JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017 - Homesteadddbc.homestead.com/DDBC_Magazine_January-February_2017.pdf4 DDBC News, January-February 2017 1/2-page ad here 4-c new horizon sales direct to you OFFICIAL

JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2017

In this issue:

A Salute to 2016

DDBC Award Winners

ACOSTA Sales & Marketing714-988-1500 x1319 W. Imperial Hwy Suite 200, Brea, CA 92821

www.acosta.com

Acosta Sales & Marketing, along with our distinguished partners is proud to congratulate all of the

DDBC Award Winners. We are fortunate to do business with such wonderful people. Congrats!

LA MEXICANA

Damian ValdezSuper King MarketsRetailer of the Year

Jim HardyGlenOaks Farms

Supplier of the Year

Vic ChionoCoca-Cola/Minute Maid


Sue BargstenDPI Specialty FoodsHall of Fame Inductee

Acosta.indd 1 12/15/16 12:54 PM

DDBC News, January-February 2017 3

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION DDBC of Southern California

Calendar

About the cover

In This Issue: February Awards Night The DDBC kicks off 2017 right by honoring its Award winners from 2016 at the February meeting, traditionally one of the best-attended membership meetings of the year. This year features the induction of Sue Bargsten (DPI Specialty Foods) into the Hall of Fame; and also honors Damian Valdez (Super King Markets) as the 2016 Retailer of the Year and Vic Chiono (Coca-Cola Minuted Maid) and Jim Hardy (GlenOaks Farms) as the 2016 Suppliers of the Year. Individual stories and photos of the honorees begin on Page 8.

A look at V&V Supremo Foods For more than 50 years, V&V Supremo Foods has been manufacturing Hispanic cheese products from its humble beginnings on the South side of Chicago. The company’s success now stretches across the country. Read more about the history of this pioneering company on Page 5.

Also in this issue The incoming President’s Message from Dave MacDonald (HP Hood); news from several segments of the perishable foods industry; and an expanded Calen-dar of Events.

www.ddbcsocal.org

V&V Supremo Foods, Inc. is a Chicago-based manufacturer of His-panic Cheeses with more than a half century of success.

The company’s continued growth has fueled expansion to all corners of the United States, following the dream of its founders. The company continues to be operated by the sec-ond generation of the Villaseñor fam-ily.

Acosta 2 Advantage Sales 19 Cacique, Inc. 20 Coca-Cola Minute Maid 15 DPI Specialty Foods 9

Advertiser index

Items to be submitted for editorial consideration should be sent to: Editor, DDBC News, P.O. Box 4533, Hunting-ton Beach, CA 92605-4533.

All submissions are subject to edit-ing for style and content.

Advertising, editorial information For advertising information in the

DDBC News, contact Dalva Fisher at 435-674-3504 or Pacific Rim Publish-ing Co., P.O. Box 4533, Huntington Beach, CA 92605-4533. 714-375-3900. FAX: 714-375-3906.

DDBC NEWS (USPS 152-360, ISSN 00117862) is published 10 times per year for the DDBC of Southern California. Published by Pacific Rim Publishing Co., P.O. Box 4533, Huntington Beach, CA 92605-4533. 714-375-3900. FAX 714-375-3906. The DDBC address is P.O. Box 1872, Whittier, CA 90609. Phone 562-947-7016. FAX: 562-947-7872.

Subscription rates are $30 per year. Membership in the DDBC includes a subscription. Copyright 2009 by the DDBC of Southern California. All rights reserved.

More calendar Page 26

January 7 – DDBC Dinner/Dance & Instal-

lation of Officers, Summit House Restaurant, Fullerton. Information: 562-947-7016.

17 – Martin Luther King Day. 21-24 – Winter Fancy Food Show,

San Francisco. Information: www.specialtyfoods.com.

February 5 – Super Bowl LI, Houston. 8 – WAFC/Illuminators Rally

Luncheon, Old Ranch CC, Seal Beach.

12-15 – National Grocers Associa-tion Show, Mirage Hotel, Las Vegas. Information: www.nationalgrocers.org/events.

20 – President’s Day. 21 – DDBC Awards Night, Em-

bassy Suites Hotel, Garden Grove. In-formation: 562-947-7016.

March 1-2 – Unified Grocers Sell-

abration, Ontario Convention Center. Information: www.unifiedgrocers.com.

10-12 – Natural Products Expo West, Anaheim. Information: www.expowest.com.

17 – St. Patrick’s Day. 21 – DDBC Membership meeting,

Embassy Suites Hotel, Garden Grove. Information: 562-947-7016.

25-29 – American Bakers Associa-tion Convention, Boca Raton, Fla. In-

GlenOaks 17 Horizon Sales 4 Marin Cheese 26 Super King Markets 13 V&V Supremo Cover

4 DDBC News, January-February 2017

1/2-page ad here 4-c new

horizon sales direct to you

OFFICIAL PUBLICATION DDBC of Southern California

Dave Daniel, Editor www.ddbcsocal.org

VOL. LIV NO. 1 2017 • ISSN 00117862 Executive Director: Susan Steele

OFFICERS: President: Dave MacDonald (Hood Foods); First Vice Presi-dent: Jaime Prager (Albertsons/Vons/Pavilion); Second Vice President: Damian Valdez (Super King Markets); Third Vice President: Nancy Tyler (Acosta); Secretary: Emily Aguilar (Daisy Brand); Treasurer: Donna Harkema (Farmer John); Advisor: Silvia Quiroz (Cardenas Markets)

DIRECTORS: Robert Burke (Emkay Food Brokers); Mary Crocker (Alta Dena Dairy); Della Frorenza (Red Apple Cheese; Matt Hebert (Insight Food Sales); Debbie Jones (Albertsons/Vons/Pavilion); Dave Sibell (Unified Grocers); Annette Uehara (Nasser Co., Inc.); Lulu Vargas (Magnolia Foods), Jim Veregge (Unified Grocers).

PAST PRESIDENTS: §Sydney Fisher, 1960; §Loyd Knutson, 1961; §Sam Freed, 1962; §Harry Schneider, 1963; §Earl Anderson, 1964; §Leo Cohen, 1965; §Art Jelin, 1966; §George Hobbs, 1967; §Eli Coleite, 1968; Bill Trapani, 1969; §Pete Uraine, 1970; §Otto Schirmer, 1971; §John Andikian, 1972; Ted Hopkins, 1973; §Stan Coop, 1974; §Ray Ferry, 1975; §A.A. “Bud” Moorman, 1976; Bill Schwartz, 1977; Eleanor Bennett, 1978; §Bob Garcia, 1979; §Harold Davis, 1980; Randall Chew, 1981; Gary Illingworth, 1982; §Ken Tisdell, 1983; John Vitale, 1984; Gary Provenzano, 1985; Joe Jimenez, 1986; Dick Schwebe, 1987; Diane Beecher, 1988; Joe Matyasik, 1989; Don Fisher, 1990; Mark Stringer, 1991; §Jerry Lewis, 1992; Mark Dixon, 1993; Kathie Porter, 1994; Jim Allumbaugh, 1995; Jim Veregge, 1996; Rona Reeves, 1997; Joy Sawhill, 1998; Debra Zimmerman, 1999; Peter Hejny, 2000; Jeff Merrill, 2001; Bill Hankes, 2002, Manny Marin 2003-04; Bob Dressler, 2005; Jon Amidei, 2006; Sue Bargsten, 2007; §Rigo Landeros, 2008; Rey Garza, 2009; Lisa Juarez, 2010; Stacy Gilbert, 2011; Neil Swanson, 2012; Bill Mackie, 2013; Connie Thatcher, 2014; Cheryl Van Den Hende, 2015; Silvia Quiroz, 2016.

HALL OF FAME: §Harry Schneider, 1983; §Sam Freed and §Ralph Levey, 1984; §Pete Uraine, 1985; §Al Berger, 1986; §Eddie Goldstein and §George Hobbs, 1987; §A.A. “Bud” Moorman, 1988; §Morrie Rosenfeld and §Claus Simon, 1989; §Otto Schirmer and §Andy Stylianou, 1990; §Ray Ferry, 1991; §Bob Garcia and §Art Jelin, 1992; §Lou Agrati, 1993; §Bernie Brener, 1994; Mark

Levey, 1995; §Harold Davis, 1996; Eleanor Bennett and §Joe Malin, 1997; Gary Illingworth and §Ken Tisdell, 1998; §Jo Ann Benci and Ken Hanshaw, 1999; Tom Keyes, 2000; John Vitale, 2001; Bill Schwartz, 2002; Ted Hopkins and Dick Schwebe, 2003; Diane Beecher, §Stan Coop, and §Jerry Lewis, 2004; Don Fisher and Rona Reeves, 2005; §Bill MacAloney and Rob Willardson, 2006; Jim Veregge, 2007; Mark Dixon, 2008; Kathie Porter, 2009; John Brass, 2010; Jim DeKeyser and Burhan Nasser, 2011; Jack Taylor, 2012; Jeff Merill and Judy Norton, 2013; Dave Daniel and Cheryl Kennick, 2014; Jim Allumbaugh and Debra Zimmerman, 2015; Sue Bargsten, 2016.

