In today’s world of grocery retailing, it can be difficult for a small manufacturer or producer to be seen or to progress, especially with the countless products trying to get shelf space in the limited real estate that a store offers. Thankfully, there are a number of retailers and industry firms that are proactively developing programs to help these underdogs get a leg up in this highly competitive business.
Kroger just announced a new partnership program inviting American growers and producers to apply for an opportunity to work with the retailer. Dubbed the “Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator,” the program, sponsored by specialty foods importer, Gourmet Food International, will enable the Cincinnati-based supermarket chain to discover new suppliers to support the continued expansion of its fresh departments, including produce, deli, meat, seafood, bakery, dairy, specialty cheeses and floral. Applications to join the are being accepted until May 31 for the event that will be held in Cincinnati in August. Kroger’s category management and fresh director team will review applications in multiple rounds, ultimately selecting 15 finalists (one finalist per region per category) to attend the event, where each of them will have a pitch session with a panel of judges. There will be five overall winners (one per region) who, as a prize, will receive the following: product placement on the shelf within the Kroger’s family of companies; recommended partnerships with Gourmet Foods International; and business development coaching from Kroger merchandising and sales leaders as well as PearlRock Partners CEO Brian Kelley, a 30-year consumer product industry veteran and former president of Keurig Green Mountain and Coca-Cola Refreshments.
“At Kroger, our Fresh for Everyone mission is anchored in consistently and creatively providing fresh and affordable food to our customers,” said Dan De La Rosa, Kroger’s group VP of fresh merchandising. “We’re dedicated to fostering innovation and investing in local, regional and small businesses that make the best of food accessible to all. Our first Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator is an extension of our commitment and we’re eager to invite suppliers of every size to participate, providing the potential to grow our businesses together.”
Stuart Aitken, Kroger’s chief merchant and marketing officer, also commented on the program, stating: “Kroger is committed to offering the best assortment of fresh products enabled by an innovative portfolio of suppliers. In 2020 alone, we invested $4.1 billion in diverse suppliers — a 21 percent increase versus the previous year — and we’re working with intention to scale that number to $10 billion by 2030.” He continued, “The Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator will help us achieve our goal as well as advance our freshness commitment in our nearly 2,800 stores and across our Kroger.com e-commerce services, including Pickup, Delivery, and Ship.”
This is a great opportunity for local growers and producers to get their foot in the door with the United States’ largest supermarket chain (and its second largest general retailer) – to learn more about the accelerator program, visit: TheKrogerCo.com/GoFreshLocal.
Information Resources, Inc. (IRI), a leading data analytics and marketing research company focused on the consumer packaged goods (CPG), retail, and healthcare industries, has just launched a volunteer-led program that provides pro bono services to micro, diverse-owned CPG brands in order to inspire and empower rising minority and women-owned CPG companies to achieve positive organizational growth. Called the Diversity Advantage Program (DAP), it is already being supported by leading retailers including the aforementioned Kroger, Ahold Delhaize USA and Amazon, which will be partnering with IRI to provide each DAP participant with pro bono data and market research, consumer and shopper insights, and consulting services. Some of the benefits that participants in the program, known as “DAPers,” will receive pro bono include: access to IRI market measurement services; IRI consultative services to accelerate growth; IRI solution training; access to participating IRI Retailer Collaboration Gateways to enhance ongoing fact-based collaboration with leading retailers; coaching to prepare for retailer meetings; and collaboration and shared best practices with other participants.
“Far too often, minority- and women-owned businesses are not given the same opportunities to succeed,” said Andrew Appel, president and CEO at IRI. “In our industry, insights and data are table stakes for our clients. A small team of us saw a unique way for IRI to give back and make a real difference by leveraging our resources and relationships to help companies created by diverse leaders succeed and reach their full potential in the market by providing free access to our data, tools and expertise. I am so proud of the 60-plus IRI employees who are volunteering to support the program and its participants and am thankful for the first set of retailers that are helping to bring this initiative to light by offering the program to their diverse CPG supplier partners.”
Companies eligible to participate in DAP include minority- and women-owned consumer goods companies with $1 million to $25 million in annual sales that are recommended by a participating retailer. To find out more information on how to apply for the opportunity to participate in this program, interested qualifying applicants can email [email protected].
Another organization proactively investing in programs to help women in the industry thrive and grow is The Giant Company (TGC), which has partnered up with TONE Networks, a video-based learning and leadership development platform that empowers female employees through expert content, live coaching and a vibrant online community, to provide its team members access to the micro-learning forum.
