I don’t know about you, but this year just flew by for me. Thankfully, the great thing about being a blogger is I can recall most of the things that were on my mind this year as I wrote them all down!

Looking Back

It has been gratifying to see people’s reaction and responses to my posts here. And when I repost on LinkedIn, I get a real-time sense whether what I am writing about is relevant.

To Hug or Not to Hug” is my most read and shared post of 2017. Soon after that post, the big Hollywood misconduct story broke, and people who discovered my post later were surprised that I would write about that in this climate. When I wrote it, I wanted to talk about how important personal, and sometimes physical, connection has become in this age of impersonal communication technology. Interesting turn of events, isn’t it?

Another interesting and controversial topic I wrote about last year is The Unexpected Question About Cannabis. It’s the hottest California crop right now and a very timely subject to discuss because it’s going to be legal in California in just a few days.

Even more polarizing was my recent post about Non-GMO Madness. It’s good to understand different points of view and get all the information we need to make an informed decision.

The next popular post was Lessons from Billionaire Stewart Resnick. My key takeaway from Stewart is that you have to spend time on things you don’t like in order to do the things you really love. It is clear that this message resonates with many of you.

It also became clear to me that we are all getting bored with our fitness routines when I posted Why I Quit My Gym. Just so you know, I’m still changing things up as I go.

I’m also thrilled that I got to share one of my all-time favorite books with you. I hope The Five-Second Rule That Changes Everything is also now one that you follow.

Looking Forward

As we reflect on the past year and give some thought to what we want to do in 2018, I am happy to share what I’m thinking for the new year:

Spend time with my top 5 people. As my dear friend Jack Daly advised, think about the top three to five people (besides your family members) who you spend the most time with. Are they “upping your game, adding to your life?” Or does hanging out with them feel like an obligation? I’ve decided to only spend time with people who are positive, add to my life, and I truly enjoy. No more obligations!

See the country…and the world. I already have trips planned this year to visit the Grand Canyon, Maui, South Africa, Australia, Panama, and Italy. There is no time like the present to work on that bucket list!

Golf more. I have been enjoying golf since I picked up the clubs earlier this year, so I want to do more of that. And the best part is being outdoors and being with friends.

Hug! You already know that I’m a hugger. And I will keep hugging people when I see them!

Allocate some private time for myself every day. Whether it is first thing each morning when I meditate or when I journal at the end of the day, making quiet time for me is an important part of work/life balance.

Source: Woodbourne Designs LLC on Etsy

Happy New Year, and may 2018 be the best ever!

Karen

I noticed a dramatic decrease in the number of holiday cards I received at work this year. This could be due to people trying to be more mindful of the environment by using less paper, trying to save money, realizing that sending out cards en masse for business may be out of date, or all of the above.

Whatever the reason is, I’m happy fewer cards are sent. Let me tell you why.

In business, I do not understand sending a holiday card to a supposedly important client, when there is nothing personal about the card. You know what I mean.

The inside of the card is pre-printed with the sending company’s name or logo, which may or may not include the names of the owners or the employee who sent it. And don’t get me started on adding digital signatures!

Although mail-merged, printed address labels are obviously impersonal, I can understand the efficiency of that method. But digital signatures?

If I’m an important client of a company, how important do I feel if I get a pre-printed card that looks like it was ordered from a card company from 20 years ago with a digital signature and no personal message? Not at all, that’s how I feel.

There is no personal relationship here with this card someone picked out of a catalog from a greeting card company they’ve been buying from for years. Nobody stopped to ask, “Does this still make sense to send these cards?”

Going with digital cards doesn’t make it much better either. A “happy holidays” email blasted out to a mass email list may have a clever image of the staff or product, but it doesn’t have a personal note from whoever is sending it. Just what I need for the holidays, another impersonal email taking up space in my inbox.

These days, people want a personal connection. In today’s world, where we can be overwhelmed and deluged with mass emails and robo-calls, it’s nice to receive a personal message, especially during the holidays.

Everyone should make their own decision on whether they want to invest the time and money to send out holiday cards. My only request is to think about what message you are sending with your holiday greeting choices.

For me, it has always been that personal touch. For business, I send my contacts personalized emails, one person at a time. If it’s a close relationship, I text them and sometimes we end up chatting on the phone after.

As for my personal greeting cards, I’m old-fashioned. I hand-address my holiday cards. Yes, I could have printed labels, but it’s important to me personally to address them myself because as I address them, I think about each person and send my loving thoughts to them. It’s an intention I make with each and every card I send.

If you do decide to send out a holiday card or email, consider adding a special touch to your greeting by making a donation to a charity in honor of your friends and colleagues. It could be to their favorite charities or a cause of your choice that you know they’d support.

Keep it real this holiday season!

Karen

Non-GMO vodka? Really?

When I saw this ad, I realized it’s finally time to blog about GMOs. I have been putting off writing this post for many years because GMOs are a controversial subject. And that is mostly because many people do not know the facts about GMOs. So I will share some of what I know and what I’ve learned so far, in hopes that you will be more enlightened to make your own decision about them.

First of all, what is a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) when it comes to crops? GMOAnswers says this:

Genetic engineering, also referred to as biotechnology, allows plant breeders to take a desirable trait found in nature and transfer it from one plant or organism to the plant they want to improve, as well as make a change to an existing trait in a plant they are developing. Some examples of desirable traits commonly transferred include resistance to insects and disease, and tolerance to herbicides that allows farmers to better control weeds.

Clearly, GMO is a scientific term, stating exactly what it is—a genetically modified organism. I’m sure a roomful of scientists didn’t think that one day the term GMO would be used when referring to consumer goods, especially food.

The words “genetically modified organism” sound scary from the get-go. So it does not surprise me that most people react negatively to the term, even if they don’t know what GMO stands for. (“Something that has to do with genetics?” is what I usually hear.)

Furthermore, it didn’t help that in the earlier days of GMO science, there were stories going around about scientists putting the genes from fish into vegetables, causing concern for people who have fish allergies. Some of those stories are still going around today.

Here are some facts about GMOs.

Currently only 10 crops in the U.S. have been genetically engineered (using precise plant breeding) and are commercially available. They are corn, soybeans, cotton, canola, alfalfa, sugar beets, one papaya (the rainbow variety from Hawaii), some squash, one potato (less-browning), and one apple (non-browning Arctic variety). Some of these items only have one cultivar, like the Arctic apple, which was created using genetic engineering, meaning that the rest of the varieties were not genetically modified.

What bothers me most about the term GMO is that an entire industry has sprung up around the frenzy, such as the Non-GMO Project, which claims to verify products for being non-GMO even when, in fact, those products don’t include any of the 10 crops listed.

A prime example is the vodka shown above in the ad. While some vodka is distilled from potatoes, Ketel One is made with wheat. Oh, excuse me, it’s “non-GMO grain.” Since wheat is already a non-GMO crop, this really isn’t anything to write home about. Yet, the company decided to jump on the non-GMO bandwagon and make a claim that makes the consumer wonder about other brands of vodka.

I personally don’t think that’s right.

Even though our media seems to thrive on scaring viewers, or inciting worry and filling people with doubt, I get mildly annoyed when I see “Non-GMO Verified” on foods that are simply outside of that category.

Now, the website GMOAnswers I cited from earlier is supported by many seed companies that fund research in seed production, which may include genetically engineered products. I also know that there are many forms of breeding, of which genetically engineered is just one. There are old technologies like natural breeding, and some very new technologies like gene editing with CRISPR/Cas9.

I know that the technological advances being made in food production and agriculture can help us grow more food to eradicate hunger on the planet, producing plants that are disease-resistant or drought-tolerant, or plants that can thrive on over-salinized soil or that contains additional nutrients. For example, Golden Rice is genetically-modified to contain beta-carotene to fight vitamin A deficiency in south and southeast Asia. And with the way that the Cavendish bananas we know and love are suffering from a catastrophically devastating disease, GMO may be the only way to save the world’s crop.

In contrast, there is an ever-growing movement toward nutrient-dense foods, dealing with mineral depletion in our diet, and more organic food production, which is wonderful and affordable for first-world countries that have plenty of disposable income.

So, what can you do? Educate yourself. Know that just because you read it on the Internet does not make it the truth. In doing research for this post, I found websites that had clearly incorrect information on them, information that was written with a hidden agenda to promote their products, their brands, and their lifestyle.

Next time you see “Non-GMO Verified” on a product package, I hope you will see if the product is one of the 10 crops listed above.

Also, by definition, anything that is USDA-certified Organic cannot use GMO crops.

Disclaimer: I am not unilaterally for or against GMOs. I am in favor of knowing all the facts from both sides of the conversation and forming one’s own opinion. Eyes wide open.

Karen

Frieda’s Specialty Produce offers special training and programming to help retailers ring in Year of the Dog

Los Alamitos, CA (December 2017) – Draw in shoppers to your store with the unique food experience of a Chinese New Year promotion. Frieda’s Specialty Produce offers special support to customers who book a Chinese New Year promotion by January 10; it includes a holiday promotion playbook, team training, point-of-sale support, and key merchandising recommendations to create a successful program.

Chinese New Year (also known as “Lunar New Year” or “Spring Festival”) is one of the biggest food holidays, and is celebrated across the country and around the world. The Year of the Dog begins on February 16, but the celebration starts a few days before and continues for 15 days afterward with feasts focusing on fresh produce, meat, and seafood.

Since the number six is considered lucky in Chinese tradition, here are six reasons retailers need Chinese New Year promotions.

1. Boost Winter Sales

Other winter promotions like the Big Game and Valentine’s Day promotions do not always translate into bigger sales in the produce department. However, the Chinese New Year celebration is all about fruits and vegetables, and it goes beyond just the one day.

“The celebration may begin a few days before the actual new year’s day on February 16, but the key to success is to have your stores ready to go with full displays starting in early February and continue promotions through the end of the month,” said Alex Jackson Berkley, assistant sales manager at Frieda’s.

2. Unique In-store Experience

According to SupermarketGuru’s 2018 trends forecast, shoppers will be looking for a multi-sensory food experience—they want to interact with foods. “Chinese New Year is a great opportunity to engage in-store shoppers with an experience they can’t get from shopping online, and that definitely will set your store apart from the competition,” said Berkley. “Make an event out of the holiday with sampling and cross-promotions with other departments.”

3. Produce Showcase

Traditional feasts feature top Asian sellers such as ginger, daikon radishes, and Shanghai bok choy. “Create a destination with a refrigerated Chinese New Year spot display with Asian staple vegetables and complementary items such as wonton and egg roll wrappers, edamame, and kimchi,” recommended Berkley. “Specialty citrus such as kumquats, pummelo, and mandarin oranges are used as gifts, so a bountiful citrus display will not go unnoticed.”

4. Halo Effect

Shoppers buying produce items for Chinese New Year will also purchase seafood, meat, floral arrangements, and other center-aisle Asian grocery items. “The promotions can span the store through collaboration with other departments to further boost sales,” said Berkley.

5. A Food Holiday for All

This promotion is not just for Asian shoppers who celebrate the holiday. “Chinese New Year is a foodie holiday!” said Berkley. “After all, Chinese food is one of the top three most consumed ethnic foods in the United States. Shoppers are looking for ingredients to make authentic meals at home. This promotion is the perfect opportunity to showcase your Asian produce selection to all shoppers, a key to remaining competitive.”

Asian cuisines and flavors have been trending for the past few years, across all regions of the U.S. A Chinese New Year promotion gives retailers the opportunity to feature their specialty offerings so shoppers will return for their Asian grocery needs throughout the year.

6. Attract Growing Asian Population

“With a Chinese New Year promotion, retailers can start building a relationship with the growing Asian demographic,” said Berkley.

According to a Nielsen report, Asian-Americans are the fastest growing population with significant buying power. Asians of Chinese ancestry represent about 20 percent of the group. Asian-Americans purchase 72 percent more fresh vegetables and 29 percent more fresh fruit per household than does the total U.S. population.

Frieda’s has a proven, nearly 45-year track record for helping produce retailers create successful Chinese New Year programs. Get ahead of the pack and call Frieda’s account managers today to book a Chinese New Year promotion. Also find more inspiration here.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

Bring the Color of the Year into supermarkets with vibrant purple produce

Los Alamitos, CA (December 2017) – Purple still reigns, according to Pantone, the global authority on color, announcing “Ultra Violet” as the 2018 Color of the Year. Pantone’s selection comes on the heels of a report by Frieda’s Specialty Produce naming colorful produce (including purple) a 2018 food trend.

Each year, Pantone chooses a color that symbolizes design trends and the cultural mood. “Inventive and imaginative, Ultra Violet lights the way to what is yet to come,” according to Pantone’s website.

“The description of Ultra Violet hits home with us because purple has been our color from the very beginning,” said Alex Jackson Berkley of Frieda’s. “My grandmother, Frieda Rapoport Caplan, opened the business with a purple sign in 1962. She was the first woman to own a produce business and purple became a symbolic color for the company’s passion and innovation.”

Since 2012, when Frieda’s launched their “Power of Purple” program, they have been helping customers create exciting in-store experiences around this popular color.

“The popularity of purple produce shows no sign of slowing as more shoppers are discovering the nutritional values of purple produce and the photo-friendly color it adds to their plates,” said Berkley. “With Pantone’s latest news, we are already creating some new promotions and programs to increase the customer experience in store. Stay tuned for our announcements in the near future.”

As the purple produce experts, Frieda’s team is at the ready to help produce merchandisers bring #PurplePowerToThePeople by creating bountiful purple displays showcasing purple cauliflower, asparagus, baby potatoes, kohlrabi, and baby carrots, along with passion fruit, eggplant, radicchio, Treviso, and shoppers’ favorite Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

Contra-seasonal availability creates hot holiday sales opportunities

Los Alamitos, CA (December 2017) – The Southern Hemisphere is lighting up the Northern Hemisphere with supplies of fresh lychees for the holiday season. Starting in now, Frieda’s offer South African-grown lychees to customers in 10-pound bulk cartons and 12-ounce clamshells, which reduce shrink and leakage.

Fresh lychees have traditionally been available in spring and early summer from the Americas, so contra-seasonal availability has opened up additional sales opportunities for retailers during the holiday months. Since South African lychee import to the U.S. was permitted in 2015, Frieda’s has distributed increasing volume and expects this season to be the best yet with supplies through January.

The Asian demographic has traditionally been the top purchasers of lychees in the U.S. and they tend to buy in bulk. Since Chinese New Year starts on February 18, stocking up on lychee in January will help create more sales. Furthermore, the fruit’s popularity has grown in recent years, expanding the demand to culinary enthusiasts and millennials who are more likely to purchase the product in a clamshell, helping to reduce shrink for the retailer.

“Getting lychees this time of year is an absolute treat and they will be quickly snapped up by shoppers as an impulse buy,” said Alex Jackson Berkley, senior account manager at Frieda’s. “And because they tend to be a limited-supply and hard-to-find fruit, shoppers do not mind paying a premium for them, especially during the holiday season.”

The renowned lychee has rough, bumpy skin with a juicy, grape-like flesh and one large inedible seed. Lychees feature a fragrant sweet-tart flavor profile. Frieda’s recommends displaying fresh lychees under refrigeration to extend shelf life.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

I’m a coffee drinker. Actually, in some ways I am a bit of a coffee snob. At home, I’ve switched from my beloved Peet’s coffee (which I have brewed every morning for at least 15 years) to my new favorite, Lavazza Classico medium roast. It’s not quite as strong as Peet’s, yet very rich-bodied.

But occasionally, especially in the evenings, I like to have a cup of tea. Especially when I am cold.

I’m pretty boring with the tea—Lipton’s black tea and hot water.

But last week, while visiting a tea-drinking friend, I was introduced to a much more sophisticated form of the home tea experience.

Enter the Breville One-Touch Tea Maker.

You can watch a four-minute YouTube video about how the One-Touch Tea Maker works.

Here is a quick recap of what I learned about tea: Different types of tea (black, green, or herbal) require different temperatures of water and lengths of time for steeping. Who knew?

 

As someone whose tea experimentation has revolved around ordering Earl Grey or English Breakfast tea when I am out and only drinking Lipton’s when I’m home, I was intrigued with what is known as “The Art of Tea.” I never considered that different tea types might have optimal flavor when brewed at difference temperatures. Or that steeping time would have such a tremendous effect.

But then again, I am a coffee drinker. I do understand the difference between Robusta and Arabica coffee beans and that you grind them differently depending on whether you have a drip coffee maker, French press, or pour-over cone.

I actually do have a Nespresso machine, a large French press, and my tried-and-true Capresso coffee maker, all sitting on my kitchen counter. And an electric kettle that I bought last year for making my evening tea.

But now, after watching the One-Touch Tea Maker, with its basket being slowly lowered into perfectly heated water, I can see how tea drinkers would enjoy their own specialty tea-brewing accessory to make their tea experience as enjoyable as my early morning coffee-brewing ritual.

So, if you have a close friend or loved one who just loves tea, you may want to splurge and get them a One-Touch for Hanukkah or Christmas. Or maybe for yourself!

Happy tea drinking!

Karen

Specialty produce trend-setter forecasts five fresh fruit and vegetable trends

Los Alamitos, CA (November 2017) – Supermarket shoppers will be perusing the produce aisles in search of new flavors and food experiences in 2018. Brick-and-mortar retailers with the right item mix can take advantage of this experiential path to purchase in ways that no online shop can offer.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce calls out five items that can add value to produce departments by attracting those key consumers who seek experiences in food and like to travel with their taste buds.

Jicama

“I believe 2018 will be the year of jicama,” said Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s, who noted that more retailers are offering fresh-cut jicama sticks than ever before. “It has only taken 45 years for jicama to become a household name since Frieda’s introduced it to produce retailers in 1972!” The Whole Foods 2018 trend report also called out shaved jicama as a vegetable alternative to grain-based taco shells.

Frieda’s also sees jicama in a position for growth in the super-foods category, thanks to its excellent nutritional value, which includes a high level of vitamin C and gut-friendly properties. San Francisco-based food development firm Mattson identified healing foods as a trend from the 2017 Natural Products Expo East. The natural sugars and fiber in jicama are considered a prebiotic for the digestive tract, meaning it helps create the right environment for good bacteria (probiotics) to flourish in the gut.

“With all the research and development in the field of the gut microbiome, I believe that produce like jicama and Sunchokes® will continue to be in high demand for 2018 and beyond,” Caplan said.

Dragon Fruit/Pitaya

Now available in a rainbow of colors, mainstream U.S. consumers are really catching on to dragon fruit, also known as pitaya. They have seen dragon fruit in flavor and fragrance marketing, and frozen in smoothies, and now they are finding it fresh in their supermarkets as multiple countries are supplying the U.S. marketplace with various skin colors, varieties, and internal flesh colors. For example, Israel exports several different varieties, including a unique desert-grown type with a pine cone-like shape and high flavor. Nicaragua exports a rounder-shaped, deeply pigmented, red-flesh variety. And Vietnam exports a large white-flesh variety with high visual appeal and long brachs (leaves).

[youtube=https://youtu.be/N9GCh-CNowU]

“With several 2018 food trend forecasts pointing to Instagram-ready colorful cuisine and upscale non-alcoholic cocktails, the vibrant magenta-colored dragon fruit is poised for a big year,” said Alex Jackson Berkley, senior account manager at Frieda’s.

Jackfruit

The mother of all tropical fruits has attracted quite a fan base over the past two years, thanks in part to its use as a meat texture substitute, similar to pulled pork, when unripe and green. However, Frieda’s “trendologists” believe the sweet, complex flavor of the ripe jackfruit has yet to be discovered by the masses.

“Ripe jackfruit is enjoyed in Asia as a snack or dessert. It has a delicious sweetness reminiscent of Juicy Fruit gum,” said Berkley. “In 2018 we expect to see more savvy retailers offering ripe jackfruit sections, overwrapped, in their fresh-cut coolers.

“We also discovered that the jackfruit’s large seeds are edible when cooked, and may be ground into a flour to use in baking,” Berkley added. Frieda’s expects to see more exploration in the use of jackfruit seeds, as it aligns with two emerging food trends: alternative flour sources and root-to-stem cooking.

Purple and More

“Whole Foods called the purple food trend in 2017, but Frieda’s has been promoting the purple produce movement since 2012, and we believe it’s still trending up,” Berkley said.

More consumers are learning about the role of anthocyanins—the natural purple pigment found in produce—and other micronutrients in their health. Frieda’s Stokes Purple® Sweet Potato is one example of a vegetable loaded with anthocyanins, while purple-skinned fruits, such as concord grapes, share a similar benefit.

The Packaged Facts 2018 food trends forecast also claims, “Color is the new sugar,” pointing to naturally vibrant foods like beets that act like eye candy. In addition, Packaged Facts identifies sweet potato as a 2018 culinary star and another way to add color to vegetarian and vegan plates.

Frieda’s also expects to see fresh cut food processors adding more purple-hued produce to their veggie noodle product lines in 2018.

Fresh Turmeric

Still on the rising trend train for 2018, turmeric has caught on with early adopters for its anti-inflammatory health benefits. With the increase in supply to the U.S. market from growers in Jamaica and Fiji, more supermarkets are stocking this healing root.

“We continue to see fresh turmeric as an ingredient in fresh-pressed juices and smoothies, and even lattes,” Berkley said. Roots like fresh turmeric and ginger have been prized for centuries for their medicinal properties. “With the rise in the #selfcare movement, this buzzword often equates to people turning to natural remedies and fresh whole foods,” she added.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

One of my goals this year has been to see if I like playing golf. (I wrote about this in an earlier blog.)

I found an instructor, bought a set of clubs, and have been periodically going to the driving range to practice. For some reason, I had it in my head that I needed to keep practicing for a while, before I should head out to play actual golf on a golf course.

And then my instructor had to take a break from teaching, and I got busy with other things. So it’s been a couple of months since I’ve hit the ball. But last weekend, I went to visit friends in Prescott, Arizona, and when they heard I had taken up golf, they arranged for us to play a round.

Needless to say I was a little nervous. In addition to the fact that I hadn’t hit a ball for two months, I also had never played a full round of golf before. Thankfully my friends were easy going, and we didn’t have to keep score.

At the end of the afternoon, as we were heading off to the last hole, I realized I had gained a few insights:

  1. It’s a good idea to take a practice swing before hitting the ball. It loosens you up and helps set the pace for your next swing (the real one). This is the same as other parts of your life, sales, for example; it’s always a good idea to practice your sales pitch before your actual presentation to get the right pace.
  2. Don’t wait too long between your practice swing and the actual swing – if you stand there too long, you will tense up, concentrating and thinking so hard. The same thing can happen in sales. If you are concentrating too hard to make a sale, or give a sales pitch, you can cause tension in yourself. It’s better to breathe deeply, relax, and do a quick run through before your presentation. Then, with the same rhythm, speak to your actual client.
  3. If you only practice (like go to the driving range) and never jump in and play (a round of golf), you won’t fully appreciate the entire golf experience. In sales, I would equate this to the person who spends an enormous amount of time preparing for a sales presentation, tweaking every slide, considering every possibility that will come up in the conversation, rather than using the information she has and enjoying the sales conversation.

In life, and in sales, just like in golf, there are hills and valleys in the conversation, sand traps, fast greens, and trees in the way. But the key is to use all the clubs you have in your bag, admit when you’ve lost a ball, enjoy the scenery, and at the end of the day, be grateful, not frustrated with the experience.

Thanks to my friends David and Paula Lund for so many life lessons on the golf course.

Happy golfing and Happy Thanksgiving!

Karen

My friends David and Paula My high school friend, Paula and me

I attend a lot of events. Many are for business, like the one I attended in San Francisco earlier this week—#BrandStorm. About 200, mostly strangers, gathered in a giant ballroom listening to interesting speakers and then moving to meal functions and breakout sessions over two days.

Just before the second day’s morning session, many people were taking their seats around the room, arranging themselves at the round tables for 10. And I noticed something. I immediately put my things down, grabbed my coffee, and started moving around the room, saying hello to a few industry friends and familiar faces. If I didn’t know someone at a table, I smiled, and then introduced myself and asked them to do the same.

But what I noticed was that no one was doing the same thing. No one.

