Fresh Facts Jan/Feb 2015

8/9/2019 Fresh Facts Jan/Feb 2015

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Ontario Farm Fresh Marketing Association

Newsletter #302Jan.- Feb. 2015

Volume 31, Number 1

Fresh Facts

Inside this issue:

Membership News 2

Top Food Trendsfor 2015

3

OFFMA Summit

Agenda4

Round Table Topics 6

Food Tourismthe

launch7

Creative Ap-

proaches to

Marketing

8

Meet Your New

Cash Regsiter9

Cider Competi-

tion Details10

Upcoming

events12

Presidents Message

Happy New Year!

As part of the saying, out with the old, this will be my last letter as President andin February we will sadly have to say goodbye to a few dedicated board veter-ans. Their experience, savvy and humour will be greatly missed. It has been apleasure working with the whole board for the past 2 years. And with the new,as soon to be past president, I do look forward to working with the new mem-bers that will be joining the board in February. The strength of this organizationis the depth of the membership and their willingness to help one another. Whata diverse and talented membership we have to draw from!

The glue that really holds the whole organization together is our Executive Di-rector, Cathy. While as members we are all focused on our own businessesand challenges, Cathy is always looking out for the interests of all the membersas a whole. She is continually looking for ways to help to advance our industryand our bottom line. We are so lucky to have such a dedicated and knowledge-able woman at the helm of OFFMA. She has made my tenure as President awonderful and valuable learning experience and for the most part been able to

make me look good. Thank you Cathy!!

The climax of the year happens at the Ontario Fruit & Vegetable Conventionwith the OFFMA Summit (yes, even protein farmers should attend see DanaThatcher comments in newsletter). John Stanley will be joining us for the pre-convention workshop on Tuesday and the launch of his new book on Wednes-day. You really dont want to miss the convention this year.

If you have any ideas you feel would help direct farm businesses, please pre-sent them to any board member or Cathy. The Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Con-vention in Niagara Falls is a great place to do this. Together, lets move forward

building our business, industry and our association.

See you in February!

Brian HugliOFFMA President

Providing knowledge and leadership to grow the farm fresh experience.


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MEMBERSHIP NEWS

Page 2 Fresh Facts

Classifieds

WANTED: FARM JOBShe grew up on an Ontario berryfarm.

She is passionate about locallygrown food, farms and agritourism.She has a BA in Administration andwould love to become part of thefarm fresh initiative.She currently lives in Oro-Medonte.She is primarily interested in promo-tion and marketing but enjoys everyaspect of farming.For more info contact KatieLooyestein(Young) [email protected]

FOR SALE:

Delhaven Orchards Ltd.,

Blenheim, ON

Frozen, pitted sour cherries

available for wholesale and retail

Call 519-676-4475 or

e-mail [email protected]

WANTED:

Market Manager for Nathan Phillips

Square Farmers Market.

The market takes place on Wednes-

days from the beginning of June to

the middle of October. Details are

on the OFFMA website or contact

the office for further information.

Classifieds are free for members. Send

your information to the OFFMA office

and it will be included in the next news-

letter.

Congratulations

OFFMA member, Chris Hiemstra fromClovermead Apiaries was elected to theAgricultural Adaptation Council (AAC)board of directors in Dec. 2014. Chris is

the AAC board representative for theOther Industries/Commodities sector.

Jason Verkaik was named new Chair ofthe Ontario Fruit & Vegetable GrowersAssociation (OFVGA). Verkaik is presi-dent of Carron Farms Ltd. near Bradfordin the Holland Marsh, where the Verkaikfamily has been growing, packing, andshipping farm fresh vegetables since1934. He first joined the OFVGA boardin 2010, and became the Vice Chair ofthe organization in 2013. He also serves

as an ex-officio to the Board of the Hol-land Marsh Growers Association. Jasonis also an OFFMA member.

New Memberswelcome to the OFFMA Fam-

ily. The only way to get the most out of your

membership is to participate in events and

get to know other members. We all look for-

ward to meeting you in person SOON!

Johann & Rosemarie Meier

Meier Family Organic Farm - Zeta Farms

Welland, ON

905-714-9690The Meier Family is dedicated to Farming

Organically and sustaining the Environment!

