SB Sept_Oct 23

SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2023

They’re The TOPS!

The 2023 Top Women in Store Brands honorees are leaders making a difference across the private label industry

Coverage starts

Pg. 12

Also inside: Rising Stars

Pg. 22

Lifetime Achievement honoree Anne Sprout of TreeHouse Foods.

THE STORE BRANDS PHENOMENON

For U.S. retailers, store brands have become a powerful strategy that provides points of differentiation and builds consumer loyalty. They are also shoppers’ best friend, offering the highest levels of innovation, performance and quality. As store brands move into new categories, chains, and channels – winning new fans every day – one word describes them best: Phenomenon. Experience them for yourself in Chicago. Register at www.plma.com or call PLMA at +1 212 972-3131 or email info@plma.com.

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A UNIQUE EFFORT TO ADDRESS SHRINKFLATION

Higher prices have been an ongoing topic of discussion across the retail world, and while this issue has challenged consumers to be more selective with their purchases, it has also been a key driver of private label product sales growth throughout 2023.

But one topic that has largely stayed off the radar for many is the issue of shrinkflation. To start, let’s call it what it is. Shrinkflation is a tactic used by some national brands to deceive shoppers. The effort is done to try and convince shoppers they’re not paying more for something, when in reality, they are paying more for something by paying the same or more for less.

While shrinkflation has not been topic one among conversations with retailers here in the U.S., a recent article in The Guardian on the topic caught my attention. Carrefour, one of Europe’s largest retailers, put labels on its shelves to warn shoppers about shrinkflation.

Per the article, 26 products have been tagged with labels on shelves that read “This product has seen its volume or weight fall and the effective price from the supplier rise.”

The article cited a few products that have been tagged. Sugar-free peach-flavored Lipton iced tea (produced by Pepsi) is now on shelves at 1.25 liters, down from 1.5 liters, resulting in a 40% effective increase in the price of a liter. Also, Guigoz infant formula (owned by Nestle) shrunk from 900 grams (31.75 ounces) to 830 grams (29.3 ounces).

To no surprise, The Guardian received no response from Pepsi when a comment was sought, and Nestle declined to comment.

A spokesperson for Carrefour told The Guardian the aim of the shelf tags is to stigmatize these products in an effort to get manufacturers to rethink their pricing policy. Additionally, Carrefour CEO Alexandre Bompard, said product suppliers are not cooperating in efforts to cut the price of products despite declines in the cost of raw materials.

This decision to highlight this issue is certainly an interesting move by Carrefour. Would the largest U.S. retailers such as Walmart, Target, Costco, and Kroger do the same? Some retailers on this side of the Atlantic have complained about continuing high prices, even as raw material costs have slowed or even declined somewhat.

Many retailers throughout 2023 have expanded their private label assortments, whether it’s food & beverage, apparel or home products. Perhaps it’s time for U.S. retailers to take another step in helping their shoppers save money: Highlight those brands that are playing the shrinkflation game and also highlight the comparable private brand product, and note the difference in price and size, where applicable.

Shoppers are busy and they need some assistance as they look to save money. I’m sure they would be grateful for the help from their favorite retailers.

8550 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., Ste. 200 Chicago, IL 60631 773.992-4450 Fax 773.992.4455 www.storebrands.com

BRAND MANAGEMENT

Senior Vice President and Group Publisher Paula Lashinsky 917.446.4117 | plashinsky@ensembleiq.com

EDITORIAL

Associate Publisher/ Executive Editor Greg Sleter gsleter@ensembleiq.com

Associate Editor Zachary Russell zrussell@ensembleiq.com

ADVERTISING SALES & BUSINESS

National Sales Manager Natalie Filtser 917.690.3245 | nfiltser@ensembleiq.com

DESIGN/PRODUCTION/MARKETING

Art Director Amy Kelkenberg

Production Manager Jackie Batson jbatson@ensembleiq.com

Marketing Manager Rebecca Welsby rwelsby@ensembleiq.com

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES

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Subscription Questions contact@storebrands.com

Chief Executive O cer Jennifer Litterick

Chief Financial O cer Jane Volland

Chief People O cer Ann Jadown

Chief Strategy O cer Joe Territo

Chief Operating O cer Derek Estey

U.S. RETAILERS SHOULD FOLLOW CARREFOUR’S LEAD AND CALL OUT THOSE BRANDS CHARGING MORE FOR LESS

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CALIFORNIA DAIRY: SUSTAINABLE, INNOVATIVE AND READY TO PARTNER

The California Milk Advisory Board’s (CMAB) mission is to increase demand for products made with Real California Milk. This is accomplished through creative advertising and public relations using various channels, retail and foodservice promotion and support, product development/innovation and industry partner collaborations.

Store Brands: What should retailers know about the California dairy industry?

California Milk Advisory Board: California produces approximately 20% of the nation’s cheese and 99% of our farms are family owned. The state also exports about one-third of its total milk production, which equates to more than $1.8 billion.

California is rich in processing capabilities across almost every dairy category including fluid milk, cream, creamers, yogurt, sour cream, cottage cheese, ice cream, mainstream cheese, artisan cheese, Hispanic and ethnic cheeses, evaporated milk and more.

The state has the nation’s most rigorous sustainability requirements and its dairy farmers are focused on reducing their climate impact including methane emissions through use of methane digesters, alternate manure management programs and feed additives.

SB: As we look toward 2024, how is the California dairy industry dealing with the issue of sustainability?

CMAB: We are proud to lead the nation in sustainable farming and farming practices. Our farmers aim to ensure long-term sustainability of California’s dairy production through environmental stewardship, responsible animal care, and community building. The state is on target to reduce dairy methane emissions. This includes using methane digesters to turn manure into renewable fuels. Cow power from our farms is currently fueling more than 15,000 vehicles in the state.

SB: What services does CMAB offer?

CMAB: CMAB supports the industry in many ways but there are three key areas of focus: these are Processor Partnerships, Business Development and the California Dairy Innovation Center.

The Processor Partnerships team fosters relationships with more than 200 dairy processors by providing analytical and consumer insight support to grow their categories.

The Business Development team drives sales and awareness for products with the Real California Milk Seal (RCM) through annual promotion planning. This team supports retail promotions through product demos, IRC coupons and also by working with retailers to jointly plan awareness initiatives using a variety of channels from social to in-store marketing.

