Gluten-Free Stores - Wisconsin Grocers Association

Three 

Wisconsin 

Grocers 

Certified 

Green 

Page 13 

11th Annual 

Printing Industries of Wisconsin 

wisconsingrocers.com Summer 2011 

REAP THE BENEFITS FROM A 

REVIEW 

Grocers in the 

Capitol Day 

ALSO 

Wanted: 

Gluten-Free 

Stores 

Within Grocery Stores 

Wisconsin Grocers Association 

1 South Pinckney St., Ste. 504 

Madison, WI 53703 

CHANGE SERVICE REQUESTED 

PRSRT STD 

U.S. POSTAGE PAID 

MADISON, WI 

PERMIT NO. 549

Meet Jamie. 

When you call us, chances are 

you’ll hear Jamie on the other 

end of the line. She’s one of 

our dedicated d customer service 

reps. And it’s her job to make 

sure your needs are met. It’s a 

job she does pretty well. After 

all, our memb 

ember-owners give 

our customer service a 98.2% satisfaction 

rate 

for both responsiveness and effectiveness. 

One thing you won’t hear when 

you call us...an automated 

machine. All of our customer 

service team members are 

committed to finding an answer 

to your question or helping 

resolve your issue. It’s the kind 

of service we’ve spent the last 

80 years building our reputation on. 

Interested ested in being part of our 

Independent Retailer Member-Owned Cooperative? ? 

Contact: Wayne Hall, Vice President of Business Development, P: 608-347-7318 / E: whall@afmidwest.com 

www.afmidwest.com 

2 WISCONSIN GROCER www.wisconsingrocers.com

2011 Summer WISCONSIN GROCER 3


WGA Officers 

Chairman 

Brad Brooks 

Affiliated Foods Midwest, Norfolk, NE 

Vice Chairman 

Tim Metcalfe 

Metcalfe Markets, Inc., Madison, WI 

Secretary/Treasurer 

William Dowling 

Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc., Milwaukee, WI 

Board of Directors 

Nick Balistreri 

Sendik’s, Whitefish Bay, WI 

Kent Burnstad 

Burnstad’s, Tomah, WI 

Derek Crawford 

Kraft Foods, Northfield, IL 

Jeff Firnett 

Bunzl Distributing, Elkgrove Village, IL 

Marlin Greenfield 

Skogen’s Festival Foods, DePere, WI 

Greg Hansen 

Hansen’s IGA, Bangor, WI 

Steve Loehr 

Kwik Trip, La Crosse, WI 

Paul Lucas 

MillerCoors, Milwaukee, WI 

Dave Kotwitz 

Piggly Wiggly, Edgerton, WI 

Jeff Maurer 

Fresh Madison Market, Madison, WI 

Kevin P. Morris 

Coca-Cola Bottling Company, Niles, IL 

Dave Ryman 

CERTCO, Inc., Madison, WI 

David Spiegelhoff 

Spiegelhoff Supermarkets, Burlington, WI 

Don Symonds 

Lipari Foods, Warren, MI 

WGA Staff 

President/CEO 

Brandon Scholz 

Vice President-Government Affairs & Communications 

Michelle Kussow 

Events Director 

Cheryl Lytle 

Operations Director 

Sarah Decorah 

Membership Representative 

John Leemkuil 

7 From the President 

Another One Day Meat Sale 

2011 Summer 

9 Review: Grocers in the Capitol Day 

The 2011 Grocers in the Capitol Day was an extraordinary experience. 

10 Legislative Profile 

Lieutenant Governor Kleefisch 

13 The Green Grocer Program 

Three grocers become Green Grocer Certified 

15 Reap the Benefits from a One-Day Meat Sale 

A well-timed meat sale drives sales, benefits grocery volume overall, 

creates a buzz in your community, and boosts customer loyalty. 

17 Industry Q&A 

Tap beer sold in take-home jug illegal in Wisconsin 

18 Alice in Dairyland 

New Grocers Buy Local Wholesale Catalog makes it easier than ever to 

choose Wisconsin 

20 Around the State 

Grocers in the News 

22 Wanted: Gluten-free Stores within Stores 

The demand for gluten-free food products is growing as more people 

are diagnosed with celiac disease or gluten intolerance. 

Please help us conserve resources. If you are receiving multiple 

copies or wish to be removed from this mailing list, please call the 

WGA office at 888/342-5942. 

Wisconsin Grocer is published five times a year by: 

Wisconsin Grocers Association, Inc., One South Pinckney Street, 

Suite 504, Madison, WI 53703 • www.wisconsingrocers.com 

Toll free 888/342-5942; fax 608/244-9030. Materials in this 

publication may not be reprinted in any form without permission 

of the Wisconsin Grocers Association, Inc. 

EDITORIAL INFORMATION: Publication dates; March, May, 

July, October, January. Please submit all press releases and stories 

to Brandon Scholz, Publisher, at the Wisconsin Grocers 

Association, Inc.; toll free 888/342-5942; fax 608/244-9030. 

Wisconsin Grocer magazine is designed by Lorraine Ortner-Blake, 

lorrjim@dwave.net. 

ADVERTISING INFORMATION: Please submit all advertising 

material and questions to Cheryl Lytle, Wisconsin Grocers 

Association, Inc., One South Pinckney Street, Suite 504, Madison, 

WI 53703, call 608/244-7150; fax 608/244-9030; email 

cheryl@wisconsingrocers.com. 

On the Cover: 

Ptacek’s IGA, Prescott 

2 Affiliated Foods 

4 Bacardi 

11 Bacardi 

28 Certco 

26 Nash Finch Company 

25 Professional Cards 

3 Russ Davis 

Wholesale, Inc. 

8 Shazam 

17 Shullsburg Creamery 

6 SUPERVALU 

15 UW Provisions 

27 Westby 

12 Wisconsin Lottery 

19 Wisconsin Wins 



From the PRESIDENT 

Another One Day 

Meat Sale 

Brandon 

Scholz 

WGA 

President 

and CEO 

Ok, some people will 

think this is crass, 

others will get it. 

On July 12, Wisconsin will 

make history again when we 

have nine recall elections for 

incumbent members of the 

State Senate. Nine. That’s a 

record in Wisconsin and in the 

USA. 

So what’s the big deal? Fact is, 

it’s a huge deal. It’s an 

unprecedented huge deal. 

Recall elections were set up so 

citizens could jump start the 

election process if their elected 

official(s) weren’t doing what 

they were elected to do or had 

done something egregious or 

possibly illegal after one year of 

service. 

In 1996, State Senator George 

Petak was recalled because he 

switched his vote and voted for 

the Brewer Stadium Tax. In 

2003, State Senator Gary 

George was recalled because he 

broke the law on a number of 

ethics issue. 

On July 12 (August 9 if there 

is a primary), Republicans are 

looking to recall Democratic 

State Senators for leaving the 

state and Democrats are 

looking to recall Senate 

Republican’s for supporting 

Governor Walker’s collective 

bargaining proposal. There 

certainly will be more issues in 

each of the campaigns, but 

that’s pretty much what started 

it all. 

The 2011 recall elections could 

change the balance of power in 

the Senate should the 

Democrats succeed 

guaranteeing virtual certainty 

that legislative action will 

deadlock and virtually all of 

Governor Walker’s initiatives 

will be derailed. In the same 

respect should Republicans 

prevail, the three-wing mortal 

lock will continue on the path 

set in the first few months of 

this year. 

So, July 12 is the date. Mark it 

on your calendar. Remind your 

friends, family, and associates 

to vote. While you’re at it, 

maybe make a few check 

marks in June and early July as 

well because many of these 

candidates will need money. 

