Compost Happens......

According to Wikipedia, compost is 'organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming.'

Peddler's Son has been working with Norman Wellington, farmer on the Gila River Indian Reservation, for over 3 months now. Any produce that is not suitable for donation to the St. Mary's Food Bank is donated to Norman's effort to create compost as well as feed the animals on his farm.

Norman is in the process of developing 150 acres on the Gila River Indian Reservation. The produce donated by Peddler's Son is used as a soil amendment to create a rich soil for farming. While some of the land does not have the compost material, Norman sees a big difference in the product that is grown in the land he has mixed with the compost.

The horses, pigs, lambs and sheep receive special produce treats to help supplement their diet. According to Norman, the animals know the produce container and come running when they see it coming.

One of the pigs coming over to say hello!

Composting has become another product of our sustainability program. We've been thankful of our partnership with Norman and his farm and look forward to finding additional ways we can help find ways to help our people, partners and planet!

If you have any other suggestions or thoughts regarding our sustainability program, we'd love to hear them!

Mt Vesuvius, Wood, San Marzano Tomatoes and Fresh Mozzarella

What do they have in common? They are all part of the VPN process. Verace Pizza Napoletana (VPN), is a certification process that follows the strict rules in making a true Neapolitan pizza. The VPN Association Statute states: "The Association aims to protect and promote the “VERACE PIZZA NAPOLETANA” (ORIGINAL NEAPOLITAN PIZZA) as well as its restaurant-members that commit themselves to supply a service complying with manufacturing features established in the protocol and regulating the pizza production." In other words, they take their pizza making very seriously. The certification is so specific, it details instructions on specific containers for the olive oil (copper), oven and of course, ingredients.

To learn more about this, I talked with Justin Piazza, owner of La Piazza Al Forno, recently certified as a VPN restaurant.

Why did you decide to get certified? I met the VPN cerfication guys at the Las Vegas show. I was hesitant about getting certified because I felt like I had a great product and I'd need to make changes. It's a big commitment to become certified and I didn't know if I would want to have people telling me what to do. It is very humbling, but I'm really excited. The process actually isn't too far off of what I have been doing. I don't want to be like the other guys. I want true, authentic pizza. Plus, my family is from Naples.

How did you train? I trained on my own. Many people travel to Italy to train for 6 weeks, but I did it on my own and I'm very proud of that.

How has this changed things for you? Well, I've bought an oven from Naples, made by a 3rd generation builder. The material is from Mount Vesuvius. It was about the same price as my old oven, but it is much more efficient and I've actually saved about $500 a month on wood. I'm now using a new mixer from Italy as well. It doesn't heat the dough like a traditional Hobart machine. It infuses air into the dough.


It's important for me to also be extremely strict about the ingredients I use. My flour costs about 50%- more than many of the other pizza places. I only use San Marzano tomatoes. Everything is fresh, all-natural and not processed.




What has surprised you the most about this whole process? All of the openness and willingness to share. The gentleman that certified La Piazza Al Forno, Giulio Adriani, shared his dough recipe and showed me how he makes it. That's an amazing thing in this industry. People just don't share recipes like that. He's promoting a tradition though. The difference is the passion. They want to preserve the process and keep the authenticity.

How have customers reacted? We've been on the Food Network and that drew a crowd. The word is getting out that we are VPN certified and customers are curious. It's an education process though. People ask us what kinds of crusts we have. This is true Neapolitan pizza. That's it.

Why do you use Peddler's Son? The sales team has been very nice and easy to work with. You have a good reputation and high quality products. That's important to me.

How would you convince a customer to try this style pizza? Try the margharita pizza. It is the truest of any pizza. You can't get any simpler than cheese, basil and sauce. The flavors pop. Just ask my wife. She said that once you try something so good, you just can't go back.

Well Justin, that sounds like an offer I can't refuse.

The People Behind the Produce

Please meet Russell Hall, our chief steward in our warehouse! His responsibilities include keeping the warehouse clean and neat, to making sure we're following through on some of our important HACCP requirements. Born and raised in AZ, he's lived all over the world including Korea, Okinawa, Hawaii and North Carolina. Russ graduated from Westview High School here in AZ and then joined the Navy. He spent almost 14 years with the Navy - 8 in active duty and 6 in the reserves before finally ended up with the Peddler's Son family.

What is your favorite part of the job? I enjoy the challenge of the job and doing something different that has a purpose. I like to make sure I get things done right the first time.

What is your favorite movie? My favorite move is The Peaceful Warrior. I think it is an inspiration to anyone that watches it. It tells you everything you need to know is inside of you and you can find peace within. You just need to take out the trash in your head. I also really enjoyed True Romance because it has an all star cast and is action packed and suspenseful.

What is your favorite music/band? When I get frustrated I like to listen to classical music. It makes me think. I also enjoy Christian music and listen to that a lot too.

TV Show? I just watch movies, I don't really watch TV.

Food? I like food and would eat just about anything that is in front of me! Even coleslaw and sauerkraut. I eat it all!

What was your first job? I started as a bagger at ABCO for a summer job in high school.

If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be? I enjoy good conversation and would like to have dinner with anyone that enjoys the same.

What do you do in your leisure time? I like talking with friends, working with my hands and drawing. I also enjoy giving massages and making origami flowers.

What is your favorite quote or piece of advice you'd like to share? 'Don't take life to seriously, you won't get out alive.' They said that in the True Romance movie too!

The warehouse runs better with you here Russell and we're glad he's found a home here with Peddler's Son!

