SAN FRANCISCO, CA - The fruits of Mother Nature are perfectly imperfect. Looking to champion this concept, Dan Park is stepping up to the plate for Imperfect Foods. He officially joined the team on January 3 as its new Chief Executive Officer.
“Imperfect Foods is changing the face of grocery delivery, and I’m excited to be an integral part of this next chapter of the business. We will focus on continually raising the bar of our customer experience while meeting our sustainability goals,” said Park of his new role. “There are certain aspects of the future that I’m concerned about, and as a part of the Imperfect Foods team, I look forward to playing an active role in improving our environment by being a good steward of our planet.”
Park joins Imperfect Foods after four years at BuildDirect Technologies, a Canadian-based online marketplace for building materials, where he was the CEO. He played a major role at BuildDirect as he took the company public and still remains a member of the Board.
According to the release, Park brings nearly three decades of experience building and leading world-class teams at top-tier, multi-billion dollar retail and technology companies, having previously worked at corporations including six years at Amazon and three years at Target.
“The perfect Imperfect CEO needs world-class e-commerce skills, deep operations experience, and a commitment to the brand’s mission,” said Adam Berger, Imperfect Foods’ Board Chair and Insight Partners’ Managing Director. “I first met Dan a year ago, and we have gotten to know each other. The role and timing lined up perfectly, and I’m thrilled to have him lead Imperfect Foods.”
Founded in 2015 with the mission of eliminating the 35 percent of food that ends up wasted in the United States each year and building a better food system, Imperfect Foods began by sourcing ugly and surplus produce that didn’t meet conventional grocery store standards, delivering it directly to customers’ doors. Since its founding, Imperfect Foods has saved over 150 million pounds of food from lesser outcomes and expanded its offerings into a suite of grocery products.
As noted in the release, Imperfect Foods is committed to becoming a net-zero organization by 2030 and was recently certified as a B Corp.
We can’t wait to see what Imperfect Foods accomplishes under the expert leadership of Dan Park.
NEW YORK, NY - “Biology is our technology.” That is one of the first statements Eric Greifenberger, Upward Farms’ Vice President of Marketing and Sales, makes to me as we dive into an exploration of how the company has harnessed innovation to revitalize the indoor ag industry, bringing an exclusive benefit to both retailers and consumers.
“At Upward Farms, biology is our technology. We’ve reimagined the indoor agricultural process, combining vertical farming with aquaponics—a process that uses fish to fertilize crops in a complete ecosystem,” Eric explains. “Our aquaponic vertical farms are natural ecosystems that foster a healthy and powerful microbiome that eliminates the need for synthetic chemicals like pesticides, antibiotics, or fertilizers to deliver GMO-free plants and fish. This approach allows us to tackle the issues that have prevented vertical farms from achieving field-parity scale, eliminating crop disease, and achieving industry-leading yields.”
This unique process allows the supplier to bring a diverse lineup of microgreens to market, which currently includes the Mighty Microgreens Mix, featuring a bright and hearty mix of broccoli, kale, and kohlrabi, as well as the Spicy Microgreens Mix, which utilizes a mix of mustard, kohlrabi, and radish to create a sharp and spicy flavor.
“Our high-quality microgreens have a unique combination of three key benefits: they’re USDA Certified Organic, locally grown, and washed and ready-to-eat,” Eric explains. “Our microgreens are a differentiated offering, bringing better texture, vibrant colors, diverse flavors, and rich aromas to the consumer. Until today, microgreens have been primarily relegated to farmers markets given they cannot be grown outdoors on the broadacre, but as we scale indoors, we’ll grow and be able to offer an array of flavorful microgreens mixes to all food retailers. Our goal is to generate shopper excitement through a lineup of nutrient-dense and delicious microgreen mixes. We’re on a mission to reinvent the salad aisle.”
With such high quality and a host of alluring benefits, placing these microgreens in the produce department is a boon for sales, and Eric has even more tips in store for maximizing category success.
“The right assortment is critical when it comes to meeting a broad set of needs among the consumer base. Retailers need to balance items that are staples for most households with new, unique offerings that can bring added excitement to the category,” Eric explains. “Offering culinary-based meal solution ideas through shopper marketing tactics can also help educate and inspire them to use leafy greens in more interesting ways.”
As its ambitious strategies achieve rapid growth in the microgreens category, Upward Farms is continuing to fortify its brand and team up with its retail allies to strengthen the category at large.
“We will continue to drive the brand through the right support, future innovation, and by working closely with our retail partners like Whole Foods Market to identify the best ways to grow not only our brand but the category overall,” Eric concludes.
For the latest in industry innovation, keep clicking on AndNowUKnow.
