North Dakota Rura Grocery Initiative Apri 2016 Introducing the... North Dakota Rura Grocery Initiative Earier this year, 50 participants took part in a meeting that highighted common chaenges that many rura grocers face and discovered opportunities that may hep them become more successfu business operators. Approximatey 25 of those participants were rura grocers from around the state. One of the strugges evident from the Jan. 14 Rura Grocers Meeting was that grocers have a difficut time trying to find updates on reguations pertaining to their business. They aso have a desire to earn more about other stores marketing successes and best-business practices. To assist them, a taskforce was comprised of 12 entities incuding grocery store operators and technica assistance providers. The taskforce, named the North Dakota Rura Grocery Initiative (NDRGI), is working to: Write and distribute press reeases; Meet with interested groups and participate in radio interviews to hep spread the word about the NDRGI; Compie a comprehensive ist of rura grocery stores in the state; and Work on deveoping ways for you to earn about the different facets of your business. The NDRGI has aso created this newsetter to serve as a pertinent source of information for you and your business. For detaied information about the North Dakota Rura Grocery Initiative and its efforts, pease visit the website www.ndarec.com. Cick the Rura Deveopment tab to find inks to videos from the North Dakota Rura Grocers Meeting, the survey resuts and survey instrument, and more. NDGA Annua Convention The NDGA Annua Convention wi be hed at the Ramada Paza Suites in Fargo on Sept.11-13, 2016. We wi have educationa sessions, trade show exhibits, awards presentations and socia events. This is a great opportunity to network with retaiers, vendors and distributors from North Dakota and surrounding areas. Pease join the North Dakota Grocers Association today so together we can continue to improve your business! Contact: Roger Larson Ce: 701-709-0064 Office: 701-223-4106 E-mai: roger@gygtechnoogies.com Website: www.ndgrocers.com
President s Message Pease join us in Fargo on Sept. 11 and 12 for the ND Grocers Convention! I have traveed to many grocery stores a across North Dakota and received a ot of feedback and the resut of that is some exciting changes to our annua convention. We are here to assist a grocers, big and sma, so we have added some educationa sessions that is reevant to a. You a wi receive a maiing in the coming months, but for now, I just wanted to make sure you save the date! Some of the highights are: John Weisgerber from the Mik Marketing Board wi give a presentation educating a grocers about the many aws and reguations of mik marketing Dave Sack, Compiance Officer, ND Dept of Agricuture, wi give a presentation on the new and existing aws and reguations such as grinding ogs, meat saes to other businesses and much more! We aso hope to tie into this with a representative of the State Heath Dept with topics of vacuum seaing rues and other food safety issues. Aso, we are very excited to have Monday morning breakfast on Sept. 12 featuring a presentation from Megan Myrda. She wi speak on Nationa Food Trends with a North Dakota favor. Understanding the Miennia Consumer and how to appea and market to them, Megan is a dynamic young ND native Food Consutant, Coege Professor, Registered Dietary Nutritionist and Co-founder of Ugy Food of the North. We wi be foowing up with more detais! Pease contact me at anytime with any questions! Roger Larson President North Dakota Grocer s Association OFFICE: 701-223-4106 CELL: 701-709-0064 FAX: 701-223-6783 Join the North Dakota Grocers Association! The North Dakota Grocers Association (NDGA) has been serving North Dakota and surrounding food retaiers for 53 years. We can be your voice for any state or federa issues that affect the grocery store industry. We wi aso work with many agencies to assist you with potentia probems or questions that may arise. Having been a North Dakota retaier for 40 years, I understand the many chaenges that are faced by grocers. NDGA has an office in Bismarck staffed by knowedgeabe personne who are ready to assist you. NDGA aso serves as your coupon-processing center to save you time and frustrations in deaing with the many companies invoved. Our staff can get you set up in a timey manner. NORTH DAKOTA GROCER BEST PRACTICE REGARDING YOUTH EMPLOYMENT LAWS Recruiting and training part-time empoyees is aways a chaenge in our retai stores; especiay in rura North Dakota. In addition, the abor poo in sma towns is aso reduced. You can empoy youth ages 14 and 15, as ong as you meet the foowing requirements: You must obtain an empoyment and age certificate that must be fied with the North Dakota Department of Labor. The empoyee cannot work past 7:00 p.m. on a schoo night or 9:00 p.m. on a non-schoo night. They can ony work a maximum of 18 hours per week during a schoo week. There are other specia exemptions, so check the North Dakota Department of Labor website at http://www. nd.gov/abor/. I have used this site extensivey and the paperwork is very easy. I found this too to be hepfu! Roger Larson is the current President of the NDGA. He earned his marketing degree from UND and has owned retai grocery stores for 38 years. Roger oversaw eight grocery stores whie serving as the Operations Manager of Mier s Fresh Foods for 1½ years.