Located at the heart of the Niagara Region

they are at a central location for local food.

Their products include lamb, goats, produce,

preserves, honey, goat milk soap and so

much more now available in their brand new

farm store, which opened in December, with

grand opening taking place in late spring

2015.

Dorothy Coghlin

Integrated FarmsColdwater, ON

705-321-8947

Integrated Farms raises grass fed beef, pas-

ture raised pork, pasture raised chickens

and eggs and is open year round. The ani-

mals graze on grass pasture when it is avail-

able and hay when it is not. Combining grass

pasture with enough space to roam keeps

their animals healthy and ultimately produc-

es a high quality product for the customers.

Consumer E-newsletter

Edana Marketing and Communicationsassists OFFMA by producing and dis-

tributing e-newsletters to consumers.

The next one is scheduled to go out

just before Easter.

If you have an event, product or ac-

tivity you would like to promote, let

the OFFMA office know and we will

try and include in the e-newsletter.


3/12

Page 3Newsletter #302

Top Food Trends for 2015

Can you incorporate any into your farm market?

1 - Smoky Flavors- get ready for new found smokiness as chefs start to developstronger techniques for adding wonderfully smoky flavours to foods

smoked vegetables, butters and even cocktails in 2015.

2 Kalettes or Kale Sprouts - this is an entirely new hybrid vegetable - a cross

between brussels sprouts and kale. . Their flavor is peppery and theirtexture crisp. You can use them like you'd use kale -- in salads or sauted

with olive oil and garlic.

3 - Same Day Food Delivery- We'll see the expansion of same-day food delivery

from companies like Peapod, FreshDirect, Amazon Fresh and Instacart.

And the meal delivery service Blue Apron will spread in the U.S.

4 - Broth- or the idea of sipping broth for health benefits is something to expect.Apparently well all be standing around drinking fresh bone broth and

products like chicken and lemon grass broth in a carton.

5 - Souping - Souping is said to be next years juicing a quick, easy and healthy

way to incorporate nutrient and vitamin-stuffed vegetables into your diet,without all the sugar and salt of packaged shop versions. Unlike with

juicing, you also don't lose any of that all-important fibre.

6 - Grains - You may have only just learned how to say quinoa but that's a 2014

grain, instead, look out for Kaniwa and Teff. Food companies will be

offering more ways to get your plant protein on in the form of ancientgrains such as freekeh, barley and farro. We'll also see more sprouted grainproducts, as they boost the protein content of breads, wraps and flours.

Kashi will debut a new sprouted grain cereal in March.

7 - Fermented Foods- Fermentation is hardly new - people have been preserving

their food for thousands of years - but its a trend that is likely to explode

in 2015. Fermented foods are full of good probiotic bacteria that canhelp your digestion.

8 - Pistachios- apparently the new nut of the year will be the Pistachio so get

ready for Pistachio butters, spreads, drips, oils and of course milks. Lookfor the little green nut in sauces, on pizza, mixed into guacamole and even

folded into pancake batter.

9 - Local and sustainable - More than ever, consumers are interested in finding

out where their food comes from. The U.S. National Restaurant

Association suggests locally sourced meats and seafood, locally grownproduce and environmentally sustainable foods are the top three food

trends for 2015. Also making the list is reducing food waste, farm/estate

branded items, artisan foods and vegetarian cuisine.


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Page 4 Fresh Facts

OFFMA Summit Agenda

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

9:30 - 10:30 Dont Serve Me..Make My Day,

John Stanley John Stanley & Associates

10:30 11:00 Nuggets from the November Study Tour,

Stephanie Maynard-Quinn Farm

11:15 11:45 OFFMAs AGM

LUNCH

2:00 3:00 How to create a successful exit plan?

