Greetings all and I hope the summer season has been good to everyone. Enjoy what’s left of the summer and I look forward to getting back out in the trade as the show season kicks in before and after Labor Day weekend.
Bozzuto’s once again held its annual Merchandising Marketplace show at the Foxwoods in Mashantucket, CT and, it should go without saying, but once again the entire Bozzuto’s team proved that they sure know how to put on a top-tier affair. It is truly impressive that, with every passing show and/or event the Bozzuto’s team puts together, they continually raise the bar each and every time. Even though the summer version of the Bozzuto’s shows is supposed to be the “lower key” affair compared to the Spring Gala, Michael Bozzuto, Steve Heggelke, George Motel and the entire Bozzuto’s team do not miss a beat when it comes to customer and vendor appreciation. From the vendor golf outing which kicks off the three-day event to the exhibit floor, food, and dinner reception, it makes for one of the premier events you will attend in our industry. Kudos to all involved! By the way, does anyone know if Steve Heggelke received recognition from the Guinness Book of Records for his speed talking raffle giveway??
Speaking of Bozzuto’s, don’t forget to mark your calendars for the 39th Annual Adam J. Bozzuto Memorial annual golf classic on September 19. The big charity event will take place on two courses in Wallingford, CT – the Farms C.C. and the Wallingford C.C. Dinner will follow at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville. For more information, contact Pat Houle at 203-250-5106 or [email protected].
Before we leave the New England area, Bob McGowan of Northeast Produce Sales and advisor to the board of the New England Produce Council reminds us that September 21-23 are the dates of the 17th annual NEPC Produce & Floral Expo. This year’s extravaganza will be held at the prestigious Ocean Edge Resort & Golf Club in Chatham on Cape Cod. Bob tells us this is an educational and fun trade event and is the perfect time to see new products, meet new contacts and explore new marketing techniques while enjoying the Cape at the best time of the year. He promises that it will be a fantastic event. For more information, contact Laura Sullivan at the NEPC office at 781-273-0444.
It was just several months ago that we lost Owen McKeever after his long battle with illness, so in his spirit, I remind you all to mark your calendars for the annual Robert & Owen McKeever Jr. Invitational golf tournament. The date will be September 28 and it will be held at the Montclair Golf Club in West Orange, NJ. This is one of those old “throw-back” type of events where it really crosses all lines and you get involvement from every customer, supplier and vendor in the market, which makes for a terrific networking day as well as raising funds for a great cause. For information on how to participate, contact Melissa McKinney at 973-656-9200 or [email protected].
Congratulations to Spencer An and all of the associates at Bogopa/Food Bazaar as they opened three new stores which they had previously acquired through the A&P bankruptcy proceedings. Stores in Elizabeth, NJ, Brentwood in Long Island, and East 163rd Street in the Bronx all held grand opening events and each location generously donated to local charities to demonstrate the company’s commitment to the neighborhoods they serve. A total donation of approximately 20 tons of food and general merchandise were distributed to three local charities including the Community Food Bank of New Jersey, Saint Anne’s Parish in Brentwood and City Harvest in the Bronx.
“We are deeply committed to providing our customers with a wide variety of fresh, authentic foods at affordable prices, and are excited to serve an even wider group of communities with these three new stores,” said Edward Suh, executive vice president for Food Bazaar. “We feel fortunate to be able to work with community leaders and organizations to build partnerships that benefit local families, which is why we have incorporated a large charity element at each of our ribbon cuttings. This ensures that much-needed goods will get to the people who need it most in our neighborhoods.” The three new locations will each feature a full-service seafood department, custom cutting meat department, bakery, deli counter, exotic produce offerings and extensive international aisles — a key feature that sets the company apart from other grocers. There are many discounts available throughout the chain such as specials for senior citizens, firefighters and employees. In the NYC locations, there is also a discount for IDNYC card holders. Customers can find additional savings by downloading the new loyalty rewards mobile app from the App Store or Google Play. Congrats to all at Food Bazaar.
Kudos to all of the good folks at Goya Foods, which will be the presenting sponsor of this year’s New York International Salsa Congress (NYISC) Festival. “Goya is proud to support the NYISC, an exciting cultural event held in a city that has been so loyal to our brand for so many years,” said Rafael Toro, director of public relations at Goya Foods. “As we celebrate our 80th anniversary, aligning ourselves with the NYISC and its goal to preserve our cultural roots magnifies the gratitude that Goya feels toward the communities that have been with us for all these decades.” NYISC is a multi-day Latin music and dance festival, drawing nearly 10,000 attendees from around the world to the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square from September 1-4. Attendees have the opportunity to choose from more than 60 instructional dance workshops, view a fantastic showcase of professional dance performances and competitions, and dance all night to a live concert series.
A couple of big milestones were achieved by some local brokerages this month. Congratulations go out to Mikel and Karen Waldon of Empire Food Marketing, Woodbridge, NJ as they celebrate their 10th anniversary of business. Since leaving MPS as president in 2006 and starting Empire, Mike has steadily grown his business and currently services the retail food business from Maine to the Carolinas. The second achievement to note this month is that Greg D’Alessandro and Carol Gasparovic-D’Alessandro of NBS Marketing in Montville, NJ are celebrating their 25th year in business. Greg started as a sales representative at the old Best Foods Company and then entered the brokerage side of the business for some now-defunct companies before venturing out on his own. Needless to say, 25 years is a true sign of success. Well done to both companies and congrats!!
Best wishes to Brian Schaffer as he has been appointed VP of sales for Truco Enterprises. Truco is the manufacturer of the On The Border brand of salty snacks, salsas and quesos. Brian joins Truco from Advantage Solutions and prior to that was a longtime executive with Pepsico.
The RDD Associates team held its annual management retreat at Crystal Springs Resort in Hamburg, NJ last month and Bob Cignarella and his team once again highlighted the successes of the previous year as well as focused on the coming year ahead. More than 50 RDD associates were on hand and were treated to the perspectives on the evolving marketing place from John Derderian, president of Allegiance Retail Services and Foodtown, Inc. Also covered during the retreat were highlights of the recent new client appointments as well as their development of brands into the foodservice, in-store bakery and specialty foods categories. The two-day event was capped off with the RDD theme for the coming 12 months – Â Innovate-Integrate-Activate! Well done to all at RDD.
Glad to hear that Bill Breheny has landed a spot as VP of business development with Incredible Foods. Bill is an industry veteran who most recently was with Crossmark and formerly was with Acosta and Food Enterprises in a variety of executive positions. Bill is excited about his hot new product, Perfectly Free, which is a frozen treat free of all food related allergens. He told us that it is a unique and delicious item in a booming new category which will more than double in the coming year. Best wishes, Bill. You can reach him at [email protected].
A new $20 million food distribution facility for upstate farmers is coming to Hunts Point. The 125,000-square foot green market, to be built within the next year, will link food producers across the state with city consumers, according to Crain’s New York. The announcement coincided with the introduction of a “New York State Grown & Certified” label that will designate foods from farms that pledge not to use certain chemicals and are inspected by the state. The labels will help to promote struggling upstate farms, said Governor Andrew Cuomo, and he will entreat the New York City school system and local hospitals to buy the certified products. The program is a win for community-based grocery stores “that want to meet and partner with regional farmers and artisans and introduce healthy products to more families,” said Pat Brown, CEO of Natural Markets Food Group, the company that owns Mrs. Green’s Natural Markets.
Enjoy the final holiday weekend of the summer and, as always, you can reach me at 201.250.2217 or [email protected].