There are those who are 

hoping that you were pushed 

around enough in the 

‘boycotts’ that you’ll not want 

to have your name show up as 

a contributor on a candidates 

campaign finance report. If 

you feel that way and put your 

checkbook back in the drawer, 

you’ve handed those who 

attacked you and the industry 

via the boycott process a big 

victory and have given them 

another reason to do it again 

in the future. 

However, now that you know 

who runs the boycotts and the 

impact, or lack of impact on 

your store, it is time to stand 

up and make another 

statement. Retribution and 

efforts to quash your first 

amendment rights and ability 

to participate in the democracy 

don’t work. 

There’s a meat sale coming— 

take a stand. 

The date is July 12, the 

balance of power is the 

prize. It is a one day 

meat sale. 

So what’s the big 

deal? Fact is, it’s a 

huge deal. It’s an 

unprecedented 

huge deal. 

Walker’s Chief 

has Grocery 

Experience 

In November 2010, Governor Walker 

announced that his Chief of Staff 

would be Keith Gilkes, who also served as Scott Walker’s campaign 

manager. What folks probably don’t know, is that Keith’s first job (in 

high school) was at the Food Pride store in Prairie du Chien; a job he 

held for six years. 

Mick Kneeland, currently the manager at the Viking Village in Reedsburg, 

was Gilkes’ manager at the Food Pride. Kneeland remembers Gilkes as 

an intelligent young man who worked well with people and was looked 

up to by his fellow employees. He could tell that Gilkes would go far in 

the public sector. 

Kneeland was recently at the Grocers in the Capitol Day in April and the 

WGA coordinated a special reunion for the two men (Photo above). 

Gilkes is equally as complimentary when reminiscing of his days in 

Kneeland’s store. “The values that guide me in my professional career 

now were formed during my first job working for Mick Kneeland. My 

parents knew he would instill their shared values of hard work, 

dedication to the job and serving others, which I use everyday in my job 

with Governor Walker,” Gilkes said. 

Overall, Kneeland wasn’t surprised that Gilkes was named the Governor’s 

Chief of Staff. He describes Gilkes as an “ethical, all-around good 

guy,and any parent would be proud to have him as a son.” Kneeland 

concluded, “It feels good, as a manager, to see kids who worked with 

you for their first job, go far in life, and Keith Gilkes definitely has.” 



Legislative Special 

REVIEW 

GROCERS IN THE CAPITOL DAY 

The 2011 Grocers in the 

Capitol Day was an 

extraordinary experience 

for grocers and 

legislators alike. 

The event began the evening of 

April 12, 2011, with a 

Legislative Reception at the 

Governor’s Residence. 

Governor Scott Walker and 

his wife, Tonette, attended the 

evening reception. All members 

were able to get their picture 

taken with the Governor and 

briefly speak with the couple. 

Members from both parties spoke to 

grocers, including (top down) Assembly 

Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, Representative 

Evan Wynn, and Assembly Minority Leader 

Peter Barca. 

The Governor presented Dave 

Spiegelhoff, Spiegelhoff 

Supermarkets, with the 2011 

Grocers Care Political Action 

Award. Representative Robin 

Vos, Co-Chair of the Joint 

Finance Committee, also 

awarded Dave with a legislative 

citation acknowledging his 

endeavors. 

The following day the WGA 

held an issue-briefing at the 

Concourse Hotel. After 

introductions by Brandon 

Scholz, WGA President and 

CEO, and Brad Brooks, WGA 

Chairman, legislators discussed 

issues with attendees. Members 

from both parties attended to 

speak to the grocers: Senate 

Majority Leader Scott 

Fitzgerald, Assembly Minority 

Speaker Peter Barca, 

Representative Evan Wynn, 

Senator Van Wangaard, and 

Representative Chad 

Weininger. 

Between legislators’ speeches, 

Michelle Kussow, Vice 

President of Government 

Affairs and Communications, 

prepared attendees for their 

legislative visits; she comprehensively 

explained various issues 

that Wisconsin grocers face. 

Later that afternoon, WGA 

members met individually with 

legislators to discuss their 

experiences and issues affecting 

the grocery industry. 

Pat Fox, Michelle Kussow, and Dave Kotwitz at Legislative Reception at the Governor’s 

Residence. 

Rep. Chad Weininger (right) role-plays 

with Marlin Greenfield. 

Following these visits, the firstannual 

Ice Cream Social in the 

Capitol, sponsored by Kemps 

and Blue Bunny, was a huge 

success. 

Over 100 legislators and staff 

stopped by to mingle with 

WGA members and enjoy ice 

cream treats. 

By Jenna Mueller, WGA Intern 

Dave and Kathy Spiegelhoff with the Grocers Care Political Action Award and Certificate 

of Achievement from the Office of the Governor. 

The first annual Ice Cream Social was 

sponsored by Kemps and Blue Bunny. Tera 

Holtz and Jenna Mueller, WGA Interns, 

assist with the Ice Cream Social sponsored 

by Blue Bunny and Kemps.. 

The Wisconsin Grocers 

Association thanks all 

participants for making this 

year’s Grocers in the Capitol 

Day a great success. 

Remaining politically involved 

is an essential element to the 

prosperity of businesses, and 

we encourage all members to 

plan on attending next year to 

continue making the voices of 

Wisconsin grocers heard at the 

Capitol. 

Following are summaries of 

the issues discussed: 

Alcohol Sales 

Starting at 6:00 a.m. 

The current alcohol sales law, 

allowing alcohol sales 

beginning at 8 a.m., has been 

in place since 1981 and is 

unquestionably obsolete. More 

lenient time restrictions, >>> 

For more information on these 

or any issues affecting the WGA, 

please contact Michelle Kussow 

at 608.244.7150 or 

mkussow@wisconsingrocers.com. 


Legislative Profile 

Lieutenant Governor Kleefisch 

Rebecca Kleefisch was elected 

Wisconsin’s Lieutenant 

Governor on November 2, 

2010. A small business owner 

and former news reporter, 

Kleefisch serves as 

Wisconsin’s 44th Lieutenant 

Governor. 

Rebecca is a graduate of the 

University of Wisconsin-Madison 

and was a marketing major before 

she turned to journalism. 

In 1997, Rebecca took a job 

reporting the news for then-CBS 

affiliate, WIFR-TV, in Rockford, Illinois, where she soon 

anchored two hours of morning coverage. Rebecca was charged 

with the same duties at Milwaukee ABC affiliate, WISN-TV. 

She retired from television news to work from home. She 

started her own media and marketing company, Rebecca 

Kleefisch Enterprises, Inc., to work on rebranding, public 

relations, media strategy and writing for her clients. 

As Lieutenant 

Governor, she has 

quickly taken to 

the task of 

recruiting business 

to Wisconsin while 

delivering on the 

administration’s 

pledge to help 

create 250,000 jobs. 

Rebecca is married to State 

Representative Joel Kleefisch 

and they reside in 

Oconomowoc. Rebecca is 

active in her community and 

church. Her daughters, Ella 

and Violet, are also active in 

church, love fishing with dad, 

and gardening with mom. 

As Lieutenant Governor, she 

has quickly taken to the task 

of recruiting business to 

Wisconsin while delivering on 

the administration’s pledge to 

help create 250,000 jobs. 

Governor Walker has directed her to travel the state listening to the 

challenges of small business owners and develop ways the state can 

help them compete locally and globally. 

In addition to identifying challenges and creating an environment 

for commerce to grow, the administration will look closely at 

reducing taxes, litigation reform, unemployment insurance and a 

renewed emphasis on the tech trades and schools as part of 

workforce development and job growth in Wisconsin. 

REVIEW GROCERS IN THE CAPITOL DAY CONTINUED 

such as those present in Missouri and 

Iowa, would result in more revenue for 

Wisconsin grocers and the state; it would 

maintain limitations to avert alcohol 

abusers from purchasing alcohol 

throughout the day and night. 

