Greetings, all, and I hope everyone had an enjoyable Passover and Easter holiday. The spring season is in full swing and our industry is starting to really open up again with more and more events and networking opportunities taking place. For example, just a few weeks ago, the New Jersey Food Council (NJFC) held its Trade Relations Conference at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Atlantic City. It was the council’s best-attended (and only its second in-person) event since the pandemic started, and was a huge success by all accounts. A health & wellness panel with panelists Steve Henig of Wakefern, Jacqueline Gomes of Allegiance Retail Services, Ron Bonacci of Weis Markets and Joe Kaszuba of House Foods America gave insight to the trends existing in a post-COVID world. Keynote speaker Stew Leonard of Stew Leonard’s regaled the crowd with his high energy, humorous and insightful thoughts on the retail food business, and last but not least, Gary Rosenthal of JOH was bestowed with the Jimmy Ostling Trade Relations Award. Gary might be one of the most deserving of all the prior recipients of the award (formerly known as the Max Stone award) as he is one of the highest regarded vendors by customers and operators in the industry. To wit, how many Jewish men do you know have been honored by Catholic organizations as their “Man of the Year”? Gary is a true mensch if there ever was one, so congratulations again on this well-deserved recognition! Kudos to Linda Doherty and the entire staff at the NJFC! And speaking of, don’t forget to sign up for the NJFC Night of Distinction on May 17 at the Palace at Somerset Park in Somerset, NJ. This year’s honorees include: Gordon Reid, president of Stop & Shop; Kevin McDonnell, SVP of Price Rite Marketplace; Christine Curtis, SVP and general manager, Northeast Independents, C&S Wholesale Grocers; and Gus Lebiak, president & COO, Krasdale Foods. This event always sells out, so make sure you go to www.NJfoodcouncil.com and order your tickets now.
Nice work to Bob Unanue and the entire team at Goya Foods as the big company announced its commitment to donate another 300,000 pounds of food to Catholic Charities of New York/Feeding our Neighbors.
His Eminence Cardinal Dolan helped to distribute bags filled with Goya products and supplies to families in need at St. Jerome’s HANDS Community Center in the Bronx and offered a special blessing on Holy Thursday. “During a time of crisis, inflation, and looming food shortages, the Goya family has worked courageously and tirelessly to provide nourishing food to those in need around the country and around the globe. We are grateful to have our work and a purpose of rising every morning for God, our families, and our Nation. As a result, throughout the year and especially during this Holy Season, we are proud to present the gift of the fruits of our labor to families in need serviced by Catholic Charities,” said Unanue, president and CEO of Goya Foods. In late 2020, at the height of the COVID pandemic crisis, Goya donated 300,00 pounds of food to Catholic Charities. The past few years have had a devastating impact on families’ health and economic security in New York’s most vulnerable communities, said the company. Goya has been a supporter of Catholic Charities/Feeding our Neighbors campaign for the past six years, donating a total of more than 1.8 million pounds of food to people throughout New York City. Goya Gives is a global program committed to promoting and supporting the overall well-being of the communities through social responsibility, environmental initiatives, and company values. Well done, Goya!
As reported elsewhere in this issue in Taking Stock, Asian grocer 99 Ranch Market entered New York State with the opening of its store on Long Island in Westbury. In a press release announcing the new store, the company cited Nassau County’s growing Asian population which grew 60.6 percent to 164,201 residents between 2010 and 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Neighboring Suffolk County’s Asian population increased 29 percent to 65,779 from 2010 to 2020, according to census data. Asian residents accounted for 4.3 percent of the county’s total population in 2020. “The population changes in Long Island is absolutely one of the reasons that we decided to spread our branch there, but more importantly, we would love to reach out to more non-Asian customers and communities as well,” the company said. The Westbury supermarket will include an Eat Up Food Court with five or six Asian restaurants that will sublease space from 99 Ranch. I look forward to checking it out.
Patriot Pickle, a Wayne, NJ based manufacturer of high-quality pickles and a company in the Swander Pace Capital portfolio, has acquired the pickle assets of Farm Ridge Foods, Islandia, NY.
“This is an exciting time to be a leader in fresh pickle manufacturing. The acquisition of Farm Ridge Foods is a key step towards rounding out and building up our internal retail sales capabilities. Fresh, refrigerated pickles are a key growth area for our retail and foodservice partners, and we are excited to be able to better serve them more directly with this acquisition,” said CEO of Patriot Pickle, Bill McEntee. Farm Ridge Foods was established in 2008 by former Blue Ridge Farms owner, Jeffrey Siegel and manufactures prepared salads, prepared entrees, olives and pickles.
Wakefern recently announced that several associates in its corporate and retail organizations have been recognized as honorees of the 2022 YWCA “Tribute to Women and Industry” (TWIN) Award. Honorees this year include Wakefern and ShopRite associates whose leadership and expertise have contributed to the success of the cooperative and its stores. Among the recipients were Wakefern’s Jami Espinosa, category manager, produce; Maxine Nigro, pharmacy systems and support supervisor; ShopRite’s Jessica Valentino, controller for Ravitz Family Markets, and Amanda Fischer, marketing, business development and outreach manager for Village Super Market.
The YWCA TWIN Awards recognizes the achievements and significant contributions made by women within their industries in managerial, executive, supervisory and/or professional roles, and is hosted by the YWCA Union County, a nonprofit organization. They also recognize businesses whose policies and practices encourage high achievement by women and who promote equal advancement opportunities for women of diverse backgrounds. The virtual awards ceremony will be live-streamed on May 6. Congratulations to all!
And finally, don’t forget to sign up for one of the largest industry golf outings as Inserra Supermarkets will host the Carl Inserra Leukemia Fund golf outing on June 20. The annual event is held in honor of Carl Inserra, who passed away in 1987, and raises funds to support research, education and equipment for numerous medical facilities, as well as offer assistance for patients and their families. The monstrous event take place at five northern New Jersey courses: Arcola Country Club in Paramus, Knickerbocker Country Club in Tenafly, Hackensack Golf Club in Oradell, Manhattan Woods Golf Club in West Nyack and White Beeches Country Club in Haworth. The awards reception and cocktails will be held at The Venetian in Garfield, NJ. For more info on this wonderful event go to www.carlinserraleukemiafund.org.
I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the slew of upcoming events. (check out our trade calendar or page 35 of this issue, or online at foodtradenews.com for more information). For the many affairs I have attended recently, the positivity in getting back to in-person activities has been palpable. Here’s hoping the continued opening and easing of any pandemic-related restrictions are in our rearview mirror. As always you can reach me at 201.250.2217 or [email protected].
