For the freshest fruits and vegetables, insights,news and buys, contact yourH. Brooks salesperson now!tel 651-635-0126fax 651-746-2210

®

Where Fresh is Fresher.

About H. Brooks and Company…H.Brooks was founded more than 100 years ago. Then, a produce cart served as its corporate headquarters. Today, while the size of the company haschanged dramatically—its reputation as a friend and advisor with the unfailing ability to seekout and deliver unique, best available field-fresh produce has not. And never will.

H. Brooks and Company . 600 Lakeview Point Drive . New Brighton, Minnesota 55112 . www.hbrooks.com

fresherMAR

CH 2

3, 2

016

®

Where Fresh is Fresher.

®

Where Fresh is Fresher.

“ Ninety percent of consumers report that high quality produceis very important when deciding where to shop. ”food marketing institute survey

Organic Herbs that Taste Great— AND DO YOUR BODY GOOD!

Parsley Protects Your Immune SystemParsley is rich in many vital vitamins, including Vitamin C, B 12, K and A.So Parsley keeps your immune system strong, tones your bones andheals the nervous system, too!

Brain Boosting SageResearch shows that Sage, whether smelled or eaten can increase recallabilities and memory retention!

Age-Defying Rosemary

The anti-aging properties of Rosemary are well known. It can improve theyouthful quality of the skin, while also healing blemishes and increasingnatural radiance.

Make Thyme for a Mood Elevator

Thyme not only tastes delicious, a recent study showed carvacrol wasshown to affect neuron activity that boosted feelings of well-being. A nat-ural taste and mood lifter!

When It Comes to Organic;We’ve got the fantastic FOUR plus more!Organic produce is now more popular than ever! So, ask yourself, “Are you missing or multiplying sales”?

At H. Brooks and Company, we’ve got more than130 super-fresh Organic items available daily!No need to pre-order! And to help you build a super-strong Organic foundation, we recommendstarting or strengthening your department with the four most popular Organic categories.

The Fantastic Four: 1. Bananas 2. Berries 3. Carrots 4. Salads

Take a look at the latest trends!

The vast majority of American consumers purchase Organic food products — a recent Consumer Reportssurvey shows that 84% of American consumers purchaseOrganic food.

51% of families are buying more Organic products thana year ago. 83% of parents purchase Organic productssometimes and 97% of those parents purchase Organicfruits and vegetables.

Source: U.S. Families’ Organic Attitudes & Beliefs 2015 Tracking

Study, 2015, OTA

Over 3,000 farms are transitioning to Organic acrossthe country. There are nearly 19,500 certified Organic op-erations—farms and processing facilities. Worldwide, thereare more than 25,000 certified Organic operations in morethan 120 different countries.

Source: 2012 Census of Agriculture Organic Special Tabulation,

September 2014, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistic Service

10.6 million Organic apple boxes were produced fromlast year’s crop. About 7% of Washington’s total fresh Applecrop is Organic. For the past three seasons, prices for mostOrganic varieties have hovered between $30 and $40 a box.

Source: David Granatstein based on data from WSU, USDA-ARS, and

USDA-NASS.

Build Sales withOrganic ProductPowerhouses!Bananas . Berries . Carrots . Salads

Produce Sales Are Growing Organically!

1) cantaloupes and honeydews: Central American markets are stable with goodsupplies continuing. With spring around the corner, this is a great time to promote! Qualityis excellent.

2) grapes: We have beautiful in-season South American Grapes! Red Grapes are deliciousand moving well. Green Grapes are limited through the month, but should return to normal forthe remainder of the season. Black Grapes are back and tasty as can be! Add extra drama todisplays with Red Globe Grapes!

3) soft fruit: Chilean, Peaches, Nectarines, Black & Red Plums are here and quality isexcellent! Markets have remained relatively steady with good demand and quality. Don’tforget to enter the Chilean Fruit Display Contest. Ask your salesperson for details.

4) strawberries: The market is softening as growing conditions in Florida improveand volume increases. California is still challenged by weather, but with more shippersstarting, supplies should be plentiful going forward.

5) organic produce: Organic supplies are much improved, except for Spinach Sal-ads; hot weather is causing mildew and quality issues.

6) cukes, peppers & local product: The markets for colored Peppers fromMexico are improving. Green Peppers are very short from Mexico, we will explore sourcingfrom Florida. Markets are very high—the same for Romas and Grape Tomatoes. Florida Cornand Beans are starting to ease.

