Sierra Brewer: Traditional Grocery Has a Shelf Life

Sierra Brewer stands at the exciting intersection of tradition and innovation in grocery. As a Cornell University student preparing to become the first US category manager for The Modern Milkman, she brings fresh perspectives on how sustainability and convenience can reshape grocery retail.

What makes this episode particularly compelling is Sierra's bold prediction that the grocery industry is approaching a critical inflection point—"a bubble about to pop." She identifies four major forces driving this change: economic pressures forcing price sensitivity, expansion of hard discounters, acceleration of digital shopping options, and shifting consumer preferences toward sustainability and transparency.

Sierra also addresses the significant gender disparity in grocery leadership. Despite women comprising two-thirds of the grocery workforce, only 10% of newly appointed retail CEOs last year were women. Her experiences with female mentors like Stacey Tovar at Whole Foods and Jennifer Boone at Albertsons highlight the importance of seeing women succeed in leadership positions.

Her enthusiasm for bringing young talent into grocery is matched by her conviction that independents can thrive by emphasizing local connections, sustainability, and personalized shopping experiences that mass retailers cannot replicate.

Ready to hear how the next generation views the future of grocery? Sierra's insights will challenge your assumptions and inspire new thinking about where our industry is headed.

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Transcript

Speaker 1 0:00

Welcome to Grocery From Her Seat. The WGA podcast, offering a unique perspective as seen through the eyes of remarkable women who shape and lead in the independent grocery industry. Your host, Kristen Popp, president of WGA, will bring you exclusive stories and insights from the women serving our industry, From presidents to CEOs, to entrepreneurs and students. This podcast is your source of information. Now listen, take notes and welcome Kristen Popp.

Speaker 2 0:31

I am your host, Kristen Popp, and today I have the opportunity to chat with Sierra Brewer, currently a student at Cornell University. Welcome to Grocery from Receipts, Sierra, and thank you so very much for sharing your time with us today.

Speaker 3 0:42

Thank you so much, Kristen. I look forward to this conversation with you.

Welcome to Grocery From Her Seat

Speaker 2 0:45

Sierra, I share that you're currently attending Cornell, which I know you're just wrapping that up. Can you tell us about your major and also the recent position that I know you've accepted? Yeah, absolutely.

Sierra's Journey to Modern Milkman

Speaker 3 0:55

I'm in my last semester at Cornell University, where I am majoring in Applied Economics and Management, with a concentration in Food Industry management, as well as minoring in food science, and I look forward, upon graduation, to moving to Boston for work. Beginning in June, I will be the very first US category manager at the Modern Milkman. The Modern Milkman was founded in the UK and is a purpose-driven company revolutionizing how people shop for groceries by combining the convenience of doorstop delivery with a commitment to sustainability and reducing single-use plastic waste. So in this role, I look forward to determining the product assortment, as well as traveling throughout New England to visit farms and local businesses.

Speaker 2 1:37

That's fantastic the first US representative. So that's a great achievement for you and congratulations on that. Thank you so much. So can we talk about your background a little bit? I want to talk about where you're originally from and then also what inspired you to pursue a career in grocery.

Speaker 3 1:57

Yeah, absolutely. I am from Haleiwa, oahu, hawaii, so I live on the north shore of Oahu. Um, extremely proud of my roots to be from Hawaii, but made the move to the northeast for college and that's kind of been a part of my story all along, and excited to kind of remain on the east coast. I feel like I'm growing up again here. Um, so I I love being from Hawaii, but I love being on the East Coast and starting life anew there. Oh, my gosh, sorry, I forgot the second part of the question. No, that's okay. Okay, well, I'll read you that whole portion because I feel like I just kind of rambled about that.

Speaker 2 2:35

No, that's okay. So we'll start that over. And actually too, before we get started on that, if you can share, because I thought it was really cool that your dad actually was originally from the east coast and moved to Hawaii and then how it's kind of full circle. So I'll restart all of that. Perfect, I'll do that. So, Sierra, can you go ahead and talk about your background and kind of touch on where you're originally from and then also what inspired you to pursue a path in the grocery industry?

