RETAIL VIEW: Peapod profitable as Amazon tests space
Amazon.com, which added some bulk grocery items to its product line last year, is now test marketing an on-line grocery delivery service, including some perishables, in a limited way near its Seattle headquarters. The on-line site is called AmazonFresh. The company has picked Mercer Island, an upscale neighborhood in Lake Washington that connects Seattle and its eastern suburbs via a bridge, as its test market. The company has announced no timetable for the expansion of the service; rather it will evaluate this test effort as it goes along.
QPMA to celebrate '60 Years of Love' at annual convention
Continuing the celebration of its 60th anniversary, the Quebec Produce Marketing Association will hold its 60th annual convention Aug. 23-25 at the Fairmount Tremblant in Mont-Tremblant, QC.
With the theme "60 Years of Love," convention attendees will be treated to many exciting activities at the world-renowned resort town nestled at the foot of the Laurentian Mountains about 90 minutes from Montreal.
The convention location is a special one for the QPMA, as it held its 50th convention there 10 years ago.
Produce industry braces for impact of 'no-match' rule
WASHINGTON -- Next month, the so-called "no-match" regulation designed to crack down on employers who hire illegal workers goes into effect, and the rule is likely to devastate agriculture and other industries already struggling with a weakened labor force.
Hurdle cleared for Whole Foods' proposed merger
Whole Foods Market Inc. and Wild Oats Markets Inc. announced Aug. 16 that the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has denied the Federal Trade Commission's request for a preliminary injunction related to the proposed merger between Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Markets.
Bruce Peterson takes the helm at Naturipe Farms
Naturipe Farms LLC, based in Naples, FL, announced that Bruce Peterson has joined the company as president and chief executive officer.
Mr. Peterson is a 37-year veteran of the produce industry who is best known for his 15-year stint at Wal-Mart Stores Inc., where he launched and built that retail giant's perishable foods division before leaving the company in early 2007. Earlier this year, he presided over his own consulting firm, Peterson Insights Inc.
Zespri Power Up tour includes visit to <i>The Produce News</i>
ORADELL, NJ -- Armed with charming smiles, a wealth of information about kiwifruit and a cool kiwi-green sport utility vehicle, a team of young men and women are blanketing the New York metropolitan area to help spread the word about "Zespri" brand New Zealand kiwifruit.
The "Power Up" tour, sponsored by Zespri and The Oppenheimer Group, the brand's Vancouver, BC-based marketer, was one week into a six-week sojourn to New York-area retailers, where team members are holding sampling events to help raise awareness of the nutritional properties of the delectable orbs.
Calavo to put its brand on tomatoes
Calavo Growers Inc. in Santa Paula, CA, announced Aug. 13 that it has entered into a marketing and distribution agreement with Agricola Belher, a major grower of tomatoes in Culiacan, Sinaloa, Mexico.
The initiative will "further enhance" Calavo's "diversified fresh products business with the planned introduction of 'Calavo' brand tomatoes late this fall," the release stated. "In conjunction with the agreement, the Mexican company will be making substantial investments in infrastructure to support the new program."
California apple production may be down relative to last year
Production numbers for California apples for the 2007-08 season likely will come in a little lower than the 3.4 million boxes of fresh apples shipped during the 2006-07 year, according to Alex Ott, executive director of the California Apple Commission.
Mr. Ott said that estimates have this year's shipments at 3 million to 3.1 million boxes. The final tally for the 2005-06 season wrapped up at 3.6 million boxes; 2004-05 was 3.9 million boxes.
Chile estimates Hass avocado crop volume following freeze
Santiago, Chile-based Comite de Paltas de Chile estimated that the Hass avocado crop would be down 33-37 percent from last year's record production figures.
The volume of Hass avocados that Chile will export to its international markets in the 2007-08 season - which runs from July 2007 to February 2008 - is between 230 million and 242 million pounds.
The crop losses stem from a freeze that struck avocado-growing areas in Chile early in the week of July 10. The shortfall is expected to be felt most severely during late August and early September.
Bill Maker of FoodSource dies at 45
Bill Maker III, a salesman at Monterey, CA-based FoodSource, died Aug. 6 at age 45 of an undisclosed cause. He was a resident of Salinas, CA.
Mr. Maker was born May 2, 1962, in Salinas. He left some impressive footsteps to follow for younger brothers Mike and Wyatt, the latter a commodity manager at Castroville, CA-based Ocean Mist Farms.