Author: Ess Seshat

Ampak, Agrigum partner to expand gum arabic distribution in US



LARCHMONT, NY — Ampak Co. Inc. is partnering with Agrigum International, a UK-based producer of gum arabic, to expand the distribution of the ingredient in the United States.

By partnering with Ampak, Agrigum will grow its business in the developing US market, where gum arabic fiber has been approved by the FDA since Dec. 2021.

“I am proud to partner with Ampak, a company that provides reputation, distribution and market strength,” said Dani Haddad, Agrigum’s sales and marketing director. “Our stated mission, ‘Better Health through Food and Nutrition,’ aligns with their values and unwavering dedication to customer satisfaction. Both of our companies take a hands-on approach to customer care.” 

Going forward, Agrigum said it’s focused on “redefining” gum arabic through increased R&D and the creation of new applications, products and processes.

“We are thrilled to join forces with Agrigum,” said Steve Mullins, senior vice president of business development, Ampak. “Promoting the direct presence of Agrigum in North America, we will be uniquely positioned to provide the highest quality gum arabic products to all of our clients, creating an innovative and agile partnership for future growth.”

Ampak was founded in 1978 as a US importer of Indian guar gums and has since grown into a distributor for many global suppliers of these ingredients. Founded in 2007, Agrigum produces gum arabic products for applications including food and beverage, among others. 

Gum arabic offers many functional properties in these applications, including solubility, emulsification, encapsulation, viscosity, stabilization and more. 



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AgriFood Growth and Water Abundance (AGWA) cluster launched


AGWA is the second in a series of economic clusters launched by Abu Dhabi that aim to propel economic growth, diversification and job creation, alongside promoting investment opportunities in future-focused industries.

Located in Abu Dhabi, AGWA is an integrated economic cluster poised to play a leading role in global efforts to tackle food shortages and water scarcity.

Led by the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED) and Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), AGWA is set to become a global hub for novel food and ingredients, as well as technologies to increase access to and the utilisation of water resources. This innovative cluster is designed to support local suppliers and exporters alike, serving as a platform to maximise commercial opportunities. The cluster aims to help meet increasing global demand, alleviate pressures on agricultural systems, address shifting dietary patterns, capitalise on technological advancements, and support global food security to ensure a reliable and resilient supply chain.

A new cluster to strength food and water security

His Highness Sheikh Khaled bin Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan emphasised the pivotal role of the AgriFood Growth and Water Abundance (AGWA) cluster in strengthening the national food and water security ecosystem, adding that by embracing cutting-edge technologies and innovative solutions, the cluster will cultivate sustainable local production and effectively address the increasing international and regional demand for food and water.

His Highness also highlighted that food and water security is a top national priority for the leadership to ensure a resilient agricultural and water production ecosystem, using smart solutions and driving research and innovation projects in modern agricultural technologies to not only diversify the local economy but also propel sustainable development in line with the goals of the National Food Security Strategy 2051 and the UAE Water Security Strategy 2036.

AGWA will support pioneers in the food and water industry to leverage innovations in alternative proteins, algae and reverse osmosis technologies, and also to enhance traditional food and water production and supply.

AGWA taps into a AED77.4 trillion industry with significant potential for economic growth and job creation. By 2045, AGWA is expected to contribute AED90 billion in incremental GDP to Abu Dhabi’s economy, create more than 60,000 new jobs, and attract AED128 billion in investments.

Abu Dhabi: a pioneer in sustainable food solutions

His Excellency Ahmed Jasim Al Zaabi, Chairman of the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (ADDED), said: “The launch of AgriFood Growth & Water Abundance cluster (AGWA) is a game changer in our efforts to further diversify the economy, enhance innovation, and achieve objectives of the UAE food security strategy 2051. It enables us to accelerate innovations in advanced technologies to address the pressing needs for sustainable water and food sources both locally and globally.”

“Abu Dhabi has been exploring sustainable solutions to food production challenges since late 1960s. In 1969, the late Sheikh Zayed, the visionary founder of the UAE, established the first network of greenhouses on Saadiyat Island, employing advanced technologies of that era to ensure sustainable food production. Our recent initiatives continue this legacy of long-term vision and commitment to innovation, sustainability, and inclusive socio-economic development.”

H.E. Al Zaabi adds: “Our thriving “Falcon Economy’ offers vast opportunities for investors to grow and expand, supported by a business-friendly ecosystem, agile policies, robust infrastructure, a strong supply chain, government support and incentives, access to funding, advanced trade facilitation solutions, international markets connectivity, and incentives to boost non-oil economy.”

Badr Al-Olama, Director General at the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), said: “Abu Dhabi’s new food and water economic cluster addresses sustainability, critical global challenges, and new investment opportunities. This is the next step in achieving Abu Dhabi’s economic diversification strategy by accelerating non-oil sectors.”

Addressing the challenges of feeding a growing population

In most regions worldwide, over 70 per cent of freshwater is utilsised for agriculture. By 2050, feeding a global population exceeding nine billion will necessitate a projected 50 per cent increase in agricultural production and a 15 per cent rise in water withdrawals, according to the World Bank.

