For a lot of professionals in the agriculture industry, it’s mindboggling to consider the daunting task of implementing technology. Are your technical expectations preventing you from moving forward with your PTI or other technology projects? We’ve coined a new word — techspectations — to highlight some of the common technology-related myths and see how they’re invalid when dealing with a quality solution provider:

Techspectation No. 1 — Technology costs a fortune! There are several factors that make this techspectation generally untrue in today’s business environment. First, unlike typical custom or client-server applications, Web-based software (a.k.a. Software as a Service or SaaS), doesn’t require you to have an expensive data center with a costly staff to a manage it. Secondly, there are solutions available right now that are usage based that use a pay-as-you-go model. Pay-as-you-go reduces your initial cost of entry, your ongoing expenses, and allows you to monitor what you’re paying on a day-to-day basis.

Techspectation No. 2 — Implementation is going to take longer than the salesman says! The effort required to adopt a software or technology solution, such as your upcoming PTI compliance project, may be much less than you imagine. If you’re purchasing a system from a qualified vendor, you should call their current customers and see how it went for them. While it’s true that there are tasks on the project that only your team can take on and accomplish, there’s a lot your technology supplier can and will do to make it easy for you. In our experience here at TRUETRAC, good planning is everything. Read “Making PTI Palatable — Taking One Simple Step at a Time.” There’s no reason implementation should take a long time.

Techspectation No. 3 — It’s a waste of money because there are bound to be key features “coming in the next release.” This tends to be more of a problem with internal or custom development efforts.  Products from reputable technology companies make it their responsibility to keep up with changing specifications, taking the research and management burden off your internal staff. Not only that, they will continue to add new and exciting features to their products. This is especially important for compliance software and unknown regulatory changes that may affect your operation.  But also, keep in mind that some tech companies, like TRUETRAC, love to have their customers involved in product evolution, so if there are things you would like to see, then sign up now and you be the one influencing future features and offerings.

Techspectation No. 4 — I’m going to need to hire some IT staff. While you’ll certainly need someone to be the focal point of your technology projects — we describe this person as a super user or system administrator — for the most part, that person doesn’t need to have a computer science degree. They simply need to be savy in business operations and be able to ensure that your key data is set up correctly in your system.

Techspectation No. 5 — I don’t need the technology, I’m running a business. The proper way to view technology is by the benefits that it brings, not the technology by itself. At TRUETRAC we believe technology must be a tool for solving business problems — pretty much just like a tractor. It’s meant to help, not hinder. Technology must be built to solve a problem. It should not be overly burdensome to your operation and it has to be a good fit with your business. Look for technology designed and built by people who really understand your business. Technology providers that have lived in the same business world as you are more likely to provide real return on your investment, as well as make more sense to you.

Pay-as-you-go, setting proper expectations, feature enhancements, ease of implementation all must fit into your existing operation. And they are all achievable tech-spectations.

Call us at TRUETRAC (1-800-548-1901) and one of our agricultural and supply chain experts will be happy to dispel a few more tech myths you might still be nurturing. More important, we will support you and your business in applying the right technology to your business opportunities.

We’re losing the brand war, folks.

In fact, those of us in the fresh produce industry are getting our green asses kicked. We’re working and living in the most productive agricultural region on Earth and we’ve got the freshest, healthiest, most nutritious products on the planet.

But in the mind of the consumer, M&M’s are at the top the heap — the best brand — followed closely by Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Oreo cookies. How’s that for some healthy foodstuff? Produce doesn’t even make it to the Top 10 list. You wonder why we have fat kids? It’s our sugar-infused diets that are killing us.

In fact, in a report released just this week, obesity could affect 42 percent of Americans by 2030 — which is up from 36 percent in 2010. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that medical-related costs of obesity may be as high as $147 billion a year, or about 9 percent of all medical expenditures in this country.

It’s time to fight back — but how? .It all comes down to a battle for the plate, my friends. It’s a war for the stomach. It’s time to think differently and break through to a new paradigm. Below is some food for thought:

