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June 2021 Volu me 18, Issue 06

Southwest Presence News

Whole Foods Market Announces Consolidation of Departments Inside this issue Last month, Whole Foods Market announced plans to streamline operations across multiple departments Southwest 1 including merchandising, store-level operations, technology, and human resources. In a letter to its staff and accompanying online statement, the company announced it will consolidate the global and regional Northwest 3 merchandising teams into one team responsible for companywide purchasing. Regional operations East 5 teams will now focus solely on store-level operations, including merchandising execution, eCommerce, West 6 and store support. According to Whole Foods Market, the move will create new regional leadership roles in local product development and supplier relationships, while also elevating the selection of local, Midwest 9 exclusive, and emerging brands. In 2020, Whole Foods Market said that it introduced more than 950 Rocky Mountain 11 local brands, over 10,000 local items and more than 650 exclusive brands. Under the centralized purchasing structure, local, emerging, and exclusive brands will continue to be supported. The new Distributor News 12 structure will also provide staff with better-defined roles, new growth opportunities and clear paths for Data Update 14 advancement within operations and merchandising. The memo did not specify if the consolidation would result in layoffs at global or regional offices, but it did confirm that no jobs at the store and distributor Food Policy 16 level would be affected. Coffee Talk 19

Whole Foods Market is refocusing its technology department toward software engineering, technical New Hope 20 products, and program manager roles. This change is expected to keep the company responsive and Presence Gives 20 adaptable to the changing technological landscape, allowing for rapid development of new tools for In Memoriam 21 the business and for customers. The human resources department will also be reorganized in order to provide consistent support for all regions in areas such as recruiting, training, compensation and Milestones 22 benefits, and career development. Additionally, the company will advance its use of the Workday Help Wanted 23 cloud -based platform for human resources management, allowing staff to focus on team member development and business objectives. Special points of interest In the letter to employees, Whole Foods Market called out the significant growth milestones it achieved over the past year. It has surpassed 500 stores, exceeded more than 105,000 employees, and Amazon Go Rebrands as Amazon Fresh – successfully launched pickup and delivery services nationwide. Last year, Whole Foods Market opened Page 4 18 new stores, creating more than 10,000 new jobs, and there are at least 40 new stores currently in development. While online sales remained strong last year, tripling from March to December, the brick- Wegman’s Growing Southern Roots – and-mortar sale s a re down significantly year over year. Last quarter, Seattle-based parent company Page 5 Amazon reported a 15.5% decline in in physical store sales. The executive team is confident the Smart & Final Acquired Again – Page 6 strategic reorganization of key departments and its commitment to innovation will reposition the chain for success. “As shown over the past year, Whole Foods Market’s industry leadership is a result of our Raley’s O-N-E Expands to THREE – Page 7 ability to remain nimble, be responsive, and continuously innovate,” Whole Foods Market said in the Lucky’s Opens Flagship Store – Page 7 employee letter. “As a company rooted in our higher purpose, we are confident these changes will position us to better support our stores and serve our customers as we continue to grow.” Presence Thrive Market’s Bigger Purpose – Page 8 Marketing/Dynamic Presence will continue to share updates as details on these changes become more concrete. Grocery Chains Relax Face Covering Requirements – Page 9

Kroger Launches Drone Delivery Service – Page 9 Bob Mariano To Open Dom’s Kitchen and Market – Page 10 ACME Celebrates 130 Years – Page 10 UNFI Adopts Transportation Technology to Reduce Emissions – Page 12 Our Data Team Looks at Trends Post COVID-19 – Page 14 U.S. Senators Introduce Bill to Legalize CBD’s – Page 16 Remembering Carla Bartolucci – Page 21 Remembering Rebecca Ruth Reinhardt Roy – Page 21

Royal Blue Grocery is closing its original Dallas location at Highland Park Village and is rebranding its two remaining Dallas locations – in Trammel Crow Center and at The Mercantile – under the name Berkley’s Market. Royal Blue Grocery is a small, urban market concept that was founded in Downtown Austin, Texas in 2006. There are currently six locations in Downtown Austin, three in Dallas, and one location in San Antonio. According to the owners of the Dallas locations, Zac and Emily Porter and Cullen Potts, the rebranding marks a break from the Royal Blue Grocery brand in Austin. They are taking Berkley’s Market in a new direction, with a focus on counter service, prepared foods and custom selections driven by the neighborhoods it serves. Their two downtown stores will transition to Berkley's Market on July 1st. The owners are closing the original Royal Blue Grocery store, founded in 2015 in Highland Park Village on June 27th. "For our Highland Park customers, this isn't goodbye, it's see you soon," says owner Emily Porter, who says a new location for their original store is in the works.

Central Market to Reopen Tornado-Damaged Preston Royal Location in Dallas

H-E-B-owned Central Market is reopening its store on Preston Road in Dallas on June 30th. The store, referred to as Preston Royal, was devastated by a tornado that swept through a 15-mile stretch of North Dallas on October 20th, 2019. Central Market immediately went to work on a complete renovation and rebuild of the Preston Royal store. The surrounding shopping center sustained irreparable damage and had to be leveled. In addition to rebuilding the store, Central Market helped the community rebuild with a $1 million donation to Dallas-area schools hit by the tornado. The also company donated 50 trees to restore the neighborhood’s signature canopy of trees and gave $50,000 to rebuild school libraries in the affected area.

Central Market made the most of its reconstruction efforts by adding several new features and amenities to the Preston Royal store including curbside service, expanded produce, seafood and floral departments, additional grocery selection, a larger sandwich bar, a new and improved coffee bar experience and additional customer seating in the upstairs mezzanine area. The store was built with energy efficient fixtures and equipment. The construction materials and architecture highlight the Mid-Century modern aesthetics of the original building. “With every cloud there is a silver lining, and this has certainly held true in the Preston Royal neighborhood during this time of recovery and rebuilding,” said Butt. “Throughout this process, the entire community has stepped up to help each other through clean-up efforts, meal delivery, donations and volunteers. We are more than ready to get our doors reopened so we can start seeing and serving our loyal Preston Royal customers again.” The retailer reached out to brokers and vendors for incredible deals to “start the store off right,” in the words of Guy Chandonnet, BDM of Frozen/Dairy. According to Guy, the grand reopening deals will also apply to the Midway store since they will lose some customers to Preston. The promotions will be distributed over the course of the first month, including hot deals of at least 25% off or better, Buy One Get One Free offers, and Foodie freebies. Reach out to your Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence Account Executives for Central Market: Bill Wilson at [email protected], Peggy Simms-Watley at [email protected] or Tina Robbins at [email protected] with more information.

MOGO Market Opens in Mixed Use Residential Apartment Community

MOGO Market, short for Modern Goods, is a new convenience store concept in The Village, a massive residential apartment community owned by Lincoln Properties in Dallas. The 300-acre, 17-property campus is a walkable entertainment, shopping, and restaurant mecca. The community has high-end restaurants and shops, plus a lagoon-style pool and beach with swim-up bar, boutique hotels, a tiki bar near the putting green, and a food hall with eight vendor stalls. MOGO Market is an on-the-go convenience store and market offering staple products, snacks including natural and organic options, a signature soda fountain, ice cream parlor and outdoor seating area. MOGO sells beer and wine, healthy snacks, grab-and-go meals, produce, novelty goods, shakes, malts, gourmet sodas, and a kombucha station. If the MOGO concept is successful, Lincoln may replicate it at other properties across the U.S.

Whole Foods Market Best at Implementing COVID-19 Safety Measures

Whole Foods Market received the top spot in Ipsos’ Health and Safety Best Brand Awards, based on the results of the latest “Consumer Health & Safety Index,” a benchmarking study that assesses how retailers are operating amid the COVID-19 pandemic. It is the third Consumer Health and Safety Index issues since the pandemic. Ipsos is a global market research and mystery shopping firm that delivers actionable consumer data based on public opinion. In spring 2021, the firm surveyed 2,000 Americans to find which health-and-safety attributes customers prioritize. Ipsos then conducted almost 3,500 mystery shops to evaluate in-store compliance across more than 25 brands in four key industries, including grocery and big-box retailers. “The brands receiving Ipsos’ Health & Safety Awards are being recognized for their responsiveness, diligence and excellence in creating safe in-store experiences for both customers and employees,” said Shohini Banerjee, SVP, U.S. channel performance at New York-based Ipsos. “They have each made monumental strides over the past year to adhere to and consistently implement the health-and-safety policies that build consumer trust – something that will last long after the pandemic subsides.” Whole Foods Market lead the pack in the grocery category, winning for the third index in a row. In addition to winning best in industry and category awards, Whole Foods Market was also awarded Best Overall Brand for outstanding health and safety measures through the end-to-end customer journey.

San Antonio-based H-E-B has expanded access to its curbside pickup by eliminating the service fee for orders of $35 or more. Orders less than $35 will include a $2.95 small basket surcharge. Previously, Curbside service came with a $4.95 fee. “Our goal with H-E-B Curbside is to give Texans an easier, more convenient way to shop for the products they want and need, and we are excited to now offer this service free to all our H-E-B customers,” Rachael Vegas, Senior Vice President of E-commerce Merchandising for H-E-B, said in a statement.

H-E-B Curbside orders can be placed up to seven days in advance and no more than four hours before the pickup window. H-E-B routinely looks for ways to expand curbside and delivery services to as many customers as possible. As of December, H-E-B enabled electronic benefits transfer (EBT) payments for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for online grocery orders. Curbside service is available at 250 of the grocer’s 350- plus stores H-E-B and H-E-B Plus stores, which the company said will continued to be expanded across the state.

A Spring Bloom of New Independent Markets in Central Texas

Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence has had the pleasure of helping to open three small-format, independent retailers over the last few months in Central Texas. “It is very exciting to see our folks press ahead with their dreams of owning a business that contributes to the health of the community,” said Presence Marketing Sales and Retail Services Representative, Joel Crounse. “We have been able to help curate core sets, provide needed placement discounts, guide category design, and offer labor to receive, build, and merchandise our brands.” For each store, it has been a labor of love and mission. “After a year of uncertainty, it is inspiring to see our natural food retailers continue to push their visions,” said Crounse, “and it is an honor to partner with them in success!”

Thom’s Market Burnet

Thom’s is a well-known Austin staple selling natural food in iconic areas – Barton Springs, Spyglass (off the green belt), and Riverside drive. This spring, Thom's Market opened its fourth location at the corner of Burnet Road and Koenig Lane. Owner Bill Thom opened his first store in 2007, after many years in vinyl record sales. Bill finds similarities between the record industry and natural product sales. "There's always this process of turnover. Twenty percent of our products are relatively new, and 20% we are phasing out. Then you've got a whole middle of the stuff that continues to sell regularly. Every new week, we have new products on the shelf. It's like the record business because everybody is all excited about the new releases every week. That's my background, so I kind of treat it the same way," he said. Thom’s Market has become a staple of Austin, featuring local and fresh food, groceries, boutique wine, craft beer and fun gifts.

