Produce Industry Experts Converge On Berlin For Fruit Logistica

Produce is a global industry, and Europe's 50 countries and 742 million people make it a dynamic market. Some of the world's largest retailers, wholesalers and distributors are located in Europe and more than 2,700 exhibitors and 65,000 visitors attend FRUIT LOGISTICA every year. This important trade fair covers every single sector of the fresh produce business and provides a complete picture of the latest innovations, products and services at every link in the international supply chain.

Important topics that will be discussed in Berlin include:

Fresh produce online - Online shopping has become a fact of life for many consumers today, certainly in the case of many non-food items, but less so for food products and least of all for fresh produce. Many experts believe this situation will change in the next few years and presentations on what this means for the industry will be provided.

Sustainability at the Point of Sale - Consumers today not only expect the highest environmental standards for the products they buy but also for the supply chain itself. Discussions will center on opportunities to conserve energy and natural resources, environmentally friendly logistics and the implications for suppliers.

Varietal diversity versus patent rights - Natural diversity is an essential feature of evolution. The legal situation guaranteeing an open-source basis for research may change along with implications for the fresh produce industry and for consumers. This important topic will be covered extensively.

Food safety at the Point of Sale - The entire supply chain makes enormous efforts to satisfy stringent food safety standards and other certifications and a lot has happened at the point of sale. Retailers are making great efforts to train their staff. But the problem remains that many consumers are not familiar with many fresh products and have no idea how to prepare them. The industry will receive ideas on how this can be changed.

Top Trends In The Food Service Industry

Limoneira lemons make their way to food service operators around the world and it's likely that a Limoneira lemon recently added the flavor to your delicious meal. Americans now dine outside the home an average of 4.2 times a week. Chefs are a creative force-what we see in kitchens often ends up on grocery store shelves. This month, Jim Sullivan, the CEO of Sullivision, a global food service consultancy shares a number of industry trends.

Mobile ordering and payment. The new menu is already in your pocket or purse. It's your phone. Google Wallet, Apple Pay and Samsung are working hard to integrate seamless payment through the smartphone. Mobile-friendly websites and menus are a must for foodservice operators. Look for congestion pricing too: a meal on a slow Monday night may soon cost less than one on a prime Saturday.

Millennials are destined to become the most influential consumer group in the U.S. Currently accounting for 22 to 24 percent of restaurant spending, Millennials will represent 40 percent of restaurant revenues by 2020. They have the collective spending power of $1.7 trillion. To this group - bigger in size than baby boomers - food customization and quality is a must, not a luxury.

Digital servers - What are all those mini-kiosks doing on casual dining theme restaurant tables? Two things: First, they allow you to order, pay, tip, purchase apps and rate your experience, and secondly, they're training you how to eat without a live human interface. Goodbye servers, hello iPad Menu. Stand-alone kiosks in quick-service restaurants are a thing too, helping to solve the restaurant operator's No. 1 challenge: staffing, retention and turnover.

The Fast casual segment is booming - Fast casual restaurants were up 12% in the most recent year while casual dining was down by 14%. This nearly 20-point swing is a result of Next Gen dining preferences. The ability to customize your meal, not tip and get quick service at a price point 20-30% less than full-service restaurants is attractive to any generation. Casual dining is fighting back with creative menus and aggressive pricing.

Build-your-own - This segment is showing tremendous growth across the U.S. in a variety of menus. Build-your-own pizza is the biggest trend with build-your-own Asian (ShopHouse Kitchen) and Italian (Vapiano's) not far behind.

Kinetic appetizers and desserts - Think smaller bite-sized sampler portions with a variety of dipping sauces that allows you to customize the flavor of each appetizer or dessert bite with every dip.

Creative Chefs in the Kitchen - Chicken is the new beef, beer is the new wine and Asian is ascendant. Creative chef-takes on chicken and a preponderance of exceptional regional craft beers and artisan cocktails are showing real traction. If Vietnamese, Indian, Korean, Thai and provincial Chinese cuisine was any hotter, well it would have to be rolled in a tortilla.

Rebrand Farm to Table - Demand for locally produced, sustainably-grown, additive-free, non-processed, nutritious food is still popular among diners but it needs a better name than Farm to Table. A recent restaurant leadership conference pegged "farm-to-table" as a confusing and tired marketing trend that was fading from menu descriptions.

