The California Grocers Association is ecstatic to announce CGA Radio, our new podcast for grocery and food industry professionals. Together, we’ll explore the people, ideas, and brands shaping California’s grocery community. 

Season 1 introduces listeners to “people you should meet” in the food and grocery business. Our insightful guests lend us their perspective on compelling topics from education to food insecurity, store design, organics, and solving hunger.

Tune into CGA Radio on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Android. Subscribe to be notified of new episodes and leave us a rating if you enjoyed!

Thank you to our Season 1 sponsor of CGA Radio:

First-Ever Food Industry Economic Forecast

As the direction of the economy — everything from interest rates and real estate to inflation — continues to garner headlines, it felt like an apt time to gather Southern California’s grocery community for a mid-summer check-in. The first-ever California Grocers Association Food Industry Economic Forecast took place at the GRAMMY Museum in downtown Los Angeles and brought together industry leaders to zero in on macroeconomic factors, such as the supply chain, labor pool, consumer financial health, and opportunities in technology.

In collaboration with The Illuminators, the Food Industry Economic Forecast also served as the front-end of CGA’s strategic planning meeting, which took place the following day and aimed to inspire the organization’s agenda for the next handful of years.

The forecast event paired presentations from Dr. Chris Thornberg and John S. Phillips. Thornberg is the founder of Beacon Economics, a research company which consults with private industry, cities, counties, and public agencies to create economic studies. Phillips is the SVP of Customer Supply Chain and Go-to-Market at PepsiCo.

The PepsiCo executive kicked off the event with an hourlong report on the supply chain and innovation opportunities in the food and beverage industry. His presentation drew plaudits from attendees, especially for its information about smart labels, QR code utilization, and automation. In a world where both consumers and regulators have an insatiable appetite for understanding what’s in food and beverage products and why, smart labels empowered by QR code technology offer the ability for product information to be unconstrained by physical packaging space. Similarly, new advances in automation offers the potential for production to be unbound by human capital.

This last note is important, and it is a central argument in Dr. Thornberg’s work. By the esteemed economist’s thinking labor challenges are not unique to the food industry, and in California, are the product of the persistent housing shortage and demographics. Similar to Phillips, Thornberg believes every business should be pursuing an automation strategy.

Outside of technology and automation, the economist ran through a high volume of key economic indicators, all utilized to illustrate his main contention of the day: The media narratives that focus on the looming recession are misaligned with the data. Instead, data around consumer savings and spending across many discretionary categories leads to a much rosier picture. In fact, the greatest danger to consumers is the doom-loop, recessionary narrative becoming a self-fulfilling prophecy.

With plenty of food for thought to digest, the forecast was followed by an industry mixer where supplier and wholesale executives had the chance to mix and mingle with some of the region’s sharpest grocery retailers. Thank you to everyone who attended, and to our sponsors RMS and FMS. We hope to see you again at one of the Association’s other events this summer or fall.

Healthy Communities Require Choice, Not Its Elimination

The Perris City Council is continuing to work on Ordinance 1423, which seeks to severely restrict what foods and beverages grocers can sell in store checkout areas. It’s a misguided strategy that is unfriendly to businesses and places little faith in Perris residents by dictating a set of “healthy” product choices to the city’s grocery shoppers as defined by politicians. In some cases, literally whole fruit and vegetable products would be forbidden.

Whether shopping for healthy ingredients for a home-cooked meal or simply looking for a treat at the end of a long day, the “when” or “why” shoppers decide what goes into their shopping carts is not for Perris elected officials to dictate.

Grocers support the Perris elected officials who are seeking healthier lifestyles for their community residents, but we also believe nearly every resident would agree that consumer choice and moderation are key components of health. For this reason, the city’s grocery community has urged the City Council to implement Ordinance 1423 in a way that allows consumers to have easy access to a broad mix of product choices in the checkout area of their local grocery store.

We trust in the people of Perris to choose what’s best for them and their families. From the mom-and-pop grocer to the supermarket, grocery stores provide access to healthy food in every community. We take that job seriously and hope the grocery industry can continue to serve Perris residents’ every occasion.

For more information on Ordinance 1423, read the Association’s letter to Mayor Michael Vargas below. To contact the Mayor’s office regarding this matter, call (951) 943-6100, or email at [email protected].

New Speaker Talks Grocery with CGA Representatives

Asm. Robert Rivas (D-Hollister) has known Danny since he was a boy. Danny, a longtime produce manager at Hollister Super, was in the store working when the future Assembly Speaker stopped by the community grocer for a meeting and tour. The two embraced, before quickly catching up and posing for a picture with Hollister Super owner Chang So.

These are the types of connections that make the grocery community, and Hollister Super in particular, so special. Whether it’s the grocer’s role as job-provider or a brick-and-mortar store’s ability to offer a place to find nourishing foods and maybe bump into a friendly face, grocery stores are one of the few public spaces that are truly communal.

