Supermarket Perimeter - January 2022 - 52

Produce
during February for everything from Valentine's Day to Heart Health
Month to National Pancake Day, " she said.
Chilean Blueberries are heart-check certified, so the group plans to
promote that point whenever and wherever possible, Brux concluded.
Based on current protocols, Chilean plums are not permitted in the
United States, with the exception of irradiated supplies, of which Oppy
will have a small volume, Coty said.
While the US Department of Agriculture's protocol for Chilean plums
to the US is currently under review, Oppy and its partners are hoping its
proposal of systems approach will be successful, he added.
" In the meantime, Chilean plums are allowed into Canada, " Coty said.
" Additionally, we at Oppy are very excited to be importing South African
plums this season for the first time ever. "
Greenhouse offerings
There are two big trends that have continued to develop throughout
the pandemic that are expected to grow considerably in 2022-snacking
vegetables and greenhouse-grown organics, said Chris Veillon, chief
marketing officer for Pure Flavor, Leamington, Ontario, Canada.
Pure Flavor recently tripled its total acreage in Leamington, Veillon
said, so that it can provide retailers with a consistent supply of
vegetables year-round.
" Part of that investment also included outfitting our greenhouses with
high-pressure-sodium (HPS) lighting, so that each plant can grow in
optimal conditions even while the sun sets earlier this time of year, " he said.
The company's best-sellers include Cloud 9 bite-sized fruity
tomatoes, Aurora Bites mini sweet peppers and Poco Bites cocktail
cucumbers.
" Since launching Cloud 9 tomatoes early in 2021, we've seen demand
pick up as more retailers add this premium snacking tomato to their
shelves, " Veillon said.
52 - JANUARY 2022
Aaron Quon, Oppy's executive director of greenhouse and Canadian
category development, said the group is currently growing, packing
and shipping both tomatoes and long English cucumbers grown under
lights in Canada.
" Our new winter crops have started, and the first few sets of fruit
have been very good quality and size, " he said. " We look forward to an
excellent season. "
And in Summer 2022, Oppy is excited to bring the company's first
vertical farming partnership to the market.
" UP Vertical Farms is Canada's first touchless, high-density indoor
vertical farm for growing customizable baby leafy greens with the
goal of becoming the world's largest and most sustainable vertical
farm by 2023, " Quon said. " It will grow crops at 350 times the yield
of conventional farming using 99% less land, 99% less water, 99% less
fertilizer, 95% less plastic for packaging and zero pesticides. "
On the domestic front, Fresh2o Growers, a hydroponic greenhouse
grower in Stevensburg, Va., which produces hydroponic head lettuces
mostly, also offers year-round greenhouse-grown produce.
" Domestically, we produce
consistently year-round, " said MaryScott
DeMarchis, sales manager
for Fresh2o Growers. " The summer
season is definitely our peak
growing season, but our internal
environmental controls allow us to
grow throughout the winter. "
The company is launching
organic salad blends and convenient
cut-lettuce items. " We are excited
to add to our already valuable
offerings, " DeMarchis concluded.
supermarketperimeter.com
PURE FLAVOR, FRESH2GO
Pure Flavor tripled
its greenhouse
vegetable acreage in
Leamington, Ontario, to
keep up with demand.
http://www.supermarketperimeter.com
Supermarket Perimeter - January 2022

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