Panel presentation: Steve Smith-Smiths Apples and Farm Market,

Dyann Birtch-formerly of Birtch Farms and Estate Winery,

Kathryn Ferretti-Nokara Farms

3:00 3:30 Coming back to the Farm,

Marianne den Haan - Sheldon Creek Dairy

3:30 4:00 Round Table Talks -

#1 Making Money 101 (Best Business Ideas of 2014)

#2 Menu Pricing for Profit

#3 Hosting Profitable Events

#4 New Ideas in Customer Service

Coordinated by Jesse Lauzon - Springridge Farm

Thursday, February 19, 2015

9:30 10:30 A year in the life of my on-farm market,

Karen Whitty Whitty Farms and 13thStreet Winery & Bakery

10:30 11:00 Looking at new ways to source funds for your farm,

Jennifer Stevenson, OMAFRA

11:00 11:30 Profitability on the Farm

Panel Presentation: Stephanie Maynard-Quinn Farm, Morris Gervais-

Barrie Hill Farms, and Laura Hughes-Springridge Farm

LUNCH

1:30 2:00 Making money with your POS System,

Larry Wolfe, Armagh POS Solutions

2:00 3:00 Getting your message across with videos,

Allyson Reid-Chockablock

3:00 4:00 Exploring Value Added Opportunities,

Adrienne De Schutter-OMAFRA, Jessica Kelly-OMAFRA, Peter Coughler-

OMAFRA, Jason Persall-Pristine Gourmet, Brent Preston & Gillian Flies-

The New Farm


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The OFFMA Summit: Something for Everyone

February 17th-19

th

, 2015

by Dana Thatcher of Thatcher Farms Butcher Shop,

Bakery and Country Store.

For years my husband and I belonged to OFFMA, andevery year we would receive the information package

about the Ontario Fruit and Vegetable Convention in

Niagara. Every year we felt that it did not directly apply

to our on-farm business because we did not grow fruits or vegetables, we

retail our home-grown meats. That is, until I became an OFFMA board

member and was strongly encouraged to attend. WOW!! WOW!! WOW!!!

We were most pleasantly surprised. Not only does the Convention directly

and meaningfully apply to our business but it is also THE place to be for

networking with the BEST of the BEST in the farm marketing industry!!!

We were blown away by the two day OFFMA Summit held in conjunction

with the Fruit and Veg Convention, as well as the pre-convention workshop

that OFFMA always outdoes itself on, offering expert speakers from

around the world to address our on-farm market needs.

This will be our third year attending the pre-convention workshop, summit

and convention, and it is something that we look forward to and always try

to include our employees in as well. The two day OFFMA Summit is an

enormous, eclectic mix of business-minded people sharing their expertise

and passion for on-farm marketing. From fruits and vegetables, to Bee-

Keeping, Bakeries, School Tours, photography, work/life/balance, meatand protein, birthday parties and of course agri-tourism, there is absolute-

ly something for everyone focusing on the many diverse areas the on-farm

market offers.

Three days of listening to and networking with people who love what they

do, not only inspires us, but motivates us to go home to our farm and to be

the best that we can possibly be within our business. And that is what

OFFMA strives to do for its members; To inspire and to educate with the

end result being that we are better able to offer our customers the abso-

lute best farm and food experience possible. The OFFMA Summit will notdisappoint. This is mine and my husbands annual holiday that we look

forward to every New Year. Good thing we love what we do, and a working

holiday is just what we need to set us up for another successful year on

our busy farm.

We hope to see you there!!!


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Page 6 Fresh Facts

You are cordially invited to OFFMAs

nnual wards Banquet

Tuesday, February 17, 2015MarriottGateway to the Falls

Appetizers 6:15 pmDinner 6:45 pm

Cost: $45 + HST per person

Call the OFFMA Office for tickets,905-841-9278 or order from

pre-convention workshop reg form,enclosed with this newsletter

Roundtable Topics for the OFFMA SUMMITBy Jesse Lauzon

It's no secret that one of OFFMA's greatest assets as an organization is the will-ingness of its members to share their stories in the spirit of teaching and contrib-uting to the success of others. As a result, it's no surprise that one of the most

popular features of our annual OFFMA Summit at the OFVC is the roundtable ses-sion at the end of Day 1. These talks provide an amazing opportunity to gatherand discuss the current best ideas in our industry.

Over the years, I've been inspired by these roundtable talks to look at how to im-prove the way I see pricing, costing, hiring, training, social media, events, schooltours, and even our packaging. I'm always especially impressed at the franknessand honesty of these discussions. Sometimes we hear about things that really didnot work - at all - and these are often the most valuable lessons to learn.

