U.S. delegation of retailers and wholesalers tours Sicilian citrus region
U.S. delegation of retailers and wholesalers tours Sicilian citrus region
International trade is at an all-time high, with no sign of slowing down. Products that are new to the U.S. market seem to surface daily, and many of them quickly carve a niche and become a permanent part of the produce department landscape.
Among the newly introduced items that consumers will have the pleasure of savoring in 2005 are specialty citrus varieties from Sicily, namely the Tarocco, Moro and Sanguinello orange varieties.
To help ensure that the initial shipments of Sicilian citrus are properly promoted throughout the United States, the Italian Trade Commission, Rossa di Sicilia (which translates to Rose of Sicily, the Sicilian trade organization representing citrus growers and shippers), the provincial region of Siracuse, the provincial region of Catania, the region of Sicily and BellaVita Sweet Peel, a division of Paganini Foods in Harrison, NY, organized and hosted a tour of the southeastern Sicilian citrus region in early January.
Celso Paganini, president of Paganini Foods, an importer of Italian and specialty produce, was instrumental in organizing a group of key industry people to partake in the trip. It included over 20 U.S. produce industry leaders in the wholesale, retail and media segments of the produce industry, who returned home a week later with a vivid understanding of the sophisticated technology that the Sicilian industry is exercising in the growth, harvesting and production of its citrus fruit.
Participants from the retail sector included Craig Carlson, vice president of produce for Pathmark Stores Inc., which operates 142 supermarkets in the New York-New Jersey and Philadelphia metropolitan areas; Pete (Produce Pete) Napolitano, host of a television segment which airs every Saturday morning on NBC?s "Weekend Today in New York? and a representative of S. Katzman Produce in the Bronx, NY; Patty Clark, strategic development supervisor for corporate produce for Safeway Inc., which operates approximately 1,820 stores across the United States and Canada under the Vons, Dominick?s, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Genuardi?s and Carrs banners; and Vince Ottolino, produce buyer for Caputo?s Fresh Markets, a four-store chain in the Chicago area that is famous for its high-end and specialty fresh food products.
Besides Mr. Paganini, the wholesale, distribution and supply end of the contingent consisted of Leo Spillane, a representative for Sea of Cortez Distributors Inc., an importer and shipper in Rio Rico, AZ; Michael Perry, president and CEO of International Fruit & Vegetable LLC, a full-service importer headquartered in Vero Beach, FL; Lucian LaBarba, president of American FoodService, a foodservice and retail distributor in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX, area; Tony Scialabba, category manager for Anthony Marano Co., a major distributing firm in Chicago; John McGraw, CEO of B.E.M. Sales & Marketing in Albany, NY, a brokerage and trading company; and John Lazopoulos Jr., director of sales and marketing for Paganini Foods.
Also in the group were Paul McGowan, director of preclearance programs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture?s APHIS, PPQ-QPAS division in Riverdale, MD, and Michael Guidicipietro, a member of USDA?s technical staff in San Francisco.
A full-day workshop during the trip featured speakers from all groups involved in the Sicilian citrus industry, including provincial regional representatives and others responsible for bringing the trip to fruition.
During the workshop, Mr. McGowan of USDA presented an in-depth discourse on the U.S. importation protocol, including how the regulations and certification standards are organized, and why they must be enforced to protect U.S. crops from diseases and insects, such as the Mediterranean fruit fly.
Once the issue of protecting U.S. crops from exposure to such risks is handled, the concern that remains is how international trade will continue to affect U.S. companies " from the grower level all the way to the consumer.
Nancy Tucker, vice president of global business development for the Produce Marketing Association in Newark, DE, said that a clear indication of how imports are affecting the U.S. market today shows in the fact that the United States is currently facing its first trade deficit in history.
?Products like Sicilian citrus provide a benefit to supermarkets that are looking for ways to differentiate themselves," said Ms. Tucker. "Retailers are faced with tremendous retail competition today, so they have to look for ways to compete other than through price. Products that are especially flavorful and unique [and that create] a unique shopping experience set them apart from their competition."
This category, Ms. Tucker said, is where retailers can gain an edge on big-box stores. She added that chains such as Wegman?s and Whole Foods are good examples of companies that are successful at accomplishing such goals.
