HOME GROWN

AMY I. STICKEL

Americans are used to being spoiled with year-round availability of produce. But in the summer, they are reminded that produce can actually be grown nearby, and not only harvested in far-off places.

To cash in on this, more and more retailers are bringing local produce into their departments and making a bigger deal out of its very seasonal availability.

The merchandisers have discovered that the "local" angle to marketing gives the department a farm-friendly, fresh image.

The phenomenon itself has local twists. Some produce executives are only recently taking advantage of the marketing benefits of locally grown produce, while others have been building their department's image on it for years.

What's more, for some retailers it's taking the form of intimate relationships with a handful of small farmers, while for others it means plugging into large statewide or regional marketing programs.

In any case, consumers seem to be appreciating local produce at the supermarket more than ever as the demand for basic, wholesome comforts and simpler, more healthy food grows.

Taking the cue, Giant Food, Landover, Md., has increased its emphasis on local produce this summer, according to Mark Roeder, public affairs supervisor.

"We've been involved in buying more and more local produce in recent years, but this is a new emphasis," Roeder said.

The new emphasis includes in-store signs, which identify certain items as locally grown, and several 30-second television commercials featuring Bob Hartman, Giant's local produce buyer.

The commercials are part of a new advertising campaign, and stress the freshness of the produce. One commercial, narrated by Hartman, features him visiting a local farmer.

"I've seen a lot of nice local produce, fresh quality merchandise," Hartman says in the commercial. "It's pulled in the morning, and shipped that afternoon directly to our stores. You can't get it much fresher than that."

The second commercial has a voice-over, and features Hartman talking to a farmer he calls "Jimmy."

"Sweet, home-grown produce that's shipped the same day it's picked. Bobby [Hartman] may have to drive around a bit, but for local produce, all you have to do is go to your Giant," the narrator says.

Roeder said consumer demand was behind Giant's push into local produce.

"We did receive requests from consumers, asking for more local produce," Roeder said. "We're lucky to be here on the Eastern shore, which produces some outstanding local produce."

Hannaford Bros., Scarborough, Maine, is also emphasizing local produce this summer, as part of a new, regional "Harvest New England" program, according to a spokeswoman.

"We are supporting local farmers that are a part of it," said Judy Gagnon, communications specialist.

Hannaford uses in-store signs and the Harvest New England logo to identify local produce, she said.

Like many other retailers, ShopRite of Pennington, based in Hamilton Square, N.J., promotes local produce through a statewide promotional campaign called Jersey Fresh, according to Mark Laurenti, vice president of sales and marketing.

"We buy from local farmers whenever we can," said Laurenti. "My uncle founded this company. He believed strongly in the local farmer, and we're glad to participate in the Jersey Fresh program. ShopRite is promoting local farmers with a television commercial that is currently running on local cable channels.

The commercial focuses on several different farmers, and includes the line, "Stop by any of our stores and pick up some Jersey Fresh produce from the Garden State. You might see some of your neighbors!"

"It's really exciting," Laurenti said of the commercial. "We've been doing it for a year now. We like cable. It gets the customers right around the store." Several produce executives told SN they are intensifying their relationships with local farmers. In some cases, they are building their departments in large measure around those relationships, especially when the retailers are small enough and strongly oriented to local or niche marketing.

"Right from our first years, a key part of our philosophy has been to promote local agriculture, and to be as flexible as possible to work with local growers of all sizes," said Lyle Davis, commissary and produce general manager for Alfalfa's, a nine-unit natural foods operator based in Boulder, Colo.

Alfalfa's tries to associate farmers with particular products, by displaying storyboards and biographies with information about the farmers' growing practices near their products in the department, he said.

"So many people's lives have become detached from agriculture, and they just imagine that produce is miraculously sprung from produce racks," he said. "Shoppers don't think of the actual human efforts and endeavors and trials and tribulations behind producing all that."

Davis, who is himself a farmer, said Alfalfa's seeks out local growers in specific markets, particularly those who grow organic produce.

When the operation recently opened stores in Seattle and Santa Fe, N.M., he visited farmers markets in the area and posted signs announcing that Alfalfa's was looking for locally grown produce.

Since the operator tries to use organic produce whenever possible, Davis also worked from state listings of organic farmers. "We kind of put the word out that way," he said. "We meet growers, go out and visit their farms, once we've got a name."

During peak growing seasons, about 40% of Alfalfa's produce departments are stocked with locally grown produce, Davis estimated. In the off-season, he works directly with farmers in other parts of the country who are still growing crops. He also relies on distributors and wholesalers then.

Some small farmers may only supply one or two of Alfalfa's stores, while others are large enough so their crops are handled through Alfalfa's distribution center, he said.

"It is more work, dealing with individual farmers who supply one or two stores," he said. "But there's also something very fulfilling about it. There are a number of growers who may have one or two unique products, and they're only growing on an acre or two. We get a lot of wonderful items that way."

Produce managers at Alfalfa's are taught and encouraged to work with the smaller farmers. Andronico's Market, based in Albany, Calif., has also made locally grown produce a way of life in the department, said Fred Mooney, director of produce operations.

"We work with local farmers as much as we can," he said. For Mooney, developing long-term relationships with growers is the key to a successful program.

"Usually, I'm looking for a grower who has a mentality to want to grow, and grow with us," he said.

"I want growers who are in business next year, so I can have someone who has consistent quality of product for the consumer. "We sit down, and we evaluate costs of doing business as far as whatever it costs the grower to produce whatever it is he's producing. We evaluate what his tonnage is going to be, what kind of profit he needs to make to come out in a good situation at year-end," he said. "Then, it's my job to go market that aspect to the consumer, using advertising about the grower, and what the grower's growing practices are, how good the flavor of the product is, or the nutritional value, or how sweet the product is."

Consumers at Andronico's are willing to pay the extra price for locally grown crops, Mooney added.

"There's a price difference you have to pay at the store for that, because I pay the grower more. There's a value to the consumer that way, and the consumer appreciates it."