PHOTO CREDIT: Flickr/Gauthier Delecroix

I realize I am an extrovert, and a morning person, so this kind of thing is kind of in my genes. But it really struck me that not a single other person in a room of about 200 was introducing themselves. Everyone seemed to be checking their email or looking over the program. And this was a marketing conference, so it would make sense that people would be introducing themselves and getting to know others. And that’s when it hit me. “Networking” has almost become a bad word.

It used to mean a way you meet new people, but now it’s become work. Like, it takes a lot of effort and you may have to try really hard. It may not seem natural or authentic. You may appear to be working the room.

My blog post last week, “To Hug or Not to Hug,” received almost 8,000 views on LinkedIn alone, more than three times as many as most of my blogs. I sense that the message of physical touch really resonated with people.

The lack of networking at #BrandStorm and the reaction to that blog have made me realize that in this day of email overload, the need to be available 24/7, and our apparent inability to “unplug,” people really do want connection. Physical connection. Personal connection. Emotional connection. We crave them all.

So, I’ve decided that instead of using the word “networking” and having that visual image of working the room, we should call it “connecting.” Connecting makes you feel differently. It’s not work. It’s personal. It’s satisfying. It’s sincere.

As we move into the holidays and attend many social events, keep in mind that you will be able to connect with people. And hopefully that will bring a smile to your face!

Karen

PHOTO CREDIT: Flickr/Greentech Media

Plan now to take advantage of good quality and steady supply from California

Los Alamitos, CA (November 2017) – California citrus season is underway, and Frieda’s Specialty Produce offers selling solutions and a suite of products for a successful winter citrus program.

“Frieda’s is bringing on more citrus growers each season to increase our volume and variety of products,” said Alex Jackson Berkley, senior account manager at Frieda’s. “Not only are we able to offer a reliable source of supply, we are also able to provide solutions for easy selling at the retail level.”

Frieda’s offers a special program set for January through March, featuring top sellers such as “adorable” kumquats, key limes, and Meyer, pink, and seedless lemons in easy-to-merchandise pouches. Along with blood and Cara Cara oranges, mandarin varieties, pummelos, and Ugli®/uniq fruit, Frieda’s has a line of unique citrus items like Buddha’s Hand citron, sweet limes, limequats, and calamondin (calamansi) that are growing in popularity in the culinary world.

“Citrus is a category that provides inspiration for consumers during the winter months,” says Berkley. “With a limited season and many options, you can keep consumers on their toes with citrus.”

Call Frieda’s account managers today to pre-book and plan your winter citrus program.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

Have you noticed that it is not entirely unusual for people in business to hug each other when saying hello or goodbye? Back in the day, when we had a business meeting, we were all very formal, and shook hands before and after meetings. We would never think of hugging someone we do business with. Hugs were reserved for family members and very close friends.

But I’ve noticed that it has become OK to hug people in business and I think it says a lot about what’s going on in the world today.

I think all of us need a hug every once in a while. In this time of being Facebook “friends” or LinkedIn “connections,” it’s hard to know who is really your friend and who is just a connection (formerly referred to as an acquaintance). With so many people in business working remotely or from their home offices, it’s hard to feel connected to your work colleagues. And if you travel a lot, or just have a long commute, it’s equally as hard to feel connected to your family.

So what do you do?

One of my coworkers, Oakley, used to ride a commuter bus to work in downtown Los Angeles. Five days a week, she rode on the bus with the same group of strangers. Over the years, they got to know each other. Now, many years later, they have all changed jobs multiple times. And they have an annual reunion dinner because they became actual friends! Their bond? Riding the bus together, first as strangers.

For me, I’ve noticed some unintended consequences of connecting with industry work colleagues via Facebook. As I see photos of their family vacations, life cycle events, or personal challenges (like running a marathon), I feel more connected to them. Now when I see them at an industry event, I know quite a bit about them (based on their posts) and suddenly there is a personal connection. Instead of shaking their hands, I find myself hugging them and asking about their family, their new child or grandchild, or home. It’s amazing how connected you feel when people open up and share what’s going on in their personal lives.

Photo Credit: Flickr/Kashmut

I still do shake hands with new business colleagues or acquaintances. But after a nice meal together, I find myself saying goodbye with a hug, more often than with a handshake. And I’ve noticed the same thing happening with both women and men. I see a lot of guys do that “chest bump” hug that doesn’t look entirely sincere, but provides the same affectionate bonding.

How do you feel about this? Do you find yourself only shaking hands with people you meet, or have you found the same thing going on? That a hug is more satisfying? It provides a different kind of connection, one we all need.

So, in this day of pervasive working remotely, commuting two to three hours a day, or finding your closest friends are your Facebook friends, I give you permission to hug people, instead of just shaking their hands.

I think you will find, like I have, that the personal, tactile connection is deeply satisfying and grounding. And helps you get through the day.

Hugs,

Karen

Popular purple tubers and other purple produce are in demand for holiday feasts

Los Alamitos, CA (November 2017) – Everyone is looking for these Instagram-famous Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes for their fall feasts. Draw shoppers in to your produce department with a big, beautiful sweet potato display featuring these purple-skinned tubers.

“Our retail partners say the best time of year to promote Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes is the weeks leading up to Thanksgiving,” said Alex Jackson Berkley, senior account manager at Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “With sweet potatoes remaining a trendy and staple produce item, and shoppers looking to add color to the Thanksgiving table, Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes will sell out for the holiday.

“Conventional Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes can be merchandised with other sweet potatoes, and the organic ones can be in the organic section,” said Berkley. “Purple deserves a place at the holiday table.” Add purple cauliflower, purple asparagus, baby purple potatoes, and radicchio to round out the holiday purple vegetable set.

Other popular volume holiday items from Frieda’s include fingerling and baby potatoes, Frieda’s Star Spangled Spuds, ginger, shallots, blood oranges, Fuyu persimmons, and Green Dragon apples.

(Turkey) Trot over to the phone and call a Frieda’s account manager to book your holiday orders today.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

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Last Saturday evening I was invited to a gratitude party for L.A. Compost. “Gratitude Party.” What a great way to thank your supporters in a non-pretentious way. And the price of entry? Make a donation of an amount you feel comfortable with to support L.A. Compost!

Getting there was a bit of a driving adventure as it was located in a warehouse/gallery in a small neighborhood near Dodger Stadium (Go, Dodgers!). Even though it was only about 20 miles from my house, it took an hour to get there, weaving through the neighborhoods of South Central L.A. It actually wasn’t too far from Chinatown and DTLA (downtown LA), and the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market where I worked after college.

The founder of L.A. Compost, Michael Martinez, greeted the small group of 80 people shortly after I arrived. His story was so inspiring. Originally from Los Angeles, he ended up as a Teach for America school teacher in Miami-Dade, Florida. During his time as a teacher, Michael was astounded that the young people he worked with didn’t know where their food came from. He helped the students, their families, and the community create communal gardens at the school. He remembers the kids getting so excited to see broccoli and other vegetables growing that they actually fought over who would get to eat the food!

Me with Michael of L.A. Compost

When he relocated back to Los Angeles, and with the passion that obviously percolated while working for Teach for America, he decided he wanted to make a difference here in SoCal. So he founded L.A. Compost, a nonprofit that began by working with four schools to lead students in composting waste from cafeteria kitchens. Michael also oversees compost and garden hubs at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles and the University of Southern California, where he runs school and community workshops.

L.A. Compost has grown and now helps set up composting hubs around the greater Los Angeles area.

The gallery where the event was held was filled with various pop-up displays demonstrating how composting works and highlighting a few other organizations. Two of the pop-ups really caught my eye.

Imperfect Produce offers home delivery of misshapen fresh fruits and vegetables that would normally not make its way to consumers. Its business model is, essentially, to seize the rejects! Imperfect Produce, an actual company, and other organizations are finding ways to reduce the amount of wasted food by making it “sexy” to be ugly, misshapen, and dimply. (Conventional supermarkets and club stores typically insist on consistently sized and pristine-looking produce, and will reject it for blemishes or marks that really have no effect on the eating quality.)

Next to Imperfect Produce was a pop-up for L.A. Kitchen, which was started in 2015 by Robert Egger (who also started the famous DC Central Kitchen). Robert created a teaching kitchen, reclamation center for wasted food, and feeding facility for low-income senior citizens all rolled into one. It’s really brilliant. Gather up the food that would normally go to waste and give it to the hungry.

What was so interesting about these two organizations is that they explained to me how they find themselves working together. If Imperfect Produce has fruits and vegetables it does not get orders for, it is donated it to L.A. Kitchen, which then processes the fresh produce into food and meals for the hungry. And if L.A. Kitchen has excess fresh produce, it oftentimes allows Imperfect Produce to market it.

If you’re reading my blog, chances are you have never known hunger. However, whether you know it or not, you probably live in a city or county that does have extreme hunger. Many times it is camouflaged. People are ashamed to say they are hungry. Through my work with the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, I have learned that even in my own county thousands of people (many of them young children, entire families, and seniors) experience food insecurity every week.

Many of us do what we can to help alleviate hunger. We provide canned food during a food drive or we write checks to food banks and other organizations who provide food to the hungry. We may volunteer at a food kitchen during the year or during the holidays.

But how many of us will make it our personal mission, our career or avocation, to find solutions to help feed the hungry? To educate people on how they can personally make a difference? To literally walk the talk?

I say that Michael Martinez is a pretty amazing guy to find such a holistic way to create and promote healthier lifestyles. He has partnered with existing organizations (like Imperfect Produce, L.A. Kitchen, and others) and continues to use his training as a teacher to educate young people on how to make healthy choices and create a healthier planet.

Like many, I recycle at my home and in our office. I’ve thought about composting at my house, but was talked out of it by friends who said, “It can be smelly.” After attending Michael’s gratitude party, I think I need to do further investigation into composting. Perhaps that will help me with my next big project: a home garden!

Karen

Good fall supply from the Southern Hemisphere to smooth transition to strong California season

Los Alamitos, CA (October 2017) – It may be getting cold outside, but produce sales can stay hot with winter citrus. Shoppers will be looking for the sunshiny color and bright flavor of citrus, from tiny kumquats to giant pummelos.

“We have good supplies of citrus from the Southern Hemisphere already coming in, and California has just started,” said Alex Jackson Berkley, senior account manager of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “It’s never too early to start planning your specialty citrus program for the winter months.”

Top citrus sellers include Cara Cara and blood oranges; Meyer, pink, and seedless lemons; and mandarin varieties.

“The items that create excitement are our high-flavor citrus varieties like Tahitian pummelos, sweet limes, and mandarinquats,” said Berkley. “We’ve noticed shoppers are more informed about unique citrus varieties—it’s so much more than navel oranges and lemons now.”

As a trends spotter, Frieda’s team predicts a slight bump in demand for blood oranges. “Our phones have been ringing with consumer magazines looking for blood oranges for their winter issues. October through December is the time to make sure you’re always well stocked with blood oranges.”

Call your Frieda’s account managers to book your citrus program today.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

In May, I attended the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting in Omaha, Nebraska. It was exciting to watch and listen to the Oracles of Omaha (Warren Buffett and Charlie Munger) answer questions about their investment decisions.

But even more exciting and intellectually stimulating was what I experienced the day before when I attended an invitation-only meeting of global business leaders. There were about 100 of us in the hotel meeting room and during the course of the day, a variety of participants got up and talked about trends, leadership, their life’s journey, and more. They came from all over the world: Oman, Australia, California, Iowa, and Switzerland, to name a few.

At the end of the day, our host and facilitator stood in front of the room and asked people to share their main observations: takeaways and “aha”s.

Meditation was on the top of the list.

Yes, meditation had been mentioned by many of the leaders and CEOs in our group. Honestly, I was quite surprised to learn that so many of the world’s business leaders practice meditation. Common threads in their comments were that it was a way to create calm in the day, to give them time to get centered, and to get rid of distractions, and it helped create some inner peace.

After I traveled home from Omaha, I kept thinking in the back of my head—I really want to learn to meditate.

A few months ago, one of my personal advisors suggested I take at least 10 minutes every day to sit still and be quiet. Like many of us in business, I feel like I am constantly on the hamster wheel of life and the only time I stop is when I roll into bed at night. Go-go-go. That’s what it’s always felt like. It was nearly impossible for me to think about sitting still for 10 minutes and not doing anything. But I did try it. I was inconsistent, but I started to do it on the weekends when I was home alone. And sometimes when I got home at night, I would make a conscious effort to sit quietly in a dark area of my house and do nothing. It felt weird at first, but then it got better.

Then, about a month ago, a friend of mine told me she had started meditating. And I said, “Oh, I’ve always wanted to meditate.” She said she uses an app on her phone and she shared it with me (there was a free trial).

So, I downloaded the app, got up a little earlier the next morning and listened to the guided meditation (for 20 minutes total). What I liked about this guided meditation is that Oprah gives a 1- to 2-minute overview, then Deepak Chopra shares a 2- to 3-minute insight. Then he gives you a specific mantra and peaceful music plays for 13 to 14 minutes as you repeat the mantra to yourself.

And then I would start my day.

So, I’ve been meditating for four weeks and this is what I’ve learned:

  1. I actually look forward to my meditation time. I used to be rush-rush-rush in the morning, but now I take my time. The meditation actually sets my intention for the day.
  2. I’ve noticed that I feel more calm and clear at work. More focused. Not so distracted.
  3. I am sleeping better at night.

A couple of days last weekend, I had the time to meditate a second time in the afternoon. I re-listened to the same meditation as in the morning. I felt energized and clearer. I found myself getting excited just thinking about meditating a second time on the same day.

In casual conversation with two male acquaintances over the last few weeks, both told me they had been thinking about meditating as well. I shared the link above and both of them, business executives, are trying it out.

Many Fortune 500 CEOs use this mindfulness practice: Rupert Murdoch, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Ford, and Arianna Huffington, to name just a few. Harvard Business Review published this article about the trend in 2015.

Many meditation apps are available. Check out headspace.com and calm.com for starters. If you’re wondering if meditation is for you, just think about it. And if you already meditate, I would love to hear from you.

Namaste,
Karen

October 5 was National Kale Day! Woo-hoo!

Last year, I wrote about National Kale Day and about how it started. And how it seemed that everywhere you turned, you would see kale being featured as the new “it” food. It’s an ingredient in salads at fast casual restaurants like McDonald’s and Chic-Fil-A. And all sorts of snack companies, like Brad’s Kale Chips, have popped up.

I attended an industry luncheon this week where kale was a featured ingredient in the salad. Honestly, a salad made with just chopped kale, diced beets, and feta cheese left me a little cold (and hungry). I found it unappealing. And I’m in the industry!

I’m guessing that many consumers are feeling the same way when food companies take a popular food and try to insert it into their menus every way possible.

What was appealing about kale in the first place? It was the dense nutrient content (vitamin A and fiber), plus the natural healing properties of cruciferous-type vegetables. But no one really wanted to EAT kale—because it’s so fibrous and chewy—so they juiced it.

And I think that’s what started the “kale craze.”

Photo: Flickr/Noelle

My first real exposure to the health benefits of kale was when I watched this TEDx talk by Dr. Terry Wahls at TEDx Iowa City 2011. The talk is entitled, “Minding your Mitochondria.” In a nutshell, Dr. Wahls was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis (MS) in 2007. She quickly declined, began taking doctor-prescribed medicine, and did chemo, but she declined further to the point that she was wheelchair-bound and could barely move on her own. Thankfully, due to her curiosity and her research training, she found a different way to treat her MS. In fact, if you take the 18 minutes to watch to her TEDx talk, you will see the role that kale (and other nutrient-rich greens, berries, vegetables, plus grass-fed meats) played in her almost 100 percent recovery.

Yes, you read that correctly—her almost 100 percent recovery.

If you are concerned about food allergies (including dairy and gluten), arthritis, asthma, fibromyalgia, dementia, Alzheimer’s, diabetes, MS, Parkinson’s, to name a few, then I highly recommend watching this 18-minute, life-changing TEDx talk.

After watching it multiple times, I am more compelled than ever to have a kale-based green drink every day and to increase my consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables. For my health and vitality.

So, yes, this week we celebrated National Kale Day! Do yourself and your family a big favor, and have some kale.

Karen

The specialty produce company brings new produce ideas to the table

Los Alamitos, CA (October 2017) – Frieda’s Specialty Produce is bringing innovation to the table at PMA Fresh Summit booth 1207 with jackfruit selling solutions.

“At Frieda’s, we know jack…fruit, and we know how to make it sell at retail,” said Alex Jackson Berkley, senior account manager of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “Jackfruit has become one of the most asked-about and sought-after tropical fruits, a natural star for your tropical program. You cannot miss a pile of jackfruit at retail—it’s definitely a ‘wow’ item that sets stores apart from the competition.”

Jackfruit is one of the biggest (literally) trends in produce today. The sheer size of this fruit (8 to 24 pounds) catches the eye, but it’s the label and point-of-sale merchandising that close the sale for shoppers, by offering them the information and inspiration they need to make a confident purchase.

“There’s no better time to talk to us about jackfruit and our full line of tropical fruits than at PMA Fresh Summit,” added Berkley. “Our jackfruit selling solution is just one of the ways we go beyond what is expected at Frieda’s.”

With more than 55 years as specialty produce trailblazers, Frieda’s knows what’s new in specialty produce and what’s trending with shoppers to keep its customers relevant in the produce space.

“Our mission is to inspire new food experiences for consumers and we are always looking for ways to partner with clients who understand that education is key for moving these lesser known and unusual fruits and vegetables,” Berkley said.

So, pull up a chair at booth 1207 or call a Frieda’s account manager today to learn more about the company’s fresh brand, shopper-friendly packaging, and unique product mix that make life a lot sweeter for retailers, wholesalers, and foodservice providers everywhere.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

I am a lifelong learner. I love to attend seminars and workshops, and read online content about self-improvement, marketing trends, entrepreneurs, business, food, and all sorts of things. And I’m a magazine reader, but for some reason I had gotten out of the habit of reading books.

Actually, I do have a book on my nightstand, but it’s like a sleeping pill. I start reading with great intent, and within five to seven minutes, my eyelids get heavy and I find myself dozing off.

But it has been frustrating for me because I have always liked to read. Actually, my first job when I was 15 was in our local library; I filed the books back onto the shelves when they were returned by the library patrons. I recall checking out two to three books every week; they all looked so interesting.

I even joined a book club about 10 years ago, but found that most months I wasn’t able to read the entire sleeping pill, I mean book, and eventually I quit the club.

But I still love books!

People have always talked about “books on tape,” but since my commute to work is 4.4 miles, I didn’t think they would work for me.

And then I discovered Audible, an audio subscription service from Amazon. My coworker Hazel had mentioned Audible to me, but I just couldn’t wrap my head around listening to books on my short drive each day.

Then, I was taking a class and my instructor assigned a book for us to read. It was only available on Audible as it is out of print. So I went online, subscribed to Audible, and downloaded the app. I was thrilled that my first book was free, and the monthly subscription is less than $15. You can download one book of your choice each month.

I figured that one book a month was more than plenty and perhaps it might help me read the stack of books I have on my list.

Was I wrong! I didn’t realize exactly how much I do drive, and I went through that first book within a day (it was only an hour long). I then downloaded a fiction book I had missed reading in my book club a few years ago, a Pulitzer Prize winner that everyone had raved about. Even though it was more than 10 hours long, I found myself spending a few extra minutes parked in my garage each day listening to the end of the chapter. Finished that book within a week.

Now, I’m hooked! In the last six weeks, I have listened to five books (some fiction, some self-improvement). Whereas I used to dread those long drives by myself to meetings in downtown L.A. or south Orange County, I find I now look forward to having an hour or more to listen to my books.

Occasionally Audible sends me access to free best sellers and other promotions. As I think back to my treks to the local Barnes & Noble bookstore, I recall my great intentions of reigniting my voracious reading habit, only to have that stack of books on my nightstand grow. I also lost interest in lugging those heavy books on business trips (I fall asleep faster on airplanes than I do at home, so it was a lose-lose proposition for me).

If you love to read, or used to love to read, and the thought of not having a crook in your neck—from looking down at a book or a small screen—is appealing, I encourage you to try Audible (or podcasts or Spotify, and there are others). It changed my life. And it may well change yours!

Karen

Plan now for must-have holiday display builders from Frieda’s Specialty Produce

Los Alamitos, CA (September 2017) – Prepare for the holiday shopping season by booking all the essential complementary items for your holiday produce sets.

“For your holiday resets and department walk-throughs, include these complementary and specialty items so your shoppers have everything they need in the produce department,” said Alex Jackson Berkley, senior account manager of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “The top sellers each year are shallots, elephant garlic, specialty onions (pearl, boiler, and cipolline), pine nuts, cinnamon sticks, vanilla beans, and mulling spices.”

Additionally, there are big sales opportunities on Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes, fingerling and baby potatoes, variety hard squash, and sweet crab apples.

“These are all items that consumers use in their holiday menus. It’s important to have them available in store by mid-October to maximize your holiday impulse sales,” said Berkley.

Call your Frieda’s account manager today to pre-book your holiday produce essentials.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

Blue Apron. Hello Fresh. Purple Carrot. Plated (as of this week, now owned by Albertson’s). These are just a few of the meal kit companies that have created a new business model.

What is a meal kit? A meal kit is all the fresh ingredients and seasoning you need to make a meal, all measured out exactly to the recipe provided. Everything is in one box, delivered to your door on a schedule of your choosing. Depending on the service, you can choose the menu you want to cook or you can request a surprise menu.

Basically, you are ordering all the ingredients to make a good tasting “gourmet” meal, except you don’t have to go shopping or even leave your home or office. Every single ingredient is individually packaged with the exact amount the recipe calls for, so there is no buying four ounces of fresh dill when you only need one small sprig. Everything is pre-measured, eliminating the risk of over-seasoning your meal or forgetting a spice.

A Blue Apron meal kit

It sounds kind of fun, right? I think so too, but I have never ordered any of the meal kits because of my busy travel schedule.

Fortunately, a few weeks ago, I ran into Terri Langhans, a high school pal who is also a world class speaker and author. Terri has tried several of the meal kit services, so I asked her about her experiences so far.

My first meal kit wasn’t mine. It was my neighbor’s, and she dropped it off on her way to the airport to attend a family funeral. Inside the big box were three smaller boxes, about the size of skinny shoe boxes, each containing the ingredients for a meal that would serve two people. It was like unpacking a box of birthday presents from Grandma, before Amazon was invented.

“How great is this!?” I thought.

Answer: Very.

For me, a focus group of one, meal kits aren’t about eating healthy, controlling portion size, discovering new recipes or being able to recycle the packaging. It’s all about less stress and more fun around meal planning and preparation.

After a day of dealing with a never-ending To Do list, I doubt that I’m the only one who dreads having to answer the “what’s for dinner?” question. Even when I’m the one asking. What do I have in the fridge? Something from the freezer? Nah, no time to defrost. Are there any leftovers that haven’t grown fur? I don’t want to stop at the store. Isn’t today Meatless Monday? How much is left of that salad bag from Costco? Popcorn’s a vegetable, isn’t it? I guess I better go to the store. Yikes, I need gas. And wine.

I can certainly relate to that!

Open the box. Read the recipe. Follow the directions which have been simplified for even the newest of cooks can follow. For example, the recipe card doesn’t assume you know what sauté means. It would more likely say, “While the vegetables roast, heat a pan on medium heat. Add olive oil (already pre-measured in a packet). When the oil shimmers, add chopped shallots and cook, stirring occasionally for 2-3 minutes. Do not let them brown.”

All that detail means that not only does everything come out cooked perfectly, to temperature, but everything comes out at the same time. Again, less stress, more fun.

The next night, I arrived home to find hubby and two of our friends assembled at various “work stations” in our kitchen. They were wielding a spatula, a chef’s knife or parchment paper, according to which section of the two remaining two recipe cards they were assigned. The oven was pre-heating, everything was in its place, including an open bottle of wine.

“Hi, sweetheart!” hubby said, handing me a glass. “We’re having a dinner-making party.”

After the meal, we went online and created two new accounts, ordered our menus and made a date for the next dinner-making party. This time it would be BYOB. As in Bring Your Own Box.