Ms. Tucker agreed that the consumers returning to local bodegas, greenmarkets and specialty stores is another factor that is presenting major chains with more competition currently, but she added, "This is right on target, but only within certain demographics. It's a big country, and demographics change radically from one area to the next. It's all about knowing your customer."
PMA?s statistics indicate that the trend toward specialty imports continues to be strong. Ms. Tucker said that she expects it to remain so because retailers continue to look for special items they can offer on a year-round basis.
?Americans are also traveling more to foreign countries," she said. "They try unique products, and when they return home, they want to buy them to try in their own kitchens. Besides this factor, there are growing ethnic populations appearing and/or growing in pockets throughout the U.S. These people want foods from their native countries."
Caputo?s Markets is one of the retailers that is looking forward to the three prized varieties of Sicilian citrus this year. Mr. Ottolino said that his company ran a test program on the items last year, and it has everything in place to begin receiving shipments of the Tarocco variety during the first week of February.
Mr. Ottolino was born in the Pulgia area of Italy, so he is familiar with the fruit. He said he jumped at the chance to test it a year ago, and his instincts were right about Caputo?s customers accepting it.
?Several factors make Sicilian citrus a winning product for us," he said. "Tarocco oranges are scientifically proven to be higher in vitamin C than other oranges, and the American public is becoming especially aware of such details. Also, shipments of Sicilian citrus fall on the heels of Spanish clementines, so they give us a specialty item to fill the void that is left when that season ends. We are well known for our specialty produce and we don?t have price resistance, so they fit our profile perfectly. If all three of the varieties are promoted right, we could have another clementine success story. We believe that BellaVita Sweet Peel will promote the products properly through posters, handouts, in-store demos and other promotional support."
Caputo?s Markets? initial shipments of Sicilian Tarocco oranges will arrive in 20-pound boxes, but Mr. Ottolino said that he is ready to begin bringing in specialty packs as they become available.
On one day, as the group toured an orange grove in Catania, a film crew filmed a "Produce Pete? segment on Sicilian citrus, which is scheduled to air in mid- to late February. On another afternoon, the contingent toured a citrus-processing facility, and on yet another day it was taken to a packing operation " both of which used impressive high-tech equipment.
(Further coverage of the Sicilian citrus trip will follow in The Produce News and on this web site in coming weeks.)
Among the newly introduced items that consumers will have the pleasure of savoring in 2005 are specialty citrus varieties from Sicily, namely the Tarocco, Moro and Sanguinello orange varieties.
To help ensure that the initial shipments of Sicilian citrus are properly promoted throughout the United States, the Italian Trade Commission, Rossa di Sicilia (which translates to Rose of Sicily, the Sicilian trade organization representing citrus growers and shippers), the provincial region of Siracuse, the provincial region of Catania, the region of Sicily and BellaVita Sweet Peel, a division of Paganini Foods in Harrison, NY, organized and hosted a tour of the southeastern Sicilian citrus region in early January.
Celso Paganini, president of Paganini Foods, an importer of Italian and specialty produce, was instrumental in organizing a group of key industry people to partake in the trip. It included over 20 U.S. produce industry leaders in the wholesale, retail and media segments of the produce industry, who returned home a week later with a vivid understanding of the sophisticated technology that the Sicilian industry is exercising in the growth, harvesting and production of its citrus fruit.
Participants from the retail sector included Craig Carlson, vice president of produce for Pathmark Stores Inc., which operates 142 supermarkets in the New York-New Jersey and Philadelphia metropolitan areas; Pete (Produce Pete) Napolitano, host of a television segment which airs every Saturday morning on NBC?s "Weekend Today in New York? and a representative of S. Katzman Produce in the Bronx, NY; Patty Clark, strategic development supervisor for corporate produce for Safeway Inc., which operates approximately 1,820 stores across the United States and Canada under the Vons, Dominick?s, Randalls, Tom Thumb, Genuardi?s and Carrs banners; and Vince Ottolino, produce buyer for Caputo?s Fresh Markets, a four-store chain in the Chicago area that is famous for its high-end and specialty fresh food products.