WEBSTER, TX - While thousands prepared to gather in Times Square for New York’s famous New Year’s celebration, another ball drop of sorts took place just days before. H-E-B further built out its Texas-based footprint by opening a new El Dorado store on December 29. This new 107,000 square foot store replaces the former Clear Lake Market H-E-B (El Camino Real) location.
“I look forward to serving the Clear Lake community and ensuring that our long-time customers from the previous store continue to enjoy the best of what H-E-B has to offer,” said Jim Doxakis, who was recently named the new store’s General Manager. The 15-year H-E-B team member is a 20-year area resident of the area as well.
Wielding in-store experiences, picking orders via Curbside, Home Delivery, and H-E-B Meal Simple options, the new H-E-B offers a range of possibilities to its shoppers. From grab-and-go salads to casseroles and entrees, customers can enjoy a restaurant-quality meal. The Curbside pickup service offers 26 parking spaces and is one of the largest Curbside facilities in the company.
From the fresh produce to the freezer section, shoppers will find more offerings with unsurpassed freshness, quality, and variety. Special features for the community, include:
- Large assortment of Texas-made products
- Fully stocked Healthy Living department featuring bulk foods, including nuts, grains, dried fruits, and snack mixes
- H-E-B Organics and H-E-B Select Ingredients, a line consisting of H-E-B brand products that excludes unwanted ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and artificial flavors
- Made in-store fresh-squeezed juices and freshly made guacamole
- Texas hospitality and knowledgeable service that’s second to none—provided by almost 500 local H-E-B Partners, many who transferred from the former El Camino location
- A metal shingle design that mimics the underside of the space shuttle in reference to the neighboring NASA facility
- A team of registered dietitians and culinary experts and Healthy Living product options to offer full-time onsite and telehealth nutrition services including counseling, diagnostics testing, dietitian-led shopping support, and meal planning services
According to a press release, in celebration of the grand opening, H-E-B will donate $5,000 to Hope Active, which provides relevant programs that reach and impact the most underserved subsectors of the community.
For more expansions across the retail sector, stick with us here at ANUK.
FRESNO, CA - Setting its sights on further expansion, the Trinity Fruit Company added a new member to its team to bolster these efforts. Jackie Nakashian, the company’s new Brand Manager, has a host of experience on her side to strengthen Trinity Fruit’s product portfolio and marketing innovations.
“I hope to accomplish increased brand awareness through engaging seasonal campaigns. I also hope to bring a fresh eye to the marketing department in the hopes that we can elevate year after year as a new team of three,” Jackie shared with me.
She will be working closely with Angela Hernandez, Director of Marketing, who also expressed her thoughts on the company’s latest addition.
“As Trinity Fruit Company continues to grow and add to our portfolio of products, we are happy to also grow our marketing team,” she told me. “Jackie will be a great addition to our mix, and we are thrilled to have her! In building Trinity’s internal marketing team, we’ve noticed a trend where others in the industry are following suit, and we take great pride in knowing that our presence is leading others to market their products. Having Jackie will allow us to continue to build on what we have started.”
In her new role, Jackie will wear many hats, including strategy development, planning seasonal campaigns, trade show management, and managing overall brand awareness for the many internal Trinity Fruit brands, such as The Fruitful Market, Farm2You, Juicy Gems, SweetHearts, Big Honeys, and Buddy’s.
“I was previously at a local marketing agency where I represented all of their ag clients and led their ag initiative to bring in more ag clients,” Jackie added, expounding upon her background. “I fell in love with the packaging and seasonal campaign side of ag marketing and knew I wanted to gain more experience and dive deeper at an ag company. Trinity Fruit is a very well established and respected company which provides lots of opportunities, especially for someone like me who is learning and growing in this industry.”
We extend our congratulations to Jackie on this new role. We can’t wait to see what’s next for Trinity Fruit Company!
LOS ANGELES, CA - Continuing to ramp up its aggressive growth strategy, Albertsons Companies is fortifying its leadership team with another food industry expert. The retailer announced it has named Sheryl Salazar as the new Senior Vice President of Marketing and Merchandising in the company’s Southern California division.
Salazar has a long-standing career with Albertsons Companies, which began in 1993 when the tenured leader joined the company’s team as a Courtesy Clerk. Since then, she has held various store and division office positions over the years. Most recently, Salazar served as Director of Fresh for Albertsons and VONS in the Southern California division, according to the retailer’s recent LinkedIn post.
Salazar has extensive food industry expertise, as she holds a B.A. in Business Management from the University of Phoenix and is a graduate of the USC Food Industry Executive Program. She also occupies the position of Co-Chair of the Southern California Division’s Women’s Inspirational and Inclusion Network.
