In & Around Food World

May 2009

by Dick Bestany

Last month we learned of the retirement of Mickey Parsons, district sales manager for Edy’s/Dreyer’s Grand Ice Cream after 23 years of employment. While this is good news for Mickey, it is very sad news for the food industry in the Mid-Atlantic, or for that matter, the entire East Coast. Mickey has always been one of the “good guys,” respected and loved by all who did business with him and Dreyer’s. Since 1986, Mickey was instrumental in developing the Dreyer’s/Edy’s ice cream business in the Baltimore Washington market.

According to an announcement sent to the field sales organization of Dreyer’s, Mickey “showed unparalleled leadership throughout the years in the Baltimore-Washington market, he really did make a difference.”

Mickey will be missed in this market and all of us at Best-Met Publishing will miss him and his friendly ways. We wish him well.

Congratulations to Food World’s/Food Trade News’ own Carol Cherington for winning the first Network of Executive Women Mid-Atlantic 2008 Best of the Best Committee Award.

Carol has been a member of the Mid-Atlantic region group since its inception. The Best of the Best Award is given to two individuals in each of NEW’s eight regions. The members are recognized for their actions that drive the “sustainability” of the regional groups. The selection process is very detailed and those chosen require the confirmation of the entire regional NEW board. The Best of the Best Award is given to each group annually and from this group is selected one woman to receive the Bobbie O’Hare Award for Outstanding Regional Efforts.

Other regional members to receive the 2008 award are: Chicago, Kelly Muno, P&G; Dallas, Barbara Daugherty, Frito-Lay NA; Florida, Lauren Miltner, Acosta; Greater Philadelphia, Christine Hartmann, St. Joseph’s University; New England, Cathy Doyle, General Mills; New York Metro, Maria Edelson, P&G; and Northern California, Carolyn Belloni, PepsiCo.

Congratulations to Kim Thomas, a senior at The John Carroll School, who recently signed a National Letter of Intent to play golf at California University of Pennsylvania. Kim is the daughter of Dave and Debbie Thomas of Bel Air. Most of our readers know Dave as the proprietor of Superior Food Brokerage.

Adam Borden, managing director of Bradmer Foods LLC, a Baltimore based food and beverage venture capital firm that brings together early-stage specialty food businesses and investors, was recently a guest on Washington radio station’s Kojo Nnamdi Show.

Bradmer Foods partners with food entrepreneurs to help them grow their business through outside capital and management expertise while providing financial returns for investors. Many small food producers concentrate on developing their unique products to the highest state of excellence and need assistance to effectively raise capital or benefit from external best practices.

Bradmer works with current management to provide business skills that are required (strategic planning all the way to inventory control) while becoming financial partners through investment so that the company and the investors can both benefit from the increased growth in the company’s value.

Adam also has been on Radio Kitchen, a production of Baltimore’s NPR affiliate WYPR, on several occasions. If you’re a budding food entrepreneur and would like to contact Adam, you can learn about him and his company at www.bradmerfoods.com.

Our congratulations go out to the folks at Safeway as the company was named to the “World’s Most Ethical Companies” list by Ethisphere Magazine. As the publication’s title indicates, Ethisphere focuses on ethical leadership in the corporate world. The listing is based on a complex methodology that judges a company on seven categories of ethical leadership: Innovation that contributes to public well being, legal, regulatory and reputation track record, executive leadership and “tone from the top,” industry leadership, internal systems and ethical compliance programs, corporate governance, and corporate citizenship and responsibility.

When it comes to dinner in America, nothing beats the Sunday morning comfort of pancakes and scrambled eggs - except pancakes and scrambled eggs that are inextricably linked to a particular region of our nation’s landscape.

Those two trends - the emergence of breakfast foods as all-hours fare and the rise of place-based brands - are two of the six findings highlighted in a report by a Pennsylvania-based marketing agency Pavone on the hottest trends facing today’s food and beverage manufacturers.

“It’s one thing to identify a trend, it’s another altogether to act on it,” said Pavone president, Michael Pavone, whose research team compiled the report based on a combination of industry intelligence and experience with its own clients.

“That’s especially true in this economy. Consumer attitudes don’t stop evolving just because their 401(k) is down 30 percent, which is why food and beverage brands must remain vigilant in order to gain market share.”

As consumers become more mindful of not only what’s in their food, but where it comes from, brands that can link themselves to a particular region, state or city benefit from added integrity and the perception of higher quality and authenticity. One reason for this embrace of place-based goods is that domestic products are better regulated, fresher and often more affordable.

Other trends covered in the Pavone report include insights about the broadening base of the organic food market, the benefits of being a socially responsible brand, and the importance of marketing to the growing population of first-time cooks.

The Pavone report also includes insights about the broadening base of the organic food market, the benefits of being a socially responsible brand, and the importance of marketing to the growing population of first-time cooks.

Locally, Pavone is the marketing agency of record for Utz Potato Chips and Turkey Hill Ice Cream.
If you would like more information on the findings of this study contact Pavone at 717-234-8886 or e-mail mlorson@pavone.net.

The James Beard Foundation, the nation’s most prestigious recognition program honoring professionals in the food and beverage industries, recently announced the nominees for the 2009 James Beard Foundation Awards in 52 categories. Final awards will be made early this month. Highlights from this year’s list of nominees for outstanding restaurant include: Babbo, New York City; Boulevard, San Francisco; Fore Street, Portland, ME; Highlands Bar & Grill, Birmingham, AL; and Jean Georges, New York City.

If you’re in the dairy-deli-bakery portion of the food industry, then you are probably already registered to attend the Dairy-Deli-Bake 2009 in Atlanta from June 7-9 at Georgia World Congress Center.

This is the show of shows that brings together real live retail buyers and merchandisers, the best dairy, deli, bakery, cheese, foodservice products, packaging, services and the highest-rated speakers in the business. The show is called the “show of shows” because it’s the one conference that offers a full-service package: a seminar program that has meaningful content for your personal and professional growth; pre-qualified retail buyers, merchandisers, and executives who are read and willing to do business; a 1,600 booth expo filled with the very best products and services for the fresh-food categories; and world-class merchandising ideas and demonstrations. It is the top show in the food industry. For more information visit www.iddba.org today.

Congratulations to Ahold’s Andrea Astrachan on being elected vice chair of Produce for Better Health Foundation’s (PBH) board of trustees at their 2009 annual meeting in April. Produce for Better Health Foundation promotes the eating of more fruits and vegetables in order that Americans live a more healthy life.

Birthday wishes go out this month to: Safeway’s Roger Herding; Acosta Fresh Foods’ Joe Barrie and Ted Kopp; Dietz & Watson’s Rich Wright; Magruder’s Mark Polsky; Metromedia’s David Finkelstein; Southeastern Mills’ Leon Gleaves; Nestle’s Nancy Dorsey; AWI’s Don Tiesenga; An Pointin Stil’s—America’s Best Irish Pub—Dorsey Baldwin; and to our good friend and long time subscriber to Food World, Jim Rich.

Anniversary wishes go out to AWI’s Don and Eleanor Tiesenga, their 42nd; and to Burris Foods’ Mark and Donna Tarzwell, their 29th.

Coming next month in Food World is the annual June Market Study. This issue is the most definitive study done on the retail grocery industry in the Mid-Atlantic. It has set the standard for more than 30 years and next month will be no exception. It is the tool that is used by anyone talking or writing about the retail grocery industry. If you have a message to tell the grocery industry, this is the issue in which to do it. YOU WILL GET RESULTS!

Food World’s June issue is read by just about every retailer executive and sales executive in the United States and beyond! 
 

You can e-mail Dick Bestany at