SOUP TO NUTZ

Each year, the birthplace of our nation, Philadelphia, hosts a massive 4th of July celebration: the Wawa Welcome America festival. This year, it began on June 28 with the Wawa Welcome America Hoagie Day at the National Constitution Center. The inaugural Hoagie Day was held in 1992, when the hoagie was proclaimed the “Official Sandwich of Philadelphia” by then-Mayor Ed Rendell. Hoagie Day honors our nation’s men and women in uniform and celebrate Wawa’s partnership with the USO, a nonprofit organization that strengthens America’s military service members by connecting them to family, home, and country throughout their service to our nation. Wawa associates built 25,000 hoagies with the first 10,000 being donated to Philabundance, Veteran’s Multi-Service Center, and the Police Athletic League, also known as PAL. In addition, Philabundance was on deck at the festival July 1-3 collecting food at the various events held throughout Philly to then distribute to the food insecure. This year’s week-long festival concluded on July 4 with a free concert and fireworks featuring Demi Lovato and Ludacris on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. “Wawa Welcome America is an incredible series of community events that honor our local heroes as we lead up to our nation’s birthday, and each year, Hoagie Day becomes even more exciting, meaningful, and delicious,” said Chris Gheysens, Wawa CEO. “We look at Hoagie Day as a way to bring the community together, give back, fight hunger, and have a little fun and friendly competition in the process! We are so grateful to our heroes and want to wish them and everyone in our communities a very happy July 4th!” Philly sure knows how to throw a party!

It’s back and better than ever…more than 30,000 specialty food and beverage industry professionals registered for the Specialty Food Association’s (SFA) sold-out 67th Summer Fancy Food Show, June 25-27 at the Jacob Javits Center in New York City. Registration was up 20 percent over 2022, and the show achieved year-over-year increases in all key qualified buyer categories attending the show, including a 21 percent increase in retailers; a 20 percent increase in food service, and a 12 percent increase in distributors. Exhibit space sold out in mid-May, and more than 2,200 domestic and international companies across 40+ specialty food and beverage categories exhibited at the show. In addition to makers and buyers, the show attracted industry affiliates, press, influencers, investors, and trendspotters.  SFA president Bill Lynch said, “The Fancy Food Shows were created to help facilitate the growth of the specialty food industry, and they are the premiere destination for those who want to see, taste, and experience the incredible breadth of specialty products available today. Specialty food and beverage makers are innovators and trendsetters, and that was on full display during this year’s Summer Fancy Food Show.”

On the opening day of the show, the SFA recognized its five 2023 Lifetime Achievement Award recipients and nine Hall of Fame inductees at a special ceremony after the show. My long-time friend, Lou Foah, Foah International, LLC, was one of the honorees. Foah shared that his father, Mario, was the SFA’s inaugural Lifetime Achievement Award inductee and that he was honored to be recognized for the same award. He also remarked on his 34-year career which involved frequent collaboration with SFA. Congratulations, Lou!

Giada De Laurentiis, chef, TV personality, author of ten cookbooks, and founder of Giadzy, spoke about emerging trends that are shaping the specialty food industry, and facilitating the success of her brand, during her keynote presentation on Monday. Giadzy, De Laurentiis’ ecommerce brand, features Italian pantry products and lifestyle content including recipes and travel guides. The pandemic led to many of the trends that she shared in the session, citing the mass change in consumer sentiments that allowed her brand to fill a gap in the market. “We realized that people couldn’t go to their local, Italian market, or they couldn’t go to their local restaurant, or they couldn’t travel,” she said. “Covid really disrupted the market and had a lot more people looking for

online in a way they hadn’t before. It accelerated something that I think was happening anyway.” This shift to consumers becoming more comfortable with online shopping helped her business take off. She highlighted the following practices paramount to the industry, which she leveraged in her business: demand for at-home culinary experiences; product sourcing and storytelling; clean ingredients and authenticity; and the total package – its aesthetics and experience. The at-home culinary experiences sought to replace the diverse food landscape that consumers were accustomed to before the pandemic. This led De Laurentiis to work with local producers that were family friends in Italy, and craft kits around a theme to share traditional Italian flavors at a time when it was difficult for people to experience it otherwise. She recommends the use of themes in promoting products, or groups of products. “It’s easier for people to harness what you are trying to do if there is a theme around it,” she said. “Because viewers can’t smell or taste, most of the interest has to come to aesthetics and the story you tell about the food,” she explained. By giving insight into these practices, she helps build trust with the consumer, which in turn gives the consumer the confidence that the product is authentic and worthy of purchase. For the success of a product on today’s shelf, or in an ecommerce marketplace, De Laurentiis advised that the aesthetics and packaging methods are crucial. The Italians are masters at this. People today are interested in sustainability and reusability in packaging, and the packaging must be eye-catching and share information about the company. For Giadzy, the brand seeks to highlight the Italian style, culture, and lifestyle. She shared that when she thinks about the creation of a package, she strives to create things that people can keep on their counters and something that is nice enough for people to feel they want to keep, either for storage or regifting purposes. “People eat with their eyes first. It has to look a certain way in order to bring people in,” shared De Laurentiis. And she’s 100 percent correct!

