DG Dirt - January 2014

Hola, On behalf of the entire Dos Gringos family, I wish all of our clients a happy, healthy, prosperous New Year! We head into 2014 with quite a bit of travel right off the bat. I will spend the first couple weeks of January visiting Dos Gringos East in Miami and meeting with clients. We want to make the most of the new year for every single client; jumping right in to assess and prioritize will help. Our annual client survey is a great tool for gathering direct feedback about the Dos Gringos experience and how we can make it great. Thank you in advance for taking the time to let us know how our partnership is working for you. If you’ve never weighed in before, I encourage you to let us have it so we can continue all the initiatives that are working for you and address the gaps. Last year’s survey revealed that having consistent sunflower production 52 weeks of the year and expansion in the east were important projects. We worked hard on this all year and were hitting our stride before a brief setback in October. Winter/fall crop expansion – having more to offer in both product and quantity -- remains a focus for us, and our intention is to end 2014 with the ability to grow Sunflowers in the east 52 weeks of the year. Expansion will not compromise our three strategic pillars: People, Freshness, and Innovation. In fact, as we expand we’ll pay even closer attention to getting these right. On the people side, we’ll open some positions in early 2014 that we hope will alleviate the increasing pressure on Todd Thornton, our Master Grower. Expanding growing operations in east will be a significant challenge. Todd is absolutely up to the task, but we need to provide him the complementary skill set of new and innovate thinking around our localization and east coast expansion. Todd and Mark Young already have some leads and have done some traveling of their own to keep this initiative moving forward. I’m confident we’ll have a new Team Member in this role by the end of first quarter. Freshness will continue to be the goal behind expanding our growing regions and our acreage, and Innovation remains a key piece of everyone’s job description. How do we capture and develop new ideas and create better ways of doing things to benefit the end user?  These are the questions we’ll continue to ask across each and every department. Team Member profiles were a popular element of this newsletter throughout 2013. I’m happy to continue this practice in the New Year, and I know you’ll enjoy meeting Lina Sifuentes. Lina has been an integral part of our Sales Support Team for nine years. She’s a strong client advocate and a great team player. In 2013 she became a wellness success story when she made a commitment to improve her health and to take advantage of Circuit Training classes offered twice a week at our headquarters in Vista. Congratulations and keep up the great work, Lina! Biggest “win” in 2013:              I lost 140 pounds. I made a commitment to improve my health, and I did. That feels good. Wow! What’s your secret?                     The DG offices include a very nice gym with lots of equipment and weights provided by the company. I was recovering from a late-2012 surgery, and it struck me that getting in better physical shape would help speed my recovery. It absolutely did. What improvements were made to DG’s Wellness Program in 2013? We started offering Circuit Training classes. Twice a week, Tuesday and Thursday, Team Members can spend an hour moving from station to station and getting real-time tips from a personal trainer. It makes a huge difference to spend 120 minutes a week on physical fitness because it carries over into other areas of your life. I’m walking a lot more now on my own time, and I try to think of other ways to complement what I’m doing at work. What’s next? A group of people are looking into training for a marathon. The company supports “Finish Chelsea’s Run” every year with donations 0f money and Sunflowers. We want to develop a team of runners to more actively participate in the future. We’re also looking into activities we can do as a team. A DG softball or basketball team may be coming soon, so watch out! Any advice for other Team Members in 2014? There’s nothing wrong with making a commitment – and taking the time – to feel better. Everyone can benefit from the decision to eat right, live right, and make time for yourself. Don’t get so caught up in daily responsibilities that you forget to care for your body and mind. Lots of companies have Wellness Programs. What makes Dos Gringos unique? The people and the environment. Everyone here is so supportive, and Jason is incredibly generous with his resources and his time. He honors his “Open Door” policy; in eight years I’ve never hesitated to approach him with questions or concerns about anything. And he lives what he preaches when it comes to fitness. He uses the gym all the time and is very vocal about wellness. That makes a huge difference to me. ______________________________________

The Dirt - December 2013 - Happy Holidays to all!