RETAILER OF THE YEAR: §Stan Coop, 1975; §Bill MacAloney, 1976; §Eddie Goldstein, 1977; §Pete Uraine, 1978; §Art Jelin, 1979; §A.A. “Bud” Moorman, 1980; Ken Hanshaw, 1981; Eleanor Bennett, 1982; Gary Illingworth, 1983; §Harold Davis, 1984; John Vitale, 1985; Eddie Hoggatt, 1986; Don Fisher, 1987; §Fred Brandt, 1988; Diane Beecher, 1989; Les Taylor, 1990; Bob Johnson, 1991; §Jerry Lewis, 1992; Dave Wolff, 1993; Dave Fernandez, 1994; Kathie Porter, 1995; John Brass, 1996; Jim Veregge, 1997; §Bernie Brener; §Jean Dreshner, 1998; Cindy Mulvaney, 1999; Mark Miale, 2000; Mickey Gold, 2001; Andre Mesropian, 2002; Joe Rodriquez, 2003; Pete Hejny, 2004; Manny Marin, 2005, Jim Roesler, 2006; Sue Bargsten, 2007; Steve Nguyen, 2008; Matt Reeve, 2009; Robin Bell, 2010; Gayle DeCaro, 2011; Dennis McIntyre, 2012, Silvia Quiroz, 2013; Laura Taketomo, 2014; Miriam Welch, 2015; Melissa Griffin, 2016.

PRESIDENTS AWARD: §Don Lee, 1992; §Louis Vitale, 1995; §A.A. “Bud” Moorman, 1997; Diane Beecher, 1998; Eleanor Bennett, 1999; Mark Dixon, 2007; Debra Zimmerman, 2012.

LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD: §Walt Scheck, 1999; §Ken Tisdell, 2001; Larry English, 2001; Charlice Makowski, 2005; Mark Roth, 2006; Tom Ilharreguy 2006; John Vitale, 2010; Terry Fyffe, 2011; Mickey Gold, 2012; §Bill MacAloney, 2012; Gilbert de Cardenas, 2013; Eleanor Bennett, 2014; Kevin Davis, 2014; Tom Keyes, 2015; Ralph Levy, Mark Levey, Alan Levey & Normark & Associates, 2016; Gary Illingworth, 2017.

SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR: §George Hobbs, 1975; §Lou Agrati, 1976; §Chico Santillan, 1977; Mark Levey, 1978; §Morrie Rosenfeld, 1979; §Ken Tisdell, 1980; §Walt Scheck, 1981; Larry English, 1982; §Bob Garcia, 1983; Ted Hopkins, 1984; Bob Fetzner, 1985; Joe Wilson, 1986; §Claus Simon, 1987; §Joe Malin, 1988; Tom Keyes, 1989; §Creighton Wiggins, 1990; Gary Illingworth, 1991; Paul Yates, 1992; Rob Willardson, 1993; Mark Dixon, 1994; Dick Schwebe, 1995; Jim Allumbaugh, 1996; Paul Christianson, 1997; Rona Reeves, 1998; Bill Schwartz, 1999; Jim DeKeyser, 2000; Burhan Nasser, 2001; Jeff Merrill, 2002; Bill Hankes, 2003; John Brass, 2004; Debra Zimmerman, 2005, Jack Taylor, 2006; Jon Amidei and Bob Dressler, 2007; Paul Miller, 2008; Monica Stone, 2009; Judy Norton, 2010; Ann Dressler and Rey Garza, 2011; Lisa Juarez, 2012; Fred Rowen, 2013; Craig Covell and John Nielsen, 2014; Barbara Dolbee, 2015; Vic Chiono and Jim Hardy.

§ — Deceased.

Horizon Sales is proud to congratulate you and celebrate yourwell-earned induction into the DDBC Hall of Fame

We also extends our warm congratulations to Damian Valdez, Super King Markets –

2016 Retailer of the Year and Vic Chiono and Jim Hardy - 2016 Suppliers of the Year

BARGSTENSue

Congratulations

HorizonSales.indd 1 12/15/16 12:53 PM




BARGSTENSue

Congratulations





BARGSTENSue

Congratulations



Cover Story

Rich traditions carry on at V&V Supremo

(Editor’s note: The following story was provided by V&V Supremo.)

V&V Supremo celebrated its 50 year an-niversary in 2014.

Founders Gilberto Villaseñor and Ignacio Villaseñor hailed from the dairy- centric state of Michoacán, Mexico and re-sponded to a longing in their Chicago com-munity for fresh cheese that evoked the countryside of Mexico.

The quintessential queso fresco was born in 1964, and a full product line developed over the years with the deepest commitment to quality and authenticity. Little did Gilberto and Ignacio realize that the logo they would eventually use on their packag-ing would attain icon status throughout the greater Chicago area, and that the V&V Supremo® brand was destined to be ac-claimed across the United States.

This American Dream came true due to an unwavering dedication to excellence; more than a half-century later, the company maintains this focus. Sons of the founders, and first cousins Gilberto Villaseñor II and Philip Villaseñor sustain original values while introducing a steady stream of inno-vations through state-of-the-art technology and progressive business practices.

The V&V level of excellence is initially achieved by starting with a pristine foun-dation-the milk. V&V knows its farmers, the farmers know their cows, and the cows are treated well and with respect. Grade A, whole milk is sourced from small farms in the Midwest, from family farmers who care enough to pledge that the milk has no added artificial growth hormones ... no rBGH, no rBST, no mega-farms.

The V&V level of excellence continues with superlative quality control which ex-ceeds industry standards. This cheese is pro-duced and handled meticulously at every critical control point, resulting in a pure,

wholesome, and consistent product. The concept here is not just to be the best, but to always, and unequivocally be the best.

This is whole food, natural food, not any-where close to processed, and free of addi-tives. Artisanal in style, Old World in tradi-tion. This is cheese made by folks dedicated to the proposition that passion must be the main ingredient.

At this point, V&V Chihuahua® brand cheese is legendary, and having it simply melted on a tortilla has proven to be a match made in heaven. The rich, buttery flavor of this product is unsurpassed, and to experi-ence a simple Chihuahua® brand quesadilla melting cheese is to become a Chihuahua® convert. American staples such as pizzas, mac & cheese, grilled sandwiches, and cas-seroles can only benefit from Chihuahua® brand cheese. V&V Oaxaca String Cheese is crafted like the original item from Mexico. It is a fine, rich, deeply milky

cheese suitable for stringing or melting. A unique, yet familiar flavor and texture make this a supremely user-friendly item, and the hero of the plate. This dynamic duo of pre-mium Mexican-style melting cheese is crafted in Wisconsin, the State that is every bit as synonymous with top-quality dairy products as is Michoacán, Mexico.

V&V Crema is a versatile item inspired from the Mexican countryside to be used as a silky garnish, or in cooking wherever sour cream, buttermilk, or yogurt are called for. This crema is rich, pourable, and full- flavored with a slight tang from natural cul-tures. Clean and pure dairy flavor sums up the distinct profile of this crema.

V&V Chorizo is, first and foremost, made from whole-muscle, which means genuine meat, with no mystery involved. It is 80% lean, with no added filler or water – a true Mexican-style full-flavored, robust sausage that is true to tradition – the real deal. Necessary for traditional applications such as eggs, beans and potatoes, but magi-cal when added to ground meat dishes such as meatballs, hamburgers and chili.

All of these items have the V&V fami-lies’ stamp of approval, and are crafted with a quaint, more than a half-century of the old notion that the customer deserves only the best.

V&V Supremo offers a full line of Mexican cheeses in colorful packaging.

Based in Chicago, but with the taste of Michoc n, Mexico

This American Dream came true due to an unwavering dedication to excellence; more than a half-century later, the company maintains this focus.

á


President’s Message

Innovation, along with Tradition

Dave MacDonald, HP Hood 2017 DDBC President

To strengthen and promote the Dairy-Deli- Bakery Council by providing a forum where members can learn, build relationships and share ideas.

DDBC Mission Statement

By DAVE MACDONALD HP Hood 2017 DDBC President

These are the keys to continued success for the Council & DDBC

2017 will be another exciting year for the DDBC. My main goal will be to offer up new ideas as well as staying true to the traditions of the DDBC. It is my privilege to serve as President and I look forward to the challenge.

I was introduced to the DDBC 10 years ago by participating in a few of the Tuesday night dinner meetings and also attending the annual Seminar with my wife and colleagues. I truly enjoyed the annual events and having the ability to interact with so many vendors as well as customers in such a well-planned and organized social setting.

I want to continue the momentum of our past that focuses on networking, educating and giving back to our industry. We will continue to offer Scholarships to deserving students and donate as much as we can to those in need.

This year, another goal will be to grow our membership base and increase attendance through innovative social meetings. This will include table top sampling events, which will enable vendors to sample and share their ideas to customers

during our meetings. We are always looking for new members and volunteers to help our board throughout the year. I encourage and welcome anyone interested to get involved.

This will be my third year as a DDBC Board Member and I have been very fortunate to have been surrounded by many enthusiastic and hardworking volunteers. 2017 will be no different as our DDBC board is once again ready to make this a great year.

I want to thank the 2016 board members who have completed their terms. They have

been a great part of the DDBC’s positive momentum.

I am honored to introduce to you the 2017 Board and their committee assignments:

• Nancy Tyler, Acosta – Membership Election and 3rd V.P.

• Dave Sibell, Unified Grocers – Spring Golf and Housing

• Della Frorenza, Red Apple Cheese – Welcoming and Big Cheese

• Emily Aguilar, Daisy Brand – Secretary • Annette Uehara, Nasser – Election and

Dinner Dance • Mary Crocker, Alta Dena – Dinner

Dance • Donna Harkema, Farmer John –

Treasurer • Jim Veregge, Unified Grocers –

Program • Jaime Prager, Albertsons/Vons/Pavilion

– Big Cheese and 1st V.P. • Matt Hebert, Insight Sales – Spring

Golf and Website • Damian Valdez, Super King Markets –

Golf, Membership and 2nd V.P. • Lulu Vargas, Magnolia Foods – Spring

Golf • Robert Burke, Emkay Food Brokers –

DDBC News • Debbie Jones, Albertson/Vons/Pavilion

– Housing and Membership • Silvia Quiroz, Cardenas Markets –

Advisor and Scholarship & Seminar Liaison


Plans for sthe 49th DDBC National Seminar already are well underway, accord-ing to Gayle DeCaro (Gelsons Markets) and Silvia Quiroz (Cardenas Markets), who are serving as General Co-Chairmen.

