Fresh Cut Magazine

A First Time for Everything

I enjoy “firsts.” My first car was a 1987 Plymouth Sundance. I sold it to buy my first new truck. My first girlfriend was Jamie in junior high. She’s now my wife. I bought my first house in December. It’s now down to bare studs inside and is slowly beginning to look like a house again. So you can see why I like firsts, and I wanted to take the time and enjoy my first Fresh Ideas column. The first time for anything can be daunting and exciting. But that initial enthusiasm can fade a little the second time and a little more the next, until once fun tasks become dull and routine. But I don’t see that happening here. I’ve been with Fresh Cut for about nine months, and in that time I’ve had the chance to meet many processors and representatives of the industry. I’ve found that…  » Read more

---

A.M.S. Exotic adds value to specialty produce

After only two years in the retail market, A.M.S. Exotic has seen its fresh-cut Earth Exotics vegetables grow to about 60 percent of its business. The company has been around for about 15 years, primarily in foodservice distribution and fruit exports, but in October 2004 it launched a line of fresh-cut specialty vegetables for the retail market. In 2006, the sales of A.M.S. Exotic fresh-cut products were up 217 percent over the previous year. “I think that says a lot about the acceptance of the products,” said Scott Lehmann, director of sales and marketing for the Los Angeles-based processor. Lehmann, who joined the company three years ago after 17 years with Kroger, led the development of the production and marketing of the fresh-cut products. Each of the four owners helped in developing the products, with one being an expert in produce, one an expert in processing and one…  » Read more

---

Demand for fresh-cut organics growing in retail and foodservice

The organic market has experienced growth every year for at least the last 10 years. No longer a fringe movement, organic produce is considered by many shoppers to be a healthful addition to their meals. There is a small, core group of shoppers who are committed to the organic lifestyle. They don’t shop on price, but make decisions based on health, nutrition and absence of chemicals. But that’s not the core group driving the demand for organics. “The core isn’t growing organics right now – it’s the mid-level shopper,” Mark Mulcahy, owner of produce consulting firm Organic Options, told attendees at the Produce Marketing Association’s Fresh Summit in October. The mid-level shopper is most likely to purchase organic products in a grocery and is knowledgeable about health and environment concerns, but is still driven by price and convenience, Mulcahy said. This group presents the biggest growth opportunity as…  » Read more

---

Trade Advertising

For the past year, our Fresh Focus column has been concentrating on the technical aspects of your business including information on food safety, fresh-cut produce developments, trends in produce, etc. Now, we are expanding the scope to include your business marketing efforts. The first aspect we will discuss is trade advertising. Having spent much of my career selling advertising in consumer and trade publications, I can tell you a good working relationship with the trade press can only help your business grow. In the produce industry, there are many choices of where to place your advertising. The monthly publications are vastly different from the weeklies and you need to understand how each serves its own market. Creating an Annual Plan For more than 20 years, I sold advertising for the two national weekly trade publications (not at the same time). Each serves the industry in different ways. Their audiences…  » Read more

---