SCHENECTADY, NY - The end of a successful journey is just as celebratory as the beginning, and Northeast Grocery is currently celebrating both. It was recently announced that Scott Grimmett, Chief Executive Officer of the parent company of Price Chopper/Market 32, will be retiring, and Frank Curci, the former Tops Markets Chairman and CEO, will be taking on his role.
Curci was CEO of Tops Markets for 14 years, according to Albany Business Review. As Grimmett’s retirement becomes effective in February, Curci will become CEO of Northeast Grocery, Blaine Bringhurst will continue as President of Price Chopper/Market 32, and John Persons will continue serving as President of the Tops Markets.
According to a company release, Grimmett announced it was time to retire from the role of CEO so he could spend more time with his family in Arizona.
Grimmett was appointed as CEO of Northeast Grocery following the merger of Price Chopper/Market 32 with Tops Markets this past November, having served the Schenectady-based supermarket company for a decade. Prior to that, he served as President and CEO of Golub Corp.
Jerry Golub, Co-Chair of the Northeast Grocery Board, commented on Grimmett's legacy with the company.
“We have been extraordinarily fortunate to have Scott Grimmett lead us through the merger process and develop the strategies and plans to move the company forward,” said Golub. “First at Price Chopper/Market 32 and most recently at NGI, Scott has shown exceptional leadership qualities and vision. We wish him the best as he retires.”
Price Chopper/Market 32 currently operates a 163-store footprint in New York, Vermont, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, and New Hampshire, while Tops Markets has 160 locations in the New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont markets.
As more executive transitions take place within the retail sector, keep a close watch for the next update from AndNowUKnow.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - As evidenced by a slew of key acquisitions in 2021 influenced by an ambitious growth strategy, GrubMarket is a company that seemingly never sleeps. Starting off 2022 in typical GrubMarket fashion, the wholesaler has announced its acquisition of Terra Exports, a global fresh produce provider specializing in imports and exports, giving the company the leverage to stretch its footprint into Nevada.
“Terra Exports has such a strong distribution network across the world and offers a catalogue of high-quality specialty produce. Nils and the top-notch team at Terra have grown the company to do hundreds of millions in sales, which shows how capable the team is and how valuable the company is to their customers and partners,” said Mike Xu, Chief Executive Officer of GrubMarket. “In addition, it has been great to see Terra think outside the box with their Avolicious in-house avocado brand. They’ve also been recognized by INC 5000 several times as a fast-growing company, so we’re thrilled to welcome Terra Exports to the GrubMarket family and achieve rapid sustainable growth together.”
Terra Exports was founded in 2012 by Nils Goldschmidt. Now, the company imports and exports fresh fruits and vegetables across more than 65 countries and has team members stationed throughout 13 of these countries. According to a release, the company has seen tremendous growth over the years, having been featured four times on the INC 5000 list of fastest growing United States private companies.
Through Terra Exports’ diverse team made up of people from a multitude of backgrounds, the company is able to handle more than 50 different products. However, the provider specializes in avocados, cherries, apples, table grapes, and berries. Following GrubMarket’s acquisition of the company, the business will continue to be managed by its current successful leadership team.
“We are excited to join the GrubMarket team and welcome the opportunities brought forth by GrubMarket’s robust technology platform and strong e-commerce supply and demand network,” added Goldschmidt, Chief Executive Officer of Terra Exports. “We want to continue being one of the most high-quality and reliable fresh food distributors for our global customers and are thrilled that GrubMarket shares this goal. We sincerely look forward to joining the GrubMarket team and bringing more grower-direct and premium quality goods to GrubMarket’s suppliers and end customers.”
As GrubMarket acquires Terra Exports, the company will be able to utilize the wholesaler’s proprietary WholesaleWare software suite. The software-as-a-service platform provides food industry wholesalers and distributors with financial management, easy-to-use sales and online ordering features, precise inventory management, lot traceability and tracking, grower accounting, and automated routing and logistics tools.
Reinforcing its already sweeping growth strategy, what will be GrubMarket’s next move? AndNowUKnow will keep you in the know.
ELGIN, MN - February is not only the month of red hearts and valentines. It also marks the beginning of National Cancer Prevention Month, and Honeybear Brands has formed a unique new partnership with Chef Elle Simone Scott, as well as linking with the American Insitute for Cancer Research (AICR) to show consumers how to better care for their health.
“We are so fortunate to partner with AICR and Chef Elle Simone Scott this February. Raising awareness about the impact of what we eat on our health and wellness has never been more important,” said Kristi Harris, Honeybear Brands Brand Manager. “Apples have powerful health benefits. Chef Elle’s Pazazz apple recipes are proof that food can taste good and be good for you.”