7) citrus: We’re now offering New Crop Bagged California Navels in 6/5lb and 7/4lbBags. We’re also stocking 56-72-88 and 113ct Bulk Navels. 10/3lb Halo Mandarins arehere! Make sure to display them up front for a maximum WOW! Organic Citrus (Grape-fruit, Lemons, Navel Oranges and 12/2lb Clementines) are all in stock. Don’t forget aboutour huge variety Citrus offerings: Cara Cara Navels, Heirloom Navels, Minneolas, BloodOranges—and delicious Gold Nuggets Mandarins.

8) blueberries, blackberries and raspberries: We’re moving out ofimports into the newest Blueberry growing regions in Florida, Georgia and California. Black-berry prices are expected to remain steady through the end of the month. Driscoll Raspberrysupplies have improved and there should be limited prorates over the next few weeks.

9) west coast veggies: Good supplies on all Leaf and Lettuce, except forSpinach and Spinach-Based Salads. Cauliflower is finished in Yuma and northern Califor-nia is expecting a supply gap this week, which will result in short supplies for Easter.Other items won’t start transitioning from the desert until the end of March. Expect priceincreases on Asparagus, with Easter ads increasing demand.

10) onions, potatoes and sweet potatoes: Vidalia Onions should startaround mid-April, with more Mexican Onions available in the next couple weeks. POTATOES:Markets are stable. Two new items were just added to the Potato lineup! 10/5lb Idaho WhiteRusset Potatoes and 16/3lb Florida B-Size Reds. SWEET POTATOES: Markets and suppliesare steady; and our Mississippi Beauregard Yams are beautiful! Give them a try!

Tim’sTop10Merchandising Tipsby tim pe terson

After Easter sales, transition intoyour spring merchandising sets! Begin by adding Whole Watermelons and Asparagus displays, expand Cut Watermelons, Fresh Cut Fruit andVegetables, Strawberries, Grapes, Cantaloupe andBartletts. Add Ugli Fruit, Soft Fruit, Cara Cara Navelsand Florida B-Reds. Be aggressive with Blueberries,Clementines, Navel Oranges (bulk and bags), Texas andFlorida Grapefruit, Apples and Green Beans. Push saleswith Berries, Pineapple (including cored), Salads andSalad related items, Tomatoes, Colored Peppers, Potatoes,Sweet Onions, Peanuts and Pistachios. Continue deepcleaning your sales floor and backrooms!

After Easter, scale back on your displays somewhat —keeping your turns high and your product fresh. Watchyour profiles, two deep should be your max.

Buyers’

Top 10At H. Brooks and Company, We’re Organic Central!More than130 Organic, Fresh Products Daily! When it comes to Organic, we’ve got acres and acres of choices! Starting with Apples, Citrus, Broccoli, Cauliflower and Celery!

That means 60 vegetable varieties, 20 fresh fruits choices, 20 fresh herbs and morethan a dozen great Salad choices. All in-stock daily! No need to pre-order!

Talk to your H. Brooks and Company Salesperson Now! Find out the fastestway to grow your Organic category! 651- 635-0126

TasteBuds! Order Organic Fresh Cut and Take a Bite of Terrific!Stock up on healthy convenience:Pineapple chunks- 6/5.5oz. #39124Pineapple chunks- 4/16 oz. #39010Mango Slices- 4/12 oz. - #39028Mango Spears 6/5.5 oz. #39116

Organic Herbs!Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme and Beyond!

Fresh Herbs add flavor to all your favorite dishes! Try our Organic Basil, Chives, Mint,Rosemary, Thyme, Arugula, Bay Leaves, Chervil, Chives, Cilantro, Dill, Fish Blend, LemonGrass, Marjoram, Parsley, Pasta, Poultry Rub, Sage, Savory, Soup Blend, Tarragon andThyme. (Available as 3/ .75 oz. packages.)

Also Organic Basil, Chives, Mint, Rosemary and Thyme can be ordered as single serve6/.25 oz. packages.

Ideas for Tables:1) table displays: Wondering what to put on your display tables? If they’re

refrigerated, try Strawberries, Blueberries, Variety Berries, Grapes, Cut Melons,Green Beans, and Cut Fruit and Vegetables. For non-refrigerated tables, be aggres-sive with Asparagus, Hard Fruit, including Clementines, Apples, Oranges, Grapefruit,Pineapple, and Bartlett Pears. Include a small display of Soft Fruit and be aggressivewith Tomatoes, Bananas, Sweet Onions and Potatoes.

