Living the Brand

Alex Dinovo prompts industry leaders to consider ways to promote fresh fruits and vegetable consumption within their immediate sphere of influence. You can read his original publication in The Packer here or keep reading below:

From The Packer on February 26, 2021.

Having a livelihood in the fresh fruit and vegetable business is a great way to earn a living. Our products are healthy, attractive, and are mostly grown in nice places. Our business is nourishing, life giving, and one of the most important ingredients for overall wellbeing.

We all recognize this, but I do not think that we collectively (myself included) do a good enough job of living the virtues of the industry that we represent on a daily business. What I mean by this is, how can we be better stewards of our “brand” ourselves and within our companies?

The easiest place to start is with ourselves and our families. Look in your fridge and pantry – what are you eating for dinner, lunch, snacks, etc.? I have six kids, and if you are anything like me, it looks like a mashup between a frat house and an air fryer commercial. Too many chips, nuggets, beer, cold cuts, and other quick and easy treats. Not that there isn’t produce, but I can do better – right?

If we are going to be leaders in the industry, it only makes sense to be ambassadors of the brand personally as well. You work for a company that sells produce — eat more of it.

At my company, many of our associates lacked access to fruits and vegetables. Something about this disconnect just did not seem right – you mean they pick, pack, chop, and haul fresh produce, but they cannot eat as much as is good for them?

If we are going to be leaders in the industry, it only makes sense to be ambassadors of the brand personally as well. You work for a company that sells produce — eat more of it.

To me, that seemed opposite of the message that we were sending to our customers, and if I am going to get the world to eat more produce, I had better get my own coworkers to help me be a brand ambassador themselves.

After coming to this realization, I felt sad, even a little ashamed. How had we not recognized this as a simple benefit that we can provide to our most important associates?

After realizing that we were not taking care of our workforce properly, we began to conscientiously put in place multiple benefit mechanisms that provided all our associates, temporary workers, and their families access to fresh and healthy fruits and vegetables.

If I am going to get the world to eat more produce, I had better get my own coworkers to help me be a brand ambassador themselves.

One of our favorite benefits that everyone who works for us is provided is a curated “snack sack” that we pack up and pass out to all willing associates. It has been very well received, and it is also something that influences current and future customers to eat more healthy produce. It is also the right thing to do.

We incorporated the snack sack about a year ago, along with several other measures to ensure that produce was offered as benefits to our associates. I am still trying to think of additional ways to live the brand more both personally and at work. If we are collectively going to influence the consumption of produce in positive direction, it has to start with us, and those that surround us.

Alex DiNovo is president and COO of DNO Produce group of companies, Columbus, Ohio. E-mail him at adinovo@dnoproduce.com.