininghealthymucus.
• Italsocontainsgoodamountsofmineralslikeiron,calcium,magnesium,andpotassium,whichareessentialforbodymetabolism.Potassiumisanimportantcomponentofcellandbodyfluidsthathelpscontrollingheartrateandbloodpressure.Manganeseisusedbythebodyasaco-factorfortheantioxidantenzyme,superoxidedismutase.Copperisrequiredintheproductionofredbloodcells.Ironisessentialforredbloodcellformation.
Didyouknow…
• Lettuceisamemberofthesunflowerfamily• Incaseyouhavewiltedlettuce,Puttheleavesinabowlofcoldwaterwithice
cubesandsoakforabout15minutes.• Eatinglettucefordinnercanbecalmingandhelptoreducestress.
Letusembraceleafygreens!Andlivehealthierandlonger!!!ByPerpetualOfasi,BlueSkiesGhana.Gotowww.blueskies.com/lettucemonthforthefullreport
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South Africa Expansion takes shape
Pictured:workprogressestoexpandthefactoryinSouthAfrica---------------------------------------------Palm nuts take a real pounding
Nothing goes to waste at Blue Skies Ghana, and here is Elizabeth our lovely guest house hostess pounding the palm nuts from a tree in the guest house grounds to extract the palm oil used as an ingredient in the spicy stews so beloved of Ghanaians. By Stephan Morris.---------------------------------------------
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Blue Skies conquer Three Peaks Ghana BlueSkiesGhanaparticipatedinthe3peakschallengeon9thand10thSeptember,2016,organisedbyKosmosEnergyGhana.Thechallengebroughttogethersevencorporatebodies;Tullowoil,KosmosEnergy,AtuaboFreeport,ChinaHabour,PensileEnchileLetsaandAnkamahConsult,Dun&BradstreetandBlueSkies.TheobjectiveforthiseventwastoclimbthehighestandthelongestmountainsinGhanawithin24hoursandalsotoraisemoneytobuildaclinicforthepeopleofShiarri,alocalsettlementonMountainDjebobo.TheparticipantsclimbedmountainAfadjaoandAduadoforthefirstnightandproceededtoclimbthethirdmountain,Djebobointhefollowingmorning.ThethreemountainsarelocatedinmiddleandNorthernvoltarespectively.MountainAfadjato,MountainDjebobo,andMountainAduadoallintheVoltaRegionofGhana.Thefirsttwomountainswerehikedintheevening/nightbetween5pmand12am.Thelastpeakwashikedbetween7amand9am.Threeawardswereatstakeforthebestdressedteam,thestrongestteamandthefunniestdressedteam.BlueSkieswasrepresentedbyeightstaff,namelyPerpetualOfasi,WisdomTukpih,MawuliDogbo,SampsonKwawukumey,GeorgeAhiagba,RichardAkornortey,GraceMorteyandDianaAzogla.TheBlueSkiesteamseemedtoostrongforthecompetitionasittookthemjustaboutthreehoursinsteadofthenormalsevenhourstoascendanddescendthetwomountainsAfadjatoandAduadorespectivelytotheamazementoftheotherparticipants.IntheendBlueSkieswasadjudgedthebestdressedteamandTullowOilwontheawardforthefunniestdressedteam.Thestrongestteamhoweverwasawardedtothedrivers,adecisionwhichisbeingdisputedastheyhadnocontenderintheparticipatingteams-anditwasobviousthatthestrongestteamwasreallyBlueSkies!Despitethecontroversy,theeventwasreallyadventurousandfun.WelldonetotheBlueSkiesTeamforprovingtheirprowesswhenitcomestofitnessandsports.ReportbyWisdomTukpih,BlueSkiesGhana.
Picturedabove:TheThreePeaksTeam,stillsmilinginthedeepofthenight-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ghana gets Pine Vision
ManythankstoourfriendsintheNetherlandsforsendingusthesebeautifulpineappleglasses!PicturedaboveisRose,RuthandErnestwhohavereplacedtheiroldframeswiththesemorecolourfulspectacles.---------------------------------------------
www.instagram/blueskiesproductswww.instagram/fruitinabottle---------------------------------------------
www.facebook.com/blueskiesafricawww.facebook.com/fruitinabottle---------------------------------------------
www.twitter.com/blueskiesfruitwww.twitter.com/fruitinabottle---------------------------------------------