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retailer that doesn’t have a grocerant or prepared foods program, I’d recommend they develop one as fast as they can,” says Lempert. “Grocerants were a trend 6 to 7 years ago, so anyone just coming in now is late to the party. The benefit is that it
PHOTO COURTESY OF WEGMAN’S
sets the stage for the entire retail shopping experience and builds strong relationships between retailers and their customers.”
FOR PRODUCE SUPPLIERS
1. Expand your working world. Fruit
“I cannot see promoting a grocerant without highlighting produce items, but they need to be interesting and unusual taste profiles to capture the current expectations of both old and young.” — Kelly Jacob, Pro*Act
and vegetable marketers that want to sell into grocerants need to do some field work first, recommends Consumer Insight’s Lempert. That is, “go to a grocerant. Look at the menu. Have a meal. Understand what is taking place there. After that, reach out to the right person. It may be a chef in each retail location, or it might be a central- ized corporate chef.”
Drescher, of the Culinary Institute of America, agrees and adds: “One complaint we often hear from foodservice operators is suppliers will push their products but not understand the menu or menu concept. It’s
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