Someone, rather clever, once told me that life tosses you stones to keep you on track, and the longer you ignore them, the bigger those stones get. I’ve known this to be true for many paths I have taken in my life, but none more evident than a path that started years ago when I was freelancing for a marketing agency that was working with an American organic tea company trying to broaden their European Market. I spent weeks touring the EU, taking notes on product placement, working with distributors and learning the secret ways of the grocery store product placement. Just as quickly as the project started, so too did my interest in grocery store placement…until I moved back to the United States and entered my first American Grocery store. To say I was overwhelmed was an understatement. I got lost in the middle aisles, gobsmacked at half the length of a football field showcasing snacks, and then disappointed by the produce options.
To put it bluntly, I missed the connection between the food I was buying and the people I was buying it from. In the flash of an eye I was so far removed from that connection and without a road map to find my way back; I was confident that I was never going to find it in my local grocery store and heavy hearted that the only market options — where I was certain I would find it — were miles away. And then something magical happened, I met Ron. Ron was the produce manager at my local supermarket in Arizona, he had been watching me shop with my children for weeks and took an interest in our conversations, and on one particular outing when we were hunting for fresh prickly pear, and he came over and turned my world right side up again. With the well honed skills of a gardner, he pulled out his knife, sliced off a few pieces and we all feasted on fresh prickly pear while time stood still. In that moment, the grocery store shrunk, the produce department became familiar and Ron became the anchor that would make all future visits a delight. When we moved to Washington, the first thing I did was introduce myself to our local produce department manager, and just like Ron, he has become a friend that greets me when we shop, and by sheer depth of knowledge, quickly became my produce guru.
If there is one piece of advice I can offer anyone, it is to get to know the people who supply your food. Whether it be the small farmer at the road side stall, the market vendor at a Farmers Market, your local produce manager, or the national grower whose name appears on the packaging at the grocery store, get to know them and your food experience will be all the better for it.
In the last year, I have had to pleasure of getting to know California Giant, one of the largest suppliers of fresh berries in the US. Their commitment to social causes, best farming practices and their company philosophy make me proud to work along side them.
If you are food blogger excited about fresh produce and best blogging practices, please join us Wed 8pm EST for a #FreshBloggers Twitter Chat hosted by California Giant. We will be discussing blogging trends, sharing recipes, and brainstorming ways to get people excited about choosing fresh ingredients. To join in the conversation tag #FreshBloggers in your tweets, bring your blog and recipe links, and follow and your hosts @CaliforniaGaint and @CoryanneEttiene on Twitter.