How in the world did the year-end festivities arrive so quickly? Last Friday the DG Team gathered for our annual Holiday Festivities.  The Mariachis stole the show this year. As I took the time to prepare my annual words of thanks and warm wishes – including a look at where we’ve been, where we’re going, and how we get there -- I was struck by how quickly 2013 came and went. The party was well-deserved and, as you can see from the pictures, great fun! November ended on an extremely positive note for us. After struggling with some weather and uncooperative crops in the early weeks leading up to it, we really rallied at the last minute and closed the books on Thanksgiving with a 99.99 percent order fulfillment rate. We were extremely grateful for that and for the support and patience of our valued clients. Huge kudos to our Dos Gringos Miami Team, which burned the candle at both ends seven days a week to help ensure all orders were filled. Strategic Planning for 2014 is under way. As usual, a two-day brainstorming session brought way more ideas and innovations than we can reasonably tackle in a calendar year, but I’m thrilled with the passion our Leadership team has for building the brand. We made the unanimous decision to remain true to our brand pillars – People, Freshness, and Innovation – and below is are a couple projects that made the cut for 2014: Each of these initiatives is key to our continued success, and we’re confident we can make big strides within the next year. Demand is strong and healthy, and we want to make sure we’re meeting it with the creativity, quality, and quantity expected of us. Our focus on people in 2014 will include enhancements to our Team Member Wellness Program. As a Team, we lost more than 300 pounds in 2013, but we know that a healthy body is only half of the equation. A healthy mind and a nice balance of work and play is equally important. Delia Mercado and the Wellness Committee are working on additional programs and offerings for the new year. On that note, I hope this newsletter finds you experiencing a decent balance of holiday happiness and productive, profitable work. I wish you all the best at this most wonderful time of the year, and I hope 2014 holds great success and joy for everyone! _________________________________________

Dos Gringos Dirt - A Dos Gringos Thanksgiving is here

Thanksgiving prep is upon us, and I’m not talkin’ turkey! With our usual “All hands on deck” approach, we are working fast and furious to ensure we can deliver as promised on Thanksgiving orders. We always do whatever we can to avoid allocations and substitutions, and this year is no exception. The Sunflower crop is picking up steam as we get ready for Thanksgiving . Fortunately we have a new growing region that’s starting to produce; we think that this will help smooth out future production dips. We’ll be running two shifts and extending operating hours throughout the 10 days leading up to Thanksgiving. Fall crops are winding down as expected this year. Pumpkin Tree is gone for the season, and Marigolds and Broomcorn will be off crop by Nov. 15. With that, we set our sights on the festive year-end holidays – a most wonderful time for flowers and greens in general and for Dos Gringos in particular! Production of our Red Safari Sunset  is especially strong, and you can’t beat the longevity of this one’s stems and color.  We’ll be ready to go with the tasteful, on-trend glitter and accents some clients crave at this time of year. It was great to see many of you at the busy and productive PMA Conference in October. I spent one whirlwind day on the floor and in the DG booth before heading to China for the remainder of the month.  After recovering from my first bout of jet lag ever – wide awake at 2:00 a.m. for several days around Halloween – I met with Marco Rivera and the team to discuss several key takeaways from my trip and our plan to address them. The Dos Gringos family in Vista was excited this fall to welcome back two adventurous team members who helped in a big way the past year.  Last October Gabby Mercado and Mike Vargas stepped up and moved from San Diego to Miami to help get Dg East off the ground.  The DG culture and values are unique. We felt the best way to instill them in Miami was through our people. Off Gabby and Michael went, ready to help with anything and everything from production to sales to shipping and receiving. We had endless questions for them upon their return. Here are some highlights. _________________________________________ Gabby:  I’m getting familiar with the procurement and growing side of the house, working with Ciro, Todd, and April on purchasing, inventory, and forecasting processes. I’ve always had my eye on this part of the business, and my time in Miami has really developed my ability to connect with the growing side of our business.  I look forward to contributing to the Human Resources Team as well.          Michael:  I am now working closely with Agustin in the warehouse department, trying to learn the different areas and their importance to our daily workflow. My focus now is on the hard good side of E-Commerce. Once I master that, I hope to assume additional responsibilities in inventory counts, ordering the hard goods, communicating with the vendors/customers. This side is new to me, so it will be fun and interesting. Gabby:  I’m  a big fan of continuous growth and learning. Having the opportunity to work with such a great team is energizing and rewarding. There’s always something different to learn and discover.   Michael:  I am mostly excited about being back with the team and growing in a new position. I will be handling the E-Commerce hard goods for the internet companies that we fulfill for. This gives me a chance to get to know a new and growing area of the floral industry. Gabby:  This team loves what they do each and every day. It’s a growing, vibrant place, and that’s neat to be part of. New people join the team regularly to help bring smiles to millions, and now I have the opportunity to grow in new areas and to use the things I learned in Miami to help me through the process. Michael:  I like being back with a team that has taught me so much of what I know. We’re a family here, and we’re always willing to help and teach each other new things. The culture here is hard to find anywhere else, it was something I made sure to also share with the team in Miami. _________________________________________ _________________________________________ What can we do to make your job easier? I hope you’ll let me know: jason.levin@dosgringos.net. _______________________________________

