Oser Communications Group

GOURMET NEWS JUNE 2014 www.gourmetnews.com GENERAL NEWS 1 0 Branding Continued from PAGE 1 and President of Dine Marketing, echoes Hartman's observations, arguing that the American food retail landscape is moving in a decidedly niche direction. "You can't be all things to all people, and in doing so, you're nothing to nobody," he said. "The world is becoming more niche. The places where you buy food are becoming more niche." For Cornyn, the key to finding success in today's world of food retail may be in prop- erly identifying one's clientele and directly reaching out to this specific demographic. In short, retailers have to develop a clear brand for themselves that reflects the cus- tomers they hope to bring into the store. "Consumers are looking for more cu- rated retail environments and that has to do with two things: They want to find products that are unique, and the second is about the retail experience and that there is something unique in that as well," said Cornyn. "When you look at consumers and what they're looking for, they want their so- cial needs met and their cultural needs met. It isn't just about the food itself." Today, examples of stores seeking to meet the social and cultural needs of their clienteles can be found in nearly every city in the country. Cornyn points out one in particular that recently caught his atten- tion, a Brooklyn Whole Foods that brews its own beer and features a vinyl record sec- tion in the store. Specialized retail opera- tions like this one cease to be mere supermarkets, instead morphing into local institutions, drawing consumers in as the centerpieces of their communities. As retailers attempt to more effectively meet the social and cultural needs of the local consumer base and subsequently de- velop a singular identity for themselves, the first step is to decide what exactly that identity should be. "You have to look at your competitive set of who you're doing business against and do something that isn't ubiquitous everywhere else. If there's a big box store down the street, you're never going to win on price or selection. Pick a mix that is unique and makes you 'you' in the marketplace," said Cornyn. "As a retailer, you have to figure out what it is that sets you apart from the set that is within 10 miles of your store." One way in particular that a retailer can set itself apart from the pack and develop a clear identity for itself is through offering a unique, carefully curated selection of prod- ucts from the right specialty food brands. "I think that sort of speaks to authentic- ity," said Janine Somers, Marketing Director for specialty food company Stonewall Kitchen. "If you want to be a successful specialty food retailer, you need to walk the walk. You want to bring in products that re- ally sort of epitomize what the specialty food industry stands for." "The most successful retailers are the ones who focus on [a certain number of] products rather than having a thousand dif- ferent products. What is the focus of my store?" added Mike Tott, President of fellow specialty food brand Gourmet du Village. "I think the store has to have a focus and then expand from there." For a retailer attempting to establish its unique identity, it is important to stock the shelves with brands that reinforce that identity. Both Stonewall Kitchen and Gour- met du Village strive to develop retail part- nerships with companies that echo their own brand. "We're really thinking high end pre- mium. When we're looking to partner with retailers, we're looking for retailers who are also committed to quality and a higher end product," said Somers. "We partner with trusted brands." "We don't do any direct advertising for consumers. In terms of branding, we brand and we advertise to retailers. Retailers have always been the direct pathway to con- sumers," echoed Tott. "Retailers have a clientele. Their customers trust them to help them find good products." In addition to focusing on offering prod- ucts that relate to a store's unique brand, it is also important for retailers to create a shopping experience that is somehow meaningful to the customer. This can be done by offering products that directly re- late to the customer and his or her commu- nity, or it can also be done by telling a story within the store. "From a retailer's point of view, they want to deal with someone who has a story—not just another product on the shelf," said Tott. For a smaller retailer with limited shelf space, it is important to stock those shelves with special products that do more than simply satisfy appetites. They must also strive to satisfy the consumer's social and cultural needs. Of course, in the end, nothing is going to bring a customer into a retail space if the products offered simply do not convey the perception of quality. Stocking well re- spected specialty food brands that are known for their high quality offerings is the surest way to drive in-store traffic. "When it comes down to it, it isn't the brand. It isn't the packaging. It is the taste," said Tott. "I can sell a novelty specialty package of this or that once. But if it isn't good value, and it doesn't taste good, it's gone. We've seen many brands come and go based on novelty. At the end of the day it comes down to taste." GN Trade Show Buzz The International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Asso- ciation's™ 50th annual seminar and expo, Dairy-Deli-Bake 2014, will be held in Den- ver, Colo., at the Colorado Convention Center, June 1-3. The theme for this year's show is Camp Foodie. The IDDBA show is a full-service semi- nar and expo with qualified retail buyers and merchandisers, the best dairy, deli, bak- ery, cheese, foodservice products, packag- ing and