The 67th Summer Fancy Food Show was a huge success by all accounts. Held at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center with more than 2,200 exhibitors (including 550 exhibitors with new products and 250 first-time exhibitors) the three-day spectacular played host to big crowds of attendees.
There were new pavilions in addition to the tried and true exhibits at the show, including a plant-based pavilion for anyone looking to source plant-forward products. Three new destinations—Sips Bay in the beverage pavilion, Lower Cheese Side in the deli pavilion, and The Plant-Packing District in the plant-based pavilion—gave attendees the opportunity to sample products and participate in interactive sessions about many new trends. Some top trends identified for the coming year were: flavor fluidity, chips/salty snacks in all forms, one-step convenience products, African specialties, Asian snacks, alternative seafood, nuanced heat and the continued growth of plant-based. A pat on the back to the Specialty Food Association for continuing to grow this terrific show.
Kudos to Cibao Meat Products as they once again sponsored the ninth Annual Cibao Meat Interleague Softball Cup. Teams from the Dominican Sports and Cultural Club Center, the Association of Montecristeño, the San José de Ocoa Association and the Norberto de la Cruz league all squared off at Franz Sigel Park at Grand Concourse in da Bronx. The Association of Montecristeno AMORE team defeated the San Jose de Ocoa Braves to win the championship. This year’s cup was dedicated to Kerlin Pichardo Soler for his support of sports and the Dominican community in New York and Cibao Meat Corporation marketing manager Jaline Isidor Horta presented him with a plaque of recognition during the day. An abundance of Cibao Meat products were offered to the crowd throughout the day as well as Inca Kola and Compal fruit juices. Sounds like it was a great family day.
Congratulations to Bob Weinmann who has been promoted to president at RDD Associates, LLC. A consummate and trusted industry executive, Bob will continue to work with Bob Cignarella who will remain as chairman and CEO. As “Cig” said in an internal memo: “It is my distinct privilege and pleasure to announce that Bob Weinmann has been appointed President of RDD Associates, LLC. For over a decade, Bob has been a loyal and invaluable member of the RDD leadership team, serving in his role as Senior Vice President – Marketing & Strategy, and a key driver of RDD’s remarkable growth and recognition as a leading company in the sales and marketing agency sector. Bob’s contributions to RDD’s success are rooted in his contagious work ethic, optimism and energy, his unparalleled industry thought leadership, expertise and insights, and his generosity to counsel, coach and mentor colleagues and trading partners. Included in his record of career accomplishments are his 25 years of philanthropic service to the Food Bank for New York City as Board Member, Chairman and Treasurer. Bob is a trusted, passionate, and respected food industry sales and marketing executive, with a track record for fueling business development and sales growth, service solution innovation and activation excellence, and highly productive collaborations among client- and customer-trading partners. The ‘Doctor,’ as many of us respectfully and fondly refer to him, is among the industry’s most admired thought leaders. As President, Bob is the most senior RDD executive, responsible for the company’s unwavering service commitments to stakeholder clients and customers, aligned with and supporting each company’s sales and merchandising agendas. He will closely collaborate with me, RDD’s Chairman and CEO, the company’s board of directors, and RDD’s Senior Leadership team to evolve the enterprise’s forward reaching vision, mission, goals, and strategies.”
Cig founded RDD Associates in 1998 and the company very quickly became recognized as the premier independent sales and marketing agency exclusively focused on merchandising perishable retail products – dairy, deli, meat, frozen, produce, prepared, and seafood – to Metro New York and Mid-Atlantic supermarkets and wholesalers. Today, RDD represents more than 75 client manufacturers with 30 brands listed as number one in their respective categories. In June of 2022, the transition process started when private equity firm Montage Partners took an investment stake in RDD. While Cig will maintain a significant stake and continue as CEO in the company, the investment by Montage also started the look for his successor. At the time of the deal, Cignarella stated, “I am delighted to announce the investment in RDD by Montage Partners. From our early conversations, it was clear they would value our legacy, employees, and clients as much as I do and we are aligned on the exciting future the company has in store. Nothing about the way we operate or interact with our clients will be changing; we will continue to be the premier player in perishables in the Northeast and our employees will remain intact with the same extraordinary dedication to serving our clients.” Now that first step has happened with Weinmann’s appointment. Affectionately known as the Doctor, (he does have a doctorate and advanced degrees) Bob is an engaged, and knowledgeable food industry professional, with a genuine understanding of the customer and has the ability to help create synergies that create “wins” for all sides. He has proven wherever he has been to be an accomplished executive in business development, sales and profit growth, innovative sales and merchandising service solutions, organizational recruitment, training and development, brand introductions and expansion, customer relationship development, and building client satisfaction levels. Additionally, he served for nearly two decades on the executive board of the Food Bank for New York City providing countless guidance and leadership to the organization. I know with the Doctor at the helm, the good ship RDD will have smooth seas ahead of them. Best of luck and congratulations.