“The Seminar will be conducted at the Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego,” said Quiroz. “We looked at other locations but based on the very high satisfaction ratings of previous years and the length of time since we have held the Seminar at this prop-erty, we opted to return this year.

“We are in the process of completing a great new Committee of volunteers, com-plete with many veterans, but also many newcomers, who already are offering some great insights,” she said. It’s very exciting to have so many willing to volunteer and so many working on the Seminar for the first time.”

The Seminar will be conducted Sept. 8- 10, kicking off Friday morning with the Tisdell Cup National Deli Scramble at the resort course.

One of the events remaining on the table is the gift boxes of personal items for the troops overseas. The response each of the past years was overwhelming popular as nearly every attendee took part.

49th DDBC National Seminar

2017 Seminar plans well underway The entrance to the Rancho Bernardo Inn, site of the 49th DDBC National Seminar, is both beautiful and welcoming.

The veranda overlooking the golf course at the Rancho Bernardo Inn.

“We will have the theme soon, along with Registration forms and other materials,” she said.

“Also, we will be announcing our line- up of speakers soon to give everyone the opportunity to make plans to attend.

“It has been nearly 20 years since the last time the Seminar was conducted at Rancho Bernardo. Previous committees

placed the Council’s most prestigious event there twice in the 1990s and the Seminar was a rousing success each time.

“The location is great, the food is out-standing, and all the amenities of a world class resort are on hand to make this year’s Seminar one to look forward to now ... and to look back upon afterward,” Quiroz con-cluded.


2016 Hall of Fame Inductee

Sue Bargsten, DPI Specialty Foods 2016 DDBC Hall of Fame

Continued on Page 10

1983 — Harry Schneider. 1984 — Sam Freed, Ralph Levey. 1985 — Pete Uraine. 1986 — Al Berger. 1987 — Eddie Goldstein, George

Hobbs. 1988 — A.A. “Bud” Moorman. 1989 — Morrie Rosenfeld, Claus

Simon. 1990 — Otto Schirmer, Andy

Stylianou. 1991 — Ray Ferry. 1992 — Bob Garcia, Art Jelin. 1993 — Lou Agrati. 1994 — Bernie Brener. 1995 — Mark Levey. 1996 — Harold Davis. 1997 — Eleanor Bennett, Joe Malin. 1998 — Gary Illingworth, Ken Tisdell. 1999 –– Jo Ann Benci, Ken

Hanshaw.

DDBC of Southern California Hall of Fame

2000 — Tom Keyes. 2001 –– John Vitale. 2002 –– Bill Schwartz. 2003 –– Ted Hopkins, Dick Schwebe. 2004 –– Diane Beecher, Stan Coop,

Jerry Lewis. 2005 –– Don Fisher, Rona Reeves. 2006 –– Bill MacAloney, Rob

Willardson. 2007 –– Jim Veregge. 2008 –– Mark Dixon. 2009 –– Kathie Porter. 2010 –– John Brass. 2011 –– Jim DeKeyser, Burhan

Nasser. 2012 –– Jack Taylor. 2013 –– Jeff Merrill, Judy Norton. 2014 –– Dave Daniel, Cheryl

Kennick. 2015 –– Jim Allumbaugh, Debra

Zimmerman. 2016 –– Sue Bargsten.

Sue Bargsten, DPI Specialty Foods By DAVE DANIEL Editor, DDBC News

It didn’t take long for Sue Bargsten of DPI Specialty Foods to learn of her honor of being selected to the Dairy Deli Bakery Council Hall of Fame by the past presidents on Oct. 26.

She was at the meeting trying to dodge the honor.

“I was wowed,” she admitted. “I was thinking I still have a lot of time to go and things to do before this comes around. I was just not ready for this. I was humbled and honored to be selected by so many great in-dividuals that have contributed to the Coun-cil.”

She will be inducted into the DDBC’s most prestigious group of honorees at the Feb. 21 meeting in Garden Grove. She be-comes the 51st member.

A quick glance at her DDBC resume shows she was ready years ago.

She has served on the Board of Direc-tors for extended terms twice. The first time

was from 2002-2008. She served as Presi-dent in 2007, the same year she was awarded

the Retailer of the Year Award. She just fin-ished a three-year term from 2014-2016.

“I held just about every position on the Board except Treasurer at one time or an-other,” she said. “The most difficult one was in 2003 when I was Chairman of the Holi-day Dinner-Dance and Installation of Of-ficers. It was the year of the long strike and it was difficult to get anyone to attend that year.”

She also Co-Chaired the 2010 National Seminar and will Co-Chair the 2018 – the 50th – Seminar with Irene Graves (Quest Sales and Marketing).

One can see she already is planning ahead for the Council.

Her start in the food industry was as in-auspicious as many … she was a “box girl” at the Montebello Market Basket in 1978, the year she graduated from Fashion Insti-tute of Design & Merchandising. . Previously, she had held part-time posts at K-mart and Fed-Mart before landing the gig at Market Basket.

“I was with Market Basket until 1982 and worked my way up from box girl to Checker, Night Crew, and Price Change Clerk. I remember pushing carts in the park-ing lot in high heels,” she recalled.

She moved to Hughes Family Markets in 1982 as a Checker at the Pasadena Hastings Ranch store and then became the Price Change Clerk there.

She was tapped to join the headquarters staff, then located on San Fernando Road down the street from Lawry’s California Center, a landmark culinary development which closed in 1991 after 30 years. Her post at the main office was Scan System Coordinator. “That consisted of price veri-fication, price audit at store level, ad pric-ing for all stores, and training store audi-tors,” she explained.

Another big break occurred in 1996 when Dave Wolff, who handled all of the buying of perishable products, asked her to join his staff as Deli Buyer. By this time, Hughes had moved into a larger facility in Irwindale and had expanded areas in the re-frigerated warehouse.

We are so proud to congratulate all of the DDBC award winners, very well

deserved honors all around!






For more information please contact DPI Specialty Foods601 Rockefeller Avenue, Ontario, CA 91761 // www.dpispecialtyfoods.com

Congratulations!

Sue BargstenDPI Specialty FoodsHall of Fame Inductee

DPISpecialty.indd 1 12/15/16 12:52 PM


2016 Hall of Fame inductee: Sue Bargsten Continued from Page 8

“There was a great group of people there, beginning with Dave,” she said. “Also, there was Jean Dreshner, Joe Rodriquez, Jim Veregge, and Jim McClaskey. We had a great group.

“Jean was a great mentor to me … and became my best friend. She not only taught me how to buy products, she taught me how to run department orders, create ads, inven-tory control, category management … she taught me everything.”

And it was the late Dreshner who intro-duced Bargsten to the Deli Council, as it was known then. “Jean had the work ethic, like I do, and we developed a great friend-ship. She brought me to my first Deli Coun-cil meeting and through her example and devotion to give to this organization is why I still continue to give time and mentor others so we can keep this organization strong and growing,” she said. “Some of my happiest memories are selling raffle tickets with Jean at Seminars and meetings. We always had fun together.

“I was so excited to see so many new faces at the last Seminar in September. The industry continues to change and new people are coming into it. The food indus-try has always been a people industry and through Board meetings, Seminars and our monthly meetings, you develop relation-ships you use within your company and in your personal life with friendships,” she added.

Hughes was sold to Seattle-based Qual-ity Food Centers (QFC) in 1998, which quickly was acquired by Fred Meyer Co. and then absorbed into Kroger Co., which rebranded the Hughes facilities into Ralphs Grocery Co. stores.

She was one of many Hughes associates to move into the Ralphs headquarters in Compton. “I continued as a Deli Buyer un-til 2007 and worked with another great group of people in Ken Hanshaw, Les Tay-lor, Paul Gianetto, Steve Nguyen, Dave Beale, Matt Reeves, Andre Mesropian, and Jim Roesler,” she said.

“In 2007, I moved to the Meat and Fish Department as a Category Manager and worked with Laura Taketomo and Dean Sandello. From 2008-10, I was a Category Manager for Grocery/Deli and worked with Chuck Ackerman, Steve Lewis, Bob Cashen and Nancy Tyler.”

Sue Bargsten with husband Russ and “Mejia”.

She closed out her career at Ralphs as the Service Deli/Bakery Coordinator and Assistant Store Manager at Store No. 626 until 2013, when she joined DPI Specialty Foods as the Vendor/Broker Relations Man-ager, where she oversees marketing events for DPI West and New Vendor Set Up and Marketing for vendors and brokers.

“I love working at DPI, which has been a member of the DDBC since the begin-ning,” she said. “This company is a long-

time supporter and donates its warehouse and refrigerated truck every year for the Seminar to deliver and keep all the donated food items at the correct temperature. They have been doing this for as long as anyone can remember.

“There are great people working here who have all been involved with the DDBC. Everyone in the food industry knows Alan Stock, Tom Ilharreguy, Andre Mesropian and Jeff Mejia,” she said.

“Over the years, I have had the privilege to work across the desk with many brokers and vendors and consider all of them my friends, including Mark Dixon, Irene and Rob Graves, Joe Berg and Bob Firby. There are too many more to mention.”

She is married to Russ and the couple celebrates their 30th anniversary in April. Russ also is an industry veteran, starting as a box boy for Gemco back in the day and this year received his 43rd year pin from Albertsons. “I’m lucky to still have my Dad, who lives with us,” she said, “and we are the happy parents of our pet Meija.”

They have a vaction home in Dewey, Ariz., near Prescott. “I love to go shopping and to take our friends and visitors to the casino there,” she said.

Please join the DDBC on welcoming her into the Hall of Fame.

