 |
04/08/11And So It Begins …This is the time of year where we hope that spring weather in the range of 65 degrees is actually upon us … the buds bloom and the bees work. Unfortunately, the 2011 spring hasn’t completely arrived just yet … which is illustrated in the fact that snow is falling in Tieton and Cowiche as I write this post. Last night orchard fans could be heard throughout the growing districts and GS Long bud kill estimates point to the fact that we will see some bud loss in warmer districts that saw temperatures drop to just above 20 degrees. This past week I was able to look at orchards in the Dalles, Hood River, Yakima Valley and Wenatchee and Mattawa. Along the way I saw cherry and soft fruit trees in full bloom (Mattawa and Maryhill along the... |
03/16/11US Apple growers visit D.C.US Apple growers visit DC.Last week, over 80 US Apple growers stormed the congressional and senate offices of their respective states to talk “apples" and issues that confront our industry. Of course, immigration was a top priority, along with International trade, Mexican trucking issue, research, crop protection, farm bill, MAP Funding, and finally China. USApple Association, once again did an excellent job coordinating the event and bringing the issues to the Hill. Congressman Bill Owens of New York and Congressman Doc Hastings of Washington both addressed the group.New York Apple Pioneer PassesFritz Wafler, 83, passed away on March 11, 2011, after a courageous battle with cancer. Fritz was an icon in the New York apple industry, as well as a respected grower and... |
|
 |
03/07/11Cherries took the stageOn March 2 through 5, the Cherry Marketing Institute took part in the Research Chefs Association’s (RCA) Annual Conference & Culinology Expo. The RCA conference is the only research and development conference focused on the discipline of Culinology—the blending of culinary arts and food science. At the conference, CMI hosted a session entitled "Ingredient Selection: Navigating Nutrition Trends and Public Policy."During this session, a panel of experts, including award-winning former journalist and food-policy expert Sally Squires, recognized registered dietitian and author Dr. Wendy Bazilian. CMI’s own commodity-marketing expert, Jeff Manning, discussed how the perfect storm of new dietary guidelines, regulatory action, activist mandates and a highly... |
 |
03/03/11Amman, JordanApproximately 6 million people live in Jordan, with Amman representing over 2 million. The currency is the Jordanian Dinar at JD$0.7 to US$1. The United States has a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with Jordan that allows for duty-free access to the country for Washington/USA apples. There is a 4 percent sales tax that all consumers pay, and a 2 percent income tax for businesses. The per capita income was stated several times with several different answers. The FAS FSN (foreign service national) stated US$1,200, our guide thought between US$1-3,000 and the official U.S. Government numbers are US$5,300.00. Regardless, Amman is a country with few natural resources that depend upon other countries' assistance and ex-patriot payments back to Jordan to family members. With this in mind, it... |
 |
03/02/11On the show floorEach February, the largest produce-oriented trade show in the world, Fruitlogistica, is held in Berlin. This year marked the 16th Fruitlogistica where USA Pears had a booth presence.The show expands each year, and with 2,452 exhibitors from 84 countries, it is easy to get lost in the pack. Although we have always exhibited in the USA Pavilion, this year, for the first time, we expanded our presence and footprint in the pavilion by sharing a booth with several USA produce groups, in including Washington Apples.This shared presence provided us with a more open and larger space fitting in with the concepts that many other country exhibitors have. In addition to showing off our pears and apples, many sales organizations used our booth as a meeting point. We also had three private meeting... |
 |
02/11/11Go Red InsteadLast month, the Cherry Marketing Institute announced news of an inaugural trade advertising campaign. The campaign’s goal is to drive tart cherry usage with ingredient decision makers, and convince them to include tart cherries in their new product formulas and menus.This is the first trade advertising plan since CMI began repositioning cherries as “super fruit” in 2007, building off a successful public relations and interactive campaign. The campaign, encouraging ingredient decision makers to “Go Red Instead” with its tagline, was created based on insights from the 2010 ingredient decision maker research, and inspired by the broad range of tart cherry product and menu item possibilities.Beginning in April, three different executions of one ad campaign will... |
 |
02/10/11Forecasts, Trends and Hot Topics for 2011, Part 2Here is part two of my look at the hot trends and topics for 2011. Check my earlier post for other forecasts.TopicsSome recent happenings in DC should continue to have some big play throughout the year.Food Safety- The President just signed a food safety bill. Implementation may be jeopardized through a funding fight as many think it is too costly. However, the CDC estimates that food-borne illnesses sicken 48 million people in the US each year and 3,000 Americans die from these food-borne illnesses. This is too big of an issue to go away.The Northwest Horticultural Council is leading our industry’s push to ensure that implementation is based on science and risk with commodity-specific protocols, i.e. more scrutiny to crops grown on the ground than those grown in a tree, as the... |
 |
01/31/11Forecasts, Trends, and Hot Topics for 2011As we enter the new year, it seems as though many pundits are predicting the hot trends and topics for 2011. I’ve developed my own list based on relevancy to our industry.TrendsBuying Local – This will continue to be hot and may get more buzz than organic. However, organic foods should also rebound from the slowdown during the recession.More Healthy Eating – While consumers in the past have tended to talk about it more than they actually do it, the healthy eating trend should gain momentum. It is being driven by baby boomers, 8,000 to 10,000 of whom will turn 65 every day this year, a pattern that will continue for the next 19 years!Restaurants Rebounding in 2011 – Restaurants had $1.6 billion in sales each day in 2010 and sales are expected to grow in 2011. We... |
 |
01/25/11Pie shooters and other great trendsThis past week, the Cherry Marketing Institute held its 22nd annual meeting in Traverse City, Michigan. We presented a report to the industry detailing the marketing results from 2010, as well as plans for 2011. It has been an amazing year as the “Red Recovery Routine” worked well for us in the marathons that were held across the country. Our expert spokespeople did a great job in both traditional media and social media. The cherry industry jumped on social media early, and it has been a great new tool that is here to stay. Who would have ever thought that Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and blogs would be the norm today!The year 2011 has rolled out with a bang and CMI is about to launch new trade advertising. This trade advertising will target ingredient buys and encourage... |
01/25/11VietnamAs is customary for early January, an overseas visit to several Washington apple markets was warranted. I had the pleasure of traveling to Bangkok, Ho Chi Minh City, Kuala Lumpur, and Jakarta reviewing Washington Apple Commission programs and meeting with importers, wholesalers, and retailers. Today, I would like to provide you with insight into an exciting market – Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.Ho Chi Minh (HCM) is the largest city in Vietnam with 10 million inhabitants of a country total population of 87 million. The currency is the Dong, which trades at $19,500 for every U.S.$1. Retail (Co-Op Mart, Big C, Metro, FiviMart & Lotte) sales of Washington apples are estimated at 20%, with the balance sold at small local fruit stands. While China enjoys duty-free access,... |
|