Abu Dhabi has long recognised the profound challenges posed by global food and water insecurity. AGWA represents the next phase of the emirate’s strategy, channelling investment and resources into future-focused economic clusters while simultaneously addressing critical global challenges.

AGWA is the second in a series of economic clusters launched by Abu Dhabi that aim to propel economic growth, diversification and job creation, alongside promoting investment opportunities in future-focused industries. In October 2023, Abu Dhabi launched the Smart and Autonomous Vehicle Industries (SAVI) cluster to position the emirate at the forefront of future mobility solutions across air, land and sea applications.

The launch of AGWA is set to strengthen Abu Dhabi’s efforts to enhance the emirate’s pioneering role in harnessing advanced innovations and solutions in food and water production and developing traditional agricultural methods. Abu Dhabi is home to 24,000 farms, 50 per cent of which are located in Al Ain City. Abu Dhabi Investment Office signed partnerships with various innovative food and water production companies, specifically focusing on solutions applicable to the desert environment.  

To learn more about doing business in Abu Dhabi, download the free whitepaper below.






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Butterball report uncovers consumer shopping behavior for shared meals



The Butterball brand has released its Butterball Togetherness Report: Capitalizing on Consumer Appetite for Shared Meals, uncovering how consumer shopping behavior is impacted when preparing for shared meals beyond the holidays and opportunities for grocery retailers to capitalize on these behaviors.

The report examines shared meals — planned meals prepared and eaten in a home with other people, whether family or friends — to highlight the dynamics of human connection. Shared meals can include immediate family meals, casual meals with family or friends, and special occasion meals. 

Conducted among a sample of more than 2,000 grocery shoppers aged 24 and up in the contiguous United States, the report sheds light on key trends shaping modern dining experiences that can help retailers curate their shopping experience to consumer preferences. 

The new Butterball Togetherness Report uncovers the role of shared meals throughout the year as well as the barriers Americans face when planning them. It also illuminates opportunities for grocery retailers to help consumers overcome these obstacles and bring people together through food more frequently. 

“For 70 years, Butterball has helped new and seasoned hosts prepare the perfect Thanksgiving centerpiece to foster togetherness through food, however there are numerous opportunities and a strong desire for people to gather over shared meals throughout the year,” said Kyle Lock, Butterball’s VP of retail and international marketing. “We examined the changing dynamics in human connection, and by sharing these insights, Butterball hopes to shed light on opportunities for grocery retailers to create a tailored shopping experience for consumers. Butterball believes in the power of food to bring people together and anticipates this trend will continue to grow, bringing additional moments of impact for grocery retailers.”  

While Americans want to gather for meals, they find that busy schedules are the top barrier holding them back from doing so as frequently as they would like. However, shoppers aren’t willing to compromise on their shared meal — they are keen to shop in store for shared meals, rather than using time-saving options such as ordering online for pickup or delivery. Additional barriers cited include limited hosting space, insufficient time to plan and prepare meals, limited cooking abilities and lack of new recipe ideas. One item that is not a major consumer concern when shopping for a shared meal: expense. The report found that shoppers typically spend more on groceries for shared meals, with younger generations — Gen Z and Millennials — spending significantly more on meals shared in their home than older generations. 

For large grocery retailers, the report highlights opportunities to help consumers solve some of these obstacles to save time planning and shopping for shared meals. Grocery retailers can help time-crunched, shared-meal shoppers by providing digital options such as publishing recipes online and in-app ingredient lists. Grocery retailers can adapt to other shopper preferences by making recipe bundle kits or updating store organization to create an easy, in-store shopping experience, where shoppers have a sense of safety, inclusivity and enjoyment. 

Additional key takeaways and trends from the report:

How grocery retailers can attract share-meal shoppers and boost loyalty

  • Help consumers shop for more frequent shared meals and make them more satisfying.
  • Reduce time and energy spent planning meals through store organization, recipe bundles and friendly customer service.
  • Provide inspiration, instill confidence, and create a fun shopping experience to attract younger consumers.

Desire for shared meals

  • 80% of those who have increased shared meals over the last two years say their lives are very rewarding, compared to 60% of those who have shared meals less often.
  • Younger consumers are willing to spend more money on hosting shared meals compared to Boomers, with younger Millennials and older Gen Z spending 55% more, and older Millennials spending 51% more.
  • 69% of all respondents express a desire for increased shared meals, despite busy schedules as the primary barrier.

Unveiling the shopper’s palate

  • 87% of shoppers favor physical grocery stores over online or delivery options when shopping for shared meals. 
  • 88% of participants agree that some grocery stores are more preferable than others when shopping for shared meals, citing factors such as ease, convenience and product offerings over price and value. 
  • Local specialty stores (3.25x increase) and wholesale stores (2.5x increase) draw disproportionately more consumers who are shopping for shared meals, compared to regular grocery runs. 

Source: Butterball LLC



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Posted on Author Categories Protein

SkinnyDipped Introduces Salty + Sweet



SkinnyDipped, welcomes a new line to its product portfolio: Salty + Sweet.