“I was so excited to see so many new faces at the last Seminar ... . The industry con-tinues to change and new people are coming into it. The food industry has always been a people industry and through Board meetings, Seminars and our monthly meetings, you develop relationships you use within your company and in your personal life.”


2017 Board hard at work

The 2017 DDBC Board of Directors, elected in November, held its first official meeting the first week of December. The meeting was a transitional get-together with outgoing 2016 Board members to transfer Committee as-signment materials and to get a head start on the New Year. This meeting was held at a Marie Callendar’s restaurant in Rowland Heights. From left are Robert Burke, Sue Bargsten, Laura Taketomo, Dave MacDonald, Silvia Quiroz, Matt Herbert, Emily Aguilar (obscured behind Jim Veregge while ordering from a server), Veregge, Della Frorenza, Nancy Tyler, Cynthia Yarak, and Executive Director Susan Steele. The photo was snapped by a server using Robert Burke’s cell phone.

Many Past Presidents of the DDBC met in late October to nominate, discuss and determine the 2016 Award winners. Some of them are pictured here. From left are Rey Garza (2009), Silvia Quiroz (2016), Rona Reeves (1997), Jim Veregge (1996), Jeff Merrill (2001), Bob Dressler (2005), Mark Dixon (1993), Sue Bargsten (2007), Neil Swanson (2012), Connie Thatcher (2014), and Lisa Juarez (2010).

A busy year is planned for the Dairy Deli Bakery Council (DDBC) of Southern California, beginning Jan. 7, with the annual Dinner Dance/Installation of Of-ficers. This year’s inaugural event will be held at the posh Summit House Restaurant in Fullerton.

Below is a year-long schedule of DDBC activities. For other in-dustry related events, see the cal-endar that starts on Page 3 and continues on Page 26.

February 21 – DDBC Awards Night, Embassy Suites Hotel, Garden Grove.

March 21 – DDBC Member-ship Meeting, Embassy Suites Hotel, Garden Grove.

April 27 – DDBC Spring Golf Tournament, location to be an-nounced.

May 23 – DDBC’s Fourth Jean Dreshner Memorial Casino Night, Embassy Suites Hotel, Garden Grove.

July 20 – DDBC Membership Meeting, Embassy Suites Hotel, Garden Grove.

September 8-10 – 49th DDBC National Seminar, Rancho Bernardo Inn, San Di-ego.

October 17 – DDBC Mem-bership Meeting, Embassy Suites Hotel, Garden Grove.

November 14 – DDBC Mem-bership Meeting & Election Night, Embassy Suites Hotel, Garden Grove.

Busy calendar of events ahead as 2017 unfolds

Send your industry news to: Editor, DDBC News

P.O. Box 4533 Huntington Beach, CA 92647

email: [email protected]


2016 Retailer of the Year

Damian Valdez, Super King Markets

Damian Valdez


1975 –– Stan Coop. 1976 — Bill MacAloney. 1977 — Eddie Goldstein. 1978 — Pete Uraine. 1979 — Art Jelin. 1980 — A.A. “Bud” Moorman. 1981 — Ken Hanshaw. 1982 — Eleanor Bennett. 1983 — Gary Illingworth. 1984 — Harold Davis. 1985 — John Vitale. 1986 — Eddie Hoggatt. 1987 — Don Fisher. 1988 — Fred Brandt. 1989 — Diane Beecher. 1990 — Les Taylor. 1991 — Bob Johnson. 1992 — Jerry Lewis. 1993 — Dave Wolff. 1994 — Dave Fernandez. 1995 — Kathie Porter.

1996 — John Brass. 1997 — Jim Veregge. 1998 — Jean Dreshner. 1999 –– Cindy Mulvaney. 2000 — Mark Miale. 2001 –– Mickey Gold. 2002 –– Andre Mesropian. 2003 –– Joe Rodriquez. 2004 –– Pete Hejny. 2005 –– Manny Marin. 2006 –– Jim Roesler. 2007 –– Sue Bargsten. 2008 –– Steve Nguyen. 2009 –– Matt Reeve. 2010 –– Robin Bell. 2011 –– Gayle DeCaro. 2012 –– Dennis McIntyre. 2013 –– Silvia Quiroz. 2014 –– Laura Taketomo. 2015 –– Miriam Welch. 2016 –– Damian Valdez.

DDBC of Southern California Retailers of the Year

It was a busy, but highly productive and memorable year on and off the job By DAVE DANIEL Editor, DDBC News

The past year was a challenging yet re-warding year for Damian Valdez, capping it all off by being recognized as the Retailer of the Year from Super King Markets by the Dairy Deli Bakery Council (DDBC) of Southern CA.

Here is a brief recap of 2016 from Valdez: In January he sat in his first meet-ing as a member of the Board of Directors for the DDBC. In February he suffered the sudden loss of his father, “May he rest in peace,” Valdez said. In April, he helped or-ganize the annual DDBC Spring golf tour-nament; then in July, he helped open Super King’s seventh – and largest – store in the growing chain; in August, he got a big pro-

motion to Senior Buyer for Super King Markets, adding the Service Deli and Bak-

ery to his previous duties as Buyer for Dairy, Deli and Frozen; in October he rooted the Dodgers to the National League West title. In November he and his wife Blanca cel-ebrated their 10-year anniversary with a cruise to the Mexican Riviera, returning back in time to host Thanksgiving Dinner for their extended family.

All in all not a bad year – except for the Dodgers losing in the playoffs.

As he begins his second year of his three- year term on the Board of Directors in 2017, he has volunteered to help out with the Golf Tournament again, and will serve on the Membership Committee and Awards Com-mittee. “I am willing to help the DDBC in any way that I can,” he said.

“I have enjoyed my time on the Board,” he said. “I really did not know what to ex-pect going in, but it felt quite natural and it really wasn’t very time consuming for me. I felt it was just the right amount of work to get me involved with the Board and to par-ticipate. Maybe my experience will help more people to participate in the future.”

The month of August traditionally has been slow for meeting purposes, which worked perfectly for Valdez because of his promotion to Senior Buyer.

“This new role offers me new and excit-ing challenges which I look forward to tack-ling. My goal is to add value to our already thriving departments.The Super King fam-ily strongly believes that the key to success in this industry is to have a strong team in place.

“I can rely on Javier Rios (Bakery buyer); Gregory Nathanson (DDF buyer);Varouj Grigorian (Service Deli buyer); Vicken Arslanian (Deli Merchan-diser) as my team.

“We bring a lot of years of experience and knowledge collectively to our respec-tive fields. We are excited to see what 2017 holds in store for us.”

SK currently has 7 Service Delis and 6 Bakery departments as well as DDF offer-ings across all 7 locations. “We pride our-selves on the quality, service and prices,” Valdez continues. “The communities we service can’t help but brag about how much they love Super King.”


2016 Supplier of the Year

Vic Chiono


1997 — Paul Christianson. 1998 — Rona Reeves. 1999 –– Bill Schwartz. 2000 — Jim DeKeyser. 2001 –– Burhan Nasser. 2002 –– Jeff Merrill. 2003 –– Bill Hankes. 2004 –– John Brass. 2005 –– Debra Zimmerman. 2006 –– Jack Taylor. 2007 –– Jon Amidei and Bob Dressler. 2008 –– Paul Miller. 2009 –– Monica Stone. 2010 –– Judy Norton. 2011 –– Ann Dressler and Rey Garza. 2012 –– Lisa Juarez. 2013 –– Fred Rowen. 2014 –– Craig Covell and John

Nielsen. 2015 –– Barbara Dolbee. 2016 –– Jim Hardy and Vic Chiono.

1975 — George Hobbs. 1976 — Lou Agrati. 1977 — Chico Santillan. 1978 — Mark Levey. 1979 — Morrie Rosenfeld. 1980 — Ken Tisdell. 1981 — Walt Scheck. 1982 — Larry English. 1983 — Bob Garcia. 1984 — Ted Hopkins. 1985 — Bob Fetzner. 1986 — Joe Wilson. 1987 — Claus Simon. 1988 — Joe Malin. 1989 — Tom Keyes. 1990 — Creighton Wiggins. 1991 — Gary Illingworth. 1992 — Paul Yates. 1993 — Rob Willardson. 1994 — Mark Dixon. 1995 — Dick Schwebe. 1996 — Jim Allumbaugh.

DDBC of Southern California Suppliers of the Year

Giving back, helping out are key parts of his on-the-job routine

Vic Chiono, Coca-Cola/Minute Maid

By DAVE DANIEL Editor, DDBC News

Vic Chiono is one of those guys who loves to give back. His work with various charitable organizations is commendable and he credits the company he works for and the people he works with as being so good he has the luxury of some time to help others.

He has been an active supporter of the Dairy Deli Bakery Council (DDBC) of Southern California for years and is honored to be selected as 2016 Supplier of the Year along with Jim Hardy. They will be presented their awards at the Feb. 21 Awards Night Dinner in Garden Grove.

Chiono is Vice President of Sales, West for Coca-Cola North America Minute Maid Division, which encompasses the vast array

of chilled and frozen products that consumers clamor for during their trips to the grocery store. He is always among the first to volunteer his services and contribute products to DDBC events, from Seminars to golf tournaments and everything in between.

“I am honored to receive this award,” he said. “I take my hat off to the Dairy Deli Bakery Council, which has done such a great job since 1960, especially staying focused on the perishable foods segments. Most importantly, the Council does a phenomenal amount of work for education, from scholarships to the Seminar.

“There are so many talented and dedicated people that have served on the Board of Directors over the years and the DDBC has been so consistent over the years when so many other things are not.

“I am blessed to be in this industry,” he added. “I have met the greatest people in the world from grocers to manufacturers and so many other people. My company has done a great job in supporting me and the great people working with me have allowed me to do things I otherwise would not have been able to do.”

