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Giant Food expands locally made product menu for delivery

D.C.-area grocer extends offerings from brand accelerator Union Kitchen

Russell Redman

September 1, 2020

2 Min Read
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Giant now sells 27 locally produced products from Washington, D.C.-based Union Kitchen, including breakfast, meal and snack items.RP3 Agency

Giant Food has broadened its relationship with food and beverage accelerator Union Kitchen to serve up more locally made foods through its Giant Delivers online grocery service.

Landover, Md.-based Giant said Tuesday that three new Union Kitchen member brands can now be ordered for delivery, including Walt’s Waffles, Spoil Me Rotten Dog Biscuits, and Eat Pizza. Those products follow eight brands that Giant began offering in May: 8 Myles, Mas Panadas, Compass Coffee, Revol Snax, Poppy’s Stuffed Bagels, Snacklins, Tasty 6 and Veggie Confetti.

Overall, Giant sells 27 locally produced items from Washington, D.C.-based Union Kitchen, including breakfast items such as coffee and bagels and meal and snack items such as empanadas, vegan pork rinds, and keto snacks. The lineup also features expanded selections from the original brands offered in the partnership, according to Giant.

Giant noted that the Union Kitchen partnership enables it to meet customer demand for healthier fare as well as support small businesses. Accessible via the recently revamped giantfood.com website and the Giant Food mobile app, Giant Delivers serves more than 330 ZIP codes in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. 

“We are eager to continue to work with an organization like Union Kitchen to expand our offerings and support their mission of helping to grow local startup food brands,” Gregg Dorazio, director of e-commerce at Giant Food, said in a statement. “At Giant, we’re committed to offering our shoppers more locally sourced options, and our relationship with Union Kitchen is a great example of the innovation these entrepreneurs bring to our community.”

Related:Sobeys parent Empire partners with CPG brand incubator

Founded in 2012, Union Kitchen works with emerging businesses and consumer packaged goods (CPG) brands to launch, manufacture and distribute local products to retailers in the D.C. area. Union Kitchen said it has partnered with more than 650 food brands since its launch and created over 1,000 jobs. More than half of the businesses supported are women- and/or minority-owned.

“We are thrilled to continue working closely with Giant Food to make ‘Made in D.C.’ products more widely available to customers,” stated Elena Rosenblum, senior director at Union Kitchen. “By building a robust local food ecosystem, through partnerships like this, we are able to create jobs, build community, and celebrate our diversity through a medium everyone loves — food.”

Part of Ahold Delhaize USA, Giant Food operates 164 supermarkets in Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and the District of Columbia. Its stores house 155 pharmacies, 82 PNC Banks and 24 Starbucks locations. Giant Pickup and Giant Delivers online grocery service is provided through 157 of the chain’s stores.

Related:The Fresh Market partners with brand incubator

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

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