Apio to convert GreenLine brand to Eat Smart brand
Apio, a leading fresh-cut produce distributor based in Guadalupe, CA, announced that products sold in retail stores under the GreenLine brand will begin to be converted to its No. 1 selling Eat Smart brand and will become part of Eat Smart’s comprehensive line of fresh packaged vegetable products.
Ontario Greenhouse Vegetable Growers’ specialty products and marketing initiatives proving successful
Soothsayers of years ago who predicted the success of greenhouse production deserve an acknowledgement of how right they were. Greenhouse vegetables, fruit and flower production is continually evolving. New product testing and trailing is ongoing. Specialty vegetable demand is at an all-time high and increasing annually. Organically grown greenhouse production is quickly becoming the norm, and new greenhouses are sprouting up in regions across North America.
Ontario, Canada, can rightly lay claim to jump-starting the growth and success of hydroponic greenhouse production.
At Bergen’s Greenhouses, timing is everything for Easter lily production
As Easter approaches, Chris Bergen, co-owner at Bergen’s Greenhouses in Detroit Lakes, MN, is working hard to keep Easter lily production on track since the company’s main distribution facility in the Twin Cities was devastated by fire last April. Bergen’s has been growing Easter lilies for over 50 years and the lily crop has always been a big part of its winter production.
American Grown 2016 Field-to-Vase Dinner Tour dates announced
The American Grown Field-to-Vase Dinner Tour is a series of pop-up communal dining experiences that take place at American flower farms and greenhouses across the country. Each event features a seasonal, four-course meal prepared by a local chef, served at a table decorated with American Grown flowers by a local floral designer.
IFE partners with Global Cold Chain Expo, United Fresh and FMI Connect in Chicago
After the International Floriculture Expo’s successful co-location with the United Fresh Produce Association show and the Food Marketing Institute’s Connect last year, the Global Cold Chain Expo has been added to the growing partnership. The three-day multi-event will take place again this year at McCormick Place in Chicago, June 20-22.
Love of flowers stronger than polar vortex and Sunday holiday
Traditional wisdom had always predicted that when Valentine’s Day lands on a Sunday, holiday sales are down, and when combined with a winter deep freeze, sales would really suffer. However, Valentine’s Day 2016 seems to have beaten the odds as several supermarket retailers reported good to very good holiday sales.
A 20th anniversary with free flowers for guests to have and give away
CHARLESTON, SC — When Manny and Clara Gonzales, owners of Tiger Lily Florist here, thought about celebrating its 20th anniversary on Jan. 8, “the operative words were cheap, easy and fun,” said Manny Gonzales in an interview a month later. “Instead of a lavish party full of jaded event professionals who have seen, drank and ate it all, we wanted to go with an old-school, neighborhood ‘birthday party’ vibe.
Horticulture firm adapts pots to fight Zika virus
As the Zika virus continues to spread and dominate the news, a clever horticulture industry professional has contributed a creative solution to one part of the problem — it turned a plant pot into a mosquito trap. By trapping the Aedes mosquito, the insect responsible for the transmission of the Zika virus, hopefully the number of infected mosquitoes will be diminished.
Integrating a wedding program into supermarket floral departments
Integrating a wedding program into your supermarket floral department can be both wise customer service and a profitable experience. According to Thumbtack.com, an online marketplace that matches local service providers and consumers through an online directory, the average couple in the U.S. will spend $1,134 on flowers for their wedding in 2016. Why not capture some of that revenue in the supermarket setting?
Compostable, self-feeding garden pot debuts
Danny Mishek, founder and president at SelfEco in Stillwater, MN, is a third-generation manufacturer who grew tired of throwing his yearly garden plant pots into the garbage. After he and his four kids planted their “salsa garden” each spring, they would wind up with numerous wasted plastic pots. An estimated 200 million pounds of plastic garden pots end up in landfills each year in the United States alone. So, with his background in plastics and manufacturing, he invented the SelfEco Garden Pot, billed as the first compostable, self-feeding garden pot.