Listen On:
In this episode of “The Business of Blueberries,” host Kasey Cronquist, president of the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council (USHBC) and the North American Blueberry Council (NABC), is joined by Vice President of Brand Development at Independent Grocers Alliance Michael La Kier. The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) is the largest affiliation of independent grocers in the U.S. and worldwide with 1,700 U.S. stores and over 6,200 stores globally. They have thousands of independents across the U.S. working together as one entity to give access to affordable technology, programs, and partnerships with the world’s top CPG manufacturers and service providers. Our shopper team has teamed up with IGA to help get the blueberry value to consumers.
“So you have to think through in a very disciplined, strategic way of what’s the point of inspiration and how do I activate it? What’s that point of decision, and then point of transaction to be holistic about it? Which is what I love that you guys have started to do in terms of thinking through what is the retail strategy, not just how do we create awareness for blueberries.” – Michael La Kier
Topics covered include:
- Meet Vice President of Brand Development at Independent Grocers Alliance Michael La Kier
- Explore the strategy and efforts made by IGA on behalf of the berry industry
- Discover the impact made by the Organic Produce Summit and the insights we can gain for the blueberry industry
- Learn about the collaboration the blueberry industry can have with IGA’s efforts and future
Crop Report
The Blueberry Crop Report is an update on crop conditions and markets throughout important blueberry growing areas. Today you’ll hear from Luis Vegas in Peru, Alan Schreiber in Washington and Brody Schropp in Michigan. This was recorded on September 12, 2024.