Specialty grocer Honey Bee Produce Co. has debuted in Draper, Utah. A small-format store, Honey Bee says it is the first store of its kind in Utah, catering to shoppers looking for “the freshest produce, specialty items and Utah products.” Its grand opening was held Sept. 13, highlighted by a produce slicing demonstration from a “produce […]
Category: Specialty
Posted inNortheast, Specialty, Wholesaler/Distributor News
The Chefs’ Warehouse Buys Fells Point Wholesale Meats
The Chefs’ Warehouse, a Ridgefield, Connecticut-based distributor of specialty food products in North America, acquired Fells Point Wholesale Meats of Baltimore, Maryland. Founded in 1993, Fells Point is a specialty protein manufacturer and distributor serving the metro Baltimore/Washington, D.C., area. Christopher Pappas, chairman and CEO of The Chefs’ Warehouse said, “We believe that this acquisition […]
Posted in, Health & Wellness, Home Page Latest News, National, Organic Natural, Private Label Brands, Specialty
Trader Joe’s Marks 50th Anniversary With Customer Celebration
Trader Joe’s marked its 50th anniversary with in-store customer celebrations on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 19-20. Festivities included special product tastings and giveaways, and a limited edition 50th anniversary reusable bag was offered to customers for 50 cents. Trader Joe’s introduced its first reusable bag to customers 40 years ago. The first Trader Joe’s store opened on Aug. […]
Posted inOrganic Natural, Home Page Latest News, National, Online Grocery Technology, Specialty, Wholesaler/Distributor News
KeHE’s Website Earns Industry Awards For Design
KeHE Distributors’ new website has received industry recognition for outstanding design from The Communicator Awards, the Davey Awards and the W³ Awards. “We are honored to receive this global recognition for our new website,” said Ari Goldsmith, executive director of marketing at Naperville, Illinois-based KeHE. “The colorful aesthetics, easy navigation and enriched content of our website […]
Posted inCenter Store, Home Page Latest News, Southwest, Specialty, Suppliers
Renfro Foods Rolls Out Craft Beer Salsa
Renfro Foods, makers salsas and other specialty food products, is rolling out Mrs. Renfro’s Craft Beer Salsa—its 20th salsa. It will be showcased at the upcoming Summer Fancy Food Show in New York, June 25-27, at the Jacob Javits Center. By teaming up with fellow Fort Worth, Texas, family business, Rahr & Sons Brewing Co., the […]
Posted in, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, National, Organic Natural, Perishables, Private Label Brands, Specialty, Suppliers
Kings Food Markets, Balducci’s Choose KeHE
Kings Food Markets and Balducci’s Food Lover’s Market have selected KeHE Distributors as a specialty distributor for natural & organic, specialty and private label items. The agreement is effective immediately. The transition is scheduled to be complete this summer. “Across the KeHE community, we are energized to put our compelling service, pricing and promotions model […]
Posted inAssociation News, Center Store, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Merchandising News, National, New Products, Snacks Brands, Specialty, Suppliers
NCA Sweets & Snacks Expo Breaks Records
The 2017 Sweets & Snacks Expo, hosted by the National Confectioners Association, set an all-time attendance record for the second consecutive year as more than 18,000 industry professionals from nearly 90 countries were welcomed to McCormick Place to experience the latest trends and innovations in the candy and snack categories. Exhibitors grew nearly 6 percent, […]
Posted inNonfood Items, Equipment & Technology, Health & Wellness, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, National, Organic Natural, Specialty, Suppliers, Wholesaler/Distributor News
AWG Partners With RangeMe To Scale Growth Across All Categories
Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) is partnering with RangeMe, an online platform that streamlines new product discovery between product suppliers and retailers, to scale its retail buying efforts for general merchandise, health and beauty and specialty, natural and organic items for all of its members. “The technology and vendor interfacing that RangeMe provides will benefit our members and […]
Posted inNational, Bakery News, Deli News, Home Page Latest News, Marketing News, Organic Natural, Specialty, Suppliers
Latest Buy Takes Sales And Marketing Agency C.A. Fortune National
With its latest transaction in the Pacific Northwest, sales and marketing agency C.A. Fortune says it now offers complete national coverage for brands within the natural/organic, specialty/conventional and bakery/deli retail trade channels. The Chicago-based company recently joined forces with Portland, Oregon-based Bridge Sales & Marketing, completing the agency’s goal of providing coast-to-coast coverage for its client brands […]
Posted inDeli News, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Industry News, Meat/Seafood/Poultry, Midwest, Perishables, Specialty
Hy-Vee Guarantees 100 Percent Of Its Sushi From Responsible Sources
Hy-Vee Inc. has successfully transitioned 100 percent of its sushi to responsible sources. The supermarket chain guarantees that all sushi prepared and sold in its 244 Midwestern stores, including Hy-Vee Market Grille restaurants, will now contain seafood that is caught in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. According to its recently updated Seafood Procurement Policy, Hy-Vee […]
