Natural disasters are sometimes more difficult to navigate through in areas that are less densely populated. Wildfires have burned more than 810,000 acres in Wyoming thus far this year, and “towns are under duress,” according to Grier Bailey, executive director of the Colorado Wyoming Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, which also represents grocers.
“Unlike bigger states, there’s not like a secondary [grocery] store … you can’t just drive 15 minutes down the road and find another one. So, for those towns that are dealing with fires, it’s harder for them than it would be in Colorado or a more populated state. From that perspective, it’s been a hard summer for some parts of Wyoming, for sure. So, we want to keep those people in the forefront.”
As of mid-October, nine counties in Wyoming had been designated by the USDA as primary natural disaster areas due to the wildfires – Albany, Converse, Crook, Goshen, Hot Springs, Johnson, Platte, Sheridan and Weston. Nine contiguous counties have been classified as disaster areas as well – Big Horn, Campbell, Carbon, Fremont, Laramie, Natrona, Niobrara, Park and Washakie.
“I am grateful USDA has recognized the size and scope of the impacts these wildfires are having on Wyoming’s agriculture producers,” Gov. Mark Gordon said in a press release.
Bailey praised Gordon, saying he is “an amazing governor who is so responsive,” whether it’s wildfires, supply chain challenges or legislative issues.
“We’re lucky in Wyoming that we have such a great regulatory environment,” he said.
Still, the state is being negatively impacted on other fronts, such as inflation. In a slower-growing, less-populated state, it’s more difficult to dilute its effects.
“If inflation is 6 or 7 percent and your business is growing by 8 or 9 percent, sometimes you can mitigate the effects of inflation. Despite having one of the nation’s best regulatory environments, and a super supportive legislature, amazing governor and his team, it’s rough,” Bailey said of the current economic climate.
In addition, there are increasing challenges in the trucking industry.
“Federal mandates on engines and trucks have driven up logistical costs, which has a downstream effect as well,” Bailey said. “Even though, again, Wyoming is about the most business-friendly place in the country, it’s part of a regional distribution network. And sometimes regulations in other states or restrictions can impact prices, even in super consumer-friendly, low-tax states like Wyoming, for sure.”
Making connections
One of Bailey’s priorities in coming months is to form and strengthen connections with grocery wholesalers to the benefit of the association’s grocer members, some of which formerly were members of the Rocky Mountain Food Industry Association, which merged with CWPMA at the end of 2022.
He said Associated Food Stores out of Salt Lake City has been proactive in reaching out to the association to help those relationships begin to form.
“That’s really important for the small grocer model, so we’re really excited to try to enhance our relationships that maybe we’ve not paid enough attention to in the last three or four years, just with the amount of regulatory work the association has been doing,” Bailey said. “We’re thankful to our warehousing partners for reaching out and seeing how they can help and support the small grocers that are the backbone of these small communities.
“We’re looking forward to improving and enhancing that conversation going into the next couple of years. If we can help the c-stores and other retailers utilize some of the same distribution systems as the grocers, it makes the work easier.”
[RELATED: Populous West Home To Dynamic, Diverse Grocery Market]
Store news
At press time, it had yet to be revealed if the Kroger/Albertsons merger would be allowed to stand. On Dec. 11, Kroger and Albertsons both announced the termination of the merger following a Dec. 10 ruling from the U.S. District Court for the District of Oregon. The court granted the Federal Trade Commission’s request for a preliminary injunction to prevent the merger.
If it had proceeded, five Albertsons stores in Wyoming would have been sold to C&S Wholesale Grocers: 1076 CY Ave., Casper; 3355 E. Pershing Blvd., Cheyenne; 2610 S. Douglas Highway, Gillette; 105 Buffalo Way, Jackson; and 1323 Dewar Drive, Rock Springs.
Bailey, whose association also covers Colorado, a state where the merger was hotly opposed, said, “Competition drives prices down for consumers – that is 100 percent true. Ultimately, consolidation leads to higher prices for consumers.”
Bailey said that grocers in Wyoming are working to keep their stores up to date as much as possible despite inflation and other challenges.
There are a couple of new stores opening as well.
Salt Lake City-based c-store retailer Maverik, which offers a strong food component in its stores, is adding as well as rebranding/remodeling locations following its acquisition of Kum & Go in late August 2023.
A remodeled Kum & Go reopened Oct. 1 under the Maverik banner at 312 S. 1st St. in Saratoga, and a remodeled store in Green River on Uinta Drive reopened Oct. 11. Nov. 7 was opening day for a new store on Hutchins Drive in Cheyenne, which was followed by the unveiling of a remodeled store on U.S. 89 in Jackson on Nov. 22.
Some of the food and foodservice offerings are on display at this Maverik store in Oroville, California.
Bailey described Maverik as a “leader in the iteration of that line between a traditional gas station/convenience store and a grocery store offering. They do a really good job keeping on the leading edge of that trend.”
On March 1, Meadowlark Market & Kitchen opened in Lander as a “consistent, year-round outlet to sell local food. We support food artisans of all kinds – bakers, fermenters, beekeepers, you name it.”
Housed in a historic brick building on Lander’s main street, the store also has a commercial kitchen available for rent.
“The (shared) kitchen is an incubator of culinary talent and a space to help support local food entrepreneurs,” according to Meadowlark, which added that the kitchen also will enable pop-up dinners by local chefs and periodic cooking classes.
According to a story by Wyoming Public Radio, Meadowlark Market also will serve as a consignment store for products made in home kitchens under the Wyoming Food Freedom Act. That way, Meadowlark is staying in compliance with the act by not actually purchasing the products, just handling the sales for the makers. It also will carry wholesale products made in commercial kitchens.
Meadowlark Market & Kitchen is a project of Slow Food Wind River, one of 80 Slow Food USA chapters across the country devoted to “advancing food justice and biodiversity in cities large and small.”
According to Meadowlark, “Our vision is to repair our relationship with the food system. We want our community to know how our food is grown (and how to eat it), shake hands with the people who produce it – and be able to afford to eat it.”
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