The partnership is a unique opportunity for retailers to highlight the category—and Chef Scott’s recipes are sure to be of help.
Chef Elle Simone Scott is of “America’s Test Kitchen” fame, and she will be inspiring consumers to use the company’s beloved Pazazz® apples with enticing recipes. As a cancer surviver, Chef Elle will be utilizing her position and experience to spread the word about the health benefits of eating apples.
Come February 1, Chef Elle, an Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance Board member, will be curating a series of delicious, apple-centric recipes sure to inspire shoppers’ home menus.
As previously mentioned, Honeybear Brands is inviting shoppers to also visit the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) online tool to take the cancer health check and view current recommendations for cancer prevention.
“Our food choices, along with other lifestyle behaviors such as physical activity, play a critical role in our overall health and wellbeing. AICR’s Cancer Health Check is a fun and interactive tool to help people assess their current lifestyle choices and how and where they can improve to stack the odds in their favor,” said Sheena Patel Swanner AICR’s Director of Nutrition Programs.
Honeybear Brands continues to bring benefits to both retailers and consumers with innovative campaigns like this one—after all, we all know that an apple a day keeps the doctor away.
DALLAS, TX - A company is only as strong as its workforce, and Schnuck Markets is looking to cement its strong position in the retail market. Bolstering its labor strategy, the grocer has announced a new partnership with Logile to implement its Workforce Management solution suite company-wide.
“Logile was an excellent partner in helping us to integrate their workforce management solution with our human resource and other business systems,” said Schnucks Chief Data Officer and Deputy Chief Information Officer Tom Henry. “When challenges arose, as they usually do during large-scale enterprise implementations, Logile supported our team, even when the issue did not relate directly to the Logile service. Their sole focus was to ensure a successful implementation and to support us so that we could achieve the benefits we committed to our stakeholders. They have done all of this while meeting our exacting standards for reliability, data security and business continuity.”
Currently, St. Louis-based Schnucks operates 111 stores across Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Wisconsin, according to a press release. With such a large number of locations throughout several states, the need for a successful workforce management system is vital.
“Logile’s technology and ability to address today’s retail challenges has been impressive,” shared Scott Russo, Schnucks Director of Workforce Management. “Even through these most unpredictable of times, including all the impacts of the pandemic, their artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning forecasting algorithms adapted to produce accurate sales and item level forecasts across all our stores and departments. Their forecasting accuracy enables us to more accurately schedule our teammates to meet our customers’ needs. Their flexibility and commitment to our partnership were also vitally important to our success. During our rollout, Logile responded to our requested enhancements to scheduling and dashboard reporting in order to help customize the technology for our company’s use.”
The Logile modules implemented by Schucks include enterprise labor modeling, engineered labor standards, staffing, employee scheduling, forecasting, time and attendance, and dashboard reporting. Overall, all of these modules help leaders in each store map out daily labor needs while keeping important data and information organized and ready to use.
“Logile’s complete workforce management solution supports our store managers by handling the complexity of labor planning and scheduling," said Kim Anderson, Vice President of Store Operations for Schnucks.
Following the effective introduction of Logile’s Workforce Management solution, Schnucks has selected the company to provide its Store Execution—or Task Management—solution. The rollout is expected to begin in the first quarter of 2022.
“We are very appreciative of having the opportunity to partner with and provide our solutions and services to a retailer of Schnucks’ quality and leadership. Enabling their very high standards and retail thought leadership also gave Logile a chance to learn and improve. The experience with Schnucks has made us better and I am grateful for the confidence and trust they had in our team,” said Purna Mishra, Logile Founder and Chief Executive Officer. “We remain committed to bringing the retail industry ground-breaking technology that addresses total store planning, scheduling and execution management based on one unified forecast.”
As Schnucks builds on its workforce strategy, AndNowUKnow will be here to share the latest updates.
MEXICO - Winter is hands down my favorite season, in part because of the beautiful varieties of squash awaiting me in the produce department. As other like-minded consumers hit the aisles, they are certain to be satisfied when they discover Bridges Produce’s assortment of high-quality squash greeting them, due in part to favorable weather conditions across the supplier’s Mexico growing regions.
“Almost everything we are packing is #1 grade this season,” says Jacobo Yanes, Operations Manager, Rico Farms. “We had very good weather from planting until the last week of December and rains the first week of January with the potential for more light rain in Guaymas and Los Mochis, but nothing out of the ordinary. Overall, this has led to production yields being strong so far.”
Despite seeing crops on time and producing as planned or earlier, demand from consumers and retailers is pushing production for the grower as its works to fill needs.
“We are just keeping up with demand for now,” Oscar Trujillo, Category Manager of Mexican Sales, imparts. “Our farm crew is established, steady, and performing well. Therefore, we are on schedule and will adjust pricing depending on any further changes in demand as we do not anticipate volume to fluctuate much.”