After reading Terri’s comments, I’m seriously planning on ordering a meal kit next time I have a few friends over for dinner. And to make it even more fun, I think I’ll ask them if they want to help cook!

Karen

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It’s an auspicious week.

At sundown on Wednesday, September 20, the Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashanah, will begin. The celebration of the Jewish New Year is observed for 10 days and will culminate with the Day of Atonement, Yom Kippur, starting at sundown on Friday, September 29, and ending the next day. Right in the middle is the autumnal equinox in the Northern Hemisphere on September 22. That is the day that the daylight and night hours are virtually equal.

Several traditions surround the Jewish New Year.

One of my favorites is the tradition to try a new fruit in the new year. That tradition is never more evident than in New York and Los Angeles, where large neighborhoods of Jewish consumers clamor to buy the weirdest and most unusual fruits they can to help bring in the new year. My company, of course, has great fun with this, as we ship huge truckloads of exotic fruits to New York City every year in anticipation of the holiday shopping rush. Last year, the Wall Street Journal even did a story on this, including this video.

This year, some of the top sellers have been:

Jackfruit Dragon Fruit Cactus Pear Kumquats Kiwano (Horned Melon) Cape Gooseberries

Another tradition is that those 10 days between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur are a time for reflection and forgiveness. I always interpreted it to be the time to reconcile any differences or disagreements and to settle any issues with friends, family, or coworkers. Even if you’re not Jewish, it’s a great time to make peace and settle any issues and make amends.

Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, is a day of fasting, so Jews around the world choose to take the time from sundown to sundown to be humbled and appreciate all the suffering and sacrifice that our ancestors went through during difficult times. Even if we are not able to fast completely, many of us spend the day at our temples or in a quiet place. My favorite part of the day is the break-the-fast dinner, usually hosted at a friend’s house. We all bring our favorite dishes and break bread together. It’s the perfect way to finish the celebration of the new year—with close family and friends.

Autumnal equinox is a special time as well. It signals the official beginning of fall, when the leaves outside are turning from green to orange and red. We decorate our homes with dried corn and gourds, and the weather cools down. With cooler weather, we start baking squash in the oven and cooking root vegetables for meals, instead of serving spring and summer asparagus, and cold salads.

Even when you walk into your produce department, you’ll see the difference. Produce managers across the country do their fall resets right after Labor Day, building big displays of hard-shelled squash; peaches and nectarines are replaced with even bigger displays of apples and pears.

As you enjoy this time of year, whether you are officially celebrating the Jewish New Year of 5778 or just want an excuse to try some new fruits, it’s a great time to pause, reflect, and set your intentions for a time of prosperity, peace, and friendship.

L ’Shanah Tova (that’s “for a good year” in Hebrew),

Karen

Prepare your produce department for shoppers looking for stranger things

Los Alamitos, CA (September 2017) – Summon shoppers to the produce department with a “Spooky Foods” display featuring out-of-this-world fruits and vegetables, along with traditional fall pumpkin and squash.

“Halloween is the perfect time to showcase your tropical fruits and specialty vegetables as shoppers will be looking for unique, spooky items for their Halloween celebrations,” said Alex Jackson Berkley, senior account manager of Frieda’s Specialty Produce.

“Build out your ‘spooky foods’ displays with creepy-looking fruits and vegetables on both dry and refrigerated cases, and have fun with it,” added Jackson. “Why should the center aisles have all the Halloween fun?”

New #spookyfoods favorites include jackfruit, organic finger limes, colored cauliflower, and “scary hot” ghost peppers. Other Halloween classics include Buddha’s hand citron, Kiwano® horned melon, dragon fruit, rambutan, red cactus pears, and blood oranges.

Call the spooky foods specialists (aka Frieda’s account managers) today to help you put together a “scare-tastic” product selection.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

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A few months ago, I decided I couldn’t be the only person on the planet who is mystified by these two terms: “Bitcoin” and “Blockchain.” So I started doing some research by asking some of the geeks and nerds I meet to explain them to me in layman’s terms.

I’ll start with Blockchain. I was at an AgTech (agriculture technology) conference two months ago and was chatting with a millennial attendee. Seena Amidi of Silicon Valley’s Plug and Play Tech Center, which is billed as the world’s largest startup accelerator and corporate innovation consultancy, seemed pretty savvy, yet down-to-earth. So I asked him, “Can you explain Blockchain to me—in English?”

Without skipping a beat, he explained it like this:

He said Blockchain is a 100-percent secure way to store information (kind of like encryption, but it connects all pieces of related information). Pieces of information are stored in individual blocks; once entered into the block, it cannot be altered. It is time-stamped and linked to the previous block. It’s almost impossible to hack. Multiple people can add related information in a new block.

I asked him what the applications might be.

He gave me the example of a company like mine, storing the names of vendors and the food safety information associated with each individual vendor. As part of a Blockchain, we can share select parts of the information with customers when needed. For example, we can let them access the food safety information on our suppliers, but they can’t access other, proprietary information that is stored in the Blockchain.

Well, that totally makes sense in the business world. All businesses have many types of information to store. Depending on who they need to share the information with (vendors, customers, the government), using Blockchain could save time and prevent redundancies (having to enter information in multiple places).

For non-business users, a perfect application is a person’s medical records. Multiple doctors can enter information into the Blockchain; it is time-stamped and cannot be altered. The patient can access the information, but it is completely secure. An article in Forbes Magazine earlier this year has an excellent explanation of Blockchain.

Photo Credit: Flickr/Zach Copley

Bitcoin is actually a digital currency. I know it’s hard to imagine a currency that does not have paper bills or coins, and exists only on the Internet. But that is the essence of Bitcoin. And a lot of people think it is worth something and could be a big part of the future. I found some pretty interesting articles about it. Here is one of my favorite articles. The value of Bitcoin is determined by how much people are willing to exchange it for. There are already many businesses around the world that accept Bitcoin, including a Subway restaurant in Pennsylvania!

So, how do you buy, track, store, and spend Bitcoin? Blockchain. When Bitcoin was conceived, a secure way to record the transactions on a “ledger” was needed to eliminate the chance of redundancies or double entries. Thus, Blockchain came into being.

So, now you probably know just about enough about Blockchain and Bitcoin to carry on a conversation at a cocktail party. And just in case you are wondering, the way the Bitcoin system was set up, there can never be more than 21 million bitcoins and the current value of one bitcoin is $4,493.99.

There you go!

Karen

Capitalize on the demand for exotic fruits during the September Jewish holiday

Los Alamitos, CA (September 2017) – Prepare your produce department for the mad dash for exotic fruits as shoppers look for “new fruit” to celebrate Rosh Hashana, aka Jewish New Year, beginning at sundown on September 20.

It is a Jewish tradition to try a new fruit during Rosh Hashana to celebrate a “sweet” new year. From tiny cape gooseberries to the giant jackfruit, shoppers rush the stores during the holiday to purchase the newest, most exotic fruits possible—so much so that it caught the attention of the Wall Street Journal last fall. (Subscription is needed to view full article.)

“Premium pricing on exotic produce is not an issue for shoppers during this holiday,” said Alex Jackson Berkley, senior account manager at Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “Retailers need to make sure they have a wide variety of fruits available for the 10 days leading up to the holiday as shoppers are looking for the newest—and sometimes weirdest—fruit for their celebrations.”

Don’t miss out on this fall tropical-selling opportunity. Call Frieda’s sales team today to prepare for the rush with “weird” favorites such as dragon fruit, kiwi berries, organic finger limes, cherimoya, and Kiwano® horned melon. The team can also help you find out which of your stores have a high percentage of Jewish clientele.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

During this past week, I attended two Farm to Table dinners. After reading about Farm to Table dinners and writing about them and never having the opportunity to attend one, it was interesting to attend two in one week. And they were so completely different.

The genesis of Farm to Table dinners is an extension of the popularity of local farmers markets. Consumers love connecting to the growers of their food. It humanizes the eating experience, which is why consumers will pay more money for produce with a shorter shelf life.

It’s about the experience, not the efficiency or convenience.

My first Farm to Table experience was at a fundraiser at Rancho Los Alamitos, a local historic site in Long Beach, to benefit its educational programs. Several ranchos (or homesteads) in and around the Long Beach area of Southern California have been preserved as historical landmarks. Much like the 21 historic California Missions that span the entire coast from Basilica San Diego de Alcala in San Diego all the way up to Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma, the Ranchos are a big part of the history of the early California settlers. As you can see, it was a beautiful evening in a delightful setting.

Photo: Jennifer Herbig

The chef of the evening was Paul Buchanan of Primal Alchemy, who is completely passionate about discovering local farms and foods and creating masterpieces that his clientele can enjoy. Paul has an impressive resume, having worked in some of the best known kitchens in Southern California: Campanile, Wolfgang Puck, Water Grill, and Pascal’s in Orange County, to name a few. As you can see from the photos of the evening, our dinner was set outside on the grounds of Rancho Los Alamitos, where 300 patrons dined at long, glorious tables, draped with white linens, and decorated with bouquets of fresh herbs and russet potatoes with small flags inserted in them as table signs.

Every course was served family style. And between the salad course and dinner, Russ Parsons, former food editor of the Los Angeles Times (whom we refer to as the “Mayor of Long Beach” as he knows E-V-E-R-Y-O-N-E), did a quick interview with Chef Buchanan.

Photo: Jennifer Herbig

The food had amazing flavors and it was dazzling to have all this food come out at perfect temperatures arranged perfectly on platters. The long tables were conducive to easygoing conversations and a leisurely pace. Quite different from a normal dinner at a restaurant where we always seem to complain about the pace of the meal, or lack of it.

My second Farm to Table dinner was held at an outdoor restaurant, The Farmhouse in Corona del Mar. It is a new, on-site restaurant at the famous Southern California landmark, Roger’s Gardens. If you enjoy gardening and landscaping, this is the most inspirational place ever.

The occasion for this dinner was because my friend and favorite Southern California chef, Alan Greeley, recently closed his landmark restaurant, The Golden Truffle. All the local Orange County chefs, who were mostly trained and supported by Alan during the last 30 years, got together to have a “Bon Voyage Celebration.” As a testimonial to Chef Alan’s popularity, an email went out to his patron list and within two days, the dinner for 150 was sold out! In fact I had to pull a few strings and text Alan to get a ticket for myself!

When I arrived on Monday evening, it was a who’s who of the Orange County culinary scene with famous chefs, and food writers and journalists.

Photo: OC Weekly

Chef Alan’s friends prepared an incredible four-course meal which was more like eight courses since every course included two dishes! Thai goat curry. Grilled Wagyu beef wrapped in gem lettuce and carrot kimchi. Coos Bay silver point oysters. Watermelon radish carpaccio. Seared ahi tuna. And so much more. Dessert was over the top with three options for everyone.

The menu (front and back) from Chef Alan’s celebration dinner at Farmhouse

Just like the first Farm to Table dinner I attended, white linen tablecloths and family-style seating and serving plates abounded. The simplicity of the décor was magical. The Farmhouse overlooks the entire Roger’s Gardens property, so it felt like we were in a forest.

Photo: OC Weekly: Vegetable carpaccio

What I learned most about the Farm to Table experience is that it is all about the food and the farms and ranches it comes from. The location, ambience, and décor all contribute to telling the story, connecting you to the foods you eat and the people who lovingly produce them.

And it couldn’t get more farm-to-table than dining al fresco with trees as your awning and a cool evening breeze as your soundtrack.

Even though a Farm to Table dinner might have a heftier price tag than a conventional dinner at a restaurant, and it might take a few hours from start to finish, I would encourage you to put the experience on your bucket list. It certainly made me slow my pace and take in the entire experience.

Bon appetit!

KarenSave

It all started when I gave a speech last month to a group of local women entrepreneurs. Whenever I speak to an all-female group, I feel comfortable sharing one of my “secret weapons,” as women seem super-interested and open to it.

And that is my color palette.

I’ve written before about how I have been working with a colorist since the early 1980s. Jennifer Butler’s expertise is in helping people look their best by wearing the colors, patterns, and textures that make that person look their best. In her studio in Los Angeles, she has more than 10,000 color swatches that she uses to select the perfect colors and textures to match a client’s eye color, hair color and texture, and skin tone.

Over the years she has also added the dimensions of personality and energy to her color consultation, which give insight to her clients about their season. (In personal color analysis, people are often assigned a “seasonal” color palette, meaning a particular group of colors related to that season.)

For the last seven years (since I last had my color palette done), I’ve been a “Tawny Spring.”

So, after my speech, I thought it might be a good time to revisit Jennifer to see if there have been any changes to my color palette. That Saturday morning as I was getting ready to drive to her house, I had second thoughts. Maybe there was no reason to see her. I was certain that there really hadn’t been any major changes in my coloring. But I did have a gnawing feeling about the fact that during the past couple of months, each time I went shopping and tried on colors and styles that were on my palette, they no longer felt good to me.

So I walked into Jennifer’s house a few minutes before our consultation. She was just concluding a workshop with other clients, but I saw her when I walked in and smiled at her. I could tell from the look on her face that she didn’t recognize me. Once I said my name, she caught herself and said, “Welcome.” After we chatted for a few minutes, we moved into her studio. That’s when she shocked me.

“Karen, you have become a Summer,” she said. “And actually I did not recognize you―you have changed so much.”

Now that may not sound like a big deal, but when you have been dressing like an energetic, cheerleader-type Spring for a long time, hearing that you are now a “twilight, full of grace” Summer is quite a shock.

For the next three hours, I watched Jennifer select an almost completely different color palette for me. My eyes had darkened. My skin was pinker. She encouraged me to darken my hair back to its original color, so it would complement my skin and eyes.

Here is my former palette, when I was a Spring. You can see that the colors are brighter.

Here is my new, Rose-Bronze Summer palette.

As she selected my new colors, Jennifer noticed a few hairs around my face were a bit curly and asked me about that. That’s when I reminded her that I have naturally curly hair, but have been straightening it and blow-drying it straight for more than 30 years. I told her that when I was a young girl, people made fun of my curly hair; they called me names. There were no happy memories associated with curly hair.

That’s when she made a life-changing comment: “It seems that you are in a period of personal transformation and authenticity. Perhaps you might want to consider wearing your hair natural.” That was a pretty heavy thing to hear. But since my divorce was final seven months ago, I’ve felt like I’ve been in a period of self-reflection. And I could not get the thought out of my head about what it would be like to be the real me. Curly hair and all.

So, I took a deep breath on Monday morning and went to work with my naturally curly hair, dressed in colors from my new palette. People in the office did not recognize me. They asked me what I did to my hair; my answer was “Nothing. This is my natural hair!”

As a matter of fact, since all three of our summer interns have naturally curly hair, we had a Curly Hair Day in the office. It was empowering for all of us as we gathered for our photo!

It’s been more than two weeks now since I decided to be me. The real me. The authentic me.

I’ve had friends comment: “You look fantastic, happy, and like a different person.” Other friends, when they see me, say nothing. (I think they are in shock that I have dared to go natural.) Just this morning, several of my work colleagues commented that I look so happy, thinner (that was a plus!), and more calm, like a totally different person.

Are you asking yourself, “Am I wearing the colors and styles that make me look my best?” Or are you thinking, “I can’t afford to have my colors done. I’ll have to get rid of so many of my clothes.” I encourage you to check out the videos, before-and-after photos, and information on Jennifer’s website.

While it can be scary to buck fashion trends and peer pressure, finding out what your palette is and dressing accordingly can be an amazing thing for your self-esteem, your personal confidence, and for your success in your career and personal life. Being authentic in how you present yourself makes a phenomenal difference.

Left: Me, dressed as a Spring, being someone who I am no longer. Right: Me, dressed as a Summer, my authentic self.

Karen

 

Book now for the popular California-grown purple sweet potatoes, exclusively available from Frieda’s Specialty Produce

Los Alamitos, CA (August 2017) – Shoppers’ favorite Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes are back in season and ready to ship on September 6. Plan your ads now and pre-book the trendiest item in the sweet potato category from Frieda’s Specialty Produce.

According to recent research from Welch Foods, shoppers are seeking health benefits from colorful foods, especially antioxidant-rich purple.

“Shoppers have been contacting us wanting to know when the season will be starting. The Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes definitely have a cult-like following,” said Alex Jackson Berkley, senior account manager of Frieda’s. “Purple foods continue to be a hot trend, and purple is definitely the new orange when it comes to sweet potatoes.”

“Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes are a must-have item for retailers to include in their fall table resets,” said Berkley. “Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes are also ideal to promote pre-Thanksgiving, winter holidays, the New Year, and Easter/spring.”

Organic and conventional Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes are available from September through May in 15 lb. and 40 lb. cartons. Every potato is labeled to reduce front-end checker error. An organic 12/3 lb. bag is also available.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

OK, we’ve all read about the solar eclipse coming up on Monday, August 21. It will be the first time in 26 years that a total solar eclipse has been visible from the United States.

Many people are flocking to Portland, Jackson Hole, and St. Louis to experience the moments of daytime darkness in person. For me, I know I can view it online, and that will suffice.

What’s really on my mind is to share some insight I’ve gotten into why so many people, including some heads of state in particular, are acting so darned weird right now.

Here is the context, thanks to Gahl Sasson of Cosmic Navigator, a good friend of mine:

A lunar eclipse, the most recent of which happened on August 7 in Aquarius, is kind of like an Old Testament version of Valentine’s Day. It’s a great day to spend with friends and lovers. It’s also the time to end a relationship that isn’t working and to say goodbye to a personality trait in yourself that you don’t want anymore. “Overall, since it is an eclipse and lunar, you might feel [overly] sensitive and emotional,” Gahl says. “The werewolf in you might come out, so please be careful with your reactions.”

Mercury is in retrograde until September 5, mainly in Virgo (Read more on my previous blog about Mercury in retrograde). “Right between the eclipses, when the energies are the most intense, the planet of communication and negotiation is going on a vacation,” Gahl says. He warns of unnecessary perfectionism and criticism, and recommends not signing legal documents, making big purchases, or starting important projects.

Monday’s solar eclipse takes place in Leo. Gahl says “something significant” will happen in the U.S. with “long-lasting effects… Most likely it will quicken the fall of political leaders, CEOs, and other powerful leaders. You can say that the biggest economy [on] the planet is going through an open heart surgery.” On the other hand, it’s a good day to start something related to “love, children, happiness, sports, and entertainment,” he says.

This all makes perfect sense to me as I’ve been reading the news of companies replacing their leaders (Wells Fargo Bank, Uber, and Mondelez, for example) and potential changes in countries’ leadership around the world. It’s easy to get overwhelmed.

But then, I had a feeling this was coming. I believe that the change in energy in the universe has an enormous effect on everyone. So, if people are acting a bit tense, moody, or it seems like your communication’s been haywire since last week, you can just blame the cosmos!

Karen

P.S. It seems obvious, but  do you really understand the difference between a lunar and a solar eclipse?

In a lunar eclipse, the earth casts a shadow on the moon. At least two lunar eclipses happen every year.

Credit: NASA

In a solar eclipse, the moon casts a shadow on the sun. And of course, even during a solar eclipse, we should never look directly at the sun. Solar eclipses happen once every 18 months.

Credit: NASA

The specialty produce company partners with wholesalers and foodservice distributors to inspire new food experiences for children nationwide

Los Alamitos, CA (August 2017) – For wholesalers who supply school districts, planning begins now for the coming school year! Frieda’s Specialty Produce can help its customers get to the head of the class by offering exotic fruits and vegetables for the school snacking program and the USDA Fresh Fruit and Vegetable Program (FFVP).

“We offer customized programs with fun and exciting fruits and vegetables like starfruit and watermelon radishes. They can really set our customers and their school districts apart,” said Jeff Kelly, sales manager of Frieda’s. “Thanks to our unique product selection and our team’s expertise with FFVP, we know what a school district needs and we can help win the bids.”

The FFVP grants funds for elementary schools to offer free fresh fruit and vegetable snacks, helping kids learn to make healthier food choices. “We’re making an impact on America’s future and our growers’ sustainability in the industry,” said Kelly. “Kids love to try new things, especially when it’s colorful, flavorful, and fun; specialty produce gets them excited about fruits and vegetables.”

Wholesalers and foodservice distributors interested in including specialty produce such as rambutan, cape gooseberries, baby bok choy, and organic finger limes in their FFVP should contact Frieda’s account managers today.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

Last month I visited some dear friends on Bainbridge Island in Washington. Each morning, my friend Liliana would make us breakfast. Before breakfast, we would sip our coffee, sitting around in our bathrobes and chat about the day.

But I noticed that before she had her cup of coffee, she sipped on a mug full of something else. I was curious, so I asked her about that practice.

She told me she drinks a cup full of hot bone broth every other day, first thing in the morning.

Bone broth?

Liliana assured me that there are some health benefits to bone broth. So I decided to do some research on my own.

According to this article in Shape magazine, drinking bone broth can help with joint pain; create a healthier gut and stronger bones, hair, and nails; improve sleep; and more.

In researching a little further, I found even more information from one of my favorite spiritual and healing authorities, Louise Hay. Wow―who knew?

It is starting to make sense to me. What’s the classic “bone broth?” Homemade chicken soup. When we get sick with a cold, that’s the classic dish we’re told to consume. Perhaps that’s why some refer to chicken soup as “Jewish penicillin.” Supposedly, sipping on hot chicken soup, the homemade version made by simmering the bones and carcass of a chicken, along with onions, celery, and carrots, will hasten your recovery.

By the way, broth and stock are essentially the same thing. Some describe stock as being more viscous from the collagen that seeps out of the bones during long-term cooking. Bone “broth” has become the trendy name, even though it might actually be closer to a traditional stock.

From healing your gut (something we should all be concerned with), to getting natural collagen to make us look younger, to the rich, satisfying savory flavor that comes from sipping the broth (or enjoying bone marrow spread on toast at a special dinner), I definitely am intrigued with my newest discovery.

It seems as if I learn something new every day!

Karen

I’ve noticed a lot of companies are updating the look of their packaging. Sometimes it’s the sign of a company truly trying to better resonate with consumers.

Driscoll’s old label (left) and new label (right)

Other times, I wonder if they got a new marketing agency that said, “It’s time for a brand refresh,” but it didn’t make a discernible difference.

Or an already successful brand has new features and benefits to highlight.

Angie’s old branding (yellow) and new (purple)

And other times, some old-school brands say, “What the heck, we’re staying with what we have.” Which I respect.

So when I saw the trade ad for Bragg organic dressings and marinades, it caught my attention.

I’ve written about Bragg before, as its apple cider vinegar has become quite the popular ingredient in the latest elixir, a healthy “cocktail.”

And I love Bragg’s products. And they definitely stand out at the grocery store, not because they are attractively packaged with the latest graphics, but rather because they are unique-looking. Distinctive.

And that distinctive look is also authentic.

I did a little digging on the company’s website, which resembles its packaging, and the story of Paul Bragg and his daughter Patricia is filled with passion, conviction, and a genuine concern for health. It was refreshing to read their homey stories and testimonials from ordinary people, peppered with endorsements from Katy Perry, Clint Eastwood, and a few others.

So next time a marketing agency or your new marketing person suggests you need to refresh your brand, redo all your packaging, or more, step back and think about the motivation behind that.

I think the authenticity of your brand is most important, even if you break all the rules with your look, like my friends at Bragg Products. Sometimes, just when you are getting tired of the look of your packaging or your logo, it’s about the time that consumers are starting to recognize it.

Karen

Latest trends article points to growers, distributors, and chefs creating the next ‘it’ vegetable

Source: Wall Street Journal

Los Alamitos, CA (August 2017) – What makes produce trend? Wall Street Journal writer Karen Stabiner sought out to answer that question in the newspaper’s latest food trend story, “Forecasting the Next Food Fad: Are ‘Kohlrabi’ and ‘Yacon’ the Next Kale?” published on July 27.

The author reached out to Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s Specialty Produce, as well as top-trending chefs and farmers, to report on the new urgency of fruit and vegetable trends and the increasing demand for the latest items at restaurants, grocery stores, and home delivery services.

“…Caplan has never seen anything like the current scramble for marquee produce. ‘Information travels at the speed of light’ in the Instagram era, she said. The next big thing gets a lot more exposure, and faces a lot more competition,” said the article.

