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and talk about their crops and the various yields coming in. They even give us granular information: ‘We are planning to rotate the crops and get nutrients back to the soil.’ So that actually does take place, but there are safeguards, and we cannot over-promise to everyone,” says Topper.
“In some of the localized markets, we have regional produce buyers who really work with small suppliers to build relationships,” says Topper. “They do the forecasting and they
sensitize the stores
that when growers
show up at their
backdoor, they are
welcome as family members, and for the most part, stores already know them. They go to school with their kids, they sing in the choir together. If they have a pallet or a truckload, they can go to the backdoor. Certainly it does not make sense to drive it all the way to one of our distribution sites in San Antonio or
Houston and turn around and ship it back out for small quantities. But if they are moving in a truckload, those opportunities do exist.”
Embracing Diversity
H-E-B’s supplier diversity program in its simplest form is really enabling small and minority companies to engage in contractual business or service rela- tionships with H-E-B, preferably locally, explains James Harris, director of supplier diversity. “Ninety percent is done with Texans because we are a Texas-based company, and over 50 percent of that is actually done with women,” he says, pointing out that H-E-B was founded in 1905 by a woman, Florence Butt.
Often, small vendors confront barriers breaking into a larger chain, such as burdensome financial
requirements including millions of dollars in liability insurance. “We lower those barriers and even the playing field,” says Harris. “We do require certificates of insurance, but the policy is not that exorbitant. As long as they follow good agricultural practices, we end up being in a very good place.”
32 PRODUCE BUSINESS • MAY 2011
Part of H-E-B’s locally grown efforts extends to the company’s outdoor garden centers, called Texas Backyard, where many of the plants and foliage items are grown in Texas. Part- ners at the Texas Backyard section of the H-E-B Plus! store at Stone Ridge Market in San Antonio are (left to right): Steven Valencia
(6 years), Brandon Janes (6 years), Brian Milner
(1 year) and Jennifer Floyd (5 years)


































































































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