The CDIC (California Dairy Innovation Center) is a virtual center focused on stimulating innovation in California dairy by bringing together producers, processors and educators. The CDIC leverages the university network to coordinate pre-competitive research and education training, including short courses and symposia aimed at teaching students and professionals about products, processing, innovation and everything in between.

SB: Who can work with the CMAB?

CMAB: We welcome any retailer, operator or brand interested in growing their dairy offerings using Real California Milk.

They’re The Tops!

The 2023 Top Women In Store Brands honorees

are leaders

making a difference across private label

By Greg Sleter and Zachary Russell

For more than a decade, Store Brands and Women Impacting Storebrand Excellence (WISE) have teamed to honor women across the private label industry who have had and continue to have a major impact in the store brand segment.

From supply chain, to sales, marketing, finance and more, members of the Class of 2023 each play a vital role in moving store brands forward amid new and on-going challenges that include rising prices, capacity issues with manufacturers, and evolving demand from consumers.

This year’s Lifetime Achievement Award honoree, Anne Sprout at TreeHouse Foods, has spent her career at the Oak Brook, Ill.-based company, mentoring countless leaders, supporting local groups such as food banks, and participating in company sponsored events across the community.

This year’s Top Women In Store Brands also includes the DEI Company of the Year, Schreiber Foods of Green Bay, Wis. While receiving the honor this year, Schreiber has been on the DEI journey for many years, having planted the seeds in 2010 for what has grown into a broad effort across the company.

Meet the 2023 winners:

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT

Anne Sprout Senior Director, Customer Service TREEHOUSE FOODS

Overseeing customer service at TreeHouse Foods, one of the leaders in private label manufacturing, Anne Sprout has led a successful career and driven store brand success for the company’s clients.

Throughout her 36 years in the private label industry, she has held a number of roles, including customer service representative, accrual analyst, customer service manager, IT infrastructure manager, IT director, and now senior director of Customer Service. In her current role, she supports customers through the order fulfillment process, ensuring orders are on-time and in full.

In 1987, she started as a customer service representative for Green Bay Food Company, a subsidiary of Dean Foods. At TreeHouse Foods, Sprout has led behind-the-scenes operations including migrating the company’s clients to new operating systems and maintaining high quality customer service. During this time, she led a project to obtain new laptops for the sales team, and trained team members on their use. In the 1990s, Sprout played a key role in getting all customers to order via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). Today, approximately 95% of TreeHouse customers use the EDI system.

Sprout also spent 10 years as a business leader implementing SAP. This included migrating more than 15 companies to the system and incorporating more than 45 plants and more than 20 distribution centers during her tenure. Other achievements include leading the IT Business Analytics team and helping build

TreeHouse’s data foundation, as well as being a key leader in helping merge two customer service teams after a large acquisition, which included setting up a shared service center.

Sprout is credited as having been a mentor throughout her career. When her colleagues interacted with her, they left more knowledgeable of what it takes to win in the competitive private label landscape. She

is also credited with contributing to TreeHouse’s success by ensuring the overall goals of the company are supported and achieved through her leadership.

Throughout her career, Sprout mentored countless leaders, supported local groups such as food banks, and participated in company sponsored events in the local community.

SUPPLY CHAIN

Brooke Cline Senior Manager, Supply Chain REFRESCO BEVERAGES

At Refresco Beverages, Brooke Cline plays a pivotal role and carries a wide array of responsibilities for the private label beverage manufacturer.

As senior manager of the company’s supply chain operations, Cline leads a team of 12 materials managers and analysts, overseeing inventory management, forecasting, replenishment, and supplier performance. The role emphasizes process refinement through the implementation of best practices, leveraging technology to enhance efficiency, and eliminating non-valueadded tasks.

Using a key performance index (KPI) scorecard, Cline oversees inventory levels, service performance and financial results. Collaborating closely with suppliers, she manages inventory levels across manufacturing facilities, ensuring optimal production schedules and minimal waste. The role extends to guiding the product life cycle of materials, supporting new product introductions, label redesigns and sustainable sourcing initiatives. Additionally, Cline fosters team development through mentoring, instilling necessary skills for current and future roles.

During the past year, Cline has achieved a number of benchmarks at Refresco, which manufactures fruit juices, carbonated soft drinks and mineral waters. She led the implementation of end-to-end planning processes for packaging materials in the beverage manufacturing process. She also led the restoration and creation of key controls and processes between suppliers and manufacturing facilities, reducing unplanned downtime across a network of North American plants.

Cline’s notable achievements earned her a well-deserved promotion, where her strategic vision has grown. She also spearheaded a comprehensive digital transformation, harnessing SAP and Power BI to streamline planning processes, which not only optimized operations but also enabled real-time, data-driven decision-making. Cline’s strategic prowess and market insights were instrumental in achieving impressive double-digit growth rates.

Amid supply chain disruptions lingering from the COVID-19 pandemic, Cline has been credited with demonstrating “remarkable ingenuity,” orchestrating diverse sources and innovative commercial agreements to uphold a consistent aluminum can supply despite shortages.

SALES

Alyssa Caratozzola

Business Development Manager

DAYMON

In her role at private brand consultancy Daymon, Alyssa Caratozzola has proven herself to be a major asset to the company, earning respect of clients and colleagues alike.

Caratozzola plays two crucial roles in Daymon’s Ahold Delhaize team. First, she leads Daymon’s Health & Beauty Care and Non-Foods businesses, and is responsible for partnering with manufacturer clients and retailer contacts to grow existing private brand business while facilitating new product and program development opportunities.

In addition to this role, she also leads new business development efforts, working cross-functionally with her account team peers and broader Daymon enterprise resources to prospect, engage and close new manufacturer clients for Daymon at Ahold Delhaize.

These two functions involve many skills that Caratozzola has mastered, including sales and merchandising acumen, deep knowledge of leveraging analytics tools to draw insights, high levels of coordination and cross-functional collaboration and more.

During the past year Caratozzola has been credited with several milestones at Daymon. She shattered one major client’s sales budget by more than 70%, and the client was so pleased with the results that they are now in discussions with Daymon around an expanded partnership.

Caratozzola pitched and signed five new clients with sales in excess of $35 million so far this year, earning her reputation as a trusted partner and consultant by retailer partners.

