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GS Foods, PepsiCo Team Up for Maui Fire Relief

In response to the devastating wildfires in Maui, GS Foods Group has partnered with PepsiCo to support critical relief efforts for impacted communities. Gold Star Foods, a GS Foods Group subsidiary, will provide more than 20,000 shelf-stable meals to the Hawaii Child Nutrition Program and the children in Maui schools through PepsiCo Foundation’s Food for Good Program.

“Immediate needs – like access to food and reliable nutrition – should be the last thing on the minds of those whose lives, homes and schools have been upended by this natural disaster,” said Sean Leer, CEO, GS Foods Group. “GS Foods Group is proud to team up with PepsiCo to provide crucial, timely resources to communities in Hawaii that support their ongoing recovery.”

As one of the nation’s largest school nutrition providers, GS Foods understands how many families across the United States rely on school meals as a daily source of nutrition. Access to shelf-stable meals will help ensure the nutritional needs of young students affected by the fires are met, easing the strain on families and emergency responders as they continue to respond to the wildfires.

As the wildfire situation evolves, PepsiCo and Gold Star Foods remain committed to providing support and aid to impacted communities.

Gold Star Foods and PepsiCo urge others to support Maui fire relief. Donations can be made online in support of relief efforts to The Salvation ArmyAmerican Red Cross and the Maui Food Bank.

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Black Rock Coffee Bar Sets Fall Drink Menu

Black Rock Coffee Bar, a national boutique coffee chain, will celebrate the season with its new lineup of fall drinks that will be available from Sept. 1-Oct. 31 in all its more than 100 Black Rock Coffee Bar stores across seven states including Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Oregon, Texas and Washington.

Stealing the spotlight on the autumn menu are irresistible Pumpkin and Kettle Corn flavors. Among them, the much-loved Pumpkin Blondie stands as a cherished favorite at Black Rock Coffee Bar. Adding to the excitement is a new and fresh addition to the lineup – the delectable Kettle Corn flavor.

Rounding out the fall 2023 drink menu is the Berry Scary Fuel drink from the brand’s popular Fuel energy drink brand. With this menu, the fast-growing coffee chain aims to provide its customers with a variety of flavorful drinks to choose from.

Pumpkin Flavored Drinks

  • Pumpkin Blondie – To get into the spirit of the season, the Pumpkin Blondie is a twist to Black Rock’s all-time favorite drink, the Caramel Blondie. The Pumpkin Blondie is made with hints of caramel, white chocolate and pumpkin. For a finishing touch, it is topped with cinnamon + nutmeg. The Pumpkin Blondie can be served hot, iced or blended. The Pumpkin Blondie can also be prepared as a shake without the coffee.
  • Pumpkin Spice Latte – Spice up a traditional latte with hints of warm pumpkin, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

Kettle Corn Flavored Drinks

  • Kettle Corn Shaken Espresso – Black Rock Coffee Bar is bringing the flavor of yummy kettle corn to its Fall drink lineup with the Kettle Corn Shaken Espresso – a rich full-bodied espresso shaken and mellowed by notes of salty, sweet and freshly popped corn.
  • Kettle Corn Cold Brew – The Kettle Corn Cold Brew is Black Rock’s signature cold brew with notes of salty, sweet and freshly popped corn. 

*Create a customized fall drink utilizing Black Rock’s new Kettle Corn flavor. Suggested drink options include lattes, breves and shakes.

Fuel Featured Energy Drink                      

  • Berry Scary Fuel – The Berry Scary Fuel features Black Rock’s popular energy drink brand, Fuel. It is made with Organic fuel mixed with coconut, strawberry and raspberry and is garnished with a gummy eyeball.*

*Gummy garnishes will be available for a limited time at participating Black Rock Coffee Bar locations and is subject to availability. Request for extra gummies will be dependent on availability and cost an additional fee.

Each drink price will vary depending on modifications to the original receipt including alternative milks, additional flavors or additional shots.

Guided by its three principles – coffee, community and connection, the popular coffee chain was founded in Oregon and is known for its premium roasted coffees, teas, smoothies and flavorful Fuel energy drinks. Its mission is to be a positive force in the communities it serves. The boutique coffee chain was named the Fastest Growing Private Company in Oregon and SW Washington in 2021 by the Portland Business Journal. Most recently, Inc. Magazine ranked Black Rock Coffee Bar No. 1179th on its 2023 Inc. 5000 Annual List, the most prestigious ranking of the fastest-growing private companies in America.

Founded as a family owned and operated business in Oregon in 2008, Black Rock Coffee Bar has grown to more than 115 retail locations in seven states. The Black Rock culture prides itself on not only being a positive force for the communities it serves, but also the team members that fuel their locations day in and day out. An important aspect of their team mission is to recognize those that go above and beyond by displaying the 4Gs of Black Rock – grit, growth, gratitude, and grace.

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Washington Expects Bumper Organic Apple Crop

Coming off a year of short supplies due to several weather events, the Washington apple industry has forecast a very large crop compared to 2022-23, with organic apple volume predicted to be 66 percent greater this season.

