Fall is here in the Northern Hemisphere, employees across the logistics divisions of the Prime Group are working 24-7 shipping and handling for harvested agricultural products now heading to their retail and wholesale destinations.
Just-picked grapes are transiting to wine production, fruits are in transport to markets and restaurants customers. Plantains and olives are moving to food manufacturing plants, where, presto, they’ll soon be transformed into snack foods and olive oil. Glass containers, cardboard, and other materials critical in manufacturing are also on the move, under the watchful eye of Prime Group’s dedicated teams of logistics experts around the world.
Whatever the journey, I’m proud of all our employees who are staying on top of the process in every way. You are to be commended for keeping the global pipeline of fresh products flowing to market or production on time and on budget.
Traditional Celebrations Worldwide
Also, as fall is in full swing, I’d like to recognize a few of the many annual events, both secular or religious – and the diverse traditions taking place across the globe in celebration of the bountiful harvest season.
Just weeks ago, for instance, some employees and customers in the United Kingdom and other northern countries participate in Lammas (“loaf mass”) Day to recognize the start of the grain harvesting season. They bake Lammas bread, make corn dollies and put on large feasts with loved ones. Following that, the annual Harvest Festival typically marks the end of the annual growing season in September.
In Canada, the annual Thanksgiving Day was observed on the second Monday of October. Residents – as their ancestors have done over the centuries – give thanks for the harvest and their god’s blessings for the bounty. In the modern era, the Canadian Parliament officially deemed the day a national holiday in 1957.
Just concluded in Israel, the annual Sukkot is a high holy week and celebration of bountiful harvests. In one tradition, residents hold and shake four species of plants – palm, myrtle, willow, and citron. In another, some eat and/or sleep for a week in small temporary huts with a roof open to the sky; that pays homage to Israelites of the past who wandered within the desert for decades and lived in temporary shelters.
In Magione, Italy, over a two-day period in November, the fall Olivagando festival focuses on “la dolce goccia” or the “sweet drop” of high-quality olive oil. Unfolding in the nation’s Umbria region, it’s celebrated in concert with the feast of St. Clement.
Across the globe, Korean families come together to celebrate the three-day Chuseok harvest festival on the 15th day of the lunar calendar’s eighth month. It’s a time for families to share meals and talk about their ancestors.
Within the United States, I know that many of our employees and customers are looking forward to Thanksgiving Day later this month – officially November 24. While President Abraham Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday in 1863, the first Thanksgiving celebration took place far earlier. In fall 1621, Pilgrim colonists in Plymouth, Mass., celebrated a successful wheat crop and shared a meal of partridge, wild turkey, and fish with Indigenous Americans.
Southern Hemisphere Celebrations
Of course, in the Southern Hemisphere, harvest comes at a different time of the year. In Mendoza, Argentina, events in the first quarter of the year celebrate the grape harvest, honor centuries of traditions and feature a modern-day wine festival that began in 1936.
In Bali, Indonesia, every May and June, a harvest festival honors the Hindu rice god, Dewi Sri. During this time, farmers place temples to the god in their rice paddies and make offerings of rice-stalk dolls.
Many other countries including India, Swaziland, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines also celebrate harvest season. We appreciate all the traditions and, as we navigate out of the pandemic, it’s an opportune time right now, regardless of where you live, to give thanks for a robust harvest and our many blessings.
I’d also like to again thank the employees representing all the Prime Group companies for their dedication throughout the year in serving our clients. In addition, to our valued clients, I extend heart-felt gratitude for entrusting us with your business. The harvest season signals a hefty ramp-up for our Prime Group divisions as we work to ship your agricultural products and a cornucopia of other goods around the world – on time and on budget. We’re striving to do our best for you as we all navigate through recent global challenges including supply chain issues.
Most of all, wherever you are across the globe, we give thanks for you and wish you a bountiful, happy, and healthy year ahead.
~ Roger Paredes