No No to GMO. Diners are more concerned than ever with what's in their restaurant food. Look for many chains to get out ahead of this issue by amending recipes, menu items and trying to gain more market share among the majority of diners who finally understand that you truly are what you eat.

Strong growth - Because of time constraints, quality and convenience, the restaurant has entrenched itself in American lifestyles. The food service industry is already back to pre-2008 levels, restaurant IPOs are the new darlings of Wall Street and expect the industry to continue to grow by 2-3% annually over the next five years.

Limoneira Lemons Make An Appearance At Sundance

The Sundance Film Festival, held in Park City Utah from January 21st to 31st is the largest independent film festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City Utah, the festival is a showcase for new work from American and international independent filmmakers. The festival comprises competitive sections for American and international dramatic and documentary films, documentary films, feature-length films and short films.

A healthy oasis called The Zen Den was featured at the festival and built buzz as celebrities and filmmakers dropped by for healing treatments, yoga classes, healthy snacks, copies of LA YOGA Magazine, happy hours, and evening screenings of conscious films. The Zen Den was created by Heal One World, a Los Angeles-based foundation that offers alternative treatments to low-income and underserved demographics. Limoneira lemons were on hand to add healthy flavor to this oasis of tranquility.

Mary Murphy who helped organize the event said "Limoneira's lemons were a great addition to the Zen Den. They're sustainably grown and provided health and flavor for our guests".

Limoneira Company Co-Sponsors Internet of Things Agricultural Solutions Workshop for Entrepreneurial Agriculturalists

Start up Weekend Ventura County will take place on March 11-13th and will bring together entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers, programmers, system architects and agricultural experts to bring innovative agricultural Internet of Things ideas to transform Ventura County Agriculture. "The understanding of the science of living organisms and the exponential growth in the processing power of information technology have raised the potential for productivity growth in American agriculture that could outstrip even the impressive record of growth it logged over the course of the 20th century," says Alex Teague, Senior Vice President of Limoneira.

"Focusing on agriculture is a no brainer for this event, because if you look around here, all you see is a lot of farms," says Martin Shum, the organizer of the event and a Camarillo Chamber of Commerce Board Member.

"Ventura County is home to a rich agricultural economy, with over 190,343 acres of farmland providing over $2 billion in value to the region. It's also home to Semtech, one of the largest suppliers of analog and mixed-signal semiconductors" say Shum.

The format of the event is key, pairing domain experts like agriculturalists and plant scientists with system analysts, engineers, programmers and other professionals to develop ideas. As Shum notes "It's nearly impossible to solve problems you don't understand, making these pairings and collaborations crucial to the event's success. On the flip side, even the most entrepreneurial farmer may have trouble getting his or her idea off the ground without the programming, engineering, or science components necessary to making it happen. Through the event, agriculturalists will have a chance to network with successful entrepreneurs whose names hold clout in front of potential investors and VC firms," he added.

Ag and IoT have proven to be a good selection, with Shum receiving a considerable amount of interest in the event from both private and public sector sources. This has included endorsements and contributions from the Ventura County Agricultural Commissioner, and State Assembly Member Jacqui Irwin.

For more information about Startup Weekend Ventura County and how to buy tickets, click here.

Monthly Spotlight - Urban Milan

Urban Milan (www.urbanmilan.com) is based in New York City and is a digital magazine that celebrates and serves society's cultural influencers through its social calendar, editorial coverage and photography. Their mission is to provide resources to dining, fashion, music, art, travel, film, theater and events. Urban Milan has been the go-to site for influential events, dining, film, fashion and travel coverage since 2008. Urban Milan continues to serve as the social blueprint for thousands of readers each month. With their head office in New York and writers and photographers located across the country, they strive to cover what's hot and happening around the country.

Rachel Kapur is the creative force behind Urban Milan and loves lemons. "Lemons have been trending for some time" says Rachel. "And, why not? The little gems are packed with healthy flavor and add sassy tartness to all sorts of great recipes."

Certified Angus Beef Connects With Limoneira

Certified Angus Beef and Claim Jumpers Restaurant Operators were hosted at Limoneira's Visitors Center recently and enjoyed a delicious breakfast provided by Plated Event's Jason Collis and his team before heading out for a tour of Frost Cattle Ranch in Wheeler Canyon. Limoneira's heritage and sustainability initiatives were shared with the group.

The Certified Angus Beef Brand defines the standard by which all beef is measured-no shortcuts and a virtual obsession with flavor and juiciness. It was begun by a group of farmers who, in the 1970s, got together and set the standards that have become the true mark of quality of an Angus brand.

