Community Natural Foods Grocery Stores Bought by Calgary Co-op
CALGARY, CANADA - As smaller grocers continue to struggle under the weight of mega retailers, alliances can go far. Canadian grocer Calgary Co-op has made its own move to accelerate growth and sharpen its competitive edge, with the recent acquisition of Community Natural Foods.
"For Calgary Co-op's food business to survive and thrive in the long term, we must work locally to increase the relevance of our unique offering of products and services to members' lifestyles," said Calgary Co-op CEO, Ken Keelor, in a press release.
According to Yahoo! News, Calgary Co-op intends to run its newly-acquired banner as an independent subsidiary, allowing Community Natural Foods to retain its current staff and management structure. Calgary Co-op generates annual sales of $1.3 billion, and the retailer has stores throughout the city of Calgary and its neighboring communities.
Community Natural Foods was founded in 1977 and has since expanded to three stores, while maintaining its commitment to local and organic products.
"It's been an amazing 42-year journey and it was my personal wish to sell to a buyer who would steward the Community Natural Foods business and brand carefully and thoughtfully," Garry Wilkes, Co-Founder of Community Natural Foods, commented.
Keep reading AndNowUKnow for more news on the changing grocery retail landscape.
“We're one of the few, true family farms left in our area that grows, packs, and ships our own produce. My dad is the grower and my brother, cousins, and I sell the produce,” said Courtney Schuster of Sales. “Our sales team is in the field every day looking at the crops and working with the farming team to make sure that we have what our customers want. We have a real focus on farming and growing. It's just kind of in our DNA.”
“This land has been in our family for over 75 years and we want to continue farming for generations to come. We’re transitioning more and more land to drip systems that help conserve water. We’re increasing our usage of cover crops to improve our soil health. We’re even experimenting with composting our packing waste so we can use that and become more sustainable through the whole product life cycle,” Farming Director Fred Schuster shared. “We’ve done a lot of different things to make sure that our farm is productive and healthy for years to come. Our efforts to become Organic certified also align with this long-term commitment to the land. There are practices on the organic side that we can try out and utilize that will also make us stronger on the conventional side.”
“We want everything to look as good as it did in the field,” says Salesman, Taylor Schuster. “In our greens shed, we've upped our cooling capacity and invested in new hydro-coolers that double how quickly we can get things cooled from the field, extending shelf life significantly. In our onion shed, we’re transitioning to new drying systems that remove moisture more efficiently and get that onion where we want it to be. We’re also increasing our packing capabilities and storage capacity. Everything is focused on overcoming the challenges we face as growers and ensuring freshness and quality for our customers.”
“We want people to have the same experience as we do when we enjoy something we brought in from the field that very day,” General Manager Christine Schuster Morley added. Christine also mentioned that the company is certified as a Women-Owned Business, which is something it has worked toward for years. 
“The integration of the Food Group is off to a good start, and we are excited to welcome our colleagues from the Food Group into US Foods,” said Chairman and CEO Pietro Satriano. “As a result of our year-to-date business performance, we are raising our fiscal 2019 organic Adjusted EBITDA growth guidance to 6.0 percent.”
“As fresh produce continues to elevate its stature in today’s food culture, it’s critical that we stay engaged with those who are driving the conversation and influencing the ways in which consumers adopt and enjoy fresh produce,” said Mary Coppola, United Fresh’s Vice President of Marketing and Communications, in a press release. “We’re thrilled to elevate this topic of interest at BrandStorm and keep the dialogue front of mind for fresh produce brand marketers.”
“Over the years, shoppers have increasingly asked where they can find long-stem artichokes,” Diana McClean, Senior Director of Marketing at Ocean Mist Farms, commented in a press release. “Because not all retailers carry long-stem artichokes, our partnership with Harry & David is a great way for us to make this item easily accessible during holiday season when we see interest spike.”
“We are honored to present the annual Grower of the Year award to 
“Not only has the Lundberg Family’s decades of work to encourage water conservation, rotate crops, grow cover crops, and use natural methods for pest control made them leaders in organic rice production and wildlife-friendly farming, but it has always found ways to share information about those practices with other organic farmers. This dedication to the environment and community is what makes the organic sector special, so the Lundberg Family could not be more deserving of the title of Grower of the Year,” said Kelly Damewood, CEO of CCOF.
“We saw improved financial results in the first quarter with adjusted operating income growth that was in line with our expectations, as we remain focused on accelerating local case growth and maintaining our strong track record of expense management,” said Tom Bené, Chairman, President, and Chief Executive Officer, in a recent press release. “As we look forward to celebrating our 50th anniversary this fiscal year, we remain committed to meeting the changing needs of our customers and supporting their continued growth.”
“We were excited to hear from the 50 plus retail dietitians that attended the What’s In Store event. They are passionate about their work and were happy to hear how Limoneira can support their efforts,” John Chamberlain, Vice President of Marketing at Limoneira, shared with me from his day at the event. “Retail dietitians are on the front lines in the effort to get grocery shoppers—and consumers in general—healthy.”
“Because most buying decisions are made at the point-of-purchase, retail dietitians can have a direct impact on healthier food options ending up in the grocery cart,” Annette Maggi, MS, RD, LD, FAND, and Executive Director of RDBA, said. “This event provides an opportunity for companies like Limoneira to partner with these retail health influencers for positive health and business outcomes.”
“At Limoniera, we know that good health and maintaining balance continues to be important to all of us, and that produce and citrus can be critical to this balance,” said Harold Edwards, President and CEO of Limoneria. “We understand that people are busy and looking for solutions that are easy to incorporate into their busy lives, and The Produce Department at Nature's Pharmacy app does just that.”
“The Produce Department is Nature's Pharmacy and Take a Healthy Stand are important components of the Food as Medicine movement taking hold nationwide,” said Megan Roosevelt, a Limoneira nutritionist and Founder and CEO of Healthy Grocery Girl®. “Food as Medicine maintains that fresh, healthy produce such as lemons can help avoid an expensive and perhaps less effective trip to the grocery department's supplement aisle.”