• Put down the sword. The enemy is not the guy that grows and sells the same crop as you. The enemy is that alternative product that’s filling your consumer’s stomach. For example, a wise grower of potatoes once told me that his main competition is pasta and rice. He was only partially correct. I believe your competition is alternative processed foods, refined products laced with sugar and salt, the most sinister killer of all — junk food.
• Market to the consumer, not the customer. Up until now, suppliers in the fresh produce industry have built relationships with retailers. The retailer is the customer, after all, and they’re the ones who pay your invoices. As a result, we’ve paid little to no attention to the actual consumer. This has got to change. We must become unequivocal experts in the end user — the consumers of our products. This doesn’t mean your produce buyer isn’t important, but it means that we must get serious about talking to the mom that shops for the family, the chef and the restaurant-goer, who must decide either what goes on the menu or what looks good on that menu. We must reach the eaters of our products.
• Celebrate vegetarianism. Now, don’t go rolling your eyes at me. You know what I’m talking about. Most of us grew up on a meat and potatoes diet, but think about it a moment. Vegetarians are completely onboard with our products. They demand, depend and exist on our product line. I’m not a vegetarian, but I know many. And this group has a devotion that goes right to the core of their being. Healthy living must be celebrated. What if we could get more people to espouse their point of view?
• Buy a salad bar for the schools in your town. Pick any town, any school. Tom Stenzel and the staff at United Fresh Produce are onto something. The “Salad Bar in Every School” program is brilliant. Get kids to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables. Get it in front of them early and often. Make it available — with the keywords easy and fresh —and make it every day. Make it cool. Take a trip to those schools and get in touch with the people who put fish sticks and pizza in our kid’s faces. Volunteer at the school lunch counter. Make this initiative happen. I was pleased and proud to hear that our partner, Bunzl, donated a salad bar to a school in Texas.
• Cross-promote. Our marketing and our products are not always about us. Complementary products are not all bad. Give a call to the cheese spread people to market your broccoli. Provide a coupon for salad dressing to go with your lettuce. Give out a coupon for whipped cream to go with your peaches. Put your product into a bite-sized, easy-to-eat package.
• Let yourself be known. Recent studies show that consumers want to know where their food comes from. Let the consumers get to know you! Yes, you! Put a QR code on your packaging that points to the actual field, picker and pack date of your product. It’s no time to be shy, so get your growers out there and show them standing in the field. Put your grisly sunburned face on a website. Tell them you’re proud of what you do and let them hear your passion. You have a story to tell and your consumer wants to hear it!  If you’re a marketing company, get in touch with your growers. The grower has the star power in the mind of the consumer. Did you know that people trust a farmer more than any politician, policeman or even a teacher?  I’m not surprised, because this industry is made up of quality people, but we just don’t promote ourselves. We’ve never had to. But that notion has to change.
• Listen to your consumer. They’re talking to us. They’re talking to you — every day.  This new world of social media gives us an unobstructed opportunity, a new channel, a direct link to the actual eater. I’ve sat in numerous social media seminars and even tried it on myself. At first, it felt uncomfortable, but I’m getting used to it more and more. It’s the new way and we need to get better at it, keeping in the back of our mind that M&M’s is kicking our ass in this department.

This is a war folks, and we need to win it. But first we need to pick up our weapons and start fighting. We must beat down Hershey’s chocolate and Doritos. Snacks are OK, but not a staple and certainly not as a way of life. Our products must be top-of-mind, a natural go-to for every consumer, young and old. Let’s go after the junk food convenience food with every tool in your arsenal. Give me a call, because I just might have a suggestion or three.

Del Monte Fresh is among the world’s leading vertically integrated producers, marketers and distributors of high-quality fresh and fresh-cut fruit and vegetables, as well as a leading producer and distributor of prepared food in Europe, Africa and the Middle East. Food safety is of upmost importance to Del Monte — so much so that the company has its own management system that provides records and controls to ensure traceability for all of its produce.

The company is a real leader in monitoring produce from farm to market with tools that include quality system manuals, self-auditing programs, web-enabled handheld computer systems in the fields, critical control point processing data and mock recalls. Del Monte has a corporate R&D lab in the Bay Area to carry out food safety research, with recent projects including validating temperature requirements for shelf life and evaluating new biocides for washing and sanitizing products and processing lines.

The agreement with TRUETRAC means we’ll be ensuring that case labeling and data solutions for Del Monte’s melon harvesting and packing operations in Goodyear, Ariz., are PTI-compliant. Del Monte tested PTI solutions from several providers before selecting TRUETRAC as its provider, indicating that our training support, field pack expertise, and data integration abilities are what the company requires to make PTI successful.

Please help us in welcoming Del Monte to the TRUETRAC family. For additional information about this amazing organization, visit FreshDelMonte.com.

Any crop that travels a long distance before it arrives at a cooling facility requires tight coordination across all handlers. Harvesters, haulers, receiving personnel, and cooler operators must be on their game every day when the cargo is a perishable crop. Harvesters, packers and haulers will typically do the best they can under these circumstances, because everyone in this business knows about the golden hour — that time when crops that spend one hour in their field heat lose a full day of shelf life.

