Gourmet News

United Fresh Supports Passage of Farm Workforce Modernization Act

Published December 12, 2019

The United Fresh Produce Association applauds passage of the bipartisan Farm Workforce Modernization Act approved by the House of Representatives on December 11 by a vote of 260 to 165.

“For too long, the fresh produce industry has suffered under a system that fails to meet the labor needs of our industry,” said United Fresh Produce Association President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Stenzel. “Passage of this legislation represents an important step in ending decades of uncertainty for growers of fresh fruits and vegetables. I’d like to personally thank Chairwoman Zoe Lofgren (D-CA) and Congressman Dan Newhouse (R-WA) who spearheaded the bipartisan negotiations that led to this agreement. United Fresh looks forward to similarly working with bipartisan members in the Senate to build on the work of their House colleagues and craft legislation that deserves our support.”

The Farm Workforce Modernization Act provides much needed reforms to the H-2A program by expanding access to year-round industries, brings certainty to wage costs that have ballooned in recent years and provides a pathway to earned legal status to the current undocumented workforce.

For more information, contact Robert Guenther, United Fresh’s Senior Vice President of Public Policy, at 202.303.3409 or rguenther@unitedfresh.org

IT’SUGAR Candy Department Store to Open in American Dream

Published December 12, 2019

IT’SUGAR, known for its over-the-top sweets, giant candy, and absurdly wonderful sugar creations, will open on Saturday, December 14 in American Dream located in East Rutherford, New Jersey. At three stories and over 22,000-square-feet, IT’SUGAR American Dream will be the world’s first department store of candy.

The one-of-a-kind IT’SUGAR store will greet visitors with a three-story Statue of Liberty replica covered in more than 1.5 million Jelly Belly beans, symbolizing the freedom to treat yourself. Once inside, customers can explore the first floor’s centerpiece, an immersive lollipop garden filled with nearly 10,000 lollipops. More than 5,000 square feet of candy bins housing an endless variety of favorite sweets surround the garden. The second floor is home to dozens of branded shops, including Sour Patch Kids, Swedish Fish, Nerds, Starburst, Reese’s, Kellogg’s, and more. Coming in spring 2020 to IT’SUGAR’s third floor will be a new Oreo café concept called Oreo TWISTiD. Overlooking American Dream’s entertainment atrium, Oreo TWISTiD will provide guests with a view of the DreamWorks Water Park and Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park.

American Dream will include more than 450 retail, food and specialty shops. These are complemented by entertainment offerings including fully-enclosed DreamWorks Water Park and Nickelodeon Universe Theme Park; a 16-story Big Snow Indoor Ski & Snow Park; Kidzania; a live Performing Arts Theater; a 300-foot tall Observation Wheel; a Sea Life Aquarium, Legoland Discovery Center; The Rink (NHL-sized ice rink); and The Dining Terrace with more than 15 full-service restaurants and the world’s only Munchie’s Food Hall. American Dream will be the second largest retail and entertainment center in the United States covering approximately 3 million square feet with a superb location 20 minutes outside New York City.

“Creating a candy department store has been a long-time dream of mine,” said Jeff Rubin, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of IT’SUGAR. “I’ve been thinking about this concept for over 25 years, and our IT’SUGAR team is thrilled to partner with American Dream to make it a reality. There is nowhere else like American Dream, and we look forward to immersing the property’s millions of guests into the world of IT’SUGAR.”

IT’SUGAR is located in American Dream, at 1 American Dream Way, Space G134. For more information, visit www.itsugar.com.

Nestlé Moves to Create Global Leader in Ice Cream

Published December 11, 2019

Nestlé announced today that it has reached an agreement to sell its U.S. ice cream business to Froneri, an ice cream-focused joint venture Nestlé created in 2016 with PAI Partners, for a transaction value of USD 4 billion.

In 2016, Nestlé and PAI Partners merged Nestlé’s European ice cream business in 20 countries and PAI-owned R&R to create Froneri, one of the world’s largest ice cream companies.

With a portfolio of iconic brands, unparalleled ice cream knowledge and focus as well as an agile and entrepreneurial management style, Froneri has been able to achieve rapid sales and profit growth, steadily gaining market share and reaching a turnover of around CHF 2.9 billion in 2018.

Froneri, which already had operations in Europe, Latin America, Africa and Asia-Pacific will now have a strong presence in the U.S., the largest ice cream market in the world. The recent acquisitions of TipTop in New Zealand and Nestlé’s ice cream business in Israel have also increased Froneri’s growing global footprint.

Nestlé USA’s successful ice cream business comes with a high-caliber management team, marketing, manufacturing and sales/distribution capabilities. In 2018, turnover was USD 1.8 billion. With brands like Häagen-Dazs, Drumstick and Outshine, the business commands leadership in key ice cream categories, notably super premium.

Commenting on the transaction, Mark Schneider, Nestlé CEO, said: “The creation of Froneri has been a phenomenal success. We are now making this business our global strategic partner in ice cream and are convinced that Froneri’s successful business model can be extended to the U.S. market. With this transaction, we are taking a decisive step towards our goal of achieving global leadership in ice cream.”

Ibrahim Najafi, Froneri CEO, said: “This is another milestone acquisition for Froneri as we drive towards becoming the world’s best ice cream company. We’re delighted to be bringing such well-loved U.S. brands into the Froneri family. The acquisition is testament to the strength and longevity of our relationship with Nestlé. This partnership and the continued support of PAI Partners will be essential to ensuring we continue to delight consumers with innovative, high quality products in all markets.”

Frédéric Stévenin, Partner at PAI Partners, said: “We are excited to bring Nestlé’s stellar U.S. ice cream business to Froneri. This is a great opportunity for further growth, building on the expertise of the world’s leading pure-play ice cream company.”

The transaction is expected to close in the first quarter of 2020, following the completion of customary regulatory approvals. Nestlé will continue to manage its remaining ice cream businesses in Canada, Latin America and Asia as part of its current market structure.