Salazar’s appointment follows another recent strategic move made by the grocer, as it also announced its latest partnership with Picadeli to expand its offerings and optimize convenience through a new, modular store-in-store salad bar concept.
Congratulations to Sheryl Salazar on her new position as SVP! We here at AndNowUKnow will keep a close watch to find out what elements of growth the retailer reveals next.
HOUSTON, TX - New opportunities are opening up for the supply-side as Sysco solidifies five new partnerships to enhance its supplier diversity initiatives. The distributor announced it has aligned with Disability:IN, National LGBT Chamber of Commerce, National Veteran-Owned Business Association, The National Minority Supplier Development Council, and Women’s Business Enterprise National Council to facilitate relationships with diverse new suppliers.
“As a leader in the foodservice industry, these new partnerships will help Sysco develop future diverse suppliers critical to meeting the evolving needs of our customers,” said Judy Sansone, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer. “It’s important that every aspect of our business, including our supply chain, reflects the changing demographics of the communities where we work and live.”
By optimizing these unique alliances, Sysco will have direct access to a certified diverse business database to identify and engage qualified suppliers in procurement opportunities, according to a press release.
Through these partnerships, the distributor looks to advance the success of businesses owned by minorities, women, LGBTQIA+, people with disabilities, and veterans. The new partnerships will present a multitude of benefits to diverse suppliers, including:
- Education, training, and development opportunities
- Mentorship on requests for information, proposal, and pre-qualification best practices
- Opportunities to identify and establish long-term supplier relationships with corporations
- Invitations to participate in qualified corporate member projects
Through its innovative supplier diversity strategies, Sysco aims to identify, develop, and expand certified diverse suppliers’ reach to meet customers’ business needs and provide them with unique competitive advantages.
As more companies roll out new blueprints to bolster their supplier network, AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
BENTONVILLE, AR - Rolling out an ambitious new goal for its InHome delivery service, Walmart has decided to make 2022 the year of convenience. The retailer has set its sights on scaling the rapidly expanding service, looking to make it accessible to 30 million United States households by the end of the year. To meet this objective, the company revealed plans to hire over 3,000 associate delivery drivers in addition to building a fleet of 100 percent all-electric delivery vehicles.
“We’ve been operating InHome in select markets over the last two years and have found it is a perfect solution for customers who want to live their lives without worrying about making it to the store or being home to accept a delivery,” said Tom Ward, Senior Vice President, Last Mile. “Identifying ways to help our customers save time and money is our purpose, and nothing showcases that better than InHome delivery, which is why we’re excited to bring the convenience of InHome to even more customers in 2022.”
Walmart’s InHome delivery service launched in 2019 and was created to give consumers more time back to spend with friends and family, according to a release. The service uses highly trained associates to deliver fresh groceries, everyday essentials, and more directly to shoppers’ homes. Through InHome, items can even be placed straight in their kitchens or garage refrigerators.
Consumers looking to utilize the service simply order their products on the Walmart App, selecting InHome as their delivery option. Next, InHome trained associates complete the delivery, using a one-time access code to unlock the shopper’s door or garage through the app, which pairs with smart entry technology. The app is able to notify consumers at every step of the delivery and a camera worn by associates records the whole process.
As Walmart looks to expand this innovative service, the retailer will hire more than 3,000 InHome associate delivery drivers, equipping them with a fleet of 100 percent all-electric delivery vans. Through the implementation of electric vehicles, the big-box chain will not only support its goal of operating a zero-emissions logistics fleet by 2040, but also support Walmart’s growing infrastructure of 1,396 EV charging stations at locations across 41 states.
The associate delivery driver position is new to the company and provides access to the retailer’s total rewards and benefits plans, including its Live Better U program, which pays for 100 percent of their college tuition and books.
“This new role is yet another example of how technology is enabling us to offer new career opportunities that just didn’t exist a few years ago,” added Julie Murphy, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer. “Expanding our number of InHome associates is a testament to the trust and confidence we have in them and their continuous commitment to delight our customers. There’s a path for everyone to build a career here at Walmart, and this position is further proof of that.”
These new roles will be filled by promoting Walmart’s existing associates from within. Those selected will receive in-depth training, enabling them to build their skillset using innovative tools and technology.
Overall, InHome delivery continues to serve as a key part of Walmart’s last-mile delivery strategy, especially as the retailer continues to explore sustainable and innovative delivery solutions.
How will this expansion increase Walmart’s standing in the retail sector? Keep clicking on AndNowUKnow for the answers.
