Natural Grocers Honored at UNFI Circle of Excellence Ceremony at Expo West
Natural Grocers, the nation’s largest family-operated natural and organic retailer, accepted the Circle of Excellence award at the UNFI (United Natural Foods, Inc.) Circle of Excellence ceremony on Feb. 7, in San Diego, CA. The Circle of Excellence honors businesses for exceptional achievements in performance, community impact and strong partnership with UNFI in 2023. Winners are categorized by region and business size.
NATIONAL CUSTOMER OF THE YEAR: WEST REGION
The Customer of the Year Award recognizes industry-leading results across Performance, Impact and partnership with UNFI. The award winners embody the highest standards of achievement in the eyes of North America’s premier grocery wholesaler.
“Congratulations to Natural Grocers on this well-deserved recognition,” said Sandy Douglas, CEO of UNFI. “We are grateful to be a part of your support team and we look forward to continuing to help drive your success through the product assortment, quality, reliable execution and increased efficiency our partnership strives to provide.”
With 168 stores across 21 states, Natural Grocers received the National Customer of the Year for the West, for exceptional sales growth, a strong commitment to community and sustainability and making a positive impact in the industry.
Jesse Nesbitt, Senior Director of Purchasing Systems for Natural Grocers stated, “We are honored to have received this award from UNFI. It embodies our commitment to our partners, our communities and the regenerative farming practices that bring a more hopeful future for our planet. Regenerative farming practices improve soil health, water quality, biodiversity and ecosystem resilience. In 2023 Natural Grocers became the first national grocery retailer to offer two private-label Certified Regenerative and Certified Organic eggs. In addition to Regenerative and Organic certifications, our eggs are also American Humane Certified.
Through our rigorous product standards, we strive to consistently provide our customers with the highest quality natural and organic products at affordable prices. As we continuously update these standards, UNFI has demonstrated that they are willing to join us. The successful launch of our Regenerative private label eggs is just one example. UNFI supported the delivery of these products as promised. This enabled us to grow customer loyalty and category sales. We are proud to accept this award from such a dedicated partner.”
- To learn more about UNFI’s Circle of Excellence Awards, click here.
- Visit Natural Grocers to learn more about Natural Grocers’ rigorous product standards.
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- For media inquiries, please email kmacarelli@naturalgrocers.com.