Available in three flavors – Vanilla Crunch Almonds, Maple Crunch Almonds and Cinnamon Crunch Cashews – SkinnyDipped’s Salty + Sweet range is more savory than its prior products, but they retain the brand’s signature sweetness.

“My mom and I often debate whether we’re more ‘salty’ or ‘sweet’ when it comes to snacking, then we figured – why not be both,” said Breezy Griffith, CEO and founder of SkinnyDipped. “Salty + Sweet is the perfect answer to your cravings. A healthy snack where a little sweet meets a salt kissed kick without the sugar hangover.”

SkinnyDipped’s entry into the salty and sweet category delivers on nut-forward offerings – something the brand’s audience has been craving. This line keeps with SkinnyDipped’s commitment to healthier snacks with lower-sugar input and a hit of protein.

All SkinnyDipped products are made without artificial colors or flavors, are naturally and lightly sweetened, Kosher certified, Non-GMO, and are gluten-free. Almond-based products are always made with Bee-Friendly almonds.

Arriving on the heels of SkinnyDipped’s rebrand, the Salty + Sweet packaging is also made with 40% post-consumer recycled plastic. 

Cinnamon Crunch Cashews, Maple Crunch Almonds and Vanilla Crunch Almonds retail for $6.49 per 4-oz. pouch. The entire Salty + Sweet line can be purchased on Amazon and at select retailers.



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Bahri splashes $1bn on nine Marinakis VLCCs


Capital Ship Management

Saudi Arabia’s flagship line Bahri has snapped up nine very large crude carriers from Evangelos Marinakis-controlled Capital Maritime & Trading.

The company said in a Tadawul filing it would be paying about $1bn in total for the scrubber-fitted ships delivering by the end of the first quarter of 2025. The deal will be financed by bank borrowings and cash on hand.

Bahri has been actively renewing its VLCC fleet since late last year by taking a number of modern ships on the secondhand market, including four VLCCs from Korea Line Corporation in May.

The latest move is expected to modernise the company’s oil shipping fleet, which currently stands at 40 VLCCs, and enable phasing out older vessels. The majority of the nine unnamed vessels were built in South Korea and average 5.9 years and about 311,500 dwt.

“The transaction will significantly advance Bahri’s fleet modernisation plans, reinforcing its position among leading VLCC owners globally,” the company said, adding that it would also bolster Bahri’s overall fleet competitiveness and lead to higher earnings and reduced operating expenses.

The sale for the Greek owner follows orders for six LNG dual-fuel VLCCs in China earlier this year at $140m each with deliveries set for 2026 and 2027.



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Posted on Author Categories Seafood

Ukraine’s grain output, exports show strength


Harvesting cereals in Ukraine in July. Photo: Technotorg

AS RUSSIA continues to target Ukraine’s grain export facilities on the Black Sea, the country’s farmers have almost concluded their 2024-25 winter and spring-crop harvest campaign, with production holding up surprisingly well in the wake of an extremely dry finish that threatened to cripple crop yields.

Wheat futures in Europe and the US spiked last week after reports of a Russian missile attack on the port of Odesa rekindled concerns of grain export disruptions. The ballistic missile, launched from Russian-occupied Crimea, successfully penetrated Ukrainian air defences and struck the truck discharge bay at a foreign-owned export facility.

Fortunately, there were no employee or civilian casualties in the attack and grain stored in nearby silos, which is destined for the export market, was not damaged. Once it became clear that interruptions to the flow of exports due to the bombing would be minimal, wheat futures retreated to close the week lower than before the Russian attack.

As the winter and spring crop harvest draws to a close, the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine reported on August 16 that more than 31.9 million tonnes (Mt) of grain and oilseeds had already been reaped, made up of 28.5Mt of grain and pulses, and 3.4Mt of oilseeds.

The total harvested area is just shy of 7.95 million hectares (Mha), with the wheat and barley harvests finished and the rapeseed and pulse harvests both 99 percent threshed.

Total wheat production for the 2024-25 season finished at 21.7Mt off 4.85Mha for an average yield of 4.47t/ha. This compares to last year’s harvest, which saw 22.97Mt harvested off 5Mha for an average yield just 2.6pc higher at 4.59Mha. The official agriculture ministry numbers differ slightly from
those reported by the USDA. In last week’s global supply and demand update, the USDA pegged wheat production slightly lower at 21.6Mt, but the harvested area was higher at 5.2Mha, giving an average yield of only 4.15t/ha.

Barley production came in at 5.5Mt off a harvested area of 1.4Mha and an average yield across the country of 3.93t/ha. In the 2023-24 season, total barley output finished at 6.11Mt off 1.68Mha for an average yield of 3.64Mt/ha, 7.4pc lower than this season’s effort. The USDA has this season’s barley production, area and yield at 5.3Mt, 1.5Mha and 3.53t/ha respectively.

Rapeseed is the primary winter-grown oilseed in Ukraine, and with the final harvest tonnes still trickling into storage facilities, the harvest currently stands at 3.4Mt off a harvested area of 1.23Mha. That compares to the final output from the 2023 harvest of around 4.75Mt off 1.6Mha. This season’s average yield of 2.76t/ha is 7.1pc lower than the 2023 average of 2.97t/ha.