Stabiner discusses the synergy between farmers and chefs with exclusive new vegetables, both on the small scale and larger scale, touching on items like kohlrabi, broccolini, escarole, and tropical root yacon.

Stabiner explains that national distributors like Frieda’s often take a more strategic approach to trend-building, requiring a product to have “volume and a decent shelf life.”

“For example, yacon was brought to our attention a few years ago,” added Caplan. “But the volume was limited and shelf life was just not viable for retail.”

Other trending items mentioned in the article include jackfruit and Frieda’s exclusive Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes—both with good shelf life, great volume, and stable supply to be available anywhere and almost year-round.

Watch Karen talks about how produce trends:

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GoVqiE2ekRc]

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

I don’t know about you, but I feel like everyone is throwing around the word “disruption”—it’s the newest buzzword. If you want to get someone’s attention in an interview, mention “disruption” and/or “innovation,” and you’ll definitely get it.

People use the words as if they are interchangeable, meaning the same thing. But they really don’t. They are related in that they are about change, the perception of change, and being open-minded.

What’s an example of “disruption?”

To me, the ones that we can all relate to are the iPad and iPhone, introduced by Apple. When they first came out, they revolutionized the mobile tablet and smartphone industries. I remember when my co-worker Todd was telling me that on his new iPhone he could use his fingers to enlarge an image. I recall thinking, “Why would you need to do that? Who would use that function?” Of course, now I use it all the time, especially with photos.

“Innovation” on the other hand is usually referring to something more incremental. For example, with each iteration of the iPhone, the camera quality has gotten better, you can self-edit, colorize, and etc., right on your iPhone. I would characterize that as innovation versus disruption.

But the real issue at hand is that every single industry is facing a constant stream of innovation. Of interruptions. And of disruptions. As a business owner, I can tell you that it’s kind of hard to keep up.

I know that in my own company, I am attempting to look into the future to provide tools and processes for my teams to help me explore what changes we need to make inside the company, and at what pace. I’ve always believed in the “Ready. Aim. Fire.” approach, as compared to “Ready. Fire. Aim.”

Here is some food for thought:

Speaking of iPhones and disruptive change, a few years ago, I read the biography “Steve Jobs” by Walter Isaacson. Although it is well over 500 pages, I found so much inspiration and information while reading that book that I could not put it down. Steve Jobs was so creative and an out-of-the-box thinker. And of course his management style was well-publicized.

A few weeks ago, I heard a speaker do a presentation on “The Lost Interview of Steve Jobs,” which was done in 1995 by Robert X. Cringely for the PBS documentary “Revenge of the Nerds.” Only 10 minutes of the 70-minute interview were used in the film. The original tapes were actually lost in shipping. It was not until 2011 after Jobs died, that the film’s director, Paul Sen, found an old VHS copy of the original unedited interview—in his garage.

I had the opportunity to view a few clips of the interview. Remember that in 1995 the internet was just beginning to be a household word. (I remember that, when my company launched our website in 1996, we were one of the very first in our industry to do so.) I highly recommend watching “The Lost Interview” (you can get it here). It’s a great place to get inspiration for your new innovative idea. You will see a completely different side of Jobs and hear him describe what has now become the omnipresent Amazon, iTunes, and other disruptors.

So back to the phrase, “disruption versus innovation.” I recommend you don’t use those words lightly.

And don’t forget, incremental innovation is oftentimes the most prevalent form of progress.

Karen

Image from Leyla Acaroglu’s “Disruptive Design” e-book

The Caplan women discuss past, present, and future of the company

Los Alamitos, CA (July 2017) – The Philadelphia-based national publication Family Business Magazine featured Frieda’s Specialty Produce in its July/August cover story, highlighting the company’s trailblazing history and continued success.

In “A Fruitful Female Partnership at Frieda’s,” author Hedda T. Schupak writes about Frieda’s family dynamics, work-life balance, current vision, and future plans for the specialty produce company co-owned by president and CEO Karen Caplan and vice-president and COO Jackie Caplan Wiggins.

“Sisters Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins have grown Frieda’s, the pioneering specialty produce wholesaler, since taking over from Frieda Caplan, their mother. Now that Karen’s daughter Alex [Jackson Berkley] has joined the business, they’re beginning to contemplate the next transition,” wrote Schupak in the introduction to her exclusive interview with the Caplan women.

“We’re in discussion now on succession planning…what our options are for leadership of the company,” said Karen per the article.

As a senior account manager, Berkley talked about her current position and working toward taking the over the reins in the future. “I’m on the path and would be good at it,” she told Schupak. But for right now, “I’m trying to grow the business and push our numbers forward and to be a good leader, family member, and employee.”

The current issue of Family Business is available via paid subscription, or pay-per-issue. Past issues are available for free.

The Philadelphia-based Family Business Magazine is the preeminent magazine and digital media publisher dedicated to multi-generational family companies, providing the latest news, trends and in-depth interviews, how-to articles and handbooks with more than 7,500 active paid circulation and 10,000 e-newsletter subscribers.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

I am a second generation Angelena, born and raised in Southern California. Even though I have lived here all my life, I discovered a part of L.A. that I never knew was there.

And that is the amazing Metro rapid transit system, based out of Union Station, in downtown L.A. (or, as it is now referred to, “DTLA”).

Even though the most frequent complaint about Southern California is our lack of a rapid transit system, you can see from this diagram that we apparently do have an amazing system. In fact, LA Metro is the third most comprehensive system in the country.

I was intrigued when I received an invitation to attend a Metro Art Tour this past Saturday. Apparently, in addition to six Metro rail lines and almost 100 separate stations, some real artistic treasures are contained inside the actual Metro stations.

So, off I went on Saturday morning to meet a small group at Union Station. For some historical context, the L.A. Union Station was built in 1939 and is the largest railroad passenger terminal in the western United States. It is widely regarded as “the last of the great train stations.” The station’s combination of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture, Mission Revival, and Streamline Moderne styles makes it one of L.A.’s architectural gems. It has appeared in many films.

“City of Dreams, River of History” mural by Richard Wyatt, 1995, at Union Station

I’ve been to Union Station many times, mostly for events. But as a passenger, I was impressed with how clean the station is, and at 11 a.m. on a Saturday, just how many Angelenos use it. You can learn about the many well-known artists and the artwork they provided to the station here. If you’re an art student or art lover, you would have a field day walking through the station.

So, our group jumped on the Red Line and headed to Hollywood. After a 15-minutes ride, we got off at Hollywood/Vine (probably the most famous intersection for visitors to Hollywood). As we took the escalators up, we found ourselves staring at the famous Pantages Theatre and an impressive section of sidewalk filled with “Stars.” But it was actually the inside of the station that got my attention.

View of Pantages Theatre from Hollywood/Vine Metro

The walls contained tiles that made it look like a Hollywood stage with big, thick curtains. The large poles were decorated in tiles that made them look like palm trees. The ceilings were covered completely with empty film reels! They even had two movie cameras from another era on display! And of course some of the floor tiles were yellow (reminiscent of the Yellow Brick Road); on the walls were hand-painted tiles of characters from The Wizard of Oz.”

Interior of Hollywood/Vine Metro Station Good Witch Glinda tile at Hollywood/Vine Metro

At the Vermont and Sunset Station, which is near many major hospitals and the famed Hollywood sign, the décor was enhanced with floor tiles highlighting medical and scientific symbols, and one wall showcased a particular astrological constellation.

“Ecliptic/Illume” installation by Michael Davis at Vermont/Sunset Metro Station

Although our tour was only of those two stations, our guide gave us a brochure that showcases all of the Metro stops. I am already planning to find an excuse to ride the Metro to get from Long Beach to DTLA to Santa Monica sometime soon.

If you happen to find yourself coming to Southern California, Metro Rail Tours are offered on the first Saturday, Sunday, and Thursday of each month.

While you’re parked at Union Station, I recommend that you walk across to Olvera Street, part of the historic district of El Pueblo de Los Angeles. The popular area has many mercados, restaurants, street vendors, and some of the most delicious and authentic Mexican food around.

Now I – and you – know how to bypass most of the traffic in L.A.! Take the Metro and catch an Uber, Lyft, or taxi to your destination.

Karen

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Shoppers’ favorite table grapes are in steady volume through August

Los Alamitos, CA (July 2017) – California-grown champagne grapes have arrived and are in good supply from Frieda’s Specialty Produce in Frieda’s-branded 16/1 lb. clamshell. Book now to keep your summer sales fizzy!

“With summer entertaining in full swing, champagne grapes create excitement in grape merchandising as their small, snack-able size is perfect for charcuterie and cheese platters,” said Alex Jackson Berkley of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “Merchandise two facings in the grape case or cross-merchandise with cheeses, wine, and champagne.”

“The weather got warmer earlier than anticipated, so the fruit will be ready to ship in volume this week,” added Berkley.

Frieda’s also offers seasonal California-grown specialty grape varieties such as Yellow Sweetie (16/1 lb.) and Thomcord (10/1 lb.), along with many other summer top-selling tropical fruits such as lychee, rambutan, cherimoya, and dragon fruit.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

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This week, I traveled to Portland, Oregon, because a friend of mine from the East Coast visits Portland each summer to teach a food industry business class at Portland State University. The added benefit to him is he gets to hang out in a super cool area for a couple of months. I usually only get to see him at industry events. Because it’s just a two-hour plane flight, a few weeks ago I proposed that I go up there to have dinner with him and his wife. He suggested I join him as a guest at his business class. So, it was a two-fer.

I didn’t really have any expectations of Portland, especially since I was going to be there for about 24 hours. Was I ever unexpectedly delighted!

The first thing I noticed were the greeters at the airport. These lovely people stood in the corridor as you transitioned between the arrival gates and moved toward the baggage claim. They were saying, “Welcome to Portland!” Obviously if you had a question, you could ask them. I then noticed signage as I exited the terminal: “Portland is rated Best Airport in the USA” since 2013.

As I arrived downtown at my hotel, I felt a little less stressed than usual. Everyone I had encountered seemed so pleasant and happy. And that experience continued throughout my stay.

It was a gorgeous, warm evening, so we dined outside in the courtyard of my hotel. And the next morning, as I drove around the city visiting a few grocery stores (of course I visited grocery stores!), and headed back to the airport, I found myself feeling “chilled out.”

I don’t watch much TV, so I have never seen “Portlandia,” but I am aware that Portland is a mecca of great food places, microbreweries, and lots of amazing wineries. I’ve always heard that Portland is a special place, but I didn’t expect to experience something so special during a 24-hour visit. I noticed a slower pace than L.A. and other cities. Lots of trees and greenery, and many small businesses.

Photo Credit: Flickr/David Wilson

I guess Portland just left me with a happy feeling.

What if every place you traveled to was welcoming and made you feel special…and ultimately happier?

And in the business world, what if the sole purpose of the company you worked for were to make its employees and customers happy? What would have to change? How would you have to change?

My experience in Portland actually reminded me of a recent book I read: “Delivering Happinessby Tony Hsieh of Zappos.com. (Read about my recent visit to its headquarters here.) At the end of the book, Tony writes, “Even though this book will serve as a handbook for future Zappos employees…I wanted to write this book for a different reason: to contribute to a happiness movement to help make the world a better place.”

It’s interesting how your attitude and expectations can affect your experience, whether traveling or working.

Karen

“My hope is that through his book, established businesses will look to change the way they are doing things, and entrepreneurs will be inspired to start new companies with happiness at the core of their business models…and more and more companies will start to apply some of the findings coming out of the research in the science of happiness field to make their business better and their customers and employees happier.” – Tony Hsieh, Zappos.com

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Get summer sales sizzling with Frieda’s new 2-lb. Hatch chile pouch and a successful Hatch Chile Program

Los Alamitos, CA (June 2017) – Hatch chiles from New Mexico return in August and Frieda’s Specialty Produce is ready to turn up the heat with a new 8/2-lb. retail pouch.

“These pouches help retailers reduce shrink and increase sell-through at the register,” said Alex Jackson Berkley of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “With Hatch Chiles looking identical to Anaheim chiles, this bag will help retail buyers accurately track sales, and cashiers to accurately ring up product. Plus, the package educates shoppers on how to roast the chiles for ultimate flavor.”

Exclusively grown in the Mesilla Valley near the town of Hatch, New Mexico, and available fresh once a year, Hatch chiles are sought after by chile pepper fans everywhere for their zesty, bold flavor, especially when roasted over an open flame. Many retailers also host in-store chile-roasting events to build excitement and provide shoppers with an authentic New Mexico Hatch chile festival experience.

“August is the only time of year when Hatch chiles are available fresh for roasting, and serious Hatch chile fans go crazy for them,” said Berkley. “Frieda’s has organized in-store roasting events since 2011, and retailers see the Hatch chile halo effect through sales across all departments. Shoppers who buy fresh or roasted Hatch chiles will also pick up cheese, chips, and beer to enjoy with their chiles.”

“This is the perfect time to start planning for your Hatch program to increase summer sales,” said Berkley.

Weather is always a factor when it comes to Hatch chile supply.

“Our team just visited our partner growers in New Mexico last week and we learned that, while the recent heat wave affected the early crop, we are still on track for the August start,” said Allen DeMo, Director of Procurement and Sourcing at Frieda’s.

“The Hatch chile supply is looking good for the season,” he added.

Call Frieda’s team today to pre-book the ever-popular Hatch chiles, only from New Mexico and only for a limited time!

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

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During a recent Agriculture Issues Center meeting at the University of California, Davis, (I serve on the center’s advisory board) I was fascinated with a short presentation about bees by one of the Davis ag researchers. She and her graduate student gave a short synopsis of their work and then asked for questions.

I couldn’t get my hand up fast enough. I asked what I thought was the most obvious question:

“What about colony collapse disorder? You didn’t talk about the bee shortage.”

Their answer was a bit shocking to me: “There is no shortage of bees.”

What? With all the press over the last 10 years, I really couldn’t believe what they were saying. So, after the meeting, I did some research and spoke to the director of the UC Agricultural Issues Center, Dr. Daniel A. Sumner. A highly respected researcher and spokesperson, Dan has been quoted numerous times in the Wall Street Journal, LA Times, and dozens of other publications.

Dan started by telling me that he continues to work on this issue because the news media (and even some of the scientists) have gotten the broad supply-and-demand story so mixed up. He told me the number of bees has gone up not down in the past 10 years. The cost of pollination has fallen, while demand has gone way up (with more almond acres). Demand up but price down is a sure sign that supply is now much more available than a decade ago.

I also learned that much of the supply of bees is trucked around the country to move from growing area to growing area, as most of the bee population in the U.S. is used to pollinate crops (with almonds being one of the top users). Very few are used for producing honey. During the short presentation, I learned that many bees start out in North Dakota, are trucked to California for almond pollination season, then are moved to other parts of the state and country, depending on the need for bees.

Here is a chart showing the types of crops that use bees for pollination, with the time of year and pricing.

If you’d like to know a lot more about “bee-conomics,” here is a recent article published by Dr. Sumner and the professor who spoke to us, Dr. Hyunok Lee.

So what did I learn from this experience?

Well first of all, I learned that just because something is reported in the news or is on the internet, it does not make it true. We all know that the news media is oftentimes looking for sensational stories that pull at our hearts or make our stomachs turn. I learned the importance of asking questions and doing more investigating.

I was also reminded of how interconnected and resilient agriculture is. The fact that almonds are one of the fastest growing crops in California is no secret. But all I ever heard was how much water it takes to grow almonds (the drought, water shortages, etc., have been hot news topics for years). But who knew that it takes an average of two hives per mature acre of almonds and there are now almost a million acres of mature almonds in California.

It’s good old supply-and-demand economics (which I studied in college). And that’s where the resilience comes in.

With constant talks of drought, water shortages, urban sprawl, Amazon buying Whole Foods, Walmart buying Jet.com, and McDonald’s relevance in the future, I know for sure that our industry is resilient. Farmers will always produce food. They will always find a way to fill the demand and the fact that we now enjoy a global economy just gives us more opportunities and options.

As for the bees, it was good to know that there is no bee shortage. I wonder what else isn’t true that is reported by the press?

Karen

Summer is ripe for dragon fruit promotions

Los Alamitos, CA (June 2017) – This is the perfect time to really drive retail sales for red-fleshed dragon fruit with a lower retail price point. Nothing adds color and excitement like this eye-catching, pink-skinned, magenta-fleshed fruit.

“Summertime is peak season for dragon fruit, and the prices are very reasonable,” said Alex Jackson Berkley of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “Dragon fruit is one of the top-selling and trending tropical fruits, and also resonates with Asian and Hispanic shoppers.

“Build a big, beautiful dragon fruit display with signage about the different varieties, as shoppers may want to try all the colors and flavors. Merchandise other tropical fruits along with the dragon fruit to make the display a truly exotic destination,” said Berkley.

Nicaragua Dragon Fruit

Available from June through November, Nicaragua red dragon fruit has a rounder shape—like a pink softball—with a deep magenta flesh and better flavor than the mild Vietnamese variety. Frieda’s ships Nicaragua fruit from both Miami and Los Alamitos, California, in pallet or truckload volume.

In addition to Nicaragua, Frieda’s supplies dragon fruit from several other growing regions to offer year-round availability on this trending fruit:

Vietnam Dragon Fruit

Available in white and limited red flesh, this top-selling variety boasts a beautiful appearance and is available year-round. (It’s also the only dragon fruit that has to be irradiated.)

Israel Pitaya

Available from July through March, the non-irradiated Israeli crop has multiple colors and appearances, from white flesh, to red flesh, to the popular yellow skinned fruit with white flesh. Some varieties feature curly “leaves,” while others may have a more unique pinecone-type shape.

USA White and Red Dragon Fruits

Similar in appearance to the Vietnam fruit, they’re grown in Florida and California, and available from June to August.

“We always get asked the difference between dragon fruit and pitaya. The names can actually be used interchangeably!” said Berkley. “The key is to have the fruit properly labeled with a PLU—which we do on all the fruit we ship.”

From super-trendy pitaya bowls and smoothies to tropical fruit platters for summer entertaining, red-fleshed dragon fruit is the hottest fruit of the season. Retailers, wholesalers, and foodservice providers interested in growing their tropical fruit program should contact Frieda’s account managers today.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

Last weekend, I attended a cooking class conducted by my favorite longtime local chef, Alan Greeley. Alan is well known in Orange County as the chef-proprietor of The Golden Truffle restaurant in Newport Beach. Earlier this month, he announced that after 37 years, he is closing up shop in August. Turns out he is moving to Sarasota, Florida, to start a new chapter in his life. The local paper did a nice story on Chef Alan and the history of The Golden Truffle. (Alan also helped us develop our favorite recipe for our Stokes Purple Sweet Potato a few years ago.)

The first time I dined at The Golden Truffle, I noticed all the framed photos of Alan with Elton John. I learned that Alan was once invited to make dinner at a local executive’s house. He rented a giant tub, filled it with ice, and created an amazing display of fresh seafood, plus prepared some amazing dishes. Turns out the guest of honor that evening was Sir Elton John, and a lifelong friendship was born. Rumor has it that whenever Elton John is in SoCal, he has Alan deliver some of his famous curried pies, always quite popular with the British.

So, when I received an email that Chef Alan was conducting his last ever Father’s Day Barbecue Cooking Class, I signed up immediately. I got there early, walked straight to the back of the restaurant, and found Alan. After a big hug, all I could say was, “WTF?” (You have to know Alan…the “f” word is one of his favorites. He frequently peppers his conversations with it, so it was quite natural for me to say that.) He let me know that his longtime love, who worked by his side for many years, had moved to Florida, and it just wasn’t as much fun without her. So he’s moving to Florida to be with her.

When the class started, there were about 50 of us there, all longtime restaurant patrons and friends of Alan. We were all poured a lovely glass of Listel Rosé and Alan started talking. He often referenced his favorite barbecue cookbook.

He started the class by explaining the difference between barbecue and grilling. According to Alan (and I took this verbatim from his notes):

Barbecue is a whole day social event. You show up early, light the fire, start drinking, gambling, playing cards, be sure you have a case or two on ice, do more drinking, a little nooky if you can pull it off, take a small nap, shower to wash off the smoke, prep the food, have a fresh drink, and it’s time to eat.

Grilling is a 1-2-3 hour affair. Pour yourself a drink if no one does first (if you invite the right guests, they will pour it for you). Light the grill, add some asparagus, steak, fish, etc. No clean up, no hassle. Eat.

As you can tell, Alan is a lot of fun and has a great sense of humor.

I also learned a lot of helpful hints from him during the hour he spoke to us:

■ He said not to barbecue in linen or cotton clothes because you will never get the smoky smell out of them.

■ The best barbecue is a Weber because you can control the air flow. He said it’s all about air flow (with a Weber, you don’t have air leaks). He said the Big Green Egg is a Weber on steroids.

■ He told us that the reason you need to allow a whole day (and lots of alcohol) when you barbecue is that the key is not to rush it. It takes time. He laughed while recounting some of his friends calling him during a barbecue and complaining to Alan that “the food wasn’t done yet. It didn’t cook fast enough.” Alan says you cannot rush barbecue. It’s all about heat, smoke, and going slow.

■ He talked a bit about cold smoking (Scandinavian style), and how to brine meat or poultry. I learned that while adding salt to veggies (like eggplant) will leach out the liquid, when you brine meat, it actually causes it to absorb liquid, thus making it more tender.

He did tell a few barbecue jokes; here’s the only one that was G-rated:

The definition of Tennessee BBQ: Chase a pig up a hickory tree. Light the tree on fire. Have dinner.

After an hour of sharing his secrets to great barbecue and giving us a behind-the-scenes tour of his custom-built smoker (outside behind the restaurant), we all sat down for a lovely lunch of brisket, pulled pork, barbecued potato salad, smoked salmon, cherry tomatoes with dill, and peach melba for dessert. And lots of Listel Rosé.

I know I have about six more weeks before the restaurant closes and Alan drives across the country. So I’m sure I will be back a few more times to share a glass of wine with him and let him decide what I will have to eat. It was at my first meal at The Golden Truffle over 15 years ago that I experienced not ordering off a menu, letting the chef decide what was best.

If you find yourself in Orange County soon, I highly recommend a meal at The Golden Truffle. Bon appetit!

Karen

Chef Alan Greeley and me

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McCormick’s Flavor Forecast 2017 points to the produce department

Los Alamitos, CA (June 2017) – From perfect-for-grilling baby potatoes to specialty peppers and fresh Asian flavors, the produce department is where it’s at for summer grilling essentials.

The recent McCormick & Co.’s Flavor Forecast 2017 “5 Hot Ideas for Summer” includes grilled potatoes, Korean barbecue flavors, and fruity, sticky sweet, and spicy glazes.

“These grilling trends resonate with shoppers seeking new food experiences for summer grilling, and they can go to the produce department for it,” said Alex Jackson Berkley of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “Merchandise specialty produce alongside conventional ones to inspire shoppers. Retailers can get creative with in-store displays and signage, suggesting new ways to use produce for summer grilling.”

Here are some merchandising suggestions to complement each grilling trend:

Bring on the heat

Complete your pepper display with a wide range of heat level from mild mini sweet peppers to grilling favorites like poblano and serrano, all the way to the super-hots like ghost, Trinidad Scorpion, and Carolina Reaper.

Grilling potatoes

Display fingerling and assorted baby potatoes like Frieda’s Star Spangled Spuds with russets and Okinawan sweet potatoes with orange sweet potatoes.

Korean barbecue flavor center

Add daikon, napa cabbage, and Shanghai bok choy to your Asian vegetable display and make sure to have kimchi in the refrigerated case.

Frieda’s also suggests adding these grilling favorites: shishito peppers, jicama, radish varieties, baby pineapples, summer squashes, mini graffiti eggplants, baby Japanese eggplants, and pearl, boiler, and cipolline onions.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zYCn4Wix6dw]

Our president and CEO Karen and our company were featured on Intel’s #SheOwnsIt series which spotlights women small business owners and their journey of success.

“It is an absolute requirement to be fearless when you run a business. Sometimes you’re going in a direction no one else has been before. And the leader has to be leading the charge.”

And we’d follow her anywhere.

Like many, I had developed a regular workout routine, which involved going to my local gym, open seven days a week. With that came a regular annual or monthly fee.