Turning to volume, Oscar explains that it has remained steady for the category year to year with several crop plantings spread through the winter and spring. This year, the grower is not planning on processing Butternut squash, however, as it has done in past seasons. This will lead to a very tight or non-existent season for the popular variety.
“We could potentially see something opening up in late February for processing Butternut squash,” Oscar adds. “Meanwhile, we are trying to keep up with retail carton commitments, although we could see a short gap in late March. There are opportunities for short-term Kabocha volume through January, and other varieties will remain firm and rise through the winter months. For our Acorn squash, we expect more limited supplies and higher prices now through mid-March.”
Complementing both quality and availability, Bridges further appeals to shoppers through the Fair Trade certification of several of its operations and its Delicata squash variety. Through this certification, the grower is working to meet consumers’ desire for ethically sourced products that not only taste good but make them feel good about opening their wallets.
“Both Rico Farms locations are Fair Trade certified, allowing employee chosen and executed quality of life projects to take place both on the farm and in workers’ home communities,” explains Sydney Fairchild, Marketing and Compliance. “All of our Delicata variety squash shipping this season is packed under the Fair Trade label, and other varieties can also be pre-ordered as Fair Trade. This recognizable marker provides additional promotional opportunities setting our hard squash apart, especially with the socially conscious and engaged demographics.”
With quality, volume, and ethos behind its products, Bridges’ squash will be a great addition to any produce department. So, reach out to a sales rep today to stock your shelves and have shoppers happily opening their wallets.
MONTE VISTA, CO - Continuing the industry-wide trend of leadership changes, Farm Fresh Direct has tapped a new Chief Executive Officer. The potato purveyor recently revealed that Mike Hulett will be taking over the role, coming to the company from Walmart, where he most recently served as Merchandising Director for apples, pears, and cherries.
“This is a terrific opportunity with a great organization,” said Hulett. “Farm Fresh is well-established, a strong player in conventional potatoes, and is widely recognized in the industry as a market leader in organic potatoes. I see this as great timing to leverage my retail and supplier knowledge to enhance Farm Fresh’s customer service, business mix, and ultimately to improve grower and shareholder sustainability.”
Bringing 22 years of experience in the produce industry to the table, according to a press release, Hulett spent the last 11 of those years at Walmart. He began working at the big-box chain’s Bentonville, Arkansas, headquarters in 2014, and prior to that was Director of Sourcing for Walmart US and International.
Hulett is already familiar with the Farm Fresh Direct company, having worked as the organization’s Director of Sales and Business Development from 2003–2010. Stepping into this new role as CEO, he looks forward to taking what he learned in retail and applying it at Farm Fresh Direct.
“Retail is detail,” Hulett explained. “Managing multi-billion dollar produce categories down to the niche categories teaches you a tremendous amount about process, discipline, financials, supply chain, and the importance of teamwork. Serving the customer is key to success in any industry, but especially in produce.”
Wielding his years of expertise, he went on to express his excitement for this new opportunity to lead Farm Fresh Direct.
“I am passionate about produce and ready to get started building on the solid Farm Fresh team to serve our customers,” added Hulett. “I have been fortunate to work for a number of exceptional leaders who taught me to stretch for goals and believe in a culture that supports its people to take risks and learn together.”
Hulett is stepping into the CEO position after his predecessor Jamey Higham accepted a position as CEO of the Idaho Potato Commission late last year. He will be based out of the Farm Fresh Direct headquarters in Monte Vista, Colorado, and those at the company are already anticipating his arrival.
“The Board believes it is a big win for our growers and company to get Mike back after his stint at Walmart. We are excited to see Mike’s leadership style, integrity, and insights influence our future growth,” said Virgil Valdez, Chairman of the Board.
Congratulations to Mike Hulett on his new leadership role!
CORAL GABLES, FL - A changing of the guards is taking place at Fresh Del Monte Produce, as a new Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer is stepping up to the helm. In a recent 8-K filing released on January 14, 2022, the supplier announced that Mohammed Abbas has been promoted to the role.
Abbas previously served as Senior Vice President, Asia Pacific and Middle East Region from October 2019 to now. Prior to that, he served as the company’s Vice President, Middle East and North Africa from January 2016 to October 2019 and as Vice President Fresh Produce from April to December 2015. According to the filing, Abbas also served as the General Manager of Del Monte Saudi Arabia from June 2009 to March 2015. Before entering that role, he served as General Manager of Del Monte Foods UAE, working in that capacity since the inception of the first unit in the MENA Region in January 2007.
The filing stated that Abbas will be relocating to Coral Gables, Florida, to work at the company’s headquarters.