Speaker 3 3:05

Yeah, absolutely so. I am from Oahu, hawaii, from a town on the North Shore called Haleiwa, and it's very full circle for me to be able to attend college on the East Coast, because my dad is from Massachusetts but moved to Hawaii to attend college. So we kind of flip-flopped I moved to the East Coast and now I'm starting to stay and begin my career there. So it means a lot to me and he was also a part of why I kind of chose the grocery industry. So he's in business and I've always known I wanted to do business and I aspired to work for a company that I was a consumer of.

Speaker 3 3:37

I realized a lot of my interests aligned with consumer packaged goods, food, wellness and retail, and those all culminate in grocery goods. Food, wellness and retail, and those all culminate in grocery. My dad taught me that your career is an opportunity to create value, and that's exactly what grocery offers the ability to make a tangible difference and bring families together at the dinner table. Beyond my passion, I find the grocery industry intellectually stimulating. I'm fascinated by what retailers do to differentiate themselves, what they do to maintain a competitive advantage and, ultimately, how they seek to modernize an otherwise traditional industry.

Speaker 2 4:08

I love that you touch on how grocery brings people together, because it is more than just selling food off the shelves, but there's a deeper meaning and it really provides a lot of value within the communities that we're a part of. So I love that you tie that into why you're inspired to be a part of the grocery and why you're going to continue your career down that path. I think the impact that we make in the communities that we're a part of and being part of the NGA. Their tagline is Heart of the Community and I always circle back to that because everything we do is at the heart of the community, being an independent. So love, love, love that you tied that back into why you aspired to pursue a path in grocery. So I know, sierra, you've had some achievements throughout your career at Cornell and a few other things. Can you talk about some of those that you're particularly proud of?

Academic Achievements and Industry Experience

Speaker 3 4:57

Yeah, absolutely. Since my sophomore year I set my sights working in the grocery industry. I gained experience interning on Whole Foods store brands team two summers in a row the summer after my sophomore year I was a logistics intern and this past summer the first sourcing and product development intern and throughout my time in college I've saw opportunities to prepare myself for a career in this industry. Last year I was a part of the first ever Cornell team to win the National Grocers Association student case competition in Las Vegas. I visited grocery stores and food manufacturers in New Zealand as part of Cornell's Food Marketing Fellowship and attended the International Fresh Produce Association's Produce and Floral Show in Atlanta, where I walked the expo floor with the National Category Director for Produce at Albertsons. This spring I am contributing to Cornell research on private labels and omnichannel marketing in partnership with Nielsen, iq and the Food Industry Association and, very excitingly, serving as a network and really learn how boards can operate and what that looks like.

Speaker 2 6:13

So that for your future, when you're looking at board opportunities and volunteer options, that that may be something that you consider and you have that on your resume already. So love that you're a part of our team. Have that on your resume already. So love that you're a part of our team. And also I have to call out I had the opportunity to judge that student case study competition that you were a part of and ultimately won that with your team at the NGA show. That's always such a great event at the show and I always encourage everybody that attends to get involved in that, because the work that you guys do and the research and everything that you present is just amazing the insights and perspectives that you guys share with the industry, and I would always love being a part of that. So great, great achievements that you've seen over your college career. Congratulations on that.

Speaker 3 6:59

Thank you so much, and thank you to you and the board for allowing me to be a part of it. It's a really great accomplishment and I'm just glad to have that type of opportunity in the first place. It's a really great accomplishment.

Speaker 2 7:04

And I'm just glad to have that type of opportunity in the first place and a trip to New Zealand to look at grocery in a different culture I'm sure was very eye-opening and a rewarding experience as well. I've talked to others that have been a part of international grocery and the difference from what we see and realize on a day-to-day to what other cultures realize in their grocery experience, and it's always fascinating to me. Yes, absolutely. Oh, go ahead, you're fine. So can we go ahead and talk about something that's maybe not on your resume that you're proud of?

Speaker 3 7:32

Sure, I would say, something that's not on my resume that I am proud of is I believe I have a really good. Wait, let me re-say this, you're fine. I would say, something that's not on my resume that I'm proud of is just the development of interpersonal skills. I think that, along with grocery and food being a very personal product, I think that the industry itself requires very people centric people that care about others and the well-being of everyone. And just at NGA, what everyone said to me is that we're a family and it feels like a family. So I believe that I'm the type of person who thrives in those types of environments.