The gym also offered classes (which I admit I tried on occasion), including cycling, Zumba, yoga, aerobics, etc. It also has a large variety of weight machines, free weights, racquetball courts, a steam room, etc.

And that worked great for me for many years.

Except when it stopped having an appeal for me. I started to dislike the stinky smell, the old equipment, the marginally motivated people who were in the gym, and honestly, I felt surrounded by staleness. I wanted to try something new―mix it up a bit.

A few years ago, my co-worker Bailey started talking about Orangetheory Fitness, a new workout place she’d found. Classes are one hour long, you wear a heart rate monitor, and your heart rate, along with calories burned, is displayed on multiple computer monitors on the walls. A coach guides you through a combination of high intensity cardio and weight training, while fast paced music plays. It sounded way more fun than trudging into my local gym with that awful smelly sock aroma, surrounded by a mix of other people with mixed agendas for their workout plans.

So I tried it. And, I have to admit, since I’m a pretty social person and am energized by being around younger people, it actually made it more fun for me to work out in this environment. I also found I was getting a much better workout. Plus, everyone there seemed as motivated and energetic as I was.

You may have heard of other exercise options that are now available, such as Peloton, which allows you to have a “private indoor cycling” studio in your home, and connects you to Peloton’s content and user network via Wi-Fi.

Welcome to the new economy and yet another disruptor to an existing business model.

We all know it’s important to have a healthy lifestyle, which includes exercise, healthy eating choices, plenty of rest (I now strive for at least seven and a half hours of sleep a night), and reducing stress.

The great thing is that there are many options available for us to create a customized healthy lifestyle. My healthy eating choices can come from the conventional grocery store or I can subscribe to Blue Apron or Purple Carrot and feel like a gourmet cook.

And I can do my exercise in the comfort of my home with a virtual class (Peloton), or take a walk on the beach or on a hiking trail in the local mountains, or step up the intensity at a local fitness venue like Orangetheory. Or if I choose, I can stay with an older business model and join my local gym.

That’s the great thing about the new economy; there are so many options available to us. For everything we do.

For me, I chose to quit my local, conventional gym and try something new. I attend Orangetheory classes three to four times a week, am trying out a local yoga studio, and take an occasional hike in the mountains. And who knows, in a few months, I may want to change it up again. But the great thing for me is that I have broken out of my rut of the same-old, same-old and feel more inspired and energetic.

You may want to consider quitting your gym too!

Karen

P.S. Here is a photo of two of my favorite coaches from Orangetheory, Kristian and Megan.

For years, I have fantasized about learning to golf. But I never had time. So, whenever I attend a produce conference and there is a golf tournament, I always feel a little regret in that I cannot participate. Golf in business is a great way to spend quality time with others, including customers.

So this year, I decided there are a few things I want to do now that I am an empty nester. On top of that list was to see if I like golf.

I was careful to set my intention to find out if I liked golf vs. deciding to absolutely learn it.

So, a couple of months ago, I was at breakfast with a produce friend and I casually mentioned that this year I wanted to see if I liked golf. He immediately told me that we have a mutual friend, who recently retired from the produce industry and is a great golfer. As a sideline, he is teaching golf! He shared his contact information with me.

Shortly afterward, I was on a business trip and had the opportunity to play nine holes with a few colleagues. Turns out, I can hit the ball (apparently, that is not always normal during your first-ever round). And, as luck would have it, one of my co-workers had a brand-new set of golf clubs his wife had never used, and he gladly gifted them to me.

So, I was set. I had a set of clubs. An instructor. All I had to do was buy a golf glove!

I’m not very far into learning golf: I’ve had a couple of lessons and hit about 500 balls at the driving range.

But my biggest learning thus far is that there are many parallels between golf and work:

Golf Clears Your Head 

Golf is time-consuming. It can take 5 to 6 hours for a full round. While some people complain that golf takes too much time, I see these hours as a time to myself to get away from the daily grind. Sometimes you need to step away from your work to clear your head. That “white space” of not thinking about work helps us be more focused when we return to our desks.

Concentrate on the Game

Just like in business, whether you are in sales, finance, operations, or marketing, when you are working you need to not be distracted by non-business things or it affects your performance. You must leave your personal issues at the door. When you are getting ready to hit the ball, you cannot be thinking about anything else but the game at hand.

Get a Grip

Literally! During my first two lessons, my instructor spent a lot of time reiterating how important it is to correctly grip the club. Not too tight. Hands in the correct position. In business, do we have the right tools and are we using them correctly? Or do we take shortcuts? Do we prepare for meetings in the same disciplined manner each time, or do we rush through (because we’ve done it many times before)?

Find a Coach

I knew when I wanted to learn golf that I needed a good teacher. I interviewed a few people, and price was not the deciding factor. I wanted someone with experience, who was patient and had a track record of coaching other players. All great athletes have a coach. Just because they have won or have a lot of experience, that doesn’t stop them from hiring the best coach possible. It should be the same in business. I recently hired a business coach to help me be a better CEO. Having a coach helps (especially if you are open to brutally honest feedback).

Practice Really Does Make Perfect

I guess this is kind of obvious in golf. Practice, practice, practice! But how many of us practice at work? If we are in sales, is the first time we give a presentation in front of the customer? Or do we practice ahead of time? It doesn’t really make sense to practice on the customer, does it?

As I continue my golf journey, I’ve noticed that I get frustrated with my performance sometimes. And it’s usually because I am not concentrating on my game. Or I was not visualizing what I want to happen. Or I got distracted by something around me.

And I sometimes get frustrated at work. It’s usually because I am not concentrating. Or I am not visualizing what I want to happen. Or I get distracted by something around me.

I’ve decided I do like golf. And the lessons I’ve learned are some that I did not expect.

Karen

Here is me golfing on a recent business trip.

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Last week I was fortunate to spend time in Stockholm, Sweden. I was attending a global conference of women leaders from around the world.

Although it was not possible to meet all 650 women personally (although I did my best), I did have a chance to interact with many of them. Several sessions updated us on Africa, the United Nations, Populism vs. Nationalism, and much more, but the most interesting session for me was on unicorns.

In addition to being a mythical animal, I learned that the term “unicorn business” refers to start-ups with a value of more than US $1 billion. When Cowboy Ventures founder Aileen Lee coined the term as a label for such corporate creatures in a November 2013 TechCrunch blog post, just 39 of the past decade’s venture capitalist-backed U.S. software start-ups had topped the $1 billion valuation mark. Now, Fortune counts more than 80 start-ups that have been valued at $1 billion or more by VCs.

The unicorn session was a panel made up of four CEOs of start-up organizations in Sweden. So the first discussion item was answering the question: Why are there so many tech start-ups in Sweden?

Sweden is second only to the Silicon Valley with innovation per capita (and more unicorn companies per capita) than any place in the world. The panelists talked about a few factors influencing this phenomenon:

It kind of makes you want to move to Sweden, right? Well, one of the downsides to Sweden is its location: there’s a lot of darkness when it’s not summer (in winter, some days only have six hours of light). This might be one cause of Swedes’ high depression rate.

One of the panelists talked about the Swedish Startup Manifesto she had written with a dozen other entrepreneurs, which was quite intriguing.

So, why did I find this panel so interesting? Because I know that the future of business, of invention, of innovation—or survival—will be due to new thinking. Twenty-five years ago, who would have thought that today’s innovation in the automobile industry would be driverless or electric cars? Or the impact on adjacent industries? Driverless cars will have a significant impact on the auto insurance business; electric cars will affect the oil industry and the power concentrated in OPEC.

In my business, most retailers (who currently control about 50 percent of all food purchases) probably thought the future of food would be to build better, bigger (or smaller) supermarkets. And build more of them.

Enter Amazon. Blue Apron. Farmers markets. Grubhub. Soylent.

Think about it. What are you doing to explore what the future holds? Maybe a trip to Sweden is in your future.

Karen

P.S. Here are some examples of a few of the amazing women who attended the conference in Stockholm:

Frieda’s Specialty Produce offers shoppers’ favorite tropical fruits in easy-to-merchandise, protective clamshells

Los Alamitos, CA (May 2017) – The popular lychee and rambutan are back in season with lychees beginning now and rambutan in late May. Frieda’s Specialty Produce offers this dynamic duo in bulk or in protective clamshells to help with merchandising, reducing shrink, and attracting shoppers.

“Despite their weird looks, both lychees and rambutan are quite delicate. Our clamshells help protect the fruits, extending the shelf life, and make them really easy to merchandise,” said Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “Shoppers often confuse the lychee and the rambutan—they’re both red tropical fruits of roughly the same size and similar texture. Our clamshells with bright, colorful labels reduce the confusion.

“Sampling of these often-confused tropical fruits may also help increase basket rings,” said Caplan. “And they’re really easy to sample—just peel and enjoy!”

The renowned lychee has rough, bumpy skin, while the rambutan has thicker skin covered in soft, hair-like spikes. Both fruits have juicy, grape-like flesh with one large inedible seed, but the flavors are completely different. Lychees are fragrant with a strong, sweet-tart flavor. Rambutan are more subtle with their sweetness.

Frieda’s “Luscious Lychees” from Mexico are available now in 10-lb. bulk and 12/12 oz. clamshells. “Rockin’ Rambutan” from Guatemala are set to start late May, and will be available in 5-lb. bulk and 14/12 oz. clamshells. Rambutan are also available from Vietnam and Mexico.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

One of the speakers at our daylong business conference in Omaha last week did not talk about corporations or investments. He talked about high performance, stress management, better eating choices, and getting a good night’s sleep.

Actually, when Andrew Herr got up in front of the room, I thought he resembled Christopher Reeve, aka Superman and Clark Kent.

Little did I know that the results of his research about high performance and stress management could indeed allow people to increase their personal performance to a Superman-like level. You can read about his work in Wired magazine and Ivy Magazine. As you’ll see, he’s a pretty remarkable guy—especially since he is only 33!

But what piqued my interest most was his discussion of the blue light effect on our ability to get a good night’s sleep. Andrew said it’s the blue light from the sky (after the sun comes up), which actually causes us to know it’s time to wake up. So when the sun goes down, it is only natural (with the absence of blue light) that we start to think about going to sleep. But since the advent of smart phones and our tendency to check them almost continuously, they may cause difficulty in falling asleep and having a restful night’s sleep.

Enter: Orange-tinted glasses.

 

Andrew told our group that these $10 plastic glasses, if worn for a period of time before going to bed, actually block out the blue light (from regular light bulbs in our houses and from our smart phones and computer screens), thus signaling to our brains that it’s time to wind down.

The way he explained it to me was:

“Blue light, which comes from our overhead lights, phones, TVs, etc., tells our body to stay awake. We have special receptors in our eyes that our body uses to tune our circadian rhythm, our day/night clock, and blue light activates these to prevent melatonin production.

“Melatonin is a natural hormone that tells our brain it’s time to go to sleep. It may also have other benefits as an anti-inflammatory compound. So, when you wear the orange glasses, it blocks the blue light. Then your body starts producing melatonin naturally, and you fall asleep more easily and sleep better. Because we start to get drowsy naturally from the melatonin, hopefully this also prevents us from playing on our phones too long and keeping our brains alert and expectant too late, which also can disrupt sleep. So, overall, wearing the orange glasses for 90 minutes (at least 60, or you can wear them for a couple hours also) before you go to sleep should make falling asleep easier and the sleep more restful.”

I did a little research online when I got home and found an article in Popular Science magazine sharing the experiment done by a neuroscientist. I found it fascinating.

So, if you’re one of those people who has a hard time falling asleep at night or you wake up in the morning not feeling very rested, you may want to order a pair of these orange-tinted glasses and try them for yourself. (I found a wide range of orange-tinted glasses on Amazon. Search for “blue blocking glasses.”)

Andrew was kind enough to give me a pair before we left Omaha, and I have been wearing them every night since I got home. Funny thing, I have been waking up before my alarm goes off, feeling very rested each day. Not sure if it’s the effects of the glasses or that my body is so happy to be home, sleeping in my own bed.

If you try them out, be sure to let me know how they work for you!

Karen

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I spent last weekend in Omaha, Nebraska. That is, of course, the home of Berkshire Hathaway, the company that Warren Buffett (and Charlie Munger) are famous for. I am not a shareholder, but was fortunate to be invited to attend its annual shareholders’ meeting, always held in early May.

Advice I often give is: “Ask for what you want.” Well, while attending an agribusiness seminar a few months ago, I overheard a friend of mine talking about attending the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting last year. He mentioned that he was invited to attend by our mutual friend, Ejnar (pronounced eye-nar).

That sounded like something really interesting to do. So, at dinner that evening, I arranged to be seated next to Ejnar. And I asked for what I wanted. I half-jokingly said, “I’d like to come to Omaha.” And he, in all seriousness, said, “You are invited! And bring your daughter Alex.” Ejnar owns a private investment firm, and each year invites about 100 business colleagues to Omaha for a day of business presentations and the following day, they all attend the Berkshire Hathaway shareholders’ meeting. He encourages people to bring their children, so they can start to learn, at an early age, about investing and business.

So last weekend, Alex and I flew to Omaha and spent the first day with 100 total strangers from the dairy, grain, and indoor farming industries, plus many financial advisors and investors and more. Two people traveled all the way from Oman (in the Middle East), just to join this meeting. And several attendees came from Europe and Australia, too.

On Saturday morning, we were all up at 6, so we could be at the Century Link Arena when the doors opened at 7. We lined up, along with 40,000 shareholders. It was kind of crazy! We were lucky to get seats in the stadium. You can see from this photo that we’re in the “nosebleed” seats.

What is so unique about this annual meeting is that Warren Buffett, age 86 (on the left), and Charlie Munger, age 93, sit on the stage and answer questions from the audience from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (with an hour break for lunch). They do not know the questions in advance and the questions are from regular folks.

(In case you’re wondering, the box of See’s Candies’ peanut brittle is on the table for two reasons: They own See’s Candies and it is Charlie Munger’s favorite, so he munches on it during the entire meeting.)

You can read the transcript of the annual Berkshire Hathaway (B-H) meeting, but these were some of the high points for me:

  1. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of young people (under 20) were in the audience. I met a 24-year-old who attended his first B-H meeting when he was 10! It made me realize that it is never too early to start talking about financial investment decisions and business with your children. And when one of the young folks asked Warren and Charlie a question, they were treated with the same seriousness as those asked by older adults.
  2. Warren admitted that he is not a tech guy and that he really missed out on many tech stocks, like Amazon. B-H only invests in companies and industries that they understand. It was pretty amazing to hear their honest and authentic answers about their misses. (I don’t think Warren missed much, as his net worth, over $73 billion, is more than Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg’s).
  3. They talked about how important culture is in a business they invest in. That’s why they spend so much time studying businesses before they buy an interest. I’ve heard they may only make one new investment a year.
  4. They have a lot of cash on hand (over $90 billion right now). That tells me they are patient, thorough, and in no rush to invest if they don’t feel ready. How many of us could learn from that?
  5. When talking about their investment strategy, Charlie said, “Remember, the first rule of fishing is to fish where the fish are. The second rule of fishing is to never forget the first rule.”
  6. Berkshire Hathaway never misses an opportunity to promote the companies it owns. In the lower level of the arena, a giant trade show displayed products from many B-H companies. You could buy See’s candy (which I did), Fruit of the Loom underwear (with B-H logos), and stickers from Oriental Trading Company, plus get SWAG from Coca-Cola (B-H owns 9.4 percent of the Coca Cola Company, or 400,000,000 shares). No opportunity was missed to highlight their holdings.

Overall, it was a mind-expanding weekend and I hope to be invited back next year. Shares of Berkshire Hathaway stock are $245,000 per share (they have never done a stock split). I was happy to know they have Class B (non-voting) stock that goes for about $160 per share. I think that’s the only way I’m ever going to be a shareholder.

Here I am at the Coca-Cola booth with “Warren Buffett.”

Karen

P.S. Here are the 9 best Warren Buffett quotes from the Berkshire Hathaway annual meeting, from Fortune.

Shoppers are looking for something new to grill this season, including tropical fruits, specialty citrus, and fresh spices

Los Alamitos, CA (May 2017) – According to an April 2017 report by the Institute of Food Technologists, three-quarters of U.S. homes own a grill and millennials are by far the most likely to grill. From grilled salads to vegetable-centric main courses to charred fruit sangria, millennials are looking to the produce aisle for something new to serve in the summer.

“According to a 2015 Mintel survey, millennials want meals to be social, healthy, and delicious. And grilling satisfies all of that,” said Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “It’s all of their favorite activities rolled into one—healthy cooking, experimenting with food, and sharing the experience in real life as well as online.”

It’s not just millennials, either. The Mintel survey also said that more Americans are pairing grilled meats with grilled fruits and vegetables more than stove-top or oven-baked side dishes like baked beans or potatoes.

“Grilled vegetables are becoming the norm, but grilled fruits, especially citrus, are trending with millennials and gaining popularity,” said Caplan. “Create signage to encourage shoppers to try grilling citrus and other tropical fruits.”

To help shoppers grill something extraordinary, Frieda’s recommends tropical fruits such as dragon fruit, cape gooseberries, and rambutan, and specialty citrus, such as pink and seedless lemons, and Cara Cara and blood oranges. Exotic aromatics like turmeric, ginger, and lemongrass are also used for marinades and glazes.

Contact Frieda’s account managers today to get started on the perfect summer grilling product mix for your produce department, such as summer grilling favorites like Shanghai bok choy, baby pineapples, watermelon radishes, and pepper varieties from shishito and mini sweet to serrano and habanero.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

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I’m a foodie! (Gee, no surprise there.) My exposure to innovative chefs has been mostly from dining at restaurants, watching them on TV (think “Chopped,” “Top Chef,” etc.), and seeing them at food events. So I was excited to learn about two different approaches to getting that awesome chef-food experience.

The first came to me in an unusual way. I was interviewing Darlene, a potential employee, whom we have since hired. As I was reviewing her resume, I noticed she spent most of the last year working for Outstanding in the Field. So I asked her about that.

Darlene told me that Jim Denevan and his food-loving group of friends started out at a vegetable farm near Santa Cruz, California, offering a dinner made with only local ingredients. That was in 1999.

In the last 18 years, Jim’s company and his farm-to-table dinners—always held right on a farm—have expanded so they are now held across North America, and even in France, Argentina, and Japan. Outstanding in the Field puts on 87 events each year and every single farm dinner is sold out in advance!

So get this: Once spring starts (and vegetables and fruits are ready for harvest), Jim’s team of cooks, servers, and foodies loads up a bus, trucks, and vans with people and props, and starts the journey across America. At each stop, publicized on Instagram, Twitter, and Outstanding’s website, the crew arrives at a field. Some of the crew then set up a long table and chairs for all the guests. In the field. Everyone else is cooking, oftentimes working directly with the farmers and local chefs until the guests arrive.

Each meal is based completely on locally sourced ingredients. That means the menu changes every time. Everyone in the crew of a couple dozen people does multiple jobs (whatever it takes), from prepping food and serving to answering questions about the food and menu. And they do this over and over, across the country, every few days, for months at a time.

After almost two decades, it’s exciting to know that Jim still has passion for celebrating the people whose hard work brings good food to the table, aka, all the people that are “Outstanding in the Field.”

I was fascinated with this model of true word of mouth (WOM) marketing. I cannot wait until I can coordinate my schedule to attend a dinner later this year.

The second innovative chef experience brings chefs to your home. This enterprise, MiumMium (French Canadian for “yum”), was started by a professional chef and entrepreneur, Chloe St-Cyr.

Her foodie-rewarding version of Uber connects potential customers with professional, and sometimes “damn good” amateur, chefs. The mobile culinarians go right into gourmands’ homes with all the food they need to prepare memorable dining experiences. And not just in the U.S. There are more than 11,000 chefs from around the world registered with MiumMium.

The way it works is kind of like other shared economy enterprises, one of the best being Airbnb. In an interview with Specialty Food Magazine, St-Cyr said that Uber and Airbnb are “monetizing an unused asset…there are millions of chefs around the world, why not create a platform where they can market their skills and earn some extra cash?”

So, chefs advertise their menus at prices they set on Chloe’s digital platform and MiumMium promotes the chefs’ work on the website. Consumers browse to select a location, menu, and chef that they want. And the food is expertly prepared by the chef in their home.

Can you imagine? If you want to have a few friends over for a chef-quality gourmet dinner, but don’t want to slave away in the kitchen all day, all you have to do is go on the website, find the chef you want, the menu you like, and pre-pay with your credit card. Then the chef shows up at your home at the appropriate time and prepares an amazing meal!

Last year meals cost about $48 per person, on average, including everything but the tip.

All I can say is, if you are a foodie or a wannabe foodie, many options are available for the food experience you’ve dreamed of. Uber meets Airbnb meets farmers market meets chef-prepared dinner. I’m already planning my next food experience. What about you?

Karen

This week I joined 250 other women in the produce business for an annual conference in Miami, Florida. Like many industries, fresh produce has long been male-dominated. As a matter of fact, my mother, Frieda, was regarded as the first woman business owner in produce when she started our company back in 1962.

Women’s Fresh Perspectives was started by our industry association as a way to reach out, encourage, train, and mentor the many women who have joined our industry. This was the conference’s 5th annual meeting. I found it exciting that for about 50 percent of the women there, it was their first time attending.

We had many speakers and breakout sessions over the three-day conference. One stood out for me—Mel Robbins, a CNN commentator.

She walked onto the stage with her white, paper Starbucks cup in hand. She wore big, black, blocky eyeglasses. She spoke in a deep, matter-of-fact voice.

Mel warmed us up with this line: “First things first: I got my skirt at Anthropologie, and you can order my glittery Converse tennis shoes online.” If you’re not a woman, this probably doesn’t make sense to you. But most women, when they see another woman wearing something attractive or cute, will ask, “Where did you get that?” So, basically, Mel had us at hello.

She then told us about some crappy times she and her husband had in their professional careers back in 2011. Basically, they both lost their jobs at the same time. Unfortunately for Mel, she was on television and her firing was public.

So, not a surprise, she started to drink, got depressed, and every day was pretty much a pity party for herself. Her husband also got fired and decided to start the pizza restaurant he’d always wanted. With three kids, it was definitely a challenging time.

Her presentation to us was about how she discovered the way to jump-start her life and basically get off her ass. When she discovered the Five-Second Rule and started applying it and seeing the results, she started telling people about it. She was encouraged to give a TEDx talk about it. And in fact, at the end of this post is her 18-minute talk, “How to Stop Screwing Yourself Over,” which has become one of the most globally praised TEDx talks ever.

So here’s the definition of the Five-Second Rule:

If you have an impulse to act on a goal, you must physically move within five seconds or your brain will kill the idea.

For example, if you have a goal of gaining more respect in the workplace, you have to raise your hand the next time you’re in a meeting and you have a great idea. If you have a goal of losing weight, you can take action right now by researching healthy meal options and setting daily reminders on your phone that will prompt you to go to the gym.

Whatever your goals are, show the world, and yourself, that you’re serious by taking action, RIGHT NOW, however insignificant that action may seem. Because when you physically move, your brain starts to build new habits. When you do something you’re not used to doing, you are in the act of building new habits and erasing existing ones.

And that’s the Five-Second Rule. Mel told us that when we have an idea and hesitate, our idea will never happen. But if instead, when we have an idea, we count out loud or in our head, “5-4-3-2-1-GO,” and actually move, our chance for success is amplified. She calls it “activation energy.” (You can read more about how this works on her website.)

I know it sounds simplistic that saying, “5-4-3-2-1-GO,” to yourself will change things. But I have found myself thinking a lot about it the last two days. For example, I wanted to speak up during a conference session and I hesitated. Afterward, I regretted not participating and sharing my comments. If I had used Mel’s insights to take action, I might have gotten even more out of the conference. And I know I am not alone. I sat next to a Walmart executive during Mel’s talk; she basically told me she did the same thing. She didn’t speak up. And she wished she had.

So, think about it. What is it you want to accomplish? Do you know exactly what you want to do? Do you know exactly where you need to start? Is it the momentum to move forward NOW that is preventing you? Well, use that Five-Second Rule and see how that works.

5-4-3-2-1-GO!

