Emily Detwiler: Leading With Kindness In Grocery

The aisle might look calm, but the work behind it moves fast. We sit down with Emily Detwiler, Vice President of AWG Brands at Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG), to unpack how private brands become a competitive edge for independent grocers—and how empathetic leadership keeps teams performing at their best. Emily shares a candid path from high school cashier to executive, spanning CPG analytics, fresh meat marketing, and wholesale strategy, with one throughline: say yes to stretch roles and learn quickly.

We dig into the mechanics of winning private labels across Best Choice and Always Save—partnering with manufacturers, shaping assortments with category managers, and aligning brand positioning for retailers and their shoppers. Emily explains how storytelling with data drives decisions at the shelf, from price architecture to packaging. She also opens up about the realities of work and family, offering practical tactics like outsourcing low-value tasks and building strong carpools so she can be present at baseball games and swim meets without letting her team down.

The conversation gets timely with a major reform: removing synthetic dyes by 2026. Emily outlines the steps to reformulate at scale, manage costs and quality, and keep communication clear for store owners and operators. We also look ahead at AI, ecommerce, and click and collect, emphasizing a people-first approach to technology that enhances forecasting, content, and customer experience without losing the human touch. Along the way, we highlight the power of mentorship and associations like WGA, WISE, PLMA, and FMI to accelerate careers—especially for women—through shared learning and real-world projects.

If you care about independent grocery, private brand strategy, and practical leadership you can use tomorrow, this conversation delivers. Subscribe, share with a colleague who loves the industry, and leave a review to help more people find Grocery from Her Seat.

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Transcript

Season Three Kickoff & Mission

Producer 0:04

Welcome to season three of Grocery from Her Seat, the Women Grocers of America podcast. This season you will hear from influential CEOs and industry icons to rising stars and game-changing entrepreneurs. We are bringing you bigger conversations with bolder voices you won't hear anywhere else. Every episode is packed with leadership tips, fresh strategies, and grocery insights for store owners and operators, as well as product and service providers. Grocery from Her Seat is where inspiration fuels action. Now, let's dive into another episode of Grocery from Her Seat, powered by the NGA Foundation and hosted by WGA President Kristen Pop.

Meet Emily Duttweiler

Inside The AWG Brands Role

Kristin Popp 0:46

I am your host, Kristen Popp, and today I have the opportunity to chat with Emily Detwiler, Vice President AWG Brands with Associated Wholesale Grocers. Welcome to Grocery from Your Seat, Emily, and thank you so very much for sharing your time with us today. Thanks for having me, Kristen. I'm glad to be here. So, Emily, I want to first would love to learn a little more about what your day-to-day looks like. Can you share what the role of Vice President AWG Brands is and what falls within the scope of your responsibilities?

Emily Detwiler 1:15

So at AWG, part of my responsibility is working very closely with our manufacturing partners. I lead the team that helps work with all of our supplier partners in making sure that uh we've got the right product mix that's in our portfolio of brands. We have our always save, we've got our best choice family of brands, and we take the product that goes into those brands very, very seriously. I work very closely with all of our vendor partners there in terms of the products that go into them. And then I work very closely as well with the team that does all of the brand and marketing for those products. Um, so that's always fun too, in terms of making sure that we've got the right brand positioning, that we have the right marketing, both for our retailers because we are a wholesaler, um, and then also to their end consumers. And I also work very closely with our category managers. They're the ones who are really thinking about making sure we have the right assortment, that we've got the right products within each category and thinking about hitting the right price points and all of that. And then because we are such a large organization, we've got a variety of different divisions that we support out in the field. I spend a lot of time as well talking to our division and field personnel to help make sure that they understand the different brands and products that we offer. And then certainly I spend a lot of time talking directly with our member retailers. And they are truly the heart and soul of what we do at Associated Wholesale Grocers. We literally would not be what we are without them because we are a member-owned co-op. And that's something that is really, really unique for us in this industry. And it's also part of what makes our jobs so rewarding, is because we work so hard every day to help our member retailers have the most competitive private brand portfolio out there.

Juggling Career And Active Kids

Kristin Popp 3:16

Very similar story to what I hear from a lot of those that I talk to in the space, and obviously myself included in the in the independent grocery space, but our day-to-day isn't necessarily a day-to-day. It's what can comes at us that day, and how do we navigate through it and accomplish what we need to, right? So when I often when I ask, what does your day-to-day look like? It's like, is that even a thing? Um, so uh you f you fall right in line with a lot of that same conversation. But beyond your day job, you also have some active kiddos. Can you share their amazing accomplishments and how you navigate showing up for both roles?

