Why this guy won PMG’s 2023 Produce Retailer of the Year

When you get a call from your boss at 4 p.m. on a Friday, it’s usually a bad sign.

But Joseph Bunting, produce business director of United Supermarkets, based in Lubbock, Texas, isn’t just anybody.

When Bunting returned that phone call, he learned that he won PMG’s 2023 Produce Retailer of theYear award, beating nominations from across the country for this 27th annual award program born in 1996.

“At first, I was a little worried. I was like, ‘What is going on here?’ But it was actually good news,” he said. “I’m very honored — very humbled as well."

This award honors a produce-retail professional who excels in leadership, innovation in merchandising and sales, and supplier collaboration. The winner is celebrated at International Fresh Produce Association's Global Produce & Floral Show in Anaheim, Calif., and receives a trophy.

Bunting started working for United Supermarkets more than 30 years ago as a 16-year-old grocery sacker.

“The whole reason I went to work for United actually was to earn enough money to buy [a] pickup, to be honest with you,” he said. His family had a ranch, and he wanted a pickup truck to haul cattle.

A few months later, Bunting was promoted to grocery checker. That’s where he met his wife of 26 years and mother of his three children.

After working in the checkout lane for a bit, the produce department started calling to him.

“I think probably it was the seasonality,” Bunting said. “It wasn't the same thing every single day, kind of like checking or sacking is. It was something different all the time."

He worked in the stores for seven years while earning a college degree in agricultural business and then also in marketing. His graduation matched the timing of when United Supermarkets entered into self-distribution and sought a recent college grad to train as a buyer.

Mentors

Jacky Pierce, the United Supermarkets produce director at the time, moved Bunting from his hometown Abilene store to the Lubbock headquarters in 2000 and trained him to be a buyer.

“He is a legend in our company,” Bunting said about Pierce, who died in 2002. “He really taught me a whole lot, especially about attention to detail. That man was very detail oriented.”

Tommy Wilkins of Horton Fruit Co. and his father, Harold Wilkins, also mentored Bunting in learning to be a produce buyer and how important it is to build relationships and partnerships.

As Bunting became familiar with the warehouse and developed those supplier relationships, he guided the menu United offered at store level, said Tommy Wilkins, who’s worked with Bunting for more than 30 years.

Wilkins is the incoming board chairman for Texas International Produce Association, where Bunting has volunteered as well.

“The relationship between farmer and customer is Joseph’s primary focus,” Wilkins said. “He has dedicated his life to making the customer experience the best it can be. He is a jewel to be a partner with.”

Darvel Kirby, the following produce business director, taught Bunting the retail side of the business. “He listened really well and then made good decisions based on the information that was given to him,” Bunting said.

When Kirby retired in 2015, Bunting was chosen to be the next produce business director, a position he’s thrived in for the last nine years.  

Chief Merchandising Officer Tony Crumpton also started as a grocery sacker when he was a teenager. Crumpton and Wes Jackson, who today is president of Albertsons Cos. Southern Division, taught Bunting how to treat people right.

“United has always been about treating people right and doing the right thing — and those guys are big leaders in our company, and really taught us that throughout the years,” Bunting said.

Merchandising

Bunting transitioned the company from its traditional horizontal way of produce merchandising to 4-foot vertical blocks, especially with wet vegetables, such as salad greens, cooking vegetables and peppers.

“Anytime you want to make a big change like that, you're going to be met with a little bit of resistance, right?” he said.

Bunting recalled setting up the first store, in Lubbock, in this new way, finishing at 2 a.m. “Even the first managers that were skeptical about it, they're like, ‘Oh, my gosh, this looks great. I'm gonna go set my store like this.’ And so from then on, it just spread. And now that's the way we do merchandise.”

This big change modernized the stores, made produce colors pop and better distinguished the categories. To get more ideas, Bunting continues to look at what other stores are doing.

Sales

Hatch chilies tell a tale of sales success. In 2014, United Supermarkets sold a bit over $300,000 worth of hatch peppers, and by 2016 — a year after Bunting took over produce — hatch sales rose to more than $500,000. Then Albertsons Chief Operating Officer Wayne Denningham  challenged them to double sales by selling $1 million in hatch peppers.

“And man, I'll tell you what, the team just rallied around us, asking what we needed to make that happen," Bunting said. He directed every single store to host hatch chilie roasting events on-site, which required  a lot of capital for hatch roasters.

The fresh-cut departments brainstormed about innovative ways to incorporate the pepper into other products to differentiate United Supermarkets from competitors. Think hatch guacamole and hatch poppers, replacing the jalapeño.

“Lo and behold, we beat that goal. I think we were at $1.1 million that year,” he said. “It really proved as a company, when we get behind something, sky's the limit on what we can do.”

Today, the hatch pepper program grabs $3 million in sales, he said.

Bananas also saw sales success.

“He took a huge risk in moving bananas from an item that sells by the pound to an item that sells by the each,” said Gary Lambert, Lubbock regional produce supervisor at United Supermarkets. “The company saw a lift in dollars, units and overall profits while also setting them apart from the competition.”

Meaningful partnerships

United Supermarkets doesn’t have vendors. It has partners.