Tiny Grocer

Tiny Grocer is a convenience-sized store with all the selection of a big box store, featuring small, artisan makers and prioritizing locally sourced products. Located at the corner of South Congress and East Annie, it is owned by former Whole Foods Market store director Steph Steele. The store is her passion project, and a huge benefit to the neighborhood. Tiny Grocer specializes in high-end specialty coffees, chocolates, and top-line grocery brands. There are traditional grocery departments such as floral, body care and deli, all scaled down in size. Tiny Grocer is perfect fit for the trendy SoCo location with a street-facing café for people-watching along South Congress.

Cork & Brew Market

Cork & Brew Market is a small, 2,000-square-foot store on South Congress featuring natural foods, wine, and craft beer. The market offers more than beer and wine – there are harder to find unique and artisanal items, grocery, and grab-and-go selections available in the deli. “Owners Raj and Walid are avid proponents of good food, delicious libations, and community outreach. Such an honor to work with them in achieving their goals,” said Presence Marketing’s Joel Crounse. Cork & Brew Market offers a wonderful combination of products and services suited to their South Congress location, including a unique selection of wine and a walk-in beer case. Seating is available for quick bites or for customers to enjoy the Indian food truck next door. Early online reviews have been more than positive, with one reviewer citing the “well-curated selection of snacks, dry goods, pantry must-haves that are a step above your average corner store.”

Amazon Shuts Down the Prime Now App Northwest Amazon announced it will be shutting down its Prime Now app in favor of its main platforms. Prime Now provides the option to order groceries from Whole Foods Market and other stores, with guaranteed delivery within two hours. All services and features will be merged into the website and primary Amazon app. This transition is set to be completed by the end of 2021. "To make this experience even more seamless for customers, we are moving the experience from a separate Prime Now app onto the Amazon app and website so customers can shop all Amazon has to offer from one convenient location," said Stephenie Landry, Vice President of Grocery at Amazon, in a statement. Amazon will utilize third-party partnerships to enhance the delivery and shopping experience. The experience will vary by country, depending on participating retailers. Customers within the United States will be able to shop at Whole Foods Market or Amazon Fresh. Amazon accounted for 2.8% of the $1.4 trillion grocery market last year. Analysts expect their grocery market share to grow by 5.7% by 2025.

Amazon will soon officially rename its Amazon Go Grocery brand to “Amazon Fresh”, closing one of its two stores by that banner and rebranding the other with its new label. The recently opened Go Grocery store in Redmond, Washington will be shut down in early June, according to Amazon spokesperson Carly Golden. The other Go Grocery store in nearby Capitol Hill will remain open as an Amazon Fresh store. The discontinuation of the Go Grocery line is to “simplify the experience for our customers,” Golden said.

Amazon. Go Grocery launched in February 2020. It served as a larger version of Amazon Go convenience stores, equipped with technology to replace human cashiers. This allowed for a true grab-and-go experience, referred to as “Just Walk Out”. The technology was first implemented in small bodegas, then expanded to the larger Go format.

In the meantime, Amazon has been opening full-size Amazon Fresh grocery stores, featuring smart grocery carts and Amazon Echo devices to aid with aisle navigation. Next month, employees from the Redmond location will be transitioned to the new Amazon Fresh store opening in Bellevue, Washington. The cashier-less technology born through Amazon Go Grocery will live on. Amazon has not confirmed whether it will be installed at the Ballard store or other Amazon Fresh locations.

Mountain Valley Foods in Montana Expands

Mountain Valley Foods in Kalispell, Montana is a locally owned and operated family business and is set to undergo a hefty expansion. The store currently offers a variety of organic groceries, gluten-free items, and locally grown produce when possible. It also boasts a great collection of grab-and-go beverages, a bulk section for nuts, seeds and herbs, and a well-rounded supplement section.

It will be growing its current square footage from 4,700 square feet to 7,300 square feet. This expansion will include adding a full kitchen and a pickup window for online orders, fresh juices, smoothies, and espresso. Within the general merchandise department, a 16-foot freezer, six-foot refrigerator, and six-foot cheese and charcuterie section will be introduced. The reset of the store layout began the week of May 10th, with a tentative grand opening in the beginning of June.

At Mountain Valley Foods, the owners are proud to have been offering organic and natural foods since 1989. They take pride in their excellent customer service and believe that is the key to their success.

Market of Choice Distribution Center Expands

Market of Choice is in the process of expanding its current 30,000 square foot central kitchen/distribution center in Eugene, Oregon. The expansion will include adding 35,000 square feet, pushing it over 65,000 square feet to support the chain’s 11 retail store locations.

Within the distribution center, the retailer will be adding 6,000 square feet of refrigeration space to accommodate perishable items. Plans for additional office space, break rooms, and restrooms are included in this expansion. Once completed, Market of Choice will boast over 50,000 square feet of dry grocery space, allowing for several different purchasing options.

Wes Beamer, a corporate natural foods buyer at Market of Choice, said “This expansion will create new opportunities for our stores and supports our projected growth.”

The original building was established in 2012 and this remodel is expected to finish by August 1st, 2021. Completion of the distribution center is vital in supporting their growth necessities.

Market of Choice is a supermarket chain based in Eugene, Oregon. The store carries conventional groceries, along with natural and organic products. Having been founded in 1979, the retailer now employs 700 individuals across 11 locations.

Feast Portland Looks Forward to 2022

The annual Feast Portland festival has not announced plans to run in 2021. Feast provided an update on their webpage in March 2020 of the initial cancellation due to Governor Brown’s ban of large public gatherings. Further announcements are expected, with September 2022 dates unconfirmed at this time. A hope filled message online keeps us hungry for updates: “We strongly believe in the power of coming together, and we know that we will have reason to gather again someday soon. But until then, it is more important that we stay safe, support our local businesses in every way we can and work together to come out of this stronger and more inspired than ever before. We will Feast again.”

Feast was founded by Carrie Welch and Mike Thelin in 2012, with the goal of celebrating the hospitality industry while raising money to help end hunger in Oregon. The festival has grown and changed, adding events, classes, and more chefs from around the country, and raising funds to stop hunger.

Albertsons East Division Welcomes C&S East It was recently reported Milford, Delaware-based logistics company Burris, will no longer provide services to banners Safeway and Acme Markets, both retailers under Albertsons newly formed Mid-Atlantic Division. Burris had provided frozen foods to the 276-store division per an agreement signed early last summer, but the company has a rich history with Pennsylvania-based Acme Markets, which dates back nearly 100 years. Instead, the Eastern division of Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons Companies will form a new partnership with C&S Wholesale Grocers starting in late June. The Keene, New Hampshire- based distributor will supply all of the grocery chain’s Mid-Atlantic stores with mainline frozen foods, ice cream, frozen bakery, and frozen commodities. C&S will supply those stores from the same 220,000 square foot Harrington, Delaware distribution center owned by Burris.

It is expected that much of the current sales and warehousing Burris workforce dedicated to Albertsons will be employed by C&S once the transition is completed. It also marks the end of a relationship that the family-owned distributor has had with Acme that dates back to 1925 when John W. Burris and his father, Edward, recognized an opportunity to deliver freshly baked bread to Acme Markets on return trips from delivering tomatoes from the farms in lower Delaware and Maryland to markets in Philadelphia. Three more generations of Burris family leadership have followed from John E. “Jack” Burris to Bob Burris to Donnie Burris, who is currently CEO.

About 15 months ago, Albertsons announced it would move its distribution for its Safeway Eastern division from an Albertsons-owned warehouse in Maryland to Acme’s larger and more efficient depot in Denver, Pennsylvania near Lancaster. At the time, C&S was serving Safeway’s stores with frozen, and Burris was supplying Acme’s approximately 160 locations with frozen foods. Several months after the distribution consolidation was announced, Albertsons awarded the combined frozen business to Burris. Shortly thereafter, the two divisions also said they would be combining headquarters into Acme’s Malvern facility. Not expected to be integrated into the new supply deal at the outset are the 27 Kings and Balducci’s stores that Acme acquired at a bankruptcy auction earlier this year. However, when the chain completes the full integration of its newest purchase, those stores are expected to be added to the C&S roster possibly this fall, according to published reports. The division has stores throughout Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, D.C.

Earth Fare Opens in Orlando

Continuing to open stores at a blistering pace, Asheville, North Carolina-based natural foods focused retailer Earth Fare shows no signs of slowing with recent Florida openings. Earth Fare opened a new store in the SoDo neighborhood near downtown Orlando, Florida on Saturday, April 24th. The 24,000 square foot store is located in the mixed-use Novel Lucerne development and is a welcomed addition for the residents of the SoDo and downtown neighborhoods.

“Our community of residents and the surrounding SoDo and Downtown neighborhoods relied heavily on Earth Fare for their grocery needs, and we are excited to be partnering once again with one of the preeminent organic grocers with an aligned mission - to Better People’s Lives.” says Eric Liebendorfer, Development Manager of Crescent Communities.

The Orlando store is the company’s third in the state of Florida, and 21st overall for Earth Fare as the retailer continues to resurrect the brand from previous hardships. The specialty grocer closed all stores in February 2020, but has rebounded with vengeance ever since, opening stores at a torrid pace with success and a focus on a sustainable future.

Wegmans Growing Southern Roots

New York-based Wegmans is hoping that going back to school is good for business. The popular Northeast grocer opened its fourth store in North Carolina in the college town of Wake Forest in mid-May. The home of Wake Forest University. Wegmans latest opening in the Tar Heel State joins the company’s others opened in the Triangle recently, an area known for academia. The retailer has stores in Raleigh (North Carolina State), West Cary/Morrisville (Duke University) and Chapel Hill (University of North Carolina). The company also has plans to open in Holly Springs, North Carolina in the future. A second location in Cary was called off earlier this year. The 100,000 square foot Wake Forest store is located at 11051 Ligon Mill Road. The Wake Forest store has a Market Cafe with indoor seating, and includes a coffee bar, pizza, subs, and prepackaged meals to go. There is also a fresh seafood market, which features seafood from Wanchese, on North Carolina’s Roanoke Island, and a cheese shop with both domestic and imported specialty and artisan cheeses. It’s the company’s 106th store overall.

Giant Eyes Philly Expansion

Fresh off the heels of unveiling its latest crown jewel in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, The Giant Company says it anticipates opening at least four more stores in the “City of Brotherly Love” by 2023. The Carlisle, Pennsylvania-based company says those stores include a 32,000 square foot Giant Heirloom Market specialty store in the city’s Fashion District, a 46,000 square foot Giant supermarket on Columbus Boulevard, a 50,000 square foot unit planned for North Broad Street and a 40,000 square foot Giant store on South Broad Street. Currently, Giant operates five stores in Philadelphia. They include the Grant Avenue Giant supermarket, opened in 2011; three small-format Giant Heirloom Markets, opened in 2019; and the 65,000-square-foot, two- level Giant supermarket in the Riverwalk mixed-use development, opened in March. A 67,000-square-foot Giant supermarket also is slated to open on Cottman Avenue in Philadelphia’s Castor Gardens neighborhood later this year. At 32,000 square feet, the Giant Heirloom Market planned for Philadelphia’s Fashion District would be about triple the size of the format’s current locations in the city.

