4 ms·

For years we have commented and purchased Driscolls.. They are the most flavorful and last even longer than picked-your-own by me.. What i wonder is how drisco

For years we have commented and purchased Driscolls.. They are the most flavorful and last even longer than picked-your-own by me.. What i wonder is how driscoll and others are all grouped together in the supermarket... The only difference is the label. Are they from the same growers fields? How does a grocery store receive its berries?

LightRailTycoon 9y ago
I'm a produce buyer for a small grocery in Maine. We focus on local vegetables, but also buy produce from the national supply chain. We work with a broker at the Chelsea produce market in Chelsea, MA. Twice a week, I email him an order for the produce we need from the national market, specifying details about each product (size, grower, production region). He uses his knowledge and relationships to buy the best product he can, from the large wholesalers there. The market has around 240 dock bays, and is open from 2 am to noon. We send a truck down to arrive at 8 am, and pickup the produce from the wholesalers where our broker ordered. The overall produce market is structured into growers, that grow and harvest the crops. Packers, that purchase crops from the growers, wash, cool and pack them, and shippers, that purchase from packers. The wholesalers in Boston purchase from shippers, and sell to regional retail and wholesale customers. Many companies are vertically integrated, and own multiple links in this chain. Larger groceries and supermarkets either negotiate directly with the packers, or the wholesalers at the Chelsea market. A large store can commit to buying on a large enough scale to drive their retail price below what I can pay wholesale during the peak season for a commodity.
- sevensor 9y ago
  Thanks for a very informative look behind the scenes!
- DiabloD3 9y ago
  Woah, where in Maine? I never see anyone from Maine on HN, since we're basically the furthest state from the silicon valley as you can get.
  - LightRailTycoon 9y ago
    Portland
    - saganus 9y ago
      I don't know the USA geography very well as I'm not a native, but isn't Portland in Oregon? Or are there more than one Portland cities?
      - tbihl 9y ago
        Oh boy, you're in for a surprise: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_most_common_U.S._place_names https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_most_common_U.S.... Lots of states use the same names over and over. For example, Portland, OR being named after Portland, Maine. It gets worse, because some states have multiple towns of the same name. There are five different towns in Wisconsin all called Springfield!
        saganus 9y ago
        Oh wow...dayum. I knew that Springfield was used for the Simpsons town because there we so many that used that name, but I thought it was just an oddity or something. I guess I was indeed in for a surprise! Thanks for the link!
hbosch 9y ago
In grocery stores there are basically two ways items get shelved and stocked. For bigger brands (Lays for instance) the truck drivers will actually bring the stock to the aisles and shelve them according to how Lays wants it done. Grocery store never touches it. The other way is for smaller brands, they ship to the grocery store and store employees stock the aisles. This is why stuff like chips, soft drinks, cereal, and probably even fruit from large companies always seems so organized together. There are entire industries of analysts and consultants who work with companies like P&G, Heinz, Frito-Lay, Coca-cola who define shelf layout in every store. It's called a planogram. First time a store employee touches a Driscolls clamshell is likely when the cashier scans it.
- icebraining 9y ago
  Related: interesting Econtalk episode with a sales manager at Frito-Lay about production, distribution (including stocking) and marketing of their chips: http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2011/08/odonohoe_on_pot.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2011/08/odonohoe_on_pot.htm...
- DiabloD3 9y ago
  At least here, that is false for Driscolls. Both our local grocery chains have store employees stock them, and I've seen them do it. You're right about PepsiCo/Frito-Lay and other similar brands stocking shelves themselves, due to product quality and freshness being core parts of their branding.

LightRailTycoon 9y ago

I'm a produce buyer for a small grocery in Maine. We focus on local vegetables, but also buy produce from the national supply chain. We work with a broker at the Chelsea produce market in Chelsea, MA. Twice a week, I email him an order for the produce we need from the national market, specifying details about each product (size, grower, production region). He uses his knowledge and relationships to buy the best product he can, from the large wholesalers there. The market has around 240 dock bays, and is open from 2 am to noon. We send a truck down to arrive at 8 am, and pickup the produce from the wholesalers where our broker ordered. The overall produce market is structured into growers, that grow and harvest the crops. Packers, that purchase crops from the growers, wash, cool and pack them, and shippers, that purchase from packers. The wholesalers in Boston purchase from shippers, and sell to regional retail and wholesale customers. Many companies are vertically integrated, and own multiple links in this chain. Larger groceries and supermarkets either negotiate directly with the packers, or the wholesalers at the Chelsea market. A large store can commit to buying on a large enough scale to drive their retail price below what I can pay wholesale during the peak season for a commodity.

sevensor 9y ago
Thanks for a very informative look behind the scenes!
DiabloD3 9y ago
Woah, where in Maine? I never see anyone from Maine on HN, since we're basically the furthest state from the silicon valley as you can get.
- LightRailTycoon 9y ago
  Portland
  - saganus 9y ago
    I don't know the USA geography very well as I'm not a native, but isn't Portland in Oregon? Or are there more than one Portland cities?
    - tbihl 9y ago
      Oh boy, you're in for a surprise: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_most_common_U.S._place_names https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_most_common_U.S.... Lots of states use the same names over and over. For example, Portland, OR being named after Portland, Maine. It gets worse, because some states have multiple towns of the same name. There are five different towns in Wisconsin all called Springfield!
      - saganus 9y ago
        Oh wow...dayum. I knew that Springfield was used for the Simpsons town because there we so many that used that name, but I thought it was just an oddity or something. I guess I was indeed in for a surprise! Thanks for the link!

hbosch 9y ago

In grocery stores there are basically two ways items get shelved and stocked. For bigger brands (Lays for instance) the truck drivers will actually bring the stock to the aisles and shelve them according to how Lays wants it done. Grocery store never touches it. The other way is for smaller brands, they ship to the grocery store and store employees stock the aisles. This is why stuff like chips, soft drinks, cereal, and probably even fruit from large companies always seems so organized together. There are entire industries of analysts and consultants who work with companies like P&G, Heinz, Frito-Lay, Coca-cola who define shelf layout in every store. It's called a planogram. First time a store employee touches a Driscolls clamshell is likely when the cashier scans it.

icebraining 9y ago
Related: interesting Econtalk episode with a sales manager at Frito-Lay about production, distribution (including stocking) and marketing of their chips: http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2011/08/odonohoe_on_pot.html http://www.econtalk.org/archives/2011/08/odonohoe_on_pot.htm...
DiabloD3 9y ago
At least here, that is false for Driscolls. Both our local grocery chains have store employees stock them, and I've seen them do it. You're right about PepsiCo/Frito-Lay and other similar brands stocking shelves themselves, due to product quality and freshness being core parts of their branding.