Greetings everyone and I hope this finds you all doing well. Plenty events have been occurring in our industry (see inside for all of the photo coverage) and many more are on the slate for the rest of Spring into the summer. I hope to see you out at some of the happenings.
Congrats to John Borzumato of Krasdale Foods who was recently installed as The Catholic Institute of the Food Industry (CIFI) president. CIFI is a non-profit organization founded in 1946 that unites Catholic professionals within the food industry and has significantly has supported Calvary Hospital for 40 years. Passing the baton to John was outgoing prez Bob Jordan of U.S. Salt.
I was very saddened to learn that Karen Gozzi (retired Wakefern) passed away peacefully at her home on May 12 at the age of 69. Karen fought a courageous battle with cancer that lasted more than three years. She lived a life defined by love, generosity, and dedication to those around her. I remember first meeting Karen where she started her career at the Gianettino & Meredith advertising agency and she rose through the ranks to executive vice president. She then joined Wakefern (one of G&M’s clients) as VP of advertising and social media, where she earned the admiration and respect of colleagues throughout the food industry. Karen built lifelong friendships through her work and was known for her warmth, leadership, and unwavering support of others. Among her many accomplishments, she proudly managed the ShopRite Classic LPGA Golf Tournament for 17 years, including the largest ProAm event on either the LPGA or PGA tour. This event generated $2 million annually for local charities that support food security and education. Karen leaves a legacy of kindness, selflessness and a tremendous work ethic. She is survived by her loving husband Joe Gozzi, who was also her best friend for more than 40 years; mother Margaret Sredenschek Hurtwitz; sister Lori Tracey and her son Kelsey; sister Kathy Dunlap (husband Tom) and their daughters Bridgette and Katie and grandchildren Mia and Amy, Gavin and Conor; Gozzi family Tricia Shutte (husband JJ) and son JJ, Joe Gozzi (wife Betsy) and their children Roman and Leo, Gina Moleta (husband Brett) and their children Lucas, Nico and Gia, and Matt Gozzi (wife Raquel) and their children Mason and Rocco; sister-in-law JoAnne Latif and her daughters Joanna Stein (husband Rob), and their children Anthony and Enzo, Jenny Leonardis (husband John) and their children, Charli and Bobby. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations in Karen’s memory may be made to Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center at giving.mskcc.org.
Kudos to the annual ShopRite Partners In Caring (SRPIC) Cheerios Contest, as they raised more than $1.34 million this year, thanks to the generosity of ShopRite customers and the dedication of ShopRite store associates. As part of the long-standing hunger-fighting tradition, associates from the top fundraising stores were featured on limited-edition Cheerios cereal boxes and honored during special in-store celebrations held this spring. ShopRite and General Mills recognized 55 top fundraising stores through a series of celebrations that concluded this week. Centered around this year’s theme, We Give Back Here, the Class of 2026 included 120 associates across stores who were honored with commemorative Cheerios boxes and events celebrating their impact. ShopRite of Newton earned the top fundraising spot for 2026, followed by ShopRite of Brodheadsville, ShopRite of Ramsey, ShopRite of Yardley and ShopRite of Chews Landing, rounding out the top five stores.
“The Cheerios Contest is a ShopRite Partners In Caring tradition that celebrates the incredible dedication of our store teams and family-owned ShopRite stores,” said Alexandra Emery, manager of sustainability and corporate social responsibility for ShopRite. “Wakefern member families and their associates give back here because they are part of the community and they know the importance of supporting food banks and pantries to ensure families have access to the nutritious food they need.” Winning stores earn a place on the special Cheerios cereal boxes and receive funds to support food pantries in their communities. The top five fundraising stores each receive $5,000, while the remaining honorees receive $2,500. Congratulations to all.
C&S Wholesale Grocers launched a new private label brand geared and targeted for the Hispanic community. Sol Select is part of C&S’s Our Brands portfolio, along with the retailer’s Best Yet and Our Family brands, and it includes more than 250 frozen, center-store, household and dairy products. Sol Select was developed with Hispanic influences in the products and the brand identity. The brand’s logo is inspired by the sun and Spanish Talavera tiles, and Sol Select products include bilingual labels.
The new Sol Select products are available at the company’s independent retailers and at the Grand Union and Piggly Wiggly banners supplied by C&S. The new brand will also expand to C&S’s D&W Fresh Market, Family Fare and Martin’s Super Markets banners and to all SpartanNash independent retail customers in the summer, the company said.
“C&S is dedicated to ensuring that our local hometown grocers are the destination of choice for our communities,” CEO Eric Winn commented. “Sol Select will enable their growth now and for many years to come.”
“Sol Select is made for shoppers who only want the best for their families, offering great products at a great value throughout the store,” added Mark McGowan, EVP of franchise and retail solutions and chief merchandising officer of wholesale at C&S.
The C&S family of companies, encompassing Grocers Supply, Hansen Distribution Group, FreshKo Produce Services, The Davidson Specialty Food Group and SpartanNash, delivers supply chain solutions, products and services to chain, independent and military customers from 60 distribution centers nationwide. C&S also operates more than 200 corporate-run grocery stores primarily under the D&W Fresh Market, Grand Union, Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets and Piggly Wiggly banners.
Well that’s all for now folks. Just a programming note for everyone. Be on the lookout for the next issue of Food Trade News which is our Annual Market Study issue! This issue breaks out sales and market share for all retail channels – supermarkets, club stores, drug chains, mass merchandisers and c-stores – on a county-by-county and regional basis. We are the only trade publication in the country with market share coverage that is this in-depth. If you have any questions about the issue or want to be involved with your marketing message, give me a call at 201.250.2217 or email me at kevin@foodtradenews.com. Looking forward to seeing you all soon!