The WGA is in favor of SB 44, which was 

introduced by Senator Glenn Grothman 

(R-West Bend) and AB 63, which was 

introduced by Rep. Evan Wynn (R- 

Whitewater). Both bills have received 

hearings and are hoping to get them 

passed out of committee. 

Organized Retail Crime 

Rep. Joel Kleefisch (R-Oconomowoc) and 

Senator Van Wangaard (R-Racine) have 

been working with WGA to draft 

legislation to combat Organized Retail 

Crime (ORC). In Wisconsin, approximately 

$631 million in merchandise is stolen each 

year, resulting in a loss of over $31.5 

million in sales tax revenue for the state. 

Assembly Bill 56 lowers the felony 

threshold for retail theft from $2,500 to 

$500. Currently, the total value of stolen 

merchandise must reach $2,500 before the 

crime is considered a felony. Also, this bill 

requires proof of ownership for certain 

items sold at flea markets. Attendees 

encouraged their legislators to support AB 

56, which has been referred to the Assembly 

Committee on Criminal Justice. 

Bad Checks 

The WGA has been working closely with 

Representative Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah), 

owner of two small businesses that accept 

checks, to draft legislation to prevent bad 

checks. In the bill, the felony threshold 

would be changed from $2,500 to $500. 

Writing a bad check for up to $500 would 

be a Class A misdemeanor, and any bad 

check over $500 would be considered a 

Class I felony. Although this bill is still 

being drafted, the WGA supports its 

efforts to deter the number of bad checks 

and address the lack of assistance grocers 

are receiving from their local law 

enforcement agencies. 

Child Labor Laws 

Federal law regulates 14- and 15-year-olds 

and determines the times of day, the 

number of hours, and maximum number 

of hours they are able to work; however, 

the federal law does NOT regulate 16- 

and 17-year-olds. Wisconsin currently has 

specific regulations for this age group, 

which supersede the federal law. With the 

exception of Michigan, none of our 

surrounding states (Minnesota, Iowa, 

Illinois) have specific guidelines for 16- 

and 17-year-olds. In essence, these 

restrictions negatively impact employers 

and the future of Wisconsin since the 

restrictions make it practically impossible 

for minors to get work experience. The 

WGA supports federalizing Wisconsin’s 

child labor laws for 16- and 17-year -olds 

because of the burdens that the 

restrictions place on employers. 




T H E G R E E N G R O C E R P R O G R A M 

Three Grocers become 

Certified Green 

Grocers 

The Wisconsin Grocers Association 

recently honored Olsen’s Piggly 

Wiggly in Cedarburg, Kotwitz Piggly Wiggly in 

Edgerton, and Zinke’s Village Market in Wisconsin 

Dells, with the WGA’s Certified Green Grocer 

Award. 

water use and air pollution, promoting local and organic 

food sales, and bag recycling. “We are excited to name 

Kotwitz Piggly Wiggly a Green Grocer,” said Brandon 

Scholz, WGA President & CEO. “The Kotwitz’s took 

aggressive energy-efficiency measures to save energy, 

money, and receive deserved recognition for their 

efforts.” They will offer free shopping bags to 

shoppers who buy more than $25 of groceries at the 

store. “Kotwitz Piggly Wiggly not only recycles bags, but 

their efforts to achieve Green Grocer certification is a real example 

how they create good jobs, save money, reduce energy use, and take 

real steps to reduce air pollution,” said Brett Hulsey, President of 

Better Environmental Solutions who conducted the certification. 

Eleven Wisconsin Green Grocer certified stores saved more than 4 

million pounds of CO2 emissions and 2.4 million kilowatt hours 

of electricity last year, enough to power 158 homes, or equal to 

taking 328 cars off the road. They created hundreds of 

construction and grocery jobs in the process. The Green Grocer 

Program was supported by Focus on Energy, Wisconsin utilities’ 

statewide program for energy efficiency and renewable energy. 

At Olsen’s Piggly Wiggly in Cedarburg, it took a lot of hard 

work, months of efforts and an investment in the future but the 

payoffs are worth it. The expansion and the energy-efficient 

upgrades in the store are key components of controlling costs. 

Layton, Barbara, and Ryan Olsen’s efforts had an additional 

bonus—their store received the highest rating to date in the WGA’s 

Green Grocer Certification program since it was started more than 

two years ago. 

Kotwitz’s Piggly Wiggly in Edgerton is the first grocery store in 

Rock County to achieve the Green Grocer certification to reduce 

energy costs, air emissions, and create green jobs. “We are honored 

to be the first Green Grocery store in Rock County and do our 

part,” said Dave Kotwitz, co-owner. “We save money that we can 

pass onto our customers and pass a better community onto our 

children and grandchildren.” The store achieved 50 out of 71 

Green Grocer measures like relighting, reducing energy use, waste, 

Coinciding with its sixty-ninth anniversary, green honors went to 

Zinke’s Village Market in Wisconsin Dells. Zinke’s was the first 

grocery store in Columbia County and one of the highest scoring 

grocery stores in the state to achieve the Wisconsin Grocers 

Association Green Grocer certification for reducing energy costs, 

air emissions, and creating green jobs. 

“We are honored to be the first Green Grocery store in Columbia 

County and one of the best in the state,” said Dan Zinke, owner of 

Zinke’s Village Market. “We save money that we can pass onto our 

customers and make a better community for our children and 

grandchildren.” 

Zinke’s Village Market took 56 out of 71 Green Grocer measures 

like relighting, reducing energy use, waste, water use and air 

pollution, promoting local and organic food sales, and bag 

recycling. “We are excited to name Zinke’s Village Market a Green 

Grocer. They had one of the highest store score in the state,” said 

Brandon Scholz, Wisconsin Grocers Association President and 

CEO. “Zinke’s Village Market is very aggressive in implementing 

energy-efficiency measures as a part of their store-rebuild to save 

energy, money, and receive deserved recognition for their efforts.” 


REAP THE BENEFITS FROM A 

One-Day 

Meat 

Sale 

Written Exclusively for the WGA 

by Sharyn Alden 

A well-timed 

meat sale 

drives sales, 

benefits 

grocery 

volume 

overall, 

creates a 

buzz in your 

community 

and boosts 

customer 

loyalty. 

Watch your store traffic 

increase when you dedicate 

one single day every six 

months or once a year to 

putting a variety of meat 

items on sale. The catch is 

you have to do your 

homework beforehand so 

you can master big volumes 

of shoppers who are 

looking for good buys 

on select meats. 

Don’t forget you can also 

turn this special day into a 

value-packed shopping event 

on other items throughout 

the store. 

If you’ve never hosted a 

special one-day sale promoting 

great buys on meat, or if it’s 

been a while since you’ve 

rolled up your sleeves and 

thought about doing it again, 

here are some tips for making 

it a success. 

For starters, you’ll want to address several 

questions like these before you start advertising 

the good buys. 

• What’s the best day of the week to host a oneday 

sale? 

• What meat should you put on sale? 

• How do you effectively promote the special 

event in the community? 

• Should you have in-store cutting stations? 

• Should you always offer the same quality of 

meat that you usually do? 

As a shortcut, here are some tips from those who 

are very familiar with putting on successful oneday 

meat sale events. 

Festive in-store celebration 

Ptacek’s IGA in Prescott (photo above) has been 

holding one-day meat sales for ten years. Pat 

Ptacek, manager of the store, says the sale is held 

twice annually on a Wednesday because that’s a 

slower day of the week for them. 

The store cuts the meat on Monday and Tuesday 

so it’s as fresh as possible for the Wednesday 

event. “At the Wednesday sale we usually sell 

about 10 times the volume of meat that we do 

on a normal Wednesday,” explains Ptacek. He 

14 WISCONSIN GROCER 

www.wisconsingrocers.com

Efficient, professional 

distribution essential to 

linking farmer, food‐processor 

and grocer to the customer. 

