Latest news with #Freitag
Chicago Tribune
4 days ago
- Business
- Chicago Tribune
Aurora Farmers Market set to open for season with more vendors, new club for kids
The city of Aurora is set to welcome back the longest-running farmers market in the state on Saturday, June 7, with organizers saying the event will include more vendors and a new club for children. This marks the 114th year of the market, which will run from 8 a.m. to noon on Saturdays through Oct. 4 at 65 S. Water St. in downtown Aurora. The market will show definite signs of growth not seen since it moved from near the downtown Metra station back in 2018 to Water Street Square, organizers said. Due to a reconfiguration of the market, there could be as many as 75 vendors this year as compared to years past when the number averaged around 50 at the Water Street site. Aurora Farmers Market manager and community events coordinator Felicia Freitag said this year's total includes 85 vendors that have signed up, with many rotating in and out throughout the summer. 'Some of those vendors might be here one Saturday or two, the others the whole season,' she said. 'We'll probably have at least 60 each week and we have a new layout this year, and we'll be able to fit up to 70 in the parking lot itself.' The new layout was made possible, Freitag said, as a result of moving the handicapped reserved parking to 'the other side of the lot.' 'It used to be on the south side of the lot and now it's on the north side which allows us to have space for more vendors,' she said. Another new feature this year at the market will be a Sprouts Club, offering weekly free activities for children. According to a press release from the city, 'the Sprouts Club will provide a consistent club for children to participate in from 9 to 11 a.m. every Saturday' at the farmers market. 'Activities will promote sustainability, farming and produce knowledge, creativity and give children the opportunity to socialize,' the release said. 'Children can receive a stamp in their Sprouts Club activity booklet each week, along with a $5 Sprout Token for use on fruits and vegetables. After five stamps, Sprouts can pick out a special prize.' The Sprouts Club program will be run by the city of Aurora's Youth Services Division. Examples of planned activities include garden planting using a couple of raised garden beds, as well as kids decorating planters they can take home which will include seeds to grow things themselves. There will also be cultural performances throughout the year at the farmers market, organizers said. The opening market on Saturday is expected to offer 60 vendors, according to organizers. Popular regulars returning include Lopez Farms from Michigan which has been with the market for three decades, along with Strawberries BBQ, Alice's Corner with empanadas, The Finer Edge knife sharpening, Draper's Honey, Dick's Mini Donuts and more. New vendors will be offering some unique food items including locally-grown mushrooms, artisan bacon and charcuterie cups 'to keep people fed while they shop,' Freitag said. The market will continue to partner with LinkUp Illinois, allowing Link card users to double their Link funds and receive tokens and voucher redeemable with eligible vendors at the farmers market, event organizers said. Freitag said the city of Aurora welcomes the growth of farmers markets throughout the area because together they make up a network that benefits everybody. 'We love to see other markets popping up and that means more people are caring about shopping locally and supporting local and small business and we welcome it,' she said. 'We love to see what other markets are doing. We do have an established market that keeps generating support. We're just excited for the next season and new layout and getting more vendors in here.'
