Greetings, everyone, and I hope you all had an enjoyable summer! Happy Holidays to all of our Jewish friends in our industry, and I am looking forward to everything the autumn season will bring our way…
Congratulations to DeCicco & Sons on opening their newest store in Greenwich, Connecticut, on September 9th. It is the 12th store for the DeCicco’s and their first outside of New York State.
Located at 21 Glenville Street in Greenwich, the 20,000-square-foot market replaces a former Stop & Shop and returns a full-service supermarket to the area.
“We have been looking forward to becoming part of the Greenwich community for a long time, and we are incredibly excited to finally open our doors,” noted John DeCicco Jr., CEO of DeCicco & Sons. “Glenville felt like a natural fit for us. It’s a close-knit community that values quality, local businesses, and personal service, and we look forward to getting to know our customers and becoming part of the community.”
Incorporating references to the community’s rich history throughout, the store features fresh produce and deli departments, premium natural meats, seafood delivered daily, a vast cheese selection, fresh sushi, store-made baked goods, locally brewed coffee, a fresh juice bar, a chopped salad station, and an international selection of craft beers, as well as a wide assortment of local, specialty, and imported products.
In prepared foods—a DeCicco & Sons specialty—the location offers hot food and salad bars, the grocer’s Signature Series prepared foods, and a broad variety of store-made salads, sides, dinners, and other ready-to-serve options.
In keeping with DeCicco & Sons’ commitment to environmentally responsible operations, the store boasts many energy-efficient systems and practices used throughout the company’s newer markets, including advanced refrigeration technology designed to reduce environmental impact and reclaim heat generated by the refrigeration system for other uses within the store, energy-efficient lighting, solar power, and other solutions implemented to lower overall energy consumption and environmental impact.
As for community involvement, DeCicco & Sons plans to extend its longtime school rebate program to Greenwich, enabling participating customers to support local schools by shopping. In common with the indie’s other stores, the new location will also provide catering and event services.
“For more than 50 years, our family has believed that a neighborhood market should be more than just a place to shop,” said Chris DeCicco, partner at DeCicco & Sons. “We want to know our customers, support the schools and organizations that matter to them, and be a good neighbor. That’s what our family has always tried to bring to the communities we serve, and we’re looking forward to doing the same here in Greenwich.”
Up next for the busy DeCicco & Sons team is Piccolino, a new boutique market concept slated to open soon in Scarsdale, New York. It will offer a refined grocery experience centered on a curated assortment of specialty items, prepared foods, and premium grab-and-go offerings. Can’t wait to see that one! Congratulations.
There is a small update regarding the Connecticut Food Association’s (CFA) upcoming Food Industry Champions dinner on October 29th at Mohegan Sun. Due to a personal conflict, Scott Sabatino of Price Chopper/Market 32 will no longer be able to be honored at the event. James Coulombe, also of Price Chopper/Market 32, will now be honored in his place.
The rest of the Industry Champion honorees remain the same: Gina Wasilefsky, Produce & Floral Merchandiser Trainer at Big Y; Aaron Russell, Produce Manager at Geissler’s; Darren Powers, director of operations at ShopRite; and Leslie Santiago, Bakeshop & Produce Florist Specialist at Stop & Shop. Also being feted that evening will be MVP honorees Luis Carrasquillo of Goya Foods, Bruce Duley of BFD Consulting, and Tia Patterson of C&S Wholesale Grocers.
Kudos to Kristian Moyna, marketing coordinator/shopper marketing at Krasdale Foods, as she will be running the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon on November 1st with Team for Kids.
As Kristian said, “I’ve always been a “girly girl” at heart, obsessed with all things hair, makeup, clothes, and more, but believe sports have played one of the biggest roles in shaping who I am today. Being part of a team taught me some of the most important lessons in my life: perseverance, confidence, discipline, and how to keep showing up. Sports helped build my character, my resilience, and my belief in both myself and my teammates, on and off the field.
A big part of that comes from my late dad, who always encouraged me to stay active, push myself, and never give up no matter what. His support and example are a huge reason why I’ve always loved being part of a team, and why this journey means so much to me.
“Now, as I train for the NYC Marathon with Team for Kids, I’m proud to support an organization that gives children the same opportunities I had growing up. Every child deserves access to programs that inspire them, empower them, and help them discover their own strength. Please consider joining me in supporting Team for Kids at the 2026 TCS New York City Marathon. Your donation helps empower young people and communities to develop healthy habits through running.”