Here are the roundtable topics up for discussion this year at the OFFMA Summit:

1. Making Money 101 - Best Business Idea of 2014

2 Menu Pricing for Profit

3. Hosting Profitable Events on the Farm4. New Ideas in Customer Service

As always, come prepared to give as good as you get - bring your questions andyour ideas! Take lots of notes but don't worry - the roundtable moderators will betaking good notes which will be sent to you if you sign up to receive them at yourtable.

Looking forward to seeing you there!

OFFMAs

Annual General Meeting

will take place on

Wed. February 18, 201511:1511:45

Held during the

OFFMA Summit

in conjunction with the

Ont. Fruit & Veg. Convention

Join us to get an update on

OFFMAs activities.


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Launching at the OFFMA Summit on Wednesday

Food Tour ismA Practical Marketing Guideby John Stanley and Linda Stanley, John Stanley Associates,

Australia

A vital guide to the development and direction of one ofthe fastest growing sectors in tourism.

The fastest growth in tourism is the culinary sector. Coveringfarmers markets, taste tours, agri-tainment, glamping, restau-rants, farm shops and more, food tourism has become both animportant part of holidaying and a purpose in itself. With growthoccurring in most developed countries and tourists searchingout food tourism throughout the world, this book provides anoverall direction to the development of food tourism and alsoincludes a section on the future of this trend. Featuring contribu-

tions from David Wearing, Griffith University, Australia and Ste-phen Smith, University of Waterloo, Canada, this is a vital newstudy in a vibrant and growing field that should be requiredreading for tourist boards, owners and managers of retail farm operations, farmassociation members and anyone with an interest in driving increased visitornumbers to a region through food tourism.John Stanley is always at the forefront of change in the horticultural and agricul-tural industry around the world. Considered by many to be the worlds leadinghorticultural consultant due to the sizeable economic returns he helps his clientsachieve, he has been described by his clients as The Retail Guru.

What are the experts saying about Food Tourism?

John Stanley is the clearly the worlds foremost expert on farm retailing. Iknow of no one else with his breadth of experience worldwide. He is passion-ate about food retailing and working with farm family businesses. He contin-ually keeps abreast of changes in the fast paced electronic world that welive in. The fact that he is releasing a book on food tourism is a testament tothe fact that he has identified this as an emerging trend important to farmmarketers. Its a book Ill want to read.Morris Gervais Barrie Hill Farms, Barrie, Ontario

This impressive work by John Stan ley and Linda S tanley, The Retail Guru Duo is

a comprehensive guide to all topics related to Food Tourism. It is the Go T o book for

valuable and timely discussion on every aspect of retailing food. How, why, when,

where and what, are only the 5 usual questions asked and answered. There is so much

more. If you produce or sell food, not only do you want a copy of this book, you NEED

a copy

Lynda Van Casteren, Visionary, Owner and General Manager, Nicholyn Farms,Ontario

Pre-launch copies will be available for those who register for the pre-conventionworkshop (registration forms included in this newsletter). Copies are limited somake sure you get yours!


8/12

swer questions you may have. Con-

sider these creative approaches to

collecting data from fellow direct

farm marketers:

What do you like on your pizza?

What are your cider drinking habits?

Spirit Tree Estates Cidery used expe-

riential tasting nights with custom-

ers to help build their inaugural piz-

za menu. They have also used blind

cider tasting events to learn more

about customers preferences for

the finer details of their products.

Do you prefer your beets loose, in

baskets, or in bags?

Murphys Farm Market and Bakery

combines experimentation with

analysis of point-of-sale records to

answer questions about customer

preferences. Instead of asking them

what they prefer, give them options

and let the sales speak for them-

selves.

How many years have you been shop-

ping at the market?

The Outdoor Market at Covent Gar-

den Market in London uses a bean

poll (or bean counter if you prefer)

to learn basic information about

their customers through multiple

choice

questions.

A chalk-

board,

glass jars,and dried

beans are

all that is

required

to set-up a

bean poll

of your

own!

Page 8 Fresh Facts

Business intelligence is an umbrella

term for something that most entre-

preneurs do every day without even

realising it. It is all about collectingand processing information as it re-

lates to your industry, your sector,

your business, and your customers.

