Blogs

Blogs

COVID-19 Shifting the Industry

By Abrielle Backhaus
We know that the COVID-19 virus has been top of mind and impacting the industry in numerous ways. We see new information in the news daily. Grocers are ramping up and streamlining hiring to keep pace with demand caused by coronavirus restrictions causing a supply issue for foodservice distributors and manufacturers. Consumers are exhibiting unique shopping behavior as well, and in some areas shelves are empty of key items including some fresh food items. The best way to keep alert is to turn to data. By recording, analyzing, and utilizing data we can recognize consumer patterns and behaviors to better meet their needs. IRI Marketing has shared reports with ...
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Extra, Extra! March Update is Here

By Abrielle Backhaus
That’s right, extra What’s in Store content. The annual What’s in Store Trends Report is not just annual anymore. For the first time we’re offering updated content quarterly. On March 4th you’ll have new and updated data added to your edition of What’s in Store 2020. With our quarterly updates we are excited for our What’s in Store users to receive cutting edge trends, data, and research. There is a guide to the update incorporated in What's in Store to help you navigate the new data; the guide is also available for download by clicking here .  Every day we see new fads in the news, notice altering consumer habits, and experience innovation ...
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Fresh Careers Delivers Fresh Talent

By Kerry Grande
Attracting new talent. The future of our industry. We’ve all heard the phrases throughout the workplace around finding and keeping the right hire. With this in mind, we are faced with the question: how do we solve this need? It’s with great pride to share a light at the end of this tunnel. While IDDBA supports our members through scholarships, grants, and programs, there’s one in particular that intimately works with the next generation of industry leaders. Fresh Careers. Our Fresh Careers program is built around a hands-on, mentoring philosophy that runs in conjunction with IDDBA’s annual tradeshow. It’s a program that helps university students network ...
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Making Trends Actionable

By Angela Bozo
Happy new year! For the education team at the IDDBA with the new year comes our annual biggest challenge. In just a few short days, the planning meetings for What’s in Store Live will begin and with the meetings comes the challenge. Challenge, you ask? Well, maybe that is a strong word. Allow me to back up. What’s in Store Live is a big project- for IDDBA 2020 , we have 25,000 square feet of show floor with which to execute a compelling area of forward-thinking merchandising. Our stated long-term goal is to showcase multiple ideas and concepts that retailers can leverage to increase basket size and grow sales in their departments. Often this is tactical, ...
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A New Year Brings New Opportunities

By Mike Eardley
First off, I would like to wish everyone a happy new year! As we enter 2020 let us not forget to celebrate the achievements of 2019. There’s no doubt in my mind that we all worked hard, persevered, and most importantly, we grew. I say, with confidence, that IDDBA is ready to embark on 2020 initiatives that will bring new opportunities and growth to our members. We have many things to anticipate about 2020. For starters our IDDBA community will be meeting in Indianapolis for IDDBA 2020 . This will be the first year we bring our show to Indy, and we are excited as ever. Not only are we launching the new show floor area, The Visionary Pavilion , but Indianapolis ...
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Follow My Path: Angela Bozo

By Kerry Grande
This week's Follow My Path blog post features IDDBA's Education ​Director @Angela Bozo ! Angela shares the various experiences she has encountered as she maneuvered through the food industry. Read below to follow her path!  1. Describe your journey that brought you to your current position. I grew up in the restaurant business, so work and food have always been tied in my mind. Due to some familial circumstance, I ended up in Dallas, TX after college and was hired as a Foodie for Central Market. This job cultivated my passion for grocery and helping people shop. It did not, however, make me want to stay in Texas and so when I was able to move, I chose ...
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What's in Store Goes Digital!