He celebrates his 30th year with Coca- Cola this year, but his involvement in the food industry goes back much further.

“When I was 10 years old, I sorted bottles and swept the parking lot at my Dad’s store in Vallejo. When I was 16, I got a job at Safeway as a bag boy,” he said.

He credits his father, Armando, with instilling his work ethic as a youngster. “My father was the youngest store manager in Safeway history,” he recalled. “He was the manager of the store in Weed, California at age 18. He spent 44 years with Safeway. He loved the people and he loved the work. He taught us all how to work and get the job done and to do it better than anyone else … to give it everything you’ve got every day. He was a real mentor to me.”

Obviously, Chiono came by the grocery business honestly and still follows the paths his father, now 87, taught him.

He remained at Safeway until he was 22. He became a checker and worked on the






Sue BargstenDPI Specialty Foods

Hall of Fame Inductee

The Coca-Cola Company Whs Sales West USA3 Park Plaza Suite 600, Irvine, CA 92614

Congratulations to these dynamic members of DDBC

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CocaCola.indd 1 12/16/16 7:32 AM


2016 Supplier of the Year

Jim Hardy, GlenOaks Farms

Jim Hardy


Popular co-owner of popular drinkable yogurt company has a few tales to tell By DAVE DANIEL Editor, DDBC News

Jim Hardy has a wealth of stories cover-ing his career in the food industry, from a youngster stirring the tomato sauce while standing on a stool in his aunt and uncle’s Italian deli/restaurant to the last 30-plus years as co-owner of GlenOaks Farms ... and lots of experiences in-between.

His companies’ support of the DDBC over the years has helped him be selected as the 2016 Supplier of the Year, along with Vic Chiono of Coca-Cola Refreshments. He will receive the Award at the Feb. 21 Awards Night meeting in Garden Grove.

“I was pretty much raised in the food business because of my family,” he said. “I remember my ‘reward’ for stirring the pasta sauce was a bowl of it along with a big hunk of bread. I was raised with wonderful aro-mas of Italian cooking and the smell of hanging meats and cheeses in the deli.”

While his first “reward” may have been tasty, he got his first real paycheck at age 16 as a courtesy clerk (nee: box boy) at a Ralphs store in Glendale. “I was promoted to ‘bakery boy’ and started work at 4 a.m. to receive the bakery products,” he said. “I thought it was great because it allowed me to play sports in high school.”

He was promoted to apprentice clerk and that allowed him to eat lunch at the Bob’s Big Boy (every day) just down the street from the store. That’s where he met a foun-tain girl, Ursula, whom he married when he was 18. They celebrated their 57th Anni-versary in 2016.

He stayed with Ralphs for three more years, earning promotions to Fourth Man before an offer from Market Basket to be-come Grocery Manager at one of their Pasa-dena stores. He stayed there two years be-fore deciding he didn’t want his future to be in retail and interviewed with Webco, a

brokerage started by two Air Force veter-ans who specialized in sales to military bases around the world.

“I got the job and moved to Germany, Ursula’s birthplace. Webco, which was founded in 1957 and still doing business today, was the greatest experience in learn-ing the brokerage business,” he said. “I worked the Northern Area Command and sold to commissaries, special services, and other military customers in Italy, Germany and other areas where there was a military base.”

The family returned to California and brought with them a cuckoo clock – like ev-eryone else, a VW and most importantly a new baby… middle daughter Teresa. Hardy went to work for Morton Frozen Foods, starting as a territory rep and moving up to District Sales Manager. In 1967, he moved to Scholle Co., the largest producer of bag and box dairy containers as a Regional Sales Manager. “I called on dairies all over the western U.S.,” he said.

In 1969 he joined Jones-Kelly Co., which represented many frozen food lines, including Banquet and Flavor Pak veg-

etables. He left in 1975 to join Bradshaw South, Inc. for 7 years, working for Dale Gaffney in the Frozen Division as a Senior Account Executive.

He was there 7 years before resigning to open his own brokerage, the Kay-D Co. with David Freedheim. The year was 1982 and that is when Hardy joined the Deli Council, as it was known then. He was awarded the Big Cheese in October 1986.

Kay-D grew to a major player over the years, representing nearly 50 principals with a staff of 47. “It was pretty significant at that time,” he said. “At one time we were the largest cheese broker in Southern Cali-fornia. Jack Taylor had the service deli busi-ness, Normark had Land O Lakes, but we had lines such as Tillamook, Champignon, Messana, Kaukauna, President Brie. We launched marquee brands Ballpark Franks, International Delight creamers and Lactaid Milk into the Southern California market. We also represented numerous other lines. We purchased Al Resnick’s brokerage and added some other big names as clients.

The start of Kay-D was not all glorious. “It took 90 days for us to get our first com-mission check, $90,” he recalled. “It was for Zippidy Dip, a packaged dip mix that we sold to a couple of retail chains. They aren’t around anymore.”

Kay-D was sold to Bradshaw in 1997 … and three months later Bradshaw was ac-quired by Crossmark. Hardy had a 5-year contract and stayed with that company un-til he moved to GlenOaks Farms full-time in 2002. He, Neil Donavan and two inves-tors had started that company in 1984. “We all first met at Conkie Johnston’s office in Glendale and saw an opportunity for a drinkable yogurt,” he recalled. “When we walked outside, we realized we didn’t have a name for the new company. We looked around and Neil noticed we were standing on Glen Oaks Blvd., so that’s how we came up with GlenOaks Farms.”

It took about six months from that meet-ing until the first product was ready. “I re-member our first sale,” Hardy said. “It was to Ken Hanshaw at Ralphs.


Continued from Page 16 “I also sold to Bud Moorman at Vons and I laugh every time I

think of one meeting with him. We were haggling over the sale price for a GlenOaks ad when Bud told me that he would just display the yogurt with a sign saying ‘make an offer’,” he said.

The two investors were bought out and now the company is owned by Hardy, Neil Donavan and his two sons, Shane and Kevin. GlenOaks Farms was the first drinkable yogurt to have an impact on the marketplace.

Hardy and his wife have lived in Monarch Beach/Dana Point for 31 years. They have four grown children: Anthony, Melinda, Teresa, and Michelle (who is married to longtime DDBC member Mike Polini) also, eight grandchildren and a great granddaughter.

Hardy remains active in the industry and still enjoys calling on the Trade. He believes this is an important part of his life that defines him as a person.

Please join the DDBC in saluting Hardy on his selection as the 2016 Supplier of the Year.

2016 DDBC Suppliers of the year

Continued from Page 14

Vic Chiono

Jim Hardy

night crew and stocking, working his way through college, first at Solano JC and then at San Jose State.

“It was a great job for me during college,” he said. “I would work Friday nights when I came home from school, then pull Saturday and Sunday shifts. I would work 24 hours in three days and the pay was good money, I think $12.50 an hour. It was a great way to pay for school and then have some money in my pocket, too.”

He left the retail side to take a sales position with Lever Bros. in 1978. “I was a sales rep in Northern California and had around 150 stores to call on. I sold soaps, detergents, margarine, toothpaste and other items to all departments. Grocery items included Imperial margarine and Mrs. Butterworth’s syrup.

“There was heavy competition against the likes of Procter & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive and sometimes selling wasn’t so easy. You really learned how to make sure what you were offering was something that could benefit our customers. And it is even more so today.

“It doesn’t matter what you are selling or who you are selling to, the fact is that it is way more competitive today,” he said. “There are more companies selling grocery products today, including the likes of Costco, Wal-mart, Amazon, pharmacies and so many others.”

He worked for Lever Bros. for 10 years, moving from Northern California, then to Southern California, then to New York City as a Field Operation Manager. “I traveled around the country training people and analyzing business,” he said. “Then I transferred to Cincinnati, back to Los Angeles, then to Portland, where I was the manager of the Northwest, which included seven states, selling to a large majority of chain and independent stores. There was a great variety of customers.”

He went to work for Coca-Cola in 1987, representing all Minute Maid products, frozen products and the new-to-market then chilled products.

“When I started, the business was about 95 percent frozen product,” he said. “That has changed dramatically. Now, the business is about 90 percent chilled product and the rest shelf stable and frozen.

“The portfolio has changed over the years. Now, there are more juices and better-for-you drinks, such as fairlife ultra-filtered milk, which has half the sugar and twice the protein; Suja, a cold-pressed organic juice; and Zico coconut water … products that are a greater amount of health benefits like less sugar and more protein. That is what today’s consumers want.”

Besides the DDBC, Chiono is involved with the Illuminators and this year serves as President of the Illuminators Educational Foundation. He also is active with the City of Hope, Olive Crest, and the Boy Scouts of America.

His passion offers support to people that are a less fortunate than we are. He truly admires and tries to support so many charities like the City of Hope, Olive Crest and Boy Scouts of America. His

other passion is to help develop future leaders of tomorrow through organizations like the Illuminators Education Foundation and the DDBC, which offers scholarships to help young leaders of tomorrow.

He and Barbara have been married 26 years. “She was a dental hygienist and raised our boys, who are both in college now. For the past 6 years, she has worked for a company that finds assisted living for families in need and probably works 80 hours a week, but she loves helping people.”

Oldest son A.J. is a senior at Boise State University and youngest son Austin is a sophomore at Saddleback College and works at an Albertsons store.

“My family has more than 400 years of working in the food industry,” he said. “My brother has over 40 years in the industry, my father 40+, and most of my cousins worked at Safeway stores at one time for years.”

When not at work or at a charity event, Chiono enjoys fishing, traveling, and playing some golf with friends and family.

The family is planning a trip to Europe next year. “My wife worked in Switzerland for a year and we had the opportunity to take her parents there. I love heading to places like Mammoth or Lake Tahoe and just being with the family for a few days. I enjoy anything outdoors … 4-wheeling, hiking … anything.” He says he is blessed to work in such a great industry and is thankful for all the great people he has met over the years.