“Our stores have been in the community since 1983, and we joke that almost everybody in Hollister has worked here at one point or another.” Hollister Super owner Chang So said. “In fact, it’s even true for me. I left my job in tech world in 2003 to come back and run my family’s business. It’s a special experience to be such a vital part of a community like Hollister, and we were thrilled to have Assemblymember Rivas pay us a visit.”

The future Assembly Speaker joined Hollister Super staff and representatives from the California Grocers Association for a store tour to learn more about the grocery industry’s operations and the challenges facing independent and ethnic grocers. They discussed a number of issues impacting stores up and down the state.

“Independent grocers like Hollister Super feed and nourish communities across the state,” said CGA President and CEO Ron Fong, who attended the store tour. “They really are our lifeblood, and they add so much to the diversity and bounty of food options we have available to us in California.”

When Asm. Rivas becomes Assembly Speaker, the top leadership position in California’s State Assembly, on June 30, it will be the first time since the late 1990s the Speaker role has been held by an elected official outside the Greater Los Angeles Region. It’s an important point of distinction for Hollister Super owner Chang So.

“I’m excited to have someone ascend to the state’s leadership from Hollister,” he explained. “Someone who understands the opportunities and challenges of small communities and community-minded businesses.”

The independent grocery community enjoyed a lively day of golf and connection at this year’s Independent Grocers Golf Tournament which took place on June 7 in Rohnert Park, CA.

Our annual tournament allows independent grocers, wholesalers, and suppliers to network with one another outside of the office while practicing their swing for a productive day of golf, sampling product from sponsors, and forming new business relationships. After a day of play, attendees gathered back at the clubhouse for a raffle and silent auction. The grand prize winner took home an eight-day vacation to Mexico.

CGA is deeply appreciative of our sponsors for supporting the event, and thankful to our attendees for spending their day with us! Check out our winners and event photos below.

First Place:

Peet’s Coffee

Dennis Albrecht

Jeremy Markus

Bennie Tiapon

Tim Albrecht

Second Place:

Mollie Stone’s Market

Mike Stone

Laz Soares

Matt Bloom

Joe Tringali

Closest to the Pin:

Benny Tiapon

Diane Maxey

Longest Drive:

Mike Stone

Beth Beckmann

September 24-26, Palm Springs, CA

Revisiting Value

The time is here to gather with California’s grocery community to uncover the evolving values and priorities of today’s customers and explore how your business can realign to adapt to these changes. Registration is now open for the 2023 CGA Strategic Conference. We’ll meet you in Palm Springs for our high-energy event packed with enlightening educational sessions, dynamic business meetings, and lively social events.

Reserve your spot and hotel accommodations today.

Conference Theme: Shifting Priorities

In a retail landscape that has transformed over the past few years, today’s retailers and brands are reprioritizing to meet evolving customer needs— centered on health, sustainability, and convenience— all while adjusting to a new marketplace. With an appetite to experiment, retailers and companies across the supply chain are employing new data and technology, and pursuing creative partnerships that break the mold. 

Our full conference website is available now. Stay tuned for speaker and program announcements.

Make Your Mark With a Sponsorship

Sponsorship opportunities are available at various investment and exposure levels to meet you where you are. All sponsors receive a personalized schedule of private, pre-arranged meetings with senior management, procurement teams, and other retail professionals in California’s grocery industry, 

From young emerging brands to established national suppliers, our gathering of top industry decision makers will guarantee meaningful business connections and point you towards creative avenues to take your business to the next level. Reserve your spot before it sells out

An Exclusive Forward Forecast for Food Industry Leaders

June 27, 2023 | 2:00 p.m. – 6:30 p.m.
GRAMMY Museum @ LA LIVE

Grocers and their shoppers are intrinsically linked, making it absolutely essential for food industry business leaders to understand the economic position of today’s customers and its role in their choices and behaviors. From supply chain headwinds to the key drivers of inflation, it is imperative for grocers to have the tools to anticipate the realities of current economic conditions which impact consumers, the access and affordability of capital, and influence labor and wage dynamics.

The California Grocers Association presents to you the first-ever Food Industry Economic Forecast 2023 on June 27 at the iconic Grammy Museum in Los Angeles. During our program we’ll explore where the economy is headed and what you need to know to be prepared. We invite you to join food industry colleagues for an insightful afternoon educational program, led by keynote speaker Dr. Christopher Thornberg, followed by a presentation by John S. Phillips that will examine current supply chain constraints and discuss how industry leaders can leverage trends and technologies to adapt to new, elevated employee and customer expectations. Our event will conclude with a hosted networking reception with senior grocery leaders registered to attend.

The cost to attend the event is $125, and registration includes the educational seminar and hosted reception. CGA and The Illuminators members save $30 when using the code FELLOWSHIP. Thank you to The Illuminators for your support in promoting this new event for the food industry.

