ORLANDO, Fla.—A commitment to fundamentally changing their mango business pushed the 2016 Mango Retailer of the Year, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. to the forefront.
Gary Campisi, senior director of quality assurance, and Wynn Peterson, senior merchant, were honored by the National Mango Board at the board’s annual Mango Industry Reception concurrent with Fresh Summit on Oct. 15.
“Because they are the largest retailer in the U.S., their focus has impacted the entire industry, even if you don’t sell directly to them,” said Wendy McManus, retail program manager for the National Mango Board.
McManus said during the presentation Wal-Mart was chosen among more than 100 retail partners the board works with.
Wal-Mart also was the first retailer to commit to a ripe and ready to eat mango program, McManus said.
“They did this because it was the right thing to do for the consumer,” she said.
Campisi said implementing the program made sense for Wal-Mart.
“We wanted to take our expertise from bananas and avocados and pears that we do in-house and bring that to the mango category and see what it does for sales,” Campisi said. “The same thing happened. Sales went skyward.”
Peterson said Wal-Mart took a careful look at its total mango supply chain, removing a day or two from grower to store, and narrowing its pool of suppliers to build a stronger relationship. He credited those relationships for improvements in the category.
“It’s a whole team effort, all the way from our associates in stores presenting them to the customers…to the growers in the field,” Peterson said.