Happy summer to everyone! I do hope you are all taking advantage of the season and getting out and visiting with family and friends and hopefully engaging in some industry events that have been springing back to life. Check out our trade calendar on page 2 of this issue or at foodtradenews.com/calendar/ for all of the upcoming events. If you have an event you’d like to be included, let me know and we will get it on the calendar. Hope to see you out there soon!
Huge news came out of the offices of Krasdale Foods when the 113 year old wholesale company announced the largest solar rooftop project ever in the Bronx by adding a 2.7-megawatt system on top its Hunts Point warehouse. As part of Krasdale’s agreement with the New York City Economic Development Corporation, the wholesaler will have the opportunity to extend its current lease through 2041. Krasdale has operated the warehouse in the Bronx since the early 1970s and was one of the very first businesses recruited to the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center. Working with PowerFlex, a national provider of renewable energy infrastructure, Krasdale will install more than 6,500 panels at its warehouse, and the system will generate the clean energy equivalent to offsetting 5.3 million pounds of carbon dioxide or removing 524 automobiles from the road annually.
Gus Lebiak, president/COO, Krasdale Foods, stated, “At Krasdale, we’ve always been focused on giving back to the markets we serve. We’re honored to be spearheading one of New York City’s largest solar projects, furthering our dedication to Hunts Point and the Bronx community as a whole. After nearly a half century in Hunts Point, we’re thrilled to be able to support our community by creating a greener New York. Our focus has always been on giving back to the communities we serve, and this project represents our continuing commitment to the Bronx. We want to thank the City of New York and PowerFlex for partnering with us on this initiative.” Prior to the big announcement, Gus held two town hall style meetings for all Krasdale employees to inform them of the magnitude and scope of the project. One meeting was at the Bronx warehouse and the other was at the corporate headquarters in White Plains. As Gus shared with us, this was a five year project in the making from a vision to reality. It took a talented team of dedicated professionals to make it all happen.
An added benefit to the local community is the fact that the initiative has been designated a community solar project and will allow residents in the same utility area to share in the clean energy produced by the system. Roughly 300 residents are expected to qualify for this no-cost option, which will reduce their electric bills by 10 percent. “New York City is closer to achieving its energy goals with Krasdale’s new solar installation at the Hunts Point Food Distribution Center,” said NYCEDC President and CEO Rachel Loeb. “This project will improve air quality for New Yorkers and contribute to a cleaner, more resilient electricity grid. We look forward to advancing additional sustainability projects at the Food Distribution Center and delivering much-needed benefits to the Hunts Point community.” The project is expected to take nine months to complete and should be ready in 2022.
Lidl has announced that it will build its first new-construction store on Long Island next year on Commack Road in Deer Park. Additionally in 2022, the conversion of the former Best Market supermarkets that Lidl acquired should be complete, giving the discount retailer 23 stores on Long Island. Lidl director of communications Will Harwood said the chain expects to have 50 stores on the island by 2029. “We’re seeing great enthusiasm across the Island for the concept and the savings and the quality that you’re able to bring home.”
Lidl entered the Long Island market in January 2019, finalizing its purchase of Best Market’s 27 stores for an undisclosed price. Since then Lidl has been remodeling the former Best Market stores in phases and converting them to the Lidl banner. The discount retailer is spending more than $100 million on its Long Island stores, Harwood said. As part of Lidl’s move onto Long Island, the grocer permanently closed five Best Market stores, in Great Neck, West Islip, Hicksville, New Hyde Park and Riverhead. Also, Lidl has opened three new stores in spaces that had been vacant in Plainview, Center Moriches and Riverhead. The new Riverhead store, which opened in a former Toys R Us space in June, is considered a replacement for the former Best Market in Riverhead that Lidl closed in February. The next four openings that are planned on Long Island will be in Shirley and West Babylon and Garden City and Commack. All four should be ready for business by early 2022.
Kudos to Goya as the company announced that it will pledge $2 million to combat child trafficking and to launch “Goya Cares.” At a press conference at the National Press Club in Washington DC, the company described Goya Cares as a global humanitarian initiative dedicated to eliminating child trafficking worldwide. They will also support the upcoming movie Sound of Freedom that brings attention to the matter of child trafficking through the heroic actions of a former government agent. Goya Cares will work directly with organizations that combat trafficking, rescue and reunite families, and rehabilitate victims. Well done!