In the past year, she also brought alternative supply solutions in two categories that have been experiencing supply shortages. This will allow the retailers to remain competitive with private label products despite challenging supply conditions.

Finally, Caratozzola helped launch more than 20 new items and programs with Daymon’s retailers across multiple product categories, contributing to private label sales and share growth. In total, these new program launches will generate more than $5 million in retail sales annually.

Looking ahead to 2024, Caratozzola said that with inflation remaining high, consumers will continue to gravitate towards private brands, which provides an opportunity for her and Daymon to continue growing.

EMERGING LEADER

Kim Ward

Senior Manager, Demand Planning & Replenishing TOPCO ASSOCIATES

Kim Ward is an emerging leader in the field of demand planning. At Topco, she has played a key role in developing and implementing a new demand planning system that manages 30,000 items across 290 suppliers along with more than 40 Topco members. Her expertise and strong leadership were invaluable in guiding the project from start to finish. Ward organized and executed voice of the customer sessions to get stakeholder feedback, developed the dayto-day processes, and helped train more than 300 system users in a 10-month period. Her project management skills kept the project roll out on schedule, and the new process and software are now fully operational.

“It has been a challenging project and it feels great to look back and see what we accomplished so far,” she said.

With Topco’s demand planning system in place, Ward has shifted her focus to enhancing subsequent phases of the effort. She is working with her team to drive better forecast accuracy through demand consensus meetings and root cause analysis. Her continuous improvement mindset and commitment to excellence have resulted in improved forecast accuracy across Center Store.

Ward is seen by colleagues as a dedicated leader who is always striving to improve forecasts and turn forecast accuracy data into meaningful information. She is an emerging leader within the grocery industry, and her commitment to improving the process of demand planning is evident in her work.

“I think what has made me most successful over my career is my problem solving skills and drive for continuous improvement,” Ward said. “I am always looking for the most efficient way to accomplish the end goal.”

In recognition of her outstanding achievements, Ward was recently selected to participate in Topco’s yearlong leadership development program. This program is designed to cultivate emerging leaders within the company and prepare them for future success.

INNOVATION

Rebecca Montemarano

Lead Innovation and Category Manager, Own Brands

WAKEFERN FOOD CORPORATION

Wakefern supplies private label products to a number of east coast grocers, including Price Rite, ShopRite, and Fresh Grocery. The woman driving this effort is Rebecca Montemarano, Wakefern’s lead innovation and category manager for Own Brands.

Working through more than 250 categories and with more than 75 category managers, Montemarano is the primary contact of the innovation efforts within Wakefern’s private label portfolio. She finds trends in restaurants, food and beverage conferences and from individual suppliers and prepares data for each workshop to determine how Wakefern can get ahead of future innovation. She prepares samples to ensure category managers understand the potential for innovative items.

Montemarano also hosts two product summits annually to better collaborate with suppliers to drive “new to world” products. In 2023, she hosted an Innovation Summit with supply partners to hit vegan and keto trends, and a Supplier Diversity summit to better partner with smaller, diverse suppliers to help get their foot in the grocery industry. Montemarano has spearheaded these summits to ensure face-to-face interaction and a better grasp of supplier ability with customer needs.

Apart from direct innovation, she is also responsible for all marketing aspects of new launches, which includes everything from commercials to TikTok influencers to “freeosk”/demos in store.

Montemarano said that her work is paying off, with private brands growing at Wakefern stores. Recent launches include a line of spices spanning middle eastern and Hispanic flavors, an Indian line including ready-toeat meals and seasonings, and an Asian line of marinades and rice.

“We’re seeing that the consumers at ShopRite who are buying our innovative items are customers who our younger than our total store demographic,” she said. “They are shopping more often, spending more per trip, and saving more with our quality brands Bowl & Basket, Wholesome Pantry and Paperbird.”

MARKETING & MERCHANDISING

Elizabeth Erby Brand Director, Sprouts Brand SPROUTS FARMERS MARKET

In 2022, sales of private brand products at Sprouts Farmers Market surpassed the $1 billion mark, a notable achievement for the grocer that continues to grow. Playing a major role in that growth has been Elizabeth Erby, who is a 2023 Top Women In Store Brands honoree in the marketing and merchandising category.

Responsible for ensuring the implementation of packaging designs and the overall look and feel of approximately 3,000 Sprouts brand products, Erby leads an internal brand team as well as managing numerous external relationships with design agencies and pre-press partners, ensuring compliance with the design approach she has put in place. She also oversees the strategy for building brand awareness for Sprouts private brand in conjunction with the grocer’s marketing team.

“I feel privileged to receive the (Top Women In Store Brands) honor and I’m thankful to have had such wonderful teams, supportive crossfunctional partners and encouraging leaders that have supported me and the work that my team has done, over the years,” she said.

A seasoned retail professional with more than 15 years of experience in the private brand industry, Erby began her career at Macy’s in men’s clothing, swimwear and shorts, but quickly discovered her passion for private brands. She moved into the grocery world of private label in 2013.

At Sprouts, Erby has embedded a strong and robust design strategy and process. She has built a team from scratch, developing processes,

engaging external and internal partners and bringing them along the way with the new process. She has initiated and led the redesign of the Sprouts private brand products and coordinated and helped deliver more than 1,500 new designs with around 600 on shelf to date.

“I’ve spent years in merchandising, managing businesses from end to end, developing unique and differentiated products in private label, building and leading a digital merchandising team in eCommerce and leading an innovation team that drove

trend-forward product ideation,” Erby said. “All of these experiences have helped me gain a broader perspective of the business and how we keep our customers coming back for more all while building some incredible relationships with key partners along the way.”

Erby is not only passionate about her work, but is also a strong advocate for Sprouts’ culture and values. She is one of a select group of individuals who leads the company’s Culture & Values facilitation workshops for new and existing team members.

Erby has facilitated 13, two-day Culture and Values Activation workshops for Sprouts’ store support and field team members, cascading its values and culture to more than 300 Sprouts team members over the past 12-months.

(My) experiences have helped me gain a broader perspective of the business and how we keep our customers coming back for more all while building some incredible relationships with key partners along the way.

— Elizabeth Erby, Sprouts Farmers Market

REGULATORY/ QA/SAFETY

Angela Terrazas

Senior Manager, Technical ServicesCompliance & Operations ALBERTSONS COS.