PURVEYORS OF FINE 

• Beef • Pork • Lamb 

• Veal • Poultry • Seafood 

• Dairy Products 

Introducing 

NEW 

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Program 

Products 

UW Provision Company 

PO Box 620038 • 2315 Pleasant View Road 

Middleton, WI 53562• 608.836-7421 

800.832-0517 

has two main takeaway tips for success. 

“Sell quality and make the sale exciting.” 

Ptacek says it is vitally important to let 

shoppers know in advance that you are 

selling the same 

quality product you 

sell everyday. 

“People follow the sale 

because they know 

they’re getting the 

same value as they 

would on any day they 

shop with us. But on 

the day of the sale 

they can stock up on 

the same products at a 

great price.” 

On April 13, the store 

had a great one-day 

meat sale with 40 

high-quality meat items advertised. The 

sale, which ran from 8 a.m. to 8.p.m., 

drew about 1,700 people from Prescott and 

the surrounding area. Among the super 

prices advertised were rib eye steak for 

The sale, which ran 

from 8 a.m. to 

8.p.m., drew about 

1,700 people from 

Prescott and the 

surrounding area. 

$6.99 a pound (it typically runs $9.99 a 

pound), Ptacek’s homemade sausage for 

$1.99 a pound, and a 2.5 pound bag of 

boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $4.99. 

The next sale will be held in September. 

There were several best sellers at the April 

sale. “We sold 1,500 pounds of rib eye 

steak, 2,000 pounds of pork loin, 3,300 

pounds of brats, 1,500 pounds of breakfast 

and Italian sausages,” he says. 

Why go through the work of having a oneday 

meat sale? Ptacek explains, “Anything 

you can do to separate yourself from the 

competition is worthwhile.” The store uses 

a six-page ad, front and back of three pages 

to advertise beef, pork, chicken and 

homemade items including brats and sausages. 

The sixth page of the sale ad is all about 

groceries. During their last sale they 

advertised and sold 500 pounds of 

cheese curds. 

The sale is not tied to newspaper ads. 

They promote the sale on their website, 

on Facebook, and through a data base of 

faxed messages. 

> 


Ptacek’s calls their one-day meat sale their 

“Super Bowl” since they go all out to give 

the store a celebratory type of atmosphere. 

“On the day of the sale we have balloons 

and flowers decorating the store. The floors 

are waxed and we have about ten different 

demos going on—the store looks great,” he 

says. “It’s our way of ‘wining and dining’ 

our customers.” 

If you aren’t using famed musical artists 

like Bon Jovi or Michael Jackson to help 

create a buzz at your sale, you’re missing a 

marketing opportunity. “We call it our 

‘Power Hour,’” says Ptacek. “We’ve found 

shoppers like the upbeat rotating 

background music that gives the store a 

something special, party-like atmosphere.” 

Ptacek says studies show about half of all 

grocery shoppers would rather be 

somewhere else other than shopping. “We 

try to lower those figures to about 25 

percent by making the overall shopping 

experience enjoyable especially on the oneday 

meat sale.” 

Super-sized Super Bowl sale 

Have you ever wondered how much 

volume a one-day meat sale might generate 

at your store? Kevin Mey, co-owner of 

Piggly Wiggly Plymouth, offers some 

perspective. The store has been running a 

one-day meat sale once a year on the 

Thursday before Super Bowl Sunday for 

the past 13 years. 

They chose Thursday because it’s not 

usually as busy as weekend days and the 

date before the Super Bowl, when people 

gather for cooking and celebrating, is a 

great time to sell meat products. 

On a good sale day (when weather 

cooperates), the store has done 33 times 

what they typically do on a Thursday. A lot 

of work goes into making it happen 

starting with studying the buying and 

traffic patterns, even the weather, from year 

to year. They keep good records and put 

everything on a spread sheet. 

The weather notation for the store’s 

enormous 2010 sale which resulted in the 

33 times normal volume and 3,000 

shoppers was this: “Partly cloudy, mid 20s, 

perfect day for a sale.” 

The 2011 sale was a success but was 

impacted by the largest snowstorm of the 

winter on February 2, the day before the 

big event. Mey explains, “We had the sale 

ads in the local newspaper, but it didn’t get 

delivered because of the snowstorm.” 

Tracking the details associated with the 

yearly sale is something Mey enjoys. “It’s 

fun in a way that is not unlike playing a 

winning game.” 

Over the years the Plymouth Piggly Wiggly 

has come up with a formula for getting the 

word out about the event. They put a big 

ad in the local newspapers, use bag stuffers 

two weeks before the sale, 

and print posters. “I 

usually have about 15 

posters printed up from 

the bag stuffers, and then 

I stop by local businesses 

and hand them out,” 

notes Mey. 

The one-day meat sale 

runs 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. 

“Every year we see the sale 

as an opportunity to 

improve the sale from the 

previous year,” says Mey. 

“That’s why we recently tried opening 

earlier in the morning. Last year, we found 

shoppers were lined up at the door at 5:30 

a.m. It was one factor that resulted in last 

year being a high volume sale.” 

In advance of the big event, the grocery 

checks with their warehouse as well as 

vendors for good buys. “Then we bring 

in a semi-trailer full of meat,” notes Mey. 

“At the end of the day at a good sale, the 

trailer is empty. 

What are some of the other elements 

that have helped make the event a 

success? 

They’ve offered good quality cuts of meat 

such as rib eye, pork tenderloin beef 

tenderloin, and New York strip steak cut to 

customers’ specifications. “Last year we had 

18 meat cutters at three cutting stations in 

the store,” he says. 

At the end of the day, Mey says his store’s 

single-day meat sales have been great, but 

the profit margin is typically low. Still, Mey 

adds, “It gives us an opportunity to bring 

in new shoppers who may not have been in 

One-day meat sales 

can be an important 

way to reach people 

who might not 

be shopping at 

your store.” 

the store before. It also challenges us to 

make every sale a successful venture.” 

Connect with your customers’ 

tastes 

“A successful one-day meat sale has to be 

priced right in order to attract current and 

new customers,” said Ron Krantz, 

Executive Vice President and co-owner of 

UW Provisions, Inc. He’s been with the 

company since 1965, but grew up on a 

farm where he remembers enjoying great 

rib eye and T-bone steaks. He started 

working at UW 

Provisions when he was 

in college on the plant 

sanitation crew. 

Krantz says that one-day 

meat sales are more 

prevalent today than they 

were several years ago but 

you have to carefully 

define your guidelines as 

to what you’re going to 

sell and when. He points 

out, “Whenever meat 

prices are high, people 

tend to go with less expensive items. That’s 

especially true during a down economy so 

one-day meat sales can be an important 

way to reach people who might not be 

shopping at your store.” 

But Krantz adds, “A one-day meat sale should 

feature quality meat selections that your 

customers want. It can be a great way to 

connect with your regular shoppers, add 

new customers, and build loyalty for your 

grocery.” 

If you don’t know what draws people to 

your meat department, or encourages them 

to shop at a formidable competitor, a oneday 

meat sale may lead to learning more 

about the buying tastes of your customers 

and what your changing consumer base 

may want. 

Krantz cautions, though, that you need to 

offer quality meat items that appeal to your 

locale and the eating habits of your area. 

“Out-of-state big chains may dictate what 

you can offer at a big one-day meat sale. 

But people want to buy meat that they’re 

used to enjoying. If you offer a sale on 

brisket, which is popular for Bar-B-Qs in 


places like southern Indiana, it may be a winner there, but not so much 

in Milwaukee,” he explains. 