They include a 9,500-square-foot store at 2303 Bainbridge Street in the downtown Graduate Hospital neighborhood, a 9,950-square-foot store at 3401 Chestnut Street in the University City district, and a 13,000-square-foot store at 1002 North Second Street in the Northern Liberties section. Much smaller than a conventional Giant supermarket, Heirloom Markets are designed to accommodate compact urban spaces and provide shopping experiences that cater to city dwellers, with products and services tailored to the surrounding community. Giant’s new flagship store, opened March 19th, also is designed as a community gathering place. Located at the corner of 23rd and Arch Streets, the downtown supermarket in Philadelphia’s Logan Square area is part of the Riverwalk project, an 8.5-acre, mixed-use development along the Schuykill River that includes two luxury residential towers plus commercial, retail, hospitality, and community space. Giant’s store, situated on the second floor of the 25-story Tower 1 at 60 North 23rd Street, houses a food hall, beer garden with tap wall, a wide assortment of locally sourced products, the chain’s largest plant-based food section and a terrace for outdoor dining.

FreshDirect Founder Steps Down

Four months after being acquired by one of the biggest food retailers in the world, FreshDirect Co-Founder and CEO David McInerney is stepping down. According to reports, Farhan Siddiqi will step in immediately to fill the role in an interim basis. Siddiqi is the chief digital officer at Ahold-Delhaize, a global food leader based in Zaandam, Netherlands. Ahold Delhaize and private equity firm Centerbridge Partners unveiled their acquisition of New York-based FreshDirect in mid-November and closed the transaction in early January. Financial terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed. Ahold Delhaize holds majority ownership in the online grocer, while Centerbridge has a 20% stake. In the wake of the acquisition, McInerney continued to lead FreshDirect, which reported to a seven-person board. FreshDirect also retained its brand name and independent operation from its 400,000-square-foot automated fulfillment center and campus in the Bronx. A pioneer in online grocery retailing, FreshDirect has provided digital shopping and delivery services – primarily in the metropolitan New York area – for more than 20 years.

The company was founded in 1999 by Joe Fedele, Jason Ackerman and McInerney, who became its CEO in September 2018 with Ackerman’s resignation as Chairman and Chief Executive. Fedele had served as CEO from FreshDirect’s launch in 2002 until 2004. FreshDirect emphasizes its focus on fresh food, which accounts for more than 60% of its sales, as well as its relationships with local farmers and meal solutions. Overall, the e-grocer delivers directly to customers in selected markets in seven states, including New York, New Jersey, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia, plus the District of Columbia.

Soulberry Natural Market Opens

Family owned and operated Soulberry Natural Market opened recently in the popular town of New Hope, Pennsylvania. The 8,000 square foot retailer was opened by the Yassin Family. The couple has worked in the natural foods industry for nearly a decade, and they created Soulberry to offer customers the very best in food quality and personalized support. The retailer is a member of Independent Natural Food Retailers Association (INFRA). The store at 415 York Road in New Hope is committed to providing foods with no GMOs, no artificial ingredients, no inhumane meats, and 100% organic produce. The health and beauty products for sale are also free from any harsh or toxic chemicals including phthalates, sulfates, and parabens. In other words, what’s in the products for sale at Soulberry are as clean and as welcoming as the store itself.

Smart & Final Acquired by Bodega Latina West

For the third time in two years, grocer Smart & Final is being sold by its parent company. In June 2019, New York based private equity firm, Apollo Global Management LLC is bought out the California based retailer in a deal valued at around $1.12 billion from Ares Management.

Last April, Apollo sold off Smart & Final’s Smart Foodservice Stores chain to U.S. Foods for $970 million. Now, Smart & Final’s grocery stores – Smart & Final Extra! and their legacy Smart & Final stores, are being purchased by Bodega Latina Corp., a subsidiary of Mexican retailer Grupo Comercial Chedraui (GCC). These stores will continue to operate as normal, with “limited integration expected,” now as an extended and diversified unit of GCC. The new deal is valued at $620 million and is set to close in the second or third quarter of 2021, pending international regulation approvals.

Currently, GCC, based in Mexico City, operates hypermarkets (large hybrid grocery-department stores) and supermarkets in Mexico and the U.S. Paramount based Bodega Latina currently operates 61 El Super grocery stores, three El Super Fresh stores and 59 Fiesta Mart stores in the Southwest U.S.

“The transaction is a testament to the strength of Smart & Final’s franchise, the quality of our store banners and the talent and expertise that support the business,” said CEO David Hirz, who will remain in his position, along with the present operations and management teams. “Under the ownership of Grupo Comercial Chedraui and Bodega Latina, Smart & Final will benefit from their guidance, given their recognized and established position in the food retail space, while contributing our own best practices and experience. Together, we will further accelerate our collective growth. We are excited about the future as we embark on a new chapter in our history with a partner that is aligned and understands our strengths, culture, and customer-centric philosophy. We would like to thank Apollo for its partnership and support in helping us grow our business to where we are today.”

CEO of Chedraui, José Antonio Chedraui Eguía, furthered the sentiment, “We are excited about the combination of Grupo Comercial Chedraui and Bodega Latina with Smart & Final, which further scales and expands our U.S. footprint. This acquisition is aligned with our long-term strategy to find financially attractive and accretive opportunities, while maintaining consolidated indebtedness at prudent ranges. With financing for the transaction occurring at the BLC level, GCC retains ample financial flexibility for continued growth in Mexico as well. “More fundamentally, this transaction reflects our continued commitment to serve customers, families, and businesses in both the U.S. and Mexico,” he added. “It benefits stakeholders in both countries, including our employees, around 40,000 in Mexico and over 13,000 in the U.S., suppliers, vendors, customers and their families. As just one example, via our money remittance partnerships and network of stores, we currently help customers looking to provide support when needed to family living elsewhere. This transaction will only strengthen our ability to provide that type of support and value to many more customers and families.” Smart & Final grocery stores acquired by GCC include 198 Smart & Final Extra! locations and 56 traditional Smart & Final’s.

Third Raley’s O-N-E Concept Store

The grand opening for the Raley’s O-N-E Reno was held on May 1st. This new store is a converted traditional Raley’s and follows the same design as the new Raley’s O-N-E in Truckee, which opened in Summer 2020 and El Dorado Hills which opened just a few months ago in April. The Reno conversion started April 26th and concluded on April 30th.

Raley’s O-N-E stands for Organics, Nutrition and Education. The format focuses on food and wellness for healthy, active lifestyles. They offer a curated assortment of fresh, nutritious, and organic products focusing on minimally processed and sustainably sourced products. With a strong focus on healthy ingredients, they have banned such ingredients as high-fructose corn syrup, artificial preservatives, artificial flavors, artificial sweeteners and hydrogenated fats and oils. The Reno store shelves had to be stocked with about 4,200 new items – all which meet the O-N-E standards, in combination with the 12,000 healthier choice options already in-store.

Reno Is located at 18144 Wedge Parkway in the Mount Rose neighborhood. It has been operating as a Raley’s since 1996. “In line with our purpose of changing the way the world eats, one plate at a time, we are proud to have expanded the Raley’s O-N-E Market banner into Nevada,” said Keith Knopf, Raley’s President and CEO. “This store conversion was a purpose-driven decision inspired by our desire to help people live healthier, happier and more fulfilled lives.”

As of now, there is one more O-N-E location in development. It will be in the city of Roseville and is slated to open Spring 2022. Raley’s is headquartered in Sacramento and operates 124 stores in California and Nevada under the Raley’s, Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods, Raley’s O-N-E Market, Food Source and Market 5-ONE-5 banners.

Lucky’s Opens Flagship Store

On Wednesday, May 12th, Lucky California opened its flagship location in the northern California city of Pleasanton. The store had undergone an extensive remodel and the name was rebranded from a “Lucky” to a “Lucky California.”

“It is with great pleasure that we reopen our Pleasanton store and welcome back our guests,” stated Mario Guerrero, Store Director of Pleasanton Lucky California. “We are proudly your neighborhood grocery store where we offer an amazing assortment of food and unique solutions, from staples to local and diverse flavors, all at low prices and all intended to make shopping and food enjoyment exciting again.”

The concept and layout of the store highlights what modern day shoppers seek: food as an experience, a means to socialize and as a convenience. This new store features departments built around these concepts.

One of the huge store focuses is The Entertaining Island, which features finger foods and platters, perfect for dinner and house parties that are returning as COVID-19 cases decrease and social gatherings resume.

Another feature is The Eatery, which hosts a large selection of prepared foods, such as BBQ meats, burgers, noodle and rice bowls and burritos. There is also The Drinkery can provide a drink for any time of the day – a coffee or smoothie in the morning, a mid-day lemonade and a libation when the workday is done.

For a little inspiration, The Demo Station has fun, participatory cooking demonstrations where a customer can learn to prepare and cook a dish or meal and follow by buying the ingredients to recreate at home.

As a bonus, the meat and seafood section have an in-house “Grill Boss,” who can prepare meat and/or seafood from start to finish. Lastly, there is an in- store full-service pharmacy, offering a wide variety of services besides customary drug refills. They now offer COVID-19 vaccinations, along with routine vaccinations.

Lucky and Lucky California are owned by The Save Mart Cos., the largest family-owned grocery chain in California. There are a total of 204 stores under the banners: Save Mart, Lucky California, Foodmaxx and MaxxValue Foods.

San Diego’s Unique New Grocer

Open Art Market opened early this year in Downtown San Diego. Located a few blocks from the Padres Stadium this small boutique is focused on grab and go items as well as specialty gourmet offerings. The owner, Abby Kessler, had a successful career in fashion before selling her business and opening the modern, gourmet grocery store. Every product in our store is carefully selected and locally sourced whenever possible. From the wide selection of baked goods and handcrafted salads and sandwiches, Open Art aspires to create a diverse eating experience all within the confines of the neighborhood market feel. Open Art Street Market combines a gourmet grocery and gift store, stocking grab-and-go sushi, salads, sandwiches, and baked goods along with snacks and pantry items as well as home decor and other household items.

“Our mission to create a convenient shopping experience includes online shopping, in-store or curbside pickup, express delivery, catered events, and curated gifts and gift baskets. We stand behind every product. If we don’t personally use the product in our home, you will not find it in our store.” Open Art is located at 726 Ninth Avenue Unit #4 in San Diego, California.

Thrive Market’s Bigger Purpose

Los Angeles based natural and organic online grocer, Thrive Market, has a new initiative in motion. This initiative keeps consistent with their big picture focus – a focus bigger than selling healthy food and products. They recently announced their sustainability and climate positive goals. Thrive intends to be zero-waste certified by 2022, plastic neutral by 2023 and fully carbon negative by 2025.

In their genesis, membership based Thrive, implemented one of their first programs that set the standard: for every paid membership, a free membership is given to an individual or family in need. “We’re on a mission to make healthy products affordable for all Americans and break down the geographic limitations for people who are underserved and can’t always get healthy products in their home communities,” said Chief Marketing Officer, Jeremiah McElwee. “At the same time, we don’t want to solve one problem and make other problems, so our mission has always also been about environmental responsibility.”