The main winter pulse crop grown in Ukraine is yellow peas, and according to the agriculture ministry, output from this year’s harvest currently sits at almost 460,000t. This is off a harvested area of nearly 208,000ha for an average yield of 2.21t/ha.

Exports find a way

On the export front, Ukraine’s Prime Minster Denys Shmyhal stated at a government meeting last Friday that more than 2300 ships entered Ukrainian ports on the Black Sea in the 12 months since the Black Sea Grain Initiative ended and the Ukrainian Maritime Grain Corridor commenced operation. The export volume in that period was more than 64Mt, with grains and oilseeds shipments of around 44Mt making up around 69pc of the total.

According to the USDA, Ukrainian wheat exports in the 2023-24 marketing year, which concluded at the end of June, totalled 18.4Mt, thanks to a drawdown in stocks of more than 2.1Mt. Domestic consumption of around 7.5Mt in 2023-24 was also down around 700,000t compared to the previous year, adding to the exportable surplus. With a bare-bones carry-in of less than 800,000t and an expected jump in domestic consumption to 8.5Mt, the USDA’s August update put 2024-25 wheat exports at 14Mt, up from 13Mt a month earlier, but 21.7 percent lower season on season.

Wheat exports to the EU and Egypt, traditionally major destinations, grew by 12pc and 260pc respectively, and Pakistan became a new destination, importing 814,000t. There was also a spike, collectively totalling around 2.5Mt, in shipments to several smaller destinations such as Vietnam, Algeria, Lebanon, Israel, Tunisia, and South Korea. This volume expansion became possible due to a significant drop in exports to Türkiye, down from 3.1Mt to 1.1Mt.

Exports of barley in 2023-24 totalled 2.3Mt, down from 2.56Mt the previous season, with ending stocks
unchanged. Exports to China rebounded to 29pc of total shipments, up from 10pc in 2022-23, Saudi Arabia, a traditional pre-war market, was back on the buyers list, but consignments to the EU fell.

Domestic consumption increased slightly to 3.5Mt, with around 1Mt going into food, seed and industrial uses, predominantly malt for the brewing and distilling industries, and 2.5Mt going into stockfeed rations.

EU tops for rapeseed sold

Ukraine’s rapeseed exports in 2023-24 totalled around 3.7Mt, with traditional EU customers the leading destination. Shipments to the EU increased by around 6pc to just under 3.2Mt, making it the trading bloc’s leading supplier of the oilseed. An increase in Ukraine’s domestic crush saw it exceed 1Mt for the first time in 2023-24, leading to record rapeseed oil exports of 420,000t for the season. As a result, Ukrainian rapeseed oil is gaining a firm foothold across the EU and in key Asian markets such as China, Malaysia and Singapore.

Grain and oilseed exports in July, the first month of the 2024-25 marketing year, were 4.2Mt, more than double the same period last year. This included 3.7Mt through Odesa and 570,000 via Danube River ports, with China, Egypt and Turkiye the key destinations. The surge came despite the recent intensification of Russian attacks, very similar to that of last week, on the key Black Sea export hub of Odesa and the main Danube River port of Izmail.

The export tempo has continued in the first half of this month, with 1.56Mt shipped to August 14 against 848,000t in the same period last year. Rapeseed exports for the first two weeks of the month were 420,000t, already exceeding total July shipments of 411,000t. This compares to 670,000t for the entire month of August 2023 and puts Ukraine on track for a new record high if current pace is maintained.



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Posted on Author Categories Crops

Cattle gallstone market soars to stratospheric levels: What’s behind it?


QUESTION: What is the most valuable item that can be harvested from beef cattle in Australia? If your answer was eye fillet steak, foetal blood used in the diagnostic and pathology industries or heart valves used in human transplants, you’d be wrong.

Gallstones, found (occasionally) in the gall bladders of cattle during processing for beef, are currently worth up to an eye-watering A$330,000/kg. Compare that with 24K gold, worth a record $131,000/kg in Australia this morning.

Beef Central published this deep dive into the gallstone industry back in 2015, and many of the points raised in that original item are still relevant today.

Back then, best quality gallstones were worth around $20,000/kg – still a considerable amount of money, but representing a 1550 percent increase since then. Two years ago, good gallstones were making $100,000/kg, but the market has simply exploded since 2023.

In fact our original gallstone article, unintentionally, has ‘morphed’ into something of a global marketplace for gallstones, with hundreds of people around the world posting reader comments as potential buyers or sellers. We suspect some of those, at least, may be dodgy, so buyers beware.

So how scarce, or abundant are cattle gallstones, and are processors making a ‘killing’ at producers’ expense?

The Australian cattle industry’s entire production of gallstones each year amounts to only about 200kg, one of the country’s largest brokers in the commodity told Beef Central. The broker asked not to be identified in this report, but was happy to share knowledge and opinion about what’s driving the latest market trend.