As a key technical leader within the Albertsons Cos. private brand business, Angela Terrazas helps oversee regulatory compliance on a number of issues for the 12,000+ SKU assortment worth $14 billion.

Her key areas of responsibility include regulatory compliance for in-store labeling, digital publishing for SmartLabel, regulatory compliance on e-commerce specific to allergens, ingredient statements, nutrition and bioengineering information adhering to all applicable federal, state and local regulations.

She also oversees Own Brands product registrations and organic documentation review and certification compliance in collaboration with cross-functional quality assurance and food safety team members. Terrazas also leads a team of experienced technical compliance professionals that supports her oversight of the in-store product categories.

Terrazas is regarded as the compliance subject-matter-expert, responsible for driving the USDA-mandated Bioengineered Labeling work across Albertsons’ in-store made products. She handles the menu and scale labeling including the in-store process optimization project.

Leadership at the grocer describes her as an integral team leader who helps ensure compliance and avoidance of the product retrievals and recalls. She holds a critical role behind the scenes making sure products are not only safe with accurate information about allergens and other safety matters, but that the products also bear truthful claims to the end user.

With more than a decade of previous industry combined experience within food safety, quality, regulatory compliance and operations, Terrazas’ knowledge is leveraged by the retailer to a sphere of influence spanning across key functions within the broader organization.

“A goal I have is to continue accelerating digital product data features online throughout our e-commerce and digital labeling platforms,” she said. “This will expand access to key product information to support purchasing decisions while also delivering on intuitive, tech-forward omnichannel shopping experiences for our customers.”

CORPORATE SERVICES

Carol Bellon

Vice President, Associate General Counsel WHOLE FOODS MARKET

When discussing a retailer’s effort to grow an assortment of private label products, it’s often the merchants and product developers who garner much of the credit. But no own brand assortment could succeed without the support of a full team, which includes those who handle all necessary legal issues.

At Whole Foods Market this responsibility falls to Carol Bellon, the grocer’s vice president and associate general counsel who is the 2023 Top Women In Store Brand honoree in Corporate Services category.

“I love working for Whole Foods Market in part because of its mission, its core values, and its quality standards,” Bellon said. “We also have a series of leadership principals that I believe are key to our success. Some of my favorites include our commitment to operational excellence, our focus on servant leadership, and our passion for seeking win-win strategies and solutions.”

Bellon began providing legal support for Whole Foods Market’s Exclusive Brands program in 2002 while working at a law firm. She joined the grocer’s in-house legal team in 2008 to support its private label program. Over the years, Bellon has worked with a host of team members including personnel in sourcing, product development, quality assurance, logistics, compliance, and commercialization. Over those 15 years, Whole Foods’ Exclusive Brands program has grown and now provides shoppers with a choice of approximately 3,500 items.

“I believe that my passion for Whole Foods Market’s mission in addition to my commitment to (the grocer’s) leadership principles have helped me support our Exclusive Brands team’s success in bringing so many high quality private label products to our shelves,” she added.

In her role at Whole Foods, Bellon leads the legal advisory support of its private brands business. That has included contract development and management, regulatory compliance, and general legal guidance. In addition to supporting private brands, she also plays an integral role for regulatory compliance in other areas of the company’s business across the U.S., in Canada, and in the United Kingdom.

OPERATIONS

Doraly Witt

Senior Director, Continuous Improvement & Organizational Development

JOHN B. SANFILIPPO & SON, INC.

Doraly Witt’s job title at John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., rings true on a daily basis. Lauded by colleagues as being an engaging leader, she is continually focused on helping employees within all levels of the company improve and develop their skills.

She is a driver of continuous improvement with a passion to assist operations teams from the company’s multiple manufacturing locations in Illinois, Georgia, Texas, and California along with its co-manufacturer in Wisconsin. Witt has cultivated a “Culture of Continuous Improvement” by training and engaging employees on LEAN and Six Sigma methodologies.

Witt also keeps manufacturing teams on track to complete continuous improvement projects that save money, improve working conditions for employees, and meet sustainability goals for store brands and the company.

In addition to being viewed as an engaging leader, Witt has worked to cultivate a culture of continuous improvement while also leading organization development and training to develop employees as future leaders.

“I was truly humbled to be nominated and receive the award, and It took a few days to sink in, and in those days I reflected on my career and my journey,” she said. “This award not only recognizes me, but it recognizes my mom, an immigrant woman that taught me to stand strong, work hard, be humble, have faith, speak from the heart, give it your all and to never forget your roots. It recognizes all the hard-working women that seek to make a difference in the lives of their families, their organization, their community.”

During the past year she was a speaker on the Women@ JBSS Senior Director panel and also spoke at HOLA (Hispanic Organization for Latin Americans) at JBSS. Witt mentors and coaches multiple manufacturing employees on various shifts annually, and her door is open to employees needing mentoring, coaching, and advice.

She also leads organizational development training across Sanfilippo’s corporate and manufacturing facilities, focusing on enhancing leadership and technical skills for employees. Witt was on the steering team that launched the JBSS Career Leadership program, developed the DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) multi-year training strategy, and organized training for employees at all Sanfilippo manufacturing sites.

Her work has also contributed to the success of store brands at the company. Her leadership along with her passion for mentoring has been the main factor that has led operations teams to continually improve. Witt’s efforts have also helped store brands by meeting/exceeding their goals while also meeting the company’s goals for continuous improvement, training, sustainability, and DEI.

This award not only recognizes me, but it recognizes my mom, an immigrant woman that taught me to stand strong, work hard, be humble, have faith, speak from the heart, give it your all and to never forget your roots.

— Doraly Witt, John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc.

DEI COMPANY OF THE YEAR

Schreiber Foods Green Bay, Wis.

The issue of diversity, equity and inclusion — commonly known as DEI — has been in the forefront in recent years as companies large and small work to address the issue. But Schreiber Foods, the 2023 Top Women In Store Brands honoree as DEI Company of the Year, has been on the DEI journey for many years, having planted the seeds in 2010 for what today is a broad effort across the company.

“We started working with one of our customers on DEI awareness and education,” said Jenene Calloway, vice president of Talent Development & Chief Diversity Officer with Schreiber Foods. “That sparked the work that led to the strategic pillars that influence our current DEI strategy.”