The Frost Family has been running cattle in Wheeler Canyon for a very long time. Rob Frost was a former President of the Ventura County Cattleman's Association. The Claim Jumper Restaurants are a part of the Laundry's group, which has 500 restaurants nationwide.

Farm Worker Housing

Ventura County's farms and ranches employ nearly 23,000 men and women. These farm workers are critical to Ventura County's $2 billion-a-year agricultural industry. Without them, crops would not be harvested, and the lush local landscape of green fields and orchards would go untended.

Providing safe, clean housing for the people that do some of the hardest work is the right thing to do and is an important part of creating sustainable communities. When farm workers and their families live in safe, decent and affordable housing, their children are healthier and do better in school. Families experience less stress and can devote more resources to food, clothing, health care and other needs. And, employees in secure housing provide a more stable and dependable work force for one of the county's most important industries.

Limoneira has been providing affordable Work Force Housing since the Company's inception in 1893 and it's often cited by employees as one of the most important benefits they receive. Last year, 74 new homes were completed for Limoneira workers and for workers employed by others.

Limoneira applauds the efforts of housing advocates such as House Farm Workers. Since 2004, House Farm Workers and its partners have been working to support and promote the provision of safe, decent and affordable housing for all farm workers.

Be On The Lookout For Lemons For Life - All Things Lemon Throughout The Year

Exciting new Lemons for Life™ content is being introduced around the world each month. Topical and relevant material has been planned for each month and includes new videos, tips, images, data and information that is easily accessible to users when they have time and inclination to bring it into their world.

February

February is the month of love and beauty, and lemons provide a number of benefits for skin and hair. Couples can enjoy lemon drop martinis and eye-catching complexions.

March

Spring is just around the corner and consumers around the world are opening windows, shaking out the dust and setting up the shine. Natural green cleaning solutions have become increasingly popular. Don't toss that Limoneira lemon after its added zip to the recipes. It's still a green clean machine!

April

Limoneira celebrates Earth Day this month and our sustainably grown lemons have been grown using solar energy, water saving strategies, beneficial insects and mulch. They're picked and harvested by employees that have access to good housing and educational opportunities.

May

Where would we all be without Mom and this month we celebrate her. We offer time saving tips and great recipes to allow her more "me-time".

June

Graduation means accomplishment and perhaps additional skill attainment. In June we take a look at the changing world of agriculture and careers that are possible in feeding the world.

July

Summer offers infinite possibilities for in-nature pursuits. BBQ;s, Al fresco dining, hikes and bike-rides are just a few and we offer easy, delicious ways that lemons can add to the fun.

August

International Youth Celebration showcases global cultural bonds that new generations are forging. We highlight several of them this month.

September

Back to School means back to learning, and this month we offer lessons on easy/tasty nutrition for kids lunches.

October

Autumn is ghoulishly good, and in October we feature sweet treats that don't waste the waist.

November

From lemon appetizers, entrees, drinks and desserts, we have a lot of great recipes to be thankful for.

December

From decorating the tree, setting a creative table and enjoying traditional food faves with a new twist, our team offers a number of great lemon lifestyle tips.

Boys And Girls Club Of The Santa Clara Valley Presents The Enchanted Land Of Oz - Saturday February 6th

The Annual Auction and Dinner by the Boys and Girls Club of The Santa Clara Valley is one of the highlights of the year. This special evening is about a little glamour for a very good cause. Exciting auction items that have been vetted by a talented committee offer lucky bidders an opportunity to take home some very select articles.

The evening will be held at Saticoy Country Club, founded in 1921 and was designed by noted architect William F. Bell and offers a spectacular, classic 18-hole Championship Golf Course. It is highly regarded as one of the most respected golf courses in Southern California, and has been host to many U.S.G.A. Championship Qualifiers and SCGA Amateur Championships.

The Boys & Girls Club of Santa Clara Valley was founded in 1949, and it provides daily access to safe, supervised activities that foster children to become productive, responsible and caring citizens. There are ten sites serving the cities of Santa Paula, Fillmore and the unincorporated area of Piru. The Club concentrates on five areas of youth development: character & leadership development; educational & career development; health & life skills; the arts; and sports, fitness and recreation. The Club's activities primarily take place after school, during school recesses, in the evening and on weekends. Over 1,400 youth and community members utilize the Club.

Limoneira Winner's Block