So far, for the new initiatives, the e-retailer has instated a no-air-shipping policy and only uses recyclable shipping materials. Plus, education is at the forefront – all Thrive products will indicate what do with the packaging once the product is used – whether to reuse, recycle or compost. If a customer does not have access to do any of these, Thrive is starting a program where packaging can be sent back and Thrive will ensure upcycling.

Last fall, Thrive was certified B-Corp, which was the result of a long vetting process, wherein Thrive was found to “meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency, and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose.”

Continuing to move forward, Thrive Market’s current fulfillment centers are completely powered by wind energy and are LEED-certified buildings (a green certification). They also plan to bring down their emissions by launching a regenerative organic program, partnering with small farmers, which will boost biodiversity, soil health and carbon sequestration.

In 2020, in addition to a COVID-19 fund to people in need, the company’s membership donations went to a variety of nonprofits including the St. Vincent de Paul Society and WWF Australia to aid in relief to communities and animals impacted by the devastating Australian wildfires and well-building projects for clean water in the Tigre region of Ethiopia.

McElwee hopes to inspire in other companies. “We know that everyone can win, and business can be a catalyst for positive change. All it takes is some thoughtfulness, collaboration, empathy, and commitment.”

Murphy’s Markets is gearing up to celebrate their 50-year anniversary. Pat Murphy migrated to Humboldt County from Grants Pass, Oregon in 1971. He moved to the area with the intention purchasing his first grocery store, which he did in August 1971. He managed to open two more locations before 1980. After owning three successful markets, Mr. Murphy purchased two more stores in the Humboldt County area. Pat Murphy is still very active in overseeing his stores and can often be seen visiting them on a regular basis. The stores are known by their individual locations, Sunny Brae, Cutten, Glendale, Trinidad and Westwood.

Murphy’s Markets offer a wide variety of items, both natural and conventional to meet the needs of all families. Although the 50th Anniversary celebration is still in the planning stages with a date yet to be determined, Murphy’s Markets welcomes the support and partnership of our vendors for samples and customer giveaways. If you are interested in participating in the celebration, please contact Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presences Brian Corcoran at [email protected], Teri Frechette at [email protected], or Laurie Billings at [email protected].

Grocery Chains Relax Face Covering Requirements for Fully Vaccinated Shoppers Midwest

Kroger, Hy-Vee, and Publix Super Markets are among the growing list of retailers no longer requiring face coverings for shoppers fully vaccinated against COVID-19. Kroger said that customers and employees who have completed coronavirus vaccinations – two doses of the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines, or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, won’t need to wear a mask in its facilities, including stores, distribution centers, plants and offices, unless otherwise required by state or local jurisdiction. The policy change comes in the wake of guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which on May 13th said fully vaccinated people no longer need to wear a mask or physically distance, except where required by federal, state, local or municipal law and local business and workplace guidance. On May 16th, the CDC noted that the new guidance focuses on people vaccinated against COVID-19, and those not immunized should continue to wear masks and follow other precautions.

“We have adhered to guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and our Chief Medical Officer Dr. Marc Watkins and listened to our associates and customers to guide our policies,” Kroger said in a statement on the mask policy update. “Last week, the CDC issued new guidance for individuals who have been fully vaccinated. We have received feedback from and heard the valued opinions of thousands of associates regarding the CDC’s announcement. Based on the CDC’s science-based guidance and the input of our associates, we are updating our mask policy in a way that balances our values of safety and respect.”

Kroger said non-vaccinated associates will be required to wear a mask, as will associates in its pharmacies and clinics, in line with CDC guidance for health care settings. The company also urged unvaccinated shoppers to continue using face coverings. “We request that non-vaccinated customers continue to wear a mask,” Kroger stated. “And we will continue to respect the choice of individuals who prefer to continue to wear a mask.”

Iowa based Hy-Vee began relaxing its face covering requirement in mid-May in accordance with the CDC’s new guidelines. Hy-Vee noted that it “has consistently followed the CDC’s recommendations” as new guidance was released. “Given the CDC’s mask announcement…..Hy-Vee no longer requires fully vaccinated customers and employees to wear face coverings in its stores, except where it’s required by local ordinances,” Hy-Vee said in a statement. “Face coverings, however, continue to be strongly recommended for Hy-Vee customers who are not fully vaccinated and are still required by the company for employees who are not fully vaccinated.”

Both Kroger and Hy-Vee said they will maintain the extra cleaning, sanitization, safety, and social distancing practices that have been in place since the early days of the pandemic. “Every step of the way, our most urgent priority has been the health and safety of our associates and customers, and we have consistently leveraged expert guidance and associate and customer feedback to guide our decisions,” Kroger’s Watkins commented. “That focus continues today as we look ahead to a new phase of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Publix instituted its new face mask policy on May 15th, shortly after the CDC unveiled its updated guidance. The Florida based supermarket chain, which operates 1,270 stores in seven Southeastern states, said it will no longer require fully vaccinated associates or shoppers to wear face coverings, unless mandated by a state or local order or ordinance. “In accordance with CDC guidelines, individuals who are not fully vaccinated are required to use face coverings over their noses and mouths while inside any Publix store,” Publix stated.

Kroger Launches Drone Delivery Service

Kroger has partnered with Drone Express, a division of TELEGRID Technologies, in an effort to launch a program to deliver online orders to nearly any location by autonomous drones. Kroger will be able to deliver orders not just home addresses but also on the spot, such as bringing picnic supplies to a park, BBQ supplies to a backyard or tailgate supplies to a parking lot. This technology enables package delivery to the location of a smartphone, allowing consumers to order via mobile device and receive their goods where they are. “Kroger’s new drone delivery pilot is part of our rapidly growing and innovative e-commerce business, which includes pick-up and delivery and ship and reached more than $10 Billion in sales in 2020”, according to Jody Kalmbach, Group Vice President of Product Experience.

Kroger has been designing bundled product offerings based on customer needs that are within the approximately five-pound limit for drone delivery. The first test flights will begin in Centerville, Ohio this spring and will be followed with tests this summer at a Ralph’s Supermarket in California. TELEGRID Technologies is one of 10 companies pre-approved by the Federal Aviation Administration for airworthiness consideration for its DE-2020 unmanned aircraft.

Dom’s Kitchen & Market, a Chicago area specialty grocer, has announced that they will open a new, eagerly anticipated location on June 8th. The 18,000 square foot location promises to provide high end products and services to the Lincoln Park neighborhood that is located on the city’s near north side.

The store will be located at the corner of Halsted and Diversey Avenue, which is just north of DePaul University. It should be the perfect spot to help enhance the company’s vision of the next generation consumer looking for a one-stop diversified shopping experience. By making the location a small footprint, Dom’s will provide a sense of community by supplying local goods. Additionally, the store will offer high quality organic consumable packaged goods as well as a wide array of frozen and refrigerated grab-and-go items. Dom’s will serve fresh prepared meals that can be consumed on site, delivered, or taken out.

The fresh food area will offer a wide array of ethnic choices that can be custom made for a consumer. Fresh made breakfast sandwiches and baked goods will satisfy the customer in search of a morning flair. A specialty coffee bar will provide freshly made blended coffees that will provide customers with various options. In addition to a worldwide selection of wines, Dom’s will also serve alcohol on its premises. It also appears that Dom’s will be able to provide outside seating which will be a welcome feature after the last year.

The store is a creation of Mariano’s founder, Bob Mariano. He hopes Dom’s Kitchen & Market will provide an atmosphere of community and a sense of being home in Chicago’s Lincoln Park neighborhood.

Lunds and Byerly’s Open New Nokomis Location

Lunds and Byerly’s is at it again opening another store in Minneapolis on May 20th. The store is in the unique and vibrant Nokomis neighborhood and was formerly occupied by the Bergan’s Supervalu family which began operating under the Red Owl name in 1955. The store closed December of 2019. The building was taken down to provide a larger area for mixed use development. Lunds and Byerly’s occupies a portion of the main level of the new structure. It is the fourth Lunds and Byerly’s location in the City of Minneapolis.

The Nokomis location offers many of the same familiar features as their other stores. To name a few, it will include Taco Mas; a build-your-own taco bar, Mediterranean Bar; a build-your-own bar offering gyro, falafel, and hummus, Hissho Sushi; sushi prepared fresh daily, and the meat department will of course offer their exclusive Reserve Aged Beef product. They also have a very nice mix of natural and organic groceries in the center aisles and perimeter departments. A “FoodE Expert” on site to help with any type of meal ideas/solutions.

This location not only has indoor seating area but also outdoor café seating! Online pick-up and delivery options will play a big role in this new store.

Acme of Ohio Celebrates 130th Anniversary

In 1891, Frederick W. Albrecht opened Albrecht’s Grocery in the Akron/Buchtel area, which eventually became Acme Fresh Markets. Nick Albrecht, a fifth generation owner, became President of the Fred Albrecht Company in April of 2019. To help celebrate the anniversary, any customer who spends $50 will automatically be entered to win $5,200 in Acme Gift Cards. They also will have a contest called “Buckeyes Best”, where entrepreneurs with a good idea for Ohio Made or grown food product will be eligible for a $10,000 prize and have the opportunity to sell that product in the 16 Acme locations.

Sprouts Farmers Market is Coveting Growth Rocky Mountain

Sprouts Farmers Market’s first fiscal quarter showed profits that were way above expectations, while sales were lower than anticipated. This raised questions from analysts, curious to know when sales might recover. Although same-store sales decreased by 9.4%, the retailer beat earnings expectations by way of diminishing its high-low promotional pricing heritage and repositioning itself as an aspirational health and wellness brand.

Sprouts aims to attract a new clientele which Jack Sinclair, CEO of Sprouts, calls “health enthusiasts and innovation seekers”. He believes that these shoppers, coupled with new store openings, will generate higher sales. “We’re focused on growth, not comps,” Sinclair said during a question-and-answer session with Sentieo, a financial and corporate research platform. “That’s the real kind of focus in our business. I think it is interesting: A lot of the grocery guys are hitting higher comps. If you look at the actual underlying growth of the business is significantly less than the comp number. We’re exactly the opposite to that.”

The retailer aims to improve costs and productivity through new distribution centers closer to stores and investments in inventory, labor, and human resources systems. Additionally, a smaller, more efficient store format is being trialed to see if it proves to be more productive. These stores will have a smaller footprint with more selling space per square foot.

Sprouts Farmers Market, Inc., is a supermarket chain based in Phoenix, Arizona. The retailer operates over 340 stores in 23 states, with 20 new locations on the horizon in 2021.

Sprouts Natural Grocery Remains Focused on Winning Post COVID-19 Losses

Sprouts, the Phoenix-based natural grocery retailer is examining the past year of 2020 and what issues contributed to a lower retail intake during the tail end of the COVID-19 pandemic that gripped the nation in March 2020. Based on consumer buying behavior, at the beginning of the pandemic in March retail income was increased but, one year later the numbers have changed significantly yet the goals remain the same. In a conference call with Sprouts CEO Jack Sinclair, he notes “I believe 2020 was a turning point for Sprouts and we’re continuing to build on that success and momentum this year by building our brand through meaningful marketing, curated merchandise and building an efficient supply chain.”