Today, Schreiber has partners around the globe involved in its DEI efforts, and the company continues to build a culture that embraces all people, company officials said.

Committed to having an inclusive workforce that understands and values DEI, the company’s priorities are centered around five key pillars. They include data analytics and reporting, DEI education training, internal talent review and development, workforce recruitment, and partner and community engagement and belonging.

The five pillars along with their corresponding actions allow Schreiber and its leadership to be clearly aligned on actions that advance DEI and support the organization’s Growth & Impact Plan.

Schreiber’s DEI efforts are led by Ron Dunford, its president and CEO, who has signed the CEO Action for

Diversity & Inclusion and created organizational representation goals for the company. He has cascaded a DEI goal to all U.S. partners, with all partners challenged to bring forth direct and intentional ideas to help diversify the workplace.

The company has seven business resource groups that implement programs and cultural fluency engagements that are part of Schreiber’s DEI overall strategy. These groups have their own individual budgets and can use funds for programming as they see fit. The groups are:

• Network of Women Business Leaders (NOWBL)

• Black Business Network (BBN)

• VETS Support Group (VETS)

• LGBTQ+ Support Group (PRIDE)

• Disability Support Group (ENABLED)

• Global Support Network (MOSAIC)

• Support for Millennials & GenZ (EMERGE)

“Our business resources groups build their strategies around experiences that create empathy and understanding,” said DJ Daniels, manager, Global Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Programs with Schreiber Foods. “When partners are exposed to different cultures, backgrounds and perspectives, it impacts their viewpoints and perspectives.”

Schreiber’s DEI leadership has also

had a positive impact on its hometown of Green Bay, Wis. For example, the company in recent years has raised the Pride flag at its corporate office to show support for the LGBTQ+ community. The City of Green Bay followed this lead and would eventually invite one of the founders of Schrieber’s PRIDE business resource group to be the keynote speaker at an event focused on diversity.

As Schreiber looks to continue its DEI initiatives into 2024, company officials said they will look for opportunities to reach into its global manufacturing facilities and tailor initiatives by area and region.

A main priority will be to focus on the representation of females and ethnic minorities at all levels throughout the organization. Intentional efforts to diversify the company was a goal in 2023, and Schreiber will continue and even double-click on those efforts moving forward by setting specific goals.

We started working with one of our customers on DEI awareness and education. That sparked the work that led to the strategic pillars that influence our current DEI strategy.

— Jenene Calloway, Schreiber Foods

RISING STARS

IN PRIVATE LABEL

2023

STORE BRANDS’ ANNUAL LIST HONORS THOSE WHO ARE MOVING PRIVATE LABEL FORWARD WHILE MAKING A NAME FOR THEMSELVES IN THE INDUSTRY

By Greg Sleter and Zachary Russell

For the fourth year, Store Brands is celebrating those under the age of 40 who are rising through the ranks in the world of private label. The past year has once again offered a host of challenges that required leadership along with new ways of thinking. From inflation to labor

shortages and the need for additional manufacturing capacity, product suppliers and retailers alike are adapting to the new, ever-changing landscape. This year’s Rising Stars list offers insight into how a new crop of young talent in private label are pushing forward and continuing to innovate.

Here are the Rising Stars for 2023:

EMILEE ALBRIGHT

Love’s Travel Stops

Brand Manager, Consumables

Within the growing convenience store segment, Love’s Travel Stops has positioned itself as a leader when it comes to offering shoppers quality, unique private label items. Emilee Albright is a big part of that store brand success.

As a leader within the Consumables department, Albright helped lead a launch of seven new product lines in 2023. One category, candy, has been a huge success in stores, hitting sales figures of more than 50% over her projections in some SKUs. Albright’s leadership has been described as pragmatic and datadriven, using metrics to meet goals with quality as the most important benchmark.

Love’s own brand products are continuing to resonate with consumers behind Albright’s leadership, who is getting started on updating the chain’s private label options in the Cooler category.

KARLI ANDREW

Albertsons Companies

Senior Manager, Own Brands Category Management & Innovation

Responsible for managing an Own Brands portfolio of 25 categories with a total worth of $365 million annually, Karli Andrew works to set near- and long-term strategies to grow her business and bring innovative new products to the market.

Her leadership of more than 30 cross functional team members and national stakeholders allows for analysis of key performance metrics, putting executional plans in place for assurance of supply, pricing and promotional tactics; assortment optimization; ensuring regulatory compliance of her portfolio; and driving market share.

Andrew has utilized her deep understanding of syndicated data to analyze and recommend ways to drive Own Brands sales, profits and market share of her categories while increasing productivity on the shelf through meaningful assortment optimization.

In the first half of 2023, she gained more than 65,000 points of distribution on core items within her portfolio driving sales and efficiency on shelf and

through the distribution channels. Andrew is also leading a three-year strategy for the baked category that will help to differentiate Albertsons in the market while adding an element of surprise and delight for its consumers.

JOSEPHINE DOYLE

Topco Associates, LLc

Sourcing Manager

As sourcing manager for Condiments at Topco, Josephine Doyle is responsible for negotiating with suppliers on behalf of the membership to provide best-inclass programs at competitive costs. In this role, she is focused on providing Topco member stores with the best products possible while managing turbulent shifts in her category.

As an example of her leadership, her willingness to go the extra mile led Topco to realize a multi-million dollar savings in their private brand honey program. In another instance, Doyle acted quickly and confidently in response to a main supplier of private label vinegar raising costs, which put Topco’s members in an uncompetitive position. Through determined negotiations with other suppliers, she was able to offer the membership a competitive program. During an unexpected nationwide Jif recall, Doyle secured additional products to help the membership service the unforeseen increased demand for peanut butter, while negotiating on behalf of two Northeast members, securing a more competitive private brand peanut butter program in a competitive market.

Doyle’s coworkers have described her standout qualities as determination, willingness to collaborate, and commitment to her work, consistently demonstrating her ability to get others to work collaboratively for the good of the membership.

CARA FINGER

Associated Wholesale Grocers

Marketing Manager, AWG Brands

Cara Finger has established herself as a key driver of private brands within Associated Wholesale Grocers. She plays a critical role

in working with category management, field sales, sourcing and supplier partners to help streamline communication and provide marketing support of private brands among more than 3,400 independent grocers.