One hour hot equates to one day lost. Shrink occurs daily across this complex supply chain, but is most acute in those first precious minutes before the cooler. Shrink is a silent killer and a cost that doesn’t hit the financial books. It’s money that was never realized and therefore forfeited forever. Without real-time harvest data, your company may not be able to monitor this, remaining uninformed about the losses that occur here.

Keep in mind that when produce suppliers are judged, one of the criteria is to measure shrink, and food service and retail grocery buyers will score suppliers comparatively against each other. High shrink scores relative to your competition are never positive news.

Let’s assume a company can reduce their shrink by 1 percent over the course of a year. If you do the simple math, 1 percent multiplied by $10 a case equates to a loss of $.10 per case. Multiply this by the amount of “at risk” commodities your company harvests and it adds up to a significant sum of money very fast. Again, just do the math.

It doesn’t help at all that many of these at-risk crops are grown in different regions at different times of the year. Furthermore, because of their transitory nature, regional growing operations have their crops cooled in local and often, rented warehouses. The way this is managed now, your crop is in the hands of individuals on the ground and the savvy of the handlers unloading the truck. In other words, this blind spot in the fresh produce industry begs for real-time harvest data. We don’t really know what we lose in the golden hour, but if we did, smart suppliers would pull together a mitigation plan to eliminate this silent killer.

As you’ve probably guessed by now, the bottom line is this: You need access to real-time harvest data, because without it you simply cannot monitor and build effective decision making into the process. Until recently, tools for gaining access to real-time harvest data didn’t make sense — not across multi-region, multi-crop, multi-grower operations — because they were too costly or simply not available.

But times are changing. The fresh produce industry is facing a traceability initiative that is continent wide. Everyone will be putting labels on cases — but some innovative companies will take it a step further and collect data at the point of harvest and packing. With this data, the inherent problem with shrink will have met its match.

Collecting and managing data allows for load prioritization, because accurate data facilitates better throughput in your warehouse. In addition, timely data enables customer trucks to be loaded on time and more efficiently.

With easy access to real-time harvest data, the fresh produce industry is finally able to open its eyes and see a deadly blind spot like never before.

For information about our own real-time harvest data solution, check out HarvestTrac from TRUETRAC.

Adding to the pain of PTI participation is the fact that for many in the fresh produce industry, traceability is a foreign concept. Most of us can offer a definition of traceability, but executing a solid plan across your entire organization can seem an insurmountable challenge. There are a significant number of details and decisions that must be brought forward and decided upon for a successful deployment of any technology.

What questions need to be asked? For starters: Can my internal system handle it, or do I need to look outside? Then there’s: What is the best vendor and program for me? It’s a complex undertaking and if it were easy, we’d all have done it by now.

When businesses deploy new technologies, there are many issues and emotions that arise. This situation is made worse when new technologies are deployed in areas of the organization — such as traceability — where previously there has been none. One method that has always worked well for us is to take on a complicated task by focusing on the next indicated step. Below is a list of actions we recommend as a good start:

1. Obtain stakeholder commitment.
2. Define the scope, goals and objectives of the project.
3. Write a plan and update it as changes occur. At TRUETRAC, new customers receive a detailed, working document describing every detail of their implementation.
4. Appoint a project leader. This project manager from your team will figure prominently in every conversation, will be copied on all emails and will attend regular meetings.
5. Manage the goals and progress of your team and third party contractors. The goals of the project — for all participants — should be clearly understood across your entire team.
6. Obtain insight and buy-in from the staff that will be using the new system. Make them a part of the process. When workers and mid-level staff are included, there can be even further refinement of the process. The fact that they’re the ones who have to do the work means they should never be left out of the planning and ongoing conversations.
7. Pilot the preferred system in a small scope environment prior to going live. At TRUETRAC, we do pilots with nearly no cost to our customers. These pilots are tremendously helpful in order to gain visibility and buy-in for everyone involved.
8. Thoroughly train all parties involved. Set it up so they not only know how to use the system, but what to do when something goes haywire.
9. Monitor ongoing progress.

In choosing a third-party vendor to provide this service, there are some recommended guides.  First, take a look at this page of resources at the official PTI website: http://www.producetraceability.org/resources/#3. There are guides for many aspects of PTI, but one we recommend is Guidance on Choosing a Technology Provider: http://www.producetraceability.org/documents/Guidance_on_Choosing_a_Technology_Provider_Jan_2012.pdf.