Speaker 3 8:11

An example of something that is not on my resume is from my internships at Whole Foods. Both summers we had final projects and what I did my prior culmination of just trying to build rapport with everyone in the office is I left a little note on everyone's desk saying thank you so much for having me this summer. I learned a lot and I would love if you would come in to the final presentation so that I can just show you the work that I've been up to this summer. And I just put a little note with a little Hawaiian candy on everyone's desk, and it's just those little things that I hope to bring to a workplace to make it a little bit better and to show that I'm showing up with my full self, because this is what I'm passionate about. So, yeah, I would say, hopefully honing in on my interpersonal skills and showing people that I bring my identity to this type of work.

Speaker 2 8:55

And I think that when you say those small details, the small details matter and having somebody on your team that goes above and beyond like that can be so impactful. So I love that you're coming into it already with that perspective and that drive and that goal of setting yourself apart and doing those small things, because they really do make a difference.

Speaker 3 9:14

I think up until now I've just been trying to figure out navigating a career in grocery while being a traditional business student. So that ultimately led to the first career opportunity and that's where I think I'll be able to make the most impact on the industry. So throughout my time in college I've just been trying to get myself in the door anywhere in the grocery industry as a category manager. That was my dream job. So I would come into any grocery opportunity and just say give me any job. I bring a business skill set, but I'd love to do something in category management. Now I get to be a category manager for a company that is essentially going up against the grocery industry the Modern Milkman. It's reinventing how groceries are sold, reducing single-use plastic use. So if you take the traditional milkman industry and how they would deliver milk to your house on a routine basis and you could reuse those glass bottles, it's essentially doing the same model, still anchored in milk, but with other farm fresh groceries, reducing single-use plastic usage as well as food waste, because if you're buying things in big bulk portions from, say, costco every week, you're more likely to reduce food with these larger food purchases. So in this work I'm really excited because grocery is ultimately the product of larger food systems and to be able to enter this role as a buyer when I have a large impact environmentally on the products that I choose in the assortment and the suppliers that I work with to be able to enter now and really evaluate the impact of food systems and kind of determine through products.

Speaker 3 10:44

Are we working with these US producers who have a family business or an important story to tell, ora really unique product to sell and how are we packaging these items? Can we use reusable packaging? Can we cut down single-use disposed plastics and packaging? I'm really excited to see a business like this and how it impacts the US. I'm really excited to see a business like this and how it impacts the US consumer, allowing them to vote with their dollars and then to be a part of it as their first US category manager. I'm really excited because I know we'll get into this later in the conversation, but the industry is about to really shake up in the next few years, so it's going to be interesting. I was working all my college career to try to break into grocery in any way. Now I'm kind of going to be going against it with a little bit more of a blue ocean strategy type of company. So it's going to be very interesting in the what the next brings.

Female Leadership in Grocery

Speaker 2 11:34

But let's shift the conversation a little bit. As a next-gen leader, have you recognized any challenges that people, and maybe specifically females, face today?

Speaker 3 11:50

Yes, so I just read the editor's note in the June 2024 edition of Progressive Grocer, written by Gina Acosta, their editor-in-chief, and this edition every June. Acosta, their editor-in-chief, and this edition every June celebrates the top women in grocery, which is so wonderful. And she said that for the C3 of the grocery industry at this time. Of the 47 newly appointed retail CEOs last year, only five were female and 12 outgoing women CEOs were replaced by men. Overall, some 90% of new retail CEOs were men and only 10% were women. So the grocery industry it also says that it's made up two-thirds of the workforce in the grocery industry and overall retail industry is women two-thirds.

Speaker 3 12:33

We see that lack when it comes to senior management roles and then as it relates to just the wealth gap and the income gap.

