Barbara Harfmann

Ranked among the leading mission-critical components, palletizers and depalletizers must incorporate safety, flexibility, speed and performance in order to keep operations humming along, experts say.

Whether quick-service, fast-casual or a full-service restaurant, consumers are experimenting with new flavors and seeking more premium offerings like specialty coffee, cold-brew coffee and iced tea while dining out.

In the beverage, supply chain and packaging markets, tradeshow season is in full swing. I recently attended ProMat and ProFood Tech at McCormick Place in Chicago, and will be heading to Las Vegas later this month to attend the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) Annual Meeting & Food Expo, which will take place June 26-28.

Since homebrewing became federally legal in 1979, the number of people brewing beer at home has climbed to more than 1.2 million in the United States alone, according to the Boulder, Colo.-based American Homebrewers Association (AHA).

The rich history of tea dates back to when it first was used as a medicinal drink in East Asia. As globalization progressed, tea drinking has become an international phenomenon, spreading across multiple cultures throughout thousands of years. Yet, as consumers’ tea tastes have evolved, Brooklyn, N.Y.- based ITO EN (North America) Inc., a division of Tokyo-based ITO EN Ltd., continues to build on its strong innovation heritage by introducing healthy, organic and non-GMO tea varietals while maintaining a strong focus on new product development, sustainability and authenticity.

In response to consumers seeking healthier options, vending machines now stock a broader food and beverage portfolio along with the “smart” technological solutions like Apple Pay and Google Pay. On-machine signage also is helping consumers to better evaluate their choices.

The 2017 Women’s March, International Women’s Day and Equal Pay Day are some of the recent national events that have highlighted women’s contributions to society. These events also got me thinking about diversity and women in the beverage industry.

Although category management and merchandising commonly are associated with shelf resets and assortment rationalization, for White Plains, N.Y.-based HEINEKEN USA, it is much more than that. The global beer company works to thoroughly understand its consumers’ beer-drinking occasions while building relationships with retailers that will drive long-term, sustainable customer loyalty, says Vikas Satyal, senior director of category development.

Increased SKU counts, tight warehouse and retail spaces, and delivery personnel who manage heavy cases and kegs are driving the proliferation of new mobile carts and hand trucks designed to improve ergonomics and enable warehouse staff to safely stack, retrieve and deliver products.