Rounding out the three-day show and after anonymous tastings by hundreds of top buyers during the show, the SFA announced the two final (and biggest) sofi awards for 2023: New Product of the Year went to Mochidoki Vegan Passionfruit Mochi Ice Cream and Product of the Year went to Lewis Road Creamery 10 Star Certified Salted Butter. The show ended with a donation of over 94,000 pounds of specialty food to City Harvest, a nonprofit that distributes rescued food to community programs throughout New York City. “The Specialty Food Association is proud to be able to partner with City Harvest to ensure that unused food from the Summer Fancy Food Show goes to those who need it most,” said Jennifer Carney, director of tradeshow and event operations for SFA. “The specialty food industry has always been at the forefront of sustainability initiatives, and our members appreciate the opportunity to serve the community through this food recovery program with City Harvest.” At the show’s close, exhibitors dropped off their surplus food in designated bins or indicated that their products were ready for donation. The Summer Fancy Food Show is among City Harvest’s most important food rescue programs. “With 50 percent of working-age households in New York City struggling to afford the high cost of basic necessities like food and housing, this donation is critical to ensure all our neighbors have nutritious food on their tables,” said Jenna Harris, associate director of donor relations and supply chain at City Harvest. “We are very grateful for our ongoing partnership with the Specialty Food Association and all of the Fancy Food Show vendors who so generously support our work.” Since commencing their partnership in 1997, Summer Fancy Food Show exhibitors have donated more than 2.1 million pounds of food to City Harvest. The next Fancy Food Shows are the 2024 Winter Fancy Food Show, January 21-23 in Las Vegas and the 2024 Summer Fancy Food Show, June 23-25 in New York City.

Just before the 4the of July Holiday, The Giant Company (TGC) announced it is counting down to its 100th anniversary on October 4 by growing its legacy of supporting those who matter most: team members, customers, and the communities it serves. To kick off the celebration, TGC launched its Make a Difference Challenge, a new initiative focused on supporting communities through nonprofit organizations whose work has a direct impact on creating a future that promotes healthier people and a healthier planet. “From our humble beginnings in 1923 as a two-man butcher shop to growing into a leading grocer, The Giant Company connects families, whether it’s for special celebrations, quick meals on the go, or gathering for a weeknight dinner around the table,” said John Ruane, interim president, TGC. “As we thought about the best way to celebrate our 100th anniversary, it kept coming back to those who’ve helped us get here and to those who help make TGC the incredibly special place it is, our team members, customers, and community partners. Putting them at the center of our anniversary was the natural choice, because without them, we wouldn’t be marking this incredible milestone in our company history.” True to its century-long commitment to the communities it serves, TGC is making philanthropy a cornerstone of its anniversary celebration by investing in their futures. During the anniversary celebration, the company will build on its legacy by making several financial and product donations and participating in various volunteer activities. All donations will support the company’s purpose of connecting families for a better future by taking actionable steps to eliminate hunger, change children’s lives, heal the planet, promote wellbeing and foster a culture of inclusion and belonging. In addition to its Make a Difference Challenge, the company will involve many of its key partners, including regional food banks, local children’s hospitals, and the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, in its celebrations. The GIANT Company will present anniversary gifts to partners that embody its purpose of connecting families for a better future and to help them each continue their important work.

The circle of life continues as we send best wishes to Thom Nardi, Paradigm Partners, on the birth of his first grandchild, little Miss Nora Felice Lyle. Baby Nora is the daughter of Frank’s daughter Megan and her husband Deacon Lyle. She was born on May 31, weighing in at 6 pounds. She is also the first great grandchild for industry veteran, Frank Nardi, retired from Wakefern. Congratulations to the Nardi family!

Celebrating another trip around the sun this extremely hot month of July are: Mike Rothwell, Pennington Market; Joe Fantozzi, Allegiance Retail Services; Jim McCaffrey, III, McCaffrey’s Markets; Maurice Christino, Cento Foods; Wayne Couts, Advantage Solutions; Steve Bushinski, Utz; Joe Bivona, SJU AFM; Dr. Joe D’Angelo, SJU; and special birthday wishes to my son, Gino Marfuggi. Buon compleanno a tutti!

 

Quote of the month: “In the summertime, when the weather is hot, you can stretch right up and touch the sky.” Mungo Jerry