In today's competitive retail landscape, collaboration is key, says Brian Dey, retail and merchandising innovation manager of Four Seasons Produce.
Dey sat down with The Packer to discuss how transparent communication, shared goals and data-driven decision-making between growers, wholesalers and retailers are helping everyone thrive. Dey outlines what successful produce partnerships look like and how they directly impact product placement, consumer engagement and bottom-line sales.
Four Seasons Produce is a full-service wholesale distributor of organic and conventional produce, plus fresh items, serving independent retailers, natural food stores and other professional buyers in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. From store delivery, merchandising support, ads and promotions, quality and variety to partnerships and service; the company's mission is “Helping Others Succeed in Fresh!”
The Packer: How does Four Seasons Produce collaborate with grocers, packers and wholesalers to ensure a consistent supply and quality of fresh produce at the retail level?
Dey: Four Seasons Produce is always looking for sales opportunities for our retailers to capitalize on, and it all starts with having strong relationships and partnerships with our vendor community.
With strong collaboration between all layers of touch points, both within and outside of our organization — from our buyer and sales teams, down to our merchandising team and ultimately the retailers — we can create excitement at our retailers through strategic planning and promotional execution. Strong partnerships, both on the buy and sell sides, as well as great collaboration with stores, are keys to success for any ad, promotion or chance to create theater in the produce department.
And it all starts with an idea or a vision of what you want it to be. The blueprint is rather simple, really. Our sales and merchandising teams suggest ads, promotional items for display builds or potential produce fun-themed events with value, sales and category growth, and creative merchandising at the heart of our discussions with our retailers. We then collaborate with our buying team to help source out what we are looking for, and they then, in turn, go back to our grower partners to work out the details with them [regarding] pricing, availability, delivery schedule, etc. Simple math — collaborate ideas to celebrate successes.
Can you share an example of a successful partnership that boosted sales or improved merchandising?
Although there are many, I can share two recent ones that were outstanding, both in results and in customer response. One example would be a couple of promotions we had planned with avocados with our friends and partners at Calavo Growers. They have been amazing partners with our avocado program and with their help and collaboration, we recently had the opportunity to create some excitement with some of our retailers in the mid-Atlantic. Working with their inside sales and business, we executed a few fun promotions that created theaters, boosted sales (in some stores, triple-digit year-over-year growth) and created excitement around avocados and the tropical category.
Additionally, outside of the tangibles with the boost in sales and consumer consumption, something that Calavo went above with is that they created a looping video that was put on a loop in the center of the display, showing what it takes to get from field to counter. It was an amazing collaboration of both sales results and consumer education that gave customers a different perspective on the fruit they were about to purchase. We also were able to do a “Meet the Grower' promotion as well, featuring one of their growers, and they created sharp point of sale signage for us to hang on displays, connecting the consumer with the grower. In my opinion, now more than ever, this is the story that customers want to see and hear: Where their food is grown, how it's grown and by whom. Just an outstanding example of working together to get awesome results by collaborating on ideas and executing the plan. They did a phenomenal job planning and delivering on their side, and we were able to put everything together internally with our teams and the stores, resulting in great promotional activity for everyone.
Another great example of collaboration to sell fruit and bring awareness to consumers is a current promotion we are running with Homegrown Organic Farm and their stone fruit program. We are in the wheelhouse of amazing fruit, and we have had the opportunity to showcase this beautiful, super seasonal fruit on our retailers' counters and department floors over the past month.
We started planning back in January for a promotion that ran starting in mid-June, so a lot of planning, ideas sharing and working together to get the most out of this promotion for the grower down to the consumer. It has been a phenomenal promotion so far, and like the Calavo example given above, super educational for the consumer. Homegrown Organic Farm is EFI and ROC certified, and they invested in great point-of-sale bins, boxes and signage to hang on displays, complete with QR codes on the sign (and PLU sticker) that takes consumers directly into their orchards. This year's results are staggering, and the flow of communication from all levels, from getting projections, putting orders in and merchandising at store level has been flawless.
Displays of beautiful stone fruit have graced the floors of our retailers, complete with educational signage for a consumer to expand their knowledge of what they are buying and who their dollars are connected to. All of these points, when working together, create so many opportunities for increased sales, repeated purchases help set up a fun, creative atmosphere where shoppers can have a great experience.
The power of collaboration is so real. These are just two examples out of thousands that we have where a grower/packer, a wholesaler and a retailer worked together to offer something fun, fresh, exciting and, above all, worked in increasing consumption of fresh produce and created a customer experience.
In what ways do strong supply chain relationships help retailers differentiate themselves in the competitive produce space?
I think having strong relationships and partnerships where produce wholesalers and grower/packer/shippers work together on potential sales promotions gives a tremendous advantage to retailers everywhere. Collaborating transparently with all who are involved helps create sales opportunities, creative display builds and fun ad and promotional experiences for the customer to enjoy. Another factor in the success of promotional programs and business in general is adding value and having reliable, consistent quality and supply. Having strong relationships builds trust and an understanding of what's needed and expected for everyone, for customers and vendors alike.