The retailer experienced an estimated 22-cent benefit from the impact of COVID-19, however, the shares now reflect a change in consumer buying patterns going from 78-cents a share and net income of $91.8M, to 70-cents a share and net income of $83M over the end of the 2021 fiscal first quarter which is a noticeable negative difference in overall retail income. However, Sinclair cites that with the “strong financial performance and strategic opportunities ahead of us, I’m very optimistic about the future of Sprouts.”

Sinclair also mentions confidence in the overall performance in the retail chain, with 20 new stores opening planned for the upcoming 2021 year. Ten of the new stores are slated for Florida, smaller-format stores are on the horizon. Planned building of several new distribution centers that will also impact the enhanced supply chain is upcoming and many of the stores will be aided with the benefit of “ripening rooms” which will directly support local farmers and getting the freshest produce to each location.

The retail chain has noted an uptick in deli, bakery, and e-commerce sales by expanding grocery ordering and curbside pick-up options for each store which enhanced the bottom line of on-line sales growth. The Sprouts private label options have also increased the “drive and innovation to create over 400 new products” within the marketplace that continues to thrive based on reasonable prices for organic and natural products for cost-conscious consumers. As the pandemic led many Americans to refocus on their health and well-being, Sprouts is poised to bank on the healthy options, organic foods and special diets trends as Sprouts refines its retail offerings in the coming year.

Avant Delivery Launches Sustainable Grocery Delivery Program in Wyoming

Initiated in December 2020 in Jackson, Avant Delivery is Wyoming’s first service of its kind with the mission of making sustainability the easiest option for restaurants, retailers, and customers. The company’s focus is on working towards eliminating single-use packaging and making reuse convenient for businesses and consumers by providing a circular process that includes zero-waste packaging and local grocery sourcing. Avant Delivery is also current the only compost hauler for Teton County’s new compost program.

Subscribers to the comprehensive program purchase a membership through company’s website (with options for either visitors or local residents) and then receive both a compost bin and an Avant reusables box the same day. Members can then reference Avant’s list of participating businesses and either inform the business they wish to utilize of Avant member or simply select Avant packaging when ordering take-out food online. For grocery delivery, the company has created its own grocery store online menu comprised of food and beverages purchased from local vendors and Avant provides next-day delivery services for free to encourage consumers to use this option. Avant also offers deliveries from local grocery stores in reusable tote and produce bags for an additional fee, with same-day delivery and no minimum order requirement.

The sustainability service also supports local restaurants by providing them access to reusable packaging for zero-waste to-go food. Once customers are finished with the packaging, they simply place them in their reusables box along with placing food scraps in their compost bins. Avant picks up the boxes and bins weekly from their homes, leaving behind new, sanitized reusable containers. The membership fee covers damaged and replacements containers as needed.

“After years of shopping in grocery stores avoiding purchasing products with unnecessary plastic packaging, it was so clear to me that the packaging system was broken,” said Sam Schwartz, Avant Delivery Founder and CEO. “In a community like Jackson that lives and breathes the environment and outdoor recreation, we have an obligation to minimize our impact and make sustainability the no- brainer option for local businesses and consumers.”

Clark’s Market opened their first store in Aspen, Colorado on November 9th, 1978 and have focused their expansion to areas in the western slope trickling into Blanding, Utah and Sedona Arizona. With eight locations now, Clark’s has announced that in the first half of 2022 they will be opening their next location in Denver. The new location will be a 25,000 square feet custom built grocery store and serve the Crestmoor, and Hilltop neighborhoods.

All Clark’s Markets have their own personality, and this new store will be no different. Paying tribute to the former Lowry Air Force Base there will be a lot of details pulled from the air force hangers. The mixture of glass and brick will pair nicely with the actual inverted barrel vault of the hanger in the store. Everyone is anxiously looking forward to introducing Clark’s Market to Denver and the local neighborhoods it will serve!

Natural Grocers Expands their Private Label Supplement Choices

Natural Grocers, the nation’s largest family-operated natural grocery retailer with 161 stores throughout the country, is growing its Natural Grocers Brand Vitamin and Supplements line to include a comprehensive blend of vitamins, minerals, herbs, and precision formulas. With over 100 items in total, they will provide high-quality products at affordable prices.

The entire line will fall under Natural Grocers’ third-party certified Good Manufacturing Practices guidelines that their customers come to expect. Their signature orange-capped bottles will deliver their seal of trust, label transparency and effective ingredients. The following standards will be upheld:

• Quality and safety practices integrated throughout the manufacturing process are verified by a leading third-party certifier with international credentials. • Thorough testing will verify the purity, identity, and potency of every raw material. An intense finished product testing process will ensure each match meets label claims through its expiration date. • Every single lot of product will be tested for purity. No skip-lot testing at Natural Grocers, like at other manufacturers. • Pathogen and heavy metal testing will be performed, a critical step designed to ensure the end product is void of contaminants. • Natural Grocers does not allow questionable additives or ingredients into any of the products they sell in their stores and that includes their line of private label supplements. • Natural Grocers Brand Vitamins and Supplements contain no artificial preservatives, colors, flavors, or sweeteners.

Heather Isely, Natural Grocers Executive Vice President explains, “When our parents founded Natural Grocers in 1955, their goal was to empower their fellow community members to embark on their own health journeys. Today, our family, and our good4u Crew extended family, continues to spread the message of empowerment on which the company was founded. Natural Grocers Brand Vitamins and Supplements are a fulfillment of our commitment to that message. We developed this product line to provide high-quality vitamins and dietary supplements at prices that our communities can afford – and that they can trust are as potent and as pure as we say they are because every vitamin and supplement is put through a rigorous testing process and are certified by Good Manufacturing Practices.”

The inclusive lineup of items Natural Grocers has chosen is based on years of scientific knowledge and the nutrition expertise of the company’s in-house nutritional experts. All items they will be selling have been tailored to address nutritional holes in our modern diet and help their customers achieve a variety of healthy goals.

Natural Grocers Nutritional Health Coaches are offering free one-on-one virtual sessions for those interested in learning more about which of these supplements might work best for their personal health journey.

UNFI Adopts Emerging Transportation Technology to Reduce Emissions Distributor News

United Natural Foods, Inc announced it is adding 53 all-electric transport refrigerated trailer units (TRUs) to its fleet located at the company’s Riverside, Calif. distribution center. This effort is in keeping with UNFI’s Better for All 2030 Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) agenda, and the company’s bold commitments to take innovative action on global social and environmental issues that help transform the future of food. The company is one of the first wholesalers to utilize the innovative technology and comes as the California Air Resources Board (CARB) announced plans in January to impose zero-emission requirements on TRUs sold or operated in California by December 31st, 2029.

The all-electric TRU achieves zero-emission results by using a high efficiency refrigeration system powered by roof mounted solar photovoltaic panels, a wheel- momentum generator, lithium-ion batteries, and a unique auxiliary power unit to eliminate the requirement for diesel fuel to power the refrigeration system. Through this process, the refrigeration system provides multi-zone temperature settings with the capability of maintaining a full load of frozen product from minus 10 to minus 20 degrees F throughout the distribution route.

To accomplish this work, UNFI is removing 53 of its diesel-powered TRUs from operation and utilizing Advanced Energy Machines (AEM), a leader in the electrification of refrigerated trailers, to rebuild the units to all-electric specifications. UNFI will lease the TRUs through PLM Trailer Leasing for five years while the company continues to explore how they integrate into its operations. By operating the all-electric TRUs, UNFI anticipates that it will save approximately 135,000 gallons of diesel fuel per year while reducing particulate matter pollutant emissions and greenhouse gas emissions.

“Nearly 50% of UNFI’s direct greenhouse gas emissions are from our fleet of trucks and trailers. These 53 all-electric TRUs will help us get a head start on the proposed CARB zero-emission requirements and are expected to allow us to decrease our emissions as we make progress on our climate action commitments under Better For All,” said Jeff Wismans, national director of fleet operations at UNFI. “Adding these TRUs comes after an exhaustive four- month pilot testing the equipment through a variety of conditions with the intention to replace diesel-powered TRUs. When we look at it from an operational standpoint, we’re not changing anything, but it gives us a fresh look at running our operations and finding additional efficiencies.” To help reduce the cost of retrofitting the diesel powered TRU, PLM applied for and received vouchers on UNFI’s behalf through CARB’s Clean Off-Road Equipment (CORE) Voucher Incentive Project. CARB launched CORE in 2017 to accelerate the purchase of zero-emission freight handling equipment in California by providing a streamlined voucher process to offset the higher cost of such technologies.

UNFI Names Matt Whitney Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer

United Natural Foods Inc. has promoted Matt Whitney to Chief Strategy and Innovation Officer. In this new role, Whitney will be responsible for leading the company’s Professional Services and eCommerce business units while also developing new business models, pursuing innovation opportunities, and implementing several ongoing strategic initiatives to complement UNFI’s base wholesale business. Whitney) joined UNFI in early 2020 as Senior Vice President of Sales Strategy and Business Transformation leading the company’s Value Path initiative, a cross-functional effort to identify sales growth, product efficiencies and cost- containment opportunities.

Prior to joining UNFI, Whitney was the Corporate Vice President of Field Transformation at Sysco, where he also served as EVP of the Boston division, and head of the integration management office for Sysco’s proposed acquisition of US Foods. Earlier in his career, Whitney worked in strategy consulting and mergers and acquisitions. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Tufts University, and an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.

“UNFI is focused on innovation and finding new ways to support our customers beyond a traditional distribution model,” said Chris Testa, UNFI President. “Our Professional Services and e-commerce teams are two critical growth vehicles that help make our customers stronger, more differentiated, and under Matt’s leadership these teams will help them continue to grow and flourish. His cross-functional leadership, business acumen and strong strategic thinking will help us deliver results and ensure we are best positioned for future growth.”

United Natural Foods Announces Virtual Investor Day

United Natural Foods, Inc. announced that the company will host a Virtual Investor Day on Thursday, June 24th, 2021. Members of UNFI’s leadership team will discuss the company’s strategy for growth and multi-year financial outlook. The event will begin at 8:30 A.M. Eastern time and be webcast live at the investors section of the company’s website www.unfi.com. An online archive of the webcast will be available for 120 days.

2021 KeHE Holiday Show Will Take Place Virtually June 10th to 18th

Innovation, trends, new products, and fan-favorite items all available to purchase while lounging in sweatpants, what more can you ask for? At the 2021 KeHE Holiday Show, more than 580 exhibiting suppliers and thousands of buyers will come together on KeHE CONNECT, KeHE’s proprietary digital ordering platform. The show will highlight innovative new products and consumer favorites to retailers in the comfort of their home or office.