Please join the DDBC in saluting him as the 2016 Supplier of the Year.



2016 Retailer of the Year

Damian Valdez, Super King Markets Like most grocery chains across the

country, SK is always looking to stay rel-evant during these changing times. “We launched our Healthy Directions campaign toward the end of 2015 and really pushed it forward in 2016. Our banner focuses on calling out Natural, Non-GMO, Gluten- Free, and Organic Items. Our selection con-tinues to grow as we filter through requests from our customers. We see the need to expand our selection and will continue on this path in 2017,” he said.

In July SK introduced its newest store to the community in Santa Ana. Formerly a Ralphs store this 55,000-square foot store is a shadow of its former tenant. “Owner-ship had a clear vision in mind before we broke ground. Through hard work and col-lective efforts we were able to bring to life

the owners’ vision,” he said. In addition to the growth at store level,

SK expanded its current perishable ware-house by adding an additional 25,000 square feet, “This investment will allow us to seek out stronger, more aggressive buys on the perishable side,” he said.

Valdez entered the busy holiday season after taking a break just before Thanksgiv-ing as he and Blanca celebrated their 10th anniversary with a cruise. “It was really nice to get away from all the emails and internet while at sea,” he said. “Occasionally I would get a message from a co-worker, but I would respond with a photo I had taken of a per-fect sky. We had a great time, although we did start to miss the kids near the end.”

Daughter Yuliana is 9 and J.J. is 4 and both kids started school immediately after Thanksgiving. “My son is ecstatic as he

begins his first day of school, he feels as grown up as his big sister. One thing I know for sure is that he is not a shy boy and will probably want to help me give my accep-tance speech in February,” Valdez said, re- calling the night J.J. joined him up front when Damian received the Big Cheese Award in 2015.

He is looking forward to the year end and is excited to see what 2017 holds in store for him and the SK family. “Growth is always on the top of peoples’ minds, and SK is always looking for the right opportu-nity to present itself,” he said.

One thing is for sure, however. Valdez will be heavily involved in both his company’s business and growth … and with the DDBC.

Please join the DDBC in saluting him as the 2016 Retailer of the Year.

1/2-page ad here cacique honor damian new 4-c direct to you


According to a new market report pub-lished in December by Transparency Mar-ket Research “Yogurts Market By Product Type (Traditional Yogurt, Australian Yogurt, Icelandic Yogurt, Greek Yogurt, Non-Dairy Yogurt, Kids Yogurt and Other Yogurts), By Packaged Containers (Cups, Pouch, Tubs, and Bottles), – North America Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast, 2016-2024” the North America yogurt market was valued at USD $11.18 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach USD $14.59 billion by 2024, growing at a CAGR of 3.0% from 2016 to 2024.

Yogurt is a diversified product. Besides the traditional yogurt, other varieties of yo-gurts most commonly consumed are Greek yogurt, Icelandic yogurt, Australian yogurt and kids’ yogurt.

Greek yogurt, Australian yogurt and Ice-landic yogurt, unlike traditional yogurts are strained yogurts. During the straining pro-cess, the yogurt is strained to remove the extra liquid content commonly known as whey. Owing to the removal of whey, strained yogurt are denser and thicker, with relative high protein content. Greek yogurt and Icelandic yogurt are simple strained yogurt. However, Icelandic yogurt, originat-ing from Iceland, have a milder flavor in comparison to Greek yogurt. Whereas, Aus-tralian yogurts are also strained yogurt but mixed with honey for improved taste and flavor. Variety of kids’ yogurt are available for the consumers. Most of the kids’ yogurt are generally organic yogurt with additional flavors for improved taste.

In terms of product types, the yogurt mar-ket has been segmented into Traditional yogurt, Australian yogurt, Icelandic yogurt, Greek yogurt, Non-dairy yogurt, Kids yo-gurt and other yogurts.

Greek yogurt is the fastest growing prod-uct segment in the North America yogurt market. Greek yogurt also accounts for con-siderable revenue demand, second only to the traditional yogurts category. Traditional yogurt is the largest product type owing to its low price, and widespread availability.

Traditional yogurts the most produced yogurt type hence they are readily available in both online and offline retail outlets.

However, the demand for kids’ yogurt is also due to the health benefits of yogurts. Moreover, to augment the sale of kids’ yo-gurt the manufacturers are coming up with new products with new taste and flavors at a regular interval. As the commercially available yogurt products tend to reach product lifecycle maturity, the year- on-year growth of the yogurt market is expected to slow down during the forecast period in comparison to the last decade.

In terms of packaged containers, the yo-gurt market has been segmented into cups, pouch, tubs and bottles. Yogurt pouch is projected to be the fastest growing pack-aged container segment in North America during the forecast period. Cups accounted for the largest product segment in 2015, with 68.8% market share of the total North America yogurt market demand. Owing to the low packaging cost and ease of use, the demand for yogurt cups is anticipated to grow during the forecast period.

Packaging plays a crucial role in the suc-cess of dessert items such as yogurt. Hence companies are investing a considerable amount on the development and diversifi-cation of packaging materials to reduce cost, increase product attractiveness among con-sumers and also to increase the shelf life of the packaged products.

By geography, the North America yogurt market is segmented into the U.S. and the Rest of North America. Per person per year yogurt consumption in Canada is substan-tially higher with respect to the U.S. How-ever, the higher population and presence of major players in the U.S. is driving the U.S. yogurts market.

Per person per year yogurt consumption in the U.S. was 7.7 in 2015. Whereas, per person per year yogurt consumption of yo-gurt was recorded at 11 kg in 2015. Low per person per year consumption of yogurt is expected to be a major restraint for the growth of the North America yogurt mar-ket demand.

The report provides company market share analysis of the various industry par-ticipants. Key players have also been pro-filed on the basis of company overview, fi-nancial overview, business strategies and recent developments. Major market partici-pants profiled in this report are Dannon Inc. (U.S.), Fage International S.A (Luxem-bourg), Chobani, LLC (U.S.), Yoplait USA, INC (U.S.), Noosa Yogurt LLC (U.S.), The Icelandic Milk and Skyr Corporation (U.S.), Stonyfield Farm (U.S.), Annie’s Home-grown (U.S.), AtlantaFresh (U.S.) and Ber-keley Farms (U.S.) among others.

North America yogurt market can be seg-mented as follows: North America Yogurt Market, by Product Type Traditional Yogurt Australian Yogurt Icelandic Yogurt Greek Yogurt Non-Dairy Yogurt Kids Yogurt Other Yogurts

Transparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The company’s exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thou-sands of decision makers. TMR’s experi-enced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information. TMR’s data re-pository is continuously updated and re-vised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and in-formation. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.

Industry News Yogurt markets expected to expand

Greek yogurt is the fastest growing product segment in the North America yogurt market. Greek yogurt also accounts for considerable revenue demand, second only to the traditional yogurts category.


Today’s retailers are focusing less on overall growth and more on shopper behav-ior, including developing smaller, more pro-ductive stores; digital retailing and online shopping; and more tailored assortment strategies by region and season.

This is one of many findings in What’s in Store 2017, the latest edition of the an-nual trends publication from the Interna-tional Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association™ (IDDBA), and What’s in Store Online, a collection of more than 150 downloadable graphs and tables, as well as links to white papers and trends articles.

Other findings in the book’s “Economy & Retail Trends” chapter include:

• Top hurdles facing retailers include vul-nerability of regional supply chains to natu-ral and external disasters, continued growth of e-commerce, and continued consolida-tion.

• Transparency, social responsibility, and traceability continue to be important issues and considerations among retailers and manufacturers.

• Private label in the United States con-tinues to grow and is a sector that grocers continue to explore, as consumers no longer view these as no-name, lowest price, and lesser option products.

“Shopper behavior is playing a direct role in the future of the retail food indus-

try,” said Eric Richard, education coordi-nator, IDDBA. “From store design and online shopping options to increased sustainability and transparency in the prod-ucts, retailers are creating an engaging atmo-sphere – both brick-and-mortar and online – and expanding their product lines to attract and retain today’s sophisticated shoppers.”

With more than 30 years of credible re-porting, What’s in Store is an essential re-source for dairy, deli, bakery, foodservice, and cheese depart-ments and industries, providing vital data on retail and market trends, growth, and category changes shaping the food in-dustry. What’s in Store is a secondary resource that is devel-oped through both interviews with indus-try experts and sourcing third-party data and trends.

This year’s edition features a continu-ous storyline to improve user efficiency and provide greater clarity for professionals needing to understand today’s retail world. Readers gain new insights and learn about marketplace influences through five themes:

• The Economy & Retail Trends • Channels and Competition

• Consumer Lifestyles • Eating Trends • Technology and Marketing This themed narrative is then carried into

each of the product chapters: Bakery, Cheese, Dairy, and Deli. The new format, exclusive interview content, and inclusion of key insights, table interpretations, data callouts, and testimonials enable the reader to more efficiently tie back to the broader context and then dig deeper in each of the product sections.

Additionally, What’s in Store 2017 fea-tures redesigned tables, infographics that explain why the data matters, key insights, expert interviews, and more graphics to il-lustrate best-in-class examples.

IDDBA members receive a free copy of What’s in Store as part of their membership. Additional copies may be purchased; the price per copy is $99 for members and $399 for nonmembers.

(IDDBA is a nonprofit membership or-ganization serving the dairy, deli, bakery, cheese, and supermarket foodservice indus-tries. Member companies enjoy many ben-efits and services including the annual semi-nar and expo, leading-edge research, train-ing programs, management tools, and an annual trends report. For more information contact IDDBA at 608-310-5000 or visit iddba.org.)

Fancy Foods Show features innovative ideas The Winter Fancy Food Show in San

Francisco is shaping up to be the largest in its 42-year history, with more of the latest specialty foods and beverages to discover than ever before.