HOUSTON, TX - As a trade news writer, one of the most fulfilling stories to come by is those of powerful companies coming together for the greater good. Recently, I had the chance to speak with Rich Dachman, Chief Executive Officer of Brighter Bites, and Neil Russell, Sysco’s Senior Vice President of Corporate Affairs and Chief Communications Officer, to discuss the fruits of the companies’ formidable alliance.
“This partnership started years ago, and over the years Sysco’s FreshPoint division has supported Brighter Bites through financial contributions and logistical assistance,” Rich explained to me. “Their willingness to expand our work together over the years has been remarkable. Since the pandemic began, we have needed a committed partner to help aggregate produce, assemble individual family produce boxes, and deliver these boxes to our operations in Texas cities. We are so pleased Sysco and FreshPoint have filled these critical roles.”
The duo works to provide communities with fresh produce and nutrition education to promote healthy eating and drive fruit and vegetable consumption. Brighter Bites has served over 13,000 families and distributed approximately 1.4 million pounds of fresh produce in Dallas and Austin, Texas, since the current phase of the alliance kicked off in February 2021.
“The shared goal of our alliance is to serve communities with high-quality fresh produce and nutrition education resources to empower families to utilize the produce for lifelong healthy habits,” Neil noted. “We work together with Brighter Bites to gather varieties of bulk produce, incorporate volunteers from both organizations, and deliver produce directly into the families’ hands.”
Robert Gordon, President of FreshPoint, also weighed in on the successful partnership.
“We are dedicated to the Brighter Bites mission to create communities of health through fresh food," he said. "Our organization and our team members have bought into the program, and this allows us to fully support the nonprofit in a variety of ways. We see this collaboration as a positive step in providing fresh produce to families throughout our communities.”
The partnership with FreshPoint has allowed Brighter Bites to address the unique needs of school districts and campuses even as COVID-19 remains a factor, as well as ensure that families can experience the full Brighter Bites program throughout the 16-week programming period.
If you are interested in donating produce to Brighter Bites, or providing other support, please contact Amy Priebe, Sourcing Manager.
AndNowUKnow will continue to bring you the latest news from across the produce industry, so keep an eye out for our next newsletter.
IRVINA, CA - Western Growers is continuing to bring exclusive industry insights to life through its Voices of the Valley podcast. Recently, California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Secretary Karen Ross recently joined Dennis Donohue, the Director of Western Growers Center for Innovation & Technology, and Candace Wilson, Chief Executive Officer of GreenVenus, on the podcast to discuss key opportunities for the agricultural industry in 2022.
"We need to change the narrative," Ross began. "We should be honored and valued and respected even more than Silicon Valley because people like to eat and drink."
Among the strategies Ross proposes to bolster the industry workforce is to emphasize the technology-heavy careers available in ag.
According to a press release, Ross previewed the January 26, 2022 AgTechX Ed Summit at Imperial Valley College, where she will speak alongside industry leaders on the creation of a tech-savvy agriculture workforce. This is the second event in a year-long series led by Ross and Western Growers to highlight the skills necessary to master emerging on-farm technologies.
“The best part of my day is when I get to meet with students," Ross added. "I get so excited about what they bring to the table—at younger ages, they have a much more global perspective. They are so advanced. They inspire me, and I want them to all fall in love with the opportunities agriculture can present to them."
Click here to listen to the full podcast and explore other episodes of Voices of the Valley, and keep reading AndNowUKnow for the latest in industry news.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - Wholesale Produce Supply (WPS) is making room for even more industry stalwarts within its leadership ring, in addition to welcoming a familiar face. The company recently announced the newly created role of Director of Retail Sales, revealing it has appointed experienced industry executive Jennifer Rigdon to lead the position.
“More and more people are coming back to their previous employers than ever before according to The Wall Street Journal,” says Rigdon, “They call us Boomerangs. I plan to boomerang back into this full-circle experience with my colleagues and clients to help WPS and its customers continue to grow.”
Rigdon most recently served as Business Development Manager for Southern Specialties, a position she held for four years, according to a press release. In addition, she has a decade’s worth of experience working as District Manager and National Account Manager at Dole Food Company, as well as another 10 years of experience from working as a Business Development Manager for WPS.
Rigdon officially started her new role on January 3, 2022. In her new position, she will utilize her 27 total years of expertise to develop new retailer relationships for the company and optimize existing partnerships.
“We are thrilled that Jennifer has decided to rejoin WPS,” said Jason Hendrickson, Vice President of Sales and Procurement. “Jen will play an important role in our continued growth and expansion in the Midwest and help execute our strategic initiatives.”
Congratulations to Jennifer Rigdon on this exciting new appointment! We here at ANUK wish her the very best in her new role!