Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/751050
28 DECEMBER 2016 GOOD FRUIT GROWER www.goodfruit.com Growers are now serving "purposeful" consumers. by O. Casey Corr I n the produce industry, when Wal-Mart talks, grow- ers listen. And this time the Wal-Mart word comes from a son of the industry, Mike Hulett, who grew up on a 40-acre farm at Lake Chelan, Washington, and who today makes orchard fruit merchandising decisions for more than 4,500 stores. Hulett, senior fresh merchant for Wal-Mart, is a featured speaker Monday, Dec. 5, at the annual meet- ing in Wenatchee of the Washington State Tree Fruit Association, an event themed around continuous change. His topic is "Mega-Trends in Retail for Fresh Produce." In an interview with Good Fruit Grower previewing his talk, Hulett discussed how two generations of buy- ers are transforming the selling of food — and there- fore the growing of food by farmers wanting to remain competitive. In a nutshell, younger buyers are looking for food that aligns perceptibly with certain values and can be located, received and eaten in a manner that is both sensitive to their time-conscious lifestyle and sustainability beliefs. Hulett called their approach to meal preparation "pur- poseful eating." For these consumers, growers have to produce fruit using horticultural techniques and retailers have to carry products that show "sustainability" or care for the planet in total. Retailers like Wal-Mart increas- ingly are looking for these growers, a trend driven by young consumers who trumpet their tastes and values to friends on social media. It is not difficult to find growers who see this dynamic and live by it. Ed Kershaw, the chief executive officer of Yakima, Washington-based Domex Superfresh Growers, gave a talk in 2015 to the Yakima Downtown Rotary about how the industry has been changed by younger consum- ers. In the past, the public ate what farmers grew. Today, consumers decide which apple varieties are grown and not grown, Kershaw said. They effectively function as the sales desk by telling friends via social media what to buy. Another grower, Kyle Mathison, co-owner of Stemilt Growers of Wenatchee, Washington, can be seen on a company video, dressed in blue coveralls and talking about his passion for building "memory and trust." Mathison sends exactly the message young consumers are looking for: They want a grower who shares their val- ues and who will provide fruit so good, it's a must-have experience, the "memory." Hulett calls Stemilt's marketing of such a message on point with the Millennial Generation born in the 1980s and the Centennial Generation born in the mid-1990s. Both buy products that reinforce their sense of values. Millennials tend to have more disposable income than their brethren because they are further along in their careers. Hulett sees five trends in younger buyers. First, they are looking for what he calls food integrity. They want to know the food they eat and serve their fam- ilies is safe. This sentiment helps drive the growth in sales of organic fruit, Hulett said. Farmers must show care in areas such as food safety and security, employ ethical practices and support transparency and authenticity. The second trend, purposeful eating, can be found in how young consumers do snacking or "scratch" cook- ing. No, the young are not doing what Grandma did, Mega-trends in produce Hort Show Preview For any questions please visit our website at hostetlerfarms.com or call us at (317) 539-4067. The knip-boom process takes time, so orders must be placed 2 years in advance. J F M A M J J A S O N D J F M A M J J A S O N D