The past few weeks have been filled with expos, shows and conferences with more on the way. Golf season begins soon with the 20th annual MAFTO Golf Outing kicking off the season on May 6. For this and all other events, both local and national, please go to our Trade Calendar.
Since 1987, March has been Women in History month in the USA. It is meant to be a celebration of women’s contributions to history, culture and society. I have always been of the contention that women are the stronger sex, and we can and should rule the world (we actually do, but don’t tell anyone). In past years, I did some research and reported about some iconic food brands that were founded by women back in the early 20th century. Pepperidge Farms, Ritter Sport, and Melitta Filters were all founded by women out of necessity. If we fast forward to more modern times, we have even more entrepreneurial women business owners in the CPG industry. Natalie’s Orchid Island Juice Company was founded by Marygrace Sexton, whose husband, Bobby Sexton, a fourth-generation Florida citrus grower, dreamed of producing fresh squeezed juice but was too busy running the family’s packing house to make it a reality. Marygrace knew the superior qualities of Florida citrus firsthand. Though she had exclusive access to the country’s best citrus, she didn’t have the same access to fresh juice, unless she squeezed it herself or purchased it from a roadside stand. With the world’s best fruit literally in her backyard, she was determined to bring her husband’s idea to fruition. Her first intention was to supply her own family with fresh juice. However, it accidentally blossomed into a family-operated, woman-owned business that produces some of the cleanest juices on the market. That was over 30 years ago. The company, named after her firstborn daughter, Natalie, is now sold in over 32 states and 50 countries. What started as a small dream team of four has grown into a brand with an international presence and over 175 team members.
S’well, the colorful reusable, insulated bottles we all love, was founded by native Floridian Sarah Kauss. Kauss founded S’well in 2010 after being inspired to create a more upscale and fashionable reusable water bottle while hiking in Arizona with her mother. In the years since then, the company helped displace more than 4 billion single-use plastic bottles. Its main hope is to be a spark for change; the inspiration to live a little more sustainably in an unsustainable world. S’well started with the iconic 17-ounce bottle, a triple-insulated trophy of industrial design that keeps cold drinks cold for 36 hours and hot drinks hot for 18. They expanded beyond bottles and hydration into food, barware, and accessories, in different colors, prints, patterns and textures. I read a great story about how she was calling on the buyer at Starbucks and happened upon company CEO Howard Schultz in the coffee shop. While the buyer was a little timid and wouldn’t approach Schultz, Kauss, undeterred and with a little chutzpah, took her bottle, went up to Schultz herself and pitched him on the spot. Apparently, it worked, and she got distribution into 10,000 more stores. That’s great selling! S’well was also named one of 25 designs that helped shape the world by Architectural Digest before the company was sold to Lifetime Brands in 2022. Fortune included Kauss on its 2014 “40 under 40” list, and she has received many other accolades and awards. She is a mentor for the U.S. Department of State Global Women’s Mentoring Partnership. Her Instagram says she is an “advocate of big dreams, shared experiences and next gen innovators.”
Cheers to the women who made a difference in our lifestyle and what we put in our shopping carts, yesterday and today!
The National Grocer’s Association held their sold-out convention in Las Vegas last week. Photos are on page 32. During the show, the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) honored a host of members and partners from across the globe at the IGA Awards of Excellence Ceremony on. IGA presented awards to independent grocery retailers and CPG and service provider partners that highlighted a range of best practices and innovations, including excelling in fresh food merchandising and overall innovation. They also presented IGA USA Retailer of the Year awards to nine retailers for their exemplary work in the grocery industry over the past year. Each of these U.S. Retailers of the Year were put forward by their wholesalers as their top retailers. In our market, the wholesaler was Bozzuto’s.
“This year’s group of Retailers of the Year have developed stores that I want down the street from my home,” IGA president and CEO John Ross said during the ceremony. “And I’m thrilled to share what they’re doing with everyone here tonight so we can recognize them publicly and leave here inspired with new ideas.”
“There are 30,000 independent grocery stores in the U.S. – we represent one-third of the U.S. grocery market. These nine retailers have been chosen to represent not only their wholesaler, but their communities,” Ross added. Each of the nine Retailer of the Year received additional awards for their outstanding service and were welcomed to the stage by Ross, IGA chairman Mark Batenic, and host Michael Sansolo. The IGA USA Retailer of the Year & Innovation Award was given to John and Chad Cropper of Crop’s Fresh Marketplace, Downingtown, PA. This award commemorates the Croppers as top independent grocers in the U.S. for 2024 and recognizes their commitment to innovation.
There are some events coming up soon with the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA) and the New Jersey Food Council (NJFC). The PFMA is holding their annual conference May 7-8 at the Lancaster Convention Center. The keynote speaker for the dinner remarks is Patrick Andrews, division chief of markets, PA Department of Agriculture. Breakout sessions include: Building a Successful Brand – Strategies for standing out and staying relevant in an increasingly crowded marketplace; Leveraging AI in the Food Industry – Practical ways to use artificial intelligence to improve your business operations; and Developing Your Team – How mentorship and training can optimize your workforce. You can register at www.pfma.org.
The NJFC has announced the honorees for their annual Night of Distinction to be held May 15 at the Palace at Somerset in Somerset, NJ. Stew Leonard Jr., Stew Leonard’s; Samer Rahman, Allegiance Retail Services; and Neil Greenstein, Brookdale/Newark ShopRite will be feted by their industry peers at this showstopper event. For more information, go to www.njfoodcouncil.com. Hope to see you all at these well attended events!
Get well soon wishes for a quick recovery go out to one of the nicest people in our industry, Bill Carter of Knauss Foods who underwent “ticker” repair surgery just a few days ago. Indeed, he’s on the mend already texting and emailing after a two-day stay in the hospital. Can’t wait to see you at the MAFTO golf outing, Billy!
Celebrating another trip around the sun this rainy month of March are: Dan Croce, Sprouts Farmers Markets; Bill Sumas, Village Supermarkets; Jeff Brown, retail food industry veteran; Sandy Brown, Brown’s Family Markets; Bob Unanue, Goya Foods; Bill Carter, Knauss Foods; Dave Andrews, Kreider Farms; and Ed Burda, retired Utz Snacks. And for a little birthday trivia, the world wide web celebrates its 35th birthday this month. Where would we be without it? Buon compleanno a tutti!
Quote of the month: “Nothing I ever did I expected to do. It just kind of happened.” Iris Apfel
Maria can be reached at [email protected] or 443.631.0172.