Aldi opened its 13th Long Island store this month in Rocky Point and has three more Long Island stores in the works for 2024 in East Northport, Medford and Central Islip.
Boy if this doesn’t bring you back to your childhood – “The Sweetest Comeback in The History Of Ever,” just celebrated its 10th Anniversary. Twinkies, the iconic brand, which was resuscitated and brought back to life in the summer of 2013 by Hostess Brands, cheekily publicized its “10th Anniversary Comeback.” The anniversary date is based on the reemergence of the brand in 2013. After Interstate Bakeries filed for bankruptcy and liquidated in 2012, the company agreed to sell its Twinkies, Ding Dongs, Ho-Hos, Sno Balls and Zingers brands to two investment firms with histories of corporate turnarounds. The new owners were Apollo Global Management and Metropoulos & Company (who can remember the “black market” on Ebay for Twinkies when they ceased production??) and came back as Hostess Brands. The new company streamlined with a nonunionized workforce and made significant improvements to its distribution and in 2016 went public in a transaction involving another private equity firm, Gores Group under the ticker symbol TWNK and is today worth about $3.3 billion. Nobody is now worried about Twinkies going away anytime soon. “Snacking is a growing occasion,” says Hostess’s chief growth Officer Dan O’Leary. “That reflects a broader evolution in eating habits—smaller meals, but more snacks.” If you think of what’s different today than 10 years ago, the number of times consumers choose a snack throughout the course of their day is just higher. Overall snack sales rose 11% last year alone, and analysts say both the pandemic and inflation have contributed to this “snack-ification” of the American diet. And many adopt what he calls “a balance sheet” approach: “What that means is if I’m gonna have two, three, four, whatever number of snacks a day, I think of it as like a portfolio.” Sometimes, he says, that means choosing something “a little bit more indulgent,” and other times, something that seems “a little bit healthier.” As O’Leary notes, the number of sweet snacks is growing faster than total snacks on America’s balance sheet. And the iteration of Hostess now marking this 10th anniversary has positioned itself to compete for that spot on the snacker’s balance sheet: Aside from its Donettes, CupCakes, and Twinkies (its three top products, in that order), it has steadily expanded its own treat portfolio, with products like Kazbars (a bar-format take on the gooey Hostess style), Baby Bundts, and Bouncers (bite-size iterations of the Twinkie and other Hostess offerings). And notably, Hostess has also broadened its palate when it acquire Voortman a leading maker of sugar-free cookies. Altogether, according to the company, Hostess has seen its product sales grow at more than 12 percent a year over the past five years. Today, it produces 400 million Twinkies a year—not Peak Twinkie, but clearly proof that the iconic treat remains very relevant. Snacks can be an impulsive category, as O’Leary points out, with a lot of choices. So a familiar, even nostalgic, brand matters—and Hostess has exploited that with wide distribution and plenty of in-store marketing displays. Today’s Hostess is a profitable business, albeit a more-focused one with fewer factories and a smaller workforce of about 3,000 employees, a drastic reduction from its heyday. As for the Twinkie, its future looks sweetly secure. For all its complicated history, it has evolved into a curious thing: a comfort indulgence. And can only imagine the number of deep-fried Twinkies being consumed at State Fairs around the country this summer? 😉
Well that will do it for now everyone. There is still a plethora of golf outings and meetings over the next eight weeks or so, give or take, and I hope to see you at one of them. As always you can reach me at 201.250.2217 or [email protected].