By Abrielle Backhaus
At IDDBA we believe the best way to not just survive, but to thrive is to adopt a philosophy and vision. This philosophy can be summed up by several pillars we call  "Our Influencers” . One of these influencers is technology because as our President, Mike Eardley, says, “through technology, shoppers' lives are changing at an ever-increasing pace. Technology marches on and failing to march onwards with it is a sure way to be left behind…Information is a central facet to this change.” To keep pace with the rest of the world, IDDBA has transformed the 34 th edition of What’s in Store to be a digital resource for our members. We’ve heard your comments ...
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Introducing Our New Chairman: Gaetano Auricchio

By Kerry Grande
It is an honor to introduce our new chairman of the board @Gaetano Auricchio ! Gaetano is the Executive Vice President of BelGioioso Cheese, Inc. where cheese recipes have been passed down from generation to generation all the way from Italy to America. BelGioioso has been a member company of IDDBA for 36 years. They have been an active exhibitor throughout this time at our tradeshows and a sponsor to our What’s in Store Live program. We are thrilled to have Gaetano help lead our association during this upcoming year. Hearing his background and learning about his experiences has been a treat. Below Gaetano answered some questions to share his story that has ...
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Exhibiting: More than a Booth

By Bobbie Strohbusch
Where can you find over 10,000 dairy, deli, and bakery professionals under one roof swapping ideas, inspiration, and innovation? The same place where you can witness over 800 companies exhibiting their products: the IDDBA tradeshow. Our tradeshow has built a distinguished reputation over the years. With this reputation comes pride and responsibility. Pride, because of the success and growth that we’ve seen over the last 55 years of being an association that serves the dairy, deli, bakery, and foodservice industry 365 days. Alongside our pride is the responsibility to deliver what we promise to our members and show attendees. It is IDDBA’s responsibility to ...
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Follow My Path: Karri Zwirlein

By Eric Richard
This weeks Follow My Path features @Karri Zwirlein , Director of Bakery, Deli, & Prepared Foods at Tops Markets! Karri is an active leader in the industry as well as IDDBA. I'm excited to introduce Karri and share her career path with you all. 1. In two sentences, sum up how you got to where you are professionally.  I believe I am where I am today because I’ve had the opportunity to be surrounded by great advisors, mentors, who have helped me focus on my path and overcome the obstacles that come my way. 2. What is your guilty food pleasure? I would have to say…Ice Cream. 3. How long have you been at your current role? I have been the Director ...
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Back to School

By Whitney Atkins
Depending on where you are it might seem this is a wee bit late for Back to School (BTS).  My southern friends and family have already started back. School supplies bought, schedules adjusted, rush hour traffic relived, and it seems as though there are more things to do than there is time in the day. Here in the Midwest we are gearing up for that “storm” to hit next week and this mom is not ready so I will spend my long weekend trying to get ready. Maybe it is a sigh of relief to say all that…now onto the real message. BTS season brings about cooler weather (hang on some of you it will happen), football, and oh my goodness a focus on holiday selling seasons ...
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From the Desk of the Chairman of the Board

By Rick Findlay
If there is one constant, it is change. This year, IDDBA took a big step, and moved into a new building in beautiful Madison, Wisconsin. Anyone who has been to our old home office shouldn't have much trouble finding the new one, just a few minutes away. Unlike the previous building, we own this one, and we're excited to have a space that really suits our organization. Another big change will be coming soon too, but you knew this was on the way. The last time I wrote to you all, I was halfway through the journey as Chairman of the Board for IDDBA. I was following in some illustrious footsteps - @Erik Waterkotte , Vice President of Sales for The Fresh Food Group, ...
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How We're Building Community and Growing the Future

By Jonathan Whalley
“Welcome to the Community!” “The IDDBA Community is excited to have you with us!” “Join the Community if you’re not yet a member!” We’ve been saying it a lot, and it’s one of our influencers: Community. But what does it mean? The dictionary says a community is “a group sharing common characteristics or interests and perceived, or perceiving itself, as distinct in some respect from the larger society within which it exists.” We are certainly a group and we do offer a distinct experience for our members, and even those who only attend the IDDBA trade show without the benefits of membership. Our Community ...
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Follow My Path: Dominique Delugeau

