NEW YORK - Grocer Hy-Vee is expanding its digital food ordering capabilities, partnering with Deliverect, a leading global food tech SaaS company. By integrating Deliverect into each of Hy-Vee’s Fast & Fresh Market Grille Express stations, the grocer can deliver an even better customer service experience by preparing orders more quickly and efficiently. Hy-Vee will also leverage Deliverect's analytics to make more data-driven decisions on its menu offerings and inventory.

“As a brand with convenience at its core, it’s critical that we meet our busy consumers where they are,” said Jennifer Lambert, Senior Vice President of IT Strategy and Planning, Hy-Vee. “Deliverect's innovative solutions have dramatically increased the speed of our curbside pickup service while providing us with key insights to keep our operations running smoothly and our customers happy. We look forward to seeing how this collaboration continues to evolve in the future.”

Hy-Vee’s Fast & Fresh convenience stores have 190 locations throughout the Midwest, and are designed to meet the time-strapped needs of today’s consumers. Automating the order creation process with Deliverect eliminates manual entry of meal and snack orders, helping staff focus on preparing high-quality meals.

“Convenience stores are at an exciting juncture as they begin to play alongside restaurants in the food delivery arena, and technology is necessary to make this shift successful,” said Noah Hayes, Americas Vice President, Deliverect. “Deliverect’s suite of solutions are designed to enable food service businesses to streamline their operations and deliver a frictionless customer experience.”

As a press release explained, Hy-Vee began collaborating with Deliverect in January 2024, piloting a custom integration across all store locations. Hy-Vee’s Fast & Fresh app was developed to leverage Deliverect’s order and menu management, as Deliverect also built a custom curbside notification solution, significantly increasing customer convenience, and operational efficiency at each convenience store location.

According to the National Association of Convenience Stores, the food service category—which includes prepared food, commissary, and hot dispensed beverages—now accounts for 26.9 percent of in-store sales. As convenience stores increasingly enter the food ordering space, delivery apps are becoming essential to meeting consumer demand.

ANUK will continue to report on all the latest partnerships in our industry, so keep clicking back.

CLEWISTON, FL - An acquisition between Rouge River Farms and True North Farms was announced earlier this week. Rouge River Farms signed a definitive agreement to acquire True North Farms, a grower agent serving wholesale and retail markets.

“Rouge River Farms is committed to investing in growth that benefits our stakeholder ecosystem and improves the quality of life for consumers, customers, suppliers, and employees, and we believe True North Farms is a perfect fit,” commented Rouge River President Robert Reesor in a release.

As Rouge River Farms aspires to lead the market and increase the accessibility of healthy products, it needs good partners such as True North Farms backing it.

As the release went on to note, the financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed.

“Rouge River Farms is a well-established leader in our industry, and we’re excited to join the Rouge River Farms team. We believe they are the perfect partner to join as we share common values and a passion for exceeding customer expectations,” added Jason Wyatt, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of True North Farms.

Keep reading AndNowUKnow for the latest in transactions like this.

SACRAMENTO, PA - Can you believe it? Southern Innovations is next week! The Southeast Produce Council (SEPC) show, taking place September 12–14, will provide a platform for many innovative produce suppliers, including Masser Family of Companies. The grower will be showcasing the new Side Delights® Amazables!®—a key item in the Masser booth and also featured in the Wall of Innovation Showcase.

“Consumer demand for single-serve format products that are easy and fast to prepare continues to grow, and we are proud to participate in the Southern Innovations show again with a first-of-its-kind innovation,” said Dave Masser, President.

Amazables! are first-of-its-kind oven-crisp-style microwavable potatoes that come with and without custom sauces by Litehouse®, a press release stated. The gluten-free sauces—Loaded Potato sauce and Buffalo Ranch sauce—were created to complement the taste of a Russet potato and leverage top foodservice flavors. The Loaded Potato sauce features the flavors of traditional steakhouse-loaded baked potato toppings, cheddar cheese, bacon, sour cream, and chives. The Buffalo Ranch sauce, on the other hand, blends the heat of classic Buffalo sauce with the cool taste of ranch dressing.

The product’s innovative film shrinks around the potato in the microwave to crisp the skin. The film is #1 recyclable, the most accessible and prevalent recycling material available, with the highest chance of being recycled and used for another purpose, the release noted.

“We are particularly excited about showcasing Amazables! and invite attendees to visit us at booth 314,” added Bob Meek, Chief Revenue Officer.

This year’s Southern Innovations will be held at the Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center. Attendees will be encouraged to discover “What’s New?” within the fresh produce industry as new product items and technologies are launched into the marketplace.

ANUK will have more show coverage coming your way over the next couple of weeks, so stick with us.