Wakefern to Hold Local Produce Supplier Summit in New Jersey
Retailer-owned supermarket cooperative Wakefern Food Corp. is seeking northeastern growers to join its network of suppliers and take part in a Produce Local Supplier Summit on July 9. The application process to join the summit and become a Wakefern supplier is now open through San Francisco-based RangeMe’s platform.
The upcoming supplier summit will provide 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. Scheduled to take place at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center, in Edison, N.J., the one-day event will also feature 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. Attendees will be able to hold “speed meetings” with existing suppliers to find out more about working with Wakefern.
According to Mark Van Buskirk, Wakefern’s group VP of fresh: “Wakefern’s Produce Local Supplier Summit is another way to help small- and midsize local growers bring their fresh produce to our stores. ShopRite stores are owned and operated by families who belong to our supermarket cooperative and live and work in the communities where their stores operate. We want local farmers and growers to know we are here and committed to being farm fresh. We want to work with them.”
The application process for the summit runs through May 30. Applicants should share their brand or product’s origin story as part of the application process. Local farmers and growers should also be based in the states where Wakefern supermarket banners operate: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. A team at Wakefern will consider the RangeMe applications and meet with potential new suppliers at or before the summit. Produce growers already set to attend and participate in panels at the summit include Hudson River Fruit Distributors, Minkus Family Farms, Frank Donio Inc. and The Masser Family of Companies.
Wakefern has held similar supplier summits in the past to source new locally made products and suppliers for its private label lines Bowl & Basket and Wholesome Pantry. Past winners have provided new store-brand sauces, spices and frozen meals.
In other RangeMe news, the company and Solon, Ohio-based ECRM have launched a new global sourcing initiative that connects buyers and brands based on primary country of origin to help retailers discover products from trade-friendly regions that align with their sourcing strategies, cost structures and compliance goals. The initiative, TariffSmart Sourcing, aims to empower buyers to navigate evolving trade landscapes to find the right products, made in the right places, more quickly. It also enables suppliers to gain exposure with buyers who are specifically seeking products from their region of production.
Keasbey, N.J.-based Wakefern Food Corp. is the nation’s largest retailer-owned cooperative. The company comprises nearly 50 members that independently own and operate 365-plus supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage, Fairway Market and Di Bruno Bros. banners. Wakefern is No. 31 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