By Eric Richard
This week we will Follow the Path of Dominique Delugeau from Saputo Cheese USA Inc. Dominique dives into his journey within the world of cheese, and gives us a glimpse into his career path.  1. In two sentences, sum up how you got to where you are professionally. Hard work and being motivated by a constant quest for knowledge. 2. What is your guilty food pleasure? A rich ice cream with all the trimmings! 3. How long have you been at your current role?  Technically 16 years, but my job description changed slightly last year to include an international trade dimension to it. I am now also the liaison with all the International divisions of Saputo for ...
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Follow My Path: Elizabeth Yerecic

By Eric Richard
This week’s featured industry leader for our “Follow My Path” blog series is Elizabeth Yerecic of Yerecic Label. As the Key Account Manager for her family business, follow her journey as she gives you a glimpse into her experiences working at her family’s 50-year-old company. In two sentences, sum up how you got to where you are professionally. As a part of the third generation in a family business of label printers, I was always given the opportunity to pursue my passion or to join the company. Luckily for me, that decision was not mutually exclusive and led me to becoming a Key Account Manager at Yerecic Label for the Midwest/Northeast region. What is ...
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20/20 Vision on IDDBA 20

By Mike Eardley
Optimism. If I could only use a single word to describe #IDDBA19, it would be optimism. That optimism may have been personified by the inspiring storytelling of Michael J. Fox , who told us " Every circumstance provides choices and opportunity." After he finished addressing our general session, the crowd didn't just come to their feet for a standing ovation once , but they did so twice . People called the speech inspiring ; Tonya Blomberg of Give and Go Prepared Foods went even further: "Inspiring is an understatement!" Bringing our members inspiration is a huge part of what we do at IDDBA and at our annual show. Why? Because by inspiring each ...
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Follow My Path: Mark Boyer

By Eric Richard
Meet Mark Boyer, president of Tippin’s Gourmet Pies. He’s the subject for the second installation of our Follow My Path blog series. The first question that I asked Mark was to sum up how he got to where he is professionally, his answer: “Listening and learning from some really smart people, and not listening to people who say something cannot be done and then proving them wrong.” It’s this type of spirit that helps our industry grow stronger and move forward. Follow his path and meet the president of the pie company that makes pies so good people ask for them by name.  What is your guilty food pleasure? Cinnamon rolls; we make a croissant dough at Tippin's ...
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Follow My Path

By Eric Richard
Whether someone started bagging groceries or manned the cash register, that’s where many careers began before transforming into something greater. I’m excited to launch our new blog series, “Follow My Path”, where you will read about how industry professionals and experts made their way to the top. I’m honored to have a chance to sit down with these individuals to learn about what experiences throughout their life shaped them, as well as the building blocks that allowed them to accomplish what they have. To kick off the blog series, meet John Gardner, Vice President of Sales for DecoPac, Inc: University of MN Graduate – Class of 1990 – Journalism major ...
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From the Desk of the Chairman of the Board

By Rick Findlay
How time flies! It has been almost six months since I was named the Chairman of the Board for IDDBA and incredibly, this means I am halfway through the journey. In this position before me was Erik Waterkotte, the talented Vice President of Sales at Country Fresh, Inc. and before him, the wonderful Jewel Hunt, Group VP of Ecommerce for Albertsons Co. It is humbling to be in such amazing company and a privilege to play a part in the success of IDDBA with a mission to help all our member companies grow. If you’re reading this, you are probably on our community site: “IDDBA Community”. This year we will be growing this resource, so, look forward to more posts ...
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Building Our Community

By Mike Eardley
Community. IDDBA and its member-companies don't just form an association - we are also a community. Community can mean a lot of things. It can mean the place you live, and the strength of the relationships among those around you. It can mean a coming together of the like-minded, people who share common interests and work together to pull for each other's successes. It can mean the network of strong bonds between people that make all of us larger than the sum of our parts. Community. A few years back, I put it this way: our IDDBA community is built on shared successes and the creation of long-term value for all of our members; this, in turn, makes us more ...
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