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RETAIL SUSTAINABILITY AWARDS - WEIS MARKETS
Titus Hoover’s family farm is one of roughly 100 local“farmers Weis partners with to supply produce. The Hoover family established a relationship with the store more than 50 years ago.
Other retailers typically choose to run sustainability through human resources. For Weis, it made sense to build and streamline the sustainability platform using sustainable material in building renovations. This decision also supports new store openings and various formats, explains Olenick.
“We invested more than half a billion dollars in our store base to upgrade, to build new stores, and to acquire some locations,” says Small.
“Our focus in the past year was a more targeted, tactical approach to capi- talize on these significant investments in our store base, but we also want to ensure we have the products people desire; what people want today versus five years ago is ever-changing,” says Koch, noting a push toward more healthy, natural and organic offerings to complement its ingrained locally grown produce programs through relation- ships with third- and fourth-generation regional farmers as well as connections from state agriculture departments.
YOUR NEIGHBOR’S FARMER
“Our local produce is one of our key touchstones,” says Koch. “In a given year, we’ll buy 25 million pounds of local
W e i s h a s b e e n v e r y g o o d t o u s . S o m”e people are hard to deal with. I feel Weis has
30 / MAY 2015 / PRODUCE BUSINESS
more respect for the farmer. When a lot of product is crowding the market, Weis doesn’t beat you around on price.
TITUS HOOVER, LOCAL FARMER
produce supplied by approximately 100 local farmers in the markets we serve.”
“If it weren’t for Weis Markets, we probably would have quit a long time ago,” says Titus Hoover, regarding his 600-acre family farm in Port Treverton, PA. “My dad started supplying fresh fruits and vegetables to Weis more than 50 years ago, and I’ve been working with Weis for 20 years,” he says.
“Weis has been very good to us,” he says. “Some people are hard to deal with. I feel Weis has more respect for the farmer. When a lot of product is crowding the market, Weis doesn’t beat
you around on price. Margins are tough. I remember when I was a little boy (maybe 14 years old) and my dad got the same amount for a box of tomatoes as you can today. Sometimes it feels people want to put the little guys out of business,” he says.
“Our season goes from the middle of June through October, and we’re pretty diversified in product,” says Hoover. “We ship everything to the Weis distribution center, which is only 26 miles away.”
The retail chain has a soft spot for its farmers like Hoover, whose photo and personal story graces Weis produce