Add:2) whole and cut watermelons: With warmer weather, sales pick up;

so add Whole Watermelons and expand your displays of cuts by at least doubletheir winter size. Display these up front near Cut Fruit sections. This is a nice additionalring. Make sure you’re selling Cut Fruit and Cut Vegetables, Personal Size Watermelons—and keep pushing for sales with Cantaloupe, Mag Melons, and Honeydew.

3) asparagus displays: Nice quality with good markets—now is a per-fect time to add a supplemental display! Asparagus looks great on its own, ortied in with bulk B-Red Potatoes and Sweet Onions..

Push for Sales:4) grapes (Conventional): Expand your displays, good quality, with lower

pricing; this is a great ring. Displays should remain up front, in a lead rack position.5) berries, berries, berries: Expand your displays, good supplies and

quality with down markets. Push Blueberries, Raspberries and Blackberries. Dis-plays should remain up front in the lead rack position.

6) bartletts: We've transitioned into fruit from Argentina, which always looksbetter than Chilean, so expand those displays. Tie in Anjou, Red and Bosc. Theselook great alone or with Hard Fruit.

7) clementines: Go, go, go—lots of sales remaining! Include both 3lb and 5lbHalos. The perfect display has both. Merchandise these on their own, or tied in withHard Fruit. Think $ profit and you'll sell a lot more volume!

8) navel oranges: Be aggressive with your displays (bulk and bags), there’s goodquality and demand now. These can be merchandised alone, or displayed with Hard Fruit.Also in stock are Heirloom Navels, Cara Caras (Pink Navels) and Blood Oranges.

9) gold nugget mandarins, minneolas and honey tangerines: Make sure to add Gold Nugget Mandarins; they're delicious!These display great with other Citrus or in your tropical sections.

10) apples: Remain aggressive with Honeycrisp; by far the market leader. It'stime to expand Washington State Apples along with other Hard Fruit. Besides the ba-sics, Sonya, Ambrosia, Jazz, Kanzi and Cameo!

1) cantaloupes and honeydews: Central American markets are stable with goodsupplies continuing. With spring around the corner, this is a great time to promote! Qualityis excellent.

2) grapes: We have beautiful in-season South American Grapes! Red Grapes are deliciousand moving well. Green Grapes are limited through the month, but should return to normal forthe remainder of the season. Black Grapes are back and tasty as can be! Add extra drama todisplays with Red Globe Grapes!

3) soft fruit: Chilean, Peaches, Nectarines, Black & Red Plums are here and quality isexcellent! Markets have remained relatively steady with good demand and quality. Don’tforget to enter the Chilean Fruit Display Contest. Ask your salesperson for details.

4) strawberries: The market is softening as growing conditions in Florida improveand volume increases. California is still challenged by weather, but with more shippersstarting, supplies should be plentiful going forward.

5) organic produce: Organic supplies are much improved, except for Spinach Sal-ads; hot weather is causing mildew and quality issues.

6) cukes, peppers & local product: The markets for colored Peppers fromMexico are improving. Green Peppers are very short from Mexico, we will explore sourcingfrom Florida. Markets are very high—the same for Romas and Grape Tomatoes. Florida Cornand Beans are starting to ease.

7) citrus: We’re now offering New Crop Bagged California Navels in 6/5lb and 7/4lbBags. We’re also stocking 56-72-88 and 113ct Bulk Navels. 10/3lb Halo Mandarins arehere! Make sure to display them up front for a maximum WOW! Organic Citrus (Grape-fruit, Lemons, Navel Oranges and 12/2lb Clementines) are all in stock. Don’t forget aboutour huge variety Citrus offerings: Cara Cara Navels, Heirloom Navels, Minneolas, BloodOranges—and delicious Gold Nuggets Mandarins.

8) blueberries, blackberries and raspberries: We’re moving out ofimports into the newest Blueberry growing regions in Florida, Georgia and California. Black-berry prices are expected to remain steady through the end of the month. Driscoll Raspberrysupplies have improved and there should be limited prorates over the next few weeks.

