Mike Giberson, Niemann Foods Inc., Champaign, Ill.
1. What I love most about my job is the interaction with people. I really enjoy talking with my customers and trying to educate them about their produce purchases. I also take pride in building my produce team and watching them progress and grow in their job. The relationships I have with my produce vendors are priceless.
2. My biggest challenge as a retail produce manager is time management. Trying to get everything accomplished in our day to day operations in an efficient and organized manner, so we can rock and roll and grow our business.
3. The thing that has changed the most I the produce department during my time in the business is convenience and ready to eat products such as pre-packaged salads, microwaveable veggie pkgs., and cut fruit. In today's busy life style it seems that many customers don't have the time to prep their produce that they did in the past.
4. My favorite fruit is still bananas! I know it hard to believe lol, but I eat 1-2 every day. My favorite vegetable is a tougher question because I love all of them. I would say that variety lettuce would be my top choice.
5. I think the most important thing to do in raising fruit and vegetable consumption is to keep focusing on the health benefits and the great taste! With people living longer than ever, health and exercise is prevalent everywhere you look. Healthy choices are main stream topics in my store, and having produce choices that taste great in addition to being healthy makes buying decisions a no brainer.
Few can have more of an influence on sales than the people we have working on the front lines, in our stores, interacting with consumers every day.
Every month, Produce Retailer Magazine will feature some of the best merchandisers, managers and clerks helping make produce the most sought-after department in grocery retail.
We’re starting this series with winners of the 2016 Retail Produce Manager Awards, sponsored by Dole Food Co. and administered by the United Fresh Produce Association.