While one-day meat sales can build staying power, Krantz points out 

that hosting more than one or two a year probably isn’t economical for 

most grocers. Still, it’s a good way to draw attention to your store and 

build customer loyalty when you do put on a one-day meat sale. 

Krantz offers these tips for making your annual or twice-yearly meat 

sale a success: 

“First, make sure you offer the same quality meat items that 

your customers have come to expect from you. Don’t 

succumb to buying inexpensive meat to turn a greater profit. 

Stick to your standards. Offer quality and your customers’ 

loyalty will be returned to you.” 

Q&A 

TAP BEER SOLD IN 

TAKE-HOME JUG 

ILLEGAL IN WISCONSIN 

Q. I read in a trade magazine about 

how some stores in other states are beginning to have 

tap beer available to be sold to consumers in a jug to 

take home for consumption at home. An example 

would be that we have say Spotted Cow Beer in a 

refrigerated tap and we sell people half-gallon jugs to 

fill and take home to drink. They fill it, put the cover 

on the jug, go to the check lane, pay for it, and go 

home and drink it. Is this legal in Wisconsin? 

INDUSTRY 

A. No, Class A license is for sale in original container, so this would not 

be allowed under Wisconsin law. 

Roger B. Johnson, Wisconsin Alcohol & Tobacco Enforcement Section 

Wisconsin Department of Revenue•(608) 266-6757• rjohnso2@dor.state.wi.us 

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ALICE IN DAIRYLAND 

Christine 

(Lepple) 

Lindner 

63rd Alice in 

Dairyland 

New Grocers Buy Local Wholesale Catalog 

makes it Easier than Ever to Choose Wisconsin 

Christine (Lepple) Lindner 

63rd Alice in Dairyland 

Alice in Dairyland Christine 

(Lepple) Lindner, is Wisconsin’s 

agriculture ambassador. She travels 

over 40,000 miles each year to 

spread the word about our 

agriculture industry. Alice 

in Dairyland can be reached by 

writing to Wisconsin Department 

of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer 

Protection, DATCP Dairyland 

Program at 608.224.5080 or 

DATCPAlice@wisconsin.gov. 

To learn more about Wisconsin’s 

$59 billion agricultural industry 

visit her travel blog at 

http://www.wisconsinagconnection.com/alice/ 

or become a 

friend on facebook (Alice 

Dairyland), follow on twitter 

(Alice_Dairyland) or LindkedIn 

To find Something Special from 

Wisconsin products and/or companies, 

take a look at the complete directory 

complete directory found 

at www.savorwisconsin.com by clicking 

on "Other Searches." To learn more 

about the program and how your store 

can get involved, visit 

www.somethingspecialwi.com. 

Today’s shoppers are seeking 

more information about how 

their food is grown and 

produced. Grocers are vital in 

bringing consumers and 

producers together to share 

knowledge while meeting the 

source of their food. 

Interest in Wisconsin’s fresh 

produce, dairy, and meats is 

growing. Now you can help 

consumers choose locally 

grown and produced products 

that are Something Special from 

Wisconsin —and it’s 

never been easier. 

New Catalog 

Assists Grocers 

The Wisconsin Department 

of Agriculture, Trade and 

Consumer Protection 

(DATCP), in partnership with 

the WGA, Thrive, and the 

Agricultural Innovation Center, 

have created a new 

sourcebook: Grocers Buy Local 

Wholesale Catalog. Retailers can 

use the new catalog to identify 

over 100 Wisconsin 

wholesale suppliers. This 

catalog is the first of its 

kind to assist grocers in 

bringing Wisconsin 

products to local grocery 

stores, where consumers 

make the majority of 

their purchases. 

Buying Wisconsin 

products is an 

investment in our 

state’s future. I 

encourage you, the grocer, to 

offer products that carry the 

red Something Special from 

Wisconsin (SSfW) logo. Since 

1983, this 

trademark has 

been given to 

companies who 

guarantee that at least half of a 

product’s ingredients, 

production, or processing 

activities are from Wisconsin. 

SSfW is a marketing program 

of the DATCP. 

According to new consumer 

research released by IGD food 

and grocery analysts, nearly 30 

percent of shoppers say they 

have specifically purchased 

local food over the last month, 

up from 15 percent in 2006. 

National support for local 

foods has doubled in five years 

and continues to grow. I visited 

a grocery store in Madison to 

hear firsthand from 

Wisconsinites. I asked why 

they feel it’s important to buy 

locally-grown products. 

Shoppers told me this: 

knowing the source of their 

food builds trust and 

confidence. They appreciate 

that shopping locally keeps 

money circulating in the 

community. 

The Grocers Buy Local 

Wholesale Catalog, available 

online and in print, is second 

in a series of tools developed to 

assist SSfW member companies 

and Wisconsin retailers find 

each other. In January 2010, a 

joint effort between the WGA 

and SSfW produced the 

website grocersbuylocal.com. 

The site was developed to assist 

producers to find retailers for 

their products. 

Get Started with a 

“Buy Local” Food 

Program 

1. Obtain the Something 

Special from Wisconsin 

Wholesale Catalog from 

DATCP (datcpssfw 

@wi.gov) or the WGA 

(888-342-5942). 

Or visit www.something 

specialwi.com to find 

Wisconsin suppliers. 

2. Use the Grocers Buy Local 

Wholesale Catalog as a 

guide; take an inventory of 

Wisconsin products in your 

store. If there are missing 

products, use the catalog 

to bring in additional local 

suppliers and products. 

3. Let your Wisconsin 

suppliers know you 

welcome their SSfW pointof-sale 

materials. Contact 

SSfW at datcpssfw@wi.gov 

for help in communicating 

with members. 

4. Join SSfW. By joining, 

products made in-store can 

qualify for the program 

(such as bakery or sausage). 

Private-label products made 

in Wisconsin for your store 

also qualify. 

5. Kick off your Buy Local 

Food program with a 

product sampling event. 

Alice in Dairyland can 

attend your event to 

educate consumers on 

buying locally-grown and 

produced products. Contact 

SSfW or the WGA for more 

advice on how to organize a 

successful event. 

6. Make it your own with 

your local suppliers. Every 

store is unique. Promoting 

Buy Local Food will set 

you apart. 

Encourage Consumers 

to Take Action with 

their Food Dollar 

When consumers purchase 

SSfW products they are 

supporting Wisconsin’s 

agriculture, producers, 

communities, and economy. 

Visit www.somethingspecial 

wi.com for the latest Grocers 

Buy Local Wholesale Catalog. 



AROUND THE STATE 

Piggly Wiggly Midwest Receives 

Special Recognition 

The May Shelby Report of 

the Midwest included a 

feature on Paul Butera and 

profiles of Fox’s Piggly Wiggly, Olsen’s Piggly 

Wiggly, Stinebrink’s Piggly Wiggly, Geidel’s 

Piggly Wiggly, Cambridge 

Piggly Wiggly and more, 

many who have received 

awards from the WGA. 

Poultry Tour 

Gold ‘n Plump has it headquarters in St. Cloud, 

MN, and has a processing facility in Arcadia, 

WI, (purchased in 1993 from Arcadia Fryers) 

where WGA’s Cheryl Lytle took a tour. The 

facility has recently invested $53 million in a 

state-of-the-art hatchery, feed mill, grower barns, 

and significant remodeling and expansion for 

the Arcadia facility, which has 500 employees on 

two shifts that processes 960,000 chickens each 

week. Also seen on the tour were Representatives 

Chris Danou and Lee Nerison, and Senator 

Kathleen Vinehout. Visit their web site: 

goldnplump.com. 