Emily Detwiler 3:52

Absolutely. So I am the proud mom of a 15-year-old son and an 11-year-old daughter. And my son is quite the avid baseball player. So he is very successful in his uh baseball career already. He's playing with the Kansas City Royals scout team. He is a freshman, so he'll start playing freshman baseball here very soon. And he's also um been named in the top 10 of his class here in the state of Missouri, so that's very exciting. And then my daughter is uh competitive swimmer, and she is at the top of her game as well. And then she sings as well. So I tell you what, between those two and their activities, uh my husband and I spend a lot of time in the car back and forth between baseball practices or extra workouts or at the swimming pool. So uh many times I'm seen sitting there at the pool with my laptop out, but I wouldn't be anywhere else. I love it. I absolutely love it. And I remember my parents, you know, trying to do the same things for me, but for me it was music. I was always very involved in choir and band. So uh just a little bit different with my kids being so involved in athletics and just absolutely love being able to support them and see them be successful in what they love most.

Practical Strategies For Work Life Fit

Kristin Popp 5:07

How do we show up in our day job and our life job as being a parent or you know, navigating some of those complex schedules that our kids sometimes have over us? So, you know, you mentioned that you multitask. Is there any other uh ways that you find to show up effectively in both roles that helps you out?

Emily Detwiler 5:28

You know, one of the things, and I actually learned this from one of my female uh leaders many years ago, and she her advice to me was spend a little money to hire somebody to help you in your home. And I have I have done that for the last several years with things like laundry and uh maybe some light household duties and that kind of thing really helps because then I can be more present with my kids in the short amount of time that we do have together. And that was advice that has really paid dividends for me so that I can be more present when I have the time. And then likewise finding like-minded parents who also are extremely busy so you can share in the duties. We do a lot of carpooling and you ask a busy person to get things done, and the busy people are the ones, it seems like who can get a lot done together. That's always been extremely helpful. And I've really enjoyed surrounding myself with other people who are uh willing to help and just as busy as I am.

Early Start In Grocery To CPG

Kristin Popp 6:27

Well, and I think that's such a great point. Asking for help is okay, and where do you want to intentionally spend your time? And if it's not cleaning your house or doing your laundry or, you know, running around to practices, you can find help in those spaces so that where you do want to spend your time, you can do so more intentionally. So I think that that is very real, and I think that it's important that people hear that. That it's not we don't have a superpower that allows us to be in four places at the same time. It's how do you build your network and those around you so that you can be more intentional with the time and how you do spend it? That's right. So, Emily, you actually started in grocery very early on. Can you share your journey and how you arrived where you are today?

Private Brands Across Retailers

Emily Detwiler 7:11

Absolutely. I actually started my journey in grocery when I was in high school. So I started by bagging groceries and also working as a cashier. I did that in West Des Moines, Iowa at High V. And I just really enjoyed that. And then when I was in at Drake University, I really enjoyed marketing. So as soon as I graduated, I started working for a company here in Kansas City called Faultless Starch Bonomy and working more on the um sales analytics side to begin with. And I just knew that I really enjoyed something about the CPG and grocery side of things. So I decided to pursue my MBA. So I went to the University of Missouri, which is how I met my husband, but we decided to move to Kansas City after that and started working in I worked for DFA, Dairy Farmers of America, on the board and cheese brand. So I did that for a couple of years. And then I had the opportunity to work for Damon Worldwide on private brands. I did that for about seven years, and I had a chance to work on behalf of many different grocers, really starting on behalf of High V, which felt like coming back to my roots. So I helped with marketing their private brands, developing a new brand at that time called Hive One Step, which was a cause marketing brand that they still have today. And then I had a chance to kind of expand my role and work across multiple retailers on their private brand strategies across the country. And I really, really enjoyed that because it gave me a chance to learn more about how different retailers presented their private brands to their shoppers. And then I worked on behalf of Smithfield Foods for a few years, which was a very different side of grocery, working on the fresh meat side of the business, which I didn't really know a whole lot about at the time, but they needed marketers, and I was certainly a strong marketer. So from a journey standpoint, is I would just give the advice of always say yes because that's how you learn the most, right? I took a kind of an interesting detour for three years that I was CEO of the Kansas City Barbecue Society. During that time, I actually had a chance to come and speak at the Associated Wholesale Grocers Innovation Showcase. And that's when AWG asked me if I would ever consider coming to work for them. So I was really intrigued and had a chance to meet with Dan Funk and Ty Anthony and several of the other leaders. And I've been here ever since. So that was about three and a half years ago, and I couldn't be more pleased.

Kristin Popp 9:52

What are some of the things that you have learned personally throughout your career and how has that shaped who you are today as a leader?

