Portland Grocer Bales and Lamb's Thriftway Shuttering
PORTLAND, OR - After over 40 years of bringing natural groceries to Portland residents, the independent grocery chain Bales and Lamb’s Marketplaces is set to close all four of its stores. The city known for its quirks is home to many small grocers, but shoppers and employees are sad to see such a long-standing chain close its doors. According to The Oregonian, Bales and Lamb’s hasn’t made public statements about the closure, but employees at each location have leaked the news.
Bales Marketplaces began as its own entity, but was purchased by Lamb’s Markets in 2015. The independent chain currently has stores in the Aloha, Garden Home, Lake Oswego, and Cedar Mill neighborhoods of Portland.
Employees reportedly learned of the closure on Tuesday, stating that the Garden Home store will close by October 19 and the Lake Oswego store will close on October 13. Last week, however, news of the Aloha and Cedar Mill store closures was reported by KPTV.
When grocery chains retire, so too do the moments created there. But luckily for Portland, relationships born from Bales and Lamb’s existence will no doubt carry on. To keep up with the latest in grocery news, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
"We are so excited to partner with Houweling’s Group knowing that sustainability is built into the fabric of their organization and we have the same mission of reducing the amount of waste that ends up in landfills every year,” said Gordon Robertson, Apeel Sciences’ Chief Revenue Officer. “Our growing network of suppliers is committed to using our technology to deliver longer-lasting produce, but we are incredibly proud to see Houweling’s utilize our technology as a way to replace the use of plastic wrap which will ultimately eliminate thousands of pounds of plastic waste per year.”
“We have a rich history of investing in green business practices, leading the industry to a more sustainable future, which is why Apeel is the perfect partner to help achieve our goals in protecting the planet,” said David Bell, CMO of the Houweling’s Group. “We saw an opportunity with Apeel’s unique plant-derived solution that has proven to reduce food waste, but when we recognized Apeel could be used as a complete replacement for the functional plastic wrap on cucumbers, we became really excited. With the launch of Apeel-treated Houweling’s cucumbers, we will be addressing a significant pain point for environmentally-conscious consumers. This enables us to bring sustainable solutions to our retail partners and create a pathway to significantly reduce plastic from the supply chain.”
“As farmers, we believe it’s our duty to respect the Earth’s resources and minimize our impact on the environment all while delivering a delicious, nutrient-dense product to consumers,” stated Kiana Wilkinson Amaral, Business Manager, Blazer Wilkinson. “Our new website gives us a much-needed platform to tell our story and demonstrate how we manage quality and flavor throughout every aspect of our growing, harvesting, and shipping operations. Being vertically integrated and connected to every aspect of our business is a big differentiator in our category and why we’re able to confidently say ‘We Grow the Ultimate Strawberry.’”
“We’re thrilled with the result of our collaboration and opportunity to support Blazer Wilkinson in its mission to connect with consumers and tell their story. The visual impact of the site’s all-original artwork is stunning and a true testament to Blazer Wilkinson’s commitment to deliver on quality,” 
“At AgroFresh, we’re focused on providing solutions for the entire fresh produce supply chain and for a broad variety of crops. We’re proud to present our comprehensive lineup of freshness solutions at PMA Fresh Summit this year,” said Narciso Vivot, Director of Business Diversification.
“Joe has been instrumental in the continued growth and success of our Atlanta Division,” said President Kevin Murphy. “Throughout his career, Joe has worked to develop leaders for future opportunities. We wish him well as he begins the next chapter of his life.”
According to the press release, DiBenedetto’s more than 44-year-long career began in 1975 as a front service clerk in Cape Coral, Florida. After working in different capacities at several stores in Southwest Florida and Orlando, he was promoted to Store Manager in 1986 and District Manager in 1992. He was also Publix’s first District Manager in South Carolina. DiBenedetto was promoted to Regional Director in the Atlanta Division in 1995 and to his current position as Atlanta Division VP in 2011. The press release further goes on to state DiBenedetto and his wife, Cindy, will remain in the Atlanta area and are looking forward to spending more time with family, friends, and on their hobbies.
DiBenedetto’s successor has already been chosen. Kris Jonczyk will be promoted to take DiBenedetto’s place effective January 1, 2020. Jonczyk began his Publix career in 1986 as a front service clerk in Tequesta, Florida. Following along similarly to DiBenedetto’s footsteps, he became a Store Manager in 2000 and District Manager in 2012. He was promoted to Regional Director in the Atlanta Division in 2016. Jonczyk, and his wife, Cammie, will relocate to Atlanta.
“Our key promotional items this fall and through the end of 2019 will center around our new year-round program of new crop organic potatoes currently shipping from Klamath Falls, Oregon, with red, yellow, and russet varieties to round out an incredible campaign of marketing opportunities,” Anthony Innocenti, Co-Founder, shares with me. “The promotional items will also include our extensive citrus program including all of our California-grown lemons, Minneolas, Meyers, pink lemons, grapefruit, and more to help bridge the gap between the retailer’s needs and the consumer’s demand. We want our retail partners to know that each strategic step we take was made to align with our customers and their constantly shifting shopper demographics.”
“LIV Organic’s offerings are all grown by our partners and family farms—true stewards of the land and individuals with vision. We know that the passion comes through in the produce we bring to market and that is a key tenet in how we develop our program,” Carrie Briones, Sales and Grower Relations, tells me. “LIV Organic is a grower partnership network built on consistent supply from several family farms and strategic packing facilities that can highlight some of the finest organic fruit and vegetables from the Western growing regions, heavily weighted in California and including Mexico.”
“Our business continues to grow, and the introduction of these graphic kid-friendly pouches provides consumers a recognizable brand they can associate with Honeybear quality apples,” said Kristi Harris, Brand Manager. “Our goal is for consumers to experience premium flavors inside the bright packaging and be assured that only the best apples available get to wear the bear label.”
“Consumer choices are continually evolving,” said Don Roper, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We have been matching the organic trend by transitioning orchards into organic production for many years. It’s an important part of our mix and not just here in the United States. We have the largest planting of organic Honeycrisp in the Southern hemisphere. We are growing, packing, and shipping premium organic varieties from the best apple producing regions in North and South America providing our retail partners with year-round supply assurance of fresh apples and pears.”
“This year, we're excited to continue the expansion of our product line and are offering two new options for our customers,” he began. “Our brand-new 5 oz packages of fresh slices will be available in both our Arctic® Golden and Arctic® Granny varieties and are the perfect size for grab ‘n go snacking. This is also the first year that our harvest will support our introduction into the foodservice industry so we are thrilled to be debuting a 40 oz option specifically for foodservice and retail in-store fresh-cut programs.”