ASU School of Sustainability Students Visit Peddler's Son Produce

Recently Peddler's Son Produce had the pleasure of having two students from ASU's School of Sustainability visit the warehouse and provide some suggestions on ways we can improve our People, Partners and Planet program. Over a year ago, we made a commitment to promote a safe and healthy atmosphere where we value and recognize our employees, source vendors that provide our customer with products that are inherently more sustainable and reduce our own ecological footprint. We have seen a lot of progress over the past year, and we know there are still ways to improve.

Over the past year, we have incorporated the following into our 3 P's Program:

• Paper Recycling Program
• Composting Program
• Formal Charitable Contributions Program
• Improved Safety Program
• Promote and sell more
• Enhanced HACCP program including preparation for PTI milestones
  

Here are a few of the suggestions Brian and Dorthy provided:

• Use the EPA's Office Carbon Footprint tool to help measure the efforts of the 3 P's Program
• Provide interviews of the Peddler's Son staff to inform customers about our current efforts regarding sustainability
• Create a transportation program with information on light rail, bus and bike option
• Encourage customers and employees to provide suggestions for the 3 P's Program

What do you think? What are your suggestions for our sustainability program?

The People Behind the Produce

Pete Lombardo, to borrow a phrase from James Brown, is on the team of the hardest working men (and women!) in the produce industry! He's on our night crew and helps put together customer orders and gets them ready for our drivers to deliver. He sets the orders for the north Scottsdale and west Phoenix deliveries. Pete is originally from Hurley, Wisconsin. He's married with 3 children and 3 grandchildren. Pete splits his time between Payson, where he lives, and Phoenix where he helps take care of his mother. If that's not enough to keep him busy, he also has a garden with cucumbers, tomatoes and corn that he tends to in Payson.

What is your favorite part of the job? I really enjoy making sure that the orders are put together correctly and that we have the best quality of product. Each customer has different things that they like and I want to make sure they all get what they're looking for. I've learned a lot about specialty produce here too. One day, we had some rambutans in the warehouse. They were the oddest fruit I had ever seen, so I took a picture of them to show my wife and son. When I went home that night and showed them the picture, we talked about where they were from and how they are prepared. The next week, my son went to school and his teacher brought a picture of a rambutan she had just gotten. She asked the class if anyone knew what it was and my son was the only one who knew! He asks me all the time now to take pictures of the specialty products we have here.

What is your favorite movie? I'm a big Sci-Fi fan so I'd say my favorite movie is Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. The special effects are amazing.

What is your favorite music/band? Country Western and the oldies are my favorite types of music. I go to the casino and have had the chance to see the tribute band for the Four Tops and really enjoyed that show.

TV Show? Star Trek: The Next Generation, of course!

Food? A good steak, medium rare, can't be beat! Of course working here, I also like fruit too. Cantaloupe and honeydew are probably my favorites.

What was your first job? I worked at a restaurant as a dishwasher and salad maker at the old Joe Hunt's in the Scottsdale Fashion Square before they tore it down.

If you could have dinner with anyone, dead or alive, who would it be? My father passed away a few years ago, so I'd like to have dinner with him again.

What do you do in your leisure time? I like to work with wood and make cabinets. My friend works at one of the casinos and we bought a poker table. We took it apart and studied it and now we make poker tables to sell.

What is your favorite quote or piece of advice you'd like to share? Do a good job and give positive feedback. People respond so much better when they have someone telling them when the do the right thing.

Well Pete, we think you do a great job and our customers appreciate the care and attention you give them on all of their orders! Thanks for making our start of the day the best it can be.

Fresh Produce Audit Verification Program

Food safety is important to everyone. Our team has made the Produce Traceability Initiative (PTI) a priority to make sure we're leading the way to conform to the best practices.

Recently, we invited AMS, in partnership with state departments of agriculture, to come in and audit our facilities. This audit verifies the adherence to the recommendations made in the Food and Drug Administration’s Guide to Minimize Microbial Food Safety Hazards for Fresh Fruit and Vegetables.

We are very excited that out of a possible 420 points, we received 415 - a 98.9%! Way to go team!

Would you like a tour to see what HACCP is all about and why it's important to you, our customer? Give us a call and we'd love to show you around the warehouse! Just give us a call or ask your sales executive. Or, if you'd like some more information about HACCP and our program, call John Mothershead, HACCP Manager.

Hajimemashite Yoroshiku!

When you find something that is good, you pass it along. We are excited to offer items from Nihon Shokken.

Check out these products from our new partner, Nihon Shokken, to spice up your dishes or create a new twist for your menu:

'Super Crispy Batter' - Stays crunchy for up to 2 hours! Try this batter on fish & chips, braised cubed short ribs tempura, shrimp and lobster tacos. Substitute water with Modelo Negro beer or a stout ale for a deeper color.

Japanese Dressing - Wasabi and Yuzu flavored dressings that can be used on its own or as a base ingredient. Try it on salads or as a sauce for seafood and steaks.

Kabayaki Sauce - This eel sauce is used for food decoration to create a beautiful shine thick and viscous enough to be easily used for food decoration. It includes soy sauce, syrup, eel extract, and mirin. For best results, heat eel sauce in a metal or glass container placed in 3/4 inch boiling water on the stove

Yakiniku Sauce - This is a Japanese barbeque sauce with a blend of garlic, fruits and spices in a soy sauce base. Use this for meat sauces, rice and your favorite vegetable stir fry recipes.

Black Pepper Sauce - A spicy sauce made of a good balance of pepper and garlic and a soy sauce base. Use as a gravy for your favorite steaks or as a base sauce for stir-frying.

Seaweed Mix - This mix contains 6 kinds of seaweed of assorted colors. Dish up rehydrated dried seaweed mix with shrimp and salmon and finish with Japanese dressing. Use it as a colorful garnish.

Let us know what you think or call us with any questions.

Thanks!