Emily Detwiler 10:00

I think the greatest thing that I have learned is really how to lead people and how to lead people with dignity and grace. Whether you're running a grocery store or whether you're running a brand or a manufacturer, you know, we all need people in order to be successful in what we do. And so I think that that's probably the greatest thing that I've learned is to how to lead people and to do so in a way that you can still be firm but kind and really think about how you can make a difference in people's lives, both really for shoppers and the grocers who serve them. The other thing that I would say is, particularly as a female leader, really opening the door for other female leaders to come with you and be successful in their own career, that's one of the things that I hope I will leave behind as part of my legacy.

Saying Yes And Career Pivots

Kristin Popp 10:56

You couldn't be more right on you can be firm and you can have expectations and you can have accountability, but you can be kind in doing so, right? And you get a lot more buy-in when you approach it from that. So I'd like that you share that advice. And is there anybody else that as you walk through your path in the industry that has helped you either as a mentor or understand the industry to allow you to the success that you've achieved today?

Emily Detwiler 11:21

Yes, I would say there's there's really two female leaders that particularly come to mind. One is uh Heather DeLuca, she's VP of Meat and Seafood here for Associated Wholesale Grocers. We actually worked very closely together at Smithfield Foods in very different roles, but um, you know, just in terms of showing that you can lead with kindness and leverage a lot of data and insights and utilize data to tell a story to help drive sales and to also build teams. So I would say she's definitely one. And then another one that I would say is Anna Mancini, who's also uh here at Associated Wholesale Grocers, VP of our Nashville division. And she was my first boss here at uh at AWG. And one of the things that is so inspiring to me about her is that she came from a different country and she's really learned and adapted to the American culture, uh, and just very, very well established within the grocery and wholesale industry. And she's created such strong relationships with the independent grocers that she serves, and she's very beloved by her teams. Um, and she has to be firm, right? She needs to be very firm with some of the retailers and and the teams that she serves, but um, but she's very kind in that regard too. So, you know, I think that those are two very good examples in my mind of of female leaders that have inspired me and also kind of brought me along with them.

Leading With Dignity And Data

Kristin Popp 12:48

So, as we talk about that, the mentor type relationships, right? Like you have sought them out or they sought you out to help you along your path, whether they know that or not, mentorship can be formal or it can be very informal, that you have somebody that you're watching that you're learning from that doesn't even realize that, but that uh you are still seeking out different traits or personalities or different tidbits of information that's helping you grow into your role. What role there or impact do you feel mentorship on the industry as a whole has?

Mentors Who Model Firm And Kind

Emily Detwiler 13:22

I think that mentorship for the industry is so important. And I think that that's why organizations like WGA are so important, because I think that it gives women in particular an opportunity to get more involved in different things and try things. You know, WISE, for example, is another one. Uh, PLMA, FMI's groups. I think all of those are just so important because it gives you an opportunity to step outside of your normal day-to-day routine. So I think shared learnings are really important, networking opportunities, uh, career development. You know, we get so involved in our daily work that sometimes it's easy to forget that we, you know, have other opportunities to learn. So I think that joining association groups is a great way to do exactly that. Um, but also I think from a mentoring standpoint, you know, I've been blessed to have a lot of mentors in my life, whether through formal programs, you know, Damon had a formal mentoring uh group when I was an associate there. But some of them have just been very informal as well, of whether that might be, you know, suggesting meeting up for coffee with someone on a frequent basis. Or now that we have so much virtual communication, you know, you can easily get together with someone virtually and not have to do it in person necessarily if you live in different parts of the country. So just getting to know other people and learning about their experiences and learning that not every experience has to be linear. I think that's been an interesting learning of mine too. I really enjoy mentoring. I like, I like to help other people where I can, and I've certainly benefited from it a lot. So I enjoy the opportunity to pass that on to others.

Kristin Popp 15:06

So you make a good point there that in the virtual environment that we all operate in today, there is a lot of value that I think we are each taking, whether it's an informal conversation that maybe turns into something that we're working on or that we need advice on. But just setting up something as informal as a 20-minute coffee conversation once a month can really turn into a lot of value and help both parties out so significantly. I think that the mentor and the mentee can both benefit from that relationship. It's not always one way, it can be both ways.

Speaker 1 15:40

I completely agree. Yep. I've learned so much from some of the uh mentees that I've had in my past.

Kristin Popp 15:46

I think that there's so much opportunity from that that we can just help each other out. So, Emily, what is something that you're working on that you hope will have a lasting impact on the industry?