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
JM Smucker to close Hostess Brands plant
JM Smucker is set to close its manufacturing facility in Indianapolis, Indiana, as part of the 'continued optimisation' of its sweet baked snacks unit. The facility in question manufactures products under the Hostess brand, which JM Smucker purchased in 2023 in a $5.6bn transaction. The Orrville, Ohio-headquartered company said in a statement that it will shut down the Indianapolis plant and purse a sale of the site by early 2026. Production will be switched to other unspecified factories, JM Smucker added. Judd Freitag, senior vice president and general manager of the pet and sweet baked snacks business unit, said the move is in line with the 'ongoing work to ensure our manufacturing network is optimised to mitigate costs and reduce complexity in support of the execution of our sweet baked snacks strategy, which is focused on stabilising the Hostess business and positioning it for long-term growth'. JM Smucker, which also owns the Folgers, Bustelo and Jif brands, did not provide details about the number of employees that will be affected by the closure. However, Freitag said: 'Any decision that impacts our employees is only made after careful consideration. We appreciate the contributions of our Indianapolis employees, and we will support them through this transition.' The company has faced challenges with Hostess, reporting a third-quarter loss in March after recording goodwill impairment charges exceeding $1bn. JM Smucker posted a net loss of $662.3m for the three months ended 31 January, compared to a profit of $120.4m a year earlier. In August, JM Smucker also announced plans to lay off 79 workers at the Lenexa, Kansas offices of Hostess. Additionally, JM Smucker has been divesting other assets. Following the Lenexa layoffs, the company agreed to sell its cookies brand to Second Nature Brands in an all-cash transaction valued at $305m. The deal included the Voortman Bakery brand, its manufacturing site under lease in Ontario, and approximately 300 employees. JM Smucker acquired Voortman when it purchased Hostess Brands, which had bought Voortman in 2019 for $320m. In February, JM Smucker sold its Cloverhill and Big Texas brands to JTM Foods for around $40m. The transaction included Cloverhill pastries, Big Texas cinnamon rolls, private-label products, and a manufacturing facility in Chicago. "JM Smucker to close Hostess Brands plant " was originally created and published by Just Food, a GlobalData owned brand. The information on this site has been included in good faith for general informational purposes only. It is not intended to amount to advice on which you should rely, and we give no representation, warranty or guarantee, whether express or implied as to its accuracy or completeness. You must obtain professional or specialist advice before taking, or refraining from, any action on the basis of the content on our site. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Fast Company
19-05-2025
- Business
- Fast Company
All 14 parts of this shoulder bag are made from the exact same material—even the zipper
In a new bag from Freitag, every part—from the fabric to the zipper, straps, buckles, and the thread that holds everything together—is made from a single material. The product is the latest example of a 'monomaterial' design approach that some brands are beginning to use for a simple reason: It means that the products can actually be recycled when they eventually wear out. Right now, a typical backpack or bag has components made from multiple different materials. Dismantling everything at the end of its life is too time-consuming and expensive to be feasible. But using one material makes it essentially as simple as recycling a plastic water bottle. 'You can basically put that entire product into a shredder instead of taking things apart first,' says Elisabeth Isenegger, who leads international communications at the Switzerland-based, 32-year-old company. Then the material can be melted down and made into pellets to make something new. The company chose a material called polyamide 6, which is commonly used in everything from textiles to toothbrush handles. Because it's ubiquitous, there's a market for recycling it. But it was a challenge to find sources for every component that they needed. Freitag also had to find a way to avoid a water-repellent coating that would normally be used on the fabric, but would have made the fabric unrecyclable. To do this, the company worked with one of its suppliers to develop a version of the fabric with three layers, laminated together, that was water repellent on its own. A backpack using the approach came out last year, followed by the smaller new bag, the Musette, that just launched. If something breaks on the bag, consumers can bring it to a Freitag store and then the bag will go to one of the brand's 10 global repair centers. (The team set up a new repair kit for the backpack and bag, since repairs can also only be made with the same material.) When the bag eventually wears out, consumers can bring it back, and Freitag will work with partners to recycle it; it's not handled in typical municipal recycling centers. Before launching the first backpack, the company worked with the Switzerland-based Institute for Materials Technology and Plastics Processing to validate the process. Ultimately, Freitag aims to become fully circular in everything that it makes. The brand's best-known product, messenger bags made from old truck tarps, are already a form of recycling. But the company is now also working with trucking companies to test a new type of tarp material that can also be fully recycled after it's made into a bag.