Posted inGrocery News, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, International Foods, Midwest, Perishables, Specialty, Wholesaler/Distributor News
AWG Ramps Up Kenosha D.C. With New Chicago Retailers On Board
Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc. (AWG) has begun serving additional Chicago-area supermarket retailers, the Kansas City, Kansas-based wholesaler said May 5. With the new Chicagoland business coming on board, AWG is ramping up full-scale deliveries out of its Kenosha, Wisconsin, division—acquired following its merger with Affiliated Foods Midwest (AFM) last October—which will be the main distribution center […]
Posted inSuppliers, Association News, Home Page Latest News, National, Specialty
Specialty Food Industry Sales Hit $127 Billion In 2016
Sales continue to grow as Americans embrace specialty food and beverages, according to the Specialty Food Association (SFA), which reports that the industry is taking its place as an integral player with traditional and non-traditional specialty food retailers, foodservice operators and distributors. SFA’s annual State of the Industry report, released Thursday, examines the $127 billion […]
Posted inDeli News, Food Service News, Home Page Latest News, Meat/Seafood/Poultry, New Products, Southwest, Specialty, Suppliers, Sustainability News
Niman Ranch Enters New Category With Artisanal Charcuterie Line
Niman Ranch has unveiled a line of artisan charcuterie alongside its participation at the 13th annual Good Food Festival & Conference, a sustainable food trade show held March 16-18 in Chicago. The 23-item line of Genoa Salame, Capocollo, Hot Sopresatta, Pepperoni and Pancetta was sampled at the festival’s industry networking reception. The new products are available […]
Posted in, Home Page Latest News, Midwest, Organic Natural, Specialty, Suppliers, Wholesaler/Distributor News
KeHE’s Summer Selling Show Marks Record Attendance, ‘Best Of’ Awards Presented
The 2017 KeHE Summer Selling Show, held earlier this month in New Orleans, hosted more than 3,700 industry professionals—a nearly 35 percent increase from the year prior. Retailers, vendors and brokers were able to get a look at the latest natural and organic, specialty and fresh products for the summer season. “This increased attendance is […]
Posted inWest, Home Page Latest News, Specialty, Wholesaler/Distributor News
DPI’s Ilharreguy To Retire This Week After 63 Years With Company
DPI Specialty Foods’ Tom “Tommy” Ilharreguy will retire Friday after 63 years of service to the California-based company. Working in and with grocery stores has been part of Ilharreguy’s life since his first after-school job during his teen years when he was a box boy for Safeway in its Sunset Boulevard store in Los Angeles. […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, International Foods, Specialty, West
Zion Market Debuts New-Concept Asian Grocery Store In Irvine
Zion Market will open its first Zion Mart store in Irvine on Wednesday with a soft opening. An official grand opening celebration will be held Feb. 16. The new store at Parkview Center will be a prototype for the family-owned and -operated Zion Market, which operates five locations in Southern California, including Buena Park and […]
Posted inStore News, Home Page Latest News, Southeast, Specialty
The Fresh Market To Open Third Boca Raton Store Next Month
The Fresh Market will host a grand opening at its third Boca Raton location on Wednesday, Jan. 11. The new 24,000-s.f. store is located at 5540 North Military Trail and will mark the specialty grocer’s 43rd store in Florida and 178th nationwide. The unit will bring 80 new jobs to the Boca Raton area, according to […]
Posted inSpecialty, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Southeast, Store News
Korean Grocer H Mart To Open First N.C. Store On Thursday At Former Lowes Location
After announcing more than a year ago that it would open in the old Lowes Foods location in the Cornerstone Shopping Center in Cary, North Carolina, H Mart will be ready for business on Thursday, Dec. 22. It will be the first Tar Heel State location for the Korean grocery chain, which currently operates 55 stores nationwide, […]
Posted inSpecialty, Home Page Latest News, National, Suppliers
Specialty Food Association Recognizes Six With Leadership Awards
The Specialty Food Association has revealed the six winners of its 2017 Leadership Awards, honoring industry frontrunners who have gone above and beyond in advancing food standards in society—and society itself—by creating social, economic and environmental impact through innovation and vision. Awards are given in three categories: Business Leadership, Citizenship, and Vision. The winners’ achievements […]
Posted inSpecialty, Home Page Latest News, National
Report: Engaged Consumers, Alternative Channels Fuel Surging Specialty Food Segment
Americans, especially Millennials and men, continue to discover specialty foods and beverages as they become a larger, more integral part of the American diet, according to “Today’s Specialty Food Consumer,” an annual report from the Specialty Food Association. This survey, produced in conjunction with market researcher Mintel, is available here. The $120.5 billion industry saw […]