Lifeong dream comes true with Temanns Market By Carice L. Keser The Temanns roots run deep in New Saem. From the time they met as high schoo freshmen, they ve panted themseves firmy in their community turning seeds of hope into dreams fufied. It started when the Temanns decided to stay near their hometown to begin their ife after getting married. It was there that they raised four chidren whie operating a fourth-generation dairy farm. Waking in the wee hours of the morning to tend to those cows and being tied to the farm with very few days off, working with refrigeration, reguations and inspections aid a good foundation for their new venture opening a grocery store in New Saem. We ve aways wanted to open a restaurant or a grocery store, says Aan. Debbie nods her head and agrees. But they weren t 100 percent certain about that idea. Unti about three years ago, the Temanns decided to pass the farm on to the fifth generation when their son, Shane and his famiy, took over the famiy farm. The Temanns moved into a home that Aan s grandfather ived in, in New Saem. They sod their dairy cows and remodeed their 1940s home a itte and then yearned for a routine. I m just not good without a schedue says Aan. It just seems ike when you get up in the morning you shoud have a pace to go. We were used to getting up at four in the morning, says Debbie. I knew this wasn t going to be easy for him. That ack of a daiy work routine prompted Aan to dig a itte deeper into their dream. The Temanns knew their town of about 1,000 peope desperatey needed a grocery store after their oca grocery store cosed more than three years ago. They fet they had the some of the skis to begin anayzing, projecting and deveoping the store. And they knew that opening Temanns Market woud be not ony be the right thing to do for themseves and New Saem, but aso for surrounding towns and communities as we. In May 2015, the Temans began site preparation ocated right next to Highway 10. Acting as project managers, they met with contractors and others who woud hep them earn more about the grocery business, and the buiding process. This Grocery 101 incuded earning a ot about reguations and permitting that is required to not ony buid the faciity, but to operate it as we. And those weren t the ony hitches they faced aong the way. A big hurde for most peope wanting to begin a business in a sma town is financing and the Temanns faced the same snags. Unti they ceared that first hurde the store coud not be buit. We used the PACE program through the Bank of North Dakota, says Aan. I think very highy of that program. And it was the PACE program which supports community-based economic growth that offered the financia backing, aong with Capita Credit Union, that Aan and Debbie Temann met when they were freshmen in high schoo and have been partners ever since. This time they venture into opening their own grocery store. heped the Temanns get the project off the ground. With this assistance and the support of Super Vau, a nationa food retaiing company, the Temans conducted a thorough market anaysis which ed them to buid a 8,700 square-foot, muti-purpose faciity with a high degree of specificity that wi serve the community we into the future. When it opens this summer, Temanns Market wi be a fu-service, state of the art grocery store. It wi be open seven days a week from 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Saturday, with a shorter schedue on Sundays. The Temanns hope to empoy two to three peope fu time and another 8 to 12 peope on a part-time basis. Severa peope have aready approached us about working parttime, says Aan. And we re reay excited to begin. Once it opens, the Temanns pan to buid upon the things they do we and be the best they can be at the services they are offering. They are ooking forward to supporting the community and are hopefu the community wi support them in return. Temanns Market is a 8,700 square foot, fu service grocery store that wi open this summer in New Saem, ND Carice Keser is the E-Communications Manager for the North Dakota Association of Rura Eectric Cooperatives (NDAREC)
9823 Highway 13 LaMoure 701-883-5813 As the panting season begins in North Dakota, a new idea for retai saes coud be part of your grocery business. Larry Harmsen of LaMoure is the owner of Harmsen s Greenhouse, a faciity that provides 22,000 hanging baskets, 12,000 fats and about 210,000 four-inch pants to whoesae customers a across North Dakota. Harmsen said that he is ooking to expand into areas ike grocery stores. I m aways wiing to hep individuas set up greenhouses in their oca communities. I hep suppy them and get them set up. We re aways ooking for more outets for whoesaers, he said. Harmsen s ses 80 percent of his products through the whoesae market and about 20 percent at his retai ocation in LaMoure. For more information, contact the greenhouse at 701-883-5813.