DIVERSEtrade

All suppliers with a diversity certification on file with KeHE are included in Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence Brands in DIVERSEtrade 2021: the DIVERSEtrade program. Suppliers are brought into the program annually in May. Supplier Name Description • AMALIAS COCINA INC Women-Owned • BECKON LLC Women-Owned Program Perks • DANG FOODS LLC Minority Certificate • SAGELY NATURALS Women-Owned • Eligible to participate in dedicated Themed Ad Space • EURO USA TRADING CO Women-Owned • FARCHITECTURE BB LLC Women-Owned • Signage at shows • HARBAR LLC Minority Certificate • HELLA BITTER LLC Minority Certificate • Best of Award eligible • KIRKS NATURAL LLC Women-Owned • Potential to be featured in • MAKE REAL FOODS LLC Women-Owned • NUTTZO LLC Women-Owned • Pre-Show Deck • O MY FOODS LLC Women-Owned • OTTOS NATURALS LLC Women-Owned • Sales Connections newsletter • PRINCE OF PEACE ENTERPRISES Minority Certificate • PURELY ELIZABETH LLC Women-Owned • Insights Corner • RADIUS CORPORATION Women-Owned • RAW ESSENTIALS LIVING FOODS LL Women-Owned

Here are some personnel changes on the Category Management team:

• Laura Stidham is KeHE’s newest national Cheese Specialist to join the Fresh team. • Scott Short is KeHE’s new Meat and Seafood Category Manager on the Fresh Team. • Christina Schmidt has been promoted to Category Manager. Christina will manage the Baking, Sweeteners, and Shelf Stable Desserts categories and report directly to Jeremy Adams. • John Hicks will manage the Salty Snacks, Jerky and Meat Snacks, and Alternative Snacks categories. • Tim Dornfeld is adding Cocktails Mixers to his current categories: Pet, Household Cleaners, and General Merchandise.

KeHE currently has have two open positions on the category management team:

Category Manager - Hispanic, Tex-Mex, Caribbean, Frozen Hispanic, Kosher Associate Category Manager Pickle/Pepper/Olive, Shelf Stable Salsa/Dip/Hummus

Trend Evaluation Data Update With shoppers slowly emerging from a year of lockdowns, social restrictions, remote work and changing consumer environment, we are able take a deeper look to see what life after COVID could look like. The past 52 weeks of data may serve as a potential guide to help retailers and brands prepare and plan for the remainder of 2021 and beyond. Several trends have been identified over the past year, which gives us the opportunity to weigh in on which ones may have been temporary, highlight ones that may be here to stay and what we might expect on the horizon. We can also review segments that did not fare well in the wake of the pandemic and evaluate factors that will help them recover.

Total US, SPINS Natural Enhanced Channel, SPINS Regional & Independent Grocery, SPINS Conventional MultiOutlet Channel (powered by IRI) | 52 Weeks Ending 03.21.21.

Natural and Specialty Positioning

While evaluating channel performance, the regional and independent grocery channel recorded the largest growth of the three channels. The desire of shoppers pursuing natural products has truly driven sales to new levels, not only in regional and independent grocery, but for all channels. This is especially true for specialty and wellness products, as over the past year, due to overwhelming health uncertainties, shoppers really leaned into wellness and immunity.

Total US, SPINS Natural Enhanced Channel, SPINS Conventional MultiOutlet Channel (powered by IRI) | 17 Quad Ending 03.21.21. Data indicates shoppers have consistently reached for “clean” items, as natural and specialty products consistently outperform their conventional counterparts. This remains true month-over- month, since the beginning of the pandemic, as consumers continued to prioritize health and wellness. Given the on-going focus on self-health, it is likely this trend will continue throughout the remainder of this year and into 2022.

New Product Impact Throughout 2020, there was a large decline in new product launches, as well as overall products carried in each category. Overall, two-thirds of all categories declined in the average number of items. This trend was consistent across all channels. Although there were many COVID related factors at play, some of the decrease in new products could be a result of lack of trade shows, less product sample opportunities, retailers focused on keeping shelves stocked to meet demand and less shelf/facings experimentation. Other factors could have included manufacturers shifting production to keep up with their primary product demand. As pre-pandemic life begins to return, including the resurrection of tradeshows and in-person meetings, we can expect innovation to ramp back up throughout 2021 and into 2022.

Notable Challenges Aside from new product innovation, some segments fared better than others. Although COVID-19 changed buying patterns overall, some categories flourished during peak buying periods and throughout the pandemic, whereas others lagged. Cosmetic and beauty products saw the largest declines, across all channels, driven by less social engagements, increase in remote working, decrease in outdoor activities and having to constantly wear protective masks. Wellness bars and gels were also impacted negatively, as this category appeals to a large consumer base of “on the go” buyers, gym goers and customers looking for a quick meal replacement. With less people leaving the house, gyms temporarily closed, and more meals being prepared at home, created several challenges for these products. Shelf stable cold cereal also faced buying resistance, as consumers may have opted for frozen breakfast alternatives, or home-cooked substitutes.

Total US, SPINS Natural Enhanced Channel, SPINS Conventional MultiOutlet Channel (powered by IRI) | 52 Weeks Ending 03.21.21. Body Care also experienced its own sets of ups and downs. Expectedly, hand sanitizer and soap segments have maintained significant growth and continue to be must have items. Simplified body care routines, less gym access, and fewer trips outside the home over the past year, have also led to decreased use of deodorants and antiperspirants. All of which will likely rebound as pre-pandemic life resumes.

Top Performers Across food and beverage (F&B), a strong disruption in lifestyle patterns influenced how and when consumers shopped over the past year. The insights derived from the top performing F&B categories develop a picture of habits consumers have built and where trends may head in the future. First, meal and meal prep related categories saw big gains. This was driven by the increase in recipe experimentation, surge in baking interest and at home meal preparation. All of which heavily leveraged segments like shelf stable (SS) baking mix and ingredients, SS seasonings, SS condiments and plant-based meat alternatives. Plant-based meats’ strong performance was also reinforced by COVID-19 era disruptions, such as meat shortages from consumer stockpiling and processing plant closures. As restrictions lessen and more consumers seek away from home meal options, we may see some of the “center of the plate” category growth rates slow, or level off in the coming months.

Total US, SPINS Natural Enhanced Channel, SPINS Conventional MultiOutlet Channel (powered by IRI) | 52 Weeks Ending 03.21.21. Total US, SPINS Natural Enhanced Channel, SPINS Conventional MultiOutlet Channel (powered by IRI) | 52 Weeks Ending 03.21.21. Sorted by category growth. How to Prepare: Tips for 2021/2022

Total US – Natural Enhanced Channel Dollars vs. YAGO Total US – Conventional Channel Dollars vs. YAGO

Rank by sales volume Rank by sales volume

Data Ticker

Looking for more info? Please contact the SPINS Account Manager for Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence, Mike Murphy at [email protected].

Diversity, Inclusion, and the Natural Products Industry – By Steven Hoffman, Food Policy Compass Natural Marketing Senators Wyden, Paul, Merkley Introduce Bipartisan Bill in U.S. Senate to Legalize Sale of Hemp-derived CBD in Dietary Supplements

In a bipartisan move, U.S. Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR), Rand Paul (R-KY) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR) on May 19th introduced S. 1698, the Hemp Access and Consumer Safety Act, in the U.S. Senate, a bill that would allow the sale of CBD and other hemp-derived ingredients in dietary supplements and in food and beverage products.

The Senate bill joins H.R. 841, a bill introduced in February 2021 in the U.S. House of Representatives to allow for the use of CBD in dietary supplements only. The Senate version goes farther in that it also allows for hemp-derived CBD in food and beverage products.

According to a statement from Sen. Wyden’s office, currently, the Food, Drug, and Cosmetics Act prohibits any new dietary ingredient, food, or beverage from entering the market if it has been studied or approved as a drug. The FDA has the authority to exempt items from this prohibition, however, the agency has yet to exempt hemp-derived CBD, despite Congressional action to legalize its production and sale.

By exempting hemp-derived CBD from the prohibition, the FDA can regulate hemp-derived CBD like all other new dietary ingredients, foods, and beverages, Sen. Wyden’s office said.

However, FDA, has stated that hemp-based CBD – or cannabidiol – cannot be lawfully marketed in dietary supplements or added to food and beverages because the compound was first studied as a drug and is currently the active ingredient in the GW Pharmaceuticals’ Epidiolex, approved by the FDA to treat certain forms of epilepsy. According to a summary of S. 1698, the Hemp Access and Consumer Safety Act:

• Gives hemp-derived CBD products an opportunity to lawfully be used in dietary supplements, foods and beverages under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act. • Prioritizes consumer safety, requiring manufacturers to comply with all existing federal regulations for the products that contain CBD. • Ensures that these products are properly labeled. • The Bill text can be found here.

“CBD products are legally being used and produced across the nation, said Sen. Wyden, the bill’s lead sponsor. “Yet because the FDA has failed to update its regulations, consumers and producers remain in a regulatory gray zone. It's been more than two years since I worked with colleagues to have Congress legalize hemp and hemp-derived products. It's long past time for the FDA to get with the program, for the sake of American consumers and farmers.”

“Hemp-derived CBD products and businesses have earned their recognition in the marketplace, but the FDA, unfortunately, hasn't treated them like any other food additive or dietary supplement,” Sen. Paul said. “The Hemp Access and Consumer Safety Act directs the FDA to regulate hemp products properly and provides a huge relief to hemp farmers, processors, and merchants.”

“Every day that the FDA drags its feet to update its CBD regulations, hemp farmers are left guessing about how their products will be regulated, and real economic gains for workers and business owners in Oregon and across the country are left on the table, added Sen. Jeff Merkley, co-sponsor of the bill. “Hemp-derived CBD products are already widely available, and we all need FDA to issue clear regulations for them just like they do for other foods, drinks, and dietary supplements.”

“The leadership of Senators Wyden, Paul, and Merkley in resolving this matter is greatly appreciated, said Michael McGuffin, President of the American Herbal Products Association. “Americans deserve to have assurances that the hemp and CBD products they include in their food and dietary supplement choices are properly regulated. AHPA supports this legislation since it would clarify the lawful pathways for bringing such products to market.”

“We could not be more excited about the successful, bipartisan rollout of S. 1698, which is simply critical for hemp farmers and businesses,” U.S. Hemp Roundtable General Counsel Jonathan Miller told Let’s Talk Hemp. “The hemp and dietary supplement industries are united behind the bill and we’ve also secured the support of leading food and beverage companies and organizations. Now we need the help of the grassroots to push this bill to final passage. We encourage all hemp supporters to go to www.hempsupporter.com to send emails to their Senators, urging them to co-sponsor this vital legislation.”

In addition, Miller interviewed Sen. Wyden on May 24th on U.S. Hemp TV; you can watch the interview here.

The U.S. Hemp Roundtable encourages hemp industry members to urge their Senators to support S. 1698, the Hemp Access and Consumer Safety Act, and also to contact their Representatives to support H.R. 841, the Hemp and Hemp-Derived Consumer Protection and Market Stabilization Act. For your convenience, you can use a pre-written letter here.