Speaker 3 12:41

So I think that the biggest challenge is we have a woman-dominated industry, but we're not seeing the front of those industries in leadership roles with women. So I think that's a really big piece and something that needs to be investigated and needs to be tackled as soon as possible. And another thing is just I think women in business. Women are very, very crucial to business. I'm so glad to not only be a woman, but to be a woman in business because I think I bring a really special I think women are able to bring a really really special mindset when it comes to empathy and business and in terms and in collaboration. So I hope that our ability to show up as leaders in business is translated to these senior management roles so that we aspire to be a CEO. I aspire to be in a C-suite one day, and that's a really broad dream. I don't know how that will eventually happen, but I feel it on my heart and I think that women should be in these C-suite roles, especially in the grocery industry.

Speaker 2 13:35

Well, and I think you make a good point in that there's a significant difference in the number of males versus the number of females that are in some of those C-suite positions. And when we look to the future of the industry and trying to attract the next and the next generation and the future leader of the industry as a whole, if you don't see and I'm sure you've recognized this, sierra, as you're saying, you don't know how you're going to get there, but you feel that that's where you should be. If you're not seeing females in those roles today, it becomes a challenge on well, if I'm not seeing that, how do I get there? You become what you can see and if you're not seeing that as an example or somebody to model or somebody to mentor with, it becomes more of a challenge for attracting the next leader into our space. Absolutely. Have you had any female leaders that you have watched or who have inspired you along your way as a student and as looking at the next in your career path?

Speaker 3 14:34

Yes, so I have someone who I really looked up to. The first would be I want to give a shout out to Stacey Tovar over at Whole Foods Market. She's not there currently, but she was there as the beverage sourcing leader my first summer and I just remember looking up to her almost instantly. She allowed me to shadow her for the day and see what she did and I just love the person that she showed up to as work. I just wanted to be just like her one day, so it was really amazing to interact with Stacey my first summer at Whole Foods Market.

Speaker 3 15:08

Another person is Jennifer Boone, who is the National Category Director for Produce at Albertsons. I met Jennifer as part of the PAC Family Career Pathways Program through the International Fresh Produce Association and in this program, students from around 10 different universities get to attend the Global Produce and Floral Show in Atlanta and walk the expo floor with an assigned mentor. So mine was Jennifer. I got to walk the expo floor with her and because she's a buyer a produce buyer she is the celebrity. So all of the vendors wanted to talk to her. I was observing cost negotiations and portfolio discussions, people pitching new products to her, people telling her changes to what they could offer her, the whole gamut, and it was very interesting to just see her show up in the professional setting. She graduated college less than 10 years ago, so I completely saw myself in her and I was just in awe the whole time and we had a few chats. One thing she shared with me that really stuck out was your early career matters so much, because what you do early in your career and how hard you work will have exponential gains down the road later on in your career. Is passion is not enough. She worked with an organization called Brighter Bites and it was a nonprofit started by a previous person who worked for Cisco, very high up, and then he saw the realities of the produce industry, the food industry, and wanted to kind of make an organization that allows for school lunches to be a little healthier and have more produce. So she worked for this nonprofit for a little bit and it was.

Speaker 3 16:44

It's hard work because she said that your passion can only be enough and it's very difficult when the work is very important but it's still a business and things don't always come to fruition. So your passion can't be enough. You have to be intellectually stimulated by what you do, and so that really changed my mind because my vision on grocery was so passion based and so values based and just overall excitement for the product itself. And you kind of have to see where the passion ends and the intellectual simulation can begin, because that's how you can really think more objectively and less subjectively in terms of the business matters of the industry. So those are two things that I learned from her.

Speaker 3 17:22

And then just walking the floor with her and as a woman, as a young woman you see another young woman but already in the workforce just doing her job and the poise that Jennifer carried with herself and just the smile that she brought to every single person she talked to, even people that you know, the suppliers that could not even be on her radar because the company wouldn't carry those products. She still gave them the same time and energy that she gave to beloved suppliers for the company. So it was just beautiful. And I remember at the very end we're just sitting in Taylor Farms booth and just having a wrap up conversation and we're a bit emotional at this. But she told me you know, some people told me back when I was in college that you know that there was something different in me and I never really understood it until you know I meet someone like you and you really inspired me, and so that that meant a lot to me to have someone like her say that to me, and I see the value of not only identifying people.

