Inside Wakefern’s Commitment to Local Sourcing
On July 9, Wakefern Food Corp. held a Produce Local Supplier Summit at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center, in Edison, N.J., providing growers with the opportunity to showcase their produce and products, meet with Wakefern and ShopRite produce procurement teams, and look into other potential retail partnerships with fellow attendees. The one-day event also featured special presentations by Wakefern leaders in produce sourcing and quality assurance, panels with co-op members who operate ShopRite stores, and industry leaders and local suppliers, as well as the chance for attendees to take part in “speed meetings” with existing suppliers to find out more about working with Wakefern.
To find out more about how the Keasbey, N.J.-based retailer cooperative approaches sourcing, Progressive Grocer connected with Ross Farnsworth, Wakefern’s VP of produce and floral.
Progressive Grocer: Why is it important for retailers to offer locally sourced products?
Ross Farnsworth: Our Wakefern cooperative is made up of families who live and work in the communities where their ShopRite stores operate. For us, it starts at the local level, and that’s why we are committed to sourcing fresh fruits and vegetables from local farmers and growers. Our family-owned supermarkets also have a natural synergy with family-owned farms and businesses in the community. That’s why our No. 1 priority is always to source produce and products as close to our market as possible.
PG: What specifically does Wakefern look for in local suppliers?
RF: We look for suppliers who share our commitment to bringing great products to customers.
Our Produce Local Supplier Summit was an opportunity to celebrate local growers who are passionate about what they do. The event also complemented ShopRite’s We Are Farm Fresh Here campaign. The summer promotion puts the spotlight on some of the local family farms that we work with, including the Donio family, of Donio Farms; the Heilig family, of Heilig Orchards; and the Macrie family, of the Macrie Bros. Blueberry Farm.
These growers often represent the third, fourth and fifth generations of their family businesses – much like our Wakefern members represent multi-generational grocery businesses. We appreciate their commitment to quality and hope to bring more family farms and local grower entrepreneurs into our Wakefern family. The bottom line is that we want our customers to understand that we are here in the community and committed to sourcing the very best produce.
PG: Describe the process for suppliers applying to have their products carried at Wakefern banners. How has it changed over the years?
RF: Today, we often reach out directly to local suppliers, vendors and growers in the community. We want to help them understand how they can work with our supermarket cooperative and how we can help them bring their products to market. We hosted the Produce Local Supplier Summit this year to enhance that outreach and offer potential supplier growers an opportunity to meet with us and other growers in our network so they can better understand what it means to be part of Wakefern.
PG: What resources does Wakefern offer for emerging suppliers?
RF: At Wakefern, our mission is to help small businesses succeed in a big business world. As a retailer-owned cooperative made up of family-owned businesses, we know the power of taking a small family business and backing it with Wakefern’s marketing, logistics and merchandising services. The combined knowledge of our member retailers and Wakefern staff helps drive our success.
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PG: What are product trends that you’re seeing that you believe will gain momentum among shoppers, and how do you plan to address those trends at the local level?
RF: The organics category is very strong, and the market for organics continues to grow. But organic produce can be more difficult to grow and is more likely to be impacted by weather events. We were excited to be one of the first to launch an organic greenhouse strawberry program in 2023. We started working with an Ohio-based greenhouse that grows organic strawberries. The organic greenhouse is one of the first of its kind in North America, and it has helped us bring great organic strawberries to our stores during otherwise challenging times of the year.
We are also very excited to work with growers like Little Leaf Farms, which uses controlled environmental agriculture to help us source fresh, delicious and local lettuce year-round. Little Leaf Farms uses sustainable, high-tech hydroponic greenhouses to grow fresh and pesticide- free local lettuce that can get to ShopRite stores in a day.