Karen

[youtube=https://youtu.be/Lp7E973zozc]

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Produce organizations and professionals join Frieda’s Specialty Produce in honoring supermarket produce staff on social media

Los Alamitos, CA (April 2017) – Produce organizations and professionals joined Frieda’s Specialty Produce in celebrating Love Your Produce Manager® Day on April 2 online and in stores by using hashtag #LYPM on social media to salute the hardworking men and women in supermarket produce departments.

“ShopRite retail dietitians work closely with our produce staff, and we’re happy that we get to show our appreciation on Love Your Produce Manager Day,” said Ashley Cully, MS, RD, retail dietitian manager at ShopRite of Marlton, New Jersey, whose store acknowledged the day on social media. “Produce managers and their teams provide invaluable services to us by bringing in the freshest fruits and vegetables, creating beautiful displays, and helping us guide our customers on their healthy eating and wellness journeys.”

Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s, said, “We’re ecstatic about all the produce professionals engaging with Love Your Produce Manager Day this year. Retail dietitians and produce staff themselves are involved in the celebration, not just the organizations. And that shows the awesome culture and passion of those people, companies, and our industry as a whole.”

Love Your Produce Manager Day participants included:

• AGF.nl (Netherlands and Belgium produce publication)
• And Now U Know
• Arctic Apples
• Brookshire Brothers
• Cal Organic Farms
• Corrigan Mist
• FMI
• Fresh Plaza
• Grimmway Farms
• Grocery Headquarters
• Harris Teeter
• HEB Careers
• Westlakes Hy-Vee
• Lexington Co-Operative Market
• Lunds & Byerlys Woodbury
• Marsh Grocery
• National Mango Board
• Onion Business Magazine
• Perishable News
• Piece of Cake Wellness (Cierra Robbins, RD)
• Produce Marketing Association
• Produce Retailer
• Progressive Grocer
• Quebec Produce Marketing Association
• Russ Davis Wholesale
• ShopRite of Lincoln Park
• ShopRite of Marlton
• ShopRite of West Chester
• ShopRite of Whitman Plaza
• SmartBrief
• Sunripe Produce
• United Supermarkets
• Vince & Joe’s Gourmet Market
• Vermont Hydroponic

In honor of Love Your Produce Manager Day, Frieda’s made a donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, a member of the Feeding America national network, on behalf of the above produce organizations and professionals who recognized their produce managers.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

I’ve noticed that many universities and colleges have found an interesting way to expand their community outreach and donor base. They host CEO summits, speaker series, and economic forecast events to appeal to local business owners and hook them on supporting educational institutions.

Earlier this week, I attended a speaker luncheon at one of California’s finest public colleges: Cal Poly Pomona. (Full disclosure: I am a member of the dean’s advisory committee.) As one of two California Polytechnic Universities—the other is located in San Luis Obispo—it is known for “Learn by Doing.” In contrast to most public schools, which teach primarily from theory or research-based curriculums, at Cal Poly, the real world application, internships in the student’s field of study, and on-campus labs and off-campus experiences dominate.

In that spirit, the College of Agriculture at Cal Poly Pomona invited the undisputed most successful grower/marketer/entrepreneur in California, and perhaps one of the preeminent grower/marketers in the U.S., to speak: Stewart Resnick. Stewart’s company, The Wonderful Company, owns many well-known brands: Fiji Water, Wonderful Almonds and Pistachios, Halo Tangerines, Pom Wonderful Juice, and Teleflora.

I’ve known Stewart and his wife, Lynda, (who is a brilliant marketer) for many years. But I’ve never heard Stewart speak at an event. So my observations of him and my learnings from his comments were a bit of a surprise to me.

I was struck by how low key and matter of fact he was. He had been on a tour of the campus before the luncheon, so I wasn’t totally surprised that he was in jeans and a plaid shirt (in California, wearing jeans and a plaid shirt is now considered chic and trendy). And he seemed sincerely interested when I introduced him to a large carrot farmer. (Turns out the farmer’s cousin is Stewart’s real estate broker!)

When Stewart got up to speak, he had no notes, took the microphone, and spent about 10 minutes telling how he got into agriculture. He grew up in New Jersey, then went to UCLA for undergraduate studies and law school. To pay his way, he started a janitorial service (yes, he started by scrubbing toilets), which he eventually sold. He parlayed the profits from that to buy the Franklin Mint, then started buying land. Of course, many years later, he and Lynda are now some of the largest landholders in California and are on Fortune Magazine’s list of billionaires.

During the Q & A session, his comments had some real nuggets of lessons learned:

  1. In the beginning, he didn’t like about 80 percent of the work he did, but loved the other 20 percent. As his career progressed, he spent more time on the things he loved and less time on the things he didn’t. He said he now loves 80 percent of his work, and he knows that the 20 percent he doesn’t like is necessary so he can do what he loves.

Lesson: You have to spend some time on things you don’t like, but that allows you to spend more time on what you love. Manage that time ratio.

  1. The Resnicks’ firm is well known for its marketing and its huge advertising budgets. Stewart said their strategy is to only invest marketing dollars in those things that they have dominant market share. He knows, for example, that in the U.S., they dominate the production of almonds and pistachios, so they’re not afraid to advertise heavily. Since both nuts basically need a desert with access to water, he doesn’t see competition coming easily.

Lesson: Know your competitive advantage so you can leverage it.

  1. In physics, he said, everything is basically an experiment. So when something he tries in business fails, he says, “That was a good experiment.”

Lesson: Everything you do teaches you something, even if it is that you don’t want to do it anymore.

  1. When asked by a (millennial) student in the audience for advice about starting a professional career, he said, “You have to work hard. There are no silver bullets.” He also commented that the leaders he has hired and promoted in his many companies succeeded because they worked hard and contributed. They remained relevant to the business.

Lesson: There is no shortcut to moving up in your career. You have to pay your dues and work hard.

Since everyone was asking Stewart questions about work, I asked him a personal question about what he does for fun. Besides cycling, traveling, and enjoying wine, he said he really has a pretty simple life. He likes his work. He likes making deals. And he seems sincerely curious.

He also made us laugh, with his final comment about why he likes agriculture: “Farmers are nicer to work with than investment bankers.”

As I drove home, I realized that I still have to spend time on things I don’t like doing, but that investment allows me to spend more time on the things that I love. I will continue to manage that time ratio for myself.

Karen

The specialty produce company shines a spotlight on the trending purple yam

Los Alamitos, CA (April 2017) – Prepare your produce teams to answer one of the trickiest questions in food trends: do you sell ube (pronounced “OO-beh”)?

The internet is buzzing with images and stories of purple-tinted desserts made with the elusive purple yam, which is difficult to find fresh in the U.S., and, at the same time, perpetuating misinformation about what fresh ube looks like. The specialty produce experts at Frieda’s Specialty Produce want to demystify common confusion about ube and other purple sweet potato varieties so retailers are ahead of the game on this popular trend.

“Because fresh ube is rarely available in the U.S., most people don’t know what it looks like,” said Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s. “They often mistake Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes and Okinawan sweet potatoes for ube because of the purple flesh. Even the internet is confused about that!

“Shoppers may think they are looking for fresh ube, but oftentimes we find they really want a purple sweet potato. We want our customers to be knowledgeable about all of the trending purple tubers, so they can better inspire new food experiences for their shoppers,” added Caplan.

[youtube=https://youtu.be/IZ02naNivx4]

Also known as a purple yam, fresh ube has brown, bark-like skin, and flesh that ranges from white with purple specks to lilac. This tuber is a staple of the Filipino kitchen. It is well loved all over Asia as a dessert ingredient for its sweet and nutty flavor. However, in most cases, ube desserts are made with either grated frozen roots, powder, flavor extract, or jam (ube halaya), which are all available in Filipino or Asian markets.

Purple sweet potatoes, however, are more commonly available to most consumers. Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes have purple-tinted skin and violet-purple flesh; Okinawan sweet potatoes have beige skin and lavender-purple flesh.

“What Is (or isn’t) Ube?” 1-minute video and a written companion piece, “The Ultimate Purple Sweet Potato Guide,” are now available as a part of the company’s ever growing specialty produce information library. From “Quick Bite” recipe videos to the classic “Produce 101” series, and extensive recipe and product information database, Frieda’s is the go-to resource for specialty produce information.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

If you work in an office, you probably have one coworker who has snacks at his or her desk. You know, when you get the munchies, and just want a little something, you go to their desk to get a small snack.

For me, that is Becky. She is a member of our sales team and has been at Frieda’s for more than 20 years. She has a drawer filled with healthy snacks, and some mornings I just need a fix to hold me over until lunch. Usually it’s Trader Joe’s Simply Almonds, Cashews, and Cranberries Trek Mix.

A few weeks ago, I stopped by for my snack and her drawer was empty. She was out of trail mix. I was devastated and potentially hangry.” (Yes, it is one of the new words added to the Oxford English Dictionary recently.)

So, the ever resourceful Becky, said, “Why don’t you try these?”

I had no idea what she was handing me, but she started rattling off some of the virtues of Skippy P.B. Bites:

Being the marketing person that I am, I was fascinated with this new product. And I was curious about when it was introduced and the innovative process behind it.

As it turns out Hormel Foods (the owner of Skippy, which it acquired from Unilever in 2013) is well known for innovation. The founder, George Hormel, said it best: “Innovate, don’t imitate.” In 2015 Hormel launched Skippy P.B. Bites, part of its $3 billion pipeline of new products launched since 2000. At that time, the company formed a corporate innovation team to develop “game-changing product innovation that often involves proprietary technology.”

According to one interview, the Bites were inspired by the recent success of unwrapped miniature morsels from top candy bar brands (think mini Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in a bag).

I was so excited about these P.B. Bites that I went right to my local grocery store to look for them. And I found them on the shelf beside regular peanut butter. I was fascinated by Hormel’s adorable television commercial for the Bites aimed at kids, who are the biggest consumers of and love peanut butter. So cute and relatable:

[youtube=https://youtu.be/eCN46QYeuV8]

However, I think Hormel has missed an opportunity to go after another market. And that’s adult peanut butter lovers, who are also calorie counters. And adult snackers.

As much as I like these Skippy P.B. Bites, I do check in to see that Becky’s stash of Trader Joe’s trek mix is well stocked. Because no one wants me to be hangry at my office!

Karen

My co-worker Becky with her Skippy P.B. Bites

Last week I went to Las Vegas. Does it surprise you that it was a business trip? I was invited to speak at the first Vegas Food Expo. My topic was “How Produce Trends Happen.” It’s always fun for me to demystify how kale or kiwi appeared on the produce scene. “Gradually and then suddenly,” I always say.

It’s been a while since I’ve been to Las Vegas and for a few years now, I’ve had something on my bucket list. And that is to take a tour of Zappos headquarters. My dear friend Jack Daly, who is an author and does sales training for a living, has talked about the tour for years. So, with an extra half day available to me, I went online a month ago and booked a tour for Friday morning.

When most people think of Zappos, they think of buying shoes online, free shipping both ways, and founder Tony Hsieh selling the company to Amazon for $1 billion. That is all true.

But the reason the tour is so popular is to learn about the company’s secret sauce, its real competitive advantage. Zappos is known for its culture.

From the moment I went on the website and signed up (and received regular reminders about my upcoming visit), and then as I walked through the front doors, I could tell there was something very special about the place. First of all, everyone is unbelievably happy and friendly. It didn’t seem like they were working. It seemed like they were just hanging out. After signing in, I was offered water, snacks, storage for my luggage, and shopping time at the Z Boutique (the store with promotional merchandise, or  “swag”) located right off the lobby.

Since I arrived early, I wandered into the swag store just to see what they had besides the normal hats, T-shirts, etc. That’s when I met Lindy. She was running the store that day. Actually, she seemed almost too happy to me. But I could tell it was completely sincere, especially since I asked her how she came to work at Zappos. I noticed how naturally she engaged with me, didn’t put any pressure on me to buy anything, and wasn’t in any rush. Of course I had to buy Tony Hsieh’s book, “Delivering Happiness,” plus a T-shirt and shot glasses. (More about shot glasses later.)

Lindy at the Zappos gift shop

Just before our tour, a few tour guides ushered us into a large alcove, where they played several videos, which clearly demonstrated their culture.

The first video was about how a customer service rep from Zappos really connected with a customer who called to buy tennis shoes for a run she was participating in. As it turned out, the customer was battling breast cancer and this was a big run for her. The customer service rep felt so connected after the call that she wanted to do something to make the customer feel special. So she sent her flowers! And then, through one of Zappos’ funds, Zappos and the rep arranged a party for the customer a few months later to celebrate her birthday! Yes, you are reading this correctly. All the customer did was call in to buy a pair of shoes. And the customer service rep was empowered to “delight” her in any way she saw fit. Talk about winning a client for life! (As you know, they’ve already won over my daughter Alex.)

A second video was about how Tony Hsieh started his company, including how he got the name Zappos. His partner, Nick, suggested they call the company “Zapos,” as a nickname for the Spanish word for shoes, “zapatos.” They added an extra “p” because it looked better and the name “Zappos” was born. I found it super interesting that Tony graduated from Harvard in 1995 and sold his previous company, LinkExchange, to Microsoft for $265 million, which provided the startup money for founding Zappos.

Zappos has a team of six full-time tour guides; that is their full time job at Zappos. Our small group of five had an hour-long tour with our two guides. The facility is the former city hall of Las Vegas. Sadly, it’s a concrete building with not a lot of natural warmth. Our guide, Ryo, told us that they moved there in 2013 and it is much nicer than when they moved in. But Zappos is continuing to remodel to make it feel like home.

Entrance to the Zappos headquarters

Here are some of the highlights of the tour and things I learned:

I could go on and on about the tour and Zappos. But I think the best thing is if you are intrigued and planning a trip to Las Vegas, go online and book a tour. It’s $10 and well worth the 90 minutes.

Oh, about my produce trends talk. Did you know that kale and kiwifruit have something in common (besides the letter “k”)? Both took about 18 years from the time they were first promoted to them appearing ubiquitous.

Here’s a photo of me in the lobby of Zappos. They have a throne…it truly made me feel like royalty!

Karen

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As shoppers trade in hearty winter dishes for lighter, warm-weather fare, produce departments must stock up on spring favorites to meet demand

Los Alamitos, CA (April 2017) – The cold winter is thawing out and shoppers are trading in winter stews and roasts for light and refreshing vegetable-centric dishes. As retailers get ready to shift from winter to spring merchandising, they can attract shoppers with bountiful and colorful displays of Instagram-perfect spring vegetables like purple asparagus, watermelon radishes, heirloom cherry tomatoes, specialty radishes, and fennel.

“The change of season brings the change in what shoppers want to cook and eat. Warm weather means light, crisp, refreshing food—maybe even grilled,” said Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “Spring also provides great opportunities for retailers to promote key drivers starting with fresh horseradish root for Passover, artichokes and colored cauliflower for Easter, and rhubarb and berries with value-added specialties like ready-to-eat French style crêpes for Mother’s Day.”

Additional spring top-sellers include Brussels sprouts, baby carrots, baby beets, endive, mini sweet peppers, radicchio, Shanghai bok choy, fava beans, sugar snap peas, and English peas.

Call Frieda’s account managers today to help select the best spring product mix to increase basket rings.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

Many applications only have a place to check boxes or fill in basic information, like your name, address, previous jobs, etc. You really don’t have the opportunity to be creative when you are applying for a mortgage or a new job; you just fill in the blanks.

But last week, I had the opportunity to see some very creative applications, as I was one of several judges for the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards, a business awards competition in Santa Barbara. This is the second year I was asked to review the awards packets for businesses that were either nominated or self-nominated for the prestigious awards for women business owners in Santa Barbara and Ventura counties.

I don’t live in Santa Barbara, so last year I was a bit perplexed why they asked me. As it turns out, to eliminate any bias, they only use judges from outside the geographic area, so no judge will know the nominees or be prejudiced in their judging.

So last weekend, I sat in my office, opened my Dropbox account, and started perusing the applications. I had 24 applications in four categories to review. Here’s my methodology: First I read through all the applications in a category, then I go back and read them a second time, doing the scoring.

And that’s when I made an observation about the process. I realized that judging the applications was not completely about the business or the business owner. And believe me, there were a lot of amazing and deserving applicants. It was also about how careful and diligent the business owners were in completing their applications.

I could tell that some people took great care and put a lot of thought into completing the application. They were neat, with no typos, and a lot of detailed, thoughtful explanation about the candidate and her business. Others, I could see, were a bit hastily filled out. They were handwritten, not in complete sentences, and did not appear as if the applicant took it seriously.

That’s when it hit me. I recalled when I nominated a friend of mine for an award a few years ago. I was up against a deadline. I rushed to complete the application and didn’t take as much time as I should have in gathering research and background. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when my friend didn’t win.

As per usual, when I least expect it, I learn an important life lesson.

How many times have you turned in some information and done it in a hurry? You didn’t take the time to prepare, to do your research, and to thoughtfully complete the assignment. Whether it is filling out an application for an award or a scholarship, or preparing to give a speech, a sales preparation, or even for a meeting at work, the time invested in advance, to prepare, is the most important part of the process.

It took me several hours to review all 24 applications twice and to do the scoring. I took my time and made sure I thoughtfully considered each application. That is an important part of the process too: not jumping to conclusions quickly, and being thoughtful and considerate when evaluating.

I won’t be able to attend the awards ceremony this year, so best of luck to all the women nominated for the Spirit of Entrepreneurship Awards! Starting and owning a business is hard work and, many times, a labor of love.

Karen

P.S.  I did attend last year’s ceremony where I was happily surprised to run into a produce friend of mine, Chef Sarah LaCasse!

Chef Sarah LaCasse and me

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Frieda’s Specialty Produce offers extensive fresh pepper varieties for spring and summer entertaining

Los Alamitos, CA (March 2017) – Consumers are demanding a wider selection of fresh chile pepper varieties as part of their grocery shopping experience, and there’s no better time to stock up produce departments than Cinco de Mayo. Retailers and wholesalers can look to Frieda’s Specialty Produce as their comprehensive source for all their fresh chile pepper needs.

“Frieda’s has expanded our fresh pepper program to new growing partners in multiple growing regions to offer year-round supply on many fresh pepper varieties, and we offer them in multiple pack sizes for our customers,” said Allen DeMo, director of procurement and sourcing at Frieda’s. “Many buyers have told us they didn’t realize just how competitive Frieda’s could be and that our quality really measures up.”

Frieda’s is a one-stop pepper shop for:

“Fresh peppers are key ingredients to essential Cinco de Mayo dishes from salsas and guacamole to main dishes, and even infusing into beverages,” said Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s. “This food-centered holiday kicks off the summer party season and sets the tone for summer selling. We want to help our customers keep their sales sizzling as we roll into summer grilling season,” added Caplan.

Call your Frieda’s account manager today to ask about its extensive fresh chile pepper selections and other Cinco de Mayo favorites like jicama, tomatillos, key limes, seedless lemons, Soyrizo®, and dried peppers like ancho mulato and pasilla negro.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

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It all started on the golf course. Early last year, I attended the Northern Trust Open at the Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. As I was wandering around the clubhouse, I ran into Mark Brian Smith, the filmmaker who produced and directed “Fear No Fruit,” the documentary about my mom and our family business. He had with him a longtime personal friend Simon, a banker. As per usual, we shook hands and exchanged business cards.

So I guess I was a little surprised when six months later I received an email from Simon, who had changed banks, inviting me to be the keynote speaker at a CEO summit. As it turns out, his new bank, Union Bank, is a sponsor of the CEO Summit at the University of La Verne and he is on the steering committee. After seeing the movie about our company, he thought our story would be great for the summit’s audience of 150 to 200 local CEOs.

So last week, I drove 30 miles to La Verne and spent a few hours there. We took a quick walking tour and La Verne President Devorah Leiberman shared some pretty impressive information with me. The university is recognized amongst the country’s leading schools. U.S. News and World Report rates La Verne’s undergraduate online degree offerings as No. 1 in California (and 24th best in the country). The university has four colleges: Arts & Sciences, Business & Public Management, Education, and Law.

I have to admit that I was pleasantly surprised how many of the deans and associate deans from the four colleges listened to my presentation. One in particular stood out to me—Rita Thakur, associate dean of the College of Business & Public Management. We sat at the same table during lunch and had a lovely chat. She was born in India and you can read her story here. She struck me as kind of quiet, so I was trying to imagine her as the associate dean. But I quickly learned that her mild-mannered demeanor was simply her way of charming people and accomplishing her goals. She drilled me about the internships at my company. During my speech, I had said,  “Ask for what you want.” She did just that, saying, “I want you to give one of my students an internship this summer!” That’s chutzpah!

During our conversation, I learned about a program she created at La Verne that is the only one of its kind in the country. It’s called “The Rita Thakur Skills for Success Program.” For all four years that students are in the College of Business & Public Management, they are required to enroll in the program. It teaches both life and professional skills that students just don’t get anymore! Things like: etiquette, how to do introductions, how to make sure your resume gets to the top of the pile, interviewing techniques, etc. As they progress through their undergraduate education, the students continue to get professional mentorship, consulting opportunities, and training for soliciting a loan, selling a product, and developing a business plan.

I was so excited to learn this.

It was even more timely when I read The Wall Street Journal on March 20. The headline on the Personal Finance section was “Should College Students Be Required to Take a Personal-finance Course?” I vote “YES.” I know what it’s like for a twentysomething new hire who doesn’t know how to choose a health insurance plan or what questions to ask about the 401k plan.

One of the biggest challenges millennials and others who enter the workforce have is lack of training in those life skills. It was awesome to see that a single person like Rita Thakur recognized the opportunity and created a program that will give thousands of students at the University of La Verne a better chance of success in the business world. Perhaps other universities and colleges will embrace the practical needs of today’s workforce and give students similar training.

I get a lot of speaking requests during the course of a year. I accepted this one because I could tell that La Verne has something special to offer, not only to the community with the CEO Summit, but as I learned, to their students. If you should have the opportunity to speak at a local college or university, whether it is about your own business or career, or as an opportunity to mentor and give back, I hope you will make the time to do it.

It’s always good to pay it forward!

Karen

Inaugural event connects emerging food producers with retailers and foodservice distributors

Los Alamitos, CA (March 2017) – Thirteen of America’s top food executives and entrepreneurs in fields from aquaponics to hospitality services will speak at the inaugural Vegas Food Expo on March 30 and 31 at the Gold Coast Resort and Casino, Las Vegas. The expo will also connect more than 130 innovative food and beverage brands to retailers, distributors, and foodservice providers.

Expo attendees will have a chance to interact with artisanal food makers and learn from innovative food executives during speaking sessions scheduled on both days of the expo.

Speakers have been selected by Brett Ottolenghi, founder of the Vegas Food Expo and owner of Artisanal Foods in Las Vegas, for their leadership, tenacity, creativity, and influence in the food world. The lineup includes Zingerman’s Co-owner Paul Saginaw, TAO Group Managing Partner Louis Abin, “Made to Stick” co-author Chip Heath, Bitten food conference Founder & CEO Naz Riahi, and Frieda’s Specialty Produce President & CEO Karen Caplan.

“Staying on top of food trends and being able to spot what’s coming next are important for ideation,” said Caplan. “It’s imperative for us at Frieda’s to know what’s happening so we can provide what our foodservice clients need to stay current and for our retail clients to be aware of what shoppers are going to come looking for next. Las Vegas is at the forefront of food innovation, being the city of renowned chefs, up-and-coming culinary talents, and creative food start-up companies. This is the expo to be at if you want to know what the next hot trends are.”

Speaking on “Tapping into Fresh Trends in Produce,” Caplan is scheduled to take the stage at 1:40 p.m. on Thursday, March 30.

March 30 is exclusively open to buyers, and March 31 is open to the ticket-holding public. For tickets and more information, visit here.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

I attended a produce conference last weekend in Orlando (I know, I lead such an exciting life). Sixteen hundred of my closest produce friends and I hung out at the Disney Dolphin Resort for three days of meetings, workshops, a trade show, plus an evening gala.

When I say “my closest produce friends,” I really mean that. The unique aspect of the produce industry is that because we spend so much time together at various shows and events each year, many of us actually do become close friends.

As my daughter Alex and I were walking through the lobby, we came across two of our longtime retail clients from North Carolina.