9) west coast veggies: Good supplies on all Leaf and Lettuce, except forSpinach and Spinach-Based Salads. Cauliflower is finished in Yuma and northern Califor-nia is expecting a supply gap this week, which will result in short supplies for Easter.Other items won’t start transitioning from the desert until the end of March. Expect priceincreases on Asparagus, with Easter ads increasing demand.

10) onions, potatoes and sweet potatoes: Vidalia Onions should startaround mid-April, with more Mexican Onions available in the next couple weeks. POTATOES:Markets are stable. Two new items were just added to the Potato lineup! 10/5lb Idaho WhiteRusset Potatoes and 16/3lb Florida B-Size Reds. SWEET POTATOES: Markets and suppliesare steady; and our Mississippi Beauregard Yams are beautiful! Give them a try!

Tim’sTop10Merchandising Tipsby tim pe terson

After Easter sales, transition intoyour spring merchandising sets! Begin by adding Whole Watermelons and Asparagus displays, expand Cut Watermelons, Fresh Cut Fruit andVegetables, Strawberries, Grapes, Cantaloupe andBartletts. Add Ugli Fruit, Soft Fruit, Cara Cara Navelsand Florida B-Reds. Be aggressive with Blueberries,Clementines, Navel Oranges (bulk and bags), Texas andFlorida Grapefruit, Apples and Green Beans. Push saleswith Berries, Pineapple (including cored), Salads andSalad related items, Tomatoes, Colored Peppers, Potatoes,Sweet Onions, Peanuts and Pistachios. Continue deepcleaning your sales floor and backrooms!

After Easter, scale back on your displays somewhat —keeping your turns high and your product fresh. Watchyour profiles, two deep should be your max.

Buyers’

Top 10At H. Brooks and Company, We’re Organic Central!More than130 Organic, Fresh Products Daily! When it comes to Organic, we’ve got acres and acres of choices! Starting with Apples, Citrus, Broccoli, Cauliflower and Celery!

That means 60 vegetable varieties, 20 fresh fruits choices, 20 fresh herbs and morethan a dozen great Salad choices. All in-stock daily! No need to pre-order!

Talk to your H. Brooks and Company Salesperson Now! Find out the fastestway to grow your Organic category! 651- 635-0126

TasteBuds! Order Organic Fresh Cut and Take a Bite of Terrific!Stock up on healthy convenience:Pineapple chunks- 6/5.5oz. #39124Pineapple chunks- 4/16 oz. #39010Mango Slices- 4/12 oz. - #39028Mango Spears 6/5.5 oz. #39116

Organic Herbs!Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, Thyme and Beyond!

Fresh Herbs add flavor to all your favorite dishes! Try our Organic Basil, Chives, Mint,Rosemary, Thyme, Arugula, Bay Leaves, Chervil, Chives, Cilantro, Dill, Fish Blend, LemonGrass, Marjoram, Parsley, Pasta, Poultry Rub, Sage, Savory, Soup Blend, Tarragon andThyme. (Available as 3/ .75 oz. packages.)

Also Organic Basil, Chives, Mint, Rosemary and Thyme can be ordered as single serve6/.25 oz. packages.

Ideas for Tables:1) table displays: Wondering what to put on your display tables? If they’re

refrigerated, try Strawberries, Blueberries, Variety Berries, Grapes, Cut Melons,Green Beans, and Cut Fruit and Vegetables. For non-refrigerated tables, be aggres-sive with Asparagus, Hard Fruit, including Clementines, Apples, Oranges, Grapefruit,Pineapple, and Bartlett Pears. Include a small display of Soft Fruit and be aggressivewith Tomatoes, Bananas, Sweet Onions and Potatoes.

Add:2) whole and cut watermelons: With warmer weather, sales pick up;

so add Whole Watermelons and expand your displays of cuts by at least doubletheir winter size. Display these up front near Cut Fruit sections. This is a nice additionalring. Make sure you’re selling Cut Fruit and Cut Vegetables, Personal Size Watermelons—and keep pushing for sales with Cantaloupe, Mag Melons, and Honeydew.

3) asparagus displays: Nice quality with good markets—now is a per-fect time to add a supplemental display! Asparagus looks great on its own, ortied in with bulk B-Red Potatoes and Sweet Onions..

Push for Sales:4) grapes (Conventional): Expand your displays, good quality, with lower

pricing; this is a great ring. Displays should remain up front, in a lead rack position.5) berries, berries, berries: Expand your displays, good supplies and

quality with down markets. Push Blueberries, Raspberries and Blackberries. Dis-plays should remain up front in the lead rack position.