The world leader in gallstone production is Brazil, which still only manages to produce 2000kg of stones a year.

An important point is that while the stones (like those pictured above) look like gravel or small rocks, they are surprisingly light in weight. Stones are 75 percent water when first retrieved, and lose much of that weight when they dry out, before sale. Sometimes they grow mould, and become devalued during that process.

Gallstones can form in the gall bladder of cattle, and are retrieved at the abattoir during the bile extraction process on the eviscera table. Their presence, frequency and quality can be influenced by a wide range of factors, such as grazing country type and access to bore water.

Additionally, the supply of gallstones has a lot to do with age at slaughter. A cow slaughter plant targeting manufacturing meat is likely to produce more, and larger stones per head of animals processed than a plant processing yearling MSA grassfed or grainfed.

Are stones lucrative?

So how much are beef processors in Australia making out of harvesting gallstones?

A broker contact who has dealt in gallstones for 40 years made an assessment some years ago based on sales that one processor supplier was taking on average 30,000 head of cattle to generate 1kg of stones. If that figure is accurate, and if it is assumed that every stone is of Grade A quality (which they aren’t), it suggests a return on a per head slaughtered basis of around $10. However, many stones are of inferior quality, so reality may be considerably lower than that – perhaps $5 a head, at best, the broker said.

Another large Queensland plant killing around 200,000 cattle a year (but few if any older cows) told Beef Central it was lucky to produce 1kg of sellable gallstone a year. Even processing plants specialising in cow slaughter for manufacturing beef say the presence of gallstones is ‘very, very low’ relative to the number of cattle killed.

Compare those figures with another co-product item harvested from beef cattle, like Swiss Cut Tongue, for example – popular in Japan and currently worth around $25/kg FOB (as much as $40/kg in Wagyu). At an average sale weight of 1.5kg, that suggests some processors are making anywhere from $37 to $60 a head from tongue offal – suggesting that gallstones are nowhere near as lucrative to processors as they may first seem.

Processors, of course, would argue that any revenue generated from the occasional gallstone is accounted for in the overall price they are prepared to pay for slaughter cattle.

So has the volume of gallstones produced by the Australian processing industry changed much, as the industry has transitioned into younger, heavier cattle – on average at least 12 months younger than a few decades ago?

Surprisingly not, a well known broker said, suggesting volumes had remained reasonably stable over the past 20 or 30 years.

Apart from the Global Financial Crisis period around 1998 when gallstones became almost impossible to sell, prices had growing steadily, rather than exponentially, over many years, until the latest boom, the broker said.

While China remains the primary market for Australian gallstones, other countries like Japan, Korea and Taiwan are also customers.

Gallstones as currency

One theory that has emerged about the current extraordinary prices for stones is that their appeal has transcended their primary use in traditional Asian medicine.

Gallstones have become a form of currency in parts of Asia, it seems.

“The Chinese economy is in a bad state, and wealthy people in China have been buying gallstones and storing them like they would gold,” an Australian broker told Beef Central.

Another factor was that Chinese people are now limited by law to taking no more than $50,000 offshore, the trade contact claimed, so gallstones are being used as a means of cash transfer. Stones bought from Australia are being re-exported and sold out of China, and the resultant cash parked in overseas accounts, it was claimed.

“The risk is that when the market does turn – and bubbles often burst – it could happen with a vengeance,” the broker warned.

With that risk being presented, some Australian gallstone brokers had been forced to change their business models, to avoid being caught with expensive product in a collapsing market.

“The current price is not realistic, and I don’t think it will keep at this level. It’s ridiculous,” the broker said.

 

 

 





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Posted on Author Categories Meat

Kostuch Media Ltd. Announces 2024 Pinnacle Award Winners


TORONTO — Kostuch Media Ltd., publisher of industry magazines Foodservice and Hospitality and Hotelier, has announced the 2024 winners of its prestigious Pinnacle Awards, recognizing excellence in the hospitality industry.

The 11 awards will be presented at a gala luncheon on December 6 at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel in Toronto, where KML will celebrate the 35th-anniversary edition of the awards program. 

F&H’s Company of the Year honours are being presented to Redberry Restaurants, while InnVest Hotels has been named Hotelier’s Company of the Year. 

Other category winners for Foodservice and Hospitality include Scale Hospitality for Regional Company of the Year; David Minicucci and Rob Rossi (owners of Giulietta & Osteria Giulia) for Independent Restaurateurs of the Year; Nuit Regular for Chef of the Year; and La Tablée des Chefs for Supplier of the Year.

On the hotel side, this year’s Regional Company of the Year is Opal Hospitality. Hotelier of the Year honours will be presented to Madone Pelan, GM of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel in Victoria, while the Supplier of the Year award for Hotelier magazine is being presented to DesignAgency.

Winner’s Circle

Over the past year, Company of the Year, Redberry Restaurants, has grown its portfolio by 16.2 per cent in terms of store units, increased revenue by 16.4 per cent and grew its EBITDA by 30 per cent. At the same time, Redberry continued to give back to the communities it operates in across Canada through varied donations to community events and charities.