The show takes place Jan. 22-24 at Moscone Center with 218,000 square feet – almost 4 football fields – of exhibit halls, which will overflow with thousands of new products from across the country as well as from 30 countries. California will boast the biggest show presence with more than 330 companies represented.

As the largest marketplace devoted exclusively to specialty foods and beverages on the West Coast, the show is the place to be for buyers from top names in retailing and restaurants. Attendees spot trends, find

new foods, and make new connections. “Specialty food sales are exploding right

now,” says Phil Kafarakis, president of the Specialty Food Association, which owns and produces the Winter Fancy Food Show. “We’re seeing millennials and men emerging as key consumer groups, foodservice sales are experiencing impressive increases, while online shopping and retail serve as key consumer sales channels. People are very interested in high quality, great tasting food and specialty foods offer both.”

Show highlights include a full range of educational programming focused on smart growth and innovation targeted to all levels of the specialty food industry from newcomers to established manufacturers.

Other show highlights include: • Specialty Food Association’s 5th

annual Leadership Awards Ceremony Sunday, Jan. 22.

• What’s New, What’s Hot showcase with hundreds of on-trend products

• “New Brands on the Shelf” area featuring up-and-coming producers who are SFA Member Candidates.

• Incubator Alley where new specialty food stars will display their products at the earliest stage.

• Major food donation at show’s end to Feed the Hungry.

The Specialty Food Association is a thriving community of food artisans, importers and entrepreneurs. Learn more at specialtyfood.com.

News from IDDBA Shopper behavior is 2017 focus for retailers


Barriers remain for food waste, food recycling

Latinos have increased $$ power Spending power will continue to grow

Marketers and retailers have long rec-ognized the exceptional role Hispanic con-sumers play in their growth strategies. Sheer numbers are one reason.

Over the next decade Latinos will ac-count for more than half of the population growth in the United States. Ten years from now Hispanics will comprise one in every five Americans. By mid-century Hispanics will be on the cusp of forming a majority of the populations of California and Texas.

Yet, Hispanics embody far more than just an extraordinarily fast-growing population segment of the American population. They now represent a market with outsize spend-ing power that will only continue to grow in the future. Hispanics: Demographic and Consumer Spending Trends, 9th Edition, a June 2016 Packaged Facts report, unmasks the simple but powerful formula that lies behind the recent remarkable growth in Hispanic spending power.

First, the number of Hispanic households has been growing faster than the number of non-Hispanic households. Between 2012 and 2015 Hispanic households grew 8.1% while other households increased just 3%. Second, average spending by Latino house-holds during the same three-year period in-creased more rapidly than average spend-ing by non-Hispanic households (9.7% vs. 8.6%). These two basic variables (more rapid household growth + higher growth in average spending) add up to a higher rate

of growth in aggregate spending by Latino households than non-Latino households in recent years.

Packaged Facts has uncovered a num-ber of findings about Latino spending pat-terns that should capture the attention of marketers of financial services and other consumer services and products. One of the more compelling discoveries in the area of financial services is the fact that Hispanic consumers have recently registered an ex-ceptionally high increase in credit card own-ership, when historically they had a below- average tendency to own and use credit cards.

Between 2005 and 2015 the number of Latinos using credit cards jumped 44%. The 5.1 million additional Latinos with credit cards accounted for around half (49%) of the growth in the number of consumers us-ing credit cards during this period.

In addition, over the past decade the per-cent increase in the number of Hispanic households owning insurance has been greater than that experienced by non-His-panic households. As a result, Latino house-holds were responsible for 65% of the growth in the number of households with auto insurance and 52% of growth in the number of households with health insur-ance.

Another noteworthy pattern in recent spending shifts on the part of Hispanic households is an increase in spending over

the past three years on goods and services, such as furniture and in-home entertainment equipment, that fall in the category of “nest-ing.” This has occurred even though the home ownership rate among Latinos con-tinues to be lower than average.

When it comes to running their house-holds, Hispanics have increased spending on personal services such as childcare ser-vices, but they have cut back on spending on household products such as laundry and cleaning products. This is a potentially omi-nous sign for marketers of consumer pack-aged goods because Latinos have tradition-ally been stalwart customers for marketers of laundry and cleaning products.

Another unexpected finding is that over the past three years spending by Hispanic consumers on new vehicles increased faster than it did for used vehicles. Traditionally, Latinos have been more drawn to purchas-ing used vehicles.

The underlying factors driving the dis-proportionate power of Latino consumers (more rapid household growth + higher growth in average spending) are likely to hold for the foreseeable future. In planning for the future, marketers in financial ser-vices as well as in other industries should take note of the fact that Hispanic house-holds will continue to have an outsize im-pact on consumer spending growth in a wide variety of areas.

– By Robert Brown & Ruth Washton

Food Marketing Institute (FMI), a mem-ber of the Food Waste Reduction Alliance (FWRA), has joined with its collaborative partners in the release of the November 2016 assessment of the industry’s contri-butions to combating food waste.

The Analysis of U.S. Food Waste among Food Manufacturers, Retailers, and Restau-rants highlights the most opportune areas for investment in the reduction, repurposing and recycling of uneaten food.

The majority of food retailers respond-ing to the survey, 71 percent, indicated that they are aggressively investing in areas to improve food donations.

In addition to feeding hungry people, food retail respondents said they are also investing in areas related to food waste re-cycling (67%), food waste reduction (63%), and food waste disposal (58%). Within these investment areas, many companies noted devoting capital and employee time into improving their food waste measure-ment and tracking.

FMI Senior Director of Sustainability, Tax & Trade Andrew Harig said, “The as-sessment is a snapshot of a broader supply chain effort to mitigate the instances of waste and ultimately get more uneaten food safely into the mouths of people and ani-

mals; the analysis is a guidepost for the broader supply chain to divert from landfill.

“Grocery survey respondents noted that they donate 25 percent of uneaten food for human consumption; recycle 24 percent of their food waste via compositing and an-other 24 percent to animal feed. We hope our industry can continue to set an example for the nation’s grocery shoppers to do their part to waste less food at home.”

FWRA has been conducting a food waste operations survey every other year since 2012 to collect information on food waste for manufacturers, retailers and wholesal-ers, and restaurants.


Retailer News

Jack H. Brown, former President and CEO of Stater Bros. Markets, died Nov. 13. He was 78.

A native of San Bernardino, Brown be-gan his supermarket career as a box boy at Berk’s Market Spot in San Bernardino at the age of 13, sparking a sixty-five (65) year career in the grocery industry. Brown was passionate about the supermarket industry. He loved his “Family” of Employees and the loyal Stater Bros. customers who he proudly served since taking the helm of Stater Bros. Markets.

He joined Stater Bros. in 1981 and served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Stater Bros. Markets for more than 35 years and as Chairman for Stater Bros. for more than 30 years. Brown be-came the Executive Chairman after appoint-ing Pete Van Helden to the position of Presi-dent and CEO earlier this year.

Brown was a proud Navy Veteran who served on active duty with the Pacific Fleet of the United States Navy during the Viet-nam era. His support of the military and our nation’s veterans remains unparalleled.

In 2004, he received the “Friend of the Veteran Award” from the Riverside National Cemetery’s Veterans’ Advisory Committee for his continued support of volunteer ser-vices to Veterans and their families. He also received the “Patriot Award” in 2011, the highest award the Congressional Medal of Honor Society can bestow upon an indi-vidual.

In addition, Brown was one of 10 Dis-tinguished Americans to receive the 1992 “Horatio Alger Award” in Washington, D.C., in recognition of his outstanding con-tributions to America and the “American Dream.”

Brown has received countless awards for his contributions to the supermarket indus-try. In 2001, he received the California Gro-cers Association “Hall of Achievement Award” for a lifetime of dedication to the Grocery Industry, and in 2005, he received the prestigious “Sidney R. Rabb Award”, the Supermarket Industry’s highest award. Brown has been recognized for his gener-osity in giving back to the “valued” com-munities he loved and so proudly served. In 2008, he established Stater Bros. Chari-

ties, the philanthropic arm of Stater Bros. Markets as a way to give back in a larger way. He was a founder of the Boys and Girls Club of San Bernardino, and the Founding Chairman of Children’s Fund of San Ber-nardino County.

Most recently, the California State Uni-versity Board of Trustees named the “Jack H. Brown” College of Business and Public Administration at CSU San Bernardino in July, 2016.

Brown will be remembered with love, af-fection, and by his countless acts of kind-ness. He was an incredibly thoughtful man whose accomplishments and generosity will be remembered for many years to come.

Brown is survived by his wife Debbie, 3 daughters; J. Kathleen Smith (Michael Smith), Cara Hoffman (Scott Hoffman) and Melissa Koss (Pete Koss), and 7grandchil-dren, Kaitlyn, Colleen, Caden, Dylan, Julianna, Jack Ryan and Emma.

Services have been held.

Jack Brown

Byron Allumbaugh

Jack Brown, 78

Byron Allumbaugh Byron Allumbaugh, who spent 39 years

with Ralphs Grocery Co., including nearly 20 years as chairman and CEO before his retirement, died in October from a massive heart attack.

He is the father of DDBC Hall of Famer and Past President Jim Allumbaugh, who retired in 2016.

“Byron was a great leader and mentor to many in our industry,” said Carole Christianson, COO of the Western Associa-tion of Food Chains (WAFC).

Allumbaugh served as chairman and CEO of Ralphs from 1976-1995 before re-tiring in January 1997. There were two ownership changes during the time he was in charge. He also served as president of the WAFC in 1972. He was chairman of the Food Marketing Institute from 1982-1985. In 1996 he received the Horatio Alger Award, an award presentation in which Brown “put the Horatio ribbon around his neck.”

