Kroger seeks to accelerate fresh, local innovation

The Kroger Co. is reprising its Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator, a program designed to expand and accelerate the selection of local items sold in the Kroger Family of Companies’ fresh departments, including produce, deli, bakery, meat, seafood, dairy, specialty cheeses and floral.

Part of the company’s commitment to being “Fresh for Everyone,” the program provides a pathway to entry for local businesses of all sizes by allowing American-based growers and producers the chance to work directly with Kroger, said the Cincinnati, Ohio-based company in a release.

"Kroger is fully committed to supporting a diverse group of innovative, local suppliers who can bring a great assortment of fresh products to our customers," Stuart Aitken, Kroger's chief merchant and marketing officer, said. "Kroger committed to investing $10 billion in diverse suppliers by 2030, and the Go Fresh and Local Supplier Accelerator is a successful way to catapult Kroger closer to that goal. We are excited to meet this year's suppliers who will help us advance our commitment to fresh in our nearly 2,800 stores."

Starting today and through May 23 at 11:59 p.m. PDT, suppliers can apply to be considered for the Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator, a two-day event held in Cincinnati in August.

In collaboration with ECRM, or Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing, and RangeMe, Kroger's category management and fresh director team will review applications in multiple rounds, selecting 30 finalists to attend the event. Finalists will be given the opportunity to show off their products and interact with category managers, leaders and entrepreneurs at various stages throughout the selection process.

The Top 15 finalists will be invited to present to a panel of Kroger executives where five winners will be named. The prize package for those winners includes product placement on shelf within Kroger's Family of Companies; recommended partnerships with sponsors; and business development coaching from Kroger merchandising and sales leaders, said the company.

Growers and producers in the following two categories are invited to apply:

Local: Including small producers; located in-state or the immediate market; community-inspired and with locally relevant items; to be merchandised in less than approximately 100 stores.

Regional: Larger producers; cross state and division boundaries; still locally relevant to customers; merchandised in approximately 100 or more stores.

"Last year, the Go Fresh and Local cohort brought fresh ideas and innovative new products to the table that blew our judges away," Dan De La Rosa, Kroger's group vice president of fresh merchandising, said. "Every single one of last year's cohort has now seen their products on Kroger shelves, helping us bring the tastes and flavors our customers love straight to local stores. We look forward to building on last year's success and are excited to bring in new suppliers to participate in the opportunity to join the Kroger family."

To apply and learn more about the Go Fresh & Local Supplier Accelerator, visit TheKrogerCo.com/GoFreshLocal.