Natural Grocers received the Circle of Excellence award at the UNFI Circle of Excellence ceremony held recently in San Diego, California.
The Circle of Excellence honors businesses for exceptional achievements in performance, community impact and strong partnership with UNFI in 2023. Winners are categorized by region and business size.
National Customer of the Year: West Region
The Customer of the Year Award recognizes industry-leading results across performance, impact and partnership with UNFI. The award winners embody the highest standards of achievement in the eyes of the grocery wholesaler.
“Congratulations to Natural Grocers on this well-deserved recognition,” said UNFI’s CEO Sandy Douglas. “We are grateful to be a part of your support team, and we look forward to continuing to help drive your success through the product assortment, quality, reliable execution and increased efficiency our partnership strives to provide.”
With 168 stores across 21 states, Natural Grocers received the National Customer of the Year award for the West, for exceptional sales growth, a strong commitment to community and sustainability and for making a positive impact in the industry.
“We are honored to have received this award from UNFI. It embodies our commitment to our partners, our communities and the regenerative farming practices that bring a more hopeful future for our planet,” said Jesse Nesbitt, senior director of purchasing systems for Natural Grocers.
“Regenerative farming practices improve soil health, water quality, biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. In 2023, Natural Grocers became the first national grocery retailer to offer two private-label Certified Regenerative and Certified Organic eggs. In addition to regenerative and organic certifications, our eggs are also American Humane Certified.
“Through our rigorous product standards, we strive to consistently provide our customers with the highest quality natural and organic products at affordable prices. As we continuously update these standards, UNFI has demonstrated that they are willing to join us. The successful launch of our regenerative private label eggs is just one example. UNFI supported the delivery of these products as promised. This enabled us to grow customer loyalty and category sales. We are proud to accept this award from such a dedicated partner.”
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