A Pat on the Back 

Wales Pick ‘n Save store 

manager Bill Borghoff 

isn’t the type of administrator you’ll likely find 

spending much time behind his desk. Borghoff 

has managed his store successfully by spending 

his time out among the shelves and checkout 

lines and even out in the community. Berghoff 

was recently recognized by Roundy’s Supermarkets 

Inc. as one of the corporation’s top managers for 

2010. The honor, called the Robert Mariano 

Award, after Chief Executive 

Officer Mariano, is 

bestowed upon employees 

based on a number of 

criteria, including the 

success of the store as well 

as its service to the 

community. Borghoff has 

been involved in the 

Municipal Chili Cookoff 

as a judge and has helped 

Bill Borghoff 

with events at Kettle 

Morraine High School. A village proclamation 

honoring Borghoff states, “such an award is a 

great honor few receive...the village recognizes 

that the personal efforts of William Borghoff— 

which include many hours of his time—not 

only help promote Roundy’s presence in the 

community, they also help the community grow 

and succeed and are outstanding services that 

enhance the quality of life in the village.” 

Pig to Pig Walk Success 

Larry’s Piggly Wiggly’s annual Pig to Pig Walk to 

benefit the Make A Wish Foundation, was held 

on Saturday, April 30. It was a cloudy, windy 

day, but that didn’t keep the 1000-plus walkers 

from participating in the walk. A whopping 

$27,000 will be donated to the Make A Wish 

Foundation in Appleton! 

Tornado Strikes 

Russ Davis Wholesale 

Everyone is safe after the April 10 

tornado, that was approximately half 

a mile wide, which hit the Russ 

Davis Wholesale facility in Merrill. Estimated 

damages are in the range of $2 to 3 million, that 

slowed down business only ONE day, thanks to 

the Russ Davis facility of St. Paul, MN. Mark 

Maloney attributes the safety of individuals at 

the facility during the storm to practice drills 

and safety meetings. “During the drills, you 

convince yourself you will never have a need for 

it,” said Maloney, “but the training and 

checklists paid off and all 14 people survived the 

devastation.” All customers will receive their 

regular order on time and all employees will 

have a job during the rebuilding process. Moral 

of the story: schedule employee safety meetings 

and organize practice drills!! 

A Growing Festival Foods 

Festival Foods officials held a 

ceremonial groundbreaking 

Monday at the site of the 

company’s new 71,000 square-foot supermarket 

in Sheboygan; they hope to open in September. 

The store, which will become the De Pere-based 

grocery chain’s 15th location, will be built at the 

former Walmart property on Taylor Drive and 

employ about 230 people. 

The Skogen family’s chain of Festival Foods 

stores also expanded with the acquisition of 

both Quillin’s supermarkets in La Crosse, which 

will re-open under the Festival Banner. About 

163 of the 200 people who work at the two 

Quillin’s stores applied for jobs with Festival 

Foods, and about 135 of them have been hired. 

“I feel pretty good about hiring 135,” Dave 

Skogen said. “It’s the right thing to do, and 

these people have good work experience and 

training,” Skogen said of hiring a large number 

of Quillin’s employees. 

Giving Back 

The Piggly Wiggly in 

Watertown recently assisted 

Autism Speaks with a fundraiser that involved 

selling puzzle pieces for one dollar. The store, 

owned by Cindy and Jeff Tate, and the autism 

science and advocacy organization raised a total 

of over $1,700. 

Award Winning Magazine 

The Wisconsin Grocer 

magazine recently was 

awarded the 2011 

Certificate of Merit for 

11th Annual 

four-color magazine in 

the internal 

communication category 

from the Printing Industries of Wisconsin. This 

is the first time the Wisconsin Grocer magazine 

has entered the competition and to receive a 

Certificate of Merit out of 100 other magazines 

in this category is fantastic. “We already knew 

we had a great magazine,” shared Brandon 

Scholz, WGA President. “It’s nice to be 

recognized for the efforts.” A special thank you 

to Lorraine Ortner-Blake, the graphic designer 

for the WGA, and Bert Freeman, Thysse 

Printing for the service and quality printing of 

the magazine. 

Printing Industries of Wisconsin 

Happy Anniversary! 

Current and former 

associates of Geidel’s Piggly 

Wiggly and Geidel’s Sentry 

Foods recently gathered to 

celebrate their tenth 

anniversary in Kewaskum. 

Operating under fifth 

generation owner, Mike Geidel, Geidel’s Piggly 

Wiggly opened June 22, 2000 in its present 

location. Founded on Main Street in Kewaskum 

in 1876, the Geidel and Marx family have 

grown through five locations and five 

generations of ownership. This year also marks 

the 135th year in business for the family. 


AROUND THE STATE 

Around the State spotlights notable Wisconsin grocers and industry leaders. To share your news with fellow grocers, email mkussow@wisconsingrocers.com or call 888.342-5942. 

To see more member events, go to www.WisconsinGrocers.com and click on Member Events. 

Giving Back 3-Peat 

The Balistreri-owned and 

operated Sendik’s Food Markets 

continued their generous support 

of the MACC Fund for the third 

consecutive year recently 

presenting the MACC Fund with a check for 

$85,000 from their fourth quarter 2010 charity 

program. Funding for the program comes from 

the company along with customers and 

associates who purchased the Sendik’s Food 

Market Real Food magazine; sales of TODAY’S 

TMJ4 MACC*Stars and nearly 50,000 candy 

canes for $1 each commemorating the twentyfifth 

anniversary of the iconic “Candy Cane 

Lane” in West Allis. This year’s record gift of 

$85,000 brings the three-year total donated to 

the MACC Fund from Balistreri Sendik’s 

Markets to $206,000. 

Breaking Ground 

Woodman’s has announced 

they will break ground in 

Sun Prairie this summer for its 14th store, 

according to Clint Woodman, a co-owner of 

the Janesville-based grocery store chain. The 

Sun Prairie store has been put on hold after the 

company found a site in Menomonee Falls for 

its second Milwaukee metro area store. If all 

goes as planned, the Sun Prairie store would 

open in 2012. Then it’s back to metro 

Milwaukee for the next project, Woodman 

said. “We hope to have a site in the Milwaukee 

area after that,” said Woodman. Among the 

locations that Woodman’s has looked at is the 

30+ acre Spancrete site on the northeast side of 

Waukesha, on Highway 164 at Main St. 

The WGA’s 

Member 

Representative 

John Leemkuil 

files his Great 

Adventure 2011 

reports frequently. Check out wisconsin 

grocers.com/memrep.html to see more. 

This spring we visited with Mark Watters 

in Rio. Mark recently completed installing 

scanning in his store that has been there for 

85 years! Guess 

it’s never too 

late to upgrade. 

He is also 

planning on 

redoing the 

floors. He is 

leaning toward 

carpeting but is 

also going to check into the concrete 

poured floors like Mitch Eveland is doing 

at Capitol Centre Market. 

On to Beaver Dam where we met with 

Brett Rechek at Rechek’s Food Pride. Brett 

is being presented an award from the 

Milwaukee 

Journal Sentinel 

as one of the 

top 100 Family 

Businesses of 

the year. Both 

Governor Scott 

Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett 

are speaking at the banquet. Brett has just 

completed a $100,000 Going Green 

project with all new lighting new motors in 

all of the frozen food cases, some new 

refrigerated cases and more. 

Next stop was at 

the Piggly 

Wiggly owned by 

Daryl Schoenfeld 

who is getting 

ready to celebrate 

his third anniversary as the owner. He has 

worked there for 32 years but just purchased 

the store three years ago. 

On to Juneau to visit the Pig and its owner 

Jonathan Jensen who certainly had the most 

interesting story of the day as he showed us 

his heavily bandaged right hand. Turned out 

he—like almost all store owners—was 

trying to save some money by Do-It-Yourself 

methods and cleaning the HVAC unit on 

the roof and got his hand caught by one of 

the belts. He went to the hospital long 

enough to have two fingers reattached but 

was back on the roof of his store late that 

evening to make sure that everything was 

done correctly. Our best wishes to Jonathan 

for a speedy recovery. 