The PMA Fresh Summit Convention and Expo is just around the corner, Oct. 18-20. There’s a lot of buzz about this annual event, and it looks like all of us are in for some interesting workshops and opportunities for productive interaction and networking. The DG Team is putting the finishing touches on our plans and preparation for sharing our story, and we look forward to seeing those of you who plan to attend. Don’t miss Booth #736, where it’s all about California sunshine and our mission to remain Different by Design. We’ll have beautiful arrangements and all of our Design Ready and Just Add items on display, as well as the flower-filled mugs and Mason Jars that are more and more popular every day. Marco, Cindy, Jennifer and Robin are excited to see you in New Orleans and to answer any questions and discuss potential solutions for your business. Back in Vista, we continue to enjoy opening our Design Center to client visitors who want a breath of fresh air and a chance to explore what’s possible in an inspiring space. A few of you stopped in in September, and we’re grateful for your partnership and collaboration. We believe it moves all of us in the right direction. While good things were happening indoors, we did take a late-summer hit from Mother Nature. Always a formidable competitor, she followed a cool, temperate August with extreme heat in September that forced us to harvest a surplus of over 120,000 bunches of Sunflowers in September and then to leave another 40,000 bunches behind, all of which left us with precious little product for the next two weeks. Protea, Millet, Majesty, Broom Corn, and Marigolds also were affected by the swing from cool to hot. Despite the major steps we’ve taken to diversify our growing areas and minimize the effects of a “gap,” Mother Nature has a mind of her own. We worked hard to juggle orders and find acceptable substitutions for as many of you as possible, and we’ll continue to make the best of the situation until we’re back on track this week. The good news is that our Master Grower Todd Thornton is all over the issue. His expertise and commitment are second to none, and he’s a huge part of what makes Dos Gringos different. I asked Todd for a plan of attack that avoids a future gap, and he responded immediately with initiatives already in the pipeline as well as new approaches to consider. These include but are not limited to: Additional farm locations for us in Baja; Additional weather-stable areas for outdoor farming in Sept. and Oct. Sunflower trials in new areas in Florida  Increased production in Pennsylvania and Virginia

When the PMA show wraps this month, I head to China to look further into suppliers for the Pick On Us business we recently acquired. Aaron Motola and I are always interested in products and ideas that complement the fresh flowers and greens we bring to the table. In addition to plans and preparations to bring you the level of service you expect for the busy Thanksgiving holiday, November will bring a focus on strategic planning and budgeting for 2014, and that work will tie directly to our pillars of People, Freshness, and Innovation. More to come in December. I’ll close with a huge, heartfelt “Congratulations” to Team Member Extraordinaire Joan Saunders. My right and left hand and a dear friend, she was married in September to a wonderful man, Phillip Schwartze. We wish them many happy, healthy years together. It was beautiful day filled with friends, family, and – what else? – beautiful Sunflowers! Best wishes, Joan and Phillip, and my best to all DG clients.   _________________________________________ What can we do to make your job easier? I hope you’ll let me know: jason.levin@dosgringos.net. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

September 2013 - The Dirt

School is back in session, and Dos Gringos is back on the hustle and bustle that is our fall season. Our travel-heavy schedules have eased a bit as we adopt an “All hands on deck” approach for this last quarter of the year. We’re welcoming several new Team Members – and ensuring they learn and embrace “the DG way” of getting things done -- as we plan and prepare for the heavy production that always arrives with school bells and cooler temperatures. The beautiful, well-tended soil of several farms is giving us Sunflowers in all kinds of interesting, autumnal colors, but that’s just the beginning of our impressive selection. Protea, Marigolds, Pumpkin Tree, Broomcorn, and Silver Sage are filling the coolers at Dos Gringos, and the team is assembling stunning bouquets that you won’t want to miss. Now more than any other time of year, we stand apart from the crowd with selection and service. Thank you for all your efforts in getting this message – and our flowers – to consumers. Like many of you, we’re prepping for the Produce Marketing Association show in New Orleans in October. Marco Rivera and his team will put our best foot forward in Booth #736, and we look forward to catching up with you there. We’re hitting on a “California Dreaming/Born in the USA”  theme, which is perfect for us as we tackle the localization aspect of the business. The closer we can get to our clients’ distribution centers, the better. Product freshness and quality improve, and we’re able to get items to you in the most economical way possible. I’m proud that we’re beginning our second growing season in Pennsylvania and our first in Wisconsin and Florida. Getting off the ground (or should I say “out of the ground?”) in different geographies has been a learning experience, to say the least. It’s hard to teach best practices and quality assurance standards that work across climates, but we’re committed to this , and we’ve had some significant wins. Mother Nature is a tough competitor, but we love a challenge.  The wizard behind this work is our very own Master Grower Todd Thornton. We’ll feature Todd and some of his greatest insights in the next issue of The Dirt. From now through the end of 2013, expect more extended work shifts and top-notch service from our teams in San Diego and Miami as we expand production and shine, shine, shine! What can we do to make your job easier? I hope you’ll let me know: jason.levin@dosgringos.net. _____________________ ______________________