Speaker 3 18:22

Look to look up to mentors, but to have these people be women and it's a very beautiful thing. And so I look up to the women, just like you, women on the WGA board who are busy with your jobs completely at your own companies but still show up 100% to WGA to promote programming and to ultimately help other women in other companies. We want to see each other rise up and I think that's something very special and it means a lot to someone like me, a young person who's about to start in the workforce, that is hungry to make a difference and to see women be successful and to have that emotional connection with them is everything.

Speaker 2 19:00

Fantastic opportunity that you had to work with somebody like that and see how she not only how she did her day-to-day job, but how she showed up to do it, because that makes such a difference in how you show up and the choice that we make every day to show up with the passion and the drive and the intellectual stimulation right Like really diving into what is your purpose and how do you tie that into what you're doing to continue to thrive in everything that you do and how you show up every day to achieve that. So what a great opportunity. And you mentioned WGA and kind of somewhat what you've gained from that. But is there anything that we haven't touched on that has had an impact on you being part of the network?

Speaker 3 19:49

the network. Okay, I would say the first thing is just the perception shift of the independent grocery industry. It's not something that was entirely on my radar, I think. Kind of being surrounded by other business students, I was very interested in working for a national grocery chain, but going to the NGA show I realized just how important independents are in this industry, so that really opened my eyes.

Speaker 3 20:09

The second piece would be the woman that I've worked with and the woman that I see get to be a part of the WEGA. So it's not just people that are working for retailers, it's people from across the industry. So you get to see the role of suppliers, vendors and other people in other companies. All the stakeholders are included in the WGA, and so that's a really beautiful thing to see. And then I think the third thing is just being surrounded by women who are putting the WGA first, whether they're on the board or just members.

Speaker 3 20:39

I was on the virtual webinar yesterday WGA Sync Up and it was great to see the audience engagement throughout. These women are very excited to engage with each other, to learn from one another, so it's a wonderful thing to be a part of, because everyone has something to teach, which is really wonderful and I'm just inspired every month that I get to sit on the board meetings to see how much these women show up and how much they care about being able to be on the board and how they want to make a difference, even on top of how much I know they're showing up in their own jobs.

Speaker 2 21:10

I know that we talked a little bit about how you foresee the industry and grocery as a whole being shaken up in the next several years, but can you talk about today what trends you think will shape the future of the industry? Could I?

Speaker 3 21:21

combine an answer to that with the book question you had? Or could I rather answer the book title question but answer that question at the same time, Because I think I'll just have overlap.

Speaker 2 21:34

Okay, let's shift to the next one, and then I'll just ask the book question at the end, and because I only have a few more questions here, so I'll ask the book question at the end and then you can kind of tie it in. Perfect, yeah, I have like a long hangout for that one. That's all right. So, sierra, what excites you the most about the future of the industry?

Industry Trends and Future Outlook

Speaker 3 21:53

What excites me most is even that is pretty good. Let me think of something separate. So what excites me most about the industry is young people coming in and finding a valuable career in the grocery industry, and I think this is something that retailers of all different sizes need to really take advantage of. I believe that our consumers I'm old enough where I'm starting to make decisions on the foods that I buy, and I have a certain belief on businesses and marketing that I think is effective and brand power and how I think that. No, let me redo this. Okay, something exciting in the industry.

Speaker 3 22:29

Should I go the direction of like young people entering the industry and applying? I think so. You think that's good. Okay, do you mind re-asking the question?

Speaker 2 22:39

Yep, not that time. Thank you. What excites you the most about the future of the industry? Something?

Speaker 3 22:44

that excites me most is my generation entering not only the role of being a consumer, as a food shopper and making food decisions, but also being able to enter the industry for a career.

Speaker 3 22:56

I think that the retail landscape is about to change and consumer behavior is also about to change, and that my generation is the next gen of shoppers and we're going to be shaping the future of retail.

Speaker 3 23:09

So I hope that retailers at the same time can maybe take advantage of hiring young people with that fresh vision and that hunger to kind of be an effective player in an industry I'm really excited to enter. I have met other students at various programs, both through NGA, wga and through the International Fresh Produce Association's pathway program that I went a part of, and people are excited about, they see the value of the career the same way that industry leaders do, and I hope that companies attract young talent. I hope that there's more internships available and I hope we get young people who are also excited about business or other things like sustainability excited to work in the food industry as well, because we have a very special perspective to bring to an organization the food industry as well, because we have a very special perspective to bring to an organization and I honestly think we have a very necessary perspective to bring to an organization in order to survive this next generation of shoppers coming in.