Dr. Christopher Thornberg
Founder, Beacon Economics

An expert in economic and revenue forecasting, regional economics, economic policy, and labor and real estate markets, Dr. Christopher Thornberg has consulted for private industry, cities, counties, and public agencies. He became nationally known for forecasting the subprime mortgage market crash that began in 2007 and was one of the few economists on record to predict the global economic recession that followed. Dr. Thornberg holds a Ph.D in Business Economics from The Anderson School at UCLA, and a B.S. degree in Business Administration from the State University of New York at Buffalo.

John S. Phillips
SVP, Customer Supply Chain and Go-to-Market, PepsiCo

Phillips has been with PepsiCo for over 35 years and has worked in a number of different sales and field operations roles since joining the company as a route salesperson with Frito-Lay. In his current role, Phillips is responsible for working with PepsiCo’s largest customers on supply chain and collaboration initiatives to drive both effectiveness and efficiency across the shared supply chain. He also leads PepsiCo’s Go-To-Market COE focused on global process and technology tools to optimize go-to-market systems. 

Sponsorship Available

Be in the room with California’s top grocery leaders in attendance. Sponsorship opportunities for the Food Industry Economic Forecast and networking reception are available. Contact Beth Wright to learn more.

This event is sponsored by:

2023 Store Leader Training Seminars

CGA is ecstatic to build upon the store leader seminar program we began in 2019. This summer, CGA is offering two affordable and approachable development opportunities to grow your team. During our one-day regional seminars, store-level supervisors will enhance their management skills to further develop their grocery careers. Store directors, assistant directors, and department managers are encouraged to attend. 

Our trainings offer a blend of inspiring keynote presentations and hands-on, retail-specific, trainings that will provide the inspiration, practical tips and relevant examples to develop your leadership acumen and techniques to succeed with today’s employees.  

To ensure your region is covered, we are hosting one session in Southern California on July 25, and one in Northern California on July 27. To learn more and register click the link below. 

President and CEO Ron Fong penned a letter to the editor in the San Francisco Chronicle in defense of retailers who take a risk to invest in and revitalize communities that lack adequate grocery stores. 

After the Trinity Whole Foods store, located in San Francisco’s Tenderloin district, closed in April due to rampant retail theft and safety concerns, the Chronicle published an opinion piece blaming the retailer for taking a chance to reinvigorate the community with a full-service grocery store. In response, Fong’s letter to the editor highlights the severe, everyday impacts of unchecked retail theft on grocers and calls for common-sense retail theft reform on behalf of California’s grocery community. 

Read the full letter to the editor below, or view online here. 

Whole Foods did the right thing by opening at Civic Center. Why closing is also right

Regarding “Whole Foods says its Civic Center location closed over safety concerns. That’s not the whole story” (Opinion, SFChronicle.com, April 25): As president and CEO of the California Grocers Association, the most common question I receive is, “How do I get a grocery store in my neighborhood?”

However, in this opinion article, grocers are blamed for taking a chance to invest in and revitalize a community in need of a grocery store. By this logic, grocers would never take the risk to improve communities that lack adequate grocery stores and food deserts would remain underserved.

When Whole Foods announced it was opening this location in 2018, the move was lauded for putting a full-service grocery store near tens of thousands of residents. But now that the store has closed due to rampant theft and crime, Nuala Bishari and Soleil Ho explain away these issues in favor of a narrative that the company shouldn’t have bet on the neighborhood in the first place.

The authors also argue that the store’s layout was partially to blame for the excessive shoplifting, insinuating that more products behind glass will prevent theft. Unchecked retail theft has increasingly forced grocers to put products under lock and key, and this creates a less-than-ideal store environment for customers.

Unfortunately, this is the everyday reality for grocers in California, which is why the grocery community has called for common-sense and reasonable retail theft reform.

This April, grocers join CGA in Sacramento to lend us their voices for one of the most important industry advocacy days of the year, Grocers Day at the Capitol.

Our morning began with heavy-hitting speakers from the Capitol community. Chair of the Moderate Democratic Caucus Asm. Blanca Rubio spoke with us about upcoming priorities for the business-friendly caucus. Topping the caucus’ current priority list is a plan to strengthen its scale and presence at the Capitol by recruiting new members for the 2024 election season, Asm. Rubio shared.

Capitol Correspondent for KCRA 3 and President of the Capitol Correspondent Association Ashley Zavala, who has received praise for her forthright and thorough reporting of elected officials, sat down with us to discuss the media’s role in maintaining checks and balances with lawmakers. Ashley shared her insights on the ways grocers can work with the media strategically to tell our industry’s story and hold the legislature accountable.

The bread and butter of CGA’s advocacy day is our afternoon meetings with lawmakers. During these meetings, grocers shared their firsthand experiences operating stores in California and discussed the real-life impacts of proposed legislation. This year, our focus spanned from amending harmful retail theft legislation, to opposing store closure and worker retention bills that would create barriers for grocers of all sizes hoping to expand in California.

On behalf of the Association, we would like to thank all of the grocers and food industry leaders who spent the day advocating with us for California’s grocery community. We would also like to thank our sponsors for contributing to the success of our event.

Check out photos from the event below.