In addition to this announcement, the filing disclosed that Youssef Zakharia will be stepping down from his position as President and Chief Operating Officer, effective January 31, 2022. We look forward to seeing where Zakharia's career will take him next!
As these Fresh Del Monte leaders take the next steps in their journey, we wish each of them the best of luck.
BENTONVILLE, AR - January has been a month of executive appointments, and Walmart is continuing the trend with its latest announcement. The company recently unveiled that its current Chief Merchandising Officer overseeing its United States unit, Scott McCall, will be retiring.
Taking over the role immediately is Charles Redfield, a retail expert who has led the U.S. grocery business for the past six years. Prior to working with Walmart, Redfield held Chief Merchandising roles at U.K.-based grocer ASDA and its warehouse club Sam’s Club.
The executive shift follows an upward trajectory for the retailer, as the company recently reported better third-quarter sales in the United States than market expectations.
These impressive fiscal results also guided the grocer’s decision to raise its annual sales and profit forecasts.
McCall, who has been with Walmart for nearly 30 years, will work with U.S. operations head Chris Nicholas to further drive inventory management before he retires, according to an internal memo obtained by Reuters.
In addition to Redfield’s appointment, Walmart also revealed further changes to its executive team.
The retailer announced that Janey Whiteside, Chief Customer Officer, will be leaving in March to start her next chapter. Appointed to the position in 2018, Whiteside served as the retailer’s first-ever Chief Customer Officer.
As the retailer continues to implement changes to fortify its executive team, AndNowUKnow will keep a close watch. In the meantime, congratulations to all of these leaders on their successful careers and the next step in their industry journey.
DALLAS, TX - With the Big Game not far away, guacamole and other delicious, avocado-based snacks are readying to take the stage—during half-time and beyond. Elevating the category, Avocados From Mexico (AFM) has launched a new digital campaign and announced a new partnership with e-commerce acceleration platform MikMak.
“We’ve built the AFM brand on a foundation of innovation—now, we’re back in the Big Game with not only an ad but another innovative, fully integrated campaign,” Alvaro Luque, President and Chief Executive Officer of AFM, said in a statement to AdWeek. “We’re leading into the future by combining best-in-class brand building with data- and technology-enabled shopper and digital strategies that will make the 2022 Big Game campaign the most effective we’ve had to date.”
The innovative new experience, titled House of Goodness, is hosted by former NFL quarterback Drew Brees. Giving consumers an inside look at the world of avocados, the virtual campaign features several unique interactions, including taking a selfie with Brees, watching the brand’s Big Game TV spot, discovering new guacamole recipes, and purchasing avocados directly from the platform.
In addition, the avocado brand has also released a one-minute spot featuring Brees, providing in-store QR codes that redirect shoppers directly to the brand’s website.
“This past year, the industry went through one of the fastest transformations that we have seen in decades,” Ivonne Kinser, Vice President of Marketing and Innovation, told the source. “We’re headed into this Big Game with a more modern view of marketing that aims to fuse our branding and performance efforts into a novel approach that we have defined as ‘Brandformance’—taking our innovation to the next level in both territories: branding and marketing-driven sales.”
The unique digital campaign will run across key social platforms, and a physical extension of the digital “House of Goodness” will also be available to consumers in New York, who will be able to visit a limited time pop-up “Store of Goodness” from February 8–13.
For the latest produce-centric launches, keep following along with AndNowUKnow.
FRESO, CA - The table grape industry is receiving a literary boost through the announcement of a new health-focused book. Dietitian and author Patricia Bannan, MS, RDN, has written From Burnout to Balance: 60+ Healing Recipes & Simple Strategies to Boost Mood, Immunity, Focus & Sleep to educate consumers on the top foods that contribute to different aspects of their health.
“Grapes are my go-to ingredient for color, hydration, and nutrition. As a snack or recipe ingredient, grapes are an easy, healthy choice for wellness. Studies show that grapes are linked to benefits in multiple areas of health, including support for brain and immune health,” said Bannan. “Three of my favorite recipes with grapes in From Burnout to Balance are my Simple Salmon Burgers with Grape Salsa, Lemony Farro and Lentil Bowls with Shrimp and Grapes, and my Kale, Sweet Potato & Grape Salad with Walnuts. Not only are these recipes delicious, they are packed with nutrients to support both brain and immune health.”
As stated in a press release from the California Table Grape Commission, the upcoming book lists top foods in several health categories, among them brain and immune wellness, with table grapes on the list for both. In addition to the recipes highlighted, Bannan includes table grapes in her “Nearly No-Cook Meal Ideas” section of the book.
Helping to give the category a seasonal boost, Bannan plans to promote her new book throughout the upcoming California table grape season.
New findings on the relationship between food and health will continue to surface, and ANUK will be here to report every time.