We stopped to say hello and catch up. It wasn’t even one minute into the conversation when Dick said, “I just cannot believe how much fresh turmeric I am selling these days!” In my head, I was thinking, “His stores are in some rural areas of North and South Carolina; I wonder how much turmeric is ‘a lot?’” So I asked him to tell us more.

As it turns out, it started with one store in coastal North Carolina. They kept ordering so much turmeric that his warehouse could not keep it in stock.

Like me, Dick was curious why the sudden surge in demand. He found out there is a popular recipe for an elixir featuring Bragg’s Apple Cider Vinegar, fresh turmeric, lemon juice, and honey that is circulating and that’s why his stores can’t keep it in stock.

With the help of Google, here is the recipe. And here’s another one.

I’m not implying or endorsing any health claims, but it sounds like this natural “tonic” promises extra energy, improved mood, stabilized blood sugar, lower LDL cholesterol…the list goes on.

I told Dick that turmeric has been a trending ingredient for two years due to its anti-inflammatory properties. We have also noticed on a national basis the surge in sales of both fresh turmeric and fresh ginger, as more people are discovering these roots to make their own teas, tonics and juices.

It was quite exciting to see that consumer demand coming from the coastal region of North Carolina. Most of us think that trendy foods are more popular in big metropolitan cities, like New York, Chicago, and Los Angeles. I guess, as people retire or want a more relaxed lifestyle, they are taking their eating and shopping habits to places like North Carolina (where several of my friends have now moved).

That’s exciting news. Because that means more and more stores across the country will be offering their shoppers all those hard-to-find ingredients. And if you’re one of those people who have moved to a new area, don’t be afraid to ask your produce manager to order any fruits and veggies you are looking for which aren’t on display. Otherwise, your produce manager will not know that you—and others—want them!

Karen

P.S. My team and I had a little fun at this produce conference. The theme was “The Magic of Produce” and we dressed in the theme of “Frieda’s School of Purple Magic”…à la Harry Potter.

Join Frieda’s Specialty Produce in saluting produce department heroes

Los Alamitos, CA (March 2017) – April 2 is the 6th annual national Love Your Produce Manager® Day, a day to show appreciation for supermarket produce managers. Frieda’s Specialty Produce invites industry participation in saluting the hardworking men and women in supermarket produce departments, both in stores and over social media with hashtag #LYPM. For each industry organization that shares the hashtag or mentions Love Your Produce Manager® Day in its communications, Frieda’s will make a donation to the Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, a member of the Feeding America national network.

“The produce department is the heart of the supermarket, and produce managers keep it ticking,” said Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s. “According to United Fresh Produce Association’s 2016 year in review, 33 percent of all fresh grocery sales comes from produce. And these men and women contribute to that success with their beautiful displays and excellent customer service. Their passionate work helps put more fruits and vegetables in the shopping basket, boosts produce consumption, and inspires new food experiences for shoppers.”

Industry companies and organizations that would like to participate can find shareable graphics here. Love Your Produce Manager® Day messages must be posted by 11:59 p.m. PST on April 3 to be counted for the donation. Additionally, Frieda’s is hosting a public social media giveaway to encourage shoppers to share selfies with their local supermarket produce managers and hashtag #LYPM from March 28 through April 4.

In 2015 more than 40 organizations participated in LYPM online activities. Frieda’s made a donation on their behalf to United Fresh Produce Association’s “Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools” initiative.

As featured in Chase’s Calendar of Events since 2012, Love Your Produce Manager® Day aims to honor exemplary customer service in U.S. supermarket produce departments. Frieda’s created the holiday on the occasion of the company’s 50th anniversary to acknowledge the produce manager’s key role.

“Conversations that produce managers have with shoppers pave the way for us to bring to market unique and exciting products like Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes, jackfruit, and fresh turmeric root,” Caplan said. “Without the help of a Salt Lake City produce manager listening to a single consumer’s request in 1962, kiwifruit may not have become the well known and loved fruit it is today.”

The importance of produce managers is also highlighted in “Fear No Fruit,” the documentary chronicling the life of Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, as a contributing factor in her success as the first woman entrepreneur on the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market in the 1960s. “Fear No Fruit” is available on DVD and digital streaming platforms (iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Instant Video). The film is also available for group and educational screenings by contacting Kino Lorber EDU.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

For the last 11 years, I have attended the biannual University of California, Davis, Agribusiness Seminar. The three-day gathering includes 90 agribusiness executives from across the ag supply chain: egg farmers to cattle ranchers, grape growers to bagged salad producers, investment bankers to consultants and people in the food business. Ninety percent of the attendees are from California and some repeat attendees have gotten to know each other pretty well over the years.

This year we read, studied, and discussed seven case studies about other companies that were willing to open their business to the case writers (usually university professors and professional case writers). The cases are confidential.

Each year I attend, I learn so much that has helped me grow my business and refine my approach as a business leader. I am fortunate to be a member of the steering committee, so I had some input into the programming. The cases usually focus on a business challenge the company is facing. Our discussions revolve around us developing alternative strategies. When the case is actually presented, the company executive responds to our insights and questions, and tells us what the company ultimately decided to do, and why. It is super interesting!

This year, we had a keynote speaker who flew in all the way from New Zealand. As it turns out, our speaker, Michael Henderson, is a corporate anthropologist. In my opinion, he is part psychologist, part therapist, and mostly incredibly insightful. His company brochure says, “He has a degree in Anthropology and uses this unique skills set to support organizations to create high performance cultures.”

Michael Henderson, corporate anthropologist

We received his latest book “Above the Line” a few weeks before he spoke and were expected to read it before we arrived. I admit when I saw that I had to read a binder full of cases, plus the book, I wasn’t sure I would get through it all. But once I started reading Michael’s book, I couldn’t put it down. I grabbed my highlighter and started marking it up; so many things resonated with me.

What I learned from Michael was: “Company culture fundamentally does one of two things. It either makes your business money or costs your business money.” He told us that culture has proven to be eight times more influential to business performance than strategy. Eight times more! That definitely got my attention.

One of the biggest insights he shared is how companies approach culture incorrectly. Many companies think the company sets the culture. In fact, the employees control the culture. Michael suggested that, when you interview a potential new employee, instead of sharing your company culture, you should ask the candidates what their values are. And if those values are not in alignment with your company’s values, then you should not hire that person. Personal values determine compatibility; their personal values will not change. For example, if your company’s values include being goal-oriented and -driven, and the candidate values a low-key, non-pressure work environment, you can see how they might not fit into the culture (no matter how good their skill set is).

We asked Michael about acquisitions. Many companies attending this conference will be making acquisitions in the future. Statistics show that 85 percent of all acquisitions fail…mostly due to a lack of culture alignment. So what advice did he have? He told us that while most companies focus on doing financial audits of the company under consideration, what they really need to include is a culture audit. Such a great suggestion.

Michael also told us that if you want to change the culture, you need to be mindful of whom you promote in your company. Those who are promoted should have personal values aligned with the company’s values. It makes culture alignment so much easier and natural.

And if you are wondering if culture alignment can add money to the bottom line of a company, he gave us several examples. Two stood out for me: Coca Cola NZ added $30 million to its bottom line in one year; Z Energy (another NZ company) hit its three-year financial targets in 18 months. Both credit their culture as the major significant contribution to achieving these results.

“Great culture makes wealth. A toxic culture destroys wealth.” – Warren Buffett

I think Mr. Buffett said it succinctly.

Karen

P.S. During the agribusiness seminar, I was fortunate to receive an invitation to this year’s Berkshire Hathaway meeting in Omaha, Nebraska! I am beyond excited that I am able to attend and see Warren Buffett and Charles Munger in person. Stay tuned.

The specialty produce ‘faculty’ is ready to educate retailers on purple produce and other trending fruits and vegetables

Los Alamitos, CA (March 2017) – Supporting the “Magic in Produce” theme of Southeast Produce Council Southern Exposure 2017, Frieda’s Specialty Produce is proud to invite attendees to “Frieda’s School of Purple Magic” Preview Day activities at Booth 620 on Saturday, March 11.

“Purple produce is a major 2017 food trend, and no one knows purple like we do. After all, we have been working with our clients on ‘Power of Purple’ since 2013,” said Karen Caplan, headmistress of Frieda’s School of Purple Magic (otherwise known as president and CEO of Frieda’s). “Shoppers really respond to a big, bountiful purple destination display. National media is buzzing with purple produce trends this year, featured everywhere from NBC’s TODAY show to Consumer Reports. Retailers, wholesalers, and foodservice providers must take advantage of this hot trend.”

Interested “students” will also discover top selling purple produce like Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes and other trending specialty fruits and vegetables at the booth. Call Frieda’s admission officers (also known as account managers) to learn more about current programs.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

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A few months ago, I joined the board of Second Harvest Food Bank, the largest food bank in Orange County and a member of the Feeding America national network.

Our company donates edible produce to the food bank each week. CEO Nicole Suydam and I have gotten to know each other over the past few years, and she slowly recruited me to join the board, made up of about 20 community leaders, entrepreneurs, and corporate executives.

After I had joined the board, Nicole let me know that I was expected to attend a four-hour board orientation session at the Second Harvest offices, located 30 miles from my own office. To be honest, I was completely annoyed when I learned this.

Although I am very committed to being an active board member, I’d already attended two board meetings and several events, and I couldn’t understand the need for a four-hour orientation.

Me with the Second Harvest Food Bank’s mobile pantry

Let me describe the orientation:

The other new board member, Steve (a retail grocery executive), and I were seated in a conference room with Nicole. We were each given a binder containing supplemental information for all of the presentations we would be getting. Nicole then gave us an overview of the history of Second Harvest, reviewed the enterprise’s organizational chart, plus the committee assignments for board members, and then discussed the strategic plan.

The next three hours were spent having 20- to 30-minute presentations by the eight department heads within the food bank about their departments and their goals, with Nicole present the whole time to facilitate their presentations, ask for clarification, and give further explanations.

At the end of our four-hour meeting, Steve and I looked at each other, and then at Nicole, and commented that we both learned so much about Second Harvest. Both of us admitted to being skeptical beforehand about the need for such a lengthy and detailed orientation, but we agreed it gave us a fantastic historical perspective and a deeper understanding which would help us be better board members and supporters. I hope other volunteer organizations invest this kind of time in “onboarding” new volunteer board members. It will definitely pay dividends.

Nicole Suydam. CEO of Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County

So as I drove home, I started to think about my own company’s new hire orientation. Although we invest in orienting new employees, we don’t do it in the same way Nicole does. It struck me that I could take the best practices that I learned from the Second Harvest board member orientation and improve our onboarding experience for new employees.

Instead of having the new employee travel between departments and interrupt the workday of the various managers, I am seriously considering centralizing orientation and standardizing it. And by being present for each orientation, I will be able to add anecdotal and other insights that may be missed if I’m not there.

Some of the fun stationery we use at the office and provide new hires.

How many of you have started a new job and were satisfied with the orientation? Was it simply filling out a bunch of forms in the HR office and then you were shipped off to your department to start working? Especially if you work in a small- to medium-sized company, the resources are not always available to develop a robust onboarding process, so you may not figure out the organizational dynamics until weeks or months after you start.

My big takeaway from this experience was a reminder that no matter how annoying something may seem before you complete it, there is always a lesson to be learned.

What did you learn today?

Karen

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The Frieda Caplan documentary is set to inspire dietetic professionals

Los Alamitos, CA (March 2017) – The Central Valley District of the California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (CAND) will host a screening of “Fear No Fruit,” the Frieda Caplan documentary, on Wednesday, March 8, in Fresno, California, to celebrate National Registered Dietitian Day and to raise funds for the Helena Kennedy Scholarship. The screening begins at 5 p.m. at Bitwise Industries.

Fear No Fruit” chronicles the life of Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, the first woman entrepreneur on the Los Angeles Wholesale Produce Market in the 1960s.

“Frieda’s determination gave Americans the opportunity to try fresh new produce by making exotic fruits and vegetables more accessible. And that makes our job advocating for more fruit and vegetable consumption easier,” said Carrie Der Garabedian, MBA, RD, CFPM, president of the Central Valley District CAND. “We’re excited to share Frieda’s story to help inspire others to follow their hearts and achieve their goals.”

“Dietitians face challenges similar to Frieda—encouraging people to try new foods and eat healthier,” said Amy Myrdal Miller, MS, RDN, FAND, president of the California Academy. “‘Fear No Fruit’ is an inspiring, must-see film for dietetic students and professionals!”

The California Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Central Valley District, represents registered dietitians in various job functions throughout Central California with the goal of optimizing health through food and nutrition. The Helena Kennedy Scholarship is established to honor the late Ms. Kennedy for her passion for nutrition and commitment to the community. The scholarship will be awarded to a California State University, Fresno, dietetic student.

Tickets are $10 and include dinner. Because seating is limited, advanced reservations and ticket purchase are required.

“Fear No Fruit” is available on DVD and digital streaming platforms (iTunes, Google Play, Amazon Instant Video). The film is also available for group and educational screenings by contacting Kino Lorber EDU.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

Spicy root is more than just a traditional staple

Los Alamitos, CA – (February 2017) – Horseradish root is a must-have item for Passover, the traditional Jewish celebration beginning at sundown on Monday, April 10, and ending Tuesday, April 18. Retailers should now pre-book their horseradish orders in preparation for this important cultural holiday.

“Horseradish and parsley sales go through the roof the week before Passover as they are the most traditional produce items used for the holiday meal,” said Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “In addition to Passover, fresh horseradish is also used as a condiment for fish and seafood during the Christian observance of Lent, which begins March 1 and ends on April 13. It is a great opportunity for retailers to increase basket ring.”

But this traditional root is actually gaining popularity as part of the growing weekend brunch trend, and as a key ingredient in bloody Mary beverages and other chef-inspired creations. In fact, the Baum + Whiteman Restaurant and Hotel 2017 trends report listed horseradish among the year’s buzzwords as the use of horseradish went up 29 percent last year.

“Weekend brunch has become a part of the culture, and the trend continues to grow. Fresh horseradish is going to grow along with it,” said Caplan. “Once shoppers experience fresh horseradish while dining out, they will try to replicate it at home.”

Call Frieda’s account managers today to pre-order horseradish roots, as well as other Passover essentials including parsley, beets and baby beets, fingerling potatoes, parsnips, parsley root, specialty carrots, and baby apples.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

I was surprised by the last question asked from the audience when I participated as a panelist at the THRIVE AgTech conference earlier this month:

“What do you think is the future of cannabis in California agriculture?”

I was even more surprised when the moderator turned to me and said, “Karen, why don’t you take that question, as I would consider cannabis a specialty crop, wouldn’t you?”

I smiled and jokingly said we could sell it in 1-ounce packages, like our other specialty items.

But seriously, I then mentioned my presentation at the food trend conference, Bitten LA back in October, where Jeff the Cannabis Chef did an entire presentation about his career cooking with cannabis. After all, cannabis edibles are very popular these days.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Do44xQVeooQ&feature=youtu.be]

Since then, I’ve done a little research. And in fact, I have had more than one industry person tell me it’s no secret that many hot house growers in California are looking at the financial returns on growing cannabis. The Orange County Register estimated the value of California’s marijuana crop in 2015 to be the number one leading agriculture commodity at $23.3 billion. Just for comparison, coming in second on that list is milk at $6.28 billion and almonds at about $5 billion.

 

With all of the buzz, pardon the pun, around the California cannabis industry, there are also some concerns that directly impact the produce industry. Would fruit and vegetable growers switch out edible crops to grow cannabis? Many experts don’t seem too concerned about the switch as there are more fees, regulations, and risks of property forfeiture that come with growing commercial cannabis. At least, for now.

And just last Friday, the International Cannabis Business Conference was held in San Francisco. So I imagine we are going to see a lot of information in the news in coming weeks.

So I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when the latest edition of the newsletter Israel21C arrived with the following headline:

 “5 reasons Israel is dominating the cannabis industry”

The article highlights that Israel is more than 10 years ahead of other countries in terms of cannabis innovation. Whether it is in growing, processing, medical treatment, or venture funds (iCAN is an Israel-cannabis venture fund), a lot is going on in Israel.

But back to the question I was asked. In case you’re wondering, I don’t think you will see Frieda’s adding cannabis to our product lineup anytime soon.

Karen

Demystifying different types of purple sweet potatoes, one tuber at a time!

 

Updated March 30, 2020

There is no doubt that purple sweet potatoes have gained popularity—just open the pages of Eating Well, Martha Stewart Living, The Washington Post and O, The Oprah Magazine. Even journalist Dan Buettner, author of Blue Zones, credits these purple beauties with being part of the diet and lifestyle that has propelled the longevity of the centenarian Okinawa population.  But not all varieties of purple sweet potatoes are created equal.

The four main types of purple-fleshed sweet potatoes consumed in the U.S. are Stokes Purple® sweet potatoesOkinawan sweet potatoes, Murasaki sweet potatoes and Charleston sweet potatoes. Ube (pronounced OO-beh) is available in concentrate form only, not as a fresh potato. Shoppers and foodies alike often confuse these varieties based on skin color, flesh color, different names and even incorrect internet images.

Take a look at what makes each variety different.

 

Stokes Purple® Sweet Potatoes

Born in the U.S.A., Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes originated in Stokes County, North Carolina. They’re now grown commercially in the perfectly sandy soil of central California. Available year-round, these sweet potatoes have purple-tinted skin with a deep purple flesh that intensifies when cooked.

Exclusive to Frieda’s, these unique Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes have a somewhat moist, moderately starchy texture and are mildly sweet with slight floral notes. They are a good source of vitamin C and contain a high level of anthocyanins—the antioxidant compound also found in blueberries that gives this potato its purple hue.

 

Some of our favorite ways to use Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes include sweet potato pie, served as a crostini, or in stuffing, soups, curries and more!

Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes are available at grocery stores nationwide and on our website at www.friedas.com/shop.

 

Okinawan Sweet Potatoes

Believed to have come from the Aztecs of South America with the Spaniards to the Philippines and China in the 1490s, the plant of these sweet potatoes did not reach Japan until the 1600s. The initial planting was in Okinawa—the southern island of Japan—before they were cultivated throughout Japan, hence the name. Eventually these purple tubers ended up in Hawaii and became a part of the native menu—they are also known as Hawaiian sweet potatoes.

With a creamy, beige skin on the outside and bluish-purple flesh on the inside, these sweet potatoes are grown in Hawaii for the U.S. market. Okinawan sweet potatoes have a mildly sweet flavor with notes of honey and a dry, very starchy texture. According to The Blue Zones by Dan Buettner, consumption of these potatoes is correlated to living a longer life.

 

Murasaki Sweet Potatoes

Murasaki sweet potatoes (also known as Japanese sweet potatoes) first originated in Louisiana, developed by the Louisiana State University’s Sweet Potato Research Station in the early 2000s. Today they are primarily grown in California.

This sweet potato variety has reddish-purple skin with a flesh that is actually white. Their name comes from the Japanese word for purple because of the color of their skin. If you’re wondering what this looks like—check your phone! The sweet potato emoji is actually a Murasaki! Murasaki sweet potatoes have a sweet taste with notes of brown sugar and vanilla, and a very starchy, moist texture, making them good sweet potatoes for baked goods. They are a good substitute for the fresh ube variety given their level of sweetness, although they lack the beautiful purple color that ube is known for.

 

Charleston Sweet Potatoes

The Charleston sweet potato is not as widely available in grocery stores as some other varieties. Its purple flesh is slightly sweet with earthy notes but it is very dry and chalky in texture so it is commonly used in seasoned savory dishes as well as in Asian cuisine.

 

 

 

Ube (Purple Yam)

Ube is commonly used in desserts all over the world—in ice creams, tarts and even donuts! Also known as a purple yam, ube is a staple of the Filipino kitchen and is well-loved all over Asia as a dessert ingredient for its sweet and nutty flavor.

With all the attention on ube comes the confusion about this elusive yam. (Yes, a true yam!)

First of all, we have never seen ube available fresh in the States. Many people would argue that they indeed have bought some ube, but photographic proof usually shows they have purchased either Stokes Purple® or Okinawan sweet potatoes (or sometimes even taro root, as it can be slightly pinkish on the inside).

This, folks, is fresh ube.

 

You can blame the misconceptions on the plethora of information and imagery on the internet. If you search for an image of ube yourself, you’ll understand the conundrum. Only when you search for ube’s botanical name Dioscorea alata will you find ube’s true form: a tuber with brown, bark-like skin and flesh that ranges from white with purple specks to lilac.

Now, the ube that is used widely comes as a jam (Ube Halaya) or in a powder, extract, or frozen form. It turns out that preparing these true yams is labor intensive and that is why they’re commonly available in processed forms. Ube pops up in some unexpected places, including in McDonald’s ice cream in Asia and Yogurtland here in the U.S.

Now, go forth and explore all the majesty of purple sweet potatoes and let us know which ones you like best!

To check out more of our Ultimate Guides, click here, here and here.

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Anyone who knows me is probably shocked to see me writing about Tom Brady of the New England Patriots. It’s no secret that I don’t pay much attention to sports—but I love attending live sporting events. I haven’t been to a football game in a while, but I am well aware of the Super Bowl, which now seems better known for the commercials that show during the game than for the actual game. I did spend the afternoon at my daughter’s watching the game, but that’s not what I wanted to talk about.

I’m an avid reader of The Wall Street Journal and an article in the February 1 edition caught my eye: “Meet Tom Brady’s Shaman.” I was intrigued.

The article highlights Brady’s admiration for the book “The Four Agreements, a Practical Guide to Personal Freedom” by Don Miguel Ruiz.

I first became aware of this book when my longtime designer friends, Ted and Peggy, mentioned this Toltec shaman to me back in the 1980s. They traveled and studied with Don Miguel Ruiz, even before he wrote this book in 1997. And in fact, when I first got the book, I read the forward, and sure enough, I saw Ted and Peggy’s names listed with the acknowledgements.

The book is small and a quick read, and Don Miguel’s wisdom is so simple and straightforward.

Here are his four agreements:

  1. Be impeccable with your word.
  2. Don’t take anything personally.
  3. Don’t make assumptions.
  4. Always do your best.

Many things have been written about Tom Brady. He’s 39, but looks 29. He takes perfect care of his body. He is very private and an amazing athlete. And now, we can add to that list “ardent student.”

Photo credit: Wikipedia/Jeffrey Beall

Although Brady went through a rough patch with Deflategate, it was nice to see that he has a more spiritual, grounded side. In a time when many athletes are not great role models for young people, with their foul language and poor behavior (both on and off the field/court), it was refreshing to see how he used The Four Agreements as his new compass. The Wall Street Journal article quoted Brady as describing the book as a “kind of a mantra for my life,” and indicated it helped him navigate the urgent intergalactic crisis that was Deflategate.

Each of us would do well to consider these four short sentences as a way to approach our work, our life, our friends, and our family.

I can honestly admit that I never thought the Super Bowl would inspire me to re-read a book. But after Brady, one of the best athletes of our time, helped win a fifth Super Bowl for the Patriots and I learned that he finds strength and vision in this book, I went home and picked it up again.

I suggest you consider doing that too. Remember, don’t make assumptions.

Karen

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Capitalize on the shift in shoppers’ behavior during 40 days of Lent

Los Alamitos, CA – (February 2017) – Lent-observing shoppers, especially Hispanics, change their shopping behaviors to accommodate going meatless starting on Ash Wednesday, March 1, and continuing through Thursday, April 13. Produce departments should capitalize on this shift by stocking up on specialty Latin produce and meat substitutes during this religious holiday season.

Twenty-six percent of Americans observe Lent and abstain from meat (except fish and seafood) on Fridays during this 40-day period. Some go meatless the entire time.

“Lent is becoming a big food holiday as the culture and demographic continue to shift,” said Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “There is an opportunity here for retailers to offer authentic Latin produce and capture that Hispanic buying power during Lent and afterward.”

A recent Nielsen study shows Hispanics represent almost 18 percent of the U.S. population, and in 2015 they had $1.3 trillion in buying power. A Food Marketing Institute report shows 91 percent of Hispanic shoppers prefer stores where they can find Hispanic products.