Welcomed Visitors 

Members of Ron Johnson’s Wisconsin staff 

stopped by the WGA offices to meet with 

Brandon Scholz and Michelle Kussow this 

week. Tony Blando, State Director; Julie 

Leschke, Deputy State Director; Manny 

Vasquez, Constituent Services Representative 

and Tom Petri, Regional Representative sat 

down to discuss Senator Johnson's first five 

months in office. Scholz took the opportunity 

to bring up the interchange issue at the federal 

level, specifically asking for the Senator to 

consider the retailer's perspective and to allow 

for the Durbin amendments to take effect 

before repealing the provisions. 

IN REMEMBRANCE 

Kay J. (Pieters) Daniels 

Katherine “Kay"”J. Daniels, 84, died Easter Sunday in California. She was born in 1926, in 

Burlington, Wisc., to Joseph and Fern (Clarke) Pieters. She lived in Burlington, Kansasville, 

Fontana, and Walworth, and for the past 25 years she has split her time between Wisconsin 

and California. 

She was educated at St. Mary’s Grade and High School, Burlington, (now Catholic Central) and College of 

St. Catherine, St. Paul, MN (now St. Catherine University), where she received her Associate Degree in Early 

Childhood Education. Kay went on to establish the first kindergarten in East Troy, in 1946. She held that 

position until she married her high school sweetheart, John “Jack” A. Daniels, on Dec. 28, 1948. 

She was Jack’s life partner in marriage and in their family business, Daniels Foods, Inc. She worked many 

years in the business; her favorite area being the floral department. Committed to lifelong learning, she 

continue her studies through night school while living in Kansasville and then joined the “Great Books” 

group when she moved to Walworth in 1960. Throughout her life she was a voracious reader and an 

advocate for advanced education. She was a member and past president of the Walworth Women’s Club. 

She was a George Harris Fellow through Rotary International. 

Kay was an excellent bridge player and past chairwoman of the Big Foot Country Club bridge club, where 

she hired a bridge instructor to set up classes for the next generation of bridge players. She loved to 

knit, especially baby sweaters; she made well over 100 sweaters in her lifetime. First and foremost, she 

loved her family and friends. She was the “light of our life”, and will be greatly missed. 


Wanted: 

Gluten-free Stores 

Within Grocery Stores 

The demand for 

gluten-free food 

products is growing as 

more people are 

diagnosed with celiac 

disease or gluten 

intolerance. 

Frito Lay’s goal is to be the world’s favorite salty 

snack and convenient Fun Foods Company. 

Consumers with celiac disease and 

those who cannot eat products with 

gluten are getting serious attention 

from food distributors and grocers. 

To put celiac disease, an inherited 

autoimmune disorder, in perspective, 

consider these numbers. Parkinson’s 

disease affects about one million 

Americans. About 2.1 million 

Americans are living with rheumatoid 

arthritis. Around 3 million people 

have celiac disease, and about 97 

percent of them are undiagnosed. 

Written Exclusively for the WGA By Sharyn Alden 

The number of people 

in the U.S. with celiac 

disease is about the 

same as the number of 

people living in 

Nevada. 

The number of people 

in the U.S. with celiec 

disease is about the 

same as the number of 

people living in Nevada. 

These are people who 

suffer from an 

intolerance to gluten, a 

type of protein found 

in wheat, rye and 

barley. Some have been 

diagnosed with celiac 

disease in which gluten 

damages the small 

intestine and impairs 

the body's ability to 

absorb nutrients from 

food. Celiac disease has 

one the highest rates of new health 

diagnoses today. 

Because people don’t outgrow the 

disease there is a growing demand for 

gluten-free products. U.S. sales of 

gluten-free food are rapidly 

reflecting that. 

One of the most important things 

to know about celiac disease is that 

people do not have a choice as to 

what they eat. It is not a trend, it 

is a medical necessity. They have to 

eliminate gluten from their diet in 

order to maintain their health. When 

they omit gluten from their diet, they 

can usually notice positive results in a 

very short time. 

Other people have chosen to eliminate 

gluten from their 

Walk the Walk 

diet because they 

feel better without 

it. These dietary 

changes are good 

reasons why 

grocers should 

make it easy for 

these customers to 

shop at their 

respective stores. 

Mike Quillin, president 

of Quillins Inc. 

(www.quillinsfoods.com), LaCrosse, 

understands celiac needs from a 

personal perspective. 

Quillin has celiac disease; he explains 

what it’s like to live with dietary 

restrictions. “We have to plan out all 

of our meals in advance. We cannot 


simply grab just anything on the run as 

most shoppers can. Trips to restaurants or 

lunch meetings become issues. We must 

carry food for these meals or go without. 

That’s why grocery products that allow 

people to have fast, convenient gluten-free 

meals are of great importance. And that 

includes foods from all departments, from 

meat to deli to frozen foods and dairy.” 

For many years gluten-free shoppers have 

been neglected by grocers but that is 

changing as more gluten-free products are 

becoming available. In fact, the quality 

and variety of gluten-free food items on 

the market is increasing almost daily. 

Quillin notes, “Today, there are many 

high quality national manufacturers like 

General Mills, Frito-Lay, and Betty 

Crocker who embrace gluten-free 

products and help customers make 

healthy lifestyle choices.” 

If you want to create a following of 

customers who share these needs and who 

will likely become regular customers, 

Quillin says, “Create a store with glutenfree 

products within your store. It is also 

helpful to have someone on staff that lives 

that lifestyle and can offer first-hand ideas 

about building your department.” 

If you don’t have 

someone who 

understands the 

needs of someone 

with celiac disease 

Quillin says, “Get 

advice from people 

who can help you. 

There are support 

groups in every 

community. They 

can help with 

product selection 

because it makes 

their life easier.” 

Quillin knows these are aggressive 

approaches, but he says, “In our 

experience, the results were immediately 

realized.” 

How do grocers increase loyalty among 

people shopping for gluten-free 

products? Quillin points out there are 

two main areas of concern for gluten-free 

customers. “Price and convenience. Since 

gluten-free products fall under the 

Specialty Foods 

category in most 

grocers’ 

distributions, the 

grosses are 

typically much 

higher in most 

cases than they 

need to be. 

Gluten-free 

shoppers are used 

to this, but when 

specials are 

offered, they tend 

to stock up much 

more than the 

traditional 

shopper.” 

At Quillin’s they 

occasionally 

feature “glutenfree 

days” and 

offer 10 percent 

off the category 

of products. 

“That has 

resulted in 300- 

to 400 percent 

sales spikes on the days we feature this 

sale,” he says. 

How easy is it to 

find gluten-free 

products in your 

store? “If you 

aren’t identifying 

a gluten-free area 

so the items can 

easily be 

identified it is 

frustrating for the 

shopper,” says 

Quillin. “Take 

time to identify 

the area so people 

with celiac disease 

or those looking for gluten-free products 

have an easy and enjoyable shopping 

experience.” 

If you want to create a 

following of customers 

who share these needs 

and who will likely 

become regular 

customers, create a store 

with gluten-free products 

within your store. 

More gluten-free labeled 

products 

Imagine being newly diagnosed with 

celiac disease and you are standing in the 

aisle of the supermarket trying to figure 

out what you can and cannot eat. 

Kehe is the largest employee-owned 

specialty food distributor in the U.S. 

We carry 35,000+ items including grocery, dairy, 

deli and frozen foods. We at KeHE are 

dedicated to the success of our customers and 

suppliers by providing exceptional marketing, 

merchandising and distribution services. 