Finger leads a team dedicated to creating retailerfacing communications to ensure that members know what is happening in AWG Brand new item launches, marketing programs and deals. She also leads the team dedicated to creating consumer-facing content (i.e. brand websites) as well as marketing campaigns that independent grocers can use within their channels.

Finger played a critical role in leading the team through an innovative frozen foods campaign for AWG Brands, tying in the consumer marketing campaigns around March Madness. This program also enabled independent grocers to take advantage of key consumer-relevant content around the college basketball craze. The marketing campaign won a Golden Penguin award from the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association.

Finger also contributes to AWG’s employee-driven AWG Cares program and has brought forward AWG Grant Requests for organizations dedicated to community service.

AMANDA KING

Lowes Foods Manager, Private Brands

While large, national chains typically dominate the conversation when it comes to private label, small, regional grocers are still providing shoppers with highquality store brand options. At North Carolinabased Lowes Foods, Amanda King is leading the private label charge and has impressed colleagues and customers alike by raising the bar on all things private label.

Focusing on Lowes’ Brown Bag and Premium Brown Bag clean label lines, King has worked across the organization to provide strategic insight from shelf placement to marketing channel execution in order to drive sales and increase awareness. She also leads the retailer’s Strategic Initiative planning - working cross functionally to develop stories that will inspire guests through its marketing channels.

King is responsible for spreading the word about Lowes’ private brands in more ways than one. When

the grocer opens a store in a new market, it gives its new neighbors Lowes & Behold Boxes filled with private brand products to introduce them to Lowes Foods. King is tasked with sourcing the boxes and having them printed, working with the distribution company to procure the products based on cost and availability, working with the design team for the print contents of the box, coordinating building the boxes and getting everything to the grassroots delivery team on time.

King’s coworkers at Lowes Foods describe her as curious, determined, caring and partnership-oriented for the work she has put in at the retailer so far.

ERIN MCCARTHY

Thrive Market

Senior Product Innovator, Home Cleaning & Supplies

A member of the Thrive Market team for two-and-a-half years, Erin McCarthy has worked to overhaul the company’s Home catalog, developing sustainable, effective, and affordable solutions all while managing the transition under the Roseyowned brand.

She led the paper program re-bid, developing a first-of-its-kind, industry-leading paper program (paper towels, bath tissue, facial tissue, napkins) that end-to-end elevated the product’s sustainability and performance. Through McCarthy’s leadership, the paper program is exclusively manufactured in the United States, has 100% plastic-free packaging, is made from 100% recycled content paper and is free from chlorine bleaching.

McCarthy’s leadership extends beyond paper as she developed a concentrates program under the Thrive Market Brand umbrella. The successful concentrated cleaning and reusable bottle program significantly reduced plastic waste with reusable glass bottles and efficacious, concentrated household cleaners (all-purpose cleaner, glass cleaner and tub and tile cleaner).

Her path to product innovation took an unusual path. Starting in the banking industry, she transitioned to product development and over a period of five years worked her way up the ladder to senior product innovator in the Home, Health, and Beauty catalog. She manages all of the HHB categories, including home, bath & body, beauty, babies & kids and vitamin & supplements.

Where INNOVATION & INSPIRATION intersect

NICOLAS MERLEN Chocmod USA

National Sales Manager

As a national sales manager, Nicolas Merlen manages multiple account relationships for Chocmod, a French chocolate truffle company that specializes in private label. In this role, he has excelled working with top retailers on private brand chocolate candy items, while earning praise for his attitude and enthusiasm for business and communication savvy.

In 2023, he led the development of 26 own-brand SKUs and started business relationships with eight new retailers. Merlen worked directly with the two company plants, Chocmod France and Chocmod Canada, to innovate and come up with new products.

Merlen is solution oriented with an “above and beyond” attitude. He likes to be involved in every step of the process, making sure the programs are getting delivered in full and on time.

KYLE ROBERTS

Associated Wholesale Grocers

Private Brand Specialist

In his role at Associated Wholesale Grocers, Kyle Roberts helps the company drive progress when it comes to private brands by analyzing data to help fuel sales. With a background in space planning, Roberts has been able to provide valuable insights into assortment, market voids and product execution while working closely with retailers to identify and create action plans.

Using sales and market data to optimize assortments, he has led several projects to improve private label assortment across center store categories. He also led a project to increase holiday orders for floor ready displays where possible. By utilizing sales data, he was able to determine the proper locations for incremental display, which will increase sales, decrease out-of-stocks and drive margin.

AMANDA KING MANAGER, PRIVATE BRANDS

In addition to being praised as an effective communicator and driven leader, work at AWG is personal for Roberts. He said it is a privilege to be “carrying the torch” for his father, who worked at AWG for 19 years and recently retired. Looking ahead, he added that he wants to continue expanding the company’s product assortment of private label and pass value onto consumers.

ALI SCHMID Thrive Market Product Innovator, Food

Ali Schmid came to Thrive Market with five years of purchasing experience, and during her two-year tenure, she has already had a large impact on the online retailer’s private label assortment. She has upleveled the Snacks category by re-sourcing

several owned brand SKUs and filled big white space opportunities by prioritizing the largest revenue drivers while keeping Thrive’s members and its mission in mind. Some of the private label snacks that have seen the most gains under Schmid’s leadership include sustainable products like regenerative dried mango, sprouted trail mix and rolled out and oat flours. She also focused on adding regenerative sources to Thrive’s private label mango, pecan and Brazil nut SKUs.

In February, Schmid said she visited several suppliers in Kenya to witness regenerative farming practices and toured mango, avocado and macadamia nut farms. She described this experience as “life-changing,” and said that in 2024, she plans to find ways to partner with others in the CPG industry who share goals around health and sustainability.

It’s time to expect more.

LAURA SMITH

The Kroger

Co.

Senior Category Strategy Manager

Laura Smith has spent the past decade at Kroger developing, marketing and leading Our Brands in the market in an effort to provide customers with high quality products at an excellent value.

She oversees a team of category strategy managers and deploys ideation strategies, customer trend insight, processes and tactics that lead to best-inclass product development. Smith works across multiple brands and categories to influence product development for Kroger’s more than 3,000 grocery stores. Her dedication and passion for Kroger’s Our Brands drives its business forward, with distinctive new products that build customer loyalty and fulfill unmet needs.