Services have been held. Donations may be made to Hoag Hospital Foundation in support of medical education at the Ronnie & Byron Allumbaugh Conference Center at the Jeffrey M. Carlton Heart & Vascular Institute, Hoag Hospital; Hoag Hospital Foundation, 330 Placentia Avenue, Newport Beach, CA 92663.

Send your industry news to: Editor, DDBC News

P.O. Box 4533 Huntington Beach, CA 92647

email: [email protected]


Industry News

The winner of the 2016 World Cheese Awards was recently crowned, and the country of origin – not typically known for its cheese – might come as a surprise. The new champion is Kraftkar, a blue cheese made by Norwegian producer Tingvollost.

A panel of experts selected the winner among more than 3,000 entries, including runners-up from France and Swit-zerland, at the competition in San Sebastián, Spain.

Kraftkar competed against all 28 previous winners of the title and was ranked first in the Champion of Champions judging. The blue cheese made with pasteurized cow’s milk scored 71 of 80 points, and at one point was described as “the best cheese ever made.”

The 2016 World Cheese Awards attracted entries from 31 countries, and was judged by 266 cheese experts from 26 countries.

Gene Page, La Mexicana Salsa La Mexicana Salsa and Food Products Founder & CEO, Gene

Page, who had been in the fresh produce business for more than 50 years, died in November.

Services have been held. Page knew as a teenager in the 1940’s that he enjoyed the hard

work, the early mornings and the fast pace business of the bustling Los Angeles produce market in the still blossoming city of down-town Los Angeles. Operating his own produce stands as a teen-ager and later owning two neighborhood markets by the time he was in his 30s. He soon after founded a wholesale produce com-pany and La Mexicana Salsa’s parent company, Crowers Market-ing, where he enjoyed 3 generations of the Page family working together in the family business for more than 25 years.

La Mexicana Salsa is based in Vernon and began first produc-tion in the early 1980s, at a time when there was no standard for “fresh salsa.” In 1982, Page developed a fresh tomato and jalapeno salsa and named the salsa “La Mexicana” after his wife, Dora. The salsa remains such a phenomenal success that it has launched the brand as a household name in stores nationwide. La Mexicana salsa has set the standard for fresh salsa by using only the freshest veg-etables available and continues to redefine that standard to this day.

Save Mart appoints CEO The Save Mart Cos. on Dec. 1 said Nicole Pesco would be ap-

pointed its CEO, filling a role last occupied by her late father, Bob Piccinini.

Pesco has been serving as one of three co-presidents at Save Mart since 2014 along with Steve Junquiero and Greg Hill. Junquiero, who is also COO, and Hill, also serving as CFO, will continue in those roles, Save Mart said. Pesco was serving as Save Mart’s chief strategy and branding officer in addition to her role as co-president.

The three leaders were appointed when Piccinini stepped down as CEO of the Modesto-based retailer. He passed away in 2015. The triumvirate arrange-ment was similar to the leadership structure in place when Piccinini prepared to ascend to CEO of the company in the 1980s. Save Mart was founded by Piccinini’s father and uncle in 1952.

In her role as chief branding and strat-egy officer, Pesco was instrumental in creat-ing the Lucky California store brand Save

Mart debuted in a Daly City store last summer. The store, Pesco said in an interview, was designed to evoke the uniqueness of the Bay Area, and was expected to be rolled out to additional Lucky stores in the area after a testing period.

Save Mart operates 211 stores in California and Nevada overall including 71 Lucky’s stores in the Bay Area; 82 full-service Save Mart stores in California’s Central Valley and in Western Nevada; 6 stores under the S-Mart name in Stockton and Lodi51 FoodMaxx price-impact stores and 1 price impact store under the MaxxValue banner.

Norwegian Cheese No. 1 in the World

The USC Marshall School of Business Food Industry Executive Program (FIEP) has tapped Mike Stigers, Executive Vice President, Wholesale and Supply Chain Services for SUPERVALU, as executive-in-residence for 2017.

“I strongly believe that employee education programs are an important key to a company’s success. They help teach essential skills, build confidence and provide leaders with the knowledge to aggressively manage a business through changing times,” said Stigers. “The opportunity to serve the FIEP program as the executive-in-residence is truly an honor.”

Stigers holds a bachelor’s degree in applied economics from University of San Francisco.

Stigers joins Food Industry Executive Program



Calendar

1/6-page ad here marin cheese 4-c pick up from nov.-dec. 2016 p. 38

formation: www.americanbakers.org. April

11-18 – Passover. 16 – Easter. 25 – City of Hope Fashion Show. Infor-

mation: www.coh.org. 27 – DDBC Spring Golf Tournament,

site TBA. Information: 562-947-7016. Apr 30 - May 2, 2017 – FMI Supply

Chain Conference, Paradise Point Resort & Spa, San Diego. Information: www.fmi.org.

May 1-2 – Tortilla Industry Association Con-

vention, Las Vegas. Information: www.tortilla-info.com.

5 – Cinco de Mayo 6-10 – Western Association of Food

Chains Convention, Palm Desert. Informa-tion: www.wafc.com.

18 – DPI Specialty Foods Show, Temecula. Information: www.dpispecialtyfoods.com.

23 – DDBC Casino Night, Embassy Suites Hotel, Garden Grove. Information: 562-947-7016.

23-24 – UNFI, Select Nutrition, Tony’s Fine Foods & Albert’s Organics West Re-gion Tabletop Show, Long Beach Conven-tion Center. Information: www.unfi.com.

29 – Memorial Day. June

4-6 – IDDBA Dairy Deli Bake, Anaheim Convention Center. Information: www.iddba.org.

7 – CIGA Golf Tournament, Santa Rosa. July

4 – Independence Day. 20 – DDBC Membership meeting, Em-

bassy Suites Hotel, Garden Grove. Infor-mation: 562-947-7016.

August 9-10 – Unified Grocers Sell-abration,

Long Beach Convention Center. Informa-tion: www.unifiedgrocers.com

September 4 – Labor Day. 8-10 – 49th DDBC National Seminar

(tentative). 13-16 – Natural Products Expo East, Bal-

timore. Information: www.expoeast.com. 16 – Mexican Independence Day. 20-22 – Rosh Hashanah. 24-26 – California Grocers Association

Convention, Palm Springs. Information: www.cagrocers.com.

29-30 – Yom Kippur. October

14 – City of Hope Harvest Ball, Hyatt Regency Resort, Huntington Beach. Infor-mation: www.coh.org.

17 – DDBC Membership meeting, Em-bassy Suites Hotel, Garden Grove. Infor-mation: 562-947-7016.

November 11 – Veterans Day. 14 – DDBC Membership meeting, Elec-

tion Night, (tentative) Embassy Suites Ho-tel, Garden Grove. Information: 562-947- 7016.

23 – Thanksgiving. December

12-20 – Hanukkah. 25 – Christmas Day.

2018 January

4 – Super Bowl LII, Minneapolis.

15 – Martin Luther King Jr. birthday. March

14-17 – Natural Products Expo West, Ana-heim. Information: www.expowest.com.

17 – St. Patrick’s Day. May

5 – Cinco de Mayo. 5-9 – Western Association of Food

Chains Convention, JW Marriott Hill Coun-try, San Antonio, Tex. Information: www.wfc.com.

June 8-10 – IDDBA Dairy Deli Bake, Hous-

ton. Information: www.iddba.org. September

3 – Labor Day. 9-11 – Rosh Hashanah. 14-17 – Natural Products Expo East, Bal-

timore. Information: www.expoeast.com. 16 – Mexican Independence Day. 18-19 – Yom Kippur.

November 22 – Thanksgiving.

December 2-10 – Hanukkah. 25 – Christmas Day.

Jim Wallace, Vice President and General Manager of Pavilions, was elected the 2016- 2017 California Grocers Association Chair-man of the Board of Directors at the Association’s Annual Meeting on Dec. 2. Pavilions is a banner of The Albertsons Companies, which also owns and operates Albertsons, Safeway and Vons stores in California.

As Chair, Wallace will lead the Board’s strategy regarding CGA’s numerous legis-lative, educational, communications and industry-related programs. The Association

Jim Wallace 2017 chairman at CGA is comprised of more than 300 retail com-panies operating more than 6,000 stores in California and Nevada. The chair serves for one year. He succeeds Immediate Past Chair Kevin Konkel, Raley’s Family of Fine Stores.

“CGA is extremely fortunate to have someone with Jim’s extensive industry knowledge and experience at its helm,” says CGA President Ron Fong. “CGA staff looks forward to working with Jim in the coming year. I’m confident it will be a very produc-tive year for the Association.”

Specializing in fine

imported

and domestic

cheeses as well

as a wide variety of

gourmet foods.

MARIN CHEESE COMPANY

63 Paul Drive, San Rafael, CA 94903Phone: (415) 479-1200www.marincheese.com

DDBC Dinner Dance and Installation of Officers

Saturday, January 7, 2017

Reception | 6:00 – 7:00 pmDinner & Dancing | 7:00 – 11:00 pm

Semi-formal Attire

Name of Attendee(s)

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

⧠ Jidori ChickenBreast⧠ BeefPrimeRib

⧠ Barramundi⧠ Vegetarian



















2000 E Bastanchury Rd.Fullerton, CA 92835

(714) 671-4111www.SummitHouse.com

Dinner Reservations

Table(s) seating 10 at $1750

Seat(s) $175 per person

Company :

Name :

Telephone :

E-mail :

Fax :

Mail/Fax/E-mail Reservation form to:DDBCofSouthernCaliforniaPOBox1872Whittier,CA90603562-947-7016562-947-7872(fax)[email protected]

Checks payable to:DDBCofSo.California

Reservations will be confirmed upon receipt of payment in full amount.Deadline for reservations is December 30th, 2016.

Documents

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