900 N. Schmidt Road • Romeoville IL 60446 

800-995-5343 

Contact Greg Hoard, Divisional Sales Manager, at Ext. 1652 

>>> 

Celiac Disease 

Celiac disease is digestive diseased caused by 

a reaction to eating gluten. Areas of villi in the 

lining of the small intestine are harmed, which 

affects the body’s ability to absorb nutrients 

from food properly. As a result, one will 

become malnourished, regardless of how much 

food he or she eats. Gluten is a protein found 

mostly in wheat, barley, rye, and possibly oats, 

but it can also be found in everyday products 

such as medicines, vitamins, and lip balms. 

About 2 million people in the United States 

have the disease, yet the exact cause of celiac 

disease is unknown. This condition can develop 

at any stage in life, from infancy to adulthood. 

People who have a family member with the 

disorder are at an increased risk for contracting 

the disease. In addition, women are affected 

more frequently than men. Because the 

symptoms of celiac disease vary greatly from 

person to person, it is difficult to diagnose; 

however, it is unlikely that long-term damage 

to the intestines will occur prior to diagnosis is 

made. Although celiac disease cannot be 

cured, a strict gluten-free diet can curb the 

symptoms significantly. 


One of the toughest challenges of living 

with the disease is learning what is safe to 

eat. Countless hours over a period of a year 

can be spent trying to learn what products 

on grocers’ shelves are OK to eat after a 

person has been diagnosed with celiac 

disease or needs to exclude gluten from 

their diet. 

Many of the types of foods and brands that 

consumers have been eating all their life are 

off limit to those with celiac disease or 

those with gluten restrictions. 

But shoppers who are looking for glutenfree 

products will have an easier time 

finding tasty gluten-free snacks they’ve 

always enjoyed due to a new nationwide 

effort from Frito-Lay. 

The company is responding to consumer 

feedback and is rolling out a gluten-free 

snack labeling program in phases 

throughout 2011 

Danielle Dalheim, Registered Dietitian and 

Senior Nutrition Scientist with Frito-Lay, 

says, “We want people to know that we 

have not reformatted out products. Our 

products are exactly the same with the same 

great taste people have come to expect from 

Frito-Lay products over the years. The new 

labels just confirm that the products are 

gluten-free. People who have been enjoying 

our snacks over the years can still look 

forward to the same taste—no matter if they 

are looking for a gluten-free product or not.” 

Consumers and grocers can check the Frito- 

Lay website (www.fritolay.com) to see 

which products have already been labeled. 

Currently, 20 products have been labeled as 

gluten-free. 

Dalheim says consumers with Celiac disease 

or those who suffer from gluten intolerance 

want to see the claim that products are 

gluten-free. We responded by labeling our 

snacks such as FRITOS ® Original Potato 

Chips and BAKED Lays ® Original Potato 

Chips with gluten-free labels.” 

Shoppers will be able to find the gluten-free 

claim on the back of snack bags below the 

corporate address as either a gluten-free 

symbol or as a written claim. 

Gluten-free labeling is a win-win 

situation for the consumer and for 

grocers. The label answers the 

question—is it or is it not glutenfree? 

It’s an important question 

that a growing number of 

consumers are asking. 

Dalheim says Frito-Lay’s labeling 

initiative gives shoppers an 

increased confidence knowing the 

product they want to purchase is 

gluten-free. “We’ve done the work for them 

so they don’t have to worry about whether 

they can still enjoy their favorite Frito-Lay 

snacks. They don’t have to find 

replacements for their old favorites.” 

Once you’ve attracted 

these consumers, they’re 

apt to buy everything else 

at your grocery store, but 

the key is to attract them. 

Educate your customers 

Interest in gluten-free foods is growing so 

fast—about 20 percent annually—that 

sales of gluten-free food products have 

topped $2.2 billion in the U.S for the past 

couple of years. 

It is estimated that one out of 133 people 

are afflicted with celiac disease so a growing 

numbers of grocers see it as a category that 

can’t be ignored. 

KeHE Distributors (www.kehe.com) helps 

grocers sell to this segment by providing a 

large array of gluten-free products as well as 

providing merchandising assistance. 

Once you’ve attracted these consumers, 

they’re apt to buy everything else at your 

grocery store, but the key is to attract them. 

What will it take to grow a gluten-free 

presence in grocery stores and sustain it 

long term? Dan Creedon, category manager 

with KeHE, says, “A commitment from the 

retailer is key. Educating and engaging the 

gluten-free consumer won’t happen 

overnight, but shoppers will be very loyal to 

grocers who meet their needs in a single 

grocery shopping trip.” 

Creedon’s tips for making that happen starts 

with education. “That is critical to a grocer’s 

success in selling gluten-free items. In order 

to build a following for gluten-free products 

you have to educate consumers about the 

products you carry. One way to do that is to 

connect with or work directly with local 

celiac support groups.” 

Grocers may also want to think outside the 

box by arranging for consumer education 

events and signage at the store. Creedon 

says, “Connect with your customers by 

hosting an in-store meeting about gluten-free 

products, cooking classes, or giving them a 

store tour. And don’t forget about store 

signage so shoppers easily and quickly know 

you carry products that benefit them.” 

Creedon says another way to reach this 

customer base is by planning a special instore 

focus during the Celiac Awareness 

Months of May and October. “This can be 

especially effective for stores that are just 

beginning to carry gluten-free products.” 

But Creedon points out the key to attracting 

and retaining gluten-free customers is to not 

overlook them at other times of the year. 

“Just because a person has celiac disease it 

doesn’t mean they don’t want to have cookouts 

and barbeque in summer or bake 

holiday cookies and pastries.” 

Creedon, who has seen the most growth in 

gluten-free prepared food as opposed to 

ingredient-based categories, has found that 

many customers with celiac disease are 

looking for quick meal solutions. 

“Even though they’ve been diagnosed with 

the disease, they may have already had 

their shopping patterns established,” says 

Creedon. “Just remember that people with 

celiac disease do not automatically have 

more time to bake or cook everything 

from scratch.” 


P R O F E S S I O N A L C A R D S 

Corey Wehling 

SR. KEY ACCOUNT MANAGER 

cell: 262 247-5890 

corey.wehling@anheuser-busch.com 

1-800-359-1032 

badgerinv@aol.com • www.badgerinventory.com 

Madison Office 608-839-5441 Brookfield Office 262.786.3446 

875 E. Wisconsin Avenue • Milwaukee, WI 53202 

www.roundys.com 

Phone 414-231-5000 

Serving the Real Independents! 

Certco, Inc. 

Dave Ryman, Director of Sales 

5321 Verona Road 

Madison, WI 53711-6050 

(608) 271-4500 

dryman@certcoinc.com • www.certcoinc.com 

CRYSTAL FARMS 

Distributor of fine refrigerated products to 

supermarkets in over 40 states, including: 

• Crystal Farms Cheese • Better ’n Eggs 

• Simply Potatoes • All Whites 

• David’s Deli Bagels 

Contact Steve.Fish@michaelfoods.com 

(920) 648-3466 

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3939 W. Highland Blvd., Building 35, Milwaukee, WI 53201 

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Hervey.David@millercoors.com 

Thomas Branta, Market Development Manager 262-308-7548 

Brad Miller, Vice-President Market Development 630-743-9226 

Jeff McClure, Area Sales Director 920-436-1509 

Russ Czapar, Area Sales Director 262-359-0087 

Green Bay Distribution Center 

451 Joannes Ave., Green Bay WI 54304 

Pleasant Prairie Distribution Center 

7400 95th St., Pleasant Prairie, WI 53158 

PAN-O-GOLD Baking Co. 

1000 Wilburn Road 

Sun Prairie WI 53590 

Visit us online at 

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(608) 834-1816 

(877) 457-7860 Watts Line

Gluten-Free Stores - Wisconsin Grocers Association

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