We fully realize that none of this sounds like fun, but there is another way to look at this mandatory action. As a matter of fact, some growers and shippers claim they’re actually realizing unexpected benefits from taking a more comprehensive view of the opportunity that PTI presents. For instance, it can be the first step in the direction of a shift away from paper-based systems. That enables your operation to simplify and automate critical elements of the produce business.

And it doesn’t have to be a painful process, either. PTI requires the produce industry to capture key information — Lot Number, Harvest Date, GTIN and so on — in a manner that provides one-up and one-down traceability. This task is easily performed using one of the available traceability products — such as LabelTrac from TRUETRAC.

The real power comes once the basic information is in your system where it’s also the basis for recording harvest and packing events. For example, how great would it be if your data were visible to your sales staff and cooler personnel in real–time while the product is being packed or when harvest truck is still being loaded? This capability is a simple extension to the information already being capture for the PTI label. Yet here it is again, providing you with a significant business benefit.

For practically no additional cost or effort, your cooler activities can be managed more effectively and your sales people can be doing what they do best – finding a buyer for your product while it’s still in the field. You want to talk about taking advantage of selling opportunities and positive price fluctuations? We just did!

While we’re on a roll here, how much trouble would it be to tag on quality and audit data? The answer is not too much at all, and this can happen when the technology platform is further leveraged — again, approached incrementally, with each element comprising another baby step.

At TRUETRAC, we implement technology every day. We understand the nuances of this industry and we’ve never approached it from a one-size-fits-all point of view. Implementing technology doesn’t have to be a plane crash.

Jason Varni, Engineer - TRUETRAC

This week, we’re focusing our Meet The Team floodlights on Jason Varni, the first of what we’re sure will be many TRUETRAC engineers to be prominently featured here on the TRUETRAC blog. Jason works closely with our customers, partners and internal teams in conjunction with all stages of our systems and software configurations and implementations. This agribusiness-focused engineer also confers closely with our in-house development and software teams to scope, prototype, and test new ideas and applications for our industry leading technology.

Meet Jason:

TRUETRAC: What did you do prior to coming to work for TRUETRAC?

Jason Varni: Before coming to work at TRUETRAC, I worked with a company called Hortau in the development of its advanced wireless-remote agricultural soil and environmental monitoring systems, which currently operate directly in-field for some of the largest California growers. Working at Hortau, I was able to meet and work with some great people within all levels of the production and management teams for major global agribusinesses.

TRUETRAC: What attracted you to come to work at TRUETRAC?

Jason: I wanted a role in a company where I could apply my strong grasp of engineering and technology to agribusiness applications. With some good luck and serendipitous timing, I found a posting that TRUETRAC had listed for a systems engineer. After doing a bit of research about the company, I felt that the company and role were a great fit for me. Sure enough, that luck and serendipity resulted in me coming onboard and working alongside an awesome group of people. And each day, I’m excited to be here and proud of the work we do.

TRUETRAC: Where did you go to college and what did you major in? And how did that prepare you for the job you have today?

Jason: I received a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies with an emphasis on environmental interpretation and restoration ecology from the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC). My coursework included many classes that readied me for working as part of a team that develops technology within the agricultural sector such as: agroecology, environmental regulation/policy, economics, soil science, biology, genetics & biostatistics, to name a few. My UCSC studies — in addition to a long career working on engineering teams developing advanced technologies — has afforded me a perfect mix to play a key role here at TRUETRAC in establishing the best systems and technologies for our customers.

TRUETRAC: If you could take a one-year paid sabbatical from work to set up your own farm, what would you call it and what would you grow?

Jason: It would be in California and I’d call the company Rows & Rows of Rose (RRR). We would need at least a thousand acres. Whenever and wherever feasible, the methods and best practices for conservation and sustainability would be implemented. Forty percent of the acreage would be near the coast and 60 percent in the Central Valley. The novelty at RRR would be that all of our crops would be from the Rosaceae family’s food crop species (there are plenty from which to choose). Primarily berries and some acclimated orchard species would be established near the coast. In the valley, we would plant orchards of rose family fruit and nut trees. Of course, after my one-year sabbatical concludes, the company would be transferred to new management. But I’d still visit the various ranches on a regular basis, because one year just isn’t enough time.

TRUETRAC: What reality television show should you be on and why?

