Who took the fun out of produce? Was it the grinch? I remember the days when my customers would come to my store and get the best produce at fair prices, but they also came for the produce r=education and entertainment. Today in most large stores I rarely even see a clerk, let alone a produce manager. There are some high dollar repeat customer sales in educating and entertaining your customers, check out this week’s video to hear some of the things I have done. Don’t forget

Blast from the past and from the present too. How do you like those tube socks and shorts? That was me in 1984 at Fort Devins. An old army roommate contacted me on linkedin and shared some pics with me. Lots of great memories. Thank you for all the congratulations, on the arrival of my granddaughter Billie. Here are a couple more pics. This week’s video is on why I say the things I say, so don’t hate me. Click the link for the video. #freshproduce #sustainableagriculture #pro

It’s a great day! My granddaughter, Billie Marie was born yesterday at 11:11 PM, Mom and baby are perfect! We will continue with Wednesday’s grab and go and what I believe what is needed to make the transition. Hint, you may need better training or AI with some produce intelligence to achieve this. I will explain why it’s in retail’s best interest to conform because as it stands now, they are inviting very formidable competition into their space. I have some great predictions

Happy Saturday, well I went to HEB to check on the red pepper price and I was very disappointed. At face value they seemed cheaper, $.68 each, but the peppers were medium, and it would take at least 3 to compare to one Walmart pepper. Retailers are leaving the door wide open for home delivery services to deliver quality produce for less. Florida is at it again trying to limit imports so they can increase profits. I am all for America, but Florida could not possibly supply our

HAPPY EASTER AND HAPPY PASSOVER Major change coming and let me know what you think? I am changing the format. Instead of talking about a week’s worth of thoughts on Saturday, I will try posting the same day. This will keep the videos shorter but there will be more than 2 a week if the information is viable and important. We will try it for a few weeks and see if you all like it. This weeks video subjects, trucks, Food box program without the box, Produce industry group with J

You have to have skin in the game for everyone to work towards a great outcome for everyone. Some of the best things in life are truly free but sometimes you need to pay for things to see their value. Produce shows may be one of them. This week I share more observations and recollections from Viva fresh, this week’s video explains it all. https://youtu.be/ipaPPCM07u8 I also have a few more ideas and I will share more in the future about how I feel to move produce consumption

https://youtu.be/uIvMg1m9NTg Happy Tuesday! Have you ever noticed that on social media, Facebook, Instagram and even LinkedIn, everyone has the perfect life, job, business, wife, family girlfriend? Sometimes when you look behind the curtain all that appears to be is not real. Take me for example. 2 failed marriages 3 failed businesses Made and lost 2 fortunes 1 son that has not spoken to me in 4 years 2 sets of terrible business partners. I know the feeling of being a million

VIVA FRESH, I hope to see you there. It’s our first in person conference in over a year and I am excited about going. Let’s get together and talk produce. Environmental working group dirty dozen. What are we doing to tell our side of the story? 100,000,000 stimulus checks going out this week. Can this be the push to get us out of this lack luster demand situation? The last time we had stimulus check retailed boomed for a few weeks, hopefully it will happen again. Check out t

About 15 years ago I had a gamer in Connecticut, who I sold his product for many years. I would make 8-10% on my sales. Well after a few years and knowing all the customers I sold his stuff too he decided that he didn’t want to pay the 10%, he saw no value. I can remember the VERY FIRST week I was selling similar cucumbers for $20, and I found out from one of my customers that he charged him 10 for the cukes. So, minus my commission he would have received $18 but on his own

The most important factor in buying and selling produce This week we speak about the most important aspect of buying and selling produce, demand. Some will argue it’s supplies but after 40 years I can tell you markets have nothing to do with supplies it’s all demand driven. Next, I want to speak about making new produce connections, outside your regular circles. I want to invite anyone with an iPhone or iPad to join clubhouse, I am sure they will get to android users in the f

We have seen many changes during the last year in produce due to covid. How can we now translate that impulse sale in the produce isle to the online produce isle? One way would be to set up a virtual isle on your website with specials and picks of the week, there are a couple of more ideas in this week’s video. We also speak about transportation as it effects supplies and demand. I also has 2 links that I also speak about in this week’s video, please check them out. Lastly is

This week we have a couple of links on 2 chains that do produce right. I have never been to either of these chain’s stores, but their reputation precedes them. Check out these two stories. Then of course I have to speak of who is doing it wrong, otherwise I wouldn’t be me. Please go to my FB page to share our food distribution tomorrow in Texas. Let people here know help is on the way. https://www.facebook.com/paul.manfre https://www.andnowuknow.com/whats-store/meijer-announc

Happy Valentine’s day, your relationship with AI sucks Is AI ( Artificial Intelligence) going to work in produce when the building block for it was NI ( No Intelligence) . I am by no means tech savvy; in fact, I tell people I know enough to get me into trouble but not enough to get me out of trouble. I do know the old term when it comes to computing, “garbage in equals garbage out”. What if 30 years ago all the schoolteachers were replaced and the new crop of no experienced t

Happy Sunday I have been in produce before fax machines, before beepers, before car phones and then cell phones, before personal computers, I am a dinosaur. I have come to realize that I am not in the current mainstream of produce, much to my dismay. A few weeks ago, I spoke about loyalty. I stated it was a 2-way street, you have to give it to get it. In this week’s video I will address this again as well as the current state of the produce business. I will also address botto

What a great day organizing a farmer to family Box program with some awesome volunteers. Please check out my FB page link https://www.facebook.com/paul.manfre/videos/10225515714429466/?notif_id=1612021253548538&notif_t=feedback_reaction_generic&ref=notif The following was an excerpt from the 10 produce influencers, written about Shay Myers. Consumers are starving for our story and still many of you are still not telling it. The videos are an easy watch and don’t require any p

Happy Sunday This we will continue with changes both good and bad we have experienced over the past year. What can we do to have a continuation of the best and get rid of the worst? We have seen unprecedented growth in home delivery of produce and organics over the past year as people wanted to eat healthy to help them against the virus. Going forward box delivery programs from non-retail competitors can change the produce landscape. My hope that one big player in retail or d

Happy Sunday. We have had unprecedented growth is produce in 2020. There are things we are doing right and a few things we are doing wrong. In with the good and out with the bad, change is good for all. It is time to stop being a lemming and change the produce model for the future. This pandemic will end and the leaders that make the changes today will be the ones standing tall and prospering when the lemmings follow each other to oblivion. Check out this week’s video. https:

Don’t try to reinvent the wheel and why is my tongue purple? Today we have a couple of stories that share the same theme. The first is produce buying and selling. I have been on both sides of this equation for many years and I can remember what Anthony Robbins stated on his tapes over 3 decades ago. “ Find someone who is successful and use that for a template for your success” I am paraphrasing here. In other words, don’t try to reinvent the wheel. In this week’s video I wil

HAPPY NEW YEAR, I hope. Let’s all hope and pray for a better 2021. We will have a at least a few months ahead of troubled waters and I believe by working together and forming some new alliances and partnerships we will get through this. My aim has always been to get good shippers and good receivers, at every level together, this is now more important than ever. Unless there is a drastic change fast I can see unprecedented gluts and gaps in our immediate future, as I pointed

Happy Sunday, I hope you all had a Merry Christmas. This week’s video may be a long one because I have a lot to say about the produce business going forward into next year from Grower, to wholesale to retail and finally the consumer. I have a lot in my head, hopefully if all gets on the video. I always bank on the resiliency of the men and woman in produce and we all may be put to the most stringent test going forward. We need each other to get through this now more than eve