Specialty Food Magazine is the leading publication for retailers, manufacturers and foodservice professionals in the specialty food trade. It provides news, trends and business-building insights that help readers keep their businesses competitive.
Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/68592
(continued from p. 17) SPECIALTY FOOD NEWS NASFT and its Diversity Council Present Go to Market Educational Conference M ore than 65 NASFT members, member candidates, retailers and others in the specialty food industry attended the inaugural Go to Market Educational Conference on Saturday, April 28, at Saint Joseph's University in Philadelphia. The conference was designed to educate companies on how to land accounts with various trade segments. Ann Daw, NASFT president, welcomed the conference attendees, thanking Felix Villa, chairman of the Education Subcommittee of the Diversity Council, for conceptualizing and encouraging NASFT to put on this one-day educational program. Her welcome was followed by a presentation from Professor George Latella, Saint Joseph's University's Department of Food Marketing, who taught the attendees how to prepare for a meeting with a buyer. Attendees participated in sessions led by practitioners on the buyer and supplier sides of the trade. These included: t )ow to Sell to Distributors: Felix Villa, KeHE Distributors, and Darryl Humphrey, Omnipotent Inc. t )ow to Sell to Supermarkets: Ana Maria Rodriguez, formerly of Giant Foods, Albertsons and Walmart, and Shawn McBride, Foah International LLC t )ow to Sell to Specialty Food Stores: Emilio Mignucci, DiBruno Bros. and Alain Francois, Foodworks International t )ow to Sell to Foodservice: Catherine Kayser, Sysco, and Laurie Cummins, Alexian Pâté Following the presentations, attendees participated in a role-playing exercise, in which one played a buyer, one a seller and the other an observer, allowing them to practice their approach to selling. "NASFT does a lot of education at the Fancy Food Shows and online, but there are many different ways that people can learn," says Ron Tanner, vice president of communications & education, NASFT. "The opportunity to be on a college campus with academics and those in the specialty food trenches was a perfect setting for people to learn. Plus, all had the opportunity to meet their industry peers and build a personal specialty food network." NEW STORE OPENINGS Whole Foods Market has opened a location in Wexford, Pa., that will feature a pub and a wood- burning pizza oven, reports CBS Pittsburgh…Price Chopper opened a Price Chopper Limited store in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The 19,000-square-foot store is a new concept for the company and is modeled after urban markets shop- pers would find in cities, reports The Saratogian…Pint Size Bakery & Coffee has opened in St. Louis, featuring baked goods created with organic ingredients and free- range farm eggs…Valley Shepherd Creamery, Long Valley, N.J., will open a cheesemaking room in Philadelphia's Market, Reading reports The Inquirer…Wegmans Food Markets has opened a 123,000-square-foot store in King of Prussia, Pa. WOODSTOCK FARMERS MARKET REBOUNDS The Woodstock Farmers Market, a Vermont specialty food store, garden cen- ter and online market, had a full reopen- ing this winter after sustaining more than $750,000 of damage from Tropical Storm Irene. The market celebrates 20 years in business this year. Elephant-Adorned Food Truck from Queen City Cookies Queen City Cookies is hitting the streets of Cincinnati with a festive, elephant-adorned food truck, dubbed its Schnecken Shack. The truck's menu will include Pig Pockets (popovers filled with ham and cheese), frit- tatas, vegan popover options and Coffee Emporium coffee. Terminal Philadelphia DYLAN'S CANDY BAR HEADS TO L.A. Marking its introduction to the West Coast, Dylan's Candy Bar will open its first loca- tion in Los Angeles this summer. The 2,500-square-foot boutique will offer more 148 ❘ SPECIALTY FOOD MAGAZINE ❘ specialtyfood.com than 7,000 candies including novelty, nostal- gic, holiday-themed and international treats. Expansion Plan for San Francisco's Wholesale Produce Market San Francisco officials are planning new legis- lation to approve a 60-year master lease agree- ment and expansion plan for the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market. The market, with nearly $500 million in gross annual revenue, serves as a hub of the city's fresh-food system, providing fruits and vegetables to restaurants and local grocers. Under the agreement, the market would be able to expand from 300,000 to almost 500,000 square feet. TASTE UNLIMITED GIVES BACK Together with the help of sponsors and five acclaimed area chefs who donated their time, Taste Unlimited, Norfolk, Va., raised more than $11,250 for Lee's Friends, a non- profit organization that helps people living with cancer. Taste Unlimited ran a series of cooking classes as a tribute to company founder Peter Coe, who passed away from cancer last June.