Jason: There are only a few reality shows that I watch. But the answer is easy: I’d be on MythBusters. Those guys are always having such a great time coming up with innovative ways to solve problems and answer questions. I appreciate many aspects of the show — especially how creative they all are and how well they work together as a team. They’re always willing to put in great efforts to succeed, even when taking on enormous challenges.

The Western Growers Association (WGA) is an 86-year-old agricultural trade association whose California and Arizona membership — many of which are multi-generational family farms — grow, pack and ship almost half of the nation’s fresh produce, including fruit, nuts and vegetables. What began back in 1926 as a marketing protective agency to battle rate hikes instituted by the railroads carries over today, with WGA continuing to support the fresh produce industry in a number of critical areas.

For example, the association works closely with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the U.S. Department of Agriculture and elected officials to come up with logical solutions that ensure the safety of food to the nation’s consumers. It also plays a critical role in ensuring its members are aware of the latest trends, issues and rules and regulations affecting the industry as a whole.

Part of the association’s efforts in this regard was to launch the Growers’ Technology Solution, which includes recommending the services of TRUETRAC to its members to assist them in navigating the complex technological route to traceability, sustainability and food safety compliance. The program also helps WGA members meet the stringent requirements of the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI).

To further explain Western Growers’ participation in this technology program, we asked Hank Giclas, senior vice president of science, technology and strategic planning for Western Growers, for his take.

TRUETRAC: Why did Western Growers launch this technology initiative?

Hank Giclas: In the near term, these solutions will assist our members with traceability solutions, but the Growers’ Technology Solution moves beyond just tracking food. It will assist with recordkeeping, documentation and data management in a variety of areas including food safety and sustainability.

TRUETRAC: What is the value proposition of this initiative?

Hank: The value proposition is that you can associate diverse data sets with the unit of your choosing — items, carton, pallets and so on — you can then rapidly and readily access and share that data as you see fit.

TRUETRAC: How do you see technology solution affecting your members?

Hank: The aim of the new program is to assist our members in meeting the ever-expanding and always changing marketplace and regulatory demands without having to reinvent the wheel each time.

Here at TRUETRAC, we’re very proud of our affiliation with Western Growers. If you’d like information on the many benefits of affiliating with WGA, including saving money on transportation services, Workers’ Compensation insurance, health benefits and more, visit Western Growers’ membership information page today.

For more information on why Western Growers believes providing discounted turnkey solutions to address traceability, sustainability and food safety needs and requirements are important for member companies, visit the Association’s Growers’ Traceability, Sustainability and Food Safety Technology Solution page.

And for those of us here at TRUETRAC, this extravaganza is a major highlight of the year. It’s like a huge family reunion, only without your aunt with the moustache trying to kiss you on the mouth.

But if you’re seriously thinking about attending this year’s festivities, be warned: We’re way beyond the “mark your calendar” stage. This event that brings together thousands of food industry leaders is less than two weeks away. So it’s time to get off the fence.

As an enticement, we’ve put together our Top 10 Reasons Why You Should Attend United Fresh 2012 list, and we’re not even issuing an apology to David Letterman for using his format. If you’re ready to pull the trigger and register, you can skip our listed suggestions and just sign up at www.unitedfresh2012.org right now. Or you can call (708) 486-0766, or email fresh@compusystems.com.

Otherwise, read our top enticements, then scroll back up here and register:

1. More than just offering you a sparkling trade show format, United Fresh 2012 features three days of cutting-edge educational programs, technical presentations, networking opportunities and trade show trekking.
2. United Fresh 2012 brings together thousands of your peers from across the fresh produce industry — all of them intent on building sales and profitability by examining new innovations in the space.
3. For the first time ever, United Fresh offers two specialized learning centers — FreshTech and Fresh Marketplace — each featuring interactive discussions led by industry experts on a range of topics. And these programs take place right on the show floor.
4. United Fresh 2012 welcomes a raft of top-notch speakers, including former First Lady Laura Bush who will present the keynote address at Wednesday’s breakfast general session. Fred Morganthall, chairman of the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), will present a keynote address on Tuesday morning.
5. Following the general sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, attendees can join customized workshops devoted to each market segment, including grower-shipper, wholesaler-distributor, fresh-cut processor and retail-food service.
6. This year’s convention will be combined with the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), American Meat Institute (AMI) and the U.S. Food Export Showcase, offering attendees an expanded venue.
7. Among the networking sessions scheduled for United Fresh 2012 are a Taste of Dallas opening party on Monday, April 30; Chairman’s reception and produce celebration at the Hyatt Regency Dallas on Tuesday, May 1; and the Expo Round Up show floor happy hour on Wednesday, May 2 at the Dallas Convention Center.
8. The produce celebration will conclude with a $25,000 Grand Prize drawing for the “Salute to Leadership” raffle. Tickets are $100 each and registered attendees can purchase as many as they want.
9. Discounts for United Fresh 2012 attendees are available through the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau and include deals in downtown Dallas for dining establishments, retail stores and attractions — including opera, museums and the Dallas heritage Village at Old City Park.

