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GOURMET NEWS NOVEMBER 2018 www.gourmetnews.com NEWS & NOTES 7 Tessemae's CEO Says Family Dinners May Just Save the World in New TEDx Talk Tessemae's Founder and CEO Greg Vetter's TEDx Talk has gained overnight attention by taking a new look at an old habit that can help families drastically improve their lives and maybe even save the world-the family dinner. Vetter, who 10 years ago founded Tesse- mae's, the number one organic salad dress- ing company in the country, spoke about the power of making dinner together again in his TEDx talk titled "The Dinner Habit: The Recipe for Change." "With childhood obesity and type 2 di- abetes on a sharp rise; and school shoot- ings, bullying, tech addiction, and suicide reaching epidemic proportions amongst kids, we talk about something drastic needing to happen," Vetter said. "But, I would argue, the solution might be as sim- ple as making and eating family dinners together. Vetter went back to the roots of Tesse- mae's dressing, where it all began; he went back to the dinner table. Vetter spoke about the realization that every im- portant skill he has learned in life, and hopes to instill in his children, came from making meals with his family as a young boy. These skills learned early on allowed Vetter to build a game changing business that stemmed from a family recipe and a habit of gathering around the dinner table. "Think about it. Could it be that the process of building and creating a meal to- gether is the exact template to tackle any other pursuit – working together, organiz- ing, communicating, planning, adjusting, executing?" Vetter added. In his TEDx talk, Vetter explains how for the first time in American history people are spending more on bars and restaurants than on groceries. He goes on to question that if all great change begins at the family dinner table, but Americans aren't sitting at it, than what? Vetter takes inspiration from Admiral William McRaven who said, "If you want to change the world, start off by making your bed." That sounds easy enough Vetter says, but he went on to say that when you try and do it daily, you understand that something as small as making your bed can turn into a much larger impact on you day, and in turn, your life. The Dinner Habit: The Recipe for Change is a simple, bold, uncompromising and inspiring look at how a simple act of bringing dinner back to family table may be able to save the world. GN BrandStorm Continued from PAGE 1 speakers that they've not yet experienced through other industry education. Those will include a keynote from Kara Goldin, the Chief Executive Officer of hint ® , inc., a brand of fruit-infused water designed to turn the everyday experience of hydration into a better, healthier experience without adding either a lot of sugar or artificial sweeteners to the water. In addition, the conference will offer eight breakout workshops and 12 X-Change ses- sions, which offer the opportunity for facil- itated dialog on a given topic that draws on the contributions of attendees. "There's no presentation in the X-Changes. They're cre- ated to allow organic conversation with peers facing similar challenges," Coppola said. "The peer-to-peer networking and in- formation sharing in these sessions has al- ways been a critical component of BrandStorm programming." "Networking also is a big piece of the value of attending BrandStorm," she con- tinued. "Retailers will have the opportunity to network with produce brands in an en- vironment where the focus is on delivering value to the consumer. And produce brands want to work with retailers to learn how to better coordinate their efforts." The networking will provide retailers and produce marketers alike with an opportu- nity to hone their strategies, particularly with respect to the emerging technologies that promise new ways to communicate ef- fective marketing messages. "The more dialogue that we can partici- pate in together about brand storytelling, the more consistent the story is for the con- sumer," Coppola said. "A coordinated ef- fort between the brand and the retailer prevents confusion for the consumer and strengthens the brand's value proposition." Hosted by the 45 industry leaders who comprise the United Fresh Produce Mar- keting & Merchandising Council, Brand- Storm offers the only annual opportunity for produce marketers to gather to dive into marketing education, idea-sharing and in- novative dialogue with peers and col- leagues alike. The event will be held February 20-22, 2019, at the Hotel Nikko in San Francisco, California. United Fresh members can attend Brand- Storm for $695 with discounts offered to marketing teams (from the same company) at the reduced rate of $645 each when you register two or more colleagues. Non-mem- bers can attend for $895. Registration is open now at www.unitedfreshbrandstorm.org. For more information about BrandStorm educa- tion, registration or to sponsor at the event, contact Mary Coppola at 202.303.3425. Re- tailers who'd like to lead a session are partic- ularly encouraged