services, as well as the highest-rated speakers in the business. In addition, IDDBA refers to the annual event as "The Show of Shows," because it features an extensive seminar program, a wealth of pre-qualified retail buyers, merchandisers, and executives, over 1,700 booths filled with the very best products and services in fresh food and world-class merchandising ideas and demonstrations. IDDBA recently announced the lineup of speakers scheduled to offer their wis- dom to show attendees. This year's speakers include Captain Richard Phillips, Bobby Flay, Steve Forbes, Pey- ton Manning, Peter Diamandis, Harry Balzer, Gary Vaynerchuk, Harold Lloyd, Laurie Demeritt, Bill Klump, Mary Kay O'Connor and others. This year, the International Dairy-Deli- Bakery Association is proud to present the Show & Sell Center, a 10,000-square-feet retail merchandising and idea center. The Show & Sell Center will allow attendees to experience a number of creative new mer- chandising concepts on display, including ideas for bakery/cake, cheese, deli and pre- pared meals. Another highly anticipated Dairy-Deli- Bake event is the 19th annual IDDBA Cake Decorating Challenge. This year, there were 66 entrants from 30 supermarket chains. The decorators ultimately chosen to com- pete in Denver include Amanda Hansen of Coburn's, Inc., Stephanie Murphree of Harp's Food Stores and Sarah Watts of Pub- lix Super Markets Inc. IDDBA anticipates over 8,500 attendees for the three-day event. For more informa- tion, call 608.310.5000, or visit the show's website at www.iddba.org. IDDBA is a nonprofit membership organ- ization serving the dairy, deli, bakery, cheese and supermarket foodservice indus- tries. Member companies enjoy many ben- efits and services including the annual seminar and expo, leading-edge research, training programs, management tools and an annual trends report. IDDBA celebrates 50 years of service in 2014. GN IDDBA's Dairy-Deli-Bake Show Comes to Denver June 1-3 Food Industry Alliance Publishes Toolkit for Reducing Food Waste An alliance of food manufacturers, retailers and foodservice operators recently an- nounced the release of a toolkit to help busi- nesses in the food sector reduce the amount of food waste sent to landfills. The Best Prac- tices and Emerging Solutions Toolkit was produced by the Food Waste Reduction Al- liance, a cross-sector industry initiative led by the Food Marketing Institute, the Gro- cery Manufacturers Association and the Na- tional Restaurant Association. "The Food Waste Reduction Alliance has been working to tackle food waste challenges within the food sector since 2011, but we know that there are companies out there that are just starting to look at the issue," said Gail Tavill, Vice President of Sustainable Develop- ment for ConAgra Foods. "Our goal for the toolkit is to elevate the issue of food waste within the sector and enable more companies to take action by sharing key learnings and model practices gleaned from organizations who are at the leading edge of this issue." Approximately 80 billion pounds of food waste are discarded in U.S. landfills each year. The majority of food waste is gener- ated at the residential level, but it can also be a byproduct of manufacturing, retail and foodservice operations. The FWRA toolkit focuses on strategies food manufacturers, retailers and foodservice operators can em- ploy to keep food out of landfills, as well as ways to reduce food waste at the source. "The sad truth is that while food is going to waste, 37 million Americans struggle to put enough food on the table to feed their families," said Karen Hanner, Director of Manufacturing Product Sourcing at Feed- ing America. "The safe, edible food that is diverted from the waste stream to food banks through model practices showcased in the toolkit make a positive social impact on communities across the country by pro- viding sustenance to those in need." The model practices and emerging solu- tions were compiled from the more than 30 FWRA member companies that are focused on reducing food waste within their opera- tions. Specific topics discussed include tac- tics for overcoming obstacles to food donation, emerging solutions and new tech- nologies for recycling food waste and strate- gic planning to avoid food waste generation. The toolkit also offers a "Getting Started" section for companies that are just beginning to consider food waste reduction strategies. Starting points include conducting a waste characterization assessment, establishing standard operating procedures and develop- ing collaborative relationships with partners from the anti-hunger community, waste man- agement providers and other stakeholders. "One of the most valuable features of the toolkit is that it includes examples and in- sights from companies that illustrate the strategies outlined." said Jason Wadsworth, Sustainability Coordinator for Wegmans Food Markets, Inc. "What's more, the al- liance recognizes that there are operational differences between food manufacturers, retailers and foodservice companies, so there are case studies that speak to the unique concerns and challenges of each sector." noted Jason Wadsworth, sustain- ability coordinator for Wegmans Food Mar- kets, Inc. and toolkit co-author. "FWRA members are committed to re- ducing food waste not just within their own organizations, but across the entire food sector," said Brandon Tidwell, Sustain- ability Manager with Darden Restaurants. "By sharing our collective experience, we hope to enable other companies to tackle food waste more efficiently and more effec- tively than when we started the process." For a copy of the FWRA Best Practices and Emerging Solutions Toolkit, visit the FWRA website at www.foodwastealliance.org. GN

• Cover