Founded by industry veterans Hanif Harji and Terry Tsianos, Regional Company of the Year Scale Hospitality brings world-class restaurants, enduring hospitality brands and memorable experiences to Canada’s dining scene. Notable concepts include Toronto’s FIGO; AP, a Japanese and Pan Asian fine-dining collaboration atop the Manulife Centre (in collaboration with celebrity chef Antonio Park); King West’s hottest new steak, seafood & cocktails destination, Maxime’s; haute Caribbean-inspired Miss Likklemore’s; French bistro-bar, Lapinou; Toronto’s oldest bar and performance venue, The Wheatsheaf Tavern; the legendary Miller Tavern locations; Coastal Mediterranean-inspired Toronto Beach Club; GG’s Burgers; Parisian-style restaurant, Le Sélect Bistro, and many more.

For years, David Minicucci and Rob Rossi of Giulietta & Osteria Giulia — the duo receiving this year’s Independent Restaurateurs of the Year award — have been known for their high level of guest service, attention to detail, and commitment to staff training, retention and success. Its sales numbers have continued to grow year-over-year and Giulietta was recognized by Michelin Guide in both 2022 and 2023, while Osteria Giulia was awarded a One Star Michelin in both 2022 and 2023. The company is a leader in promoting and encouraging a positive work/life balance, offering paid vacation to its management employees, a flexible schedule and extra time off to all staff, and an employee health-benefits program.

Chef of the Year Nuit Regular is no stranger to the spotlight, having made a profound impact on the foodservice-and-hospitality industry through her innovative culinary contributions, commitment to employee development, and active participation in industry and community events. She’s celebrated for introducing authentic Northern Thai cuisine to a broader audience, elevating the culinary landscape with her unique and traditional dishes. What began in 2008 as a small restaurant called Sukhothai has now grown to five restaurant brands (PAI, Kiin, Chaiyo, Sukhothai, and Selva) and an events-and-catering company, with a total of 12 locations across the Greater Toronto Area.

La Tablée des Chefs, F&H’s Supplier of the Year, operates a food-recovery program that recovers surpluses from the industry and distributes them to community organizations to combat food insecurity. Through this program, established in 2003, La Tablée des Chefs, under the guidance of founder and general manager, Jean-François Archambault, works hand-in-hand with donors from the HRI sector (hotels, restaurants, institutions) to create a food-recovery process that is sustainable, safe, secure and organized, while helping to build relationships and positive impact in the community. Since its inception, La Tablée des Chefs has helped re-distribute more than 12.3 million meals to people in need.

On the hotel side, Company of the Year InnVest Hotels has had a banner year, growing its portfolio to more than 100 hotels representing 14 internationally recognized brands. Most notably, in January, the company acquired 10 Ontario and Halifax Hotels. The high-quality portfolio includes a mix of focus service, extended-stay and full-service hotels with 1,737 guestrooms and 40,000 sq. ft. of meeting and convention space. As its portfolio grows, so does InnVest’s commitment to giving back, supporting a number of causes including Habitat for Humanity Builds and Kits for a Cause. In 2024, the company launched its InnVest in Community initiative to co-ordinate and expand InnVest’s philanthropic efforts.

This year’s Regional Company of the Year, Opal Hospitality, has made a significant impact on the industry through its innovative approaches and impressive growth since its founding in 2018. It all began with the strategic acquisition and re-positioning of a hotel in St. John’s, Nfld., which now operates as a DoubleTree by Hilton. Over the years, Opal’s portfolio has expanded from just one property to a total of 14 operating and developing properties, reflecting its substantial growth and influence in the industry. The company takes great pride in its commitment to fostering a positive corporate culture and promoting diversity within its team, and its employee-training programs are designed to enhance service quality, manage costs effectively, and improve culinary skills.

Madone Pelan, GM of the Oak Bay Beach Hotel in Victoria, B.C., is this year’s Hotelier of the Year. Under her leadership, Oak Bay Beach Hotel was awarded the Air Canada Business of the Year award at the 2023 Canadian Tourism Awards and was named #7 Best Hotel in Western Canada by Condé Nast Traveler Reader’s Choice Awards for 2023. Pelan and her team are extremely involved in giving back to the community, including partnering with the David Foster Foundation to provide financial support to Canadian families with children in need of life-saving organ transplants.

Founded by partners Allen Chan, Matt Davis and Anwar Mekhayech, our Supplier of the Year, for Hotelier magazine, DesignAgency, is a sought-after design firm for hotel operators around the world. Here at home, its recent projects include work on guestrooms and suites at Four Seasons Toronto (guestrooms and suites) as well as Hilton Toronto, where DesignAgency spearheaded the lobby re-design and were the creative force behind the design of Frenchy, the hotel’s new on-property restaurant. Underscoring the studio’s commitment to designing with purpose and inspiration, it recently launched the Good Design Is Good Business Award at Toronto Metropolitan University’s School of Interior Design, which grants $5,000 to a graduating student at the School of Interior Design who demonstrates an innate understanding, and keen interest in, the integral relationship between good design and business acumen. DesignAgency was the first interior design firm to participate in the Design Research Internship Program, a six-week learning course with the University of Toronto’s Daniels School of Architecture and in January 2024, DesignAgency hosted students pursuing an Interior Design degree at Fanshaw College.