Good luck, Kristian! For anyone looking to pledge support to Kristian, go to https://fundraisers.nyrr.org/kristian-moyna.
RDD Associates has announced a strategic partnership with Tastewise AI, an agentic intelligence system company. Whereas most AI tools were built for general tasks and adapted to food later, Tastewise was built specifically for the food and beverage industry. The platform combines consumer panels, market trackers, and AI agents trained on food behavior. The food-focused RDD/AI partnership will combine real-time consumer, shopper, and market intelligence with RDD’s elevated sales, merchandising, and retail expertise.
Tastewise AI will develop proprietary AI-powered solutions designed around the needs of RDD’s CPG and prepared foods clients, as well as their supermarket customer partners. The initiative will combine Tastewise’s real-time consumer, shopper, and market intelligence with RDD’s sales, merchandising, insights, and retail expertise to accelerate the process of turning emerging signals into practical growth retail strategies.
Following a series of demonstrations and working sessions focused on developing a custom solution for RDD, the companies signed a collaborative agreement in August 2026.
“Our enterprise goal is not limited to adopting AI to expand capacity and productivity. It’s also to combine RDD’s distinctive market knowledge, trusted relationships, and human judgment with a food-focused technology platform that helps our client manufacturers and grocery customers move from insight to proprietary action faster. Tastewise gives us the opportunity to build something tailored to the way RDD works and the markets we serve,” said Bob Weinmann, president and CEO of RDD Associates.
The planned solutions are expected to integrate relevant cues from sales, supply chain, promotions, store conditions, competitive brand activity, and emerging food and beverage trends. RDD’s goal is to help its partners analyze more data from more sources in less time, identify high-potential opportunities earlier, and translate findings into clearer, retailer-ready recommendations. RDD expects to launch initial proprietary capabilities in the first quarter of 2027.
“RDD brings market expertise and close client brand and retailer relationships that make AI useful in the real world. Together, we are designing solutions that turn fast moving consumer and market signals into practical commercial action for food brands and retailers,” noted Jacques Botbol, CRO at Tastewise AI. I’m looking forward to seeing some of the initial reports.
And while we are mentioning RDD, congratulations to Mike Conese as he departs RDD and returns to Allegiance Retail Services (ARS). Mike has been with RDD for the past two years and helped spearhead new business and client relationships, as well as expand the center-store business at RDD. Mike will return to ARS as executive vice president of merchandising and will report to Samer Rahman, president and chief operating officer of ARS.
“We are very excited to welcome Mike back to Allegiance,” said Samer Rahman. “Mike is a proven leader who understands our business, our members, and the importance of strong relationships with our vendor and supplier partners. He brings tremendous merchandising knowledge and industry experience to this position, and I am confident he will make an immediate and positive impact on our organization.”
As executive vice president of merchandising, Conese will provide leadership and strategic direction across Allegiance’s merchandising functions, with a focus on strengthening category management, promotional programs, vendor partnerships, competitive positioning, and overall value for the cooperative’s independent retail members.
“We have tremendous opportunities ahead of us,” Rahman said. “I am excited to have Mike back as part of our leadership team and look forward to working closely with him as we continue to move Allegiance forward.”
Finally, a reminder that Friends of the Food Industry (FOFI) will be hosting its annual charity reception on October 6th at Hackensack Golf Club in Oradell, New Jersey. This is one of our industry’s nicest events, and this year’s honoree is Samer Rahman, president and COO of Allegiance Retail Services. Additionally, FOFI will be presenting lifetime achievement awards to Mark McFadden of Allegiance Retail Services, Linda Doherty of NJFC, and Donna Banks of Crossmark/Weis/UNFI/A&P/Kings. If you haven’t been to one of the FOFI events, you should put it on your calendar. The 501(c)(3) organization provides aid to people employed in the food industry (or their families) who have fallen on difficult times. Its sole purpose is to raise money and distribute the collected funds to those less fortunate and in need in our own industry. It truly is a noble cause. For more information, email friendsofthefoodindustry@gmail.com, and I hope to see you there! That’s it for now. As always, you can reach me at 201-250-2217 or kevin@foodtradenews.com.