The Hemp Access and Consumer Safety Act has support from the Consumer Brands Association, the Wine and Spirits Wholesalers of America, Hemp Roundtable, American Herbal Products Association, Oregon Farm Bureau, Vote Hemp, and the National Industrial Hemp Council.

Grocers Are Lifting Mask Mandates after CDC Issues New Guidelines As the nation loosens public safety restrictions to prevent the spread of COVID-19 infection, grocers are removing mask mandates for customers and in some cases employees who are fully vaccinated. Retailers including Wegmans, Kroger-owned stores, Trader Joe’s, Harris Teeter, Publix, Walmart, Sam’s Club, Walgreen’s, Target, Meijer, Aldi, Costco and others are removing face mask requirements based on new guidelines issued on May 13th by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention which stated that fully vaccinated individuals no longer need to cover their faces indoors.

"Starting May 20th, fully vaccinated customers and most fully vaccinated associates no longer need to wear a mask in our facilities, including stores, distribution centers, plants and offices, unless otherwise indicated by state or local jurisdiction," said the Kroger Co. in a statement on the company’s website. "If there is a state or local mandate, please follow that requirement and timing,” the company added. Kroger will continue to require that non- vaccinated employees wear a face mask, and the grocer requests that non-vaccinated customers continue to wear a face mask. Employees will need to provide proof of vaccination to work without masks, the grocer said. Associates in its pharmacy and clinic locations will be required to continue to wear a mask due to CDC’s guidance for healthcare settings. Kroger added, “We will continue to respect the choice of individuals who prefer to continue to wear a mask.” In addition, Kroger is offering a $100 one-time incentive payment to associates for receiving the COVID-19 vaccine.

Whole Foods Market announced in May that Whole Foods Market team members and Prime shoppers are required to wear face masks, reported WRAL in Raleigh, North Carolina. However, customers who are fully vaccinated can now shop without a mask.

Natural Grocers on May 24th updated the natural retail chain’s mask guidelines, as follows: “We require customers who are not fully vaccinated to wear face coverings in our stores per the most recent CDC recommendations. We will not be asking customers to prove their vaccination status to shop in our stores, unless required to do so by government mandate; we will be relying on the honor system for compliance. We understand that certain of our customers subject to our policy may be unable to wear a face covering while shopping in our stores. Under these circumstances, we are pleased to provide curbside pickup and delivery through Instacart to allow continuing access to our goods and services,” Natural Grocers said. The company requires employees to wear face coverings at all times, and added that currently, the state of Oregon requires that customers provide proof of vaccination to go maskless indoors, the grocer said.

Sprouts Farmers Market also updated its face mask policy, stating on Instagram, “Vaccinated customers are now welcome to shop without a mask! We’ll continue to encourage non-vaccinated customers to wear face coverings while shopping and will continue to follow state and city mask ordinances where masks are required.”

© 2021 Presence Marketing, Inc. 17 Diversity, Inclusion, and the Natural Products Industry – By Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural Marketing Some grocery workers have expressed concern that CDC’s new guidelines put them back in the center of the face mask debate. Fox News reported that “n ow, some workers say the end of mask mandates has put them in a new position of having to explain their employers' mask policies, manage anxious s hoppers and assess whether unmasked customers are indeed vaccinated, all while potentially risking their own health.”

Thrive Market Wants to Be the First Climate Positive Grocer Thrive Market, the online natural products retail marketplace founded in 2014 by Nick Green, Gunnar Lovelace, Kate Mulling and Sasha Siddhartha, has set a new goal to become the nation’s first “climate-positive grocer.” The company saw sales skyrocket in 2020 during the pandemic and now CEO Nick Green says it wants to take those profits – and momentum – to pursue how it can reduce plastic packaging and overall waste, among other objectives.

“We are committing to not only minimize our negative environmental impact, but have a net positive effect on the climate specifically,” Green told Forbes Magazine. “The big message that we’re trying to send, which we hope other companies will embrace as well, is that doing less harm isn’t enough. We should all be thinking about what we can do to actually make things better to help heal the planet after a century in which we’ve done more harm than all prior centuries combined. Specifically, at Thrive Market that means committing to going carbon negative as a company by 2025 (right now we are carbon neutral), making our zero waste practices official with a TRUE Zero Waste certification in 2022, and going fully plastic neutral, as well, by 2023. We’re already proud to be the largest grocer ever to receive B Corp certification and looking forward to recertifying in October 2023 with even stronger commitments to both social impact, environmental stewardship and investment in our people,” Green told Forbes.

Said Thrive Market’s Chief Merchandising Officer Jeremiah McElwee, “The biggest inherent challenge is balancing out high quality, value and values- driven products being packaged in truly environmentally responsible formats. At present, those options can still cost five to 10 times what the more conventional options cost. So you can have a product that retails for $1.99 and the package itself costs $1. That means the customer would have to pay that premium when just affording healthy, organic food can be a challenge for many on a limited budget. Our approach is to create step functions so that we start with reduction always, then we move toward innovation and, ultimately, end of life solutions. Right now, we have multiple pilots exploring both compostability and upcycling solutions for our shipping materials and product packaging,” he told Forbes.

As part of its Climate Positive initiative, the company identified three key areas of focus: carbon footprint, zero waste, and excess plastic. For more information on Thrive Market’s commitment to becoming the world’s first climate positive grocery store, visit here. ePallet Offers Innovative Online Platform for Wholesale Buyers Utilizing a proprietary, artificial intelligence (AI)-driven, web-based platform, ePallet is disrupting the traditional wholesale business model by providing customers with user friendly, direct access to what it claims is a more efficient and cost-effective way to buy and sell food and consumables in full-pallet increments.

Think of it perhaps as the “Amazon for wholesale buyers,” serving foodservice operators in hospitality, restaurants, healthcare, corporate and institutional kitchens, K-12 schools, colleges and universities, retailers and grocers, manufacturers, and others – and helping businesses and organizations in North America secure their supply chain from a wider range of sources, said ePallet cofounder and CEO James Kwon.

Working under the slogan “True Wholesale,” ePallet’s business model provides a single-source platform for buyers to purchase affordable, quality food, grocery, and foodservice products from a diverse range of trusted global and local brands, including a wide array of natural and organic products, with no hidden costs, said Kwon.

“ePallet offers an innovative approach that disrupts the traditional supply chain where layers of middlemen typically add markups of 10% to 40%,” Kwon noted. “With ePallet's machine-learning platform, customers benefit from real-time, net-net delivered pricing in full-pallet increments.” ePallet also offers wholesale customers the option to build mixed-pallet orders from vendors. The company is open to working with vendors, retailers, and foodservice operators in the natural products channel. Visit www.ePallet.com.

PepsiCo Announces Goal to Expand Regenerative Farming Practices on Seven Million Acres by 2030 PepsiCo announced in late April that the company is launching an ambitious, impact-driven “Positive Agriculture” strategy with the goal of spreading regenerative agriculture practices across seven million acres of farmland by 2030, which the company says is approximately equal to its entire agricultural footprint.

“Any plan to tackle the urgent challenges facing the global food system must address agriculture, the source of nourishment for billions and a key lever to address climate change and inequality,” said PepsiCo Chairman and CEO Ramon Laguarta.

PepsiCo estimates the initiative will eliminate at least 3 million tons of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) by the end of the decade. Additional 2030 goals within its Positive Agriculture agenda include improving the livelihoods of more than 250,000 people in its agricultural supply chain, and sustainably sourcing 100% of its key ingredients, the company said.

“One big part of Positive Agriculture is extending regenerative farming practices – a set of techniques that improve and restore ecosystems with a focus on building soil health and fertility, reducing carbon emissions, enhancing watershed management, increasing biodiversity and improving farmer livelihoods. Partnering with farmers, PepsiCo will spread the adoption of these practices across seven million acres, approximately equal to the company’s entire agricultural footprint. The growers behind products like Lay’s potato chips, Quaker oats and Tropicana orange juice will be driving forces,” the company said.

“Today, we're accelerating our Positive Agriculture agenda, because we know we have to do even more to create truly systemic change,” said Jim Andrew, PepsiCo’s Chief Sustainability Officer. “By focusing on regenerative agriculture practices at the local level to build soil health, we can build a stronger foundation for our products and help make the entire food system more sustainable.”

Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural, providing brand marketing, PR, social media, and strategic business development services to natural, organic, sustainable and hemp/CBD products businesses. Hoffman also serves as Editor of Let’s Talk Hemp Media. Contact [email protected].

Regenerative Agriculture Meets Wall Street: Join Robyn O'Brien, rePlant Capital, and Coffee Talk Pam Shepherd, Manna Tree Partners, on Compass Coffee Talk, June 16, 11:30 A.M. EDT

Get the latest dirt on why soil is the future and hear from rePlant Capital’s Co-founder and Managing Director Robyn O’Brien alongside finance expert Pam Shepherd, Managing Director, Manna Tree Partners on the next Compass Coffee Talk WEDNESDAY, JUNE 16, 11:30 AM – NOON EDT Zoom, Admission is Free

At rePlant Capital, O’Brien diligently works to reverse climate change through the deployment of a series of proprietary funds focused on U.S. farmers. On Compass Coffee Talk, she will share her perspective on the future of organic farming and how financing plays a part in transitioning American farmland to regenerative and organic agriculture. Also joining Compass Coffee Talk is Pam Shepherd who brings 18 years of financial, transactional, and operational expertise to Manna Tree, an investment firm dedicated to improving human health through nutrition with forward-thinking strategies that make a global impact.

About Robyn O’Brien Internationally acclaimed by the New York Times and Bloomberg, O’Brien was recently recognized by Forbes Magazine on its Impact 50 List for her work in food and agriculture. O’Brien’s TEDx talk (based on her book, The Unhealthy Truth, Random House) exposes the shortcomings in the food system. It has been watched by millions, translated into dozens of languages, and influenced policy, legislation, and product formulation in the food industry. Prior to founding rePlant Capital, Robyn advised CEOs and executives at multinational CPG companies, startups,

and farm organizations and worked on a team that managed $20 billion in assets.

About Pam Shepherd Pam spent eight years in investment finance, on the buy-side as a Vice President at Greenmont Capital Partners, working with healthy living companies like Eco-Products, Madhava, and EcoSmart. She also worked on the sell- side at St. Charles Capital, where she closed over $300 million in total transaction value. Most recently, Pam served as the COO and CFO of The Boppy Company for six years, a global consumer products company supporting mothers. As a former operator, Pam has a deep understanding of the challenges faced by growth-stage companies, and as a former investor, she understands how to best drive and support shareholder value creation

for Manna Tree investors.

THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS!

About Compass Coffee Talk Take a 30-minute virtual coffee break with Compass Coffee Talk™. Hosted by natural industry veterans Bill Capsalis and Steve Hoffman, Coffee Talk features lively interactive conversations with industry leaders and experts designed to help guide entrepreneurs and businesses of any size succeed in the market for natural, organic, regenerative, hemp-derived, and other eco-friendly products.

Compass Coffee Talk™ is produced by Compass Natural Marketing, a leading PR, branding, and business development agency serving the natural and organic products industry. Learn more.

