Greetings everyone and I do hope this finds you all healthy, well and safe and getting a little bit back into a more regular groove of life. While this pandemic lingers on, I have seen signs of a little more activity out in the streets. A little more traffic on the roads each week. A few more customers in the stores and out and around, especially when compared to March and April. Hopefully they are all positive signs of new normal on the horizon.
One new happening that seems to be occurring a little more often than not is the “Zoom overload” experience. The pandemic has done that to us. I have spoken with far too many of you that experience those short attention spans and your adult ADD kicks-in while on your conference calls and/or podcasts. Well, I think I have an event for you that holds the promise to keep you alert and eager to watch. The New Jersey Food Council’s (NJFC) rescheduled Trade Relations Conference will be held virtually on October 6. The theme of the event will be “Moving Forward: Lessons Learned from COVID-19” and will feature keynote speaker Jim Perkins, president of Albertsons’ Mid-Atlantic Division. A follow up panel discussion moderated by Nicholas Brown of KraftHeinz will include: Kathryn Fair, head of customer supply chain at Unilever, to discuss supply chain challenges; Kimberly Senter, executive VP of analytics, insights and intelligence at Advantage Solutions, who will outline shopper trends; and Chris Skyers, VP-own brands at Wakefern, who will share his thoughts on private label ppportunities.
NJFC President Linda Doherty told us, “There is no doubt that COVID-19 has had an immediate and lasting effect on the food industry, from supply chain challenges to bridging gaps and opening doors to new opportunities never before experienced. This Trade Relations Conference is something special because it addresses issues the industry is now facing and positioning for continued growth. Our program will feature some of the most talented industry experts who are addressing this global pandemic in a unique way.” And for those who are still on the fence about registering and watching I will give you just two words that might change your minds – Emcee Ostling. Hell, just being able to watch and listen to emcee extraordinaire Jimmy Ostling, while sitting in your comfortable expandable sweats with a cocktail in your hand will easily be worth the price of admission! For more information on how to register for the event contact Edie Esposito at 609.392.8899 or email her at eesposito@njfoodcouncil.com.
I heard around town that several promotions and/or new employment positions occurred over the last few weeks in our market. Congratulations to Jackie Vargas-Donovan who has been promoted to director of national grocery at Ripple Foods. Jackie was previously the company’s eastern sales director. Many may know Jackie as a top notch senior level talent who held positions at Fairway, White Rose and Proctor Gamble. Ripple Foods makes dairy-free plant-based nutritious foods.
We also heard that Andrew Wasserman has joined Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace as director of center store. Andrew joins Uncle G’s with extensive experience at Fairway Market as a director and category manager grocery, frozen and dairy.
Kudos to Andrew Padilla of Crossmark who has been elevated to VP-customer development, east region. Andrew has held a variety of roles at Crossmark over the years, moving around the region and country and it will be good to see him around more often. And while we’re discussing Crossmark, a couple of other role changes happened over the last few months. Dan Weinstein took over as director of national sales and marketing for the Clorox account from his position as director of customer development. Taking his spot is Scott Kirkpatrick, who joins Crossmark with a well-rounded CPG background from stints at Pinnacle, MUUTI USA, ConAgra Foods and Unilever.
All around good guy and longtime friend Bill Weiss has been named east division sales manager at Citterio USA. Bill had recently been with Dietz & Watson, and prior to that had long stints with Acosta and Hillshire Farms/Sara Lee Foods.
Good luck to all!!!
I’ve been hearing a lot of Grace Kennedy/La Fe Foods ads on local radio this month and then I found that was due to La Fe Foods partnering with the Mets and the Yankees for Hispanic Heritage month. The “La Fe – Celebra el sabor!” ads can be heard on WFAN and 92.7 Que Buena during both teams’ broadcasts during the month.
Reverse vending leader TOMRA has unveiled a terrific solution for big-city recycling, the TOMRA S1 Rugged. The new machine is built to withstand challenging weather conditions and is designed for returning drink containers for recycling in semi-outdoor metropolitan locations. The TOMRA S1 Rugged can withstand demanding use as well as increased exposure to the elements in urban areas. It has been tested to comply with product standards for water resistance, making it ideal for semi-outdoor locations. The reverse vending machine’s touchscreen display is easy to read, even in bright sunlight. TOMRA S1 Rugged minimizes interruptions as the storage bin can hold one-third more containers than the previous model, TOMRA T53, which means fewer bin changes, more uptime and less staff time spent managing the machine. “The experience has been great. TOMRA S1 is quicker and more efficient, easy to clean and nice looking. It helps us to keep the flow and manage the demand for returns, and more people are able to redeem in a short amount of time,” said Jonathan Diaz, owner of the Fine Fare on Ogden Avenue in the Bronx. “The TOMRA S1 Rugged is our sturdiest reverse vending machine to date, a machine that is up to the challenge, in any conditions,” said Nir Samuel, VP/general manager Tomra Metro, TOMRA Collection Solutions. “It will make satisfied recyclers keep coming back and spread the word about a smooth and easy recycling experience.” For more information contact your Tomra representative.
For more than a decade, the Person of the Year Dinner has been Connecticut Food Association’s (CFA) signature event. Due to the pandemic, CFA has made the difficult decision to cancel the annual fundraiser. Instead CFA will be hosting a virtual event on December 3 highlighting member companies and their frontline associates. These essential workers are Connecticut Food Association’s “RockStars of 2020!” To nominate a RockStar, email their name and company to ctfood@ctfoodassociation.org. Include a brief explanation as to why you’re nominating the person as well as the individual’s contact information and then tune in on December 3!
Kudos to produce wholesaler and distributor S. Katzman Produce as they honored recipients of their fourth annual S. Katzman Produce Scholarship Program. While the annual event normally takes place in-person, this year the S. Katzman Produce team honored the scholarship winners in true 2020 fashion with a celebratory Zoom call. “One of my favorite parts of each year is meeting our scholarship winners at our annual awards dinner,” said Stephen Katzman, owner and president of S. Katzman Produce. “I have to say, I’m still getting used to Zoom, but I was blown away meeting this year’s recipients. I’m inspired by their ambition to make a positive impact in the world. This year’s winners are pursuing important fields of study like medicine, law, engineering, and the arts. It’s an honor to be part of their journey and to support the great work they’re doing.” The annual S. Katzman Produce Scholarship Program awards scholarships to children of S. Katzman Produce employees as one of the ways the family-owned and led company gives back to its employees and their families. This year, individual scholarships of $2,000 were awarded to five recipients.
Well that’s a wrap for now everyone. I’m looking forward to next month with some reserved anticipation that normalcy will slowly be creeping back into our lives. I hope to see you out at the few events that are still being held, and as always, keep safe, be smart and stay healthy. You can reach me at kevin@foodtradenews.com or 201.250.2217.
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