to call. GN Meijer Recognized for its Contribution to Cleaner Air Meijer has, for the first time, been named a SmartWay ® Excellence Award winner in two categories simultaneously – as a ship- per and a carrier – by the U.S. Environmen- tal Protection Agency (EPA). Meijer is the only SmartWay partner to receive the rare distinction of being recog- nized in both categories simultaneously. Meijer has been recognized as a SmartWay award recipient in the past – as a shipping partner in 2017 and as a carrier partner in 2007. The SmartWay Excellence Award is the EPA's highest recognition. The award rec- ognizes the top retail and manufacturing carriers and shippers that demonstrate how their logistical operations make a measur- able difference in reducing carbon emis- sions, while also effectively managing fuel costs as they move goods around the coun- try. SmartWay Excellence Awardees lead their industries in improving freight effi- ciency and contributing to cleaner air within their supply chains. "On behalf of the hard-working men and women that make up our logistics team here at Meijer, we are elated to re- ceive such a distinct honor by the EPA's SmartWay," said Tom McCall, Vice Presi- dent of Logistics for Meijer. "Our team members are driven to constantly monitor and improve the efficiency of our fleet with the mission to minimize our carbon footprint in the communities where we do business." Meijer operates a fleet of 250 semi- trucks that cover more than 25 million miles each year. In the spirit of relentless improvement, Meijer has also built a best- in-class clean diesel fleet and invested in energy efficiency within its retail opera- tions, including its commitment to retrofit each of its more than 240 retail locations with LED lighting by 2021. Meijer re- ported the change will reduce its lighting electrical use by as much as 50 percent an- nually. "Today, EPA is honoring top-performing SmartWay Partners with this year's 2018 SmartWay Excellence Award, for their lead- ership in moving more goods with less fuel," EPA's Assistant Administrator of the Office of Air and Radiation Bill Wehrum said. "These companies inspire others in the freight sector to invest in innovative technologies and business practices that save fuel, while reducing costs and protect- ing the environment." Meijer is constantly monitoring the emissions from its refrigerated trailers. All refrigerated units are programmed with "cycle sentry." Cycle-Sentry automatically regulates the engine as refrigeration is needed. This technology enables Meijer to realize a fuel savings of nearly 80 percent, increase the life of its engines, and reduce maintenance costs. Meijer also uses three, Tier 4 CARB hy- brid/electric shore powered refrigerated units at its distribution facilities, and its stock dock doors run on electricity only. This reduces operating and maintenance expenses, eliminates local diesel emissions, and meets local noise ordinances. These hybrid units are now the standard specifi- cation for new unit purchases. GN June, Whole Foods Market Partner on Smart Oven June, the company that pioneered the smart oven market and recently announced the launch of a second generation do-it-all oven, is partnering with Whole Foods Mar- ket to use the latest in smart oven technol- ogy to help people cook. Through the partnership, foods sold at Whole Foods Market will be integrated into the June chef-created custom Cook-Programs for specific foods and recipes. "This is the first partnership of its kind and allows us to deliver a unique benefit to both June owners and Whole Foods Market shoppers, all of whom are busy but priori- tize eating well," said Matt Van Horn, co- Founder and CEO of June. "We are working together toward a shared goal of helping people eat healthier and cook more." Through an over the air software update, all June ovens will feature a Whole Foods Market icon on the user interface, begin- ning today. One tap, chef-developed Cook- Programs will allow users to automatically make more than thirty 365 Everyday Value products and other foods sold in Whole Foods Market stores, from fresh salmon with lemon thyme rub to pork andouille sausage to frozen vegetable medley. "It's our mission to bring the highest quality experience, convenience and inno- vation to our customers," said Norma Quon, a Senior Director of Global Market- ing for Whole Foods Market. "As adoption of smart cooking continues to grow expo- nentially, this partnership allows us to pro- vide a unique offering that makes it even easier for shoppers to enjoy their favorite Whole Foods Market products." June is seven appliances in one: a convec- tion oven, air fryer, dehydrator, slow cooker, broiler, toaster and warming drawer. Users can control the oven, watch food being cooked and be notified when food is ready via the June app or by simply asking Alexa. With its latest iteration released in August, June Oven has increased its household reach exponentially and sold out of its first two batches within a month after launch. GN

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