Wakefern Food Corp. is seeking local growers to join its supplier network and take part in its Local Produce Supplier Summit on July 15 at the New Jersey Convention and Expo Center in Edison.
The retailer-owned supermarket cooperative said applications opened March 9 through the RangeMe platform and will remain open for 30 days. Wakefern’s member companies own and operate supermarkets under banners that include ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer, Dearborn Market, Gourmet Garage, Fairway Market, Morton Williams and Di Bruno Bros.
The summit is part of Wakefern’s local sourcing efforts and is designed to give regional farmers a chance to present products, connect with procurement teams and explore potential retail partnerships. Wakefern said qualified applicants will be invited to Edison for a full day of presentations, panel discussions and meetings with Wakefern teams and member families.
“Wakefern’s Local Produce Supplier Summit is a meaningful way to connect with small and mid-size growers and bring their high-quality produce to our stores, and we look forward to hosting our annual event on July 15,” Travis Riepenhoff, group vice president of fresh procurement for Wakefern, said in a statement. He added that Wakefern’s members are family-owned food businesses and that the cooperative is committed to delivering “the freshest produce from their farms to our customers’ tables.”
Wakefern said applicants should be headquartered in states where its supermarket banners operate: New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and New Hampshire. Selected growers may also meet with Wakefern representatives ahead of the July 15 event, the company said.
Growers who attend the summit will also have the opportunity to meet other suppliers and participants to learn more about doing business with the cooperative, Wakefern said.
Wakefern also highlighted prior participants that said the program helped strengthen partnerships supporting local agriculture. Hess Brother’s Fruit Company, a family-owned Pennsylvania grower, supplies apples used for Wakefern’s private label Bowl & Basket line.
“Wakefern’s cooperative of family-owned supermarkets truly shares our company ethos,” said Mattie Leid, head of sales for Hess Brother’s Fruit Company. “It means a lot to work with a retailer that supports local growers and understands the care that goes into producing high-quality fruit for families across the region.”