Nationa Rura Grocery Summit June 6-7 2016 Hyatt Regency Wichita, KS http://conferences.k-state.edu/ruragrocery/ REGISTER ONLINE FOR THE SUMMIT: http://conferences.k-state.edu/ruragrocery/agenda/ Ca: 785-532-5569 Registration is compimentary for first grocery store representative REGISTRATION FEE INFO By May 23, 2016 After May 23, 2016 Additiona grocery store representatives $50 per person $75 per person A other registrations $150 per person $175 per person Transportation: North Dakota Farmers Union wi provide a bus free of charge to the Nationa Grocery Summit. (MEALS AND LODGING EXTRA) If you are interested in riding the NDFU bus: Ca Sue Pauson 701-952-0108 Lodging: Hyatt Regency Wichita KS 888-421-1442 2 nights (excudes convention) $100 doube occupancy $200 singe occupancy If you have any questions: Ca Jason McKenney North Dakota Farmers Union 701-952-0116 jmckenney@ndfu.org MONDAY, JUNE 6, 2016 8:30 a.m. Registration / Check-in 9:30 a.m. Wecome Opening Keynote: Making a Difference through the Rura Grocery Initiative 1 Accessing Funds for Your Rura Grocery Store 2 Business Transition: Succession Panning 3 Understanding Rura Grocery Owner Chaenges/Customer Needs Rura Grocery Store Awards: Ron Wison (Huck Boyd Nationa Institute for Rura Deveopment) Luncheon Keynote: Nick Graham 10 Years of Being America s Youngest Grocer, Growing a Business, and Saes in a Decining Area 3:00 p.m. Break 4 Conducting Community Food Assessments 5 Aggregating Food Operations: Food Hubs 6 Accessing Funds for Your Rura Grocery Store 3:15 p.m. 7 Innovative Modes of Rura Grocery Operations 8 Encouraging Rura Customers to Shop Heathy 9 Increasing Heathy Food Options for Rura & Diverse Popuations 4:30 p.m. Dinner break on your own 7:00 p.m. Evening Reception TUESDAY, JUNE 7, 2016 Keynote Speaker TBD 10 Strengthening Access to Heathy Foods 11 Rura Grocery Best Practices: Perspectives from Owners 12 Innovative Rura Grocery Ownership Modes 13 Poicies to Strengthen Heathy Food Access 14 Food Distribution: Chaenges and Soutions 15 Increasing Heathy Food Access in Your Community 12:15 p.m. Cosing Box Lunch Provided 12:45 p.m. Cosing Keynote: Let s Not Stop Now, Where We Go From Here David Procter, Director, Center for Engagement and Community Deveopment, Kansas State University, Manhattan, KS Adjourn
Look for the Mark of Inspection Nathan Kroh Scientific Information Coordinator ND Meat and Poutry Inspection Program ND Dept. of Agricuture Sma town grocers are the ifebood of many North Dakota (ND) communities. A service they offer proudy, even though they may have imited resources. The owner is more than ikey purchasing new products, stocking sheves, training empoyees, baancing books, writing checks and mopping foors. They want the best for customers and their communities, but they may not have the time to research and understand a the reguations that are in pace. Grocers buying hundreds of types of food may not reaize that the foods containing 3% cooked meat or 2% raw meat must be inspected by the U.S. Dept. of Agricuture (USDA) or state meat inspection programs to be sod whoesae. These products are recognizabe because they bear the inspection egend (circuar USDA symbo) stating that the meat products were inspected and passed by the Department of the Agricuture. The ND Meat and Poutry Inspection Program North Dakota provides the same inspection for ND meat processors (the EST. 000 ND inspected and passed egend is appied instead of Inspected & Passed the USDA egend) but those products are imited to saes within ND. Meat is the most heaviy reguated food in the word. Why? Reguations prevent the mistreatment of animas and ensures meat is propery handed, as it poses greater food safety risks than most other foods. Ensuring safe food is a joint effort between the inspection program and the meat processors. Government inspectors are on-site at every meat pant, every day, ensuring that every anima is heathy and handed humaney. The meat companies are responsibe for meeting faciity standards, deveoping extensive food safety pans and impementing sanitation programs, so ony whoesome meat processed under sanitary conditions is sod. Grocery shopping is a persona experience. Customers waking through the store are examining the products, interacting with the staff, inhaing the aromas and constanty assessing the store. The quaity of the shopping experience impacts the purchasing decisions of every customer. Are the sheves cean? Are the cooers cod? Do the empoyees ook neat and tidy? The shopping experience may give the customers confidence in the store itsef, but there is no way for the customer to evauate how the faciity and empoyees are handing food at the point of manufacturing. The ND meat inspection program or the USDA provides that third-party verification. Ony meat from heathy animas, prepared under very sanitary conditions and abeed accuratey can be resod. The customer expects their food to be whoesome, and the inspection symbo means that the meat was whoesome unti sod to the grocery store, retaier or restaurant. The store can further process those products, but that store assumes the responsibiity for the food s safety and convincing the customer they maintained the origina whoesomeness. Not a butchers or food manufacturers produce food under state or federa inspection, so they woud not be eigibe to se to another store. Meat markets and restaurants making sausages, steaks, pizzas, soups, etc. can prepare meat products for direct sae to the consumer, because the customer has the opportunity observe the faciity and its empoyees. Supporting oca sma business and oca food is a popuar concept, which many sma food producers rey on, yet buying uninspected products containing meat to se at a retai store is against the aw. Every food retaier and grocer needs to know that a meat products coming into the store must bear the mark of inspection. For exampe, a restaurant known for great soup gets a ca from a grocery store owner asking to serve the famous soup in their dei department. Sounds ike a great dea for both parties, right? Possiby. Food estabishments can ony purchase food from approved sources, so that woud eave the grocery store with two options. They coud make their own soup, starting with inspected meat ingredients, or they coud purchase the restaurant s famous soup, but the restaurant woud need to make the soup under inspection (if quaified to do so) and appy a mark of inspection. Either way, the grocery store is protecting itsef by purchasing approved source ingredients for their dei soup. The vast majority of sma food businesses make very good safe products; meat inspection services simpy confirm that for the consumer. Regardess of business size, whether it is a huge food congomerate seing miions of pounds of meat, or oneperson operation seing a singe case of sausage to the grocer, by aw, government inspectors must be there verifying food safety. The mark of inspection provides customers peace of mind about how the food was handed prior to being paced on grocery store sheves or being cooked in the dei.