Cater to the Cuaresma (Lent) crowd with seasonal popular items like Soyrizo™, SoyTaco™, cactus pads (nopales), fresh Poblano and Anaheim peppers, and dried peppers like Guajillo, Ancho Mulato, and Pasilla Negro. Other items that complement fish and seafood include ginger, fennel, dragon fruit, and citrus, such as key limes, Meyer lemons, and pink lemons.

Call Frieda’s account managers to optimize your product mix today.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

I was invited to be a panelist at the THRIVE AgTech Innovation Forum held last week in Menlo Park, California. After lunch, the program focused on what the consumer wants from the fresh produce industry and what insights that may provide for the technology business.

My fellow panelists included Gareth Keane of Qualcomm Ventures, Hank Giclas of Western Growers Association (a group of growers in California and Arizona) and Michael Teel, CEO of Sacramento-based retailer, Raley’s.

I was excited to meet Michael, as I had been following his career for many years. He is the third generation of the Raley family to own and operate the 82-year-old chain of 127 stores.

Michael started off talking to the standing-room-only audience of more than 200 people. To me, he “got naked” with the audience about his professional management philosophy and his business.

Credit: Jeff Rumans Photography

He told us that the way the grocery business works is that typically big food companies (consumer product goods or CPG companies) develop new products. They present them to retailers, along with financial incentives and support, so the retailers will stock and advertise them in their stores.

About two years ago, Michael started an initiative at his company that was pretty radical. He decided that his company would adjust some of the ways they received financial support from these CPG companies by focusing on what was right for his own customers. Raley’s would put its customers first when making decisions about product mix, marketing, and displays.

He referred to this entire initiative as being “purpose-driven,” meaning Raley’s’ higher purpose would drive everyone’s behavior and decision-making. And it was born out of his desire to improve the health of the families that shop in Raley’s. His vision is to “infuse life with health and happiness.”

In support of the initiative, Raley’s removed all tobacco products from stores in 2015. Last year private label sodas that contain high fructose corn syrup, and artificial colors and flavors, were discontinued. Check-stand offerings were improved by removing all artificially sweetened sodas and upgrading the selection of snacks and treats.

Then the most interesting thing happened—same store sales and customer satisfaction both increased. Prior to the initiative, same store sales had declined for a few years.

My first question to Michael after our panel was: “How did your buyers feel about your decision?” He said that at first they were a bit surprised and had some adjusting to do. But in the end, they welcomed the strong direction and support from their leader. The initiative made their decision-making a lot easier. To some degree, he infused their lives with health and happiness too.

Credit: Jeff Rumans Photography

I first became aware of purpose-driven organizations about 10 years ago, when I worked with a consultant named Paul Ratoff. He helped us redefine Frieda’s strategy and purpose over the next few years. Two years ago, Paul published a book, “Thriving in a Stakeholder World.” The tag line for the book is “Purpose as the New Competitive Advantage.”

Meeting Michael Teel and seeing how a purpose-driven organization can deliver better bottom-line results was exciting for me.

Can you think of other purpose-driven organizations? Many charities naturally come to mind. My prediction is that, with the increasing number of millennial entrepreneurs, we will begin to see more purpose-driven companies grow and thrive.

Karen

P.S. I was proud to have two other produce industry leaders on the stage with me that afternoon: Bruce Taylor of Taylor Fresh Foods (you’ve seen their packaged salads and veggies in your local supermarket) and Kevin Murphy of Driscoll’s (their strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries are known worldwide for their amazing taste and quality).

Left to right: Bruce Taylor, me, and Kevin Murphy

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Liven up citrus displays with California-grown exotic varieties

Los Alamitos, CA – (February 2017) – California specialty citrus supplies are back after a few weeks of winter rainstorms. Cheer up shoppers with California-grown exotic citrus varieties like Tahitian pummelos, kumquats and other “quat” varieties, specialty lemons, and more.

“We have had an incredible specialty citrus season so far—these varieties really bring excitement to the citrus display,” said Alex Jackson, senior account manager at Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “Winter doesn’t mean just apples and oranges anymore. A big, beautiful display of bulk and packaged specialty citrus will draw attention.”

Specialty citrus is not just great for retailers, but foodservice as well. “Mocktails and fizzy drinks are big this year, and specialty citrus is key to making things exciting at the bar as both ingredients and garnish,” added Jackson.

Start California dreaming, and contact Frieda’s account managers today to stock up on peak-season citrus such as Tahitian pummelos, kumquats, limequats, mandarinquats, pink lemons, proprietary varieties of mandarin orange, and organic mango oranges.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

When I see or hear the word “charcoal,” I immediately think of those black briquettes that are used for grilling (if you don’t have a gas grill). At one time, the only way to grill or barbecue was to buy charcoal briquettes, splash some lighter fluid on them, and light a match. Your food might taste a bit like kerosene, but, who cared?

Now here we are in 2017, and charcoal is one of the top food trends for this year.

And no, it’s not the same as the barbecue briquettes.

Also known as activated charcoal, this pitch-black powder is made from heated coconut shells (coconut anything is another big trend), which is harmless and different from consuming charred foods. If this sounds familiar to you, it is because activated charcoal is used in your water filter for purification and in your hospital for poison absorption. In fact, my daughter Alex told me she first got familiar with charcoal as an ingredient in facial masks that remove toxins and impurities from your skin.

 

As far as trends go, charcoal is everywhere from bread and baked goods to ice cream, and from juices and smoothies to cocktails. But I’m still skeptical.

Last week, Alex and I walked into my local Nekter Juice Bar after a hard workout. She pointed out, “Oh, look. They’re sampling charcoal juice! Want a taste?”

Did I want a drink of charcoal juice? Alex, you must be kidding!

After a bit of questioning, I tried a small sip of the blackish-gray liquid. It wasn’t so bad!

As it turns out, according to a March 2015 Time Magazine article and a September 2016 POPSUGAR article, not a lot of scientific research has been done on the health benefits of drinking charcoal drinks. But when mixed with other green juice drinks, it seems to be safe enough. Plus, the green drink cocktail masks the chalky, gritty taste of the charcoal.

When I went back to the Nekter Juice Bar last night for my regular green drink, I asked how the charcoal drink blends are selling. I was told that they are very popular and they were sold out!

Instinctively, it makes sense that, if you want to detox your body, a green drink with charcoal would help with detoxing. (You can even make your own!) But as one of the articles warned, don’t have a big charcoal drink within a couple of hours of taking medicine. Also, too much of a good thing might have the opposite effect on your digestion.

For me, I will probably just stick to “the Greenie,” made with a base of kale, parsley, cucumber, and celery with a little apple and lemon for flavor. My naturopath tells me I need to drink at least one green drink a day to help make my body less acidic (more alkaline). This will help reduce any inflammation.

That’s my favorite on the right, “the Greenie.”

For those of us who have recommitted to healthier habits in the new year, consider just making one small change at a time. So, one of my first commitments for 2017 is to eat more greens. And a green drink at my local juice bar requires no preparation on my part and tastes amazing.

As for charcoal juice, it’s not for me but that should not stop you. Try it and see!

Karen

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When was the last time you wrote a personal check? Or deposited one with a teller in a bank?

Today you can bank without setting one foot outside your house. Using your smartphone, you can deposit your checks, transfer your money, and pay your bills without touching a piece of paper or signing any form. And I have to admit: I love it! I can sit at my desk, take out my cell phone, snap a couple of pictures, and “poof,” my check is deposited.

And just to think, 30 years ago, my friend had to show me how to use the ATM when it first came out. I mean, before that, we had to cash our paychecks inside the bank with everyone else. Oh, the lines! The forms! The hassle! Those days are long gone now.

And it’s not just banking either.

I had a bit of surprise last weekend when I needed to refill a prescription while I was traveling. My insurance company had just changed, and I didn’t think about updating that information with CVS. Why would I? Like most people, I have my prescription on auto-refill.

So, when I got a text from CVS telling me that I needed to update my insurance information before they would refill my prescription, I was trying to figure out how I was going to get to the pharmacy while it was open. But then I noticed a link next to my text, “Click to update your information.”

And to my surprise, a screen similar to my banking app showed up.Kind of like this but for my insurance card:

Wouldn’t you know it? Within an hour, I got a text that my information was accepted and my prescription was available for pickup.

As my mom Frieda always says, “Technology is just amazing.”

What’s more amazing is how companies are using technology to provide solutions for their customers, bettering their experience and retaining their loyalty. Taking a look at my own industry, Ahold USA banners (Stop & Shop and Giant) have SCAN IT! Now a mobile feature, this tool allows shoppers to scan their items, using their smartphones, for a self-serve checkout. The store recently announced it is upgrading its Wi-Fi connectivity for an even better customer experience. This will make the customer app run faster and also allow store associates to help customers with ordering and price checking.

For some, business technology will be the ultimate disruptor. And for others, it will create opportunities. We, as shoppers, totally love the seamless transactions! But what can we do as a business to provide that to our clients?

Back in the office, I shared the story of updating my insurance information via my cell phone with my colleague Mark. He said that that he reported his car mileage to the insurance company the same way—taking a photo of his dashboard and uploading it to his State Farm app. Done.

Yes, technology is amazing!

Karen

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Frieda’s Specialty Produce, Taylor Farms, and Driscoll’s Berries execs join other esteemed speakers to discuss future of agriculture

Los Alamitos, CA – (January 2017) – Corporate executives from all corners of the agriculture industry gather to share their ideas on the future at THRIVE AgTech Innovation Forum on Wednesday, February 1, in Menlo Park, California. The event is a full day of keynote addresses, panel discussions, and tech presentations for executives, investors, farmers, and startups to discover the technologies that are changing the way we grow food today and will in the future.

Among the panelists are produce industry leaders Taylor Farms CEO Bruce Taylor, Driscoll’s Berries CEO Kevin Murphy, and Frieda’s Specialty Produce President and CEO Karen Caplan. Taylor and Murphy will be on the “Catalyzing Industry Transformation” panel, and Caplan will be on “Driving Innovation for the 21st Century Consumer.”

“Our goal by inviting these three produce leaders is to join together the great minds and innovators in the Silicon Valley with the great minds and innovators in the fresh produce industry,” commented John Hartnett, CEO of SVG Partners and founder of THRIVE. “We are thrilled that all three of them will be joining us for the day.”

About THRIVE AgTech

THRIVE AgTech connects the expertise of tech companies to the on-the-ground knowledge of agricultural companies, the financial backing of investors, and the innovation of entrepreneurs, bringing them together to meet the global food demands of the future.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

As fermented foods become more mainstream, retailers should stock up on shoppers’ favorite Korean pickled vegetables

LOS ALAMITOS, CA (January 2017) — Food trendsetters and health experts continue to sing the praises of fermented foods, so it’s time for produce departments to capitalize on the rising demand by stocking the refrigerated section with kimchi—Korean pickled vegetables.

Consumer Reports, Thrillist, and Food Network’s Healthy Eats blog are among many trends lists that called out fermented foods like kimchi, kombucha (fermented tea), and kefir (yogurt-like drink) as this year’s hot items.

As more research reveals the correlation between good digestive health and overall wellness, dietitians and other health professionals continue to recommend adding fermented foods like kimchi to one’s diet for a healthy dose of probiotics.

“More shoppers are looking to eat better and are getting their recommendations from retail dietitians. We are definitely seeing that in our sales over the past few years,” said Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “Our new packaging also helps with that. It’s colorful. It’s funny. And that helps make kimchi less intimidating to shoppers who may be scared to try something ‘fermented.’”

Frieda’s offers Nice & Mild “funky fresh” kimchi, Hot & Spicy kimchi that’s “fire in the bowl,” and “fiery and delish” Extra Hot kimchi—all with “friendly fermentation!”

“Kimchi is popular with the health and wellness set, as well as foodies everywhere,” said Caplan. “You can find recipes and pictures of kimchi in just about everything from Korean-inspired tacos and burgers to a Bloody Mary. Even the Idaho Potato Commission’s recent recipe contest winner is a kimchi potato recipe!”

Caplan also added, “The upcoming Chinese New Year promotion is a great opportunity to showcase this versatile fermented food along with other Asian vegetables.”

Retailers who are ready to rock their refrigerated cases with Frieda’s kimchi varieties should contact Frieda’s account managers today.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

I know everyone celebrates New Year’s on January 1 of each year, but have you ever thought of mixing it up a bit by celebrating the New Year when the Chinese do?

Every year around January or February, many parts of the world celebrate Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year. The date changes from year to year because this holiday is part of a lunisolar calendar based on lunar cycles and therefore different from the Gregorian calendar which we use on a daily basis.

This year, the Year of the Rooster begins on January 28. But what does a Rooster mean? And how do you know which year of the Chinese zodiac are we in? Well, this website helps you figure it out, or you can check your birth year against this chart and click on it to find out more about your year.

Find your zodiac sign then click on the chart to learn more.

Many stories explain how the zodiac came to be. But the popular folklore is that the Jade Emperor called a meeting of the animals, and the zodiac signs are named for each animal in order of arrival. To get there, the animals had to cross the river as a test of strength and wit, showcasing each animal’s character. Rat got there first because he hopped on the back of the ox. The tiger used his strength to swim against the current, coming in third. And so on.

So, in case you’re wondering, I was born in the Year of the Sheep. According to the Chinese, people born in the Year of Sheep are tender, polite, loving, clever, and kind-hearted. They have special sensitivity to art and beauty, and a special fondness for quiet living. Be sure to check out which year you were born in and what that means!

Okay, now that you are fully educated on Chinese New Year, how does one celebrate?

If you live in a big city, look for Chinese New Year (or CNY as we call it at my office) events in the calendar section of your local paper or online. They could also be listed as Lunar New Year or Spring Festival. Chinese New Year celebrations usually have a parade, and food. Food, everywhere.

Chinese New Year is one of the biggest food holidays of the year, right up there with Thanksgiving. Feasts are held as families gather to celebrate. The foods eaten also have auspicious meaning—like wontons and dumplings signify coin purses, daikon for good luck, and Chinese long beans for longevity.

And for most American shoppers, if you go into your local supermarket, you may find large displays of Asian vegetables (napa cabbage, bok choy, Shanghai bok choy, Chinese eggplant, fresh ginger, Asian pears, boxes of citrus, and add-ons like tofu, and eggroll and wonton wrappers) at this time of year. I’m proud to say that my company was the first in the produce industry to talk about the fruit- and veggie-centric Chinese New Year celebration as an opportunity for produce managers!

So, knowing that you can get authentic ingredients from your local supermarket, you can host your own CNY dinner party! A potluck is a perfect way to gather your friends and family to share food and welcome the new lunar year. Wontons are super easy to make for potlucks either in a soup or fried for a crispy appetizer. Not sure how to fold them? Check out this quick video:

[youtube=https://youtu.be/w4fth81B0_U]

A few more Chinese traditions that I’d like to share:

Gung Hay Fat Choy (Happy New Year….in Chinese)!

Karen

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LOS ALAMITOS, CA (January 2017) — Purple produce was featured as a top 2017 food trend in national media including NBC’s TODAY, Fortune, Forbes, Food & Wine, Parade, and Consumer Reports. Frieda’s Specialty Produce urges retailers, wholesalers, and foodservice providers to take advantage of this purple buzz before it fades.

Most of these reports mentioned by name Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes, purple asparagus, and purple cauliflower, which Frieda’s predicted to be one of the top trends for 2017.

“Purple fruits and vegetables are everywhere in the media right now with purple cauliflower and Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes leading the way,” said Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “Cauliflower in general is gaining ground as a contender to dethrone kale, and Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes sales remain strong as shoppers are asking for them by name nationwide.

“This is the perfect time to build a big, bountiful ‘Purple Power’ destination in the produce department or promote special menus while purple is fresh in shoppers’ minds.”

Other purple produce includes passion fruit, purple potatoes, purple carrots, radicchio, Treviso, and eggplant varieties.

Frieda’s has been promoting purple produce since its “Year of Purple” campaign in 2013. Retailers, wholesalers, and foodservice providers should contact Frieda’s account managers to discuss all the ways to bring purple power to the people today.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce has been inspiring new food experiences for friends, families, and food lovers everywhere since 1962. From kiwifruit to dragon fruit and from Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes to habanero peppers, Frieda’s has introduced more than 200 unique fruits and vegetables to the U.S. marketplace. Founded by produce industry trailblazer Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

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As you may know, I travel quite a bit. Mostly it’s for business.

Because I’m a frequent traveler, I have apps on my smart phone for the airlines I frequent: United, American, Jet Blue, and Delta. I can check in and access my boarding passes via the app, and as the year progresses, I continue to check my mileage so I can qualify for “frequent flyer status.” Sadly, due to all the recent mergers, I cannot remember the last time I got upgraded. So, the only benefit of status is that I get to check one bag for free.

Then last month, I missed the last connection home out of Denver late at night and was stressing out. That’s when my colleague Kevin said to me, “Let’s catch a Southwest flight back. I can book it right now.”

It had been a long time since I had flown Southwest Airlines. It was never my favorite because there are no pre-assigned seats.

But during our flight back, Kevin informed me that with Southwest, you can change or cancel your flights at any time, without any change fees or penalties (other airlines charge $150 to change a ticket). And there is no charge for the first two bags (other airlines charge $25 to $35 to check bags).

That piqued my interest. Oftentimes, my trips get changed, and I hate paying such a hefty change fee.

I downloaded the app on my phone and last week I booked a last minute flight to New Orleans for this past Tuesday.

So, what do I like about Southwest? They make it easy. They have literally thought of everything a flyer would want and make that available.

For $15 per ticket, you can get EarlyBird Check-in®, which basically puts you in front of the line to your seats over other passengers. No charge for bags. They always hand out snacks on the flights. And what I especially love—no heavy, unwieldy carts going down the aisles. The flight attendants take your beverage order and then bring it back to you on a tray.

The flight attendants are always friendly; it’s obvious that the company culture promotes a stress-free attitude of customer satisfaction. And they only fly one kind of airplane. So I always know the configuration of the seats.

And as I was scrolling through the app Wednesday night on my flight home, I noticed that if you fly on New Year’s Day or Valentine’s Day, alcoholic drinks are complimentary!

So, do you have any paradigms about businesses that you didn’t like based on previous experiences? Maybe it’s time to take another look. Whether it’s a grocery store, the gym, a new restaurant, or service provider, it’s possible that they have gone to the Southwest Airlines school of thought to “Make it easy.”

I predict more and more businesses will reinvent themselves or be disruptors in their business sector by making it easy on their customers. And if they don’t, someone else will be the disruptor.

Karen

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Frieda’s Specialty Produce picks four produce trends to prepare retailers for 2017

LOS ALAMITOS, CA (January 2017) — From Whole Foods to Nielsen, almost all of the 2017 food trend reports lead to one place: the produce department. “Vegetable-centric” cooking and dining are on top of most trends lists and retailers must be ready to offer a wide variety of fruits and vegetables to shoppers seeking to add more produce to their plates.

“Vegetable-centric eating is finally mainstream, and it’s paving ways for the future of food and produce consumption,” said Karen Caplan, president and CEO of Frieda’s Specialty Produce. “Retailers are embracing this change by expanding the number of vibrantly colored vegetables and providing more produce variety for shoppers.”

Frieda’s identifies four emerging fruit and vegetable trending items for 2017:

Radishes

With root-to-stem cooking making its way from restaurants to home kitchens, specialty radishes will take center stage as vegetables that can be eaten whole, tops and all. It also doesn’t hurt that the recent episode of Bravo’s “Top Chef Charleston” featured all types of radishes from daikon to French breakfast to watermelon radishes. With their vibrant colors, bright flavors, and nutritious green tops, radishes might just be the next kale.

Purple Cauliflower

Cauliflower has been jockeying for “the new kale” position for many years now, but with the focus firmly back on purple vegetables, the purple cauliflower might just make it this year! This purple cruciferous vegetable finds itself all over Instagram in gorgeously-arranged vegetable trays and pickle boards. Even food television personality Alton Brown touted cauliflower as the “ingredient of the year” for 2016.

Hard Squashes

Shoppers are also looking for a variety of squash year-round instead of just in the fall and winter. From soups to grain bowls to spiralized noodles, hard squashes can do it all. They are hearty and nutrient-dense, economical and versatile. No wonder they are becoming the darling of “veg-centric” cooking, with butternut and delicata squashes leading the pack.

Tropical Fruits and Aromatics

Tropical flavors are the key to many rising trends from the tiki cocktail revival to island cuisine. Be ready with shoppers’ favorites like jackfruit, lychees, dragon fruit, and starfruits, and make sure to have fresh aromatics on hand like turmeric, ginger, and lemongrass.

About Frieda’s Inc.

Frieda’s Specialty Produce celebrates a 55-year legacy of inspiring new food experiences for friends, family, and food lovers everywhere. Credited with introducing more than 200 specialty fruits and vegetables to U.S. supermarkets, Frieda’s has helped launch unique items like kiwi fruits, Stokes Purple® sweet potatoes, habanero peppers, Sunchokes®, and organic finger limes. Founded in 1962 by produce industry icon Dr. Frieda Rapoport Caplan, subject of the 2015 documentary “Fear No Fruit,” the family company is now owned and operated by Frieda’s daughters, Karen Caplan and Jackie Caplan Wiggins, in Orange County, California. Find Frieda’s on Facebook, @FriedasProduce, and Friedas.com. Inspire. Taste. Love.

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At the end of each year, a lot of people make monetary donations to charitable organizations.

Some make donations because they are passionate about the cause.

Others do it because they are looking for an end of the year tax deduction.

For me, personally, I am not motivated by the tax deduction—I’m always driven by the cause. As you know, I’m passionate about eliminating hunger, so I donate to food banks and organizations that support them. I’m also passionate about mentoring people (young people, women, business owners), so the way I donate is to accept quite a few speaking engagements that pay it forward during the year.

But there is something I have always wanted to do.

And that is to donate blood through the American Red Cross.

My interest in it started when my good friend Jack Daly, one of the top-rated sales and motivational speakers in the world, started posting on Facebook whenever he donated blood or platelets. I have to admit that even though I consider myself a driven and competitive person, I don’t hold a candle to Jack. On his bucket list are things like: run a marathon in all 50 states and on every continent; play the top 100 golf courses; and visit all the presidential libraries. Oh, did I mention that Jack is 67 years old? If you want to see what he accomplished this year, check out this recent post on his Facebook page.

Tale of the tape 2016.
168 flights, for 219,991 miles. 91 speaking gigs. 38 books read and watched 87 movies. Enjoyed 112 home cooked meals while I was home 168 nights. 107 nights in hotels for biz and 91 in resorts for fun.
Some of the travel was Amsterdam, Ireland, Tasmania,Australia, KL, Singapore, Hawaii, Nova Scotia, Panama, Copenhagen, Venice, Rome, Croatian Coast, Pompeii, Greenland and thruout North America.
Golf on several USA and World Top 100 golf courses, Windstar cruise, Ryder Cup, Phoenix Open, Kentucky Derby, dog sledding, ice Fjords, glacier, Mt. Rushmore , oh my!
222 exercise days comprising 356 hours. 9 marathons, now at 88 lifetime, 49 states and one shy of all continents (next year on Great Wall). 1000 miles run, 1129 miles biked, 74 hours weights, and 6000 yards swimming.
Moved to a new home, built a room sized wine cellar, published #1 Amazon Best Seller “Sales Playbook”, and celebrated 47 years married to my supportive Bonnie Daly. 2016 BAM. Bring on 2017!

So, every time Jack donated blood, he would write something like, “I saved this many lives this week by giving blood.” And I thought, if Jack can find time to donate blood, then I certainly can.

For some reason, I had never done it before 2016, but I made an appointment at my local Red Cross early last year. The whole process (which includes an extensive survey about your health and recent travel, plus a quick skin prick to confirm that your iron levels are high enough) took 45 minutes. But the exhilaration I felt lasted for hours.

Like Jack, I decided to take a photo of myself giving blood and post it on Facebook. And who do you think was the first person who commented? Jack (John) Daly!

Karen: I’m extra excited to be donating blood. The last two times my iron was too low…but today it was just fine. Giving the gift of life for the holidays. ?

John Daly: You are a genuine gift to life. Happy Holidays!

So, as you are contemplating how you can make a difference during the new year, I encourage you to consider giving the ultimate gift.

Happy New Year!

Karen

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