CHICAGO, IL - There is a precious gem in fresh produce in the Windy City, one that caught the eye of produce veteran and champion Shawn Peery as he continues to share the complexity and creativity of produce merchandising.
Sharing a visit at the Albertsons’ Jewel-Osco division with Scott Bennett, Produce Sales and Merchandising Manager, toward the end of 2025, the Albertsons National Vice President of Produce gave his experience inside store 3491.
“Look how clean the shelves are, you can have a salad right off of them,” Shawn observes, zooming in on a shelf where the shine clearly comes through the camera.
Picking up leafy greens and showing off the in-house cleaning and culling, as well as juices and snacking sets that cater to today’s shoppers, it is a perfect demonstration of the attention to detail that has made Jewel-Osco a fresh destination in the crowded Chicago market.
As Shawn gave shout-outs to the hands that organize each set and prepare fresh produce to be showcased in front of shoppers, it reminded me how one of the first to tell me about produce merchandising as an artform was, in fact, Scott Bennett.
Standing in a Chicago-based store, he shared at the time how he used to love scattering lemons across more than one area to spread the yellow and change up the color contrasts. “The art of produce,” Scott would say.
I can imagine he and Shawn, as well as Operations Specialist Mike and Produce Manager Marcin, who were also walking the floor, appreciating the visual story told by the displays in 3491’s fresh department.
“Crescent merchandising, waterfalls, color breaks, surrounded by produce department here Jewel-Osco-style!” Shawn says appreciatively in a follow-up video of the store, calling out to tomatoes, bananas, nut bars, fruits, tropicals, and melon displays as he shows off the variety and quality that make the banner such a produce stalwart.
Suddenly, I feel the need to peruse and appreciate a few more stores and the art form found in the fresh department.
