FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Thursday, Nov. 14, 2019
CONTACT:
Meredith Gremel, Vice President, Corporate Affairs & Communications, 616-878-2830
80,000-square-foot facility solely dedicated to produce and floral distribution to meet the needs of today’s consumers
Fargo Produce DC emphasizes SpartanNash’s commitment to environmental sustainability
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – As part of its commitment to meet and exceed the ever-changing needs of today’s consumers, SpartanNash today celebrated the grand opening of its Fargo Produce Distribution Center. The 80,000-square-foot facility has the capacity for 1,600 items – including 300 organic items – and is solely dedicated to produce and floral distribution in order to provide the freshest and highest quality offerings available.
To bring the Fargo Produce DC to life, SpartanNash invested nearly $10 million and created 30 jobs, including specialized warehouse teams, dedicated quality control associates and a banana ripening lead.
“SpartanNash is committed to delivering best-in-class products throughout our supply chain, and today, that commitment now includes fresher than ever produce and floral options for customers serviced out of the state-of-the-art Fargo Produce Distribution Center,” said Walt Lentz, President, Food Distribution. “This facility highlights our commitment to our customers, independent retailers and the Fargo community as a whole.”
Located at 3402 4th Ave. South in Fargo, N.D., the Fargo Produce DC includes state-of-the-art avocado and banana ripening rooms – featuring organic flash sustainable technology for improved shelf life and color consistency – three dedicated temperature zones for optimal product storage and a large variety of fresh plants and floral available for next-day delivery.
The facility will also carry an expanded cut fruit and vegetable product line, designed to help time-starved shoppers answer the question, “What’s for dinner?” in a quick and convenient way. The DC inventory will include a variety of fresh juices and beverages, dressings, snacks and nuts, and specialty and tropical produce to complement their other offerings.
As the sixth largest wholesale food distributor in the nation, SpartanNash’s Fargo Produce DC will serve its own corporate-owned retail stores and independent retail customers in surrounding states.
In addition to consumer staples including bananas, grapes and cherries, the Fargo Produce DC will also showcase SpartanNash’s commitment to supporting local growers and producers, carrying locally grown red and russet potatoes, tomatoes, green peppers, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins, sweet corn, cabbage and apples as seasonally available.
The Fargo Produce DC also highlights SpartanNash’s corporate responsibility commitments, including investments in energy-efficient LED Green illumination technology to reduce heat, environmentally sustainable refrigeration and non-CO2 emitting industrial warehouse equipment.
SpartanNash also owns and operates 10 Family Fare and Dan’s Supermarket stores in North Dakota, as well as a 289,000-square-foot distribution center in Fargo that distributes grocery, meat, dairy and frozen items.
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About SpartanNash
SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) is a Fortune 400 company whose core businesses include distributing grocery products to a diverse group of independent and chain retailers, its corporate-owned retail stores and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges; as well as premier fresh produce distribution and fresh food processing. SpartanNash serves customer locations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Bahrain, Djibouti and Egypt. SpartanNash currently operates 158 supermarkets, primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets, D&W Fresh Market, VG’s Grocery, Dan’s Supermarket and Family Fresh Market. Through its MDV military division, SpartanNash is a leading distributor of grocery products to U.S. military commissaries.