KDP (Keurig Dr Pepper), headquartered in Plano, Texas, is the national distributor for Runa Clean Energy, an organic energy drink. Runa Clean Energy is made from the guayusa leaf. Guayusa is a caffeine- and antioxidant-rich leaf from Ecuador that is an alternative to traditional sources of caffeine. The brewed leaf provides sustained energy, mental clarity […]
Category: Wholesaler/Distributor News
Pic Select Fresh Baby Food Introduces Four New Flavors
Pic Select Fresh second-stage baby food has added four new flavors: pears, carrots, banana and mixed vegetables. Pic Select Fesh is part of Lincolnshire, Illinois-based Goode Foods Inc. Pic Select Fresh offers foods with no sugar added and no artificial colors or flavors and emphasizes products that are high in fiber, high in protein and […]
Associated Grocers Of New England Hires Visser-Depp
Associated Grocers of New England (AGNE) has hired Ann Visser-Depp as director of fresh merchandising and procurement. On April 1, Visser-Depp will begin at AGNE and will report to Peter Vail, VP merchandising and procurement. Reporting to Visser-Depp will be Ray Choate, director of meat/seafood/deli and bakery, and Lenny Miner, category manager of produce. Visser-Depp […]
IGA Launches ‘Local Equals Fresh’ Up-Branding Kit
IGA has launched its “Local Equals Fresh” up-branding kit in an effort to educate shoppers on its promise to buy from local and regional family farms whenever possible. “The number of people who are focused on their health is the greatest it’s ever been, and that’s across all ages and income levels,” said Devora Rogers, […]
Tastykake Debuts Scoop Shop Line With Bassetts Ice Cream
Tastykake, a Philadelphia snack for more than 100 years, is partnering with Bassetts Ice Cream Co. to launch Cookies and Crème Mini Donuts, the first offering from Tastykake Scoop Shop, an ice cream-inspired line of snacks. The line features fan ice cream flavors in snack form and will be launched in two phases, the first currently available […]
Simon Retiring As Certco CEO; Niemetscheck To Succeed Him
At the Certco Board of Directors meeting on Tuesday, March 5, Randall M. “Randy” Simon announced that he will retire from his role as president and CEO of the Fitchburg, Wisconsin-based cooperative wholesaler next month. “With my retirement date set at April 27, 2019, it will help me transition into my new lifestyle,” Simon said […]
KeHE To Fight Food Scarcity At Expo West With Meal-Packing Event
KeHE Cares, the non-profit foundation of Naperville, Illinois-based KeHE Distributors, a distributor of natural and organic specialty and fresh foods, is sponsoring a March 7 food packing event at Natural Products Expo West 2019 in Anaheim, California, to assist local residents facing challenges in feeding their families. In a 2.5-hour effort co-sponsored by Expo West producer New Hope Network and KeHE’s […]
Transportation Issues Felt Throughout Grocery Industry
Randy Arceneaux is president and CEO of Affiliated Foods in Amarillo, Texas. If there is one thing Texans understand, it is the oil business. The oil business had a good year in 2018, and so did Affiliated Foods. “We grew a little over 5 percent, and the encouraging thing for us this year is that, […]
Ocean Beauty Seafoods Named U.S. Distributor For Findus
Alaska-based Ocean Beauty Seafoods LLC has reached an agreement to be the U.S. distributor for Findus, the Swedish-based frozen food giant. Under the agreement, Findus products will be sold through Ocean Beauty’s U.S. distribution network with foodservice products available in the second quarter of the year, and in retail products available in August. Ocean Beauty […]
Souto Foods Opens New Warehouse In Norcross, Georgia
Souto Foods Wholesale & Distributors opened its new warehouse in Norcross, Georgia, this week. Sebastian Souto, president of the company, told The Shelby Report that the warehouse has nearly 60,000 s.f. of space, with 10,000 s.f. of that refrigerated. The facility can be expanded by another 30,000 s.f. as needed, he said. “We are looking to […]
ASG Welcomes Uncle Giuseppe’s To Network Of Independent Stores