10.  Every Thursday through April 26, United Fresh will draw three winners from the registered attendee list to receive a $100 gift certificate to one of Dallas’ finest restaurants — yet another reason to sign up now.

And don’t forget when you arrive at the convention center to stop by and see us. The TRUETRAC booth (No. 11913) is located directly across the aisle from the entrance to the Traceability & Logistics Pavilion and the Food and Safety Pavilion.

See you there on the first of May!

The website is facilitated by four trade associations that have agreed to participate in the process of developing new guidelines for melon safety. These organizations include the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas (FPAA), the Produce Marketing Association (PMA), the United Fresh Produce Association (UFPA) and Western Growers (WP).

There’s no question that strong food safety guidelines are currently in effect, outlining legal requirements to prevent the sale of contaminated melons. And there are more regulations on the horizon that prescribe mandatory preventive practices. However, the cantaloupe industry has additionally taken on the task of creating a separate set of commodity specific guidelines to further fortify the goal of growing and shipping safe produce.

The new website was created to help facilitate the process of creating these new guidelines, and it offers a central location that is accessible to all interested parties. Key among the information available at the site are listings of weekly web-based meetings that provide information on the guidelines and permit commentary and input from everyone involved along the supply chain and beyond.

Scheduled are more than a dozen webinars, each featuring a moderator who will guide the 90-minute discussions around a variety of topics covering specific elements of food safety guidance. These include such issues as sampling soil amendments and irrigation water, establishing rules for employee hygiene, temperature controls in the transportation process and more.

The new cantaloupe guidance website facilitates the information flow for those involved in the challenges facing the cantaloupe industry, providing participants with a ton of timely resources, as well as an avenue for tracking the progress of the guideline process.

To register for the NCG site, visit http://www.cantaloupe-guidance.org/user/register.

We first heard the term “connected consumer” at a Produce Marketing Association event where a top PMA executive explained that the success of our industry moving on involves all of us learning how to tell our story better. In other words, engage with your customers — don’t just sell to them.

Lorna Christie, who is the executive VP and chief operating officer of the PMA, told those of us in attendance that the most effective way of attracting today’s connected consumers is to get to know them better. Then it’s up to you to relate how you share common values and ideals with your customers.

Today’s consumers are armed with an arsenal of tools to help each of them find the best products and services. And these tools are quite literally at their fingertips. Put the connected consumer in the food aisle and this shopper is equipped with a smartphone, maybe a tablet, and a large network of friends, family and likeminded people who are on call anywhere and anytime to offer an opinion or recommendation.

This connected consumer can instantly research a product online, scanning the item with an app and discovering if the produce was grown locally, when it was harvested and even the health benefits derived from that particular fruit or vegetable.

They can check in with friends nearby in real-time, alerting them to product bargains and benefits and they can broadcast such information to everybody listed on their social networks — literally hundreds of shoppers who trust their judgment and actively read their opinions. By sharing their experience, they in turn influence the experiences of every person within their sphere of influence.

It is this shared experience that is driving the marketing efforts of progressive corporations and brands today. Understanding what it is that your customer wants — and then describing what you offer in the form of a story they can relate to — is far more effective than a clever jingle or a catchy commercial tune.

Again, these new consumers leave home with a library full of information and they’re not about to be swayed by a sales pitch. Selling takes a back seat to engaging this target audience, telling them about the common values you share and the information they need to make a sound decision.

Social media encourages and enables the personal story, and the fresh food industry can take advantage of these advances by relating their story in words, photos and video. By putting a face on your product, growers can build a loyal base of consumers who feel they have a personal engagement with you and your brand.

It is through these personalized stories and images that consumers develop deep knowledge of your product and a credibility that they can, in turn, relay to their social contacts. It’s more about effectively providing a background about your operation with personal stories rather than hammering consumers over the head with meaningless pitches and unsubstantiated claims.

For a successful marketing plan, it all comes down to your success at connecting with your consumer, sharing your story in a transparent, open manner and leaving the hype and marketing mumbo-jumbo to the other industries.