VI EW O UR PA ST C OMPASS COFFEE TALK EPISODES ON YOUTUBE

June 2021 Update from Natural Products Expo Virtual That Works

Natural Products Expo Virtual (NPEV) is THE place to connect with industry peers, explore and discover new brands and products, AND stay on top of what is driving change and conversations in the natural products industry.

The virtual tradeshow floor continues to add new brands and products every single day so each time you come back, you’re sure to find something new. We’re also making it super easy to find something unique or particular by adding filtering options such as BIPOC-owned, vegan, immune health, and more. Click here to see a list of brands you’ll find on the platform.

When you register for NPEV, you get access to all the following virtual events AND their on-demand sessions after each show. This means, you’ll have access to everything from Expo West Virtual Week! Our on-demand content can be filtered by type, themes and show name.

Learn more about this platform and get registered by clicking here!

Jesse Hanenburg’s Volunteer Day at Farmer Frog Presence Gives Farmer Frog has long had a mission of sharing sustainable food practices, with school gardens, educational programs, and various growing systems on the organization’s home base land in Woodinville, Washington. Their mission of “Spouting simple change” has grown in unexpected ways, but always with a focus on nurturing communities and empowering people.

At the beginning of the pandemic, they began making local deliveries of fresh produce and eggs throughout the greater Seattle area to quarantined individuals. I helped with some of those initial runs, but now their Food Rescue program has expanded to receive increased donations and feed many more families in need, reaching as far as Alaska.

Despite the attention their food program requires, they still have a functional farm with a wide array of rescued animals to care for. So, there is always something to do and to learn each visit! During my volunteer day, I partnered with an intern from a local college agricultural program and here are some of our exciting adventures:

We planted hundreds of pea seedlings around the banana trees to increase the nitrogen in the soil, which the bananas need for optimum growth. We seeded compost with what Native Americans called “The Three Sisters”: Corn, beans, and summer squash, so that they can grow together in symbiosis.

We transplanted strawberry starts from their soil and into a home-made aquaponics system in a hot house. We placed 50 large, donated potted plants throughout the “Food Forest” to create a border. We pulled weeds through our day and as they are never sprayed with pesticides, we were able to share the dandelions with the grateful and pushy goats.

After lunch (the goats wait eagerly for apple cores) we visited the newly installed “Poultry Village”, which is a literal village teaming with chickens of all sizes, guinea fowl, ducks, and turkeys. One turkey gathered various eggs and has been diligently hatching a mixed-species family. Always at attention are Sirius and Fergus, livestock guardian dogs who take their jobs seriously; but do enjoy a break occasionally to get some human attention.

The dedicated Farmer Frog team not only cares for all these animals, but shares pictures and videos on social media; including the introduction of Lord Farquaad “the beautiful and mean peacock who lives behind a fence because of his attitude.” While I did not get to meet him; perhaps my day was better for it. As always, a great and enriching time helping at Farmer Frog!

Remembering Carla Bartolucci In Memoriam It is with deep sadness that we mourn the passing of Carla Bartolucci, Jovial Foods, Inc. Co- founder, and Chief Executive Officer, who passed away on Saturday, May 22nd at her home in Italy surrounded by her family after a brief illness. Carla was a remarkable person. An extraordinary entrepreneur, successful author, renowned baker, and gifted photographer, but more importantly a caring sister, wonderful mother, and loving wife. We will miss her and her amazing spirit terribly. Carla took great pride in connecting the small farms and artisanal producers in Italy with consumers here in the U.S. via the company’s products.

Jovial Foods, Inc. was founded by a husband and wife team who have always been passionate about food, farming, and traditions. Carla and Rodolfo were both born into families of talented home cooks, and food was at the center of their childhoods. They also have a love of the past, and focus their product lines around ancient grain ingredients and traditional food preparation during manufacturing.

Once Carla and Rodolfo had children, they discovered their daughter had gluten sensitivity. Carla and Rodolfo soon suspected that changes in wheat and other varieties of plants over the years were contributing to the increasing number of children with food intolerances. Looking to the past for answers, they discovered a nearly extinct ancient grain called einkorn, nature’s original wheat. In einkorn, Carla and Rodolfo found a wheat their daughter could flourish with. They realized they had to bring einkorn back to help other families. They both were professionals in the organic food industry, so they established the jovial brand to help address the many issues faced by those with food sensitivities. Jovial is all about family, feeling good, celebrating life, and showing love with good food. Jovial is a small, woman and family-owned company and promises to stay that way. Carla’s oldest daughter, Giulia, whose sensitivities to gluten led Carla and her husband Rodolfo and brother Mike to build the jovial brand, will be joining the company to help us continue its mission. Knowing that Giulia, who has grown up in both of those worlds, will be helping shape the company’s bright future would undoubtedly make Carla even prouder. Please join us in keeping Rodolfo, Giulia, Livia, and Mike as well as the rest of Carla’s extended family in your prayers during this time of mourning. May her memory be a blessing.

Remembering Rebecca Ruth Reinhardt Roy

Rebecca Ruth Reinhardt Roy, formerly of Gastonia, North Carolina, passed away on May 24th in Alexandria, Virginia, following a courageous eleven-month fight against Large Cell Neuroendocrine Cancer.

Rebecca was born in Richmond County, North Carolina, on June 15th, 1978 and moved with her family to Gastonia, North Carolina shortly after, where she spent her childhood.

Very early on, Rebecca developed a lifelong love of learning and reading. Graduating with honors in 1996, Rebecca continued her academic studies as an undergraduate student in foods and nutrition at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She later transferred to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, where she graduated with honors, obtaining dual bachelor’s degrees in theater and theater education.

An Equity Actor, Rebecca began her professional career with The Barter Players Company at Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. During her tenure with Barter, she served as an actor, stage manager, company tour manager, and in a variety of other roles, ultimately serving as the Director of Outreach. Rebecca relocated to Alexandria, Virginia in 2012, where she continued performance studies at the Studio Theatre Acting Conservatory in Washington, D.C. She also served the conservatory as a work-study volunteer.

When not actively in a performance, Rebecca worked in the food industry, beginning as a Team Member for Whole Foods Market, where she met her husband. She moved on to become a Food Broker for Presence Marketing and had just begun as an Account Executive with International Gourmet Foods shortly before her diagnosis.

Until her death, Rebecca served on the Board of Directors of the Washington Improv Theater in Washington, D.C. A lifelong avid reader, Rebecca also was a passionate yogi. She trained to become a yoga instructor at Radiance Yoga in Alexandria, Virginia, earning her certification in 2017. Rebecca taught yoga at the Mount Vernon Recreational Center, also in Alexandria, Virginia.

Rebecca is preceded in death by her grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Louis L. Brown and Mr. and Mrs. Harry L. Starnes. She is survived by her husband, Damon Michael Roy, and son, Cameron Damon Roy, of Alexandria, Virginia; her parents, Ronnie and Marty Starnes of Gastonia, North Carolina; her parents-in-law, Bill and Kim Roy, and sisters-in-law, Elizabeth Roy and Rebecca Roy, of Manchester, New Hampshire. She also is survived and loved by numerous uncles and aunts.

Rebecca leaves behind many communities of deep friendships forged over a lifetime, never meeting a stranger nor making an enemy. All who saw Rebecca wanted to know her, and all who knew Rebecca loved her dearly. She signed every email with one simple quote from the film Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure — “Be excellent to each other.”

© 2021 Presence Marketing, Inc. 21 May Anniversaries Milestones Lorraine Kayser Presence Marketing - National 29 Years Jill Whitehill Dynamic Presence - Midwest 22 Years Tracy Sloyer Dynamic Presence - Midwest 15 Years Joanne Maurer Presence Marketing - East 14 Years Cindy Huffman Dynamic Presence - East 14 Years Gladys Schild Presence Marketing - East 14 Years Mike Seina Presence Marketing - National 14 Years James Garfield Presence Marketing - East 14 Years Errol Bennett Dynamic Presence - East 10 Years Ashley Knott Dynamic Presence - Northwest 10 Years Ayn Quan Presence Marketing - Northwest 9 Years Shannon Armstrong Presence Marketing - West 9 Years Tobi Heroux Presence Marketing - East 8 Years Daniel Hyatt Presence Marketing - Northwest 7 Years Roe Bales Presence Marketing - Midwest 7 Years Adam Yomtov Presence Marketing - East 7 Years Candi Hagar Presence Marketing - East 7 Years Brooks Marsh Presence Marketing - National 6 Years Rachel Jarmolinski Dynamic Presence - Midwest 6 Years Brian McElhaney Dynamic Presence - Rocky Mountain 6 Years Robert Carlson-Moeller Dynamic Presence - East 6 Years Tasha Goodell Presence Marketing - National 5 Years Corey Cloutier Dynamic Presence - East 5 Years Laura Hausman Presence Marketing - Midwest 5 Years Lucinda Kehoe Dynamic Presence - Northwest 5 Years Nichole Santoro Presence Marketing - National 4 Years Heidi Gluchman Presence Marketing - National 4 Years Noura Khoury Dynamic Presence - Rocky Mountain 4 Years Tim Gamberdella Dynamic Presence - Rocky Mountain 4 Years Cheryl Edwards Dynamic Presence - East 3 Years Gary Markowitz Presence Marketing - East 3 Years Robin Freund Dynamic Presence - East 2 Years Lindy Gerlach Presence Marketing - National 2 Years Christine Gauthier Presence Marketing - National 2 Years

© 2021 Presence Marketing, Inc. 22 New Arrivals We are pleased to announce that Presence Marketing/Dynamic We are pleased to announce that Dynamic Presence NBC Account Presence Trade Promotion Management Coordinator Andrew Harris Executive Cameron Hoehn welcomed Emmett Francis Hoehn on May welcomed Fletcher Harris on May 19th. Fletcher weighed 8 pounds 25th. Fletcher weighed 7 pounds 2 ounces and was 20 inches long. and was 21 inches long. Both mom and baby are happy and healthy. Both mom and baby are happy and healthy. Congratulations to Congratulations to Andrew and his family! Cameron and his family!

Fletcher Harris Emmett Francis Hoehn

New Hires

Presence Marketing Dynamic Presence

Midwest Midwest Lee Saunders AR Coordinator Chris Woods Account Executive Cheryl Sedlack Senior Accountant Danielle Calderone Sales Assistant West Kyle Maynard Sales Representative Erika Ranahan Sales Representative

Job Openings Help Wanted

Location Department Job Title Remote Management National Brand Manager Remote Sales National Account Executive Remote Clerical Sales Assistant/Trade Show Coordinator East Sales Account Executive Midwest Sales Account Executive Northwest Sales Retail Services Representative

For more information regarding job opportunities visit http://www.pmidpi.com/careers/ or email [email protected].

Contributing Editors  East – Jacob Cook  Midwest – Milton Zimmerman  Southwest – Crystal Stauffer  Northwest – Gabriela Fox  Rocky Mountains – Kayla Wigle  West – Shannon Armstrong  Distributor News – Pete Psaledas  Data/SPINS – Jerry Stroobosscher