Associated Supermarket Group (ASG) of Port Washington, New York, now is the primary supplier to full-service specialty grocer Uncle Giuseppe’s Marketplace, an Italian food retailer with locations in Long Island and Ramsey, New Jersey. ASG says it will focus on improving Uncle Giuseppe’s center store business, “providing the tools and resources to respond to market […]
Albertsons Cos. And KeHE Distributors Renew Partnership
Naperville, Illinois-based KeHE Distributors LLC has renewed its supply agreement with Albertsons Cos. as its primary distribution partner for natural, organic and specialty products. Speaking about the renewed partnership, Brandon Barnholt, president and CEO of KeHE Distributors, stated, “Albertsons is a premier U.S. food retailer. Their blue-chip portfolio of banners, emerging omnichannel capabilities and national […]
Krasdale’s New President Sees Challenges, Opportunities Ahead
Krasdale Foods promoted Steve Silver to the role of president in January 2019 as part its succession plan. Silver, who has been with Krasdale for 37 years, continues to serve as COO and as a member of the board of directors. He does not expect much of his day-to-day responsibilities to change with his new […]
Taking Advantage Of Opportunities Drives Growth For Piggly Wiggly Alabama
David Bullard, president and CEO of Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distributing Co. in Bessemer, Alabama, provided The Shelby Report with an update on the happenings at his company. Piggly Wiggly Alabama serves more than 270 retail locations across the Southeast, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina and Tennessee. The company was founded in 1959 […]
AWG’s Shopper Engagement Platform Drives Sales For Retailers
The Shopper Engagement Platform (SEP), the in-house loyalty and data marketing program for Kansas City, Kansas-based Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG), has engaged more than 300 of its retailers on the program. A first to market in-house program for grocery wholesalers in the U.S., SEP is aimed at enabling independent retailers to utilize data, digital coupons […]
KeHE’s 2019 Summer Show Draws More Than 4,000 Attendees
KeHE welcomed more than 4,000 industry professionals to the 2019 KeHE Summer Show at Nashville’s Music City Center, Feb. 5-6. Products were featured by nearly 750 exhibitors across all product categories, which enabled retailers to experience first-hand new and on-trend products for the summer season and beyond. “Each year, this show continues to gain momentum,” said […]
Former Vons President Lori Raya Named CMMO At SpartanNash
Lori Raya will become the new chief merchandising and marketing officer (CMMO) for SpartanNash, effective Feb. 18. Raya joins SpartanNash following a 31-year career with Safeway/Albertsons, most recently serving as division president of Albertsons from 2015-18 following her role as division president of Vons in Southern California. In her most recent role, Raya led the […]
Krasdale Chief Merchandising Officer Takes On Expanded Role
Dennis Hickey, chief merchandising officer of Krasdale Foods, now is running day-to-day operations in Florida, managing merchandising for both the area’s Bravo stores and Krasdale’s Beta II marketing office, located in Miami, Florida. Hickey, who joined the company seven years ago, adds the Florida operation to his ongoing responsibilities, which include managing procurement and merchandising for all of Krasdale’s […]
UNFI Plans To Consolidate Five Of Its Distribution Centers
UNFI today revealed plans to optimize its distribution center network in the Pacific Northwest. As part of that optimization, UNFI says it will consolidate five distribution centers into a new 1.2 million-s.f. facility in Centralia, Washington, and a newly expanded, 800,000-s.f. facility in Ridgefield, Washington. UNFI says the new facility and expansion will “enhance customer […]
MDI Named 2019 North Carolina Exporter Of The Year
Hickory-based Merchants Distributors LLC, or MDI, has been named the 2019 North Carolina Exporter of the Year by the North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. The award recognizes persons or companies that have made a positive impact on North Carolina agricultural exports. Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler presented the award to John Gray, director […]
