MONTEREY, CA - The dynamics, costs, and rewards of branding are—and have been—changing. What does that mean for retail private labels, supply-side brands, and the roles each fill in the produce department? Randy Riley, Co-Owner of GoldenSun Insights and retail veteran, will dig into this topic at the 2022 Organic Produce Summit, taking place in Monterey, California, July 13 and 14.

“We’re excited to bring together the grower, marketer, and retailer community to understand what this shift means for the industry and for the consumer,” Randy tells me, as we discuss him taking the stage for “Private Label vs. Consumer Brand: The Competition for Shelf Space,” with Jeff Cady, Director of Produce and Floral, Tops Friendly Markets; Josh Leichter, Chief Executive Officer, Pacific Trellis Fruit; and Dave Hewitt, Vice President of Sales, 4Earth Farms. “The panel is meant to serve as a starting point to spark healthy dialogue with decision makers. As we do with our clients on a day to day, we want the attendees to think about how the industry is changing and what the changes mean for their businesses.”

Randy himself has seen firsthand how consumers are willing to shift their baskets mid-store by what they saw, making him an intuitive moderator in driving the discussion.

Having started his career in produce 25 years ago, he got his bearings on the retail side of the industry as he worked his way from Produce Clerk to Produce Coordinator, Produce Buyer, Promotional Planner, and Category Manager, eventually serving Kroger as its Director of Produce Merchandising and Procurement.

“Consumers were willing to change their buying behavior based on various factors—one being the hunt for greater affordability while matching quality. I also find myself reaching for store brands as I shop for my family,” Randy reflects. “In the U.S., private brands now account for $120 billion in sales each year, which amounts to 18 percent of the overall market. Suppliers will have to continue to push and have internal discussions on meeting consumer demands.”

The overall perception of private brands has shifted over the past several years, Randy sums up, with COVID only making that shift more obvious.

“High-quality private brands are gaining a devoted following, which is driving customer loyalty amongst retailers. We are excited to hear from a panel of industry experts that hold differing viewpoints on the topic,” he concludes. “The focus of this panel discussion is to debate the growing importance of retailer private labels and the importance to the future of the industry’s growth. I’m expecting some healthy debate around this.”

As someone consistently inquiring throughout our industry and witnessing the active twists and turns it takes on such topics, I agree with Randy that this will be among the healthy debates to see at this year’s Organic Produce Summit.

To register and find out more about the event, please click through here.

See you all there!

Organic Produce Summit