The Rosanna Caira Lifetime Achievement Awards

With an illustrious career spanning more than 60 years, this year’s Hotelier Lifetime Achievement Award winner is Josef Ebner, Regional VP, Canada & Managing Director at Langham Hospitality Group – Chelsea Hotel Toronto, Canada’s largest hotel property. Ebner has worked in 14 properties and seven countries, but the bulk of his career was spent leading the Chelsea Hotel for the past 32 years, where he oversaw the transition of the hotel brand from Delta to Chelsea (under Langham Hospitality Group) 11 years ago. The much-loved hotelier has received countless awards and accolades throughout the years from the Hotel Association of Canada, Canadian Hotel and Marketing Sales Executives, the Greater Toronto Hotel Association, the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario, as well as Hotelier magazine’s Hotelier of the Year honours, the Austrian Canadian Council, and a SKAL award. In 2011, Ebner received the Decoration of Honour in Gold (Goldenes Ehrenzeichen) from the Province of Styria, Austria, and the 2001 Decoration of Merit in Gold (Goldenes Verdienstzeichen) of the Republic of Austria.

To commemorate the 35th anniversary of the Pinnacle Awards, this year KML will be presenting two Lifetime Achievement Awards. In addition to Ebner, KML will also present a Lifetime Achievement Award to Franco Prevedello, Toronto restaurateur in the foodservice category. Prevedello started his renowned career in Canada working at the Ontario Pavilion at Expo 67 in Montreal. He later moved to Toronto where he had a hand in opening several restaurants, including Quo Vadis, Pronto, Bindi, Splendido, Nota Bene, Carbon Bar and the famed Centro. The legendary restaurateur was uniquely responsible for putting Italian restaurants on the map in Toronto and for mentoring several of Toronto’s most famed restaurateurs and chefs.

“As we celebrate the 35th anniversary of the Pinnacle Awards, it’s so gratifying to see the continued growth and evolution of this respected program, which began in 1989 when Foodservice and Hospitality presented our first Man of the Year Award to George Cohon, founder and president of McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada,” says Rosanna Caira, editor/publisher of Foodservice and Hospitality and Hotelier magazines. (N.B. Pinnacle Awards were not presented in 2020 due to COVID).

“Since that inaugural award, the Pinnacle Awards program has grown and evolved to encompass 11 awards in various categories for both of Kostuch Media’s two magazine titles. During that time, and through this program, we have honoured the legacy of excellence and countless companies and individuals whose passion and commitment have shaped the foodservice and hospitality landscape, each of them inspiring us to reach new heights. This year, as we salute the 2024 crop of winners, we applaud their extraordinary achievements, their dedication, and their inspiring support of the community at large.”

To purchase tickets for this year’s Pinnacle Awards, please click here

To sponsor the Pinnacle Awards, click here



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How J.C. Penney is using AI and machine learning in its supply chain


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As a retailer with a more than 120-year history, J.C. Penney has navigated plenty of shifts in the retail space.

Today, the department store chain is focused on protecting its future since emerging from bankruptcy under new ownership in 2020. It’s in the midst of a plan to invest more than $1 billion into its business by fiscal year 2025.

One of the central pillars of the retailer’s long-term improvement strategy is implementing more advanced technology, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, into its supply chain operations.

Chief Information Officer Sharmeelee Bala, who joined J.C. Penney in January 2022, has been a key leader behind the company’s technology upgrade strategy, noting that such initiatives are now being looked at as enablers for the company rather than afterthoughts.

Sharmeelee Bala, chief information officer, J.C. Penney.

Courtesy of J.C. Penney 

 

“J.C. Penney has been very strategic in ways to invest and how to invest and prioritize the investments in technology, especially,” Bala told Supply Chain Dive in an interview. She added that the company is focused on improving customer and employee experience through its technology investments.

On the customer side, Bala says J.C. Penney has begun implementing newer tools, some homegrown and others from third parties, across pricing and assortment planning, among other functions.

“We’ve also got investments where we decide the node from where we send, whether it was shipped from store or do we need to send it from a distribution center or a fulfillment center, which is closer to our customer, so that they can get it faster,” Bala said.

At the distribution center level, J.C. Penney has turned to new warehouse management systems and automation technology to improve operations. For example, earlier this year, the retailer installed SDI Element Logic’s Joey Pouch sorting system at a facility in Reno, Nevada, in an effort to improve inventory management and purchase delivery times.

Bala said the turn to automation is meant to eliminate an overabundance of time-consuming manual processes and handoffs that were prone to error. She added that automation technology is meant to help augment employees’ work to make their jobs easier.

“Like induction and picking and everything is much more modern and automated. You still have people doing it,” Bala said. “You still have somebody who is having to connect the dots, but it takes that manual handoff out of the picture, and it takes time out of the picture.”

