Heralded as “one of the most dynamic leaders in the produce industry today,” Sonya Constable, vice president of produce for Sprouts Farmers Market, is The Packer and Produce Market Guide's 2024 Produce Retailer of the Year.
Constable's win is history making.
In the nearly three decades since Produce Market Guide launched its annual Produce Retailer of the Year award, Constable is the first woman to receive the honor. Based on the sheer number of nominations and detailed accounts of leadership excellence, Constable rose to the top of a highly qualified and deserving list of produce retail talent.
“It's humbling,” said Constable of becoming the first woman to claim the honor. “I've interacted and met with so many incredible leaders in the industry. I want to utilize these types of opportunities and my leadership voice to show young women they can have a seat at the table and that leadership doesn't have one look.”
Constable, whose role is to lead both Sprouts' national and local produce merchandising teams, has been with the Phoenix-based grocer for nearly three years and on the produce team for a year and a half.
“I've got a national team that really sets the stage and the strategy for what we're doing, and then I also have a local team — the boots on the ground. They're working with local growers and sourcing closer to home so we can take miles off the road when it comes to our fresh produce,” she said.
The visionary produce exec has accomplished a great deal in a short time.
Since joining the produce team in April 2023, Constable has “driven positive comps and record profitability for the Sprouts produce department,” said Sprouts' Matthew DeCeault. “Sonya has helped reduce food miles with her support of Sprouts' local programs. In addition, she is leading the expansion of organics with long-term strategic programs [that give] the vendor base the confidence needed to invest in the future.
“Sonya is not only driving Sprouts forward but leading and shaping the direction of the produce industry with her focus on driving consumption through fresher more affordable produce items for everyone,” DeCeault added.
Leading with integrity
Described as a strategic and “extraordinary” leader, by all accounts Constable is leading transformative change in her organization and making her mark on the produce industry as a whole.
“Sonya transformed the produce merchandising team at Sprouts,” said Sprouts' Zac Fear. “By aggregating categories into broader groups, she pushed the entire team to plan the business in a consistent and organized way that emphasized the importance of process and efficiency.”
She's also credited with championing a fresh perspective in produce.
“She brings to life consumer insights and a vision of the future that will leave an impact on the industry for years to come,” said Sprouts' Cory Luhmann.
How does Constable define her leadership style?
“First, I lead with integrity — that is above all what I focus on most,” she said. “I'm definitely a people-first leader. I lead with care. I celebrate the team for their differences, and I lean on them for their differences.
“As a leader, I think it's also important to have a clear vision that gives us the ability to all go in the same direction by establishing a vision and articulating it in a way that the team knows what their role is in our success at Sprouts,” she added.
Central to Constable's near-term vision is creating an environment of trust with customers.
“I want our customers to know that we will be there every single day with the freshest, most flavorful produce available,” she said. “I think they come to us because our team knows what's in season, they know what tastes good, and they know how to deliver ideas and recipes to help the customer eat healthy every day.”
As Constable looks to the future of fresh produce at Sprouts, experiential shopping is key.
“When I think about the long-term view, I want Sprouts to be more than a stop on the grocery list. I want our produce department to be a place where shoppers come to explore new flavors, new varieties,” she said. “I want the produce experience to be something they can't get anywhere else.”
Helping to drive this vision is a focus on supplier partnerships with an eye on innovation.
“We're small and nimble enough that we can test and learn alongside our suppliers to discover what it is that's going to show up next for the customer — providing constant and new ways to delight them in their produce experience.
“Produce turns really fast, but produce is a long game,” she continued. You've got to put seeds in the ground. If we're going to focus on organic with our partners, for example, we need to have those conversations now, so that we're influencing where we're going [together] in the future.”
Feeding communities
While Constable is relatively new to produce, her extensive retail background in home décor, fashion apparel, pet and more has positioned her to lead in grocery retail.
“I've been in a lot of different industries, but never the grocery segment of retail,” she said. “And to me, that's the most important segment, because that's where you're feeding communities and nourishing people.
“[Accepting] the opportunity to lead the produce team at Sprouts has been one of the best and most satisfying decisions I've made in my career,” she continued. “At the end of the day, you're feeding communities and you're helping people on their journey to a healthy lifestyle.”
It's important work, and work that Constable says can only be achieved as a team.
“I am most proud of the fact that we show up as one team every single day,” Constable said. “We know where we're going together. We're all marching in the same direction — we're here for the customer and their health. We're here for their experience, and that is 100% what the team is focused on every day.
“The team I have the pleasure to lead is so diverse,” continued Constable about her team of 30. “They all get to have a voice. They all get to have a seat at the table. That's what really makes our team special, and that's kind of our secret sauce.”
Driving consumption
Driving produce consumption and increasing access to fresh produce, especially during inflationary times, is top of mind for Constable.
“Produce consumption is the piece that really does keep me up at night,” she said. “Knowing that fresh produce is at a low for consumption is just something as an industry that we need to solve for.
“If you think about the economy, the customer is very concerned about waste. They're concerned about buying produce and having to throw it away. It's not a luxury that a lot of people can afford right now,” she added.
In addition to economic concerns, not everyone has access to fresh produce, says Constable, who notes accessibility is an important factor in Sprouts' decisions around new store locations.
“As we think about where we open stores, we need to make sure that we're giving more access to fresh produce, and we need to educate the consumer as to why it's important to eat fresh produce,” she said.
This year Sprouts opened 35 stores, and Constable expects the grocer will maintain a similar cadence of new store expansion in the years ahead.
“It's exciting because we're expanding in markets that we have some maturity in, but we're also expanding in the mid-Atlantic — in areas that people haven't had access to Sprouts stores,” she said. “And because produce is the center of our store and what we do, it gives the customer a completely different shopping experience and greater access to a healthy lifestyle.”