Why Mentorship And Associations Matter

Speaker 1 15:56

Oh goodness. One of the things that I'm working on right now, as several of us are, is the whole uh removal of synthetic dyes. And even though that one was a bit of a curveball, that um I do think that that's going to have a lasting impact on the industry. So I'm excited to see how that continues to play out. We at AWG, we've taken that really seriously from a private brand's perspective. And so, you know, removing all of the synthetic dyes from our products by the end of 2026, that's one thing that we will leave a lasting legacy, just purely from a product standpoint, just in terms of even maybe from a smaller standpoint, but just the way that I've had the chance to work with my teams, leave my teams, and then also engage with the supplier partners that we work with. And the way that hopefully I leave them in a positive uh way. I hope that that leaves a very positive legacy in the industry too.

Kristin Popp 16:56

And what excites you the most about the future of the industry?

Speaker 1 16:59

You know, I think that uh obviously we're moving so fast. I think the the pace of the industry is I think that it's really interesting to see what things might continue to change with with the impact of AI, obviously. Um but at the end of the day, I still believe that people are the most important part of our industry. And I think it's it will be intriguing to see what continues to change and how the people continue to evolve as the technology and marketing and AI evolve with it. I'm very intrigued to see how all of that will continue to play out.

Kristin Popp 17:33

You know, Emily, I don't think that there's a conversation that I have these days that doesn't somehow AI does not come up in because it covers such a wide array of what we touch. And so what that looks like for tomorrow. I think we're all we're all on edge to see what that might be, but definitely something that is also exciting if we embrace it in the right way to enhance our businesses.

Speaker 1 17:56

That's right. Absolutely. Well, and even to enhance our own, our own personal life, especially as female leaders, right? Um, I think about that for my own self. And obviously, I do all of my grocery shopping at our independent retailers, but a lot of it I do by click and collect. I shop online and then I go to our stores to pick it up because I don't have a whole lot of time to shop. I'm thinking about groceries all day. I enjoy doing a lot of store walks to visit stores, but uh when it comes to actually shopping for my family, I don't necessarily have a whole lot of time. So I enjoy any of the uh technology-enabled tools that I can get my hands on to help uh me be more efficient in my daily life there. So those are some of the ways that I certainly am utilizing some of those tools today.

Kristin Popp 18:42

Yeah, you and me both, and you know, I love the grocery shop and I love being in our stores, but efficiency also plays a role when you have very active kiddos and you have to use your time and delegate that effect efficiently and effectively. So Emily, we've covered so much uh advice that you have, but is there anything that we haven't touched on that you would uh share for anybody that's either looking to enter the industry or further pursue their career in the industry?

Synthetic Dye Removal Initiative

People, Tech, And AI’s Next Wave

Speaker 1 19:10

I would say give the grocery industry a chance because I've had a chance to spend a little time uh with some of the Western Michigan students, and I had a chance to have some of the PLMA students shadow me. I would tell you just to try because there's such a fascinating industry here, whether you're actually working for a grocer, whether you're working for a vendor partner, manufacturer. There's just so many ways that you can continue to advance your career within the grocery world. So I think that there's just so much growth opportunity here and it's very rewarding. And particularly to me, being on the side of the independent is the most rewarding part of it because we are truly impacting our owners' lives. And I love being in with active kiddos at the pool. The baseball fields, you know, I see our retailers' names up on those scoreboards. I get such a thrill out of that because we really do have an impact on the communities that we serve. So I would just say if you have any remote interest, try it because this is a very rewarding path to a great, great career.

Kristin Popp 20:20

I love that advice. I echo that a hundred percent. And I think people don't always realize that there's endless possibilities within the grocery industry. It's not just stocking shelves, it's not just the cashier work, but it's everything behind the scenes too. There's a world of opportunity and really the sky's the limit when you get into the industry and what you can accomplish and what different roles that you can seek to advance into. Absolutely. Emily, I thank you so very much for sharing your story and your voice with us today. I appreciate everything you're doing in the grocery industry. Keep leading, keep inspiring, and I look forward to following the impact that you will continue to make.

Speaker 1 21:01

Awesome. Thanks, Kristen. I appreciate you.

Kristin Popp 21:04

Thank you so much for tuning into today's episode. I hope it sparked ideas, inspiration, and a reminder of the impact you make every day. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss a conversation and consider leaving a review to help others discover Grocery from Her Seat. With gratitude, making a difference one story at a time.

Producer 21:22

Thank you for listening to today's Encycle interview on the Grocery from Her Seat podcast. If you think someone should hear her story, please share this podcast with a friend. You don't want to miss any episodes this season, so be sure to subscribe. And remember, more people will hear about stories of her success if you like, follow, and leave a five star review. Episodes are sponsored by NGA, hosted by WGA President Kristen Pop, and published by Rachel Milo with SWA Marketing. Until next time, continue your great work in the independent grocery industry.