The pandemic seems to be on the decline and we are fast approaching August so that must mean it’s time to pump some air in your bicycle tires, oil your chains and break out those cycling shorts, fingerless gloves and helmets as the JOH Team Kids 360 cycle team will ride again in the 2021 Pan-Mass Challenge! The two-day annual bike ride across Massachusetts has just one mission – to raise funds for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.
John Saidnawey, chairman and CEO at JOH, is ready to lead his team again in this worthy cause.
Team Kids 360 has proudly participated and pushed themselves physically and mentally for 11 consecutive years in the bike-a-thon and would welcome any support or sponsorship in this year’s challenge. To assist their heroic efforts in the fight against cancer go to https://donate.pmc.org/ and enter Team KIDS 360 – 100 percent of every rider-raised dollar goes directly to Dana-Farber. Good luck and best wishes to Team KIDS 360!
I recently ran into old friend John Scalfani, VP of sales for Tomra Metro, at an industry golf outing and he told me of a success story they’d had with one of the big independent operators in the city. The Rudy Fuertes-owned Fine Fare Supermarket in the Bronx was ready to upgrade its reverse vending machines (RVMs) for bottle and can recycling and needed to find a solution that would keep recycling fast and easy for customers. His store is known for offering for a great customer experience and seamless shopping trips, so he needed to find a solution with good storage capacity and a fast container flow to accommodate the high return volume (up to 500,000 containers) the store sees each month. Additionally, the new reverse vending technology needed to be able to withstand the elements, since all the machines would be placed outdoors, as is common in the city supermarkets.
After the Tomra team met with Fuentes to determine which solution would best meet Fine Fare’s bottle return needs, they agreed on the installation of nine new Tomra S1 Rugged RVMs.
Designed for semi-outdoor use, the S1 Rugged’s durability provided the perfect solution for the store’s set-up. The S1 Rugged is resistant to wet conditions, and its enhanced touchscreen is easily viewable in direct sunlight., allowing for clear user guidance and enabling the store to use their screens for marketing campaigns, regardless of the outdoor placement.
The storage capacity was also a key deciding factor as the device can hold up to 3,200 cans, 1,100 PET bottles or 350 glass bottles, which means fewer “bin-full” messages for shoppers at this busy return location. “We needed a durable machine for our customers. When they have a good recycling experience, they also have a good shopping experience, and the Tomra S1 Rugged makes that happen,” said Fuentes.
His customers have significantly benefited from the technology which recognizes can, plastic and glass beverage containers instantly and without rotation, increasing return speed considerably and providing customers with a fast, reliable and efficient recycling experience.
Additionally, the S1 Rugged features top-of-the-line fraud prevention technology, helping Fine Fare protect the integrity of deposit refunds. “This machine had all the features we needed to create a seamless return experience at, and for, our store,” Fuentes continues.
Since upgrading in late 2020, Fine Fare now averages more than 700,000 container returns per month, helping to keep the local community free of litter. “Fine Fare and the Fuertes family offers a fantastic shopping experience, and we were eager to help them carry that experience through to their redemption process,” said Scalfani. “The S1 Rugged is a great fit for their store, from the storage capacity to the durability. We also worked together to design some new awnings and new signage for the redemption area and are proud to support Fine Fare’s commitment to their customers and the planet.”
It was nice to learn of a couple of births in the industry over the last few weeks. Corey Meyers, inside sales manager and marketing director at HP Sales Northeast, welcomed his second child,
Owen Charles Meyers on July 1, joining big sister Zoey. Corey’s dad, Harry Meyers, president and CEO of HP Sales Northeast, is the very proud and beaming grandfather.
Congrats also to another first-time grandparent as NJFC president and CEO Linda Doherty’s son Drew Tinton and his wife Stacey welcomed precious baby girl Delaney Grace on July 20. Linda and her husband Bill Tinton say that everyone is doing well. Congratulations to all!
Like I said earlier, more and more events are coming back to our industry, so please check our trade calendar and I hope to see you out there soon. Stay safe and well and as always you can contact me at 201.250.2217 or kevin@foodtradenews.com.