The Washington State Tree Fruit Association’s official estimate has put the total crop at 134 million 40-pound cartons, which represents almost a 29 percent increase over the 2022 crop and is only about 6 percent below the all-time record achieved in 2014/15. The organic apple volume has been pegged at more than 21.1 million boxes, which would be about 5.5 million boxes greater than the 2020/21 record organic crop of 15.6 million cartons.

Tim Kovis, director of communications for the association, cautioned that the final organic packout may not match this early season forecast, but it almost certainly will represent a new organic volume record.

Stemilt organic honeycrisp apples

“Last year was an extremely short Washington apple crop after multiple weather events impacted the crop. Snow during bloom and hail … this crop had it all,” said Brianna Shales, marketing director of Stemilt Growers in Wenatchee. “The ’23-’24 crop is a different story with ideal weather conditions this growing season and growth in organic volumes that is coming following last year’s short crop but also because of an increase in organic acreage. At Stemilt, we’ve strategically grown our share of organic apples. We will be up 48 percent on organic apples from last year, with approximately 25 percent of our entire crop estimated to be grown/certified organic.”

Shales said harvesting began in early August with organic Galas, which will soon be followed by organic Honeycrisp and SweeTango. “As we round into September, more varieties become available, and then retailers can take advantage of regular promotions on the organic apple category,” she said. “With the increase in organic apples over last year, we are excited about the potential for promotions this year and next.”

She added that the overall volume increase will positively impact virtually every variety. “Most notably, Fuji, Gala, Cosmic Crisp, and Honeycrisp will have larger shares of organic than last year,” she said, noting that there is also a significant increase in newer varieties under the “other varieties” category. Comprised of many proprietary apple varieties, Shales said the organic volume of the “other varieties” category has been estimated to jump from 1.1 million boxes to 8.4 million.

“At Stemilt, we’re growing more modern varieties organically and have substantial increases in organic Cosmic Crisp, organic SweeTango, and organic Honeycrisp,” she added.

Discussing the consumer trend on organic apples, Shales said that is difficult to gauge because of last year’s short crop, which logically resulted in total organic apple reduced consumption. “Overall organic apple dollars and volumes were down year over year. Organic produce saw dollars up but volume down for most of the year,” she said. “Recent data on organic produce show that volume is starting to grow again [up about 1 percent last quarter], and the trend is reversing. We are optimistic that with more organic apples in this crop year, we will be able to supply and promote organics with retailers to help grow the category with consumers.”

 

Sage Fruit organic gala apples

Kaci Komstadius, vice president of marketing for Sage Fruit Co. in Yakima, is equally excited about this year’s organic apple crop and the opportunity to grow sales. “At Sage Fruit, our organic program continues to grow to meet retail and consumer demand. Not only are we planting new acreage of organic orchards, but we are actively transitioning many of our conventional orchards,” she said.  “Like the industry, we will have a sizable increase in our organic volume this season across all varieties.”

Komstadius said Sage Fruit has a full lineup of organic apple options. “Our organic varieties include Gala, Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Fuji, Ambrosia, SugarBee, Pink Lady, and Cosmic Crisp. Over the course of the season, there will be excellent promotional opportunities at retail,” she said. “This season, Sage Fruit will see a significant increase in volume on several varieties, most notably Honeycrisp and SugarBee.”

Komstadius is also excited about the organic category in general and growth potential. “Organic demand remains high and should continue to do so,” she said. “Roughly 52 percent of organic consumers are millennials, and they account for 30 percent of the US population. The majority of millennials who are purchasing organic items are also parents.”

Domex Superfresh Growers organic apple harvest

Catherine Gipe-Stewart, director of marketing for Domex Superfresh Growers in Yakima, said this year’s large crop should result in excellent quality. “This is a year where quality will certainly be king, or so it seems so far,” she said. “We are seeing clean, non-blemished fruit across the board from organic Gala and Honeycrisp to Grannys and Cosmic Crisp. The weather in May provided ideal growing conditions with strong bloom and pollinating weather. We are seeing that most varieties thinned out nicely, encouraging nice size and high quality.”

Superfresh Growers is mirroring the overall state’s organic crop as it has forecasted its own organic production to be up more than 60 percent, led by a 165 percent increase in Cosmic Crisp, 92 percent increase in Granny Smith, and 70 percent increase in Honeycrisp.

“We will have plenty of volume to promote this year,” Gipe-Stewart said. “One of our biggest messages this year is to not repeat last year’s merchandising plan for apples! We have a completely different crop with plenty of volumes to support promotions. Superfresh will have organics all year long. Set ads throughout the year, giving organic apples lots of prominent space to move volume and earn dollars.”

Superfresh is very high on organic Honeycrisp and Cosmic Crisp. “Honeycrisp is king, and Cosmic Crisp is attracting the same consumer profiles,” she said. “We witnessed last year that consumers are willing to switch between the two varieties. Promoting together or alternating ads between the two can help drive apple category sales.”

Gipe-Stewart said one big trend in the organic apple category is the growth of proprietary varieties. “Proprietary apple growth is needed as organic core apple varieties have had a downward trend last year, though shorter organic crops last year were a huge factor in that,” she said. “Washington and the Pacific Northwest drive organic consumption in apples. With a year where the state is up 61 percent, there is ample room to expand shelf space for organics and give them the front of store and incremental space they deserve.”

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