Your involvement with OFFMA is one

of the best ways to stay current on

industry information, build relevant

networks, and compare your busi-

ness to others to constantly improve.

If youre conducting business intelli-gence to answer a specific question,

we typically call it marketing re-

search. Marketing research includes

five key steps:

1.Identify the problem:Ask this as a

question that you are trying to

find an answer to.

2.Devise the research plan:Deter

mine the best way to collect

the data required to answer

the question.

3.Collect data:Be sure to explore

free information sources and

look for creative ways to

incorporate data collection

into existing processes to

minimize cost.

4.Analyze data:Data analysis will de-

pend on what data you collect-

ed and how you collected it.

5.Report and interpret results:Work

with your business team to interpret the results of the data

and decide what they mean for

your business.

Often marketing research is associat-

ed with surveys, but there are many

creative ways to get information from

within your business in order to an-

Creative Approaches to Marketing

By Jessica Kelly, Direct Market Lead, OMAFRA


9/12


Meet Your New Cash RegisterA POS (Point of Sale) system could be the answer to many issues that youhave with the retail side of your business. And if you go portable then you cangain access to every customer who walks through your doors.

Long lines can very quickly equal lost sales as customers get frustrated whilewaiting. An overabundance of paperwork can cause headaches for any busi-ness owner. And how about the amount of time and effort you spend on manag-ing every detail of your employees?

Retail Transactions, Inventory Management, Employee Management, CustomerTracking, Reporting and Analytics can all be optimized by incorporating a POSsystem.

Cutting down on your time and money while collecting data securely on custom-ers, inventory and employees; a POS system is rarely unnecessary in today's

market.

Although there is a substantial expenditure to implement these systems, POSsystems are designed to actually help you make more money in the long run.

Here are some very useful links to gain some POS 101 insight.

https://www.forte.net/blog/pos-101/

http://www.merchantmaverick.com/pos-101-how-to-choose-a-point-of-sale-system-for-your-business/

http://www.posmatic.com/point-of-sale/point-of-sale-101.php

Thanks to NAFDMA for this Nugget of the Month.

On Thursday, February 19th, we will have Larry Wolfe from Armagh POS Solu-tions doing a presentation about POS systems at the OFFMA Summit. Larrycomes highly recommended by Amy Strom from Stroms Farm. She is thrilledwith the POS system she put into place last year.Come to hear Larry and bring your questions to help you make an educated de-cision before you buy your next cash register.

Vision without action is merely a dream.

Action without vision just passes the time.

Vision with action can change the world.


10/12

Fresh FactsPage 10

Do you have a winning product?

5thANNUAL SWEET CIDER COMPETITIONOnce again Ontarios finest cider makers will be vying for bragging rights at the5th annual Ontario sweet cider competition to be held at the Ontario Fruit and

Vegetable Convention. Last year there were 13 entries in the sweet cider com-petition an oh-so-sweet task for the panel of nine judges!

All Ontario cider producers are invited to submit their sweet cider to be judgedon Wednesday, February 18th, 2015 at the Scotiabank Convention Centre, Ni-agara Falls. This competition is open to all Ontario cider makers, including thosefarmers who use a custom presser.

Here are the details: Only Ontario cider producers are eligible to enter and only one entry per

business. Entrants are required to submit two 4-L jugs of cider and entrants are

responsible to ensure that frozen ciders are thawed by judging time. Ifyou are freezing your cider please remember to leave room in the jug toallow for expansion.

Please identify your jugs with labels attached with elastic not glue.Unlabelled jugs are required for the judging.

Entries will be accepted on Wednesday, February 18th, 2015 between 8:30and 10:30 a.m.

Entries must be delivered to the registration area of the OFVC. Look for thesigns.

Judging will be held on Wednesday afternoon. Judging is open to the public. Winning ciders will be announced at the Farmers and Friends Reception on

Wednesday evening in the Trade Show area.

2ndANNUAL CRAFT CIDER COMPETITIONThis year the Craft Cider Competition will have two separate categories -common cider and specialty/flavoured cider. We are encouraging all On-tario cider makers to enter their best ciders! The goals of our competition are toencourage excellence in cider making and to raise consumer awareness of On-tarios craft ciders.