6) bartletts: We've transitioned into fruit from Argentina, which always looksbetter than Chilean, so expand those displays. Tie in Anjou, Red and Bosc. Theselook great alone or with Hard Fruit.

7) clementines: Go, go, go—lots of sales remaining! Include both 3lb and 5lbHalos. The perfect display has both. Merchandise these on their own, or tied in withHard Fruit. Think $ profit and you'll sell a lot more volume!

8) navel oranges: Be aggressive with your displays (bulk and bags), there’s goodquality and demand now. These can be merchandised alone, or displayed with Hard Fruit.Also in stock are Heirloom Navels, Cara Caras (Pink Navels) and Blood Oranges.

9) gold nugget mandarins, minneolas and honey tangerines: Make sure to add Gold Nugget Mandarins; they're delicious!These display great with other Citrus or in your tropical sections.

10) apples: Remain aggressive with Honeycrisp; by far the market leader. It'stime to expand Washington State Apples along with other Hard Fruit. Besides the ba-sics, Sonya, Ambrosia, Jazz, Kanzi and Cameo!

For the freshest fruits and vegetables, insights,news and buys, contact yourH. Brooks salesperson now!tel 651-635-0126fax 651-746-2210

®

Where Fresh is Fresher.

About H. Brooks and Company…H.Brooks was founded more than 100 years ago. Then, a produce cart served as its corporate headquarters. Today, while the size of the company haschanged dramatically—its reputation as a friend and advisor with the unfailing ability to seekout and deliver unique, best available field-fresh produce has not. And never will.

H. Brooks and Company . 600 Lakeview Point Drive . New Brighton, Minnesota 55112 . www.hbrooks.com

fresherMAR

CH 2

3, 2

016

®

Where Fresh is Fresher.

®

Where Fresh is Fresher.

“ Ninety percent of consumers report that high quality produceis very important when deciding where to shop. ”food marketing institute survey

Organic Herbs that Taste Great— AND DO YOUR BODY GOOD!

Parsley Protects Your Immune SystemParsley is rich in many vital vitamins, including Vitamin C, B 12, K and A.So Parsley keeps your immune system strong, tones your bones andheals the nervous system, too!

Brain Boosting SageResearch shows that Sage, whether smelled or eaten can increase recallabilities and memory retention!

Age-Defying Rosemary

The anti-aging properties of Rosemary are well known. It can improve theyouthful quality of the skin, while also healing blemishes and increasingnatural radiance.

Make Thyme for a Mood Elevator

Thyme not only tastes delicious, a recent study showed carvacrol wasshown to affect neuron activity that boosted feelings of well-being. A nat-ural taste and mood lifter!

When It Comes to Organic;We’ve got the fantastic FOUR plus more!Organic produce is now more popular than ever! So, ask yourself, “Are you missing or multiplying sales”?

At H. Brooks and Company, we’ve got more than130 super-fresh Organic items available daily!No need to pre-order! And to help you build a super-strong Organic foundation, we recommendstarting or strengthening your department with the four most popular Organic categories.

The Fantastic Four: 1. Bananas 2. Berries 3. Carrots 4. Salads

Take a look at the latest trends!

The vast majority of American consumers purchase Organic food products — a recent Consumer Reportssurvey shows that 84% of American consumers purchaseOrganic food.

51% of families are buying more Organic products thana year ago. 83% of parents purchase Organic productssometimes and 97% of those parents purchase Organicfruits and vegetables.

Source: U.S. Families’ Organic Attitudes & Beliefs 2015 Tracking

Study, 2015, OTA

Over 3,000 farms are transitioning to Organic acrossthe country. There are nearly 19,500 certified Organic op-erations—farms and processing facilities. Worldwide, thereare more than 25,000 certified Organic operations in morethan 120 different countries.

Source: 2012 Census of Agriculture Organic Special Tabulation,

September 2014, USDA’s National Agricultural Statistic Service

10.6 million Organic apple boxes were produced fromlast year’s crop. About 7% of Washington’s total fresh Applecrop is Organic. For the past three seasons, prices for mostOrganic varieties have hovered between $30 and $40 a box.

Source: David Granatstein based on data from WSU, USDA-ARS, and

USDA-NASS.

Build Sales withOrganic ProductPowerhouses!Bananas . Berries . Carrots . Salads

Produce Sales Are Growing Organically!