Besides Mr. Paganini, the wholesale, distribution and supply end of the contingent consisted of Leo Spillane, a representative for Sea of Cortez Distributors Inc., an importer and shipper in Rio Rico, AZ; Michael Perry, president and CEO of International Fruit & Vegetable LLC, a full-service importer headquartered in Vero Beach, FL; Lucian LaBarba, president of American FoodService, a foodservice and retail distributor in the Dallas-Ft. Worth, TX, area; Tony Scialabba, category manager for Anthony Marano Co., a major distributing firm in Chicago; John McGraw, CEO of B.E.M. Sales & Marketing in Albany, NY, a brokerage and trading company; and John Lazopoulos Jr., director of sales and marketing for Paganini Foods.
Also in the group were Paul McGowan, director of preclearance programs for the U.S. Department of Agriculture?s APHIS, PPQ-QPAS division in Riverdale, MD, and Michael Guidicipietro, a member of USDA?s technical staff in San Francisco.
A full-day workshop during the trip featured speakers from all groups involved in the Sicilian citrus industry, including provincial regional representatives and others responsible for bringing the trip to fruition.
During the workshop, Mr. McGowan of USDA presented an in-depth discourse on the U.S. importation protocol, including how the regulations and certification standards are organized, and why they must be enforced to protect U.S. crops from diseases and insects, such as the Mediterranean fruit fly.
Once the issue of protecting U.S. crops from exposure to such risks is handled, the concern that remains is how international trade will continue to affect U.S. companies " from the grower level all the way to the consumer.
Nancy Tucker, vice president of global business development for the Produce Marketing Association in Newark, DE, said that a clear indication of how imports are affecting the U.S. market today shows in the fact that the United States is currently facing its first trade deficit in history.
?Products like Sicilian citrus provide a benefit to supermarkets that are looking for ways to differentiate themselves," said Ms. Tucker. "Retailers are faced with tremendous retail competition today, so they have to look for ways to compete other than through price. Products that are especially flavorful and unique [and that create] a unique shopping experience set them apart from their competition."
This category, Ms. Tucker said, is where retailers can gain an edge on big-box stores. She added that chains such as Wegman?s and Whole Foods are good examples of companies that are successful at accomplishing such goals.
Ms. Tucker agreed that the consumers returning to local bodegas, greenmarkets and specialty stores is another factor that is presenting major chains with more competition currently, but she added, "This is right on target, but only within certain demographics. It's a big country, and demographics change radically from one area to the next. It's all about knowing your customer."
PMA?s statistics indicate that the trend toward specialty imports continues to be strong. Ms. Tucker said that she expects it to remain so because retailers continue to look for special items they can offer on a year-round basis.
?Americans are also traveling more to foreign countries," she said. "They try unique products, and when they return home, they want to buy them to try in their own kitchens. Besides this factor, there are growing ethnic populations appearing and/or growing in pockets throughout the U.S. These people want foods from their native countries."
Caputo?s Markets is one of the retailers that is looking forward to the three prized varieties of Sicilian citrus this year. Mr. Ottolino said that his company ran a test program on the items last year, and it has everything in place to begin receiving shipments of the Tarocco variety during the first week of February.
Mr. Ottolino was born in the Pulgia area of Italy, so he is familiar with the fruit. He said he jumped at the chance to test it a year ago, and his instincts were right about Caputo?s customers accepting it.
?Several factors make Sicilian citrus a winning product for us," he said. "Tarocco oranges are scientifically proven to be higher in vitamin C than other oranges, and the American public is becoming especially aware of such details. Also, shipments of Sicilian citrus fall on the heels of Spanish clementines, so they give us a specialty item to fill the void that is left when that season ends. We are well known for our specialty produce and we don?t have price resistance, so they fit our profile perfectly. If all three of the varieties are promoted right, we could have another clementine success story. We believe that BellaVita Sweet Peel will promote the products properly through posters, handouts, in-store demos and other promotional support."
Caputo?s Markets? initial shipments of Sicilian Tarocco oranges will arrive in 20-pound boxes, but Mr. Ottolino said that he is ready to begin bringing in specialty packs as they become available.
On one day, as the group toured an orange grove in Catania, a film crew filmed a "Produce Pete? segment on Sicilian citrus, which is scheduled to air in mid- to late February. On another afternoon, the contingent toured a citrus-processing facility, and on yet another day it was taken to a packing operation " both of which used impressive high-tech equipment.
(Further coverage of the Sicilian citrus trip will follow in The Produce News and on this web site in coming weeks.)