Smith has worked cross functionally to build, execute and evolve overall departmental processes and guidelines and has been a key leader in training, development and problem solving. She has created efficient, powerful and easy to use tools to aid the team in moving faster, maintaining quality and solving problems quickly.

Lauded for her leadership skills, Smith is driven, ambitious, creative, an excellent communicator and shows great care about people and business. She is a strong builder of relationships, networking, and new ideas and can flex to different styles, various consumer needs and easily navigate through customer insights through a variety of lenses.

JOHN STEELE

The Kroger Co. Director Our Brands, Centerstore

Since joining Kroger’s Our Brand team, John Steele has led the company’s acceleration initiative driving significant sales, units, margin and share increases across several categories. In only a short time working in private label, Steele’s colleagues said he has made contributions that have had a positive impact on growth. As a result he was promoted from acceleration lead to director of one of the largest private label center store portfolios in the U.S. retail market.

Steele took command of Kroger’s Our Brands Acceleration process, which explores every aspect of the private label category as part of a multi-disciplinary team. He led the team, added depth and thoroughness, and provided leadership that was motivational and inspiring. Since he took the leadership of this role, the team speed and thoroughness have been exponentially augmented.

JOSÉ SOTO

Topco Associates, LLC Associate Program Manager

José Soto is a leader on Topco Associates’ Health and Wellness team, focusing on expanding the company’s immune health and influenza vaccination program for Topco Pharmacy members.

A key figure in this endeavor, Soto spearheaded the integration of an immune health food-as-medicine campaign. This approach not only elevated the program’s effectiveness, but also integrated a holistic shopping experience by incorporating a total store approach. Soto successfully influenced shoppers’ behavior, encouraging healthier shopping choices throughout the store.

Soto has also been instrumental in helping Topco’s member stores grow their 340B drug pricing program and other essential pharmacy services. Through his dedication to fostering growth and value for members, Soto has significantly contributed to Topco’s health and pharmacy success, boosting the organization’s reputation.

Soto’s leadership on the Health and Wellness team and dedication to member growth has been “transformative” by his colleagues, who praised his attention to detail, commitment to learning and tenacity in seeking solutions.

TORI TASCH

The Kroger Co. Category Strategy Manager

Leading private label brand strategy, marketing communication and new item development at one of the country’s largest grocers is no easy task, but at Kroger, Tori Tasch has gone above and beyond to ensure that the retailer’s goals are met. In her role she tracks trends across the industry, applying knowledge of culinary, competitive and consumer trends to grow Kroger’s private label business.

As an example of her private brand expertise, Tasch executed an accelerated project on Seafood for Our Brands, performing a deep-dive investigation of the category, including customer needs and behavior, industry trends, sourcing opportunities and assortment needs. As a result, she led a cross-functional team to develop new Our Brand items, redesign packaging, restructure customer communication and quickly execute a launch plan with impressive speed to market.

As an ambassador for Kroger’s Our Brands vision and goals, Tasch is passionate about customers’ needs, providing high quality products, and the best price possible. Looking ahead to next year, she said the Seafood category will continue to grow at Kroger, fueled by the “culture” and expertise of her and of the private label team.

JORDAN TRAYNOR Thrive Market

Senior Food Product Innovator

Along with other members of the Thrive team, Jordan Traynor has helped spearhead the rise to regenerative and organic products at Thrive. For the retailer’s chocolate category, she helped source directly from Colombian farmers for chocolate bars, chips, and chocolate-covered nuts. These steps in taking sustainability to the next level are a major part in her work.

One of the most popular picks by Thrive Market’s members is its Regular Coconut Milk, accounting for one of the highest-selling SKUs by unit volume. Traynor doubled-down on building long-term value for Thrive Market and its members by upleveling the coconut milks and creams. Recently, she led

the transition to Thrive’s canned coconut milks and creams to be newly-sourced as Generative Organic products, derived directly from Sri Lanka, making them one of the first-ever Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC) producers of coconut products.

Traynor is credited with having a deep knowledge of Thrive’s 1.2 million members, constantly looking for new ways to better cater to their needs while considering all stakeholders. She said that so far, the highlight of her career has been working with chocolatier Oded Brenner on creating co-branded upcycled cacao products, bringing sustainably sourced products into the world of e-commerce grocery.

KIMBERLY WARD

Topco Associates, LLC

Senior Manager, Demand Planning and Replenishment

In her current position at Topco, Kimberly Ward works to drive better forecast accuracy through demand consensus meetings and root cause analysis. She possesses a continuous improvement mindset and a commitment to excellence that have resulted in three straight months of improved forecast accuracy across Topco’s Center Store.

Dedicated to Topco members and the customers they serve, Ward strives to improve forecasts, turning forecast accuracy data into meaningful information. A Rising Star within Topco, she possesses both subject matter expertise and an unbridled enthusiasm for demand planning. She has also given Topco members and suppliers a superior forecast to plan from.

Ward built out a new demand planning process over 16 months, leading her team in managing 30,000 items across 290 suppliers and 42 Topco members. The new process provides a monthly statistical forecast, augmented by member insights and industry trends.

Among the major initiatives instituted by Ward was updating Topco’s historical planning process that used spreadsheets that were sent to suppliers once a year. She created the strategic framework for a demand planning system at Topco. Her subject matter expertise and strong leadership were invaluable, guiding the project from start to finish. She was instrumental in developing the day-to-day processes and helped train more than 300 system users in just 10 months.

Your One-Stop-Shop for Private Label Coffee

Creative CONCEPT IDEATION

Masterful PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT

Adaptable TURN-KEY SOLUTIONS

FINLAY’S: YOUR PARTNER IN COFFEE INNOVATION

For more than a century, Finlay’s has been sourcing coffee from around the world as it works to bring the highest quality products to its retail customers. That longevity provides retailers peace of mind, knowing Finlay’s quality products will keep sales in the category growing. Finlay’s officials discussed the company’s strengths as well as the current state of the coffee business.

Store Brands: What services does Finlay’s offer its customers that differ from other companies in the coffee segment?