All judging will be conducted using blind panels. Each entry will be identified bya registration number and judges will only see that number. There will be twofive-judge panels and will consist of a combination of industry professionals andmedia. Please bring your craft ciders to the cider registration desk near theSpeaker Registration desk at Scotiabank Convention Centre, 6815 Stanley Ave-nue, Niagara Falls, ON L2G 3Y9 by 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, February 18th,2015. Contact the day of the event is Kelly Ciceran (cell 905-687-0874) shouldyou require assistance.

If you would like more information on the competition before the conventionplease email Kelly Ciceran at [email protected].


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Newsletter #302 Page 11

Awards Banquet Auction

Part of our Awards Banquet on Tuesday,

February 17th, will be a silent auction of

unique products and services donated

by OFFMA members.If you have something you would like to

donate, please contact the OFFMA of-

fice. Some of the interesting items we

have so far are 1. A set of Lynn Craw-

fords books, 2. A butchery demonstra-

tion at Thatcher Farms and 3. A blue-

berry sampler basket from Huglis Blue-

berry Ranch. The proceeds from the

auction are contributed to the OFFMA

Family Fund.

Get involved any way you can!

REMINDERFood Innovation Award Applica-

tions are on the OFFMA website.

The deadline for submission is Jan-

uary 30, 2015.

Call the office for an application

form or get one from the OFFMA

website, members section under

coming events.

6Waystoget

themostoutof

anyconvention

______________

1.Separatethe

wisdomfromthe

action.

2.Beapproachable

anddontbeafraid

toapproachpeo-

pleyourself.

3.Distilleverytalk

downtoonekey

takeaway.

4.Planprivate

gatheringswith

like-mindedfolks.

5.Askquestionsin

thesessionyou

attend.

6.Onceyouare

backintheoffice,

maketimetofol-

lowupwithpeople

youmetatthe

conference.


12/12

Page 12 Fresh Facts

Ontario Farm Fresh

Cathy Bartolic, Executive Director

2002 Vandorf Rd. Aurora, ON L4G 7B9

Phone: 905-841-9278

Fax: 905-726-3369

E-mail: [email protected]

www.ontariofarmfresh.com

2014-15 OFFMA Board of Directors

Brian Hugli, President

Huglis Blueberry Ranch

Leslie Forsythe, Vice President

Forsythe Family Farms

Jesse Lauzon, Past President

Springridge Farm

Hollis English, Murphys Farm Market &Bakery

Cara Epp, Associate Member

Edana Integrated Marketing

Nicole Judge, Spirit Tree Estate Cidery

Steve Martin, Martins Family Fruit Farm

Colleen Pingle, Pingles Farm Market

Steve Smith, Smiths Apples

Dana Thatcher, Thatcher Farms

Jessica Kelly, OMAFRA Advisor to the

Board

Upcoming Events

Jan. 29-Feb.1 Guelph Organic Conference Expo, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON

www.guelphorganicconf.ca

Jan. 30 Deadline for submission to the Food Innovation Award, details on the

OFFMA website, OntarioFarmFresh.com

Feb. 1-6 30th Annual NAFDMA Convention, Nashville & Knoxville, TN,

www.farmersinspired.com/TN2015

Feb. 17 OFFMAs Pre-Convention Workshop with John Stanley,

2020 .Will you be a Player? The Future On-Farm Market,

MarriottGateway to the Falls, Niagara Falls, ON

Feb. 17 OFFMAs Annual Awards Banquet, MarriottGateway to the Falls,

Niagara Falls, ON dinner is at 6:45pm

Feb. 18-19 OFFMA Summit at the Ontario Fruit Vegetable Convention,

Scotiabank Convention Centre, Niagara Falls, ON, www.ofvc.ca

March 5 Merchandising Webinar with Leslie Groves, Setting the Stage for your

Success in 2015,11:30 am need to pre-register

March 23 & 24 New Vision Workshop with John Stanley, GTA location details will be on

the OFFMA website shortly. Limited to 15 businesses.

Fresh Facts Jan/Feb 2015

Documents

Transcript of Fresh Facts Jan/Feb 2015