Speaker 2 24:06

Yeah, I personally am excited when I get to talk to a next-gen future leader and changemaker that is entering the industry, because it excites me about the future as well and developing the next and what that looks like. In the perspectives that we'll see that will get brought in. That will just give us a fresh outlook on the future. So do you have any advice, then, for anybody who might be considering joining the industry?

Speaker 3 24:29

I would say do it 100% and it's okay if it feels like no one else is doing that. I think that was one thing I really grappled with, and I think the first person that I met that was like I want to work in the grocery industry, like myself, was Jenna Krackenberger, and she was also in the NGA student case competition in my year and she's also a student honorary board member with me and she served in the term before me. So it was really cool to meet someone, also a fellow woman, who is like I want to work in grocery, this is what I want to do. So first you need to understand that you can identify this for yourself. But it's not a more common career path for people to want to say, hey, I want to work in the grocery industry. What I would do is, I think that really important thing is to determine your value proposition.

Speaker 3 25:16

I think food is very personal and food systems are a challenge of society. So really identify why you want to work in it and what kind of values resonate with you, because you have to bring that to your work every day and then identify any sort of opportunities to get involved and to gain exposure. So something that was really important to me was the ability to do store shifts at Whole Foods during my internships, because it's really good to just get that experience and work in stores. I think also just identifying what you value as a consumer I think is really important. I love talking to my friends about where they go grocery shopping, what they're cooking. So just identify what you value as a consumer and be very on top of what's going on in the market.

Speaker 3 26:00

And then, lastly, just try to identify opportunities to yourself, to kind of brand you to be able to jump into this industry. So one thing I did is I took up a food science minor because I just felt like it might give me just a little bit more exposure, especially to the operational side of food development, and do that. I was very fortunate to have a food industry management program in Dyson, which is my school, and work with two professors who made it their life's mission to kind of just bring food into the education side. So see if there's opportunities at your school to get involved as well.

Speaker 2 26:33

I think that's a great opportunity, because you don't necessarily know all of the facets of grocery, and so just asking and being curious about what programs could tie into that career path there, that's great advice. So, ciaran, as we like to wrap up such a wonderful conversation, I'm going to throw you a little curveball today. If you are writing a book or creating a podcast about the industry, what would the title be?

Speaker 3 26:55

I would call it Entering a New Era. The Traditional Grocery Industry has a Shelf Life. I believe that real changes are coming to the grocery industry, and the next two years will be a sink or swim. It is important now more than ever, for all types of retailers to determine their competitive edge and value proposition. Consumer habits for food shopping are about to change dramatically, so strategy and execution in these next few years will determine who wins this new type of shopper.

The Grocery Industry's Coming Revolution

Speaker 3 27:23

I'm thinking of the grocery industry like a bubble that is about to pop, and so let's start with four reasons for that. The first, most obvious, is continued economic pressure on consumers. Us food prices are projected to increase by 3.5% in 2025, with specific categories like beef, eggs and non-alcoholic beverages experiencing even higher inflation. Contributing factors include new tariffs on imports from countries like China, mexico and Canada, which could add nearly $. These are reshaping how shoppers spend, and I think it's really going to hit the grocery industry in particular. In these next few years. Price sensitivity will remain high, shoppers are going to trade down, they're going to seek private labels and they might even consolidate trips as well, so we need to see that loyalty is going to be very fragile at this time. Second would be the expansion of hard discounters. Aldi is striking the iron while it's hot, winning 250 plus stores in 2025 with a business model that is best poised for a price sensitive economy. I saw an ad on TV yesterday for Aldi and they just straight up called themselves the lowest price national grocery retailer. They're going to ingrain themselves in the customer's mind as the option for the cheapest groceries, and consumers are proving that brands are starting to matter less and price is starting to matter more. So I think everyone should be very afraid of Aldi, and I get just chills thinking about how this is going to shape the consumer.