USA Today
18-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Wisconsin basketball point guard, former top recruit announces transfer destination
Wisconsin basketball point guard, former top recruit announces transfer destination Wisconsin transfer point guard Daniel Freitag committed to Buffalo on Thursday. The former top class of 2024 recruit joins the Bulls as 247Sports' No. 292-ranked transfer and No. 55 point guard. He does so with three years of eligibility remaining. Freitag appeared in 14 games with the Badgers as a freshman in 2024-25, totaling just 29 minutes, two points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal. He failed to crack the Badgers' deep guard rotation, mostly seeing action in the closing minutes of decided contests. The Minneapolis, Minnesota, native originally joined Greg Gard's program as the No. 119 overall player in the class of 2024, No. 12 point guard and No. 3 recruit from his home state. His high-profile commitment headlined Wisconsin's class, as he was considered the program's long-term replacement for star point guard Chucky Hepburn, who transferred out after the 2023-24 campaign. That did not come to fruition during Freitag's limited time with the Badgers. He now joins a Buffalo program that went 9-22 in 2024-25, finishing near the bottom of the MAC and at No. 339 in KenPom. The program has not reached the NCAA Tournament since current Alabama coach Nate Oats led it to three appearances in four years from 2016-19. Wisconsin again enters 2025-26 with significant talent in the backcourt. John Blackwell, assuming he withdraws from the NBA draft, will lead the team's lineup, with San Diego State transfer Nick Boyd, Virginia transfer Andrew Rohde and sophomore Jack Janicki all playing major roles, plus incoming freshmen Zach Kinziger and Hayden Jones likely factoring in. Wisconsin should continue to bolster the position's depth in the transfer portal, however, as it could still use a veteran replacement for sixth man Kamari McGee. Freitag's performance at Buffalo, where he should see immediate playing time, will be worth watching. A breakout year could see him jump back to the major-conference level. For more on Wisconsin's incoming and outgoing transfer movement, bookmark our 2025 basketball transfer portal tracker. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
USA Today
11-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Updated transfer portal ranking for former Wisconsin point guard Daniel Freitag
Updated transfer portal ranking for former Wisconsin point guard Daniel Freitag Wisconsin basketball continues its work in the transfer portal, now several weeks into the cycle. The Badgers have landed three commitments to date: Virginia guard Andrew Rohde, Portland forward Austin Rapp and San Diego State guard Nick Boyd. That trio of incoming players bolsters a starting lineup that also returns star guard John Blackwell (pending an NBA draft decision) and forward Nolan Winter. Even with those additions, the team is still in search of several rotational players, especially in the frontcourt. Xavier Amos' departure only accentuated that already-existing need. But while the Badgers continue their transfer pursuits, what about the program's notable departures? Freshman point guard Daniel Freitag's transfer decision made the biggest headline. At this time last year, the former top recruit was viewed as the long-term replacement for star point guard Chucky Hepburn. Unlike Hepburn, however, Freitag struggled to make an impact in year one with the program. He finished the 2024-25 season with just 14 appearances, 29 total minutes of action, two points, four rebounds, three assists and a steal. With Wisconsin adding both experience and depth at guard during this transfer cycle, Freitag left in search of a long-term role and clear playing time. The point guard has not been directly tied to any transfer destinations as of April 11. 247Sports currently lists him as a three-star transfer prospect, ranked as the No. 283 player in the portal and No. 51 point guard. For reference, those standings are a big step backward from his four-star status in the high school class of 2024, as he was ranked as the No. 128 player in the country, No. 11 point guard and No. 2 recruit from his home state of Minnesota. Wisconsin originally landed Freitag over top contenders Baylor, Minnesota, Notre Dame and Virginia. Both the Cavaliers and in-state Golden Gophers have new head coaches, which eliminates those possible connections. But Baylor and Notre Dame could be potential candidates to return to his recruitment. Stay tuned as the top contenders for Freitag's transfer commitment become clear. In all likelihood, the landing spot will be a step or two down from Wisconsin, where playing time and production are all but a guarantee. Contact/Follow @TheBadgersWire on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin Badgers news, notes and opinion