Finlays: Finlays excels in custom product development and creation of coffee flavor profiles. We also offer a unique process that removes the need for retort, aseptic packaging, or other high heat, high pressure sterility processes, allowing our coffee products to ship ambient while preserving their delicate flavor. Another offering is our ability to remove multiple downstream processing steps that are typically seen in the beverage landscape. This process allows for every sip of a Finlays coffee products to taste like a freshly brewed cup.

SB: What steps does Finlay’s take to stay ahead of consumer trends to provide its customers the latest products?

Finlays: Our team of global insights specialists take a holistic approach to the market and use quantitative and qualitative data to gather insights and make predictions on trends in the market. The ability to have a full scope view on the global market and analyze how other regions influence trends helps us support our customers to bring new and innovative products to market. Also, every year our team creates an annual global beverage trend report that we circulate to our customers and the industry.

SB:How does Finlay’s address the growing sustainability movement seen across retail?

Finlays: One of Finlays core values is a commitment to sustainability. It’s something we take very seriously and keep a continuous eye on in the market. Finlays has relationships with certified sustainable farms that offer coffee, such as Rain Forest Alliance and Fair Trade and can provide certified sustainable coffee solutions. Additionally, Finlays is working with packaging partners continuing to innovate on packaging solutions that reduce

our carbon footprint. Finlays also participates in a key sustainability movement by upcycling 100% of our spent coffee grinds.

SB: What are some of the hot current day trends in coffee?

Finlays: We are seeing an increase in spend in private label ready-to-drink coffees and across the board in multiserve cold brew coffees. Over the past 30 years, consumers have developed a discerning taste for high-quality coffee, increasing demand for specialty coffee beans, new brewing methods and elevated flavor profiles. While cold brew is maturing, we’re seeing the category continue to develop, particularly in line with trends for health and wellbeing. Interest in added functionality has increased as consumers look for ‘drinks with benefits’ to support their physical and mental wellbeing. Products with specific caffeine levels are appealing to consumers looking for an energy boost, while also wanting to regulate their caffeine intake.

HOME BREW

THE DEMAND FOR FLAVORED, DIFFERENTIATED COFFEE GROWS AS CONSUMERS SEEK

By Zachary Russell

NEW AT-HOME OPTIONS.

Coffee remains the most popular beverage in the United States, and consumers’ daily consumption levels remain high.

According to the latest insights from the National Coffee Association’s (NCA) National Coffee Data Trends Fall 2023 report, American coffee consumers now drink an average of 2.8 cups of coffee per day. In all its forms, coffee topped water, tea and soft drinks as the beverage most reported being consumed in the past day by Americans.

With the vast majority (81%) of American coffee drinkers having coffee with breakfast, the market continues to remain strong. One segment that continues to see robust growth is sales of cold brew products, which have increased 45% since January 2023 and jumped 300% since 2016. Per NCA’s most recent data, lattes are the most popular espresso-based beverage (consumed by 18% of Americans in the past week), followed by espresso (16%) and cappuccinos (15%).

While demand for classic coffees remains high, specialty coffee is more popular among Millennials and Gen Z. Nearly two-thirds (65%) of Americans aged 25-39 reported choosing specialty coffee during the week, while just over half (51%) of Americans aged 18-24 reported doing the same.

In addition to specialty blends, consumers are opting for flavored coffee as well, with 30% of Americans surveyed reporting drinking a flavored coffee in the past week. Vanilla claimed the top spot among flavored brews, followed by carmel/toffee/butterscotch and hazelnut being tied for second, and

mocha landing in the spot of thirdmost popular.

“In 2023, we are observing less of a focus on coffee origin and blend, and instead a focus on roast profile

Consumers are seeking new flavor options to enhance their home coffee making experience.

In the at-home segment, I see a trend towards the increase in consumption and demand for specialty coffee. Those numbers are increasing significantly. And it seems that the younger generation is latching on to specialty coffee in a big way.

— Travis Gorney, NuZee

and familiar flavors, such as vanilla and sweetened black,” said Stephanie Thornton, marketing manager for Coffee at Finlays, a supplier of private label coffee and tea products. “Consumers continue to seek quality flavor without the premium price tag to preserve their spend amidst inflationary pressures and rising basket costs.”

With the arrival of fall, several retailers are currently offering seasonal, flavored coffees as part of their private label assortments. The Fresh Market recently released pumpkin spice and pecan pie varieties of bagged coffee under its namesake brand, while Target added a pumpkin spice cold brew to its fanfavorite Good & Gather brand.

With out-of-home food and beverage costs remaining high, many Americans are seeking specialty coffee in single-serve formats at home in an effort to cut

down spending at their local coffee shop. Per NCA’s data, drip coffee makers are the most popular preparation method (40% of past day coffee drinkers), followed by single cup brewers (27%), cold brewing (16%) and espresso machines (11%).

“In the at-home segment, I see a trend towards the increase in consumption and demand for specialty coffee,” said Travis Gorney, chief innovation officer at NuZee. “Those numbers are increasing significantly. And it seems that the younger generation is latching on to specialty coffee in a big way. There’s a lot of folks that are going back to alternative single serves, similar to what NuZee is offering.”

Gorney said that increased home consumption is also an opportunity for retailers to grow their assortments of private brands, citing NuZee’s collaboration with Wakefern to pack and ship its single-serve coffee bags for ShopRite’s Bowl & Basket brand.

“We’ve seen significant growth in our business in brands that we manufacture for as well as some private label [brands],” he said. “There’s been somewhat of a stigma [with private brands] around the quality not being as high as the branded product or the national brands, but I think that’s gone away over time with private label in just about every segment...it’s less looked at as generic and more as just another option.”

Looking ahead to the coming year, Thornton said she sees no signs of the coffee category slowing its growth, adding that consumers will continue to seek value and convenience as prices remain high.

“Coffee remains a strong format to receive energy, particularly cold coffee, but cost is top of mind for consumers,” said Thornton. “In 2024, we will see a focus on value formats that provide consumers their afternoon energy boost at a price tag that will compete with the growing popularity of energy drinks.”

Single-serve coffee pods are the second most popular form of at-home coffee consumption.

We are observing less of a focus on coffee origin and blend, and instead a focus on roast profile and familiar flavors, such as vanilla and sweetened black. Consumers continue to seek quality flavor without the premium price tag to preserve their spend amidst inflationary pressures and rising basket costs.

— Stephanie Thornton, Finlays