MONTEREY, CA - Hopefully, shoppers are learning and not realizing. This phrase, and all that it implies, has tumbled around in my head since Reyna Graves, Director of Merchandising, National Produce at Sprouts Farmers Market, spoke it on the stage of Monterey’s historic Golden State Theater. Under a decadent ceiling, Scot Olson, President at FreshSource, queried about the retailer’s unique strategy in the organic and grocery spaces.

“We have five pillars—we made it a point to keep it to a low number so we know what to focus on—and one of those five pillars is organic,” Reyna said of Sprouts’ strategy. “How we're doing that is making sure we have an organic-first mindset. That means from an assortment standpoint, that means from a promotion standpoint, that means from a merchandising standpoint, how do we make sure we're trying to make it easy for our customers who are looking for organic to find it; to be able to afford it; to be happy with the quality, the flavor, and to see that first when they walk into our stores.”

This has demonstrably worked for the company in terms of ensuring organic supply. But, Reyna explained it also means an organic foundation upon which Sprouts continues to build.

“Our organic growth continues to grow and grow with a really big penetration into our business, and we hope to keep building on that,” she stated. Part of what makes this work, Reyna emphasized, are events around these attributes so customers understand Sprouts’ intentions. “Organic events where the whole store is behind it, where we're doing cross-merchandising, the ads around organic, so that it's a bigger message than just organic produce. I don't have to try to tell that story with just our department. We're telling it as a store.”

To ensure all are playing off the same sheet of music, as the saying goes. The symphony of Sprouts Farmers Market is one of both education and fun, while ensuring no surprises that might upend the consumers’ understanding of what they are purchasing.

“The messaging really is 'How do we help our customers live better?' So, across the stores, the signage is around ‘How is this healthier?,’ ‘Why buy this?’ and a lot of that education, but we also want to make it fun. We don't want to scare anyone, we want them to know the positives of organic, the positives of eating healthy fruits and vegetables. So we try to have that kind of fun educational purpose spin from a messaging standpoint to get people excited about the events and purchasing organic.”

A little knowledge, a little fun, and, as we began with, the hope shoppers are learning and not realizing, and so are purchasing more organic.

“I think as retailers, our job is to exceed and meet our customers’ demands. We're there to satisfy what our customers are asking for. So what keeps me up at night is the gap between what we can deliver to what they're expecting,” Reyna disclosed.

As for the solution—the dream—it is everything that falls into that gap between perception and true participation in the industry that brings fresh food to market.  

“How do we make sure the amazing stories that are in this room get out there?” Reyna posed this question to the audience, pulling from her own lack of knowledge when she first joined the produce industry a couple of years ago. “I was like, how is this [product] not a million dollars? It's these stories that we need to tell—that's what we need from an industry standpoint.”

Pivoting to Sprouts-specific needs from suppliers, Reyna’s ask was a simple one: Keep growing organic, “plus”. Plus sustainability, plus utilization of the whole plant, plus freshness, plus quality, or another addition to bolster the segment.

“‘Plus’ is a big ask from the industry. The bigger one is organic, plus flavor,” Reyna emphasized. “That's a big thing, I feel, still being new in the industry—we don't talk enough about organic flavor, specifically in vegetables. I always get jealous of the fruit team who sit next to me. They're talking about the brix. They're talking about the flavor and the sweetness. And, when we were in a session earlier about what produce item made you go ‘wow,’ most people said it was a fruit.”

So, organic “plus,” and continued growth in the organic space. The big question has been asked, and we cannot wait to report how the industry answers. Stay tuned, we’re all ears.