“There are going to be good times, and there are going to be bad times. I think the defining moments are really how you judge your partnership. I need you there when it's good and when it's bad,” Bunting said.

That means sometimes paying more for a product, especially locally grown, to support the community.

“It doesn't do us any good if we're causing you to lose money, because we need you next year, in future years,” Bunting said. “And the same thing for us. We’ve got to make money as well, because we gotta be here to support you over the next few years. So that’s where the partnership comes in.”

Bunting has forged exceptional relationships with produce suppliers, creating a collaborative ecosystem that benefits all stakeholders involved, said Jathen Jowers, regional sales manager at The Wonderful Company.

“He actively seeks out local growers and suppliers, promoting their products and supporting the regional economy. His commitment to sustainability and responsible sourcing has led to long-term partnerships with reputable suppliers who share the same values,” Jowers said. Bunting's collaborative approach has resulted in better supply chain management, reduced wastage and improved freshness and quality of produce on the shelves, he said.

Challenges

Cherries were four weeks late this season, and those sales are hard to make up, Bunting said. There was also a gap between grapes from Chile and Peru and starting from Mexico. He’s even seeing a gap in hatch peppers.

“This year's had a lot of curveballs thrown at us, but we're really good at calling audibles now,” he said, referring to a football quarterback's last-minute change of play due to the defense's lineup.

When something isn’t working, change plans. If Plan B doesn’t work, go to Plan C, he said. Find a different fruit or vegetable to push. Expand the merchandising, line it up front and create a promotion activity. Ensure all the stores are aware of the new plan.

“Communication is the key to the stores, to leadership and everybody to make sure everybody knows what your plans are,” Bunting said.

Innovations

Bunting recalled a conference presentation in which the National Mango Board gave everyone a mango sample that didn't taste good. Then the board passed around a second sample of a mango — perfectly ripened, juicy and sweet.

That experience opened Bunting’s eyes on what his mango program lacked. If they weren’t ripening their mangoes in-house, there’s a good chance shoppers were going to have a bad first mango experience and won’t give the fruit a second chance.

So, Bunting worked with the board to create a ripening program in the United Supermarkets warehouse.

“They taught us the right techniques to properly ripen mangoes. We had to change a lot of our processes to make it happen,” he said.

They had to buy mangoes differently, considering that the three-day ripening process means sometimes they can’t fulfill orders even when they have mangoes.

“Because I don't want the guest to have a bad experience with it," he said. "And we saw sales grow exponentially on mangoes when we did that.”

Then the stores had to merchandise mangoes differently because the normal space allocated for mangoes was not big enough. After that came a pear-ripening program.

Also, the in-store Ask for a Taste program enables shoppers to try something new they may be hesitant to buy. Any associate can cut up a fruit or vegetable for a shopper to try.

Bunting works with partners such as Dole Fresh Vegetables’ sales team weekly, said Kim St George, vice president of sales, west.

“We work hand in hand with him to launch new items,” she said, like the wrap leaf lettuce being packed in the Salinas fields. “[He] recognized the potential for his produce store managers, as well as his customers."

As for the future of produce retail, he sees more digital deals with rewards cards, retail dietitians, online shopping, and social media education and storytelling.

“I think you've got to be willing to change, really step back and look at why we've done things for X number of years. But is it the right thing to do? Or has the business changed or something else changed that we can do better?”

What others say about Bunting:

• “Joseph works with his social media and advertising teams to ensure they are promoting produce-forward items to continue his mission of increased produce consumption. He knows the importance and health benefits of produce, and he works hard to engage his customers with beautiful displays, fresh-cut items and information about produce to educate and entice purchases.” — Tara Murray, vice president of marketing at Fresh Innovations and its Yo Quiero! Brand
• “[Joseph has] exceptional skills in managing his team and keeping everyone in the know. He coordinates and delegates extremely well when working with partners or other team members within our company." — Martin Joshua, produce buyer at United Supermarkets
• “[Joseph] recently was in Salinas after the floods in our fields and transplant greenhouses, seeing firsthand the devastation so he could understand the grower struggles and consequential quality issues at retail level. He is compassionate and passionate, and he thoroughly understands the business with the ability to mentor those on his team." — Kim St George, vice president of sales, west, at Dole Fresh Vegetables
• “Joseph is quite the family man and loves his team and partners as if they are a part of his family. Joseph is one of the most selfless men I've ever known. He always puts others and their needs before his. He has a great passion for his job and produce.” — Jeff Little, Wichita Falls-Abilene produce supervisor at United Supermarkets
• “His transparent communication, collaborative strategic planning and genuine interest in the success of all people around him are just a few qualities that are unmatched. On top of that, he is well respected by his team and leads them with a focus on growth and innovation in their company and our industry." — Aimee Peters, West Coast business development manager of FirstFruits Farms

About United Supermarkets

Established in 1916, United Supermarkets was a family-owned company for 97 years before selling to Albertsons Cos. in 2013, as a wholly owned subsidiary. United Supermarkets operates 96 grocery stores and 38 fuel centers under six banners: United Supermarkets, Market Street, Amigos, Albertsons Market, Market Street Express and United Express, along with ancillary operations R.C. Taylor Distributing, USM Manufacturing, Llano Logistics and United Food & Beverage Services. The grocery stores are in Texas and New Mexico.