TONE Networks is a unique online, virtual video resource where women learn and grow, professionally and personally, with exclusive live stream events and an extensive library of over 1,200 micro videos offering advice and guidance from credentialed experts on the topics that matter most – career growth, executive presence, unconscious bias, wellbeing, and work-life balance. The content will be offered on TGC’s new learning and development platform, Giant University, which is designed for its associates to navigate their careers and grow through new opportunities.
“We support each of our team members fully and uniquely, including encouraging each other to learn and grow through new opportunities,” said Rebecca Lupfer, VP-center store, TGC, and executive sponsor of the company’s women’s networking group. “TONE Networks is a great complement to our own training and workforce development resources, enabling our team members to focus on specific topics that are of interest and importance to them.”
TGC’s Landover, MD-based sister company Giant Food will once again be sponsoring one of the nation’s largest food and music festivals, the Giant National Capital Barbecue Battle, which will be a month-long virtual experience running from May 28 through the end of June. The event will follow a similar virtual format as last year’s, but with new interactive activities and social engagement including Taste of Giant Cooking Demonstrations and Recipes, BBQ Tips from America’s Top BBQ Pitmasters such as Myron Mixon and Ray “Dr. BBQ”, musical performances by national artists, a Battle of the Bands, and so much more – all while benefiting the USO of Metropolitan Washington-Baltimore.All BBQ Battle activities are free but shoppers can further support with Giant’s roundup program throughout the month of June, allowing customers to round up the change on in-store purchases to the nearest dollar amount at checkout, directly benefiting the USO-Metro. For more information on the Barbecue Battle, visit www.bbqdc.com.
Finally, before I sign off for the month, I want to say congratulations to Eddie’s of Roland Park for being recognized as the 1-15 store winner of the “Connections Through Social Media- Holiday Content” award in the National Grocers Association (NGA)’s annual Creative Choice Awards Contest. The competition, which was sponsored by Kellogg Company and Unilever, honors and recognizes the best marketing and merchandising programs in the grocery industry. The contest featured eight categories that were judged by a panel of industry experts and trade press members based on creativity, clarity and the effectiveness of each campaign entered. More than 650 entries were submitted, a new record for the program. This was the first time the Baltimore-based independent retailer entered the contest, utilizing a social media strategy that was centered around partnerships with local chefs, artists, influencers, and event producers predominantly via Facebook, Instagram, and web-hosted video/meeting platforms to keep customers engaged during the 2020 holiday season. Examples of the content included: coordinating an in-store performance (accessible via Facebook) as a Small Business Saturday customer appreciation event, featuring local musician Warren Wolf, whose new holiday CD Eddie’s sold in-store; employing food photographer and cocktail enthusiast Nikki G. Davidson as the retailer’s featured holiday photographer, and underwriting a holiday edition of her virtual cocktail class series, as a free customer event; inviting restaurant and nightlife blogger Arli Lima (Arli’s Appetite) to introduce her following to Eddie’s products and services with featured posts about relevant content including wine, gifts, and curbside pickup; encouraging firefighter and food blogger Pete Cortes (The Captain’s Kitchen) to spotlight Eddie’s Thanksgiving offerings with a home-cooked, pre-holiday firehouse feast; and offering customer (and nine-time James Beard Foundation award finalist) chef Cindy Wolf the opportunity to share her holiday turkey roasting tips with Eddie’s shoppers. The season-long efforts were organized and put into action by Eddie’s two-person marketing team, marketing director Jared Earley and graphic designer Sophia Belitsos.
Praising this dynamic duo, Michael Shaffer, Eddie’s of Roland Park’s VP, stated, “Our marketing department developed a robust social media strategy designed to complement the in-store experience and grow Eddie’s digital reach through informative, upbeat editorial content and entertaining virtual programming that engaged our customers and community during the holiday shopping season.”
It’s great to see the small independent grocer getting the accolades it deserves. Family-owned since 1944, Eddie’s passion for the business can still be seen as the retailer continues with traditions that keep it a local favorite while still pivoting with the times to stay relevant.
My sincerest congratulations to Jared, Sophia, and the whole team at Eddie’s of Roland Park, on the well-deserved honor. I look forward to seeing how they continue this multi-pronged social media approach throughout the year.
Until next month…
Karen can be contacted via email at [email protected]