Since implementing automation technology at the Reno distribution center, Bala said speed and productivity have improved at the facility, as has the time it takes to deliver to customers.

You still have somebody who is having to connect the dots, but it takes that manual handoff out of the picture, and it takes time out of the picture.

Sharmeelee Bala

Chief Information Officer at J.C. Penney.

Distribution center upgrades are just part of the equation for Bala, who said one of her key challenges is upgrading a massive legacy supply chain made up of multiple systems that perform similar functions.

“I do have infrastructure that is great and stable, but they are pretty old,” Bala said. “So how do I modernize [and] at the same time invest in a way that when I modernize it, I’m also getting efficiency and not just focus on modernizing?”

Although Bala says J.C. Penney is not going after “every shiny object” available, the retailer is prioritizing AI and machine learning-enabled technology. To ensure the success of such systems, Bala has prioritized building up the retailer’s enterprise data platform. Much of that work involves consolidating and cleaning data from across the business to ensure every department is speaking the same language and working together, according to Bala. 

Beyond implementing improved data hygiene practices, Bala and her team are also building a data platform that can adjust as new information comes in, allowing AI models to become more effective and provide the benefits the company needs to compete in an increasingly competitive retail arena.

“When I look at the total cost to serve, because that’s something that as a CIO, I have to keep looking at my ecosystem and say, ‘How do I make it more efficient for me to serve my business partner?’” Bala said. “How do I look at it as ensuring that we are building for the future and not just for today?”

This story was first published in our Operations Weekly newsletter. Sign up here.



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Google achieves plastic-free packaging ahead of 2025 with help of new paper


Dive Brief:

  • Google says it has met its 2025 goal to make all of the packaging for its newly launched hardware — including Pixel, Fitbit and Nest devices — without plastic, according to an announcement Tuesday. It set the goal in October 2020, when 94% of its product packaging was already free of plastic.
  • Today, the packaging is made with a paper that is three times stronger and 70% more stretchable than the paper it previously used. It developed this new paper in partnership with Veritiv and Shandong Kaili Specialty Paper Co.
  • This announcement comes on the heels of the tech giant’s release of its 2024 sustainability report last month. It showed that packaging for new Google products launched and manufactured in 2023 was 99% free of plastic. Additionally, Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro phones were introduced in October with entirely plastic-free packaging. 

Dive Insight:

The new paper used for the hardware packaging is lighter than materials used in previous packaging, thus helping to lower its transportation carbon footprint, according to the company. The internal packaging that holds the devices is made from a new molded fiber formula that is partially derived from recycled newspaper.

Google decided to make this paper available, via its supplier, to anyone interested in using it, a company spokesperson said via email. The tech company hopes “it gives others a starting point for their unique designs and accelerates the transition towards more sustainable packaging solutions,” the spokesperson said.

In addition, the boxes now have a peelable closure label to easily show if someone tampered with the product. This feature is an evolution of the previous tear strip, but it is “more elegant,” the spokesperson said. The label is composed of two layers of Kaili Glory Paper and two layers of adhesive.

“Tamper evidence and an improved consumer experience were design goals, but our focus didn’t stray from delivering a plastic-free solution. A label that can be disposed along with the box without the hassle to separate different components was top of mind for our team,” the spokesperson said.

The new, uncoated materials were developed to make recycling easier for the consumer, Google said in the announcement. But the company said it paid attention to overall design, not just materials, when considering packaging recyclability. It cites internal research showing that packaging’s look and feel influences whether consumers recycle it and whether recycling centers accept it. Based on that intel, the company designed its new packaging “with a visually speckled texture and an uncoated surface that [not] only does it look great, but looks recyclable,” the announcement says.

“Some fiber-based solutions resemble plastic due to their sophisticated construction and are sometimes mistakenly sent to landfill. Our internal studies show that consumers recognize the visually speckled texture of our new materials as recyclable and are more likely to recycle it,” the spokesperson said.

In June, Google released its plastic-free packaging design guide as an open resource meant to help accelerate progress on sustainability across industries. The guide heavily discusses fiber alternatives to plastic, including molded fiber and corrugated paper.

In its recent sustainability report, the tech company described challenges to achieving plastic-free packaging. It found that viable alternatives to plastic often do not exist in certain packaging categories. The report also noted that accelerating the transition away from plastics requires innovation both for materials and supply chains.

Competitors have been advancing their own plastic reduction goals as well. A year ago, Apple said it was on track to phase out plastic in its primary and secondary product packaging by 2025; it also described rolling out fiber-based packaging, including its first entirely fiber packaging for the Apple Watch Series 9. And Lenovo reported in its newly released ESG report that it’s on track to use 50% less single-use plastic for smartphone packaging by early 2026, while aiming for 90% of PC products’ plastic packaging to be made from recycled materials in the same timeframe.

Across the company, Google’s most recent sustainability report showed both gains and slips. In 2023, its total greenhouse gas emissions increased 13% year over year and 48% compared with the 2019 baseline. That’s contrary to goals to reduce its scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions by 50% by 2030. The increase is “primarily driven by increased data center energy consumption and supply chain emissions,” according to the report.



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