Speaker 3 28:52

Third would be acceleration of digital and omni-ichannel shopping. So convenience is no longer an option for retailers to offer. Consumers are increasingly expecting seamless digital options like curbside delivery and personalized deals. Those lagging in digital infrastructure or UX will lose ground. Walmart stores are becoming automated and Amazon is heating up again in the grocery industry. And why are they doing this? Because food is the only product that requires repeat weekly purchases. So these large retail giants need a stake in the grocery industry, and they have an omni-channel competitive edge not seen in this traditional grocery industry. So that's another thing to watch out for.

Speaker 3 29:33

Last is a shift towards health, sustainability and transparency. Younger generations, like I mentioned, millennials and Gen Z. They are values-driven. We're looking for ethical sourcing, health-conscious choices and clear labeling. I'm extremely excited to get started with a grocery company, modern Milkman, that is looking to reduce single-use plastic waste and source ethically from US producers. It not only addresses the impact of food retail on the environment, but it offers a value proposition to spur loyalty. So, given those four reasons, it's clear to see that we are approaching a new era where consumer behavior is about to go up in the air and retailers need to get ready for this new shopper.

Speaker 3 30:13

I think it's anyone's game, but only for maybe the next few years, before the dust settles, before Aldi opens up all of these stores, before Amazon Fresh gets back into brick and mortar, before Walmart redoes all of their stores and focuses on automation. These retailers that are competing on price will win with consumers who only care about price. But what you need to remember is that food is very personal and I think that as these players start to compete on price, there will arise an innate need for knowing where your food comes from and going back to the basics. So, first, I think processed foods are not as attractive as they used to be. Now it's all about clean eating. I believe that people will vote with their dollar. People will pay more for better food, for a shopping experience that makes them feel like they're doing their due diligence and providing their family with what is best, and I think that independence can really key into this aspect. They can also key into the fact that brick and mortar will always be important, no matter how technologically advanced the consumer gets.

Speaker 3 31:07

Food needs to be physically interacted with in order for consumers to make a decision, at least in my opinion, and this is where that shopping experience comes in.

Speaker 3 31:15

So stores really need to figure out their own value proposition, and independents are best positioned to know what the local clientele wants.

Speaker 3 31:23

So I would love a future of grocery that is not dominated by national chains, because food is too personal for that, in my opinion. I want a grocery landscape that focuses on local producers, on local businesses, on reducing carbon mileage and getting food as close to the source as possible, and I think that independence our best position to do that. It's just about keeping up with an increasingly technologically advancing world and so hopefully, not trying so much to compete too much on price or too much on technology, but competing with a value proposition and going back to the basics and providing people with food that they feel good about, with a store experience that is fun to go to, that you look forward to experiencing, because food is personal. I think that's something that we all need to remember. Even though these changes are going to come up with the economy, eventually the dust will settle and it's all going to be about value proposition and balancing that with determining your competitive edge.

Speaker 2 32:25

I think you bring up so many great points there. It's going to be an excellent book to read. You touched on some really, really great topics there, Sierra. Very exciting to see you come into the industry and make an impact in everything that you do. Thank you so much, Kristen. So, Sia, I want to thank you for sharing your time with us today, your thoughts, and I appreciate you and your story and I'm beyond thrilled that you will be pursuing a career in grocery. We are lucky to have you and get such a great future leader like you in the industry. I look forward to continue watching you make a difference in all you do.

Speaker 3 32:57

Thank you so much, Kristen, and thank you for being someone to look up to.

Speaker 2 33:00

Well, thank you, and to our listeners, thank you so much for tuning in to today's episode. We hope you enjoyed the discussion as much as we did. If you found value, be sure to subscribe to Never Miss an Episode and leave a review on your favorite listening platform to help others discover Grocery From Her Seat. Let us know how we're doing Until next time. Keep making a difference in all you do, with gratitude, thank you.

Speaker 1 33:22

On behalf of the Women Grocers of America, we thank you for listening to our podcast today and ask that you subscribe, leave a five-star review and share with a friend. If you have a suggestion for a guest from the industry, mention them in the comments. Episodes are released every other week and they are sponsored by